2: ACROSS THE PLAINS OF AZANULBIZAR

Jack had to stop for a moment as his mind flashed back to the memory of the Golden Wood. Again he saw the lone warrior enter without hesitation, the trees seeming to close in around him. Snapping back to reality once again the ghostwalker begins walking slowly again. He places his hand over the healing wound as a pain shoots through him but the man refuses to stop again. He has already fallen behind enough as it is.

Lac wraped his cloak tighter around him as he led the group forward. Without glancing backwards he said. "We will rest a moment. Brianna and Tiphereth would you see if you can assist Master Ghost Walker, it is dangerous for him to lag behind. Master Dwarf keep an eye for danger. We must reach the forest of Lorien before nightfall."

Lac could sense the voices of a dark force in the distance, not yet audiable but there within his consciencness, voices he had heard before, and the old wound from the Morgul blade began to ache. As he turned to stare at the western horizon, a vision flashed across his mind a stone wraith stood in the center of a burning village, at it's feet were the huned bodies of a blacksmith and a woman. Lac glanced at Brianna, then back to the horizon staring at a darkening cloud yet another vision flashed across his mind , Lac quickly looked away and out to the distant forest. Wishing to conceal from the others, the saddened expresion on his face. "Tarhinetha hiemoluthunaedilsay othfae wisarthren hilastravaleth borevestnay uthunellireldansirhalestdae, tarhiemest Delanrunkel Linossareldasir artharinmorinethsat arthuraeeth ossanir taehurest mirolvaleva artcalrelossatasir tinhiretha lisarthnirdelsata. Maearthayin tirhuresta Golothdaysae pallaeastricuretha wilistnaygilsata uthaepanothnay oruthuray falethaesttin." Lac said barely audiabley.

Tiphereth allowed the Ghost-Walker to lean on his shoulder by Brianna's request and as she moved past Beldegir with a purposeful stride the Dwarf took note of the ranger's despair. He glanced back with questioning eyes and Tiphereth gestured that he let up his pace and join them while the Half Elf and Dunedain spoke.

Keeping their distance, the Deithir aided Jack and by the touch of his cold hand upon his shoulder could feel the greyness of death that enshrouded him. "Who were you?" Asked Tiphereth of the Ghost-Walker, "Man, Elf...? Forgive me for prying but 'tis difficult for me to close my mind to the veils of grey that surround you, and prevent me from feeling or sensing a single thought. You are invisible to me."

Lac looked upon Brianna with a sadden expresion on his face. "Brianna, what I am about to tell you, will seem the most terrible words you will ever hear, you must steele yourself. ... I have seen a vision which will bring you much pain, I fear. This vision is one of an agent of the Dark Lord, a creature known as a Stone Wraith. A creature niether living or dead, one whose soul purpose is tro seek the lost seeing stones and return them to the Stone Wraith's master and kill anyone or thing that defies them. I saw this creature standing in the center of a burning village. At it's feet were the bodies of a blacksmith and a woman. ........ The hounds of war have been unleashed and I fear your parents and the entire village have become vicitims. ........ Brianna you are Duadain, the blood that flows through your viens is noble and strong. I know the anguish you must feel. But destiny has set you on a path and that path will allow you to take vengence in time. ....... I know what you feel you must do, but stay on the path fate has set your feet, vengence is a meal best served when cold. Stay on this path and I promise you you will have your vengence for these and many other lives that I fear will be lost, and many many more that will be saved from a fate worse than death. The fate of slavery."

Jack accepted the aid graciously, leaning on both shoulders for a time. When Brianna stepped away though he straightened up a bit, not wanting to put too much weight on Tiphereth. He looks at the man, confusion in his eyes. "I do not know who I was. Sometimes I do not even know who I am now. All I get is flashes in my mind. None of it makes any sense to me though." Another memory flashes in Jack's mind. The warrior is fighting a fearsome creature and is slashed across the midsection. Jack grabs his stomach in pain.

The stranger exits the ethereal realm as the poison from the drowess's arrow continues to devastate him. He falls to the ground as his master comes forward. "Your service is not yet over, assassin. The ghostwalker still lives."

As Jack attempted to lessen his weight on his shoulder, the Elvish bard smiled. Tall and brawny and much stronger yet than one would ever anticipate, the Ghost-Walker was no burden. He was nonetheless grateful for the consideration and to relieve the weary 'man' of any further stress on his body, placed his hand over his and pressed down, inviting him to lean as much as he required. They walked on slowly and as Jack divulged that his memories were sporadic at best; of this Tiphereth was not surprised and figured that since he was recalling day to day events, the Deithir knew that he was indeed fixed within the material world, at least for the time being.

