[GaladrieloftheOlden]

Evren’s eyeslids drooped a bit as she walked along the edge of the path, treading carefully, staring at the beautiful sunset. Donlamir had gone to scout, veering from the path to the left. They walked slowly, so that he would have no trouble catching up to them when he had looked around a bit. Suddenly, just as the two of them reached a clearing, a figure burst out of the bushes, breathing heavily. Evren and Pherdur’s swords clinked out of their scabbards immediately, before they realized that the figure was only Don.

"Orcs!" he gasped. "Behind me!" For a moment, they all froze, hearing trampling feet quite close, running unmistakably towards them. Then, quietly, trying to banish from their minds the thought of what would happen to them, they grouped into a semicircle, half facing the side that they knew the orcs would come from, for they had no time to run, nor did they know the speed of their enemies.

So, when they orcs burst into the clearing, they were ready, three small figures, the dying sun shining on their swords. They were lucky, because the reflected light blinded for a moment the orcs skidding out of the woods. But it was only a moment, and the orcs began to spread to all sides of the clearing, snarling and cursing at the human soldiers. "Prepare to defend yourself!" Pherdur shouted. They now stood in a tiny circle, so that the orcs couldn’t get at their backs. But it meant that they couldn’t have a wide swing, unless they wanted to save the orcs some work...

Evren couldn’t even tell how many orcs there were, as she knew that looking anywhere except to the sides from which she might be hit could easily cost her a limb. All that she knew was that there were too many, probably three or four times more than them, but her mind could be playing tricks on her, she knew, and they might even be as few as themselves… and most of their weapons seemed worse... So maybe they were equally matched... all of this went through Evren’s head in a split second, and then an orc launched himself straight towards her. Evren had no time to think, no time for anything complicated or fancy. Acting only on impulse, she merely thrust her sword forward- and the orc impaled himself on it. It was only then that Evren noticed, while battling the inclination to be sick, that a few of the orcs had no armor. It was an advantage, of course, but not much. Because now her sword was weighted with the bulk of the first orc as a second came charging at her.

She raised her sword with an effort, and managed to spear the second, though she was not sure how exactly. Then, just as the third rushed towards her, skidding on the ground, which, Evren realized with a vague sense of neausea, was covered in blood, she shook off the corpses which fell with a sickening thud to the ground. She hit the third... but her sword slid right off... something was wrong... only then she realized that this orc was wearing armor, and that he had just swooped his sword towards her... she knew how she ought to have been defending herself, but she felt as though her arms were made of lead, and time was too fast... at her left, she saw one of the me sway and fall, and, out of impulse she stepped in front of him quickly, and, as she held onto her sword tighter, she managed to dodge that of the orc.

But only a moment later, the blunt side of an axe hit the unprotected back of her head, and she fell too, stunned. The last of them, whose face was terribly blurred to Evren’s eyes, still stood, but with nobody at his back, it was soon hit, and he fell like a rock. The last thing Evren saw before unconsiousness claimed her was a groups of orcs closing in about her and the two men laying unmoving and bloody as she at her either side, one of their bloody hands on hers, but none of them could move... she drifted painfully into a swoon, knowing that both other soldiers were also unconsious. She felt a feeling of having betrayed the group of soldiers... especially that man who led them, Fededhor. She knew he had not quite trusted her, and she still could not understand why he had let her go with the men when she had volunteered... all of these thoughts rushed through Evren’s mind in a frenzy, as though pushing to get through before the door was closed. And closed it was. For now Evren was only vaguely aware of the orc who lifted her roughly and lashed her ankles and wrists all together, tying a single rope to hold onto to them, and threw her over his back like a sack, unaware at all that the men on her sides were undergoing the same treatment. The only thought that managed to keep a hold in her mind was that she had betrayed somebody... then, as she jolted along on the orc’s back, even that thought slid out and all that was left was a darkness too empty for words.

[ May 22, 2003: Message edited by: GaladrieloftheOlden ]