Chapter 8:  bringing good and bad news

Galadhion looked in horror as the limb broke and the warrior from Imladris together with two huge spiders plummeted to the ground. Swearing under his breath he let out a sharp whistle.

He had no need to give any additional orders. He and his warriors immediately descended down the trunk to come to Glorfindel's aid.

Galadhion had no doubt that the Balrog Slayer would be able to defend himself, yet he also knew that he could be injured and what he had glimpsed from the corner of his eyes did not raise his confidence.

Alerted by the commotion the spider colony had been aroused. Uncounted red bodies were coming toward him, scrambling down the trunks, hastening over limbs and descending to the ground by using their webbing.

Within moments the clearing was swarming with spiders. Galadhion stopped his descent, perched on a sturdy branch and readied his bow. He fired arrow after arrow into the mass of hairy bodies, yet he knew that he would soon run out of arrows and would have to join his comrades on the ground.

He stopped briefly, trying to glimpse if Glorfindel had recovered from his fall. Seeing a shimmer of gold and the flash of steel, Galadhion breathed a sigh of relief. At least the warrior was on his feet. As he fired his last arrow Galadhion jumped to the ground with a mighty leap. He slung his bow across his back and unsheathed his sword.

The Troop Commander and the warriors from Mirkwood were engaged in a ferocious battle, fighting on all fronts. The hissing and screeching of the great beasts turned the scene in an eerie chaos.

Body after body charged at him. Galadhion had to fight in front and behind him, above him and on the ground, and it always needed many strokes of his sword or an effectively placed arrow to bring the great beasts down.

The spiders were armed with mighty mandibles but also possessed very strong, flexible legs. Their bodies featured the protection of hard scales made of chitin. Sometimes they simply sent a warrior flying through the air with a well-placed kick from one of their legs.

A pain-filled cry spun him around. Galadhion narrowed his eyes when a warrior was stung by an exceptionally big exemplar.

The poor elf was held immobile against the ground by three other spiders which were pinning his arms and legs. Other elves of his group were hacking and jabbing at the spiders but they could not prevent their comrade from being stung. Once again the Troop commander remembered how intelligent these animals were.

Galadhion knew that quick help was warranted. He leaped back on the branch of the tree behind him and hastened to a spot he had crossed earlier. Unsheathing his long knife while running along the limb he raised the weapon and let out a shrill whistle.

As expected, both spiders and elves alike looked up and while hope appeared on the faces of the elves the spiders began to hiss angrily. Seeing that he had attracted the attention of the foul beasts Galadhion began to cut the first strand which held the heavy egg sack aloft in the trees.

The spiders released the poisoned elf on the ground and scrambled toward the tree where Galadhion was threatening their offspring. If the egg sack tumbled to the ground from this height, many of the baby spiders would not survive the fall. Galadhion knew this and he knew that the spiders did also.

He saw that as soon as the spiders had released their victim, Haldor, the group’s healer, hastened over and began to administer the poison's antidote to the fallen elf. He would need further treatment at the palace but the highest priority was a quick dose of the medicine.

Confident in his men, Galadhion had no more time to observe the warriors on the ground. The remaining spiders were already advancing toward him, making clacking noises to express their displeasure.

The Troop Commander raised his sword but did not have the chance to land his first blow. Several arrows fired in quick succession felled the great beasts which had already reached his spot and together with the unbalanced egg sack they tumbled to the ground.

Warriors on the ground made short work of the still surviving spiders along with their offspring.

Only now did Galadhion have time to recognize that only one elf on the ground had fired the arrows. The fair haired warrior from Imladris was just unstringing his bow and Galadhion inclined his head in thanks which Glorfindel answered with the same gesture.

However, as Galadhion narrowed his eyes to see clearer, he saw that Glorfindel was not leaning on his bow to unstring it but rather for support. As he watched, the warrior from Imladris sank to his knees, his right hand pressed tightly to his side.

Only now did Galadhion see a red stain on the warrior’s tunic. Swearing under his breath Galadhion came back down to ground level after he had made sure that the remaining spiders of the colony had either fled or were being held in check by his men.

Briefly he hesitated about which warrior to check first but a reassuring gesture from the healer made him hasten over to where Glorfindel was kneeling on the ground.

Galadhion knelt beside the fair haired warrior and swallowed when he saw that Glorfindel had squeezed his eyes shut in pain and was breathing heavily.

“Lord Glorfindel, let me see,” he said in a quiet voice while placing a comforting hand on the other’s shoulder. The Imladris warrior looked up startled as if just becoming aware of the elf beside him.

“It’s alright, Galadhion. Nothing to worry about….” the warrior ground out between clenched teeth. However, he was not able to finish his sentence. Galadhion swore again as all colour drained from Glorfindel's face when he tried to stand.

Gently but firmly, Galadhion increased the pressure on the other’s shoulder, preventing him from further rising.

“I think you are misjudging the situation,” Galadhion explained at the irritated look the older elf was sending him.

The Troop Commander looked up and was relieved to see Haldor already coming towards them. With one look the healer recognized the situation, and despite protests he managed to make sure that the Elf-lord was finally sitting down.

Galadhion hovered nearby to learn what had caused the warrior’s injury.

“You surely have more important things to do,” Glorfindel grumbled, yet the healer was used to grumpy patients and proceeded to cut the tunic of the elf open to have a better look.

“No, my Lord, Threlan has been cared for and the antidote is already working,” Haldor replied, his words not only to update his Troop Commander but also to make the Imladris elf feel more at ease.

