XXVII

The three Elves were caught up in the screaming, snarling hordes of Orcs as they fought them off tooth and nail, fighting for their lives, each one they hacked down an extension of their diminishing lifeline. A large blow landed upon Elrohir, and he parried to fight it off. At the same time, an opening presented itself, and the Orcs moved in on him for the kill.

On Legolas's other side, a troll appeared, headed straight for Esendri, bringing its large hammer crushing down onto the hapless Elf. Before he could scream, a blinding flash of blue light engulfed everything in Legolas's vision --

The feel of rain on his face was almost foreign as Legolas's eyes struggled to see through the darkness, having constricted painfully at the intense light. His breathing calmed as he took deep, measured intakes of air, the still and silent bodies of his friends beside him.

Chiding himself for falling sleep, Legolas pulled his hood over his head. Rain had turned to sleet, and each breath he took was visible.

Beside him, Elrohir stirred, and woke with a start as he noticed the icy rain.

"What time is it?" he said, stretching.

"Almost dawn, although 'tis difficult to tell," Legolas said.

"It will be a week before we are dry again!" Esendri said.

"Ten days," Legolas said, managing a smile.

Elrohir sat up, staring at the sleet with a morose expression. "You are growing cold, Lass."

"Do you believe that the army guarding the first clue is somewhere there?" Esendri said, looking out into the endless plains. "How can anything survive in such a bleak place? I do not see any castle!"

"There was no saying that the army was mortal," Elrohir said.

A sudden light in the distance caught Legolas's eye. He tried to take a second look, but it disappeared. Curious, he was debating whether to investigate when a faint roar broke through the sound of rain hitting the sodden earth, followed by almost imperceptible sounds of a scuffle.

"Orcs!" he whispered, startling them, for they had not heard anything.

"Are you sure of it?" Esendri said, doubtful.

They were quickly convinced as a louder squabble filled the air, at which Esendri threw Legolas his weapons.

An arrow whizzed through the air and landed just upwind of the trio.

"How could they have come so close?" Esendri cried as they leapt to their feet.

"The fog and rain masks their appearance. They cannot be far now."

"How many are there?" Elrohir said, pushing Legolas behind him.

"Roh --"

"A hundred," Esendri said, listening intently, for there was still no sight nor sound of their attacker.

Fear swept over Legolas as he remembered his dream. Was it a premonition, a warning? Would Elrohir and Esendri fall, just as he had foreseen?

A sudden wave of pain swept through him.

"Roh!" he cried, falling to the ground and grasping at his shoulder. "No!"

"We cannot fight them!" Esendri cried.

Turning around to see Legolas on the ground, Elrohir hesitated.

"North!" Esendri cried.

The sounds of a rush suddenly broke the pounding of the icy rain, and a quick look told them that a horde of Orcs were descending upon them.

"Come, Legolas, Elrohir!"

Legolas managed to pull himself off the ground and stumbled to Elrohir, where he yanked his friend along with him.

The Orcs had the initial momentum, but yet the Elves gained the advantage and pulled away, losing the angry shouts of their pursuers in the sleet.

Just as they were about to breath a sigh of relief, Legolas, who had been ahead, gave a loud cry and jumped back.

"Stop!" he cried. "Marshes!"

Elrohir and Esendri froze in their tracks, and saw that the land before them was a large bog that stretched as far as the eye could see. Vegetation lay rotting, and an empty, desolate feel presented itself.

"What do we do?" Esendri said.

Shouts erupted in the distance again.

"They are closing in on us! Where to?" Esendri said, noticing that Elrohir was simply looking grim, while Legolas had started scanning the surrounding area.

"Into the bog," Legolas said, "It will shake them off!"

"But it is too dangerous! We do not know the way! One wrong step, and we will find ourselves buried in rotting vegetation!"

Remembering his dream, Legolas took a step forward. "Come, we must enter the swamp!" he cried, and plunged into the vegetation.

Esendri followed suit, and Elrohir was further behind. Legolas was sprinting through the long grasses and was sometimes covered by them. It was all Elrohir and Esendri could do to keep up with him, for he seemed seized with a manic energy, and he skilfully picked his way through the treacherous bog that threatened to engulf them and hold them within its deadly embrace.

Turning back after checking that Elrohir was still following them, Esendri panicked when he saw that Legolas had disappeared.

