(PTII)Defenders of Middle Earth: A Middle Earth Story(Book 4)

Chapter 28: Turn of the Tide

"Hold them back!" Glorfindel cried as he rallied the few elves that remained. The Easterlings had pushed the defenders back all the way to the King's armory, and here they were cornered. They could retreat no further, for there was only one way in or out of the massive chamber. The wounded had been taken to the back of the room, and the surviving fighters had formed a defensive half-circle around them. Though the elves had suffered heavy losses, even fewer dwarves had survived, and Kalan, Gloin, and Dwalin stood side-by-side holding off the enemy along with only a dozen or so other dwarven warriors.

"Baruk-Khazad! Khazad ai-menu!" Kalan bellowed as he swung his axe to and fro. The cry echoed off the rough-hewn walls of the armory, giving strength to the dwarves who still fought. Though normally it would've filled the enemy with fear, they knew that their victory was nigh.

Glorfindel swiftly cut down an Easterling warrior, at the same time positioning himself beside Gloin.

"We cannot hold the line much longer, they shall soon break through to the wounded," he said breathlessly.

Gloin nodded in agreement. "Not much we can do about it though, is there?"

Glorfindel exhaled, feeling as if a heavy weight had been placed upon his shoulders. No... There was nothing they could do. They had few enough fighters as it was, and the chances of reinforcements arriving in time were next to none. The Easterlings kept coming like endless waves upon a rock. Each wave did little damage... But it was nonetheless damage that the defenders could not afford to take, and over time, that rock would break apart and fall into the sea.

He could feel his voice shake even as he spoke. "This is the end, it would seem." Then, partly to ease his own mind and partly to comfort his friend: "I should've much rather liked to die under the stars."

Gloin snorted, his lips parting in a grin. "Beggars can't be choosers, lad. For my part, I'm quite happy dying here. And who knows, perhaps the kind Eastmen will find a nice spot under a linden tree to bury ya!"

Glorfindel allowed himself a thin smile, and soon after he began to laugh. A pure laugh that seemed utterly out of place in the midst of so much death, but one that brought hope to the defenders. "Perhaps I'll ask them."

With a nod to his comrades and sly wink to the dwarf, Glorfindel charged forward into the enemy lines, his blade whirling at blinding speed. The elves followed him, willing to die alongside their leader in this last stand.

=================================

Astrid rushed from wounded soldier to wounded soldier, unsuccessfully attempting to drown out the sounds of battle that rose above the cries of the injured. Her pale hands shook as she worked, for she could not banish the thought from her mind that the enemy were mere feet away from her, and all that stood between them and her was a thin line of defenders. Still, she did what she could to help those she could, and ease the passing of those she could not.

"They've broken through!" A fearful voice cried out before it was silenced forever. Astrid whirled around to see Easterlings pouring through a gap in the ranks of the defenders, ruthless as they began to cut down the wounded. She frantically looked about, knowing that she was no fighter but she'd rather die with a weapon in her hand. She dove for a handaxe that a dead dwarf still clung to, her heart racing as her fingers touched the cold steel.

Suddenly, she felt a vicelike grip around her ankle. She screamed and rolled onto her back, putting her face to face with the last person she expected to see.

"Well, look what we have here," the Easterling captain grimaced, blood dripping from the edges of his mouth. Astrid immediately recognized him as the cruel man who had killed her friend Speer on the streets of Dale. He appeared to be wounded, perhaps mortally so, but his grip was still surprisingly strong. His eyes had an evil light about them, and his smile put fear into her heart. It was clear that his intentions were malevolent.