"I don't like wolves." Lithea Glenwood.
The black craggy mountain pass lay under a shield of mist, dark grey of colour, streaked with a sickly looking green. There be no real telling what time it was. It could have been night right enough, or it could have been midday. The steep, sheer cliffs on either side of the pass felt like a cage, slowly closing in, squeezin’ us, and funneling us into the land of the Witch King. The only things to break through that weight were the stretching gnarled fingers of bone white Elms, and the upper heights of a few pines. Beneath the mist the air be warm and still, though our senses were dimmed. There was a faint hint of burning wood in the air, and some sort of foul rotting smell, sprinkled with pepper, that made us want ter cough and sneeze. We pulled our hoods over our noses and mouths ter muffle any sound. It wouldn’t do ter cough in that place. Not with the sense of eyes all around us, watching and waiting fer the best moment ter attack. All I could imagine being here were red eyed, slavering wolves or wargs. (Though I hadn’t seen a sign of any.) So far, we had both kept our spirits up, aided by helpings of one of the best gooseberry pies I had ever baked, but now even that was failing against the bleakness, and rising sense of dread.
It wasn’t the Shire!
Master Tolbold was a right good companion. I don’t think I would have gotten as far had I been with someone else. I knew him ter be a Bounder, and some sort of Assistant Shirriff, but I suspected he’d never been out of Yondershire, let alone in dark lands. Yet he was of a bright and cheery nature, and mostly tried ter talk hopefully about what lay ahead. Or he talked about his patrols, his favourite walks, his burrow and the amazing meals at ‘The Bent Elbow’.
I asked him about his hopes fer the future, after we had rescued the others.
“Oh, I don’t know,” he had said. “I could take up proper farming but I like being a Bounder. I like ter help folks, and find lost things.”
“Like Henepa and Gaisarix?”
“Mostly sheep an' cows, an' a few ponies,” he had replied. “But yes, I like folk ter be happy.”
I liked him. He was a good solid sort, but had a twinkle in his eye, a sense of fun, a sense of ‘adventure’ even. Well, he be getting adventure now.
“I am trying ter learn ter read,” he had explained at one breakfast of hard boiled eggs, cheese and dried mushrooms. “I suppose I think maybe, one day, I might even make a Shirriff, but I need ter be better with me letters. And perhaps I need ter get on better with them Sackville-Baggins.”
“I can help yer with the letters, but I don’t think there be many who can help with them Sackville-Baggins.” I answered honestly.
We talked quite a lot when safety allowed. We took turns in keeping watch, and I carefully allotted us five meals a day from me already prepared selection. We had ter find the others, and be able ter feed them, at least until we were back in lands where Tolbold could hunt.
We had taken the first turn off that path along the pass that we could. Ter the right it was, well-packed earth suggesting much use, and it was uphill, out of the thickest mist. We found more dead men there. Tall men, dressed in them thick red robes, now soaked in the red of their blood. We were still on the right track. Although I never been one ter like dead bodies, after traveling over the North Downs blindly, it had been a welcome surprise ter find the dead drakes and goblins. And then all them Hillmen and their tents burned ter the ground.
Tolbold had shaken his head, ‘I don’t know how them does it? Only three Elves, and all these men.”
“Them’s too tall ter hide away, like us,” I had answered. It was true enough. We were small, unexpected, and rather stealthy, if I do say so myself. Not that I thought folk in these parts usually expected Elves.
Now Tolbold had shot a few Men with his bow. A couple as we passed towards them Fields of Fornost. And I had hit two with me big stick. I didn’t like it. But needs must, and them attacked us! But fer the most part any Man or Goblin we came across was already dead. It made our traveling a lot easier.
“Estarfin be busy,” I whispered, me thoughts going back ter me dream, an what I knew faced me.
“Them other two be no laggards,” Tolbold had replied, pointing further up the hill ter some tall wooden buildings partly covered in crumbling plaster. We passed a dozen more men, some with arrows still embedded in their chests or head.
‘Courage,’ I whispered ter myself. ‘We be but following a worn trail. As long as we don’t find dead Elves we be alright.’
At the top of the hill we both dismounted, and bid our ponies stand in the shadow of what looked like a tall stone arch. We trod carefully and silently on.
It was a village, mostly of the wood and plaster houses, two stories high most stood, and each had several windows through which nothing could be seen. Many of the splintered doors looked like they’d been kicked in. There were a few carts too, some overturned as if folk had left in a rush, and with baskets of some large dried plant leaves on the floor.
“Don’t touch anything,” Tolbold said softly but firmly. “Anything here could be poisoned.”