"Legolas!" he cried.

"Keep close!" Legolas said.

"Where are you?" Elrohir said, drawing level with Esendri and squinting in alarm.

Legolas turned around, to answer, but saw that he could not see his friends.

"Where are you?" he said.

"You are the one who disappeared!" Esendri said, getting more puzzled by the second. "Master Elrohir and I have not moved!"

"Retrace your steps, Lass," Elrohir said.

Esendri let out a cry as Legolas suddenly appeared before them again just a few yards away.

"What devilry!" he cried, as Legolas too gave a start at seeing his friends materialise before his eyes.

"Sweet Eru!" Legolas said, approaching them.

"Lass, I do not like this; we are fortunate enough not to have been swallowed up by the bog! How do you pick your way through it so quickly?" Elrohir said.

Legolas frowned. "But can you not see it?"

"See what?"

"The line."

"What line?" Esendri said.

Legolas was about to reply when they heard the sounds of their pursuers again.

"We must go!" Legolas said, "Come!"

"Not until you tell us about the line!" Esendri said.

"Can you not see the blue line? It seems to stem from this stone taken from the cave, and runs over the marshes. I followed it here, and it goes on for a while more before rising up into the air!"

"I see nothing," Elrohir said. "But let us follow it, for it seemed to have offered us safe passage thus far."

Legolas walked ahead, and disappeared before their eyes.

"Legolas!" Esendri cried.

"I am still here," he answered. "Ai! The sleet seems to have stopped!"

"It looks like it is still raining to me!" Esendri said.

"Follow my path, Sen, and see if you can --"

Esendri appeared before Legolas, looking stunned.

"You are right! The sleet has stopped!" Esendri said, as Elrohir too appeared.

"Curious," Elrohir said, looking up at the threatening sky, and finding that the sleet was still falling but stopped high above them. "We are still in the marshes, but --"

"No, Roh! Feel the ground!" Legolas cried, noticing for the first time that the ground was not wet and soft as it had been, but instead hard, as if it were --

"Stone!" Esendri cried, and started to feel around.

"Where does the line lead?" Elrohir said, watching Esendri out of the corner of his eye.

"Straight on, before twisting many times and then rising upwards."

"How do we go up?"

"We will find the way when we get there."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I know not. It is just something that I feel. Just as I knew how to defend ourselves from the dragons, and that the blue line leads us to the clue we seek."

"But you are assuming that it will always work just because it always has -- surely a foolish way of thinking!"

"Is anything about this journey not foolish, Roh?"

Esendri gave out a loud cry then, and called for the pair to go over.

"Can you feel this?" he said, prodding at something with his foot.

Legolas bent down and stuck his hand out to where Esendri was pointing, to find that his hand hit something hard.

"But I see nothing!" Elrohir said, bending down too.

"It feels hard, like stone," Legolas said.

"What devilry!" Elrohir said.

"This is the castle! Remember? 'An army guards a clue that is unseen to those who seek it. A castle slumbers, awaiting its time to reawaken!' We are within its walls, which is why the sleet has stopped, and the ground is hard like stone! It is why we could not see one another, because the walls blocked us!"

"An invisible castle!" Esendri cried. "And there I was, trying to look for it!'

"'Unseen to those who seek it.'" Elrohir said. "But you were not looking for it when you came here, Lass! It is why you managed to come in!"

"Valar, you are right!" Legolas said.

"What do we do now?" Esendri said.

Legolas suppressed a sudden shiver that ran through him.

"Lass, you are shivering," Elrohir said.

Esendri looked up sharply. Legolas should not have been affected by the elements, but Elrohir was right; Legolas was trying his best to hide it, but his friends could see that he was cold.

Legolas started to protest, "It is not the time --"

"Yes, I know," Elrohir all but snapped. "Shall we carry on?"

Elrohir's abrupt reply put an end to any conversation that might have arisen as Legolas started walking without even looking back at his companions.

On they went, following Legolas, who took them past many turns before stopping.

"This is where the line starts going up," he said, pausing for extra thought.

"The air is warmer now," Elrohir said, "As if had ventured further indoors."

"The walls are lined with tapestries; it keeps the heat in," Esendri said. "You can feel it if you wish."

"How strange," Elrohir said.

"Shall I try to follow the line?" Legolas said.

His friends nodded, and he took a step and almost fell over, as he tripped on something.

