Finduilas and Beriadan emerged out of the Rune-Framed door in the dwarves' cave.
Finduilas reached for Safron with her mind. "Mellon? Manke naa lle? Tula sinome?"
She was about to release Safron's conciousness when she heard Safron's neigh in the distance - about half a mile off. She ran with the lightfooted run of the elves towards the sound.
"Safron?"
Beriadan was instantly behind her, occaisionally turning around, his bow loaded, checking for dwarves.
"I just don't understand.." He muttered.
Then Finduilas saw Safron. She ran to him and swung up. Beriadan swung up behind her.
"What don't you understand?" She said, without looking up .
"Why the dwarves aren't following us! Usually by now they'd be treading on our heels!" Replied Beriadan
Finduilas didn't reply but straightened and stroked Safron's mane as he streaked towards the battlegrounds.
Soon they were there. As Finduilas looked around, all she could see was elves dragging dwarves into one pile to burn their bodies. Although it was war, elves would not let even dwarves simply rot and be eaten by animals.
One elf ran towards Safron and held his reigns while Finduilas and Beriadan dismounted.
"Thank you, friend" Said Finduilas, smiling. She took Safron's reigns from him and led the horse towards the top of the hill. She stopped and turned to see Beriadan talking to the Elf. Beriadan was asking about what happened and the Elf was talking very fast and motioning with his hands.
Finduilas decided to get Beriadan to tell her about it later and continued walking Safron up the hill.
She put him inside the stable tent and petted his forelock. "Quel Esta, Safron" then she left, walking to her tent to begin packing.
The battle was over.
* * *
“What do you mean they snuck up on US?” Nuthemel shouted at the shaking lieutenant.
“Well – Sir – Apparently the stinking elves weren’t .. asleep as .. we .. thought” stuttered Zuth.
“Well, Lieutenant,” Nuthemel sneered, “I know what you are.”
“What am I?”
“A sergeant.” Nuthemel said dryly, then he turned his horse and left.
Zuth stared for a moment, then spat on the ground and tore off his helm, bearing the mark of Nuthemel.
He turned his own horse and rode away towards the elven camp.
When he arrived, two elves, who were arguing over something, turned and pointed their bows at him.
“wait!” he cried.
“I surrender! I’ve been demoted by Nuthemel and I surrendered my Helm. See?” he pointed to where his red hair flowed unhendered.
The Elves spoke rapidly in a language Zuth did not recognize, then lowered their bows.
“We believe you,” the taller one spoke. “But we’ll see what our general thinks.”
The shorter elf took the reigns of his horse and Zuth dismounted and followed the taller elf.
Soon they arrived at a tent. The tall elf went in and then came out, guiding a tall elfin woman. He spoke rapidly, again in the unknown language and the woman inspected Zuth. Then she spoke.
“He speaks truth. Dwarf, what do you want with us?”
Zuth bowed and said, “M’lady General, I want to help you. I can tell you Nuthemel’s secrets. I can let you into the caves.”
“Dwarf, what is your name?” she said, ignoring his response.
“Zuth. Zuth Ringcaster.”
“Oh?” she raised an eyebrow.
Zuth gulped. “Is something wrong, M’lady General?” he said nervously.
She smiled. “Nay, Dwarf, nothing is wrong.”
“In fact..” she smiled again.
“how rude we have been, Zuth. I am Finduilas, this is Beriadan,” she said, gesturing towards the taller elf.
“And this is Arundur. He is a lieutenant” She said, motioning towards the shorter elf.
Zuth bowed again, a little less nervously, and began to pour out secrets.
* * *
Finduilas blew out the candle on her bedside.
She was back in her room in her castle and everything was normal again.
Except that two floors down, sleeping in the servant's wing, was a dwarf named Zuth Ringcaster who had just that morning told her all the secrets of the dwarfen army.
She rolled over and tiptoed out of bed in the darkness.
Finduilas walked out of her room, taking care not to wake anyone near her.
Walking down the hall, she paused outside of Alientes's door and gently pushed it open. She had not come to see him when she first returned home because she was angry with herself and distracted.
She smiled at the untidy condition of the room. Alientes must be feeling better .. her smile faded. the blankets were smoothed, a rope frayed at the edge of the window and the windowpane itself broken.
Still, Finduilas could hear breathing in the corner, although it seemed to be coming from under the bed rather than on top of it. She ran to the sound and knelt, crawling closer to the sound until she touched with her outstreched hands a body. She pulled it out from under the bed and the moonlight shone on his face.
"Tharontor! Where is Alientes?" She said in a loud whisper, pulling the healer onto Alientes's bed and running for the healer. "Rhiach!" she muttered. It was the healer she was trying to heal. she rolled her eyes and ran to the stables. This would be a long night.
* * *
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