[Ealasaide]

Kaldir

Driving Benia, Toby, and Gilly ahead of him, Kaldir rode as quickly as he could in the direction of the staircase that led into the Elves' hidden refuge of Imladris. Dúlrain's unconscious form weighed heavily against his chest and shoulder, but he refused to let it slow him more than was absolutely necessary. Ahead of him, Benia Nightshade, who rode with Toby on the back of her saddle, turned frequently to look back, but it was not Kaldir whose progress she was checking. It was always Dúlrain’s face that her amber eyes sought, Kaldir noticed. He felt a twinge of pain as he remembered the way she had looked at him just a few minutes earlier when she had turned on him, practically accusing him of trying to kill Dúlrain, when all he was trying to do was save them all. There had been more in her face than simple concern for a fellow traveler. Kaldir knew at that moment that he had lost her.

Frowning, he dragged his eyes away from the glossy black of her hair, as she rode on in the lead of their small group. He could see that she and Mrs. Banks had already drawn their swords. Even Toby Longholes carried Benia’s long dagger in his hand. Kaldir knew that his own sword was blocked from his reach by the presence of Dúlrain’s prostrate figure, but his dagger was in easy reach. Or, if it came to that, he could draw one of Dúlrain’s two swords and fight with it, but his movement would be sorely hampered by the presence of the other man. Kaldir set his teeth. He would just have to hope that the sounds of intense fighting that grew louder with each step they took toward Imladris would be confined still to the far side of the river. In fact, it would be their only hope. They could never fight their way through as they were.

In the lead, Benia suddenly reined her horse to a stop, throwing her sword arm up as a signal for the others to stop as well. Still leading Dúlrain’s riderless horse, Kaldir rode up beside her.

“What is it?” he asked.

She nodded in the direction of a small grove of trees directly ahead of them. “I saw movement in the trees.”

“Elves or orcs?”

“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “Elves, I think, but I can’t say with any certainty.”

“I saw it, too,” chimed in Gilly from behind. “It was a just a shadow of a movement, but someone is definitely waiting under the cover of the trees.”

Kaldir nodded, his gaze flitting from Dúlrain to the trees and back. He was just trying to decide what to do next, when Dúlrain suddenly stirred, murmuring something about the river. The pale lids flickered over his grey eyes. Kaldir reached up and gently slapped his cheek. “Wake up, brother,” he said quietly. “We need your help.”

“Help,” echoed Dúlrain softly, his eyes opening. “We must help Imladris.” By reflex, his hand reached for his sword. Kaldir caught his wrist.

“Not yet,” he said gently. “Perhaps we shall fight for Imladris in a moment. But for now, I need you to get back on your own horse. Can you manage it?”

Groggily, the ranger nodded. “Dir will carry me well. We have been through many a battle together.”

“Good.” Kaldir nodded and drew the brown horse up beside his grey one. “He’s here now. Can you get from Nico to Dir without dismounting?”

Dúlrain nodded. With considerable effort and Kaldir’s help, he moved awkwardly from one horse to the other. On taking his place in Dir’s saddle, Dúlrain instantly bent low over the horse’s neck, his breath shallow with pain. Benia rode up beside him, placing her hand on his shoulder. She whispered a few words to him that Kaldir could not catch, but Dúlrain nodded. In a moment, he raised his head. Seeing that he seemed all right for the moment, Kaldir nodded. Then, he drew his sword and wheeled his horse in the direction of the trees.

Gilly rode up beside him. “Mr. Kaldir, what are you doing?”

Kaldir looked down at the courageous hobbit lady’s face and, seeing the concern there, smiled his one-sided smile. “I’m going to see who awaits us in the trees. If it is elves, it shall be our deliverance. If it is orcs, I should be able to hold them off long enough for the rest of you to make your escape. Ride back in the direction of the falls. It will buy you time. Do not stop if you see me fall.”

“But-” Gilly began to protest, but Kaldir silenced her by raising his sword.

“Cheers, Mrs. Banks!” was all he said as he turned and trotted in the direction of the trees. Looking ahead, he, too, caught the faintest trace of movement amongst the heavy shadows. Even with the moonlight, it was too dark to make out whether it was orcs or elves who awaited him. He scarcely breathed, listening for the twang of a bowstring, as his horse’s hooves carried him closer and closer to the wood.

Suddenly a shadow rose up from the ground nearly under Nico’s feet. The horse half-reared as a firm hand caught the bridle and a clear voice called out in the Elven tongue, “Halt! Who seeks to pass?”

At the first hint of movement, Kaldir raised his sword to strike, but upon hearing the voice, he lowered it quickly, knowing that more than one Elven bow waited with arrow nocked to the string within the shelter of the trees. “Kaldir of Westernesse,” he answered quickly. “I have with me Dúlrain of Westernesse and two hobbits of the Shire. The fourth is a southern woman.”

“Imladris is under attack,” answered the elf. “What business have you here?”

“One of our number, Dúlrain, has been grievously wounded by orcs. We seek the aid of your healers.”

At that, another shadow broke from the trees, his hand raised in a signal for the archers behind him to hold their fire. “I am Rinmar, captain of the guard. You say you travel with a Dúlrain of Westernesse?”

Kaldir nodded. Moving very slowly so as not to seem threatening, he sheathed his sword and pointed back to where his companions waited. “He awaits with our other companions. He desperately needs the attention of your healers.”

Rinmar nodded and with a gesture summoned a handful of other elves from their places of concealment to retrieve the rest of Kaldir’s party. “Dúlrain is a friend of mine,” he said to Kaldir. “It grieves me to hear of his being wounded. We will, of course, do everything in our power to get him to the Houses of Healing as soon as we can, but we may find our way barred. The orcs have crossed the river and assault the very doorstep of Imladris. Our plan is to flank them and drive them back across the river. Have you any amongst you who can fight?”

“Only myself,” answered Kaldir. “I put my sword at your disposal.”