Elfhunter (63 page)

It was with such unsettling thoughts in his mind that
he came upon Gaelen sitting alone, a single shaft of moonlight
filtering down through the canopy to illuminate her pale, upturned
face. Galador could see that she was struggling with thoughts of
her own. Then she began to shiver despite the warmth of the
evening, and Galador knew that, if Nelwyn was right, Gorgon was now
privy to whatever she saw or heard. Galador was overcome with
revulsion for a moment. The risk of Gaelen revealing information to
Gorgon that would bring sorrow and death upon Nelwyn was more than
he could allow. He had to protect Nelwyn, whatever the cost. He
knew in his heart that if Gaelen learned of this terrible invasion
of her senses she would most likely go mad. Mad enough, he
supposed, to accomplish her own death. He gazed at her for a
moment, imagining her reaction to this dreadful news. His heart
welled over with pity then, and his trembling hands strayed to his
bow.

The visions of Nelwyn hanging like Gelmyr, cut to
ribbons and dying horribly, would not leave his mind. Before he was
even aware of it he had fitted an arrow to the string, and,
crouching silently in the dark, he drew on Gaelen, aiming the point
of the arrow at her slender throat. All he had to do was release,
and the nightmare would end. She would be gone, and Gorgon would
have no power over her. He would not be able to harm Nelwyn, would
not be able to visit sorrow and death upon the Elves using
information gleaned unwittingly from Gaelen. She would go to
Ri-Elathan, her beloved, with what remained of her sanity intact.
She would never know the terrible truth of her complicity with the
enemy. Yes, he thought, his right hand trembling as it held
Gaelen’s life on the tips of three fingers, this would be kinder.
He could take her from all reach of pain and keep Nelwyn safe. All
he had to do was release.

The words of Lady Arialde came to him then, as
clearly as on the day she had sent them.
The slaying of Elf by
Elf is not to be permitted, even in an effort to protect those we
love. Do not give in to such desires, Galador. All must play their
part.
His hands shook harder than ever as he struggled, his
thoughts at an impasse. Arialde was right. He could not take
Gaelen’s life, even to save Nelwyn or preserve her own sanity. It
was not his place to do so. He turned the bow skyward, releasing
the arrow straight into the treetops, uttering a small cry of
frustration as he did so, which caused Gaelen to turn and wonder
what had come over him.

The next morning, as the Company assembled at first
light and prepared to make the relatively short journey back to the
Elven-hold, Galador drew Fima aside. "Nelwyn has told me of your
discovery, Fima. I know the truth about Gorgon’s mirror. You have
been charged with telling Rogond, have you not?"

"Yes, but I thought I might wait until we are safely
back in civilized company, as I really do not know how he will
react. Gaelen will have to be told as well, and the sooner the
better. I am uncertain as to which of us will draw that painful
duty." Fima shook his head.

"You are aware that Rogond has declared his love for
Gaelen and pledged himself to her?" asked Galador.

Fima’s eyes grew wide for an instant. "I was
wondering whether some such thing might have occurred. She seems
very distant from him…how did she take it?"

"She is considering her choices, but from what I
gather, her response was not at all what Rogond would have wished
for. She has asked him not to press her, and so he has not. His
timing was less than ideal, given the circumstances. I fear they
shall both have their hearts broken. But Fima, there is something
that troubles me. We must not wait until we enter the Elf-realm, as
we dare not risk Gorgon’s discovering any information that might
aid him in doing harm to Ri-Aruin’s folk. You must tell Rogond at
once. I would prefer to tell Gaelen as well, but I know this will
be very delicate and we must wait until the time and circumstances
are right. At least Rogond may be able to keep her from being privy
to the King’s secret councils, or showing Gorgon the layout of the
underground fortress. My advice would be to get her out into the
forest as quickly as possible."

"We shall need Nelwyn for that," said Fima.

Galador was adamant. "No! I don’t want Nelwyn
anywhere alone with Gaelen, especially in the forest. Gorgon has
already revealed his desire to take her! I will not allow it."

Fima raised both eyebrows at this. "I was not aware
that you controlled her movements, Galador. Be careful, my friend.
She has an independent mind. That is one of the things you love
about her—do not attempt to govern her." He sighed, shaking his
head. "But I take your point. It will be better if Rogond knows. I
shall seek him now."

Fima found Rogond extinguishing the remnants of their
small fire. The moment the Ranger looked into the eyes of his
friend the dwarf, his heart grew cold. Surely, there was bad news
coming. "What is it, Fima?" he asked, his voice anxious.

"Come with me, Rogond. I have some ill news that I
must bring you, but you must hear it. Come with me. We cannot risk
being overheard." Rogond rose from beside the fire as Nelwyn came
into the clearing leading Gryffa.

"Where is Gaelen?" asked Fima, as he thought Nelwyn
would know.

"She is watering Siva and Eros. She will bring them
here when they are finished," Nelwyn replied, a note of trepidation
in her voice. "When she does, keep her here, will you?" said Fima,
gesturing to Rogond to follow him.

