[Nerindel]

Deep in the shadows of the trees and carefully hidden by a thick covering of thorny brush, a pair of dark eyes watched at a distance. A solitary witness to the eorling’s dispensing of justice; swift and quick; without hesitation. Thin lips curved beneath the dark covering that masked the strangers face. He imagined the anger and distain that had driven the Lord of Middle Emnet’s hand. Oh yes he knew exactly whom it was he watched. Who it was who had unwittingly stumbled into this babbling band of fools; Unknowing puppets, easily swayed by their own lust and greed. He wonder if they even realised who it was that pulled their strings and how fragile those strings were. They mattered not to him they were not his friends nor his allies and if they all died here today it would be of no great loss to him.

He watched a little longer as the Eorl wiped the bloody dagger on some near by foliage while turning back to the two lads he had gone to great lengths to defend. The smaller of the two boy’s appeared to be injured and as the Eorl helped him up, The stranger silently took his leave. There was no gain for him in killing the Eorl and these two boys. Well at least not yet, he thought darkly. Besides he had gained something much more valuable, knowledge.

Unlike those other fools he had followed the Eorl discreetly and silently through the shadows. He had seen fear and indecision turn to courage and honour, a man unafraid to make the hard decisions. Something that would be worth remembering and perhaps may just prove invaluable someday, but not today. Today that fool who called himself leader had made a bad decision and likely not the first, but the price of this days failure was not one he planned to share in. This Eorl would be missed and soon others would come in searching of their Lord and Master, by which time he planned to be long gone, but not before he collected his true prize.

The sounds of not to distant battles assailed his ears as he cautiously made his way back towards the ruins. so soon, he mused, stopping to listen. The sounds seemed all around ; shouts and scattered orders came from somewhere ahead and to the left of him, while ahead and to the right the sound of weapons rang faintly. But it was the sudden baying of the dogs that made him look back in the direction he had just come. The fighting was ahead, so why where the dogs back there, had they found those brats and their eorl? Or had…… he pondered the thought a moment longer, suppressing the urge to laugh darkly at the cunning and resourcefulness of another, another that also might bear watching someday. Putting those future thoughts from his mind he focused on the job at hand, he had not ingrained himself in this band of ruffians only to loss his mark to the point of a sword or the hang mans noose.

Silently he edged his way around the trees careful not to alert his presence as the sound of voices grew closer. Reaching the rear wall of one of the larger ruins not far from the tower, he carefully snuck inside. Enough ivy and vines grew on the outside to hide his presence from those without. Carefully he crouched down to peer through a small hole that had been worn away in the stonework. Another body had been added to that which the eorl had dispatched earlier and a third; the one he had come for was badly wounded. His Job was half done for him and only the matter of collection remained. But one problem still presented itself, well not really a problem, more of an inconvenience. It seemed his mark was in the custody of another, a tall; broad shouldered follow and although bent over the body of the unconscious body…bodies of that that ….hell he didn’t know what it was! he remained cautiously guarded, no doubt ready to use the sword in his hand at the slightest movement.

But ever resourceful and ever prepared he had a plan. Sneaking out the way he had come in he made his way quietly through the trees again keeping to the shadows so as not to be seen, till he came to a large overgrowth of thorn and brush, taking a last glance about to make sure he was alone and being satisfied he quickly tore away the bracken (more easily that would be expected) to find a very weather worn wooden door with a rusty handle. The truth was he had found this secret entrance to the tower days ago and had planned to use it to escape if necessary, but now it would get him back into the tower and close to his targets.

It was dark in the tunnel but he knew the way and soon found himself in what was left of the towers basement, the stairs to the next floor had long worn and crumbled away and only a few bricks held stubbornly to the wall, it was the reason why the bandits had not found the passage and it’s secret exit. But he knew a way, it was dangerous but he was agile and lithe enough to make it. So slowly he climbed foot following hand one after the other, careful not to dislodge any loose stone and dirt. It wasn’t far and soon he was pulling himself up onto the ground floor.

Stopping to catch his breath he listened, it sounded as if the big fellow was still trying to rouse his …friend.. Lefun?…Relif?…he could barely make out the words over the bandits moaning and continuous whining about his injuries. He couldn’t help wonder at the big fellows reserve? By now he would have killed the idiot just to shut him up.

He had heard enough, reaching into his shirt he pulled out a leather roll and quickly untying the binding he let it roll out silently. Inside was a five inch tube and twelve darts, six red to the left and six green to the right, his hand hovered momentarily over the red before moving to the left and carefully pulling out a green one and placing it into the pipe. A quick glace round the window showed him his target, then with out hesitating he blew. the dart struck the big fellow in the side of the neck and he was quick enough to duck back down as the fellow turned and an instant later he heard the thud.

In another instant he had grabbed up his remaining darts and vaulted the window. “Ced…” came the stunned and wheezing voice of the bandit, as he thought he had just been rescued. But Ced did not stop, instead he walked purposely toward the big fellow. there was no mark of the lords house on the man but by his attire he marked he had been right in thinking that this man was one of the eorls rescuers.

There wasn’t much time the affects of the dart would not last long. He removed the dart from the mans neck and lifted his fallen sword, it was a nice blade and another time he may have taken it as a prize. But today it would serve another purpose.

"I thought I were for the noose for sure!” The bandit wheezed as he struggled to join him.

He didn't look up only continued to look at the light catching the blade or so it seemed. “we could share the spoils ya…., but before the fool could finish his words Cedric as this idiot knew him swung round fast, the blade in his hands cutting through both flesh and bone severed the bandits head clean from his shoulders. Blood sprayed into to his face and clothes, but he didn’t finch merely watch as the head bounced once and rolled towards the trees, and the body dropped to the ground. Then turning he placed the sword into the big fellows hand, Let any who happen on this scene think this one did it, then claiming the head he disappeared back into the tower.

As the last affects of the drug began to wear off, he was half way through the tunnel and on his way to retrieve his horse on the other side of the woods, then on to collect on this bounty.