101814 Looking back with nothing to see Lady Rebecca caught up with her group, fortunately, during one of their rest stops when she came in from scouting the back trail. She made her way rapidly to Lady Rulan who, with Lady Kathy was refreshing themselves at the creek and jumped from her horse. Both ladies stood at her approach, Lady Kathy with a welcoming smile and Lady Rulan with a concerned expression. “He…they are not there. I tracked as far…I cannot find…” Rebecca choked out the words; her green eyes were dark with fear. “Milady…you must…oh please!” She was incoherent in her alarm and part of her was aware and ashamed of it. Lady Rulan’s eyes went past Rebecca and she called out to whoever they found. “Get me brudder here now.” The distraught Lady Rebecca felt herself led to a rock and heard her friend order another to get Lady Milasont and some hot tea…then Norlag was there wanting to know what was amiss. His big hands chafed her icy cold ones. She heard the sweet young voice of Lady Rulan’s daughter asking if she could rub down Baraz, “…as he is lathered badly.” That brought the young Bowwoman back to herself. Yes, she had ridden her beautiful steed hard back here…too hard for this rocky mountain path. Only his wonderful sure footed ness had saved him him…and her…from an accident. She gasped her permission and thanks to the young warrior apprentice and then turned to Norlag and Rulan. “I followed the back trail for miles and there is no sign of the Company. I did a grid search…as much as I could on my own…no sign at all…not a foot print. Not so much as a strand of hair caught on a bush.” She heard a strangled moan and met Lady Rulan’s terrified eyes. Oh yes, the Bowwoman knew she was not the only one whose heart traveled with that company. She reached out and grasped Lady Rulan’s hand. “I dared not go back as far as the caves…mayhap they were delayed. I thought you…” Lady Rulan squeezed Lady Rebecca’s hand and she nodded. Rebecca’s heart began to calm when the older lady jumped to her feet calling for her son to bring her birdie and hood the other. As Rebecca rested her head on her knees, she heard Norlag tell Lady Kathy. “We are about three hours from nightfall. We will set up camp here for tonight as Lady Rulan seems taken with the idea of an afternoon flight…now is there some of that nasty restorative tea of Sarisha’s left? I think our bowwoman could use some.” Charlotte brought Rebecca a bowl of stew as the bowwoman watched over Rulan’s seemingly lifeless body. If she looked hard she could see the almost imperceptible rise and fall of the body’s chest. It never failed to worry her to watch the peregrine falcon take flight…leaving what seemed like an empty husk behind. She ate a few bites but tasted nothing of the savory stew. “How much longer will she be gone?” Rebecca did not seem to know she had spoken aloud nor that she had handed the almost full bowl of stew back to Charlotte. “It is almost dark.” She leaned again a tree sick at heart. How she ached to hear the voice of her beloved as she had heard him countless times before…even before she had seen him. The words brought to her on the wind bringing her hope when there should have been none. Never leave me, Mahor Ishah. Always she had answered him, I will never leave you, jalan athirari anni And she had not! Always it was him who left…always she had been left behind to suffer...to fear…Fury filled the lady…and then she felt Charlotte grip her arm. Rebecca looked to where Charlotte pointed. The Falcon was on Lady Rulan’s chest and the woman was stirring. Her son was running to her side to help her sit up and feed her tea. The woman’s face was wet with tears and her eyes searched for Rebecca. When they found the bowwoman, she shook her head. “I think I found the cave they sheltered in from the storm…There was a track or two going in but none coming out…what little I found were nigh invisible from the storm.” Lady Rebecca shook her head. If they had exited the cave the same way, there would have been tracks a-plenty. “Can ye check for other caves? Mayhap they are connected.” Rebecca watched Rulan preen the feathers of her birdie and shake her head again. “I did while I could but found naught. Night was falling and I had to get Mariah back whilst still light.” Rebecca’s head dropped. She had forgotten the falcons were daylight birdies. Charlotte laid a hand on the Bowwoman’s shoulder. “I will send Falin…if tis anything to see in the dark, he will find it.” Rebecca nodded and squeezed Charlotte’s hand…but she had no hope. When Falin flew back at sunrise, Rebecca did not even rise. Bitterly she watched the owl fly to Charlotte. She only rose when she saw Lady Rulan and Norlag approach her. Her eyes were like green embers in the shadowed circles of her eyes but her voice was steady. “We ride out today…cannot wait here longer. If …”She swallowed hard, “I worse is worse, Gandalf will find us...” She turned to walk toward her horse…then stopped. “Wait!” She whirled to Lady Rulan; hope again aflame in her eyes. “Your daughter…the seer child…” She saw hope kindled in Rulan’s eyes also! “YES!” She breathed…but Norlag was shaking his head. “Sister…Lady Rebecca…my sister may be too weak from yesterday…” But before the two ladies could argue, Lord Arcon was beside Lady Rulan. “I believe I can give her strength.” And Lady Milasont was on the other side of the lady echoing his words. In excitement and with prayers on their lips the encampment watched as Lady Rulan made contact with her daughter, Sri…watched as happiness came over the lady’s face. “Alive! Sri sees them all and they are alive.” Norlag’s grin split his face and Lady Rebecca’s face lit up with the sun…until she saw the confusion replace Lady Rulan’s happiness. “But…Sri says they are running…why are they running?” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Fili ran from the goblins’ cave, yet his eyes never left his brother who slightly led him. They had almost lost each other on the cliffs before they found that cave and it would not happen again. He could never go home and face his mother without Kili. Finally…gasping they stopped. Fili heard Gandalf asked about the missing hobbit…then the hobbit was there. Uncle was demanding an explanation of the little fellow’s motive when a bird’s screech split the sky. Fili’s head jerked up to search the sky…no. Twas not a peregrine…not her. He lowered his eyes to see his Uncle looking upward too. Fili’s hand covered his smirk. Uncle, too, looked for the lady. Then an unearthly howl filled the air. “Was that a wolf?” Someone asked. “No…That was nae wolf…” Bofur’s voice shook. Then the race was on again
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 07:57:06 +0000
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