Thanks to Rinn for reviewing!! 

Sorry this chapter got out late, everyone.  I had some computer problems over the weekend which kept me from working.  So, I'm afraid that also means I wasn't able to finish editing chapter 17 either.  I'm a few days behind on it so it's possible it could be a week and a half or two weeks before I'm able to post.  Sorry!  In this case, reviews will absolutely give me more insentive to work on it.  hint hint *G* 

Anyway,  there is only one more chapter after this one so everything is quickly coming to an end.  Enjoy and let me know what you think! 

Chapter 16

            Aragorn paced back and forth several times, his eyes fixed on the ground. Tracking Orcs was generally an easy task because the creatures were large, clumsy, and heavy. This time was no exception. The difficult part was finding a human print. With a heavy sigh, Aragorn moved back to where the other Rangers were waiting.

            The elves were both leaning against the trunk of a tree, talking quietly with each other. They had allowed Aragorn to be the tracker for the group because even though they possessed the superior skill, his was far above any ordinary hunter and even above the skills of other Rangers.  It was something the man could do without tiring himself too much, and the twins had every confidence in his abilities. Besides, Elrohir thought as Aragorn slowly made his way back. The more we allow him to do now, the more likely we can convince him to stay behind during the fight.

            Back at their campsite, the group had spent two additional hours resting and planning. It had been decided that the scattered Orcs had likely gone southeast, toward the mountains, and the tracks around the campsite had confirmed it. Aragorn had been assigned to read the trail while Rayford and Amaleg followed behind, guarding against a surprise rear attack. The superior eyesight and hearing of the Elves was needed in front to make sure the group didn’t find themselves too close to the Orcs until they were ready. Lourin was to scout a very short distance ahead to help look for new trails as well as Orc rearguards. 

            “The tracks say much,” Aragorn finally said wearily. “I can count five different prints from the Orcs, which is only a few more then we originally thought. They didn’t pass through here long ago, perhaps a few hours. I believe we should be able to overtake them easily enough because they seem to be in no rush.”

            “What of Felnorvard?” Elladan asked.  

            Aragorn shook his head. “That’s what puzzles me. I can find none here that belong to him, but it is possible that he merely did an excellent job of covering his tracks.”

            “Even with all the Orcs with him?”

            Aragorn shrugged. “There were plenty of his prints around our site. Perhaps he knew it’s impossible to cover so many Orc tracks, but... ” He shrugged again.

            “Perhaps he traveled ahead to some cave in the mountains, and the Orcs trampled his prints,” Elrohir offered.

            “We could double back to the camp and see if we missed one of his side trails, but I still think this is the correct path,” Aragorn said as he turned to Elladan. “I would suggest that we keep moving so we don’t run out of day light.”

            “I agree,” he said. “There is little we can do about the tracks at camp now, and we can make easy work of five Orcs.”

            Elrohir stood and watched Aragorn take one last look at the trail before they set out. The elf could see that he was growing tired again but was trying to hide it. The man’s hand was resting heavily on the hilt of his small sword and the other on the handle of his knife. Between the four Rangers, they had been able to supply Aragorn with a small, lightweight sword and two daggers. 

            He would be able to defend himself at least, should the need arise, Elrohir thought as he continued to watch his human brother. But they will do him little good if he dies of exhaustion first. Elrohir caught the eye of his twin and silently spoke his concerns.

            Elladan looked at Aragorn and nodded. Then he turned to the other Rangers and said, “Perhaps we should rest a while before continuing. We may not get another chance.”

            Aragorn was not fooled.  “After only an hour’s travel?  No, we must press on.”

            “Estel,” Elrohir began.

            “I’m tired, yes, but I feel fine.” Aragorn thought for a moment. “Why don’t we just proceed at a slower pace,” he compromised.

            Elladan sighed and narrowed his eyes, a clear sign that he disapproved, but Aragorn stood his ground.

            “Fine,” he said finally.  “But a much slower pace, Estel.  It will do none of us any good if we have to carry you!”

            Aragorn tried to break through the elves’ serious expression with a large grin of thanks. “Of course, brothers!” But they merely rolled their eyes and groaned. 

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            After another hour of very slow tracking, Aragorn was beginning to wish they had stopped for a break. His old wounds, which his brothers had masterfully tended, were starting to protest, and what little activity he had done, left him terribly out of breath. His body felt as if he hadn’t slept in days although he knew he’d feel much better after a short break. However, right now, he knew he could not go on.

