Through the white mountains Faorie rushed in search of the man with the black, blood stained armour – Thendryt. His tracks most times had already been blanketed with snow, but under ledges and through ruins the hoof prints of Bovad, his black steed, remained undisturbed.
For many hours Faorie searched. She dared not call to him, for her presence may lead him to disappear as he once did while on the path to Eregion.
Time passed on without sight of him, but his tracks were still fresh and Faorie knew that if he were to find his end in the mountains she would be to blame for leaving a member of her family of warriors alone to rage against his demons. But there was more... there was something about Thendryt that Faorie was aware she didn't understand. Enough darkness had plagued Thendryt's heart to cause concern, but it had yet to overwhelm the man. Perhaps there was still a chance for him to save himself – but then again, perhaps not.
Night was reaching its end and Ebrail began to show signs of great discomfort due to the harsh environment and constant search along unlevelled pathways.
Faorie petted his mane gently. “It's alright. We're almost done... Just a bit further.”
Ebrail snorted impatiently, but together they continued on.
Faorie turned her head, shifting her gaze slowly across her surroundings. There was a thick mist blurring her vision. She was in the South High Pass of the Misty Mountains, and still no sign of Thendryt.
She relaxed herself slightly, leaned forward and quietly told Ebrail that the search was over for now – that the time to head back to Rivendell had come.
She turned Ebrail around and began walking him back the way they had come.
Then suddenly came the sound of distant footsteps crunching the snowy landscape. Faorie hurriedly pulled Ebrail behind a nearby boulder and dismounted herself. Silently, she leaned over the edge to see who was coming, for whoever it was could not have been Thendryt. The sounds were coming from more than two feet...
A rugged man appeared faintly through the mist first. He was dressed thickly in dirtied travelling clothes and a long sword at his side. Small satchels hung from his belt, along with other visible items such as a key ring, a few tucked scrolls, and an additional dagger. Even at a distance, Faorie could see his presumably permanent angered expression.
With every step there seemed to be a determination to move faster, and no doubt he would had it not been for the number of men following behind him. All of them seemed to blend with the other in appearance. They wore similar clothing – thick hide boots and even thicker coats reaching down to their knees, straps belted over their shoulders carrying supplies and wrapped weapons and red arrows on their backs, heavily tied scarfs around their mouths and noses... the only one who truly stood out was their leader. There was an air about him... a sort of –
Suddenly he turned his head straight towards Faorie.
In a mild panic, she hid herself completely with her back pressed against the boulder. She slowed her breathing and relaxed as to not make any unnecessary sounds.
After a short moment of silence, she leaned her head over to see the men again.
Their leader had his head turned upwards, staring intently through the icy mist. Faorie followed his gaze up towards the mountains.
“Are you sure he's up there?” one of the men grumbled chillingly. He crossed his arms and rubbed his shoulders roughly in attempt to heat himself.
Their leader didn't answer. He simply continued to stare upwards.
“Bryn.” the man called out.
Still no answer.
Faorie furrowed her brow. Bryn.
“Bryn!” the man shouted impatiently.
It was then that a smile was seen on his face. He began to chuckle, almost sinisterly, as he lowered his gaze and half closed his eyes to the ground. Slowly, he turned to the group, where they all looked up to him simultaneously. “Thendryt is up there. Of this I've never been more certain.”
Faorie widened her eyes. They were after Thendryt...
Bryn turned his back to the group and once again shifted his eyes across the mountain range. He continued to smile. “That boy knows. Let us hope he chooses wisely. It'd be a shame to have such valuable skill go to waste.”
And with that, they moved forward through the mist until they were gone from Faorie's sight.
Quickly, Faorie grabbed on to Ebrail's reigns, thinking intensely of Thendryt and what could cause such a notable number of men to seek him out.
She thought back briefly to the beginning when Thendryt had first returned to the Rivendell. There was a man he was searching for, one who was a threat to the vale. There was his secrecy regarding the Organization he had spoken of, unwilling to share any details or information. And all her findings from Delossad... they were all connected, and surely this man that had just moved along with a group of men following closely behind – Bryn – was the root of it all. It was making more sense, but there was still much she had yet to learn.
There was no time for that now. She had to move quickly before anything out of her control could take place. She had to find Thendryt!
End of Part 3 of 4
