“Hail, stranger!” I called to the man who approached Ithilwe and I. Gisuna stood a few pages back in her bear form; she had taken some arrows in her hide as well and was waiting ere she got involved.
Daphnee, Furley, and Catrena were further up the hillside, closer to the entrance to Minas Eriol. The man did not speak at first, but as the trio of us blocked his way, he had no choice but to address us.
“Where are my boxes?” He asked, in a sneering tone that put every one of my senses on edge. I felt Ithilwe tense up next to me - I could see it in the way his shoulders tightened and his eyes narrowed. It was the audacity of the question that took me aback; I spoke before I thought once again. A fire began to spark in the pit of my stomach.
“We just fought our way through Minas Eriol for them; men were injured. Perhaps next time, I shall throw them back in with the goblins!” I snap. I take note of Furley, Daphne, and Catrena up the hillside - with that man, Domdrudis. I have no time to worry about them as the man in front of me speaks again.
"We were expecting a shipment to collect ‘round here, and it seems you bastards have taken it. So, I'll ask again... where are my boxes!"
I feel the sparks begin to fan into a flame inside of me and offer exactly what I think of his attitude; a harsh spit onto the ground at the man’s feet. “Ego puitho orch!”
Ithilwe gasped next to me as I spoke, but the man seemed unfazed at my sentiments. It made me angrier; for a moment, it felt good to be angry. Angry at someone and something other than myself and the misery I have found myself in as of late. I will not temper the flames this time.
It was Catrena that spoke next, but Ithilwe’s hand on my shoulder was all that kept me from drawing my sword from its sheath. My hand remained steady on the hilt.
"I'll think you'll find it was our shipment, that was stolen and has been retrieved,” she offered to the men. I bristled at the man’s brutal snarl of response, and my sword was drawn. As I did so, I heard Domdrudis whistle; and archers appeared seemingly out of nowhere on the ridge of the canyon - at least thirty, all with taut bows aiming down at us.
“I wouldn’t do that!” Domdrudis yelled down from behind Furley and Daphne. “This one here with the rock-” I remember then the rock that Daphne was holding as we exited the complex, “-gets it if none of ya tell us where the caravan is!”
I turn my attention to the archers and try to judge how many there are. Two men on the ground against the six of us, we could take. But none of us would be able to make a move without getting shot at; Ithilwe could shoot them down and I could cover him, but Gisuna was already injured. And considering that there was a sword to Daphne’s throat, and Furley had already lowered his own sword, it seemed that our odds were slim.
“The goods are with the Commander!” Catrena exclaims. I felt my stomach lurch up into my throat; why had she told them that? She was putting Altheric and the others at risk; were they still not at the Forsaken Inn? Or had they moved along to Bree? I did not know. The fire burns hotter in my stomach.
The man smiled at us. "Thank you. Well, then, we go to retrieve what is ours. I bid you a good day,” and he departs with Domdrudis following. The archers disappear just as quickly as they had arrived, and we all release a collective sigh of relief. Not dead, but something worse is on the horizon. As the men retreat down the Western Pass, I attempt to follow - but they are long out of sight already.
“We have to warn the others!” I snap. “They’re at the Forsaken Inn. I am going with or without your favor, Furley,” I say, mounting up Thalawest. Ithilwe and Gisuna look to Furley, however, and after a moment of hesitation, he snaps at me.
“FLY!”
I do not have to be told twice. I turn Thalawest and we race down the Western Pass; the sun is still blazing overhead and the heat is nigh unbearable beneath my armor now. I hear nothing but the rhythmic pounding of Thalawest’s hoof-beats as dirt and dust spray up in our wake.
Thalawest snorts and shakes away the dust as I see the Forsaken Inn come into view as we veer around a hillside. Aranoll and Anastasiar stand outside. They turn to face me as I yank the reins for Thalawest to halt; he does so with nervous energy, shuffling his hooves.
“Where is the Commander?” I ask ere they get a chance to speak first. “Is he well? Has he gone on to Bree?” I demand. They share a glance, but it is Anastasiar who speaks first.
“He is inside, resting in the basement. Kildwin and Amaken took the others to Bree already. Why? What has happened?” She asks, her brows furrowing at me in concern. I do not have time to tell the whole story.
“We were ambushed by Hill-men outside of Minas Eriol. Altheric and the caravan goods need to go to Bree right away!” I insist, and Thalawest begins to pace anxiously despite himself. Aranoll quickly rushes inside to get the commander up.
“Are we in danger?” Anastasiar asks, and I simply nod, ere my gaze falls back to the road I just flew from Minas Eriol. Furley and the others should be hot on my tail by now. I glance to Anastasiar and then back to the road, and with reluctance do I turn Thalawest to go back deeper into the Lone-lands.
“Yes. Make sure Altheric is well enough to move. Make haste!” And with that, Thalawest and I take back to the dirt road to Minas Eriol. My hands tremble against the reins - they should have been after me by now, and I worry that in my errantry, something else befell them. My throat closes up for a moment at the thought; once again, I left, and something preventable and tragic happened to those whom I claim to love. I urge Thalawest onward faster, but he is no elf-horse.
We come down the Western pass with grass and dirt in our wake, and I am relieved to see everyone still standing there safely. I pull Thalawest to a stop alongside Ithilwe and Gisuna; Catrena was missing, but I am told later that she had gone on to see Altheric, so I likely passed her on the road.
"Furley! What do we do? We can't let them get away!" Gisuna shouted up to our leader. I let my gaze rise to Furley and Daphne; I was curious to see what he had to say as well. There was a fierceness in his eyes; one I recognized. It was one I had seen in my own - a ferocity that devoured and engulfed. Though I knew my own destructive force was fire, flame; indiscriminate in whom it scorched, I saw something different in Furley at that moment. He was like a starved wolf, aching to be let out and released; and that lashed out when those that were close to him were threatened. I both hate and envy that of him.
"Go after them! Kill them! Flay them alive! Find them! Burn them! Kill them all! Make them regret the day they ever crossed this Company!” Furley shouts. Gisuna roared loudly her agreement, and I felt a readied smile filter onto my lips. Though Ithilwe looked uncertain, he mounted his steed as well; together, we raced after Gisuna to meet at the Forsaken Inn. Daphne and Furley brought up the rear.
This is just the beginning, is it not?
