A fire crackled, bathing the camp with warm light. Kiriaz stared into the dancing flames, deep in thought. Behind him a white horse grazed on the few plants growing among the rocks. Though he didn't look it, Kiriaz was hyper-aware of his surroundings. A result of thousands of years of training and travelling through the wild places.
He sat perfectly still, his muscles tight like a bowstring. Ready to move at the slightest sound of approaching danger.
Kiriaz's mind wandered into the past. Back to Mirkwood. He didn't feel right leaving the battle, nor leaving his allies behind. He mused that Eradris was probably stalking orcs while he rested. The memories of the battles came back to him.
* * *
He had enterred Dol Guldur, alone, and fought his way through countless orcs and worse. The objective seemed irrelevent while his sword sung even as it drew black orc blood. He had run into Eradris by one of the entrance gates, where they had fought together, but she was no longer within his field of view.
The whistling sound of an arrow flying past him alerted him to Eradris' return. Together they had battled through waves of enemies, moving ever deeper into the Tower. Kiriaz charged ahead of their group, raising his shield. He barrelled into an olog-hai, causing it to roar in surprise.
Kiriaz slashed at it with his sword. Meanwhile, Eradris' bow sung as arrows flew toward the hulking beast. Kiriaz knew that this olog-hai was no match for him, let alone the group that fought with him. The olog-hai fell, pierced with numerous arrows and bleeding from as many sword-inflicted wounds.
The group then split in two in order to cover more ground. Eradris climbed a flight of stairs, taking the high ground, whilst Kiriaz continued on toward the next gate. Kiriaz began to wonder why the orcs had left so light a resistance within keep. Perhaps they were being lured into a trap?
He didn't focus on the thought too long, it was a distraction he could not afford, especially if this was a trap. Ahead of him rose another flight of stairs. Kiriaz looked past the stairs at the massive gate. "How to get past undetected," he wondered, "climb the stairs and go down on the other side," he decided.
As he reached the top of the stairs, Kiriaz saw Eradris fighting off a group of orcs. Kiriaz sheathed his sword and drew forth one of his javelins. With a yell he threw the spear across the distance between himself and the orcs, impaling one. He raced forward, drawing his sword once again, to the defence of his commander.
Between them, Kiriaz and Eradris defeated the orc patrol. They silently acknowledged one another before continuing. There was only one direction for them to go: up. The elves scaled the outside of a tower, carefully climbing to a bridge above them.
Perhaps it was a mistake on their part, for once they had crossed the bridge they were confronted by a cargul: a wraith. A lesser wraith, to be sure, but still a fearsome opponent. The cargul hissed in a way reminiscent of laughter as it drew it's black blade.
Kiriaz raised his own sword and lowered his shield as he circled it. He knew Eradris would be preparing her bow even as he and the wraith watched each other, evaluating their opposition. Kiriaz flicked his wrist, causing the wraith to flinch. So it was cautios, too.
The wraith screeched as it lunged toward Kiriaz. Kiriaz parried and brought his shield up to hit it where it's chin should have been. Meanwhile, Eradris begun to loose arrows at it, but the wraith seemed to resist the injuries delt to it.
Kiriaz had an idea, but it wouldbe risky. He had done battle with creatures such as this cargul before, though this one was obviously stronger. He thought back to his fight with a ring wratih, one of the Nine. He had defeated the wraith, though not killed it, by invoking the name of Elbereth while his blade pierced it. Surely this wraith, a lesser creature, would be vulnerable to such an assault? There was but one way to find out.
Kiriaz shouldered his shield in an attempt to lure the wraith closer. From the corner of his eye, Kiriaz saw Eradris pause, an unspoken question on her face. He waited until the wraith was within arm's reach before raising his sword and invoking the name of Elbereth.
The wraith shied back as Kiriaz drove his blade home, through the cowl of the wraith's robe. He lost his grip on the sword as the wraith staggered away. Eradris raised her bow and yelled something indistinct before loosing a pair of arrows, which drove through the wraith beside Kiriaz's sword.
The wraith screeched in pain, or was it fury? It seemed to grow for a moment, before losing its shape and its empty robe fell lifeless to the stone floor. Kiriaz marched forward to retrieve his sword, but found only shards.
* * *
Kiriaz returned to himself, raising his head to watch the sun rise. Had he really been sitting so long in thought?
He put out the fire and allowed himself a bite of lembas before climbing onto his horse. The ride would continue.