Nelwyn knew then what Fima was about to do, and she
grieved for her friend Rogond, who would surely be devastated. She
nodded to Fima, knowing the importance of her task. She must occupy
Gaelen long enough for Fima to deliver his message, and for Rogond
to react to it.

Fima bade Rogond sit upon a moss-covered log, as he
stood before him, eye to eye. Then, he drew a deep breath and began
his tale of the mirror. Rogond, who thanks to Amandir’s warning was
not entirely unprepared, listened with grave intensity, his face
fixed in a calm expression that belied the horror in his eyes.

"So, that’s how Gorgon came to take Belegund, and
Tibo and Noli, and the Elves of Tal-sithian," he said.

"Yes, and that’s why he did not kill Gaelen in
Cós-domhain," said Fima, "though he came perilously close!"

"This will be a heavy burden for her to bear," said
Rogond. "And I have not made things any easier by forcing her to
consider her feelings for me at this point. Alas that I did not
know better!"

"There is much that you still do not know, Rogond.
Nelwyn held a vision in the Stone of Léir. It showed Gorgon using
Gaelen’s eyes to bring down the Realm of the Greatwood. You were
dead, as was Thorndil, and Wellyn, and even Galador was near death.
The Woodland was overcome by Darkness, and Gorgon was leading a
mighty host. This is a grim vision indeed."

At that moment, they heard a sound behind them in the
undergrowth. It was a sort of frightened, strangled moan, an
expression of pain so deep that it sounded as though it had welled
up from the very soul and could not be suppressed. At the same
time, back at the encampment, Nelwyn was horror-stricken to see
Galador leading Réalta, Eros, and Siva into the clearing before
her, for she realized that Gaelen was somewhere else.

Rogond rose abruptly and turned about with Fima,
hearing a rustling and thrashing in the undergrowth, followed by
another small cry that might have been a sort of repressed wail. It
tore at their hearts as they guessed its origins. Against all
design, Gaelen had approached them silently, as was her habit, and
had heard all that was said. She had left the horses in the care of
Galador, who knew of no reason to refuse her, and had gone in
search of Rogond, as she had been fighting back a feeling of dread
concerning him and wanted to make sure of his safety. She heard
voices, and they sounded distressed, so she approached in her usual
stealthy manner, stopping as she heard her name.

She had thought to turn about, but she was drawn to
the conversation and had heard all Fima had to tell, standing as
still and silent as stone with icy water in her veins. There was a
roaring in her ears, her heart was hammering, and she could hardly
dare to breathe as Fima described Nelwyn’s vision in the Stone.
Gaelen possessed a ready mind, and she quickly assembled the pieces
of the puzzle, to her abject and utter consternation.

A small cry had escaped her, and as Rogond and Fima
turned toward her, she staggered back through the undergrowth,
blundering away from them, trying not to cry out. She heard Rogond
call her name in a panicked voice that tore the heart. She turned
and ran then, as she could not face him, could never face any of
them ever again.

When she encountered Nelwyn and Galador, they both
guessed what had befallen. Nelwyn reached out toward her, but in
her anguish Gaelen could only cry out and back away, both hands
flung up before her. They heard Rogond call her name again, and a
moment later he appeared with Fima at his side. Gaelen looked
around like a trapped animal as her four friends tried in vain to
calm her. She could not grasp the reality of what had been
revealed—it was simply too horrific.

Her eyes went cold and hard, and she stopped
trembling, backing away from them. Sweat-soaked, she took in great
gasps of air, and the color returned to her face. She was gathering
and collecting herself for some course of action, and they stopped
their approach, hardly daring to breathe lest they drive her to
something reckless. Nelwyn called out, trying to calm her.

"Gaelen…don’t be afraid. It will be all right. You
couldn’t help this fate, and it wasn’t your fault. Please come to
your friends, so that we may aid you. We all love you. Please come
to us."

Gaelen looked at Nelwyn then, silent tears flowing
from her eyes. "How long have you known of this? Was this whole
errand a test? Did you risk being captured by Gorgon so that you
could be sure? Is that right?"

Nelwyn nodded. Gaelen moaned again and closed her
eyes, her hands clutching at the pouch that hung around her neck.
"I have brought death to so many, and if your vision is true, the
Greatwood will fall because of me." She drew her long knives from
their sheaths. "Stay away from me," she cried in a soft, menacing
voice, brandishing the blades. "To be seen or heard by me is to
walk into a nest of vipers. You dare not risk it! Do not hinder me
now, for I know what I must do." Though her voice was resolute, her
eyes were terrified.

Rogond and Nelwyn both knew that she planned to do
harm to herself, and they tried to take her from both sides, but
she lashed out at them with the daggers, crying in a terrible
voice, "
Do not hinder me!
" Her skill with those razor-sharp
blades forced them back, for she might have slashed them both
rather than let them take her. They stood for a moment, frozen at
the sight of Gaelen, the Warrior-elf, knowing that her sanity hung
by the barest of threads. Her eyes softened as she looked upon
Rogond, and her face twisