[Envinyatar]

Drawing closer to the city


As had been his wont, Lord Elrond kept them well west Tharbad; far from the prying eyes of as many folk as was posibble. They were a large force, relatively speaking, and horsed. But the Elven riders and handlers kept their charges quiet as they passed from the forested regions of Minhiriath.

Along the southern reaches of the River Gwathló they found a wide, shallow ford. The banks eased down from the trees’ edge in a gentle slope to a finely pebbled strand. A number of Elven warriors from the horsed columns crossed first, scouting the other side of the river for any sign of the enemy. When they assured themselves they could find no trace, the wagons began their slow crossing flanked by the rest of the columns. Lord Elrond rode ahead of this part of the van, joining his scouts on the other side.

It took most of the day for the entire force to cross. The wagons were big and heavily loaded. And often times the team would balk at the sight or feel of the river’s current.

The forest grew thinner as they drew away from the Gwathló, the countryside edging into what would soon become a vast expanse of hilly wastelands. Elrond turned them northward, passing just to the edge of the last dense stand of trees before stopping for the night.

‘He’s sent out scouts,’ Ondomirë told his squad captains when they had gathered in his tent after the evening meal. ‘They’ll map the lay of the land for us and spy out what forces Sauron has posted against any aid reaching Ost-in-edhil.’ He leaned forward in his chair and poured himself a glass of the dry, red wine his aide had left for the meeting. With a flick of his chin he passed it on to the man next to him, indicating it should make the rounds of the table. ‘I’ve also asked,’ he went on, ‘that the four bowmen we sent from our company scout out good, defensible positions for us to take should we need to fall back as the army advances. Most of the enemy we think will be concentrating further northward in the hilly lands to the north and south of the Sirannon and Glanduin rivers. From what we understand, Sauron is bent on destroying that enclave of the Noldorin jewel-smiths. Some very personal grudge, it would seem. And not just the city, but the population, too.’

They talked late into the night, then parted, each to their own squad’s billet. Lord Elrond held back their advance the next day, waiting for nightfall before crossing the Old South Road. From there, he took them into a sector of low-lying hills. They camped again in a hollow set among the hills, with sentries posted in the dense brush and rocky outcroppings that lined the hill tops. He sent out scouts again, instructing them to come as close as they might to the enemy’s troops.

They were now just a little more than a four day march from the city . . .