[Arien]

Ceros sheathed his knives as Gilbereth thanked him for the help he had given him. Ceros nodded but was too shocked at what they had discovered to reply. Instead he circled the now dead spider, looking at it with disgust. As he drew near to its head, its eyes glowered at him, and two long white fangs protruded from its foul mouth. A black substance leaked from its side, and from its mouth, probably poison of some sort. As he knelt down to inspect it he felt Gilbereth’s hand touch his shoulder.

“We should be getting back, see if they have found Airelómë.” Ceros agreed and Gilbereth followed as he lead the way. They meet up with the rest of the company at camp, but his eyes did not meet a happy sight. The others were covered with blood, like he and Gilbereth and Ihwesta had received a welt on her face.

“What happened?!” he demanded. His eyes fixed upon the bleeding mark upon Ihwesta’s face.

“Airelómë’s dead,” she said hoarsely. “Spider’s work.”

“Where is he?” asked Ceros. “Where is his body?”

“Underneath the spider’s that hath killed him. The poison runs through his useless blood Ceros. It would be unwise to touch him. We cannot bury him.” Ceros’ heart wept for Airelómë for he had been a good, brave elf and now he was even denied a decent burial. Ihwesta now wept, and he did not blame her. He could see the sadness in her and Arië’s eyes. And so he comforted her . So as he sat with her by the fire side her thought of what had happened, it had been what? Four days into their trip and already and elf had died at the hands of an enemy that his people were denying existed only a few moths ago. Although this was a sad occasion, Ceros felt that he had been proved right, there was something out there and some how he knew that this was no the worst of it.