I followed him, keeping me wits about me. We entered an empty square, bounded by more of them houses, but behind and above them was a taller building made of stone. Darker grey it was, and with what looked like a tall, narrow chimney. It felt evil. I shivered, thinking it be some sort of shrine ter offer dead things at. I just hoped neither Henepa nor Guy were the dead things.
Onward. I could still feel eyes upon me, giving me a right good chill. It was the worst place we had been by far, save when we had ter pass the twisted statues. No longer was I thinking ‘wolves’.
There was another incline, again well-packed soil and stone, a ramp of sorts ter the next level. As we walked up it we could see a bright green light at the top.
Tolbold crouched low, motioning fer me ter do the same. And then we were out on another empty square. The sky above us was a lighter grey, and there be even a few white clouds scuttling across it. That sight surely lifted me heart.
There were no ‘welcome’ lights in any of the houses, the only bright light being a strange object that looked like a jagged stone with a smaller stone inside. It was green, but then there were also two large circular pools of glowing green liquid behind it. It smelt awful, like piles of rotting cabbage and flesh.
“Nothing here,” I reported, having circled round the houses on the left.
“Nor here,” said Tolbold, finally standing upright and stretching his arms out a bit. “Getting chilly of a sudden though.”
“Elves were here?” I stated the obvious.
The Bounder managed a short chuckle. “I’d say so, Miss Lithea. And not too long ago. Them bodies still have a bit of warmth ter them.”
I nodded. “Them Elves be close then.” That was a good thought, but still the sense of malevolence was heavy, and I drew me cloak tighter as I began ter shiver. I began imagining eyes were watching us from behind the windows.
‘What do yer say ter us having a short rest and meal?” Tolbold said softly. “I think it will only get worse the further we go, and we don’t want ter be hungry if possible?”
I smiled and nodded. “The next level down, if yer don’t mind. Them pools smell something bad, and it’s getting cold. We can sit near the ponies and keep an eye on the path below?”
He almost looked excited, as if we were off fer afternoon tea at the Bent Elbow. But we both knew a short rest and a meal would do us good.
There had been room fer few fineries on the trip. But I had made sure to bring a good selection of food, already cooked and wrapped. There had not been many places where it had been safe ter light a fire, and this abandoned village was no exception. Cold food it would be.
Now most of me meat pies were gone, and I wanted ter save the elf cakes, so it was the cheese pies and some dried fruit we had. Fresh water from our water skins, and I still had five of them. I would have loved ter brew up a nice cuppa, but no fire could be risked. Cold water it was fer us, and fer the ponies some oats and barley.
We sat ourselves down as comfortably as we could, all four huddled close. There were no piles of old leaves, or even any dried brambles to sit on and the ground was hard. I set out our helpings of food, and poured two cups of water. “There’s the last of the blueberries fer afters,” I added. Dried though they were, the berries were still sweet..
There was a sound of wings, of feathers moving through the air.
All four of us turned in the direction of the noise. The Ponies rolled their eyes and snorted.
“Shush, shush, Honey. I stood up again to stroke her neck and calm her. Tolbold did the same with his mount.
“There be no birds since we entered these Passes, “ he whispered.
I shook me head. “That was wings alright, but not from the sky. We eat fast and be on our way?”
“Not too fast. The sound was some way off, ter the south.”
We ate in silence fer a short time, wanting ter enjoy the meal, but unable ter. The Ponies ate and drank but were wary. I was picturing flying wolves, ter me shame.
It was not a good place or time ter talk about such things, but I had a sense of doom, and I wanted all the hope I could muster.
“Tolbold, I am glad yer here. I trust yer with me life, and I know you will get us through if it be possible. But I must ask, would yer be doing this fer anyone, or is it just because them have Henepa?”
He stopped mid bite, his eyes widened as he put down the cheese pie. “Lithea…..I would try ter save anyone, anything that were lost. It’s me job right enough, but also it’s me. I been lost once, and I was rescued. The least I can do is pay that back.”
I nodded, feeling rather bad fer asking. Yes, he was a good sort.
“As fer Miss Henepa,” he paused a moment. “Yer must know I hold a candle fer her. I have done so since I moved ter Tighfield. And yes, I can hope one day..well..maybe…”
I smiled. There was the hope ter hold him fast. “Maybe nothing…you be a hero when we all get back. I know, I heard the rumours about Gaisarix, and she be a prisoner with him, but I think it be no competition. Yer keep on hoping there.”
He smiled broadly, almost as if a weight had been lifted from him. “I don’t usually speak of her ter others. I don’t want it getting back ter her.”
“I’ll make sure it gets back ter her when we have her” I raised me cup of water in a toast. We both laughed into our cloaks.
That was good. Tolbold had a purpose, something ter wish fer.
I also had a purpose. I had that Estarfin ter save.
