♦
This story continues from Part III: The Old Outpost in the North.
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Rising slowly out of gentle but unremembered dreams, Fingeleth gradually became aware of chill air on her nose, and warm furs about her. The combination did not particularly recommend itself for getting up. With a small growl she burrowed deeper into the furs.
There was a chuckle from nearby.
“Is that the sound of someone who had a little too much to drink?”
The male voice was known to her - but not well. It served to remind her that she was not at home. Fingeleth turned her head slightly and opened one eye to identify the speaker.
Kane sat nearby, grinning at her. With a brief yelp she hid her face again entirely among the furs.
“Go away!”
Kane laughed at her.
“Can’t, I’m afraid. I’m looking for Till. I was going to ask if you’d seen her, but… somehow I suspect not.”
“She’s already up and about,” came another voice. After a moment Fingeleth recognised it to be that of Till’s mother, Rienne - her host. “I think she went to see if there was any sign of the delayed scouts. But are you sure you didn’t mainly come here just to annoy our young guest, master Kane?”
Reluctantly, Fingeleth sat up, keeping the furs close all around her. She wondered how anyone ever dragged themself out of bed in this frigid land. Kane replied in mock indignation.
“I shouldn’t dream of doing such a thing. Although it did occur to me to wonder what she’ll do with herself - if Till and I both have to go combing the hills for Tanner and Reese.”
“Can’t I come with you?” mumbled Fingeleth, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
Kane shook his head importantly.
“Too dangerous,” he declared. Rienne coughed abruptly - it sounded to Fingeleth like it was to hide her laughter. But before she could think of a suitable retort, the sound of boots on stone outside announced the return of Till. In a moment, she was stood in the open doorway - the source of the chill air that had woken Fingeleth.
She was clean and dressed, complete with sheathed sword at her side. Her clothing was rugged and far from new, but her dark eyes were sharp in her clear face, and the sunlight picked up the rich red-brown notes in her sleek dark hair. Fingeleth thought she looked positively heroic - like a triumphant captain of ancient Arnor from some song she only half-remembered.
“Ah, you’re awake. Good. I trust you slept well?” Without waiting for an answer, Till turned to Kane. “Still no sign of Tanner and Reese. No one has seen hide nor hair of them. Will you come with me to go after them? I’d like to do a proper search party, only half the town is still down at the lake for the fishing, and I want to leave Magde here on watch duty - I’ve spoken to her so she knows what’s going on, but her ankle still isn’t completely mended.”
Kane stood, giving a brief salute. “Yes ma’am. When do we leave?”
“As soon as you manage to tear yourself away from Fingeleth for five minutes.” Till grinned at Fingeleth, who took this to be her cue.
“Can’t I come too?”
Till’s grin faded as she considered this seriously - but Fingeleth felt her doubt and judgement. She realised she must look rather foolish, wrapped in furs while everyone else was up and dressed.
“Why do you want to come?” asked Till slowly. “We must travel swiftly, and there may be danger - and you do not know the wilds.”
“I do not know these wilds,” corrected Fingeleth, “but I do know wilds in general - my father and I used to camp in the pine forests of the Vale of Morthond all the time, for the hunting and the fishing. And, I have travelled all up and down Middle-earth since then - further than most! ... also, you know I can defend myself - and! If there might be danger, that is all the more reason for you to bring an extra sword-arm.”
Till opened her mouth to reply - when she was interrupted by someone calling her name from outside. She turned to see a woman she knew - the last member of the militia who was still in the village - lurching towards her at some speed, on crutches.
“Magde! What is it?”
Magde closed the last few paces, and halted momentarily for breath. Till waited anxiously, wondering what could have prompted her to race across the village in such a hurry in her current state.
“Till… they think… it’s the scouts. Tanner and Reese. They’ve been sighted.”
♦
Fingeleth got ready in haste, while Till, Rienne, Kane, and Magde on her crutches raced for the north gate of the town, as Magde directed. Even in those latter days, the folk of the Evendim Hills still maintained a watch from the high tower above the ancient fortress, which offered unparalleled vantage over the hills and dales for many leagues on every side; and the missing scouts had reportedly been spotted cutting across the hillside northeast of Ost Forod, a couple of furlongs from the road in the valley bottom.
And they were in haste.
To save time, Till and Kane took horses from the stables, and galloped off ahead - Till on her familiar Ost Forod steed from the day before, and Kane taking the mare Fingeleth had borrowed from the Rangers at Tinnudir. Fingeleth and Rienne followed on foot - Rienne wielding a glittering, slender blade like nothing Fingeleth had seen before. Magde, despite her objections, they had to leave at the gate: she could neither ride, keep up on foot, nor fight in her present state.
The morning mist lay thick upon the hillside. Till and Kane rode up and down for some minutes, calling out Tanner and Reese’s names - before at last Till heard an answering cry; and, turning her steed, suddenly she could see two figures stumbling towards them through the fog. Spurring her horse, she raced towards them.
And then - out of the fog, and the shadow of the trees - another figure emerged.
