Endless Shadows

Chapter 5

I waited two whole days for him.

Nothing.

The forest is silent.

I waited one more day, still nothing.

I kept heading south, keeping my pace slow.

If he's alive I don't want to risk leaving him.

No.

I won't say "if" he's alive, he is alive. 

I know he is.

I thought he was dead once after he put himself between me and Alatar, I thought he had died. He survived that he can survive this. He has to.

And now I'm coming to the edge of the forest, soon I'll leave it for good. Pallando said that he would meet me in the Forest of Harad, I have no choice but to trust his words. That promise is all I have left to hold on to. If I don't have that, I'll fall.

/\\//\\/

My last night in Mirkwood before I leave it forever. I'm resting underneath the trees, I dare not risk a fire. I sharpen one of my swords to pass the time. Too tired to keep moving, and not tired enough to fall asleep. I sleep more than most Elves, simply because I'm always doing one thing or another. Usually, I'm running for my life, fighting for my life comes in close second, and the third thing is the fact that I'm constantly thinking about things.

My mind never seems to run out of things to ponder about.

I inspect the blade I just sharpened and, satisfied with my work, I place it in its sheath beside me.

Let's see...

Swords have been sharpened, bows have been checked, and I've eaten. 

What to do now?

I really don't want to let my mind wander, who knows where it will end up?

I lean my head back against the tree I'm by. There's a soft breeze blowing through the branches, beautiful Spring weather. The sky is clear and the stars are out, the moon is casting a pale glow over the forest. I'd be enjoying this night much more if there wasn't a chance that my friend had been ripped to pieces by something that is probably after me now.

I fish the amulet out of my pocket and inspect in my hands. Strangely, I haven't really thought about it all since Pallando gave it to me. Usually, after a wizard gives you a strange object of immense power it slowly begins to corrupt who you are inside and drives you mad. But I haven't felt anything at all with the amulet. No desire, repulsion, there's nothing odd about it at all.

And yet there is someone who is willing to kill to get their hands on it. I toss it into the air before catching it again. I doubt that something like this should be kept in my pocket...

I finger the black cord that's attached to the amulet, it should fit over my head. I slip the amulet over my head and now it's safely around my neck. I slip it under my tunic to keep it hidden, looking down I'm relieved to find that it's completely unnoticeable from the outside. Reclining against the tree I think about the quickest way to get to Harad. Obviously, the quickest way would be to travel to former Rohan and "borrow" a horse. Then I can ride for the rest of the way, and since it will only be the horse that will have to do most of the resting, it shouldn't take me long at all.

With that settled, I decide to at least try and get some rest, but I've hardly moved to lie down when I hear something; footsteps.

Not the loud, shuffling sound of Pallando's footsteps, but soft and quick, as if whoever is coming is trying to move as fast as possible without being detected. It's probably nothing but a deer, but one thing that has kept me alive for this long is my golden rule: Always suspect everything.