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Elf, Interrupted: Book One: Glorfindel Redux  by Fiondil

66: ...and Counterattack

Reinforcements came with the morning tide. Not having slept, Netilmírë was at the docks before dawn, unwilling to sit meekly by while her great-grandson was in danger. Margil accompanied her. Thus, they were both on hand to see a Telerin swan ship float gracefully into the harbor just as Anar rose from behind the island to cast her golden light upon the white sails. The ship, Netilmírë noticed, carried not only the swan flag of Alqualondë but the personal flags of both Olwë and Arafinwë. She recognized Lord Laurendil leaning on the rail surrounded by several ellyn, all grim-faced and armed as the ship pulled up to the wharf.

Laurendil was off the ship before she was completely moored, giving Netilmírë his greetings. His smile fled at the look on her face. "Where’s Sador?" he asked quietly. For an answer Netilmírë handed him the box with its contents.

It took only a minute for him to understand what had happened. He looked up at Netilmírë, his expression grim. "Have you any idea who has done this?"

"We were told to look in Kortirion."

"Told?"

She nodded, quickly explaining the events of the previous day. Laurendil looked thoughtful. "So, Findaráto was right. The Hunt is up."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Netilmírë asked in confusion. "What do you know that I don’t?"

Laurendil did not answer her immediately, for by now the others had disembarked and were ranged around the Noldorin lord. He turned to one of them. "Calandil, Lord Sador has been kidnapped and taken to Kortirion. Lord Gilvagor from the embassy is even now looking for him there. We will go to Kortirion to join in the hunt. Stay with the ship."

"Should we not join you, lord?" Calandil asked.

"I will take no more than three others with me. More than that and we may endanger Lord Sador even more. If there are any who have been to Kortirion before I would prefer to take them with me. If you would see to the Lady Netilmírë..."

"Nay, Lord Laurendil," Netilmírë protested. "I am going back to Kortirion with you. I have had all night to think about what has happened and I may have an idea about who is behind this, but I will not speak my thoughts until we reach Kortirion and find Gilvagor."

Laurendil looked as if he wanted to argue but from the expression on Netilmírë’s face he decided it would be a waste of time and finally nodded in agreement, little though he liked it. He turned back to Calandil. "Make sure the ship is ready to sail at a moment’s notice."

It turned out that there were two among Calandil’s troops who had traveled to Kortirion before and Laurendil decided to take only them. One was a Teler named Elennen, the other a Noldo named Urundil. In short order all was in readiness and Netilmírë found herself riding beside Laurendil towards Kortirion.

"May I ask what brings you here, my lord?" Netilmírë asked. "I thought you were going to Lórien?"

"And I was, my lady," Laurendil answered. "In fact, it was there that Lord Findaráto received disturbing news and sent me here to find Sador. I was to bring him to Findaráto who awaits us at Valmar."

"Valmar! Why, what has happened?"

Laurendil however was reluctant to speak openly about Glorfindel and changed the subject, asking for Netilmírë’s suspicions about Sador’s kidnappers.

"There has been a great deal of hostility directed towards us since we arrived here," Netilmírë said. She went on to explain the failure of the Noldorin guildmasters to effect an agreement with their Tol Eressëan counterparts. "Looking back, I think there was a deliberate attempt on the part of some of them to disrupt any plans for the two groups to cooperate. Most of the dissent came from three individuals, the master of the Weaver’s Guild being the foremost of them."

Laurendil gave Netilmírë a searching look. "You think this weaver might be involved in Sador’s kidnapping?"

"Possibly. Certainly the box is our first clue."

"How so?"

"The cloth..." Netilmírë had to visibly swallow down the bile threatening to come up at the thought of what lay inside the box wrapped in cloth. "I’ve seen that cloth before. Mistress Menelgileth was wearing a dress in that material the last time I saw her."

Laurendil raised an eyebrow. "Their second mistake."

Netilmirë gave the Noldo a questioning look and Laurendil returned it with a grim smile.

"Their first mistake was taking Sador."

The expressions on all three ellyn riding with her hardened into something implacable and she shivered in spite of herself.

****

They reached Kortirion around noon and Netilmírë led them to the home of Haldir and Gwilwileth, where they were readily welcomed by the elleth.

"Haldir and Lord Gilvagor are even now scouring the city for news," she said as they entered the home.

The elleth was somewhat in awe of Laurendil, whom the Tol Eressëans respected as a warrior and natural leader. Laurendil, for his part, treated her with utmost kindness, thanking her for her hospitality, putting her at ease with his warm smile. It was decided to wait for the return of the two ellyn. In the meantime, Laurendil asked Gwilwileth for information concerning Mistress Menelgileth’s shop.

"I have not been inside myself, lord," Gwilwileth admitted, "but I know someone who has been. Let me bring her here. Do not worry, Berethiel is my best friend and very discreet. She will say nothing if you command it."

