Eighteen

The next day was similar to the first. The men ate, giving the elves only water. Caeri, still sore and tender in her lower back, found the thought of walking again unbearable. But she would rather walk than be carried again by that foul man!

She limped along, keeping her eyes focused mainly on Lass, but she was aware of the looks she received from four of the men. Even the two younger ones cast appreciative looks upon her, but the older four's gazes were filled with lust.

For now, at least, they abided by Brigus's demands that she not be touched, but as the day bore on, as she grew tired and it became difficult to force herself to put one foot in front of the other. Crude, whispered comments began to accompany the dark stares directed at her.

How long would these men refrain from attacking her? Just the thought nearly caused her to trip and fall, but she caught herself and continued on.

Jasper, in particular, took every opportunity to treat both she and Lass cruelly.

"Go on wit' ya!" he barked, giving Lass a painful shove that sent him to his knees. "We've not got all day to prance about the woods looking at trees."

It seemed he had not forgotten the painful stab to his arm. Even now, he had trouble moving it. Both nights, during his watch, he had sat and glared at Legolas. Caeri wondered if Jasper were waiting for the chance to take revenge upon her fellow captive.

Lass, in return, kept her as far from that dark-hearted man as possible, but that was not always far enough.

When he shoved Lass to the ground a second time, she tried to reach for him, to help him up, as the fall looked painful, but found herself pulled back by Jasper's good arm.

"Oh no, darlin'," he whispered in her ear. "He don't need no help from you, but I do." Then he pressed up against her back, letting her feel him against her before releasing her.

Lass nor Brigus saw the move, but Sirk and Nirk did, and they laughed and made crude gestures. The boy, Prem, gave his friend a meaningful look, but Torel just shrugged.

They stopped mid day for a short break, and she sank to the ground in relief. Her back ached fiercely, but not as badly as she pretended it did. She remembered Lass's words to act more hurt than she felt. She hissed as she maneuvered to lay on her side, the grass a nice whisper against her cheek.

Brigus took Lass aside, leaving Sirk to guard her. He sat down behind her, and she ignored him, focusing instead on the words passing between Lass and Brigus. They argued over Lass's choice of path. Brigus was getting impatient that they had not yet seen any signs of elven settlements.

She was so tired. Her eyes slipped closed, but she jerked when a foul breath ghosted across her face, and her eyes snapped open to find Sirk leaning over her, his voice taunting her.

"You may think you're safe, but once we've got the treasure, we'll have what else we want, too." The man sneered. "That would be you."

He pulled back, looking smug, but he had underestimated an elf's hearing in saying such words.

As soon as Sirk was no longer leaning into her face, she had turned to where Lass stood and saw his head had jerked in her direction, his eyes darkened in anger.

"You will not touch her!" he hissed, storming over to where Sirk sat behind her. "I will die before I let you harm her. BRIGUS!" Lass turned to the man who stood staring at him in confusion and growing anger.

"What is this?" Brigus demanded, stomping over to where Lass now stooped beside her, his bound hands resting lightly on her arm.

"Sirk?"

Lass did not let the other man answer. "Brigus," he said in a low commanding tone, "you promised to keep your men in line, yet repeatedly they taunt and threaten Caeri. If you wish to see the hall's of the Elvenking, you will keep them under control or I will die removing as many of you from this life as I possibly can."

Caeri believed him. She could see it in his expression. Hear it in his tone. He was more than just a warrior. He had led men. Only captains spoke with such authority. She had heard them when patrols had passed through their settlement.

There was a deadly malice in his wrath, and she knew in that minute that he was quite capable of killing every man there if pushed too far.

The only reason she could fathom he had not already done so was because it would risk her safety. That thought humbled her, for the only reason he was in this situation was due to her foolishness.

Brigus stared at him a moment, then he cursed and with not a little effort dragged Sirk up and away to the other side of the clearing. They argued angrily for a time, before Brigus shoved the man towards a tree, where Sirk sank down disgruntled.

To her disconcertment, she then noticed Torel's eyes upon her and Lass, filled with contemplation. Prem spoke true, in some ways he became indeed like Brigus. She only hoped the boy would not follow in his brother's path. Gazing at him now, a determination entering his eyes, she knew their situation became more treacherous with each passing day.

"Are you alright?" Lass asked, searching her eyes for the truth.

Lancaeriel was shaken, aware of just how precarious her safety was. "Yes…though they frighten me. I fear I will not survive this. I should have left the wood when I was warned, then neither of us would be in danger."

"Do not fear, my lady. We will escape. This I swear to you. And when we do, I will take you to safety." Lass attempted to reassure her, but she felt truly afraid.