Beldegir was just moving round to offer support on Jack's left side when he buckled in pain. Both the Dwarf and Tiphereth were quick to provide extra support and catch the Ghost-Walker, momentarily breaking their stride.

"What is lad?" Asked Beldegir while the Deithir curiously studied Jack, his fiery eyes searching his abdomen for any sign of an injury that would have caused such pain.

"Not again." Was all he whispered. Further examination would reveal a large scar across his abdomen. Jack started to look up again but stopped as a new memory came to the surface. The warrior now laid on a bed, his wounds dressed but he appeared dead. The body was surrounded by people in white robes who were all chanting an unknown language. Meanwhile the ghostwalker became unresponsive as the memories played out in his mind.

Beldegir looked to the outlander for answers. He was an unnatural being and nothing about the Ghost-Walker seemed natural to him, yet the Deithir never seemed too surprised of what befell Jack.

"His mind has slipped away." Explained Tiphereth as he swept the man and all of his gear into his arms and continued walking. "We have little time to spare, I shall carry him until he returns."

"But what do ye mean? What in blazes happened to him?" Pressed Beldegir as the tall Elfin-Phaerie walked on ignoring his questions, leaving him trailing behind, complaining. "Aye, leave the Dwarf in the dark. Nobody be tellin' the Dwarves anything..."

The scene changed again and Jack now watched as the warrior stood at the entrance to Lorien. He steps inside the forest then vanishes from sight. Finally the ghostwalker blinks his eyes and looks at Tiphereth. "If you would, please set me down. I can walk."

Tiphereth placed the Ghost-Walker down lightly. "Forgive me." He apologized, "It is quite unbecoming to be carried so, but we must keep moving." He then looked ahead to Lac'Nala and Brianna, curious where the ranger was leading them.

"No need to apologize, sir. I thank you for your assistance and apologize for being a burden." He rubs the scar absentmindedly as he looks over at the ranger as well. "I think it would be best if I followed you from the ethereal realm for a time. At least until we reach the forest."

Ssinjin put a good amount of distance between herself and the others. Knowing the more distance she could place between them would give her more time to run ahead and more time for them to escape should things go wrong. As the others moved out and headed south, which confused her more than anyone could have known, she forced herself to stay her feet and do what had to be done.

Waiting until she had to strain a great deal to see Lac, she began setting her plan in motion. Chanting as she moved about, Jin reached into the hidden pockets of her cloak and pulled out a vile of this, a pouch of that, a leaf of something else and so forth. With each thing she pulled from her cloak, she would weave a new spell and incantation of some sort to be used against the forces that followed them. Of course the trade off to that was the fact the forces would know what direction they were moving in which is precisely why she headed straight east then turned and headed due north for a good while.

Knowing she would have to double back and find Lac the best she could later, Jin knew it was far better than leading the Dark Forces directly to the Ranger and the others. Using the sparse tree covering as best she could, she would take the time to climb into the trees she came across and set even more traps for her pursuers. She would lead them as far off track as she could to insure Lac and the others made it to their next destination.

Already Jin could hear the different screams, shouts and yells in the distance as the enemy came across her traps. This brought something to her attention she really didn’t want to know. The enemy was much closer than she had thought. Or they were gaining on her faster than she liked. Either way she had to quickly move.

Deciding to forego the spell casting and incantations since they took too much time, Jin relied solely on her abilities to lay physical traps of all kinds for the enemy to follow. Even these took time to set up and by the time the sun was setting she could practically feel the enemy breathing down her neck.

When the time came for Jin to seek cover, she pulled her cloak close to her and sunk back against the trunk of a tree in the middle of a small cluster. Using her blend with shadows spell, she leaned back against the trunk of the tree and let the shadows conceal her presence and none too soon either. She had just faded into her surroundings when the first scouts of the enemy appeared sniffing the air and checking for tracks. Their grotesque snouts pointed high into the air and their large nostrils filling with air with each intake of breath they took made them look like some sort of twisted, rabid hound then anything else. Sending audible signals to the troops that followed behind them, the air was filled with screeches and bark like calls as the scouts plotted out the course for the troop to take.

The next thing Jin knew she heard the rumbling of feet as hundreds of pairs of them moved through the area following the bellows of the scouts leading them eastward. Several times she was certain she had been discovered when one of the beasts leapt into the tree she was using and looked right at her. When the beasts merely grunted or roared out and jumped back down to join their fellow marauders she would actually start breathing once again.

