Daughter of The Darkness

Chapter 52

"For hope,"
Then Elfreda let her sword fly. Orcs fell like harvested barley as silver and gold flashed around her body. Her enemies got no future than three feet before a blade of some kind stopped the mangled form in its tracks. Elfreda kept up this perimeter of herself, ensuring nothing swept too close in order to fight for as long as possible without injury.
Orcs surrounded her, but others kept moving to cut the armies fighting on the fields off from a retreat. Bringing her sword down upon the head of one she kicked out with a strong leather boot to knock back another then gave another fatal blow. Then she advanced into several more at once, let them come at her. Let them face her fury.

Flying boulders whistled through the air. A huge lump of rock sailed towards the fight. Creating a path for herself, Elfreda rolled out of the way just as the rock splattered on the ground, killing hundreds of the orcs. Elfreda was back on her feet in an instant and running to find another vantage point.

Orcs were constantly at her heels, she swiped backwards cleaving the heads of multiple orcs in one. Elfreda ran up the causeway her breathing controlled and fluid. The remaining people of Laketown ran about scattering into buildings, some remained dazed and confused at the oncoming swarm.
"Run, hide!" Elfreda yelled as she plugged her blade into an Orc. There was a man stood in the middle of the road, his greasy black hair fell in streaks across his fearful face. He cowered as a large Orc raised his large weapon above his head.
The Orc thudded to the floor, an arrow embedded between its eyes.
"Fight, or get out," Elfreda gritted as she pulled the smelly little man up from the floor "war is no place for cowards," He ran off into a house before saying a word. Elfreda killed five more orcs before running back up the hill.

By now the orcs had reached the main part of the city. Men and women who had no chance against the flood of orcs fled from the homes. Tilda, Sigrid and Bain were amongst them. They avoided the purges of orcs but there was too many. They had ambushed the small troop of civilians without any warning. Both girls hid in the doorway of an abandoned building; they had lost sight of Bain. The brother yelled for his sisters but could not see them.

Bard galloped into Dale to see the homeless people flee their shelter. Reports said that the market had been overrun- the last location of his dear children. Gathering a small group of fishermen, who were only armed with whatever they could find, Bard began to rally and run towards the market in hopes of finding survivors and the children.

Orcs were constantly at her heels, she swiped backwards cleaving the heads of multiple orcs in one. Elfreda ran up the causeway her breathing controlled and fluid. She fell back into the motion of fighting as if she had stopped only days ago. Many hundreds of years of peace for her were over, but to protect her friends, she would do anything. A small band of Laketown men met her, yelling battle cries and Bard at the front leading the way. Elfreda joined them, backing onto the orcs her sword behind her as she jumped onto the horde. Given their few hours of practice, the fisherman coped well against the orcs. Their movement sloppy and uncontrolled but they knew were to hit. Whoever had taught them, did it well.

Already dripping with gore, Elfreda slipped into the feral beast that lingered within her. She lead at the front of the group, nothing got past her blades that swung like turbines continuously around her. A Orc blade sliced down over her head and Elfreda parried with her sword before pivoting on her feet and driving her blade into the chest of the Orc. Withdrawing, Elfreda span from her squatting position as the Orc fell and beheading four others in the process, her long blade felt was just an extended limb. Too many years of lethal practice transformed her into a predatory killer. Blood roared with adrenaline in her veins.

Running beside was Bard, he had heard her tales of course but nothing was compared to her reality. Elfreda had never batted an eyelid at his reason of retuning to the market. She had run through it, no wonder her once dark blonde hair dyed black from all that orc blood. As Elfreda turned to him, Bard could almost see the fire blaze in her eyes.

"Let's split up, take half of the men to round the east bank, the other half and I will take the west. Meet in the middle," she ordered. This was not the wild woman who had lived with him as a boy, she was a shield maiden, princess of a by gone era. No, Bard corrected himself, she looked like a queen. He agreed and the men split into two halves. As he was about to leave Elfreda stated, all rage diminished and replaced with honesty and kindness, "we will find them, Bard. It'll be ok,"

The number of orcs had dispersed into the market, the majority had pressed on back towards the main battle. There were a few about the lower parts of Dale and this was where Elfreda found the three children. They were sat huddled together in a door way, Bain wrapping his arms around his two sisters, all obviously distressed at the scene of battle around them. Sheathing her blades, Elfreda ran up to them.
"Hey you three, am I not glad to see you!"
Upon hearing her voice, all three stood up and ran towards her. Each one of them wrapped their arms around Elfreda, not caring of her battle worn state. For a moment, Elfreda did not know quite how to respond but she soon wrapped her arms around them, squeezing them tight, a reassurance for all of them.
"It's alright, I've got you." Elfreda whispered to them "let's go and find your dad!"

Ducking behind barrels and hiding behind doors, slowed down their ascent to the centre of the market. Elfreda had given Bain a blade she had found, he was a bit flimsy with his movements but good enough so that Elfreda did not have to do all the work. As they turned to walk down another street a group of orcs came rushing at them.
"Go!" Elfreda shouted at them, drawing her swords "your father is just up that alley,"
All three ran up the street as the orcs came. Elfreda stood in between the children and the orcs as they advanced. Once more she began to swing her blades.

The children were scared of the grunts and the clashes of steel behind and in front but they followed Elfreda's advice. Up the street was their father. Somehow, two orcs had got through Elfreda's wall of slashing blades. Bain had to defend his sisters by himself this time, his sword stopping the path of one of the orc's and throwing the creature aside. The other jammed his own blade between the two forks of a tree. Picking themselves up again the children continued to run up the street.

Bard was at the centre of the market, combating the orcs. The other half of the fishermen had joined them but Elfreda was not there. Some said she had gone off to find the children, Bard knew she would not stop searching but something felt amiss. Over the sound of the war, shout came from the street below, his children. Relief filled Bard's heart as they seemed to be unhurt. That relief was quickly iced into fear as grunts of a huge troll came from the street below.

A huge, pale, gangly creature which was armed with a club. It's face was bashed in and tiny eyes looked at the children as they screamed. It staggered towards them, bloated stomach wobbling. In a state of emergency, Bard pulled over a cart and jumped in to race towards his family. How did that thing yet in here? It watched as Bard hurtled down the street, buts of the wagon flying off as it hurtled over bits of rock and debris. Bard flew over the children and launched himself at the troll, stabbing it brutally as he landed on top of the troll. Standing, his children looked at him, a newly created hero. They all hugged each other and Bard looked them over. They were fine.
"Elfreda's in the lower town, she was blocking the advance so we could escape," Bain murmured, still shaking from the torment.

Tired, muscles beginning to ache, Elfreda had fought and struggled her way to the one of the main gates into Dale. From here, she could see the mountain and in front the mass of war. Orcs flurried up the main causeway, Elfreda bracing herself once more for the onslaught. A sliver hair warrior flew from a large elk and was swarmed by orcs. King Thranduil had decided to join the fight then. Him, followed by a group of elven foot soldiers took over from her and cleared the main entrance. Elfreda took her chance to take a breather against a fallen pillar. As she ripped a strip of the already torn and bloodied undershirt and wrapped it around the wounds on her upper arm, footsteps approached. A hand reached out for hers.
"Come now, the battle has not been lost yet," spoke the King in Elvish. Elfreda tied a knot in the self made bandage, ignored the hand and stood up herself.
"Forever the pessimist," Elfreda mocked, wiping the sweat from her brow "when we win this, milord, you'll owe me one of those pints!"