Still, she forced a smile at his having called her 'my lady' once again. "I have told you before, Lass, I am no lady! I am no one of importance anywhere. Even if we escape, I have no place to go." Her voice broke as the truth of her situation became evident. "It is clear to me now that I cannot stay here, but I have no wish to live in the mountains! And I do not know anyone in Imladris or Ithilien!"

Lass gave her a rare grin that showed dimples. But that darkness in his eyes remained. "You know me. Does that not mean something to you?"

At her nod, he continued, the smile slipping to a more serious expression. "We will escape, and then I will take you home to Ithilien. There, the land was once damaged, but we have restored much of the forests. There also, you will find healing. You will be most welcome there, perhaps even happy, if you would allow yourself to befriend others once more."

She could see the truth shining in his eyes as he spoke of his home. There was still that unexplained darkness in his gaze, but for the moment, it was overshadowed by something else, perhaps some memory of those he loved in Ithilien.

Hope sprung up in Lancaeriel's heart, making her long for a chance to truly live again, to find a place and a purpose. She met his eyes with a nod and for the first time in a long time, she truly smiled.

She would go to Ithilien with this warrior and she would make the attempt to start a new life…providing they survived.

— o —

Brigus was angry. For two days they had followed the elf through the forest, seeing no sign of elves or their dwellings. And more disturbing, no sign that they were moving anywhere closer to where they wished to be.

In fact, it seemed to him, judging by the setting sun, that they traveled in large circles. The thought infuriated him.

"Stop!" He called.

The elf leading them turned around with questioning eyes, but Brigus was done with his lies and deception. "Enough of this! We've been walking for two days. We should've been there by now! You're leading us in circles!"

"Yes, we are going in circles!" the elf admitted, then added, "Or would you rather go through the traps we have set all through these woods?" Lass asked him. "You are men. You cannot travel the paths of the elves through the tree tops, therefore, we must travel more slowly, in wide circles to avoid the defenses the king has in place."

Lass smirked. "Or did you think it was magic that protected these lands for so long?"

The elf looked amused, and Brigus felt his face burn with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. He had wondered over the past few weeks just how the elves kept their lands safe.

"You're lying…" Brigus knew it.

"Of course, he's lyin," Jasper grumbled. "He's just tryin to lead us round and get us more lost, lookin for a way to escape us without us getting' anything."

That comment had Sirk and Nirk jumping in to argue that the elf was misleading them, and making the same demands they had since they had found that elf woman hurt on the ground. Brigus almost wished they had never found her. She had brought them only more trouble.

With three disgruntled partners, his own frustration and the younger men's growing dissatisfaction at having found nothing, Brigus scrambled for some way to maintain control. There had to be something he could do to make the elf take them to where they wanted to go.

The only way he could conceive was to use the woman against the elf.

"I say we give him until tomorrow mid day to show us some proof he's leading us a'right, and if he fails…" He leered at his partners. "Well, then you can have the girl — or even him if you want him," he added in a last attempt to manipulate the elf. "He's pretty enough."

He smirked, even as he found he could not look the elf in the eye.

"Tomorrow, then," Jasper agreed in his hoarse voice. "And I get her first."

— o —

With the sun sinking in the West, they did not walk for much longer that evening. Even so, Legolas led them in a direct line towards one of the villages he knew to be nearby. If Brigus needed proof of elf-kind to keep his men at bay, then Legolas would provide it!

But in his heart he feared it would not matter.

An air of foreboding filled the wood after Brigus's declaration. Time, it would seem, had run out. He wished they were closer to the actual Halls, but they were still many leagues away.

He needed another plan, some opening to escape and get into the woods, but Brigus was taking no chances with them.

It was nearly dark when Brigus called the final halt. The men scrambled about setting up another simple camp. As before, the elves were given a little water. Prem brought them two pieces of dried meat, shaking off Torel's hand when his friend would have kept him back from offering the food.

Most of the men were in higher spirits, knowing soon they would have one pleasure or another. They laughed and joked, making no effort to hide their rude comments. Torel and Prem sat off to the side, but the younger men were not taking the same enjoyment at the possibility of raping Caeri on the morrow.

Just the thought infuriated Legolas.

In the dark, the men turned in, anxious to see what the new day brought them. Nirk had been sent to make certain their bindings were tight and to take first watch. He settled on a fallen log, intently studying Legolas's knife.

He and Caeri did not speak. Legolas instead worked at loosening his bonds, working them as inconspicuously as possible. He had attempted this both previous nights with little success. Sirk and Nirk were skilled in rope work. The knots held.

As he struggled against the knots, Caeri scooted over to block Nirk's view of him. She leaned in, making it appear as if they were speaking, as they had the previous evening, but she only offered encouragement this night. She knew as well as he that they had to escape.

