It was four days after Galdorion's strange dream and things in the real world was going even worse.
Carmacil, Turyamir and Galdorion together with eleven others were the only survivors of the company of 38 strong Malledhrim company. These were particularly battle proven veterans except Galdorion, each of them were true ''snaphaners'' in hunting. Their hands were relentless and minds were unforgiving.
The company headed northeastward in the forest following the orcs and their prisoner train, where spiders have established a permanent residence. That was a dark, dangerous valley, where even the servants of the darkness would rarely enter. On the morning of the fourth day, Elves laid their eyes on the prisoner train and the orc encampment.
Galdorion and his friends were silently watching the camp. And their hope was slowly fading. Since twelve lightly armed runaway elves they were, looking at a hastily build but effective looking trenches, guarded by sizeable and constantly air-sniffing orc sentries and the rumor of a vile harad sorceror among the orcs was obsiously beyond their power. Captain Andalad was hung from his wrists to a pole and lashed. set in plain sight as a bait, attracting any foolish elf to get him out. After several minutes of scouting, remnants of malledhrim company returned to a silent spot to debate.
-"It seems impossible to attack directly" said a Malledhrim. -"They are more than four times our numbers, and our blades are no match to their armor!"
-"We can't leave Captain like that!" cried Turyamir. He was a young sentry and barely survived annihilation a week ago. And was the most raging among the group.
-"And we will not" said Carmacil. -"But we are running out of time, some of us might not return. But it is better than living in shame, what say you?"
Elves nodded unanimosly. But Galdorion was thoughtful and he was often turning to west. He remembered his last goodbyes and wiped his eyes swiftly and cleared his throat. Elves then turned to him
"Goldie" said others. -"Are you not native of these woods? How would you respond to this situation? A frontal attack is surely the most viable solution, do you not think?"
Galdorion opened his mouth to say something but these matters were a bit beyond him. -"We must" he said. Then clearing his throat more and trying to speak louder :
-"We must depend on the element of surprise!" he said.
Elves nodded in agreement and then they all turned back to him in expectation. Awaiting the rest of the statement. But Galdorion then remembered his days with Hammerites in Rivendell as a flashback. According to them, leadership was certainly a strange toy in the times of pressure and he who speaks more confident and louder in a tight spot is a natural leader, free of ranks and colors.
Then he smiled. -"Yes! We must use surprise!"
-"But how?" asked Carmacil.
Unfortunately Galdorion had no idea. For he was no soldier. But fate favoured him that moment and saved of humiliation as a painful cry was heard from the nearby encampment. Surely orcs were tormenting captain Andalad with fire to bait nearby elves into their traps.
Turning back to Galdorion elves found him crouched deep in the pit. Perhaps he fell or he thought orcs were nearby and trying to camouflage himself cunningly, but it was not so. As captain was crying aloud in the background Galdorion was inspecting his muddy hands.
-"I have an idea" he said thoughtfully.
* * *
In the orc camp, Jailor Bub-hosh and Warboss Grizrip were inspecting captain Andalad, whom were recently faded out by torture. Among them, Bub-hosh was a fat, dark orc and seemed very trickster. He was wearing a tightly linked mail to cover his brown-yellow belly and carrying a two headed axe with a lash. Apparently he was delighting in torture very much.
Grizrip however more fit and looked very vile. He was wearing a mask torn out from a bearded creatures own face -either a beorning or a dwarf- and hiding his real hideous face behind that cruel visage. His upper body was ridiculously muscular and covered in stink and blood. His eyes were dark and knew no goodness.
-"Golug are weak!" said Bub-hosh. -"Dey deny us a real fun evan in captivitah!"
Grizrip however did not readily answer. He could smell something was wrong and certainly was aware that elves were nearby and scouting his own camp. Then,
-"Wake him up and then make him last longer! I want him roar with pain in ghash!
Bub-hosh snickered and started to slap Andalad with his claws. Captain Andalad pulled back from his short dreams to painful reality again and looked at Bob-hosh his tormentor in anger.
-"Filthy orc!" he cried. -"I will kill you myself"
Bub-hosh spitted on his face before removing his lash to scourge Andalad further. He released the lash backwards and stroke once. The painful cries of the captain echoed in the forests.
-"You kill meh eh Golug?" Bub-hosh laughed joining at Grizrip, who also seemed to delight in torture. He once more prepared his lash to strike, but Grizrip, awaiting the lash to crack anytime, noticed something was not right. The strike was delayed more than it should. Looking at Bub hosh, he saw the jailor lying on the ground with a green arrow sticking on the back of his head. And he did not even heard the sound!
Instinctively looking back, Grizrip saw a terrible sight! The silhouttes of a full battalion, maybe a hundred elves among the mists were barely visible and they now started to fire arrows randomly to the encampment. How foolish he was! How could he not notice a full elven group, a battalion! so close to him. And he did anything in his power to draw them near. -"Alarm" he shouted. -"Golugu hash skai" -"The elves are upon us!"
Galdorion and Carmacil lying down not so far from the scene, were watching all these happening. They were though tired, enjoying to see their plan in motion. Both their hands and faces were covered in mud which made them very difficult to see. Galdorion however refused to cover his golden hair in mud, wore a leather cap and strapped it tight beneath his chin.
The alarm almost emptied the camp and Orcs started a headlong assault towards the elven positions above the ridge. Knowing that the time have reached, Galdorion and Carmacil jumped forth with knives at hand to set their captain free. They saw little resistance and two or three orcs fell to Carmacil's blades and of course none to Galdorions.
They, with great effort broke the chains that held Andalad and carried him away from the battle. They ran to a pre-arranged spot with their full haste and there they met with their friends. All twelve remnants of the Malledhrim company! And they rejoiced at their success.
At the ridge however, Grizrip charged ahead of his orcs to smite one of the elves and swinging his axe, he was amazed that how easily these elves are cloven. After tenth or eleventh elf he killed he noticed that these elves are very much covered in mud... and jam... and ham... and anything that an elf wouldn't be covered with normally. Orcs have all stopped to inspect these elves. Of course they were no more elves than Grizrip himself, but hastily arranged and sculpted soft mud statues. More than thirty of them! Apparently their cunning foes have used anything in their posession to set up this trap in shortest possible time. Returning back to camp Grizrip found his captive is no longer there and roared in vengeance. Cried for his foolishness.
Hearing this, elves rejoiced once more and patted Galdorion's back.
-"So you are kilingl yrch like this in Mirkwood Goldie!" a Malledhrim said -"With sculptures!"
Galdorion smiled as they were running and added:
-"Isn't war an art my friend?"
And they all laughed in joy, for the first time since many days.
