I must have fallen asleep, resting back against Estarfin. No bumping of armour against armour this time, as I was clad in flimsy southern garb, but with his thick cloak wrapped round me. It was comfortable for me, more so than anywhere else I had been for several weeks.
At one point I was dreaming again of Caranthir walking through the flames, and changing into Estarfin as he drew nigh. Two neri, though rather different, both of whom I trusted with my life. Then I was running around an empty wooden house, calling and calling for Parnard, and knowing he was not to be found. I woke from that dream with a start. The sky was dark overhead but a few stars were visible. The land had changed.
“You are alright? Estarfin said to me in Quenya. He looked so concerned that it tore at my heart.
I nodded, laying my head back against his shoulder and Norlomë continued at her best steady pace.
“I shall be, dear one. We are no longer in Angmar?”
He sighed. “Indeed, we have passed into the lands of Nan Amlung. We make good progress.”
Coughing slightly as I moved position, I asked, “But I slow the pursuit.”
“Rest,” he replied, drawing me close again. “I will find Parnard and I will never abandon you.”
Yrill rode up beside us. I could barely make out the black haired, black leather garbed Huntress in the small light.
“All is well, Lady Danel. This Zairaphel has a wagon drawn by two horses, and two solitary riders as guards, plus another who joined from the east. There are also the paw prints of a large cat. Parnard is likely in the wagon, as the riders carry no additional weight.”
“Thank you, Yrill, I managed, though my throat was dry and speaking came at a cost. That last would be the sorceress Khahaynd, and her cat, Zir, I suspected. The thought did not please me in my state.
“Be wary.” I whispered to Estarfin. “That last is likely the sorceress who tried to kill me.”
I felt him tense at that news.
“Do not distress yourself. You must rest and regain your strength,” he replied in his usual Quenya.
Again I slept. The next I knew we had slopped near a small stream, and Estarfin was lifting me off of Norlome, and setting me down on springy turf.
“No fire,” he said, “lest we alert drakes or worse.
He settled me as comfortably as he could, then reached for his water skin and handed it to me, while he searched in his saddle bags, bringing out a few pieces of cheese. He handed them to me, then sat beside me. I noted that he ate nothing.
The four halflings gathered close, seeing that each other were settled and as warm as possible. I noted Tolbold attending the ponies, and Gaisarix passing water skins. Then Lithea was beside us again.
“‘Ere yer go. Yer won’t get far on that.”She drew something that looked like an old cheese and ham pie out of her bags, and two apples, and passed them to Estarfin. He moved to shake his head, but she insisted.
“I didn’t save yer in that fire ter see yer waste away out ‘ere, Master Elf. Yer need yer strength too. Yer Lady an’ the High Lord need yer strength."
Estarfin bowed his head a little, honouring her unexpected gift, then removed his gauntlets and broke the pie in half.
“You may have it all, if you can eat it?” he asked.
I shook my head. “It will be our first meal together for some time.”
He smiled, and ate his half. But his eyes were filled with concern.
After a short time he hesitantly asked, “Did they hurt you?”
I put down the remainder of my part of the pie. I knew what he was asking. “A few bruises from rough handling, but nothing more. Zairaphel wanted both Parnard and I unmarred.”
He searched my face, not for a lie, he knew I would not lie to him. More for an unspoken truth?
I smiled warmly, reassuringly at him .”They did not hurt me,” I repeated.
And I must have slept again. The next I knew I was waking to a warm spring morning, and Estarfin was asleep by my side. My movement awakened him also, and he sat up, working some stiffness from his neck and asked again. “You are well?” He watched me closely.
“Yes, now I am with you again. But where is Yrill?” I looked around our small group. The halflings were still sleeping, but Captain Culufinnel stood off to one side. I felt uncomfortable that I had not really spoken with him, he who had more to worry about than any of us. Noticing we were awake he said, “Ready to move on?”
“One moment, Captain,” I replied, seeing the Halflings start to stretch and yawn as they heard us speak. “I grow stronger, but I am not yet myself.”
“It is well that you grow stronger, Lady, we must travel fast. Yrill returns,” said Culufinnel, pointing to a lone figure on horse that emerged from a grove of trees. “She has been scouting since first light.”
We hailed Yrill, and she waved back.
And it was time for breakfast, as the Halflings busied themselves with distributing dried fruit and meat, and Yrill, dismounting, took out three pieces of lembas.
Sharing some dried berries and a piece of the lembas, Estarfin said “Do not forget to conserve your strength. You were so pale yesterday.”
“And I am a little less pale today?” I asked with a warm and hopeful smile. Still he regarded me with concern; I held out an arm before him, so that he could see the bruises on the underside. “The Sorceress drew much blood from me for her experiments. She opened the vein in my arm, none too carefully. But I am strong, I shall recover from that insult.”
He frowned, his face darkening that I should have suffered such.
“We will find this foul Sorceress,” It was Culufinnel who spoke. “She shall pay.”
“Indeed,” Estarfin added.
I moved slowly to my feet, Estarfin hovered close by to aid if needed. “She should not have meddled with the Noldor,” I said, then smiling at him again, I added. “I am improving, meldanya. I shall not be taken from you so easily. But now, we head to Lin Giliath, and get me a horse?”
And he smiled warmly in turn, calling Norlomë over to us.
“There is nothing unexpected ahead, “ Yrill reported. “Some more drakes, a few wandering orcs. Nothing beyond that. Kingsfell is quiet, though I rode no further towards Nan Wathran. There will be Orc camps in that area.”
“That path is the only way we can make up for lost time,” I said, feeling a little more alive. “If we go to Lin Gilliath we lose time that can only be made up by crossing the orc dens to reach the Greenway.”
“No coach can traverse those mountains,” the Huntress confirmed. “The Sorceress must travel the main path.”
Estarfin looked a little unsure, but nodded. “We ride on. What is an orc camp to us?” He walked over to Norlomë, then knelt on one knee and held out a hand to help me climb on his leg to the saddle. Then he climbed up behind me.
I heard a slight commotion from the Halflings as Gaisarix tried the same for Lithea.
“Yer be havin’ us all doin’ that, Guy.” Tolbold protested, as Henepa held out a hand to be ‘helped’ into the saddle. But they were laughing. Despite all they had been through, the Halflings were laughing.
“We ride with yer ter Kingsfell,” Henepa said to us. “If that be fine with yer? We wants ter be home, though we all thank yer kindly fer all yer help.”
I felt Estarfin hold on to me carefully, as we both inclined our heads to them. “Thank you, brave ones. May you reach Tighfield swiftly and safely.”
The captain finished repacking his saddlebags, and raised a hand in salute to the hobbits. “You have done well, and have earned my thanks. Be assured that we shall pay your compliments to those who imprisoned you.”