It wasn’t until the sound of the troops had long disappeared before Jin even thought of moving. When she finally dropped her spell, she glanced around with a cautious eye and slithered easily from the tree. Once on the ground she crouched low and looked around once more to make sure she was indeed very much alone. When nothing but the faint sound of a night bird caught her ear and the fading stench of the troops filled her nose did she move from the cluster of trees. Checking the area in all directions, Jin began to quickly cover the distance that separated her from the others. Even then it was with the stealth of a panther.

It took a few hours for her to find where she had split off from the others. If it had not been for her darksight she would most likely not have been able to find it at all, but there, stretched out for her to see as far as she could were the foot prints of Lac and the others. All she had to do was follow these footprints and they would lead her right for Lac’Nala. At least now the forces following them would lose time by having to back track and find out where they lost them. By then, hopefully, they all would reach Lac’s home land and at least be able to find shelter and regroup from there.

As Jin moved she realized how fatigued she really was. Casting the spells and incantations took a lot of energy from her today, not to mention the physical energy she exerted by moving away from the enemy and covering a great deal of distance in a short period of time. If she knew where Lac’Nala had taken the others she could easily port herself there, but without knowing the area or previously being there, there was o way she could do it with any amount of accuracy.

Jin stopped. All too late she realized what she had done. Slowly turning to look behind her she saw the silhouette outlined by her darksight. The most hideous shade of blood red she’d ever seen before. And it was gaining quickly upon her. There was no use in trying to hide for it already had her scent and knew what she looked like.

Pushing the hood off her head, Jin reached onto a deep pocket of her cloak and pulled out a dark cross bow that was already loaded with a large, dark bolt. Pulling the bow up she drew a bead on the approaching figure. Still a few hundred yard off, she knew if she pulled the trigger too soon the bolt wouldn’t have the strength to meet the target but if she waited too long she took the chance of missing and leaving herself wide open for an attack.

When the figure reached the distance she was looking for, Jin closed her left eye, focused in with her right and gently squeezed the trigger. The cross bow bucked slightly as the tight, heavy string was released sending the bolt flying towards the target. A few seconds later she heard the bellow of the creature as it fell to the ground. Waiting a few seconds, she made sure it stayed down before she put the cross bow back in the pocket, pulled the hood of her cloak up and turned, heading out again.

She didn’t get too far. The next thing Jin knew she heard the sound of swiftly approaching feet and before she could turn around to see what was happening, she went tumbling over the ground like a tossed rock with snapping jaws, seeking claws and razor sharp teeth tumbling with her.



How could she have been so foolish? She should have seen this coming from a mile away. It’s exactly what she would have done and there was no doubt who sent this glowing eyes beast. Perhaps she and Verin were more alike than she realized. NO! They were NOT! Verin was a blasphemous murderer. She was the daughter of a Matron. She would not be defeated.

Easier said then done? Yes. But never underestimate the will of survival.

When they finally stopped tumbling Jin found herself on the ground beneath the large beast. IT took all of the strength she had to hold the beasts throat and keep him from snapping her face clean off her head. Straining to prevent his jaws from latching onto her, Jin had to quickly move her head from left to right or vise versa as his jaws got a little too close to her for comfort. Finally getting her foot planted firmly on the beasts underside, Jin was able to throw him over her and scramble to her feet. Of course it didn’t help that the thing dug its claws into her left arm as it tumbled over her. Wincing and holding her shoulder for a moment, she pulled her hand away and saw the blood on her gloved hand.

Looking to the beast once more she saw it get to its feet and head towards her for another attack. Bracing herself for the impact, Jin tucked and rolled easily across the ground as the hell hound actually rolled over her. As the hound’s momentum was shifted, it ended up rolling a few feet away while Jin rolled once and jumped to her feet. When the thing go to its feet this time Jin had a rather wicked looking knife pulled and ready as well as part of a tree branch. As soon as the beast got to its feet it charged in for another attack and this time Jin took the hit straight on.

The two tumbled over the ground once more and when they stopped tumbling, the beast was once more atop the Drowess with its mouth latched onto the tree limb. The beast snapped the piece of limb into many pieces when its jaws clamped down onto it and this seemed to only anger the thing. Spitting out the pieces of tree bark and now would be mulch from its jaws, the beast raised its head for another snap of the jaws but before it could follow through its glowing eyes suddenly widened and it fell limp on top of Jin’s prone form.

Half crawling out from under it and half pushing the thing off her, Jin made her way out from underneath the beast. Blood splotches covered her and she couldn’t shake the stench of the beast from her. Panting heavily she slowly got to her feet and looked at the jagged side of her knife. Pieces of flesh and muscle dangled sickly from the serrated blade and she quickly slung them off. Wiping the rest of the blade off on the things rancid smelling fur, she replaced the knife back in its sheath on her harness.