"Stairs!" he said. "Be careful!"

Stripped of any other options, the Elves forged ahead, feeling firm stone beneath their feet as they rose above the marshes trying not to shudder as they saw the ground under them grow further away.

"Do not stop believing," Legolas said. "I shudder to think what would happen if we fall!"

The stairs ended, and they found themselves suspended twenty feet in the air.

"Look!" Elrohir cried, as they noticed dark figures of Orcs on the ground in the distance.

"Will they find the castle too?" Esendri said in hushed tones.

"Nay, they have already crossed the threshold," Legolas said. "We entered it beyond where they are now."

"Maybe they are in the castle!" Esendri said.

"They would have been puzzling over it as we did," Elrohir said.

"Then what is going on?"

"Hush! Watch!"

Holding their breaths, the Elves watched as the Orcs continued to approach them.

His caution was unwarranted, as the Orcs drew nearer, not giving the slightest indication of having spotted them. Standing high above the ground, the Elves crouched down and stared as first Orcs, then Men passed under them, picking their way through the marshes.

"Marnor!" Legolas whispered into Elrohir's ear, pointing.

The small figure by Marnor stopped in his tracks, as if he heard something. It caused the man walking behind him to walk straight into him.

"Watch it!" the man growled.

Marnor swung around and cuffed the man hard around the ears.

"How dare you!" he shouted.

The entire party ground to a halt.

"Wha's going on 'ere?" an Orc said, making his way back from the front. "You'll alert the rats with your screamin' like that!"

"I still have the right to discipline my men when I see fit?" Marnor said. "He walked into Lord Ifrit and had the nerve to --"

"Alrigh', alrigh', don' go makin' so much noise!"

Seeing the Orc walk away, Marnor turned to Ifrit.

"What in the devil's name made you stop like that?"

"Nothing," Ifrit muttered.

Marnor grumbled, and indicated his men to follow the Orcs. Ifrit hung behind, and took a quick look around. He seemed to be about to look straight up at the Elves when a commotion sounded in the column ahead.

"Help!"

Looking to the source of the noise, the Elves saw that one of the soldiers had fallen into the marshes. The rest of the men watched on, horror-stricken, as a tentacle reached out and wound itself around the thrashing man's neck. More screams ensued, but none went to his rescue. There was a last, piteous cry, when the soldier was sucked under, disappearing into the rotting plants and into his grave.

"What now?" The Orc who had confronted Marnor earlier pushed his way through the petrified ranks, and peered down at the spot where the man had been taken under. The only trace of him were a few slow bubbles making their presence seen on the surface of the water, taking their time to burst in the green water covered in so much algae that it was viscous. A leaf could have fallen on it and not stirred its surface.

"Sallorin was eaten!" one of the other soldiers cried. "By some thing!"

The Orc did not answer, but brushed aside his own worry and let out a cackle.

"All the more reason why you be followin' me and keepin' your 'ands to yourselves! Come! The rats are not far ahead, we mus' hun' 'em down!"

Marnor and Ifrit exchanged a glance but did not speak, as the rest of the Men and Orcs hurried after the leader, renewed fear in their movements.

Once the last of the group had moved on, the Elves looked up and stared at each other in amazement and horror.

"What was that?" Esendri said. "And how did they pass below us without getting into the castle?"

"Because they were seeking us out, and so could not find us. Because they did not believe in the existence of this place," Legolas said, more of the truth coming to him.

"This magic is more powerful and inexplicable than we have imagined. We must be more careful," Elrohir said. "Who know what this clue might be -- or what powerful magic guards it!"

"The gem wants us to find it," Legolas said. "We need not fear that."

"How --"

"It is calling to me. The power wants to be unleashed."

Elrohir felt the blood rush from his face.

"Lass --" Esendri said.

"Do not worry. It will not come to pass."

Elrohir let out a sigh, deciding it was not worth pursuing the matter any further, for Legolas would in all likelihood simply snap at them.

"Now that the Orcs are gone, we should seek out this clue and leave!"

Legolas nodded, squaring his jaw in determination, and led the way up.

Having reached the end of the blue line, Legolas stopped and stared. They had followed it as it twisted and turned through more passages and climbed further.

"What is it?" Elrohir said, coming up from behind.

"The line has ended."

"About time too. We have climbed high enough," Esendri said, trying not to look down, so that he would not see the dizzying drop many feet below.

