[Fordim Hedgethistle]

He woke them all when the sun first broke the line of the horizon, flooding the Vale with her golden glow. Coromswyth was annoyed that he had apparently changed his mind from the night before – earlier this morning really – when he had said that they would leave later in the day. Ambarturion could see her annoyance but as she did not say anything, he did not explain: throughout his watch a shadow of dread had fallen upon him. This time, though, it came not from the west and the gates of Moria, but from the East. And unlike the foreboding he had felt at the coming of the goblins, this was a terror of a more ancient and indefinable sort. There was death in the air that morning. Death and the blackness of a nameless terror. The others noticed it soon enough, and the lady’s annoyance was replaced by understanding. She stood upright from where she had been tending Caranbaith’s bandage and gazed into the east, following Ambarturion’s eyes. “What is it?” she asked quietly, but the Master merely shook his head and turned aside.

All that day they pressed themselves as hard as they could, walking now due east to make the shortest road to the shelter of Mirkwood. At first, Caranbaith’s insistence that he be allowed to walk was too sternly delivered to be ignored, and as the Sun rose in the sky he strode along at the end of their brief column, pale and drawn but even vigilant. By noon, however, it was clear that the strain of his wound was too great and he stumbled into the grass. Megilaes was at his side in a heartbeat and Ambarturion was only a thought slower. They lowered him to the ground and Coromswyth gave him some more of the miruvor and changed his dressing. The bleeding had stopped and there was no sign that the wound had taken infection, but its colour remained deep and raw. Coromswyth looked at Ambarturion and did not need to speak her thoughts aloud. Both knew that Caranbaith lay now between life and death, and that his only surety of life lay in taking the southern way back to Lorien. As though reading what was in their minds, the young Elf looked into his master’s eyes. “Do not turn aside from your duty, lord,” he said. “I am merely fatigued. If you will grant me the respite of an hour’s rest I will be able to go on.”

It was Coromswyth who gainsaid him. “Nay, Caranbaith. You cannot make the trek to Mirkwood as you are, not unaided. You are strong and young and possess a great heart, but I think you will need to rely on our help the rest of the way.” Ambarturion looked at her with a grave respect, for he noted that she did not talk of returning to the Golden Wood, even though their journey would put his pupil’s life at risk – she knew her duty as well as he and his students’ knew theirs…

For the rest of that day Caranbaith was aided by his brother and Coromswyth in turn, and their progress across the plains was hampered as a result. Ambarturion became more and more restless as the hours passed and the feeling of the land’s terror grew about them. Somewhere in the Vale there were enemies of the Elves, and a great number of them. He laid himself out upon the earth and listened but could hear no rumour of their passing, but he could feel the outrage of the earth at its defilement by the forces of darkness. “Are they near?” asked Coromswyth.

Ambarturion shook his head. “No. They are not yet, I think, on this side of the River, but they are coming nearer. I had thought that our northerly route would lead us away from the forces of Dol Guldur, but it would seem that they are coming to us.”

“Perhaps we could go around them, to the north or south?”

“The only fording of the River that we can now attempt without your horse lies before us. To turn South will lead us only further into the lands of our enemies, and away from our goal. To the North there is no way across Anduin the Great for many leagues and that will leave us many miles from the Woodmen we seek.” He looked at the lady. “Our only hope lies in speed. If we can reach the ford and cross the River before our enemies achieve the western bank we can, perhaps, slip by them.” His words hung about them like a black bird of ill omen, our only hope lies in speed. Neither of them looked to where Megilaes aided his brother.

As the second night of their journey came they made camp in a small forested area not too many miles from the River, but still not as near the waters as Ambarturion had hoped. He had pushed them hard all day, but to ask any more of his wounded student would have been to risk his death. Megilaes lay his brother upon the ground where Caranbaith fell into a swoon almost immediately. Coromswyth did what she could for him but it was clear that until they could give him the rest he needed, his condition would only worsen. When she had finished tending the youth, Coromswyth joined Ambarturion where he kept watch. “He is brave,” she said. “You must be very proud of him.”

“I am,” he replied simply. And then, much to his surprise, he added, “He reminds me of myself when I was his age. So dauntless and foolish. Ready to do what he feels he must in defence of his land.” He felt the questioning eyes of the lady upon him. He moved to return her gaze. “You see, lady, I am not wholly consumed with thoughts of war and battle – at least not yet. I have been a warrior for many centuries now, but still I can feel for those who have not been hardened by the tempering fires of endless battle.”

Coromswyth was shocked. “I am sorry indeed if I made you think that I found you heartless, Ambarturion. It is just that…you are so dire and stern, that I fear you might…” She trailed off into silence.

“You fear I might do what, lady?” he asked, somewhat stiffly.

“I am sorry, Ambarturion. You must forgive me. It is just that you remind me of someone I loved – someone who was stern and mighty and did his full duty, and who fell into the shadow of doom doing that duty. You, I fear, have begun to fall into that shadow even though you still live.” Ambarturion made to reply, but she held up her hand. “I am sorry, I have spoken too much this night. Please, I would sleep now.” And without waiting for a reply she moved away from the master and went to tend to Caranbaith.