Taking a moment to glance at her arm Jin figured the wound wasn’t too bad but she would need to wrap it up to keep it from bleeding. Ripping the arm off her tunic, since it was ripped already, she quickly wrapped the material around her upper arm and tied it as tightly as she could get it. Satisfied she would survive now, she looked towards the south again and saw the faint glowing outline of the footprints she was following. All she had to do was reach them and soon.

Heading out once more, Jin followed the footprints of Lac’Nala and the others hoping she could figure out where they were headed and that she would reach them quickly but with each step she took, she knew more energy was being used. The best she could do right now was rest periodically and hope she reached them before the light of day.

Even one who was half deaf could hear the shouts of Brianna, and as she hastened to leave, Tiphereth barred her way. "Brianna," he implored "I know not why you are choosing to leave," and at that he momentarily glanced at Lac for the answer, "but if you abandon us now, Ssinjin's efforts will be for not. Stay with us, at least until we reach the Golden Wood and make your decision then."

Tiphereth remained in her path. "I am sorry, but if you are bound for Rohan, then at least travel south with us as far as Lothlorien, then from there you may journey to your homeland." He lowered his arms and stepped to the side. "I will not stop you, Brianna but heed my counsel. Your association with us has already made you visible to Him, alone you'll not stand a chance against the dark forces. Staying among us, ensure that you may be able to reach your homeland, although I fear that what Lac'Nala has seen may have already come to pass."

"When we reach the Golden Wood, I shall accompany you to the Riddermark, but until then let us travel southward, together."

Tiphereth watches the Dunedain woman solemnly stride away then turns northward as if his ears had caught a sound, but there is only the wind brushing the grass. Still he feels something in the distance, the presence of darkness although he cannot distinguish whether it be the Drowess or some other creature of the underworld.

He turns back then, and with a few quick strides, rejoins his companions, following the ranger through the wilderness.

Lac watched as Brianna turned to go "I will not stop you from going, I too know the duty that pulls you. But listen to Tiphereth, his council is wise ..... once we reach Lothlorien and take council with the Elves, I too will accompany you to the Riddermark." Lac said, as he bowed his his slightly to Tipereth for his help. Lac felt that Ssinjin was close, but evil was was not far behind her, as he continued south across the wild.

The ranger sets a fast pace south, spurred by the ever constant pursuit of the Dark Lord and an uncertain struggle before them. Tiphereth stays close and remains silent. It is not his way to step before a leader, he has always served and fears the repercussions of his own decisions. He was relieved when the half-elven ranger supported his guidance of Brianna, as it had always been taboo for his kind to sway the minds of mortals, but he had truly feared the woman would have placed herself in peril and so he acted. As always was during his long life, time would be his judge and he would learn soon enough whether their march to Lothlorien be prudent.

Jin was still silently berating herself for making such a foolish error. They always…ALWAYS traveled in pairs. It was one of the first things they were taught when they were younger. Where there is one, there is ALWAYS another. What concerned her the most was the fact she didn’t see it. How was THAT possible? Had Verin found a way to conceal their presence or was she so focused on the one that she didn’t see the other? It could have been coming up on her blind side. Still….she had played the fool and for that, Jin felt the sting of humility and she had to concede she didn’t care for it.

Moving along as quickly as she could without using too much energy, Jin followed the glowing foot prints that led her to the group….and Lac’Nala. Why was she so anxious to meet up with him again? What was it about the Ranger that she found so…appealing? No. Appealing wasn’t the right word she was looking for. There was something more…something….deeper that seem to call to her. It couldn’t be physical attraction. She hadn’t warmed her bed yet with the half Elf so that couldn’t be it. Not that she hadn’t tried. Goddess knows she had tried to tempt him on several occasions and he refused her advances so she just quit trying.

How is that? A warm blooded male didn’t take the opportunity to delve into the pleasures a willing woman was offering him? He didn’t seem to mind the fact she was Drow. Or did he and he was just trying to be kind and not offend her? If that were the case then she would be most upset with him. If nothing else, the Ranger had been forthright and honest with her throughout this strange relationship they had with each other. Still, that nagged at the back of her mind and the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to plant a venomous seed with in. If that was the case, then she would make sure he didn’t have to worry about it any longer. She would remain a distant member of the group and follow along behind them so he wouldn’t have to associate with her.

