(continued from "A Dirge In Red - Part the Second")
(Author's note: The events depicted here are scenes from the Sack of Eregion. They are seen as character and kinship canon and are not meant to infringe on book canon or any other character's canon stories and experiences.)
In the midst of the chaos about her, a single voice, familiar as it was foreign, caught Calidis’ attention.
“Look, Not Aegrod, you are not as alone as you always believed. Your friends stand with you, they fight with you...”
The elleth paused and glanced about her in confusion as she was unable to find the source. Something was amiss but she cannot recall why. Her dark gaze passes over the group of elves and… Women? What were the Second Born doing here? She couldn’t recall and yet she suddenly felt as if she should.
After a moment, her mother's movement forward brought her back to the current reality and she followed along, arms cast about the songstress as if to shield her. “To Hadhodrond! Flee to Hadhodrond!” came a cry at the rear of the group from a city guard on his last breath. “Something comes!”
"For Gondor! For the White Tree!" Nethrida roared with as much might as she could muster before attacking. Before one orc could aim its flail at her she severed the arm holding the weapon at the elbow. She twirled around and brought her weight to bear on a forward thrust that impaled the cretin.
Eduwiges chest swelled with breath as the familiar sound of her father’s voice fills her head again. “FOR RUIN!” she shouted, as she moved her hips around to dodge a blow to her armored belly and swung straight down, like lightning, rendered yet another orc headless.
Several swings of Ahmo’s blade and more orcs fall, one after another, in quick succession. Her keen eyes glanced about her as she fought, searching for what was surely coming. She reached up with one hand to wrap about the grip of her spear.
All the while, the orc general continued to stomp down the street towards Addiela as fast as his weakening body was able. The blonde woman smiled sinisterly and held fast to her technique as she walked backwards in time with his steps, not letting him close anymore distance between them. Seeing the futility of it, the massive orc faltered and glared at her with malice. “Alright, witch! Have it then! Have it all!” He arched and pitched forward as a practical river of shadow escaped him and flowed towards Addiela’s outstretched hand.
Xanderian was torn. She could feel ground is begin to shake and she dreaded whatever was stalking towards the helpless survivors. She watched the leader of the orcs die and knew what that must mean. “Addie! That is not who you are! Stay with us!”
Addiela’s left hand clutched her heart and her right moved to her head as she felt her body being destroyed from within. Her breathing became labored and her knees gave way as she crumbled to the ground. She had known the risk. No, she had only thought that she’d known. The image of her father she kept close to her heart, always on her mind, slowly started to fade to darkness; to nothingness, swallowed up in a void that would erase him from her mind forever…
She couldn't – no -- she wouldn't allow for that to happen. Never! She heard the taunting of the vision next to her and screamed out. “I will serve none! I am my own master!” When she gathered her strength, the orc burst into the purity of flame, power flowing through her the shadow released her heart. Xanderian pulled the swooning Addie to her feet as the corpse of the orc burned.
Nethrida was caught up in the fervor and kept pressing on, striking at her foes, crying out with ferocity as she supposedly fought on for her home spurred on by the familiar voice of her lover in her head. However, the orcs began to melt away of their own accord, chanting and inserting themselves in and atop bits of crumbled stone, as if finding a place to watch what was about to unfold.
“Neth, Xan, Addie, Ahmo! to me! Let us meet this together!” shouted Eduwiges as she looked about at the retreating orcs and readying herself for whatever was coming.
Calidis’ gaze shifted from left to right as she tried to press on with the other survivors, searching for something or someone. Calidhriel clutched at her daughter as she shied away from burning branches and the press of frantic and terrified elves about them. Suddenly, six orcs rushed towards them all each holding a massive chain. The orcs observing hit a frenzy as the chain dropped and one of them was crushed beneath the massive foot. A massive troll, larger than most, lumbers forth. Though it was blind, the depiction of a single burning eye was emblazoned upon its forehead.
“DROOOOOG!!!” The cry of many orcs went up and echoed within the stone dome above the street.
Xanderian, still supporting the swooning Addiela, stared up at the creature and whispered, “Elbereth save us all.” Beside her, Nethrida and Ahmo came to a halt, their eyes wide with shock. Nethrida took a half a step back and Ahmo’s gaze hardened as she looked skyward for a brief moment.
A terrified wail of despair echoed forth from the group of fleeing elves as they desperately tried to move faster in all directions over crumbled stone and other grislier obstacles. Some of the city guards of Ost-in-Edhil circled about and held up their shields, prepared to make a last stand.