            “Elladan,” he said, taking a few steps over toward the elf. “I am afraid that...” But he was cut off as Lourin came rushing through the trees. The desire to hear what the young Ranger had found and the resulting small surge of adrenaline caused him to completely forget about his own discomfort. “It can wait,” Aragorn said quickly as the elf turned to him. “What did you find, Lourin?”

            As the younger man struggled to catch his breath, he said, “The Orcs have stopped and made camp no more than ten minutes ahead. They were uncharacteristically quiet, and I was nearly upon them before I spotted them through the trees. As quickly and quietly as I could, I pulled back, and thankfully I was not detected.”

            “Indeed. You did the right thing. We should wait for Amaleg and Rayford to catch up with us before we plan any further,” Elladan said as he set his pack on the ground.

            After ten minutes of waiting, Aragorn felt his strength slowly returning, and he was glad for the break. Rayford and Amaleg had returned, and now Elladan was ready to develop their plan of attack. They had surprise and superior skill, all of which Elladan was planning to use in their favor.

            “What can you tell us about the area surrounding the Orcs? Is there anything we can use to our advantage?” Elrohir asked.

            Much to Aragorn’s pleasure, they had all decided to sit on the ground so they could use the forest floor as a drawing board if necessary. Lourin told them how there was a thick line of trees surrounding the clearing on two sides while there was a large fifteen foot rock wall on the third.

            “I could not see what was on the fourth side very clearly. However, I think there may be a small cliff because I could see a height difference in the trees. It would be perhaps a ten foot drop, but I really have no way of knowing for sure,” Lourin said as he finished drawing a rough sketch in the dirt of what he saw of the site.

            Elladan was very quiet for a while, his eyes studying the drawing on the ground. The other Rangers sat quietly as well, waiting for the elf to make his choice. It was always better to have only one person making the battle decisions. Too many leaders lead to too much wasted time in arguments. They all trusted Elladan with their lives, so there was no problem accepting his decisions. However, they also had no qualms about making suggestions, but the final say was left to him.

            “We can use the environment to our advantage,” Elladan began. “Keeping the Orcs backed up against the wall will be important, along with our surprise attack. We should have no trouble with the odds so favorable. Estel, you must remain hidden within the trees in case any of the creatures escape us.”

            Aragorn frowned. He would try one last time to persuade his brothers to allow him to join the fight. “What if you run into trouble? I will not stand by idle should you need me!”

            It was Elrohir who quietly responded.  They had been expecting Aragorn’s protest and had already discussed their response. “You know as well as I, Estel, that you will serve us better as a sentry.” Aragorn opened his mouth to argue, but Elrohir cut him off. “However, if anything were to happen, I’ll whistle. You’ll be able to hear me above any noise from the fight.”

            Aragorn responded with a disapproving growl but finally nodded his head, admitting defeat.  Elrohir only smiles and offered his hand to Aragorn, pulling him to his feet.

            The group needed to move as close as possible without being noticed, and with the two elves along, the distance would need to be even greater.  Orcs had very keen senses when it came to Elves, and they did not want them spooked.  Just as the twins could begin to feel the Orc’s presence, they found an area where the trees were not as dense and signaled the group to stop.

            As they put their supplies at the base of a large tree where Aragorn would wait, Elladan said, “Estel, be careful. I can sense evil in the area, and I fear that it is not entirely from the Orcs ahead of us.”

            Aragorn nodded.  “I wish I was coming with you,” he said plainly.

            “I know, but you know that you’re far too weak. For your own safety, you must stay here,” Elladan said as he quietly drew his sword. “We’ll be back soon.”  He placed his hand on Aragorn’s shoulder, and after a reassuring squeeze, he turned and disappeared into the trees.

            Even without looking back, Elladan knew that Aragorn was still upset, but he could hardly blame the man. Had their positions been reversed, Elladan knew he would have reacted the same way, wanting to join in the action. He also knew that Aragorn realized he was right and would not enter the fight unless called.

            Elladan quickly cleared his mind because he needed all of his senses sharp if he wanted to surprise the Orcs. As the group soundlessly crept forward, Lourin motioned that their target was just ahead and slightly to the right. Elladan nodded and signaled the Rangers to slightly spread out. They would need to create a ring around the enemy if they wanted to keep them confined. Just as his Elven sight allowed him to see the Orcs, he raised his hand, signaling them to halt. Now they would need extra stealth.

            Elladan scanned the line to see if everyone was in place. Next to him was Lourin, followed by Amaleg, and furthest away was Rayford and Elrohir. Elladan smiled slightly as he remembered the conversation he had with Rayford just before they set out earlier that day. The young man had come to him concerned about his fighting abilities. His inexperience with organized attacks was making him slightly apprehensive, and Elladan remembered smiling at the young man’s honesty. He had told him that he felt confident in his abilities, but if it made him feel better, he could fight beside either him or his brother. 