Laurendil finally agreed and in a short time Gwilwileth returned with her friend, who, it turned out, Laurendil knew slightly. "We met once at a ball given by my king for Lord Celeborn and the Lady Galadriel. You were a lady-in-waiting to my king’s sister."

Berethiel nodded. "What you say is true, lord. And now that you mention it, I do recall our meeting. Please tell me how I may be of service."

"We would like some information concerning the layout of Mistress Menelgileth’s shop," Laurendil told her.

Berethiel thought for a moment. "Do you have something for me to draw on?"

In minutes a rough sketch of the shop and its surroundings was made. Berethiel looked it over for another moment before handing it to Laurendil. "You do not say why you need this information, lord, so I do not know what you might be looking for. I hope I have not left out a detail that you might consider more important than others."

"A friend of ours is missing and we think the weaver might be involved, but other than that, Berethiel, there is very little any of us can tell you," Laurendil answered her as he scanned the sketch. "What’s this room here?" He pointed to an inner chamber.

"A store room, I think, where delicate cloths are placed away from light which would damage the fabric. It has no windows, as you can see."

Laurendil looked at Netilmírë and the other two ellyn. Urundil’s nod was imperceptible. "He’s there then," the ellon said and it was not a question. Laurendil nodded.

"Do we go after him now, lord?" Elennen asked.

Laurendil shook his head. "No, we do what the Maia told Lady Netilmírë to do. We wait for reinforcements."

****

Sador woke to complete darkness and pain. His head hurt abominably and he feared he might be blind until he noticed a thin crack of light near the floor and realized he was in a windowless room. The air was stuffy and there was the smell of fabric all around, though a careful sweep of his hands revealed that the room was empty save for himself, a bowl of bread and dried fruit, a pitcher of tepid water and another basin that was obviously meant to be used for personal needs.

He wondered how long he had been out and where exactly he might be. Speculation, of course, was futile, for he did not have enough information. He sat against a wall fingering a braid. He had quickly discovered that the left braid was missing and the thought of what his captors had done while he was out sickened him, left him feeling violated. He wondered if they would start removing other parts of his body soon and that thought left him gagging, though thankfully nothing came up.

He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew the door of his prison was opening and the light streaming in was enough to blind him. He felt rather than saw two ellyn enter and grab him before he had a chance to move. They pushed him up against the wall while a third person entered.

"Your lady friend is very stupid," the third ellon said, and Sador recognized the voice as belonging to the elf in the alley who did not have warrior braids. "She was warned to do nothing and she has ignored that warning. I’m afraid I’ll have to send her another message. Perhaps she’ll be more willing to cooperate if I send her one of your fingers or an ear."

The ellyn holding him tightened their grips when he tried to struggle out of their grasps. By now his eyes had adjusted to the brighter light and he saw that the third ellon carried a thin carving knife and several rolls of cloth. The look on his face was all the more terrifying for Sador was suddenly reminded of the looks on the faces of the elves who had invaded Doriath. Here, he suspected, was one who may have been there or even at the Havens and had somehow survived the War of Wrath, though why he did not wear warrior braids, Sador did not know.

As the ellon started towards him several things happened at once. The door closed suddenly, leaving them all in darkness. Sador heard all three ellyn start cursing, though the grip on his arms did not loosen enough for him to escape. He heard the third ellon move cautiously to the door and then try to open it, but to no avail. The ellon banged on the door and yelled, but no one came. At the same time, Sador felt a brush of air against his forehead and heard a whisper in his mind.

*Keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them. Be prepared to run.*

Sador wasn’t sure if he was imagining the words or not but decided to obey them nonetheless. He made himself go limp and slowed his breathing as much as possible, waiting for the signal he hoped would come.

Meanwhile, the third ellon was still banging on the door and pulling on the knob. All of a sudden the door swung open and the force of it drove the ellon into the wall, the door smashing into his face. He screamed as blood poured from his nose. The other two ellyn yelled and flinched involuntarily at the bright light and both released their grips on Sador who didn’t wait for any voice but sprang towards the light, his eyes opened just wide enough for him to see where the door was. In seconds he was out of the room and running down a short corridor. He felt an invisible tug on his right arm.

*This way, child, quickly!* came the command and he obeyed it instantly, veering to the right down another corridor. It led to a set of stairs and he climbed them, finding himself shortly thereafter on the roof. He did not pause but ran to the parapet on the other side from the stairs and looked about. Another roof was only a few steps away and without thinking about it he climbed onto the top of the parapet and leapt across the space separating the two roofs. Then he was running across that roof to yet another. He never looked back, remembering something Finrod had told him about not wasting time looking back when being pursued. He could hear the sound of pursuit well enough to know he could not afford to stop to look back.

