Fading Light

Chapter 8: The Dark Tower

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Legolas awoke to complete darkness. The first he thing he noticed was that his hands were no longer bound.

His shirt was torn and bloody and his body was still sore from the long journey. The first thought that came to his mind was, Where am I?

Legolas pushed himself up into a sitting position. He had no idea where he was, or why he had been brought here.

Does my father even know what happened? Or Thalion? Are they going to find me or do they believe me to be dead?

Legolas sat in the darkness for many hours. With nothing but his thoughts to keep him company.

Suddenly an orange light lit up the room, someone was coming towards him. Legolas was finally able to take in his surroundings. He was in a cell that seemed to be made out of black stone.

The light, which Legolas assumed was coming from a torch, continued to move closer. The light cast eerie shadows on the wall, and the glow that came from it was not comforting in the slightest.

A man suddenly appeared in front of Legolas' cell. The elf backed away until he was pressed up against the wall.

The man said nothing as he opened the cell door, he left the torch hanging on the wall outside of the cell, he entered and stood over Legolas.

Legolas glanced at the door, the man hadn't closed it. Now could be his chance to escape....

"Do not think about it elf."
The man's voice made Legolas jump.
"Even if you managed to get past me you would not be able to escape from this place."

Legolas looked up at the man, his eyes were dark and cruel, he was dressed completely in black and had dark hair that went down to his shoulders.

Summoning his courage, he asked the question that had been plauging him ever since he'd arrived.
"Why am I here?"

The man's face revealed no emotion as he answered,
"You are here because my master wants you to be."
Once again the "master" was mentioned, but who was it and why did they want him so badly?

The man grabbed Legolas by the arm and hauled him to his feet.
"Can you walk?"
The man asked narrowing his eyes at the elf.

Legolas responded by taking a step forward, he stumbled and almost fell onto the floor.
The man grabbed Legolas and straightened him.

"If you can stand you can walk."
The man dragged Legolas out of the cell by his arm, he didn't bring the torch with him.

Soon Legolas couldn't see anything, he had to completely rely on the dark man in front of him.

"Do you want to know why you are here elf?"
The man asked coldly.
Legolas didn't respond as he was led blindly through the dark.
"You are here because my master is in need of a new warrior, preferably an elf."

"Does he not have orcs?"
Legolas questioned boldly.
He expected the man to react in some way, but instead he kept walking.

"Orcs are dumb and witless creatures. They can be deafeated easily without any trouble."
Legolas thought about how easily the orcs had captured and disarmed him.

"My master needs someone undefeatable, someone that would follow his orders without question or fear."

Legolas could feel the man turn around and stare at him. His skin began to crawl as he sensed the man's eyes studying him in the dark.
"Someone like you Legolas."

Legolas was starlted by the man's words.
"Why would I serve your master?"
His fear and confusion had quickly changed into anger and rage.

"He had his orcs take me from my home, they beat me and brought me to this forsaken place and now he expects me to serve him?"

The man said nothing, but he felt him grip his arm tighter.
"No, he does not expect you to serve him. Not yet anyway; you need to be trained first."

Trained?

Legolas was about to speak again when the man suddenly pulled him down into what seemed to be a large pit.

Legolas gasped as his body hit the hard floor. As he struggled to take in air he noticed that he was not alone down there.

His eyes adjusted to the darkness around him; he froze in horror when he realized that he was surrounded by orcs.

They were much smaller than the ones who had brought him there, but there seemed to be hundreds of them.

The orcs screeched and charged at him. Legolas scrambled to his feet and prepared himself for a fight, but before the orcs could reach him one fell dead.

The orcs stopped immediately and looked up at the man in fear. Legolas looked up at him as well, noticing that he held two small throwing knives in his hands.

"Do not touch him."
The man glared at the orcs.
"Or you will be joining your friend there."
The orcs glanced fearfully at the fallen orc and backed away from Legolas.

"Do not think for a moment that you are safe Legolas. At any moment I can order these creatures to attack."

Legolas looked at the cowering orcs, they had seemed fearless just a moment ago. Why were they afraid of a single man? Especially when they outnumbered him?

"Are you impressed?"
Legolas looked up at the man.
"I control these creatures with one thing, fear. They fear me and my master. That is why they are so easy to control."

The man paused for a moment and placed his knives back into their sheeths. He then turned his attention back to Legolas.

"Just like you will be."
Without warning the orcs attacked, Legolas could do nothing as they clawed and beat him.

"I can save you Legolas."
The man's voice rose above the orcs' roars and growls.
Legolas tried to throw them off but it was no use.

I am going to die

"Give in Legolas."
The man reached his hand out to Legolas. All he had to do was grab it and he would be safe.

But what would be worse? Being torn to pieces by the orcs, or serving this master the man kept talking about?

Legolas began to slip out of conciousness, any minute now the orcs would finish him off.

"This is your last chance Legolas. It is either the orcs, or me."
What would be worse?
He felt the orcs' claws tearing into him, he could taste blood in his mouth.

He struggled to his knees, the orcs fought to hold him down but Legolas continued to fight.
He saw the man's hand, he just had to grab it.

Legolas reached towards it, he had to grab it, he had to.
His hand closed around the man's hand, he felt himself being lifted out of the pit.

The man pulled him out and onto the floor, Legolas laid there motionless and bleeding.

"You made the right choice elf."
The man said calmly.
"Your new master will be pleased."