Why did the footprints not seem to be getting brighter? Had they covered so much ground that she was further behind them than she realized? Yes. While Jin didn’t know it yet, she was well behind the group as the pace Lac set for all of them was rather quick. That was both a blessing and a curse. If they were able to set that quick of a pace then that meant the Ghost Walker was able to keep up with everyone. The flip side of that being they were putting more distance between them and her than she liked. Not knowing Lac’s destination, she could only follow along blindly and pray she met up with them sooner rather than later.

The group of companions were near the summit of a high dale when Tiphereth noticed that the uphill climb as putting a strain on the Ghost-Walker. He did not doubt that Lac'Nal was aware of it but also realized that it was best to make the top and rest easier knowing what was before them. When they reached to top a vast expanse of forest was before them and he wondered if this was the Golden Wood or merely the a dense expanse before it. The ranger had seemed distracted, and even now Tiphereth could feel his mind wandering, back, far back from where they had come. It then dawned on him that his thoughts were focused on the Drowess.

"Lac'Nal." spoke Tiphereth, "Please hand me the talisman I had given to you in the mines."

The ranger had almost forgotten about the trinket which he had not needed during his search for Jin. He handed it to the Deithir, and he walked over to a boulder and sat upon it in a meditative pose. Tiphereth then held the charm he had woven from strands of Jin's white hair and softly spoke strange words over them. The charm began to glow with a golden light and it began to rise into the air, fluttering like fiery butterfly in the breeze. Focusing he let his mind join with the charm, and the flaming moth took flight, moving at a fantastic speed, sweeping over the lands and crossing the distance to return to that from which it had come, to the Drowess.

While Jin pondered the ranger's destination a fiery flicker of light, appeared above her, dancing about like fleet fire fly. It beheld no malice, and without a doubt she would know it to be a conjuration. It floated around her, landing lightly in her palm and upon it's contact Jin saw through Tiphereth's eyes. She could see the vast expanse of forest, and as he turned his head gazing about allowing her to see all around him, the Deithir's flaming eyes, now a bright yellow, fell upon the ranger for her to see.

"She is far, far away, ranger." Tiphereth told Lac, "But she can see you, and she will know that this is the way we have come." He then closed his eyes and when he opened them once more they had returned to their normal colour and the connection was broken. The fiery moth vanished and Jin was once more alone.

Jin stopped dead in her tracks when the fluttering light appeared before her. At first she thought perhaps it was something else her traitorous brother had sent to her but as she watched it flit and dance about her she felt a strange sort of magic from it. Not the malice lined magic she knew was her brothers. Knowing then it was something not meant to harm her, she surmised it was something form the group traveling ahead of her. Ever so carefully she lifted her hand and opened her palm to allow the dancing moth to land and rest.

Needless to say Jin was not prepared for the experience she had when the flaming insect landed on her. Taking in a rush of air, it seemed to suspend itself in her lungs as she was suddenly looking through the eyes of the Phaerie.

His sight allowed her to see the area all around him. As the vast expanse of forest stretched out in one direction and the plains behind them, Jin knew then where Lac’Nala was taking the group. While trepidation filled her with the knowledge he was taking them to the Golden Wood, she was grateful the Deithir allowed her this information and she would forever be grateful to him for it.

But when his eyes drifted to Lac’Nala’s Jin felt the held air in her lungs rush past her lips. It was almost as though she stood right before him. Close enough she could reach out and touch him. And she did reach out, taking a step forward to close the gap that existed between them but all too soon the moment was one and she was once more alone in the vastness of the empty plains she now traversed over. Her voice spoke in a choked, hushed whisper.

“Lac’Nala…”

As the moth vanished from her palm, Jin closed her hand around where it had been and closed her eyes as she brought her fisted hand to her head. The Deithir would never know just how grateful she was for this moment he gave her and for helping her determine where Lac had gone. While she was puzzled as to why he chose this place, she didn’t hesitate another moment and started moving once more, this time her pace a bit faster as she knew the destination she had to reach before she lost them entirely.

The Golden Wood was not a place she would be welcomed easily if at all. While Jin knew Lac’Nala, Beldigir, Brianna and the Ghost Walker would reluctantly be welcomed, she knew the Phaerie and herself would most likely be treated with hardly suppressed hostility. It was just the way of the Elves that lived in the mysterious, mythically haunted woods.

Her mind went back to that old thinking and as she moved on and Jin couldn’t help but think he had chosen this way to give himself some room between himself and her. She was far too bold with him when she parted ways. Perhaps it was best if she waited on the outskirts of the forest for him to appear and rejoin him then. If she was to rejoin him that close at all.