He was at a fourth roof trying to find a way down to the street level when he realized he was in trouble. There were no other roofs near enough to leap to. He found himself looking down on a small courtyard. He frantically searched for a ladder or stairs that would take him to the street but there weren’t any and the way down into the building was locked. He ran back to look down into the courtyard, thinking that he might be able to leap down anyway. He looked back to see the two ellyn who had held him making the leap onto the roof and advance. Their expressions were not at all friendly and both were now armed with knives. He kept hoping the mysterious voice would tell him what to do but it was maddeningly silent.

Well, they weren’t going to take him. He would jump first. He might break something, even his neck, but that was preferable to what they would do to him if he let them catch him. He was looking down into the courtyard to see where he should fall when he saw five elves enter from one side. Two were unknown to him and carried bows. The other three, however, were well known to him and one of them shouldn’t have been there at all.

"LAURENDIL!"

Laurendil looked up in surprise to see Sador on the roof of a building, the look on the younger ellon’s face enough to spur him into action. Without conscious thought he ran towards the wall, his arms outstretched.

"JUMP!"

Sador climbed the parapet and was about to fling himself off when he was grabbed from behind. Laurendil saw him struggling to free himself and then someone fell off the roof with a scream. Before anyone could react a body hit the pavement. For a sick moment Laurendil thought it might be Sador but a quick glance proved that it was not. Laurendil looked up to see Sador struggling with a second elf. Making a quick decision he turned to Urundil.

"Give me your bow."

Urundil obeyed without question, handing Laurendil the bow and an arrow. Laurendil nocked the arrow and took careful aim.

"Sador! Let go and drop!" he shouted and was pleased to see the younger elf obey without hesitation. For a second the other ellon stood there in surprise at suddenly not having a hold on Sador, then he was screaming as an arrow pierced his shoulder.

By now the shouting and screaming had brought others to the courtyard and several stood around with their mouths gaping. Two of them were kneeling beside the prone body that had fallen off the roof.

"His neck is broken," one of them said, looking up at Laurendil accusingly.

Laurendil glanced at the body dispassionately. "Then he is no longer our concern, but Lord Námo’s. Gilvagor, you, Haldir and Elennen keep these bystanders away. Urundil, find a way up."

"At once, lord," the Noldo said and quickly went into the building, which turned out to be a residence, its owners temporarily absent. The stairs to the roof were found and Laurendil followed Urundil up to where they discovered Sador bending over the other ellon attempting to remove the arrow and staunch the flow of blood. Laurendil nodded in approval.

"Are you well, youngling?" he said as he knelt beside the Sinda to give him a hand. The kidnapper was already unconscious. Sador looked up with a smile.

"Well enough now that you are here. What are you doing here, anyway? Shouldn’t you be in Lórien giving Lord Irmo grief?"

Laurendil laughed. "He decided he needed a respite from my presence and sent me to check up on you."

Sador gave him a jaundiced look. "I think there’s more to it than that, but I am content to wait to hear the entire story later. What happened to the other?"

"He’s dead."

Sador nodded. "Lord Námo’s problem now."

"Let’s get this one fixed up and then we need to find the weaver’s shop."

"Is that where I was held?" Sador asked.

In moments, with Urundil’s help, they brought the ellon down to the courtyard. Several elves were there sporting warrior braids who recognized Laurendil and gladly took over the task of removing the body and transporting the other ellon to the healers.

"I want two guards on him at all times," Laurendil ordered and no one questioned his right to do so. He then requested some of the other ellyn to accompany him to the weaver’s shop.

"If they’re smart they will have fled by now, but they may think they still have everything under control," he told Sador as they made their way along the street. As they approached they saw that the shop was still open. Laurendil gave a few soft commands and soon several of the elves had melted away to find the back door and prevent any escape that way.

"Let’s hope our quarry hasn’t fled, but even if they have, there’s no real escape. We know who they are." With those words he entered the shop with Sador, Gilvagor, Haldir, Urundil and Elennen following him.

What they found was almost ludicrous and anti-climactic. The ellon who had threatened to maim Sador was lying on a table in the front of the shop, clearly unconscious, while Mistress Menelgileth and another elleth were tending to him. Mistress Menelgileth was weeping. Apparently, the ellon was dear to her, though whether a son or a husband Sador did not know. Laurendil sighed and signaled for the others to take over.

A quick examination showed that the ellon was badly bruised with a broken nose but otherwise not seriously harmed. Laurendil ordered him removed to the healers and Mistress Menelgileth was taken into custody. The other elleth, it turned out, was her sister who only knew that her brother-in-law had suffered a fall. Brief questioning on Laurendil’s part convinced him that the sister knew nothing about the kidnapping and indeed she had looked appalled when she was told.

"I knew she had a hatred of the Amaneldi, but I never knew it was so deep and abiding," she confessed before Laurendil allowed her to return to her home.

Soon, all was in order and Laurendil was escorting Sador back to Haldir’s home where he was happily reunited with Netilmírë. Then, and only then, did Sador allow himself to break down and weep in his anammë’s arms. No one thought the less of him for doing so and at one point Laurendil took him into his embrace and held him until he fell asleep.





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