"What next then?" Elrohir said.

"Shall we go down then?" Esendri said, sound too eager. "It might be a trick --"

"No, it is real," Elrohir said. "Lass, what does the map say to you?"

"It is restless and seems to churn within. But what that means, I cannot yet tell."

"Worry not. It will come to you," Elrohir said, looking out and seeing that they were high enough to be within the low-lying clouds. The last thing he wanted was for Legolas to lose his hold on the magic and send them plummeting down into the marshes.

"We are in the tower of a castle!" Legolas said, feeling his way around the room, and letting his hands go around the stone walls. "Look, you can feel the windows!"

"And the cold!" Elrohir said. "We must take the clue and leave."

Legolas stood and thought. Something at the back of his mind was nagging at him. Frowning, he was concentrating hard on it, when his face lit up and he strode to the centre of the room, where he stuck on his hand, conjuring out a yellow stone from air.

"Nice trick!" Esendri said.

The reply was swallowed up when a loud groan filled the air, followed by a great shudder underneath their feet.

"I have heard that before," Legolas said, looking straight at Elrohir, dread on his face.

"Not again!" Elrohir said.

"One day we will learn walking into an unguarded place and lifting a treasure is foolhardy and dangerous," Legolas said.

The Elves started their descent, a renewed sense of urgency in their movements.

"This way!" Legolas cried, breaking into a spring.

Esendri let out a sudden cry as he felt his feet rest on nothing. He would have fallen had Legolas not jumped around and grabbed onto the arm he flung out

"What happened?" Legolas said, stretching out his foot and finding that the ground was firm.

Elrohir, who had been behind Esendri, bent down and stretched his hand out, finding too that his fingers touched solid stone.

"I felt a sudden gust of wind, and the floor beneath my feet disappeared!" Esendri said.

"The magic is wearing off," Legolas said. "Come! The ground is still solid; let us leave before the enchantment wears off!"

There was another shudder, and the Elves doubled their speed, trying to still their racing hearts.

Elrohir was the first to spot the colours. They were small and scarce at first, almost attributable to the play of bad light while he ran down the invisible corridors. Yet the flickering patches no larger than a thumbnail started to increase in number. They were faint at first, but more solid hues soon overtook each patch. Very soon, the Elves were assaulted by a myriad of different colours of the brightest tones flickering into view, each taking its own time to form.

"The castle is becoming visible again!" Elrohir cried.

Legolas stopped, and stared as the patches started bursting to life around them. Pinks, yellows, greens, blues, all seemed to dance before them with wild abandon as long-invisible forms burst into view after centuries of lying dormant and unseen.

Turning to a tapestry, Esendri took a step back, and looked away after a while, finding the whirling pattern of bright green and pink too much for him. "I feel ill looking at that!"

"Such colours!" Elrohir said, looking down the bright blue corridor that led off to the right.

Recovering from his shock, Legolas too was staring at the bright yellow and purple frame to his right when his attention was drawn to the corridor by Elrohir.

"Who thought of painting a castle blue?" Esendri said. "And such a blue that is more suited for babies too!"

"No, Sen, look! The rocks are blue."

"I have fallen into a dream," Elrohir said, walking up and down the corridor and studying the various paintings and tapestries. "Except that this dream is stranger than any I have ever had!"

He disappeared around the bend in the corridor, and let out a shrill cry of surprise.

Legolas and Esendri sprinted to help him, only to step into a large, multi-coloured hall, covered in pictures of smiling flowers, bees, and birds. Stripes of bright colours lined the walls and ceilings in places where the pictures did not already occupy.

"This reminds me of your drawings as a child, Lass," Esendri said, and Elrohir let out a snort of laughter. "To think even the very best of us had to start somewhere!"

"Thank you," Legolas said, peering at a painting. Even as a child he had often indulged in painting, just about the only activity -- save archery -- which could keep him occupied for hours without wrecking havoc upon those around him.

He took a sudden leap back as it came to him. "AI! These are the paintings we drew as children! Look! It was the story of Mister Buttercup and the clouds! And that was the one I drew after listening to Nana's story about the fox-cubs!"

The memories came rushing back as Esendri stared, lost for words. All the paintings in the room were done by both him and Legolas, paintings lost to time and confined to dusty drawers!

