Merenell

The scout licked his dry lips as he shifted up, leaning back against his bedroll. He welcomed the fluid put to his lips – warm, yet refreshing, and a subtle hint of floral sweetness. Energy returned to him as the warmth of the fluid spread throughout his body.

Celebreniss padded into the central hall of Ost Galadh, her dark leather armour blending into her surroundings. Only her silver hair glinted through the shadows of the fortress as she walked towards the chamber’s center, where the Malledhrim force leaders stood gathered around a table. If she was fatigued from the distance she had run, she did not betray it.

More than a fortnight after Council...

More than a fortnight before Darkness and Fear...

The measured, even steps of the soldiers covered the distance to the outposts as one unit. Hers was out of time – one and a half steps for each one of theirs. The two behind her did not seem to mind. It did not impede them in the least from carrying the same rhythm. How long had they been marching today? The sun betrayed nothing. Only the canopy of the forest grew denser and the darkness thickened as they trekked further south.