A Ride to the Dark Side--RPG

[Deorlin]

With a mighty effort, Deorlin held in his frustration at missing their chance to catch the thieves at the ford. As the first night had fallen, they had dismounted, discouraged, tired and hungry. Deorlin sensed Aelfritha's disappointment in his choice, and he had little heart to socialize with the others. After gulping down a quick meal of bread and cheese, Deorlin rolled himself in a blanket and slept.

The dawn saw the party already away and into the forest. Here the going was even slower, with some distance to go before reaching the ford. Deorlin urged Sami forward, anxious to get to the river and see if his guess was correct. At least to know that the thieves had made their way here would be some comfort to him, even if his "shortcut" had not availed them of any tactical advantage.

Pulling somewhat ahead of the others, he thought little beyond travelling at all speed. Soon, Aelfritha, Anglachel and the others fell behind. Deorlin was barely aware of this, until he came out of the thinning trees. Finally, the ford!

The ice rimmed river rushed past. Deorlin dismounted, and although the ground was hard with frost, he saw clearly the tell-tale signes of the Rohirrim horses and the theives as they had made their way into the water. So they had crossed here sure enough.
Deorlin remounted and looked over his shoulder, expecting to see the others coming up behind. But for the first time, he noticed the silence that hung in the air, save for the sound of the river. Waiting a few more minutes, he realized that, for whatever reason, Aelfritha and the posse must have fallen behind him. He was alone.

Deorlin felt no fear - he was sure the thieves were still far ahead. But nonetheless, he flipped back his short riding cloak and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. He considered carefully what to do. His incination was to go on, fording the river and then finding the trail of the thieves once more. Barring unforseen circumstances, the posse should be at the ford soon, and would undoubtedly cross over, anticipating that he had done the same. However . . . "unforseen circumstances" might be exactly what was holding up the others now . . .

Never one to delay action for thought, Deorlin came to a swift decision.Hading was with the others - he should be able to handle whatever it was that was delaying them. He nudged Sami into the icy water of the river, breaking through the thin ice at it's edge and splashing across. Within moments he had made the crossing and was on the southern shore. He would pick up the trail of the thieves and then wait at the river's edge for the others to catch up to him.

Riding through the grass leading back into the trees, Deorlin noted the eery quiet that still pervaded. Even in the cold season, one usually heard the sounds of small animals and birds rustling and chirping in the undergrowth. But here, all was silence. Sami snorted nervously as Deorlin pushed him forward with his knees. The horse threw his head up and down, and sidestepped, reluctant to go further. But Deorlin urged him on.

Suddenly, Deorlin felt his blood run cold through his veins. He had been bending over the saddle bow, following the tracks of the stolen horses, when his eye caught the flicker of a movement in the grass about twenty yards ahead. And at the same time, a sickly sweet smell met his nostrils. One that he had encountered before, in the farmyard, and on the battlefield - blood!

[ January 03, 2003: Message edited by: Deorlin ]

[ January 06, 2003: Message edited by: Deorlin ]