He was tempted to get Caeri to help, despite the risk of being discovered, when the snapping of a twig brought his eyes up towards the trees. The eyes still followed them in the darkness. Two pairs. He could sense their owners and was thankful they were there.

"What was that?" Nirk demanded, standing and staring into the trees.

"Maybe one of the giant spiders," Legolas dared. "They have been known to stray this far north."

Caeri's head jerked around and she stared at him in horror. "But I thought…" Her words died as she realized too late what Legolas was trying to achieve.

"Spiders are all dead." Nirk grinned at them. "Heard it myself from a man from Laketown. Elvenking killed them all."

But he glanced nervously back through the trees. But the sounds were gone.

Nirk moved back to the fallen tree and resumed his seat but his focus did not return to the knife. Instead he focused on the trees about them, glancing between them as if trying to peer beyond the small circle of light cast by the men's fire.

For two hours, Legolas worked at continuing to loosen his bonds, but only managed to gain a small amount of give in the rope. His wrists were raw and bleeding from his efforts, yet still he struggled.

Caeri had not sat idle. She worked her own bindings, her wrists red and chaffed. Her breath shuddered and he paused to look at her. Her eyes were side and pleading.

"What do we do? We have to get loose!" Her fearful words and panicked expression pierced him. He knew only too well how desperate their situation was.

But such despair and fear would not help them. He shook his head. "We do not give up until we are free. And whatever happens, I will not abandon you." His whispered words sparked hope in her eyes, and they renewed their efforts.

A heavy sigh alerted Legolas that Nirk's watch was over. He watched the man stand then move to the fire, where he shook Torel awake for his watch.

"Watch them close," Nirk demanded. "There's something out there." He nodded towards the trees. "Even if it's just a moose, wild animals are dangerous."

Torel rose and moved to the log where Nirk had took his watch, his eyes on the forest. But he snorted and glanced at them. "There is no moose out there," he said with confidence.

Legolas did not confirm or deny what was in the shadows. Instead he held the young man's gaze for a time.

Torel finally looked away, but only to stare at Caeri, then back at Legolas. Something had changed in those eyes. They held new purpose.

As soon as Nirk began to snore softly, Torel stood up, drew his knife and moved towards them, never wavering his gaze from Legolas's cold stare.

— o —

Torel approached the elves. He had seen the fear in Caeri's face when he had stood and drawn his knife, but now as he walked towards them, he found his gaze caught in Lass's steel-gray stare.

He was drawn to those eyes. There was something about this creature that both fascinated and frightened him at the same time.

As Torel stooped before Lass, he was surprised when the elf actually smiled slightly.

"You intend to help us," Lass declared. It was not a question.

Torel smiled and nodded. "Prem's right. I let Brigus bully me into this and I've started acting like him. My mum would flay me if she knew I was here with these men, doing these things. I can't allow it to go any further."

Torel had not slept when the others had bedded down for the night. He had kept an eye on the elves and had noticed them struggling against their bonds. The knots would be too tight to untie.

He reached for the ropes binding Lass's ankles together and began to cut them with his knife. The ropes dropped away, and he reached for the ones around the elf's wrists, but a slight noise in the trees stopped him. He froze, ceasing his movements and glancing fearfully over his shoulder. It would not do to get caught at this. A couple of those men wouldn't hesitate to kill him if they found out he had let the elves escape.

But he saw no movement from the bed rolls by the fire. He turned his head to search the dark trees.

"You do not need to fear anything in the trees," Lass reassured him. "Only the men."

" I know," Torel replied. "That's why in return for freeing you, I'd like you to take Prem and me back to the edge of the wood. We can find our way from there."

"Agreed." But instead of offering his hands for Torel to finish releasing him, Lass glanced about the clearing.

"Something is not right," Lass murmured. "Release Caeri first. She must get away from this place. Then finish with my bonds."

Torel admired the honor this elf displayed and silently told himself he would never be found in such a situation again. He would go home and work his parent's farm, and convince his girl to marry him.

With his thoughts distracted as he stood to move to the female elf, he missed seeing the Lass's eyes widen in surprise.

"Behind you!" the elf hissed.

Before the young man could turn completely around, he felt a blade on his neck, biting into his flesh, slicing it open. The knife in Torel's hands dropped onto Lass he reached up to grasp at the flood of blood that flowed from his throat.

This couldn't be happening. He was going home! He had decided to do the right thing!

The arm around him released him, and he sank to the ground, struggling to breathe through his cut windpipe. As his life's blood soaked into the ground, he looked at the elf, seeing a deep sadness in those strange grey eyes.

The eyes faded to points of grey light, darkness consuming them, and he saw nothing more.

To Be Continued…

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