A huge, hulking, human-like figure, partially clad in white furs - lurching around with uncanny speed for its lumbering gait.
For a moment, Till’s blood ran cold. She knew these creatures from stories only - but she knew exactly what it was: Gauradan - one of the ferocious wolf-men, who dwelt on the far shore of the Lake.
But the wolfmen understood territory, for the most part. Never in her lifetime had they crossed the Even-rills and ventured onto the eastern shore. And never in living memory had they come within bowshot of Ost Forod.
Till’s horse was nervous, but she was undeterred. She drew her sword as they hurtled closer, trying to remember what little she knew about fighting from horseback. The Gauradan must have seen her, but it paid her no heed - so she yelled, raising her weapon, in a bid to draw its attention away from the slower-moving scouts on foot.
But it was in vain; she was still much too far away. The Gauradan ignored her completely - and, with incredible speed, it loped forwards, and hurled itself bodily on top of the nearest scout. Till was now close enough to see from his black hair that it was Reese - just as he went down with a yell of horror. Hearing the yell, the second scout, Tanner, looked back - and halted, drawing his weapon. From behind her, Till heard Kane cry Reese’s name.
But all this was in the background. All that mattered now was to close the gap. She spurred on her horse as fast as he could go - in mere seconds she would be able to slice its shoulder open, she just had to time it right -
“Till! Another one!”
Kane's urgent voice - but Till had no time for it right now - she couldn’t afford to look away; the first Gauradan was still focussed on Reese, who was battling to fight it off, unarmed beneath its vast bulk, as it bore down on him with its inhuman fangs. Even as she watched, she saw it raise a savage club, and strike down - watched Reese’s arm break, and his face contort in a scream. But any second and she would be upon them, any second and he would be safe -
The Gauradan turned its face upon her - and as it did so Till felt, somehow, the sudden panic in her horse. She had a split second to react - and barely managed to cling on as her startled mare reared. Her sword clattered to the earth and she lost sight of it. She was within yards of the Gauradan now, as it turned its attention upon her - desperately trying to calm her horse - but she could feel herself losing her grip - and slipping - fighting to stay on - and now falling…
She felt the impact in her shoulder like a tonne of bricks and there was a blinding flash of pain - but she was too winded even to scream. Nevertheless, conscious of her danger, already she was battling to her feet - choking for breath, her vision swimming and feeling like she might vomit.
Where was her sword?
The Gauradan had dropped Reese and was already bounding her way. Her horse had bolted.
Where was her damned sword?
She couldn’t find it - the mist was too thick, the blade was tarnished, it could be right in front of her or a dozen yards away. She couldn't find it. She could hear the beast was practically on top of her, could almost feel its heat - and she rounded on it, determined to at least die facing her foe, and defiant.
“Come on then!” she tried to yell in its face - but all she could manage was a whisper as the huge, stinking creature bore down upon her; and she looked up at her oncoming death with a curious lack of fear, her left arm hanging useless.
Suddenly, the creature seemed to freeze. Till had no idea why - but she watched the still-human face turn to an expression of surprise, and confusion. Now, blood was spurting onto her face - as Reese’s spear, firmly wielded one-handed, drove itself out through the beast’s sternum from behind.
Till staggered back, spitting out blood and wiping the worst of it from her eyes. Behind the Gauradan, Reese stumbled back too, sinking to his knees as pain overcame him.
But the attacker had lost all interest in them. Pitifully it crawled away, groaning and howling like an animal, clawing in vain at its back as its life-force rapidly ebbed. In a few more moments it would be dead.
At last, Till glimpsed her sword in the grass, and snatched it up. Her shoulder felt like it was on fire - but at last, she could breathe normally again. Reese was alive - he had just saved her life, and she could see him sagging in the grass - what about the others? She span around to survey the rest of the battlefield.
Tanner and Kane were holding at bay the second Gauradan. Kane remained on horseback - in his haste, he had taken the Dúnadan horse which Fingeleth had borrowed from Tinnudir the previous morning; and although it had struggled with the hill climb, its courage had proved greater than Till’s horse when faced with the smell of a predator, and it still bore its inexperienced rider loyally. As Till watched, Rienne and Fingeleth finally caught up on foot and, drawing their swords, they began to charge forwards to join the fray.
The second Gauradan wavered, taking a few paces back; and sniffed the air. It must have scented the blood of its kinsman for, turning its head in his direction, it let out a great howl and took a couple of lopes in his direction - before halting as it saw Till, injured and bloody, but sword in hand, her face grim.
It looked back at Tanner and Kane; and noticed Fingeleth and Rienne swiftly closing in. It gave another anguished howl...
Then it turned tail, and fled. Within moments it had vanished into the misty trees.
Till bowed her head in relief… then looked back over towards Reese who, without a doubt, had saved her life that day. For several moments, she couldn’t see him at all in the mist - until she recognised the dark heap where he had fallen fully upon the ground, and lay unmoving.
As she rushed to his side, for the first time that day, real terror clamped around her heart.
♦
The story continues in Part V: Death.
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