"Train well, Little Sparrow, and avenge us all!" - Gruinith

2nd August/Urui T.A 3004 Duincar

They came to a halt and Gruinith put Anberenien down on the ground. They were in a secluded part of the village between the outbuildings and the fence. In the ground was a wooden trapdoor. Gruinith opened it and together they jumped down into the darkness. Inside was a wood-lined cellar containing sacks and barrels. Anberenien went to remove the cloth from her face, but Gruinith stopped her. "keep it there for now. At least till you are safe. Now take my dagger and I will be back soon. But if I do not return, those sacks hide a tunnel out of the village, you understand?"

Anberenien trembled as she took the dagger. "Don't leave me, grandmother, please!" she whimpered.

But Gruinith was firm. "I'm going to get your mother! But if I do not return, you must go through the tunnel. Do you understand? No tears now!" Anberenien nodded and Gruinith pulled herself up and out of the cellar, then unsheathed her other blade. "I will not be long. Keep that dagger at the ready, as I taught you." She slammed the trapdoor behind her, leaving Anberenien in the murky darkness. Above her, the screams now intermingled with rasping and cackling that she assumed belonged to the Orcs. She then heard what sounded like a large building collapsing.

Waiting for her grandmother to return felt like an eternity. But soon Anberenien could hear footsteps quickly approaching. She stood in the darkness, staring at the trapdoor, the dagger at the ready. If the Orcs came for her, she would be ready to take as many as she could, even though her tiny hands were shaking.

The trapdoor opened to reveal Gruinith and Rodon, who jumped down into the cellar. "Get her out of here and I will find you later!" Then slammed the trapdoor again. They heard her frantically covering it with dirt or anything else she could lay her hands on.

Rodon calmly set to work, moving sacks and barrels. A gust of cold air shot around the cellar as he revealed a small dirt tunnel. He held out his hand to Anberenien. "Come, my Lady, this way."

Anberenien shook her head. "We should wait for Mamma. Grandmother said she would bring her."

"There is no time for that, my Lady, there are orcs everywhere. We must leave now, or else they will discover us."

He grabbed hold of Anberenien's hand and pulled her into the tunnel. It was dark, damp and smelled of earth. Rodon replaced the sacks he had moved, and hastily they crawled along the tunnel in complete darkness. Above them, the screams faded. Soon Anberenien noticed a faint stench in the air. In front, she could see a faint outline of bushes in the moonlight.

Rodon now spoke in a whisper. "We are at the entrance of the tunnel, my Lady. It opens out into the midden ditch but the wood is full of Orcs. Best we wait here till sunrise. They will be gone by then." Then they heard the voices of a man and a woman above them.

"They don't sound like they are from Duincar. Their voices are strange," said Rodon.

"I recognise the woman's voice. It sounds like the lady in the market," replied Anberenien. And she explained to Rodon what had happened the previous day. They hid in the darkness of the tunnel, peering through the bushes. In the moonlight, they could see two people standing at the top of the midden ditch looking out towards the village. They were wearing black cloaks and the light of a fire reflected on their faces as they spoke.

"Should we not go in and retrieve the girl ourselves, High Priestess?" said the man.

"No, this must look like a random Orc attack and there must be no witnesses. All must think, The Gift has died with the others. Our enemy must not know of our advantage. It will make the Great Master's victory even more satisfying," replied the woman.

"Are you sure she is here? That there is no other means of escape!

"My little birds are never wrong and besides, she killed one of their brothers. The Fools then tried to send for aid, but my little pets made quick work of their pathetic messenger bird."

"I would hardly call a Crebain 'little' Nuta."

"No one is coming to help us!" whispered Rodon.

"Grandmother will fight them off you'll see and Pappa too."

Rodon took Anberenien's hand gently. "I was told not to tell you this till we were safe. The Great Hall collapsed before the Lord and Lady could escape. I am sorry, my Lady."

Anberenien listened with disbelief. Her Mamma and Pappa were dead? She wanted to shake Rodon, tell him he was wrong, but the words would not come. Instead, she sat dumbfounded in silence.

"Once we have the Gift, what are your orders?" said the man.

"We must move fast before the White Wizard realises we have beaten him to it. His spies have been all over this wood, but the others have neutralised them. We will use the Goblin tunnels across the Misty Mountains, then to our Enclave in the Dark Mountains of Mirkwood. Once we are sure no one looking for the Gift, we shall take her to Dol Guldur, where Khamûl will arrange transport to Barad Dur. I intend to present the Gift to the Great Master personally and claim the bounty on her head."

Anberenien shivered at her words. "This is all because of me," she whispered.

"No, my Lady, they are bad people, that's all. But we are safe here. They will not find us." Rodon reassured her.

"Where are your Mamma and Pappa?"

"An arrow got Mamma, she was hurt. Pappa stayed with her to protect her and bid Lady Gruinith to help me."

Anberenien clasped his hand tightly. "All will be well. Grandmother will come, I know it!"

Above them, they heard some Orcs approaching the cloaked pair with a captive whom they thrust forth at their feet. Anberenien looked on in horror as she realised who it was. "Gran....." she tried to call out, but Rodon clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Forgive me, my Lady! We must not be discovered."