"Are you sure of this, Lass?" Elrohir said, his worry growing as he noticed Legolas and Esendri inspecting each picture in turn with mounting excitement.

"Ai, Roh! I had near forgotten about them!"

"I cannot believe we used such colours!" Esendri said. "Look how bright they are!"

"The first-born do not forget, Legolas," Elrohir said quietly. Why had Legolas said that? Were his memories really leaving him? If so, what had caused it, for Elves and their memories were inseparable. To lose them would be to lose an important part of the soul.

If Legolas heard him, he gave no indication of thinking up a response. Instead, both he and Esendri went from picture to picture, exchanging stories about the events that each one brought to mind.

"Lass, shall we go?" Elrohir said, his uneasiness increasing, as Legolas and Esendri continued to scrutinise the pictures. Did they not realise that seeing these pictures so many miles away from Eryn Galen spoke of a sinister force at work?

"Look, Roh! It is you and Dan!" Legolas said, pointing at a picture with giddy swirls of trees and waterfalls.

Elrohir decided then that the spell had been taken far enough, and its antagonistic intents should be put to a stop. Ignoring Legolas's attempts to drag him closer to the picture, he ran out of the hall to find himself looking at a large, stained-glass window in front of a sweeping staircase, looking out into a world bleak with sleet and marshland.

Gritting his teeth, Elrohir drew his sword and flung its handle at the window, shattering glass with his first, powerful stroke. Glass splintered, and a huge gust of wind almost caught him off-guard. Throwing up his arm to protect himself against the shards of glass, Elrohir continued to hack away at the window until the hole was large enough, before he returned back to Legolas and Esendri.

"This way, Lass," Elrohir said, grabbing hold of him.

"Let go of me!" Legolas cried, starting to beat at Elrohir in sudden fear.

His struggles were anticipated, and Elrohir had his arms behind his back, using his greater strength to keep them there and march Legolas out of the hallway.

"Let go of me, you stupid bear!" Legolas shouted, but to no avail.

Once at the window, Legolas gave such a shout of fear that Elrohir almost let go. His struggles intensified, but Elrohir managed to push him out.

Legolas fell down three floors, landing on the soft, boggy ground. Pain and shock jolted through him, and he leapt to his feet, mind cleared, brushing the rain and sleet off his face. Looking up, he saw Elrohir peering down at him.

" -- you -- Esendri --" Elrohir was shouting, but the howl of the wind caught his words and tossed them away.

Legolas tried to shout back, but found it difficult to even hear himself, and so watched as Elrohir's face disappeared.

Legolas noticed then that faint lights were starting to glow in the distance, and that they were nearing. The sight of a large castle appearing in the marshes would not have failed to draw their attention, and they would be arriving within moments.

Quick, Roh. They are coming.

Elrohir jumped upon hearing Legolas's thought. Doubling his speed, he rushed towards Esendri, who was stuck in a trance. He did not struggle when Elrohir dragged him over to the window, and threw him out as he had done with Legolas.

Esendri landed with a loud yell, followed a few moments later by Elrohir landing in a more measured way.

"This way!" Legolas said, grabbing Esendri and leading them around the edge of the castle as the storm continued to rage around them.

"There is a line here too?" Esendri said.

"No! There is nothing, but the castle has to stand on firm ground, so we will be safe if we follow the walls!" Legolas said, picking up the pace.

He came to an abrupt halt, and Esendri was about to protest when he saw that they were by the main entrance, crouched behind the wall. Two tall figures stood before the doors, one in a black cloak that hid his face, while the other was a tall and well-built -- warrior?

The warrior looked about sharply, as if he had detected their presence. Through the veil of sleet, Legolas drew back, stung by a sudden, inexplicable fear. When he turned to look again, he saw that the warrior was speaking with the one in the cloak, before they entered the castle.

"Come; this way!" Elrohir said, leaping forward once he decided they were well clear of the strangers.

Esendri and Legolas followed as Elrohir started to pick his way through the marsh, careful to avoid the fate of the unfortunate soldier in Marnor's guard.

*****
A/N: I'm afraid I might have messed up the little order I introduced last chapter. But let's recap: Legolas has a power. The power is required to unleashed another power. He needs to find lots of stones to unleash this power and destroy it otherwise there will be death and destruction all around. He has found the first stone but has no idea what the hell is going on apart from that he has to go forward.