            After receiving a nod from everyone, Elladan motioned them forward. They needed to move slowly at first and then charge as soon as they broke free of the trees. Timing was important, but Elladan was confident they would be able to defeat five Orcs and hopefully, one man.

            Their only disadvantage was that they had to leave their bows with Aragorn.  Lourin’s was damaged during the rescue, and Elrohir and Amaleg were more skilled with their swords and long knives.  Elladan considered bringing his bow, however it would be very difficult to secure a clear shot through the dense trees.

            With weapons drawn, the group of Rangers crept forward until they could all plainly see the five Orcs. A few were casually lying on the ground while the rest were ripping apart some type of meat and stuffing it into their mouths.

            Elladan could feel the eyes of his companions watching him, waiting for him to make the first move. He took one last deep breath, tightened his grip on his sword, and broke into a run. He could see figures moving beside him and knew the others were following. After a few paces and at a full sprint, they broke through the trees.

            The first creature didn’t even have a chance to turn and see his attacker, as an elven blade quickly severed its head. Elladan quickly brought his blade around in time to see the other Orcs already unsheathing their weapons. A quick glance at the other engaging Rangers told him that these Orcs were slightly more skilled than normal. But Elrohir had just raised his sword for the killing blow, and the other men were quickly gaining the upper hand with their own enemies.

            Seeing that only two of them remained alive, the Orcs made a last minute desperate attempt to escape. Knowing that they couldn’t make it past the Rangers and into the trees, they abandoned their personal battles and bolted for the cliff.

            The sudden change of tactics caught the Rangers slightly off guard, and it wasn’t until the Orcs disappeared over the side that Elladan and Elrohir cried out together. “Follow them! We can not allow them to scatter again!”

            The group reached the edge in time to see the Orcs stopping just before reaching the edge of the trees. They stood there, staring back at the Rangers and waited to see if they would follow.

            Looking down, Elladan saw that it was no more then a ten foot drop, and only hesitating a moment, he leapt over the side. He landed lightly beside his brother, and the three men were only a split second behind.  They all brought their swords into an attack stance and began their advance. Strangely enough, the two Orcs had turned and were standing their ground.

            Both elves stopped dead in their tracks as they heard the sound of feet shuffling behind them. Quickly whirling around, they could hardly contain their surprise when they saw Orcs filing out of a small cave in the rock cliff.

            Nearly two dozen of them poured out of the opening and stood, with weapons drawn, ready to advance on the Rangers. Elladan swore softly as he realized he’d lead them into a trap.

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            Felnorvard let out a heavy sigh. He had taken a huge risk in not scouting out the site himself, but there hadn’t been time. The Rangers had left earlier then expected, and it had stretched his abilities to organize and instruct his Orcs so quickly. He’d spent nearly an hour the previous night questioning them, trying to find out everything he could about the surrounding area. He learned very little from the stupid creatures, but he’d heard something in their ramblings that caught his attention. Felnorvard shuddered as he thought about how his entire trap had relied on the memory of Orcs.

            It had been near chaos organizing fifteen Orcs to circle far enough around the Rangers as to not catch the attention of the elves. Then he had trusted them to scatter so they didn’t leave a noticeable trail and reassemble at the cave. It had been a huge risk, but it had worked. The elves had taken the bait.          

            Felnorvard slowly pulled away from the edge of the cliff where he’d been watching the Orcs and Rangers beginning to fight. He doubted his Orcs could win against the skilled warriors, but he hoped it would give him enough time to accomplish his other goal.

            He had seen where the Rangers had broken through the trees, and he figured that Aragorn would not be far away, waiting. First, however, Felnorvard had to make his way back to where he’d left some of his Orcs before he could recapture the troublesome man. He would have to move quickly but still make sure that Aragorn did not hear him coming. It could prove difficult.

            After sprinting for a few minutes, Felnorvard saw the two Orcs that he’d left behind. They were the strongest and relatively quietest of the group. It was time for the second part of his plan. 

            Picking up a large club, Felnorvard motioned the Orcs to follow him.  All they would need to do was circle around behind Aragorn and take him by surprise.  The man smiled as he thought, The tables will be turned.  You are not the only one who can devise a surprise attack.  Slowly, they made their way through the woods.

            After a short distance, Felnorvard stopped. He could just barely make out Aragorn’s form through the trees. It was time to strike.

TBC