Elwood learned all he could from the strange warg and reported back to Thenamir. "There is no lie in his story," Elwood ventured, "but I can sense that not all his story is yet told. I believe it is safe to allow him to follow his course, whatever it may be."
"Very well," Thenamir replied, "find out if he means to join us, or to continue on his original journey to Lorien -- the Lady of the Wood is none of our concern at this time. And should he decide to remain with us awhile, see if he might track down Leoden, Flandhere, and Guthrin, and lead them to us."
"And Elwood," Thenamir continued in a softer tone, "I have heard reports of your grief and displeasure at the burning of the woods, from Dwarin and Kalohern. Necessity drove me to endorse that option, for the fire gives us a mightier advantage over their numbers than our strength at present." Thenamir looked towards the area of the camp where their recovering wounded were being tended in Dwarin's cart.
"Remember, Elwood, the groves and forests will grow back and be replenished in time...the men and women that are murdered by these barbarous men and their leader will never be seen again in Middle Earth." Elwood nodded, and then both he and Thenamir turned towards the glow on the horizon.
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Leoden watched as his last torch sputtered and went out. He had run for several hours thru the night, but the first hints of dawn were not yet showing pale in the eastern sky. "Well," the exhausted man thought to himself, "that's done." He now darted off towards the east, to try to strike the old North Road, and then to catch up with Thenamir and the rest.
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Flandhere and Guthrin had given up the fire-laying some time ago, and were now only interested in getting across their path and around the flames before they too were caught. They were now "between the pincers," and Guthrin once again climbed a tree on a small rise to see what was to be seen about their twin adversaries -- the flames and the warrior Dunlendings.
From his high perch he could just make out the trailing edge of the eastern firewall, somewhat to the north of them. Of the Dunlendings there was no sign. "In this case, he said to Flandhere after descending to the ground again, "no news is good news. We crossed their northward track some way back, and there is no sign that they have passed us going southward. Another hour's run, and we will have the advantage of both daylight and the flames to our rear, with our enemies caught in the middle."
"Let us hope that they recognize the danger soon enough for Arenia to outride the flames southward," Flandhere offered.
"If that horse Telefax is as fast as Elwood said it is, that should be no trouble," Guthrin replied as he started out running again...
[ September 04, 2002: Message edited by: Thenamir ]
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The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. ~~ Marcus Aurelius
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