Between Two Worlds

9

"Get the wounded into healing hall," Niniliath says when we enter the cavern, me breathing hard.

"How many were lost?" I hear another captain who stayed here ask.

"Nearly fifteen. We were taken down my warg riders from the south."

"How did they get all the way up here?"

"I do not know."

That's when I notice a nasty scratch on her cheek bone.

"Are they stationed in Dol Guldur again?" Kel asks her.

"They would be fools to do so. That place should be abandoned for over sixty years.

"But if they have taken refuge there and are breeding wargs-"

"Then there is not much we can do. If they were strong all the way up here could you imagine the army waiting for us down there?"

"This makes me miss the spiders..." he grumbles before helping a wounded elf into the halls to be taken care of.

"We should have just stayed in the trees and shot down arrows at them, this is my fault-," I start as I wipe the blood off my cheek.

"No we didn't know there would be wargs. I was never expecting..." she looks more worried now.

"My lady," the king's steward says when he comes up to us.

"What?" she asks not in a good mood.

"My lord demands your presence."

She closes her mouth nervously and nods. She exchanges one look with me follows him. I look back and walk after her.

We enter the king's study under the throne room and see him standing there with his back to us. The steward leaves us there alone with him. I grow anxious over the silence.

"How many are dead, Niniliath?" he asks with that business tone.

"...fifteen, my lord."

"Where are the riders now?"

"Somewhere within our borders."

He finally turns around slowly, shooting a look of disappointment towards her.

She doesn't look in his eye. "I am sorry, my lord. We tried but there was no expectation of the wolves to appear so close or even at all."

"What were they doing in Mirkwood?"

She doesn't answer.

His tone sounds a bit more angry now. "You were supposed to eliminate the pack of orcs weeks ago, do you mind telling me what happened?"

"We tried to kill them, my lord, but there were too many. We burned their settlement but some survivors got away. These were the ones we killed this afternoon."

He faces her with anger and staring down at her from his height that reaches the sky and leaves us scared to the bone. "But now they know they can get dangerously close to us without consequence and they camp closer and closer each day, do you not see what you have done?"

She closes her eyes, trying not to be upset over his furious tone.

"It was my fault, sire," I blurt out, walking in front of her. "I suggested that we meet them further down the road. I take the blame..." I look down.

"You fought away from our fortress where there was no back up," he eyes her after looking at me, surprised. "And now you have reduced our army." He walks up to her with an intimidating glare. "I want those wargs gone by sunrise."