V

The Elves sprung awake as the roar pierced the still night air.

Glorfindel was over by Lithroleah.

"What is it?"

"I do not know!" Lithroleah said, frowning into the distance, as the noise grew louder.

Glorfindel climbed the rise, filled with horror as he saw the massive dust cloud whipped up by the wind.

"Take cover!" he shouted above the noise. "Sandstorm!"

The Elves responded, helping the mortals blinking in confusion. They grabbed their provisions, and ran to the leeward side of huge boulders, covering themselves with long cloaks, braced for the onslaught.

Glorfindel saw that Lithroleah had frozen in terror. Shouting, he flung himself on Lithroleah, draping his cloak over them both as they hit the ground.

In a matter of moments, the windstorm hit them, and the party was forced to hold on to their cloaks as they were assaulted by the powerful force.

Glorfindel felt Lithroleah struggling, and so shifted to pin him to the ground, wondering at the cause for his agitation.

On the storm raged, hitting them for a full quarter of an hour before it stopped abruptly. Even so, the Elves waited, as if afraid of looking up too soon, in case they were premature in their relief.

Glorfindel was the first to fling aside his cloak, noting the thick layer of sand, ash, dust and the small rocks that had settled over the area.

"Has anybody been hurt?" he called into the silent night, causing the rest to emerge.

His relief at the negative answers was short-lived, as he cast a quick glance over the party, dusting the remnants of the storm off and taking stock of the situation; something was amiss.

"What do you suppose caused it?" Eilwar said.

"Where are the young ones?" Glorfindel said, a sick feeling spreading in his stomach.

"Legolas decided to explore the valley, and they left moments before the storm hit!" Lithroleah said.

The phrases that escaped Glorfindel were hardly befitting of his noble status as he rounded upon the hapless Lithroleah.

"Why did you not stop them?"

"Legolas told me he just wanted to take a look! How was I to know --" Lithroleah's voice trailed off as Glorfindel's eyes shot him daggers.

"I ask for just one thing --" Glorfindel snarled, before deciding to regain his composure. "Eilwar, watch over the company. Nilwar, Mallorin, Lithroleah, come with me, take your weapons along!"

He descended into the valley, not waiting for them, muttering to himself as he went along, the three Elves rushing to catch up with him.

Once near the bottom, Glorfindel started scanning the area, noting with rising dismay that a thick layer of debris covered everything in sight. Bending down, he brushed away the dust with his sword, noting that it was a few inches thick. Still, there was no sight of the young ones.

"Lord Glorfindel?" Lithroleah said. "I last saw them somewhere further west before I turned back to watch over the company."

Glorfindel nodded and picked his way through the rocks, eyes straining. Anger and worry caused his tongue to stick to the roof of his mouth, and he already had a good idea of what he would be doing to the quartet when he found them.

The more he searched, the less the anger became. In its stead, worry started to grow. Surely they would have returned to the campsite once the windstorm had subsided.

"Lithroleah! How long had they been gone before the storm struck?"

"Not fifteen minutes."

"They could not have gotten far then," Nilwar said, his voice calm and collected, bringing down Glorfindel's panic a few notches.

"We shall split up. Nilwar, search to the north with Mallorin. Lithroleah, stay close to me!"

After thirty minutes of fruitless searching, Glorfindel was well alarmed as to not find a trace, and it was all he could do to fight down his panic.

"Glorfindel!" Nilwar cried, sprinting towards him. "We found this!"

Glorfindel took the dagger in his hands, recognising it to be Elrohir's.

"Where did you find it?"

"Over by that pile of boulders!" Nilwar said, pointing half a mile to the northwest, where a strange collection of reddish rocks stuck out of the ground, and Mallorin stood, standing watch over them.

Glorfindel ran over, not turning to look back.

"The rocks have been moved recently," Mallorin said. "These faces here are not as weathered as the rest."

Lithroleah suddenly tensed up, a wide-eyed look on his face.

"They are underground. Trapped by the rockslide. They move further within the tunnels, searching for an exit, moving towards their doom."

"Lithroleah!" Glorfindel cried. "What did you say?"

Lithroleah jerked and looked about, emerging from his trance.

"I saw them, Glorfindel! I saw them in a cave underground, right under our feet!"

Glorfindel decided not to question him, and instead turned to Nilwar and Mallorin.

"We have to get them out. Go back to the campsite and bring ten of our strongest. The rest are the stay put. Tell Eilwar to watch over the mortals!"

Both nodded and sprang to deliver his orders.

"Are you certain of it?" Glorfindel said once they had left.

"Ai, Lord Glorfindel! Furthermore, was Elrohir's dagger not found nearby?"

"Very well." Glorfindel bent down and got to work, moving the smaller rocks out of the way, hoping that they were not chasing down a blind alleyway.

"If ever there were a group of young ones so skilled in mayhem!" he muttered, before attacking the next rock with gusto.