"This one is of the Lord's household. We kept her alive for questioning," said one of the Orcs.

"You don't look too good, old woman. That wound is poisoned, but I can help you. The little girl who lived in the Hall, tell me where she is and I'll heal your wounds," said Nuta.

But Gruinith remained defiantly silent.

Anberenien watched helplessly as they questioned her grandmother. The man beating her when she refused to reply.

"Perhaps she is somewhere nearby, somewhere secret. Perhaps you need more encouragement to help you remember," said Nuta.

Gruinith's pained voice growled back defiantly. "She is dead. In that fire, along with her parents. You and your foul creatures killed them. Now be off with you and let me grieve in peace, or better still, finish me off so I can be with them!"

"She is lying," said the man.

Another Orc approached. "We found tunnels around the village. Some have escaped through them."

"I knew it. She must be hiding down there. Go back and search them. Kill anyone you find, except the silver-eyed girl. Bring her to me alive!" said Nuta.

"You sick bitch!" screamed Gruinith. And lunged at the pair. She had managed to release her bonds, revealing her concealed blades.

Nuta and her companion dodged Gruinith's advance. And she was now surrounded by them and several Orcs. But this did not deter her. Gruinith skillfully dispatched the Orcs, despite the poisoned wound on her shoulder. Her rage fueling her. Nuta and her companion watched calmly before the man stepped forth, sword in hand, as if waiting for something.

Suddenly Gruinith fell to her knees. "The poison is starting to affect you, I see," he said. "It will only be a matter of time. It will be very painful too. Now last chance, tell me where the girl is and I will dispatch you quickly. It is the least I can do." He pushed her to the ground and held his sword at her throat. "Well, what will it be?"

"Over my dead body!" growled Gruinith.

"As you wish," said the man. And sheathed his blade. "The poison will take you soon enough." He turned back to Nuta. "I think we should take a look at these tunnels. If the girl has escaped, we may yet discover which way she went."

"Agreed. There is no time to waste. I shall not rest until I have her, or at least see her corpse!" replied Nuta. And the two hurried off in the direction of the main gate.

"Grandmother, we must go to her," Anberenien whimpered.

"Aye, my Lady, and we must get out of here before they find us," replied Rodon.

"But what about the Orcs, Rodon?"

" You heard them. They are going to search the tunnels. We are going to have to take our chances."

Moonlight streamed into the tunnel as Rodon used his dagger to cut his way through the bushes. As they both looked out, they could see the tunnel opened out into the midden ditch that surrounded the village. Anberenien baulked at the stench.

"We have to cross it, my lady. At least the smell might make it harder for the Orcs to find us."

Anberenien nodded and Rodon led her out of the tunnel and into the ditch. Carefully, they waded through the rotting food and waste discarded over the fence by the villagers. There were no more screams, but they could still hear the flames and the cries of the Orcs as they plundered what was left of Duincar. At last, they reached the other side of the ditch, where a steep bank was before them.

Rodon showed Anberenien how to pull herself up by sticking her dagger into the ground. As they reached the top, he helped her over the side. The two of them sat on the edge of the ditch for a moment to get their breath back. Then they heard a cough behind them. "Grandmother, she is still alive."

Quickly the two of them ran over to where Gruinith lay among the Orcs she had killed. Her eyes were closed and Anberenien clasped her hand. "Grandmother, Grandmother! It is me, Anberenien!"

Gruinth slowly opened her eyes. Her breathing was laboured as the poison took over her body. On seeing Anberenien, she smiled through her pain. "Little Sparrow, you are safe. Your Mamma and Pappa...."

Tears streamed down Anberenien's face. "They are no more, I know. But we must help you now and find some Athelas," said Anberenien."

"Bring me my blades, Little Sparrow."

Anberenien picked up her grandmother's blades that lay in the grass nearby. Gruinith ordered her to clean them so Anberenien removed the cloth from her face, using it to wipe the Orc blood from them. She then handed them to her grandmother. Gruinith nodded, then winced with pain. A few drops of blood fell from her mouth. "Good....now, take the blade belt from my waist and place it on your own."

"But Grandmother."

"Do it!"

Anberenien reluctantly did as she was told. Gruinith breathed a sigh of relief and placed the blades in her granddaughter's hands. "I knew I would live long enough to pass these to you. I Gruinith of the house of Argonui, pass these blades to my granddaughter, Anberenien of the royal house. May you always keep them at your side! And when the time comes, pass them to your daughter and so our line will continue. Train well, Little Sparrow, and avenge us all."

"But Grandmother!"

"No more Anberenien. Sheath your blades and go! I go to your mother and father. They are waiting for me." She winced again. "Rodon, take your mistress before..... it is too late."

"Yes, my Lady Gruinith. Come, my lady, we must leave!"

Anberenien sheathed her blades and kissed her grandmother's forehead, weeping bitterly. "Let me stay with you to the end, grandmother!"

"Go, child, now," whispered Gruinith.

But Rodon pulled her away. "My lady, it is my duty to get you to safety. We must leave."

The last thing Gruinith saw before she passed, was the children running away through the trees.