Not complaining further Glorfindel hissed when Hador probed the wound, a long gaping cut along his ribs down to his abdomen. Even if the injury looked painful, Galadhion breathed a sigh of relief. The warrior had not been stung. Maybe he had acquired the wound while falling from the tree or while fighting the spiders, but it was nothing the healer would not be able to handle.

Confident in Haldor's skills Galadhion walked over to where two of his men sat watching over Threlan. They sang softly to the injured elf and Galadhion was instantly soothed by the melody. When their Troop Commander approached they moved aside without stopping their song to give him room to assess the state of his warrior.

Threlan was awake yet his eyes were closed. When he looked closer, Galadhion could see that the skin of the warrior was waxen, his breathing was laboured and he was sweating profusely, despite the evening's chill having already settled in.

This wasn't unusual for an immune system that had just been flooded with an injection of potent spider poison. The antidote was working otherwise the warrior would be dead by now and would not be showing the clear signs that the antidote had taken up the fight.

Galadhion knelt down and placed a reassuring hand on his fellow elf’s shoulder, immediately feeling the unnatural heat emanating from the body. Threlan opened his eyes and directed a bleary gaze at his superior.

“I’m sorry, Commander, but….” he began, but his strength was already deserting him.

“Shht,” Galadhion replied conveying with his gaze that no apology was necessary. “Save your strength, you will need it for the journey home.”

Too weak to protest, Threlan closed his eyes and was asleep a moment later. Galadhion rose and again directed a skeptical gaze at the other patient. Haldor was making some tea at the campfire the other warriors had meanwhile kindled.

Glorfindel was leaning against a tree trunk, a thick bandage visible around his torso. He had his eyes closed but Galadhion felt sure that he was not asleep. Despite Glorfindel not being a wood elf he knew that the Noldo also had a special affinity with the trees and was surely using this connection now.

Seeing the expression on Galadhion´s face Haldor winked in reassurance and Galadhion relaxed slightly. Now it was finally time to assess the situation.

The remaining spider population had fled the colony when the nest was destroyed. The many fallen beasts and destroyed eggs would make a return of the surviving spiders unlikely. They seldom returned to a spot where their offspring had died.

Not feeling any satisfaction at the massacre the elves had brought to the colony Galadhion was relieved to have enough dead bodies to allow the extraction of sufficient poison for the healers at the palace. They were desperately waiting for this.

The poison from the baby spiders was also precious. It was very pure and concentrated. He shook the feelings of sorrow from his heart. Although he regretted the death of the babies, he also reminded himself about how much grief the spiders were bringing each day to so many elves by killing warriors and snatching elflings away, dooming them to a cruel death if not found in time.

The spiders were the evil spawns of Morgoth, invading their home, occupying their land and enlarging their territory each year, pushing back the elves until one day there would be no more sanctuaries for his people.

With their thick webs they obscured the light, suffocated the trees and killed or drove off the animals that had chosen the forest for their home and their very existence.

No, Galadhion felt no regret at again having killed a few of these beasts. He closed his eyes and looked up listening to the song around him but this small victory did nothing to lift the lament billowing above this part of the forest. The trees were long dead or dying, their existence twisted into a grotesque form of their former glory. No pure and untainted song could return to this part of the land.

Brusquely turning and closing his senses to the desolation around him Galadhion gave curt orders to retrieve the poison and make the injured ready for the journey home.

If some of his men felt irritated at the sudden change of mood they did not show it. They knew their captain well and understood the despair that always befell those who entered into regions of the forest tainted beyond repair and touched by evil never to be removed.

Galadhion narrowed his eyes when he saw Glorfindel struggle to his feet using the tree behind him for support. Before the Balrog Slayer could take two steps toward the great bulk of a dead spider, Galadhion had reached him.

“My Lord, please keep sitting, you are in no condition to...,” Galadhion began but was stopped by a sharp look directed at him from steely blue eyes.

“Young one, I appreciate your concern, yet we are here to bring as much spider poison as possible back to the palace. Lord Elrond is expecting us to be successful and I have no intentions of disappointing him. So either you help me now to fulfil our task, or get out of my way. We have wasted enough time already. Prepare your fellow warriors for the journey home if you must, I can certainly look after myself.”

Galadhion was taken aback at the rude tone and for a short moment he contemplated respecting the wishes of the older elf. But he reminded himself of his position. He was the Troop Commander of the realm’s forces. No matter how much older and more experienced Glorfindel might be, this was Mirkwood and it was his territory. He would certainly not let Glorfindel tell him what to do.

“You have never fought directly against the great spiders and you certainly have no idea how to extract the poison and preserve it properly. If it is done wrong it will be of no use to the healers. So please, my Lord, let me and my men do our work and save your strength. The journey home will be arduous for the injured, even for you!”

Briefly the two elves glared at one another before Glorfindel raised an eyebrow and actually smiled at the younger elf.

“No reason to get cross, Galadhion. You are certainly right that I have no experience how to extract the poison correctly. I only want to help and not lose more precious time. We have already lost too much on my account. Do whatever you and your men have to do and then we can return to the palace.”

With that spoken the fair haired elf turned and sank back to his former sitting position. The grimace of pain at the older elf’s face allowed Galadhion to quickly forget his anger. Glorfindel was not really angry at him but rather at himself for delaying the completion of their mission through his injury and his unfortunate encounter with the spiders.

Galadhion shock his head but refrained from say anything further on this matter.

“We will do it as quickly as we can, my Lord,” he said in reassurance earning a half-hearted nod from the Balrog Slayer.

“And then we will be on our way and will arrive at the palace in time!”

He did not know how wrong he was.

To be continued…………………………..