Eduwiges looked up at Droog and grinned, fueled by pure adrenaline and battle hunger. She ran to the side took a flying leap, landing a pile of rubble. She then launched herself up to the troll aimed a stab down to its neck. The blow landed though the sword was pulled from her grasp as it sunk into the troll’s thick hide, doing little damage. The massive creature turned its head and lifted a large hand to bat the warrior away as if she were a mere fly. Eduwiges sailed through the air and landed roughly but upon her feet, her features now contorted into rage.
Droog turned and pulled a ginormous, iron-shod club into the air; the weapon as large as several smoking with black energy. The club weapon went up and came down upon the survivors, eliminating half of them outright as the marble street split in two. Those remaining were hurled in two different directions. Calidis and Calidhriel were thrown apart from each other, landing on opposite ends of the street with a chasm of carnage and stone rubble between them. Calidis hit a crumbling wall with a pained gasp and slid down to the ground. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, giving her the strength to slowly pull herself to her feet. Upon the other side of the crevice was Calidhriel, who was now frantically looking around for her daughter as others ran for their lives. “Merifindiel! My daughter, where are you?!”
Xanderian set Addiela down as gently as she could and readied her bow again. She slipped off to the side, trying to see where Calidis flew, while she avoided the observation of Droog. Ahmo sheathed her sword and instead readied her spear, looking for a weak spot upon the troll and waiting for the perfect opportunity.
Nethrida pursed her lips and looked the troll up and down. Realizing it was blind, she approached slowly and quietly as she could. At the last second, she lunged forward, hoping there was enough other scents and sounds in the air to cover her. Her attack came in the form of a sharp twirl to the right followed by a heavy forward thrust as she attempted to drive her sword to the back of the beast's leg to hinder it's mobility. Droog howled in pain as one leg buckled and swept a massive hand downward. The former captain rolled away quickly before she could be hit.
Eduwiges, seeing Nethrida’s strategy, calmly drew her shortsword and dagger. She rushed forward and aimed her attack at the troll’s other leg, which buckled. The orcs observing the fight howled in displeasure as Droog fell to his knees, waving his hands about uselessly, one still holding the club. The woman managed to dodge them and leaped up to pull her other weapon from where it was stuck in his neck. She managed to get a hold on it but ended up having to hold onto the hilt for dear life as Droog bodily thrashed about.
Just then, the eye emblazoned upon the troll’s forehead seemed to open wide and blink. It turned ever so slowly until it came to rest upon Addiela, who had finally recovered. “Addiela… I see you,” echoed a voice from Droog’s open mouth, though it certainly didn’t belong to him. The woman lifted her eyes toward the voice that called her name and saw the searing flash of the eye just before Xanderian's arrow pierced it. She clenched her jaw and lifted her hand to hurl a fireball toward the troll not realizing that Eduwiges was directly in the way. Luckily, Eduwiges made haste when she saw the fireball coming, and swung upwards, using the sword as leverage. She planted her feet against the creature’s massive head and pulled her blade free of its hide. She dropped and then rolled to her feet again, unharmed and only a little worse for wear.
The fireball landed well and, once again, Droog howled in agony and fear over what he couldn’t see. Ahmo saw this as her opening and, with a powerful thrust of her arm, launched her spear forward. The spear scored across the troll’s armored belly and up under his arm, making a sizeable tear. Nethrida moved forward again and twirled her sword. She pursed her lips in concentration and then aimed to thrust the blade underneath the troll's arm again She managed to make the tear it its armor a little wider and rolled out of the way once more to avoid the club as Droog waved it about.
“No! Not without my daughter! Merifindiel!” Calidhriel's voice echoed from the other side of the chasm as a battered city guard attempted to pull her along with him and the remainder of the elves fleeing the city. Calidis heard her over the din but barely registered it as she spotted something out of the corner of her eye.
She turned her head and peered into the distance, seeing a lone elf running through the furthest end of the burning city, cutting down orcs in his path. His hair was dark like ink and his eyes were as the darkest night filled with endless stars. Calidis watched in horror as he went and shook her head in despair. "My father, no..." She knew exactly where he was going. His loyalty to Lord Celebrimbor was without question or fault.
The jeweller shook her head and pulled her own greatsword from its sheath on her back, holding it easily in one hand, though it shook. With her free hand she gathered her soiled skirts and began to climb as carefully as she could over bits of rubble, her expression a mix of fear and despair.
(to be continued in "A Dirge In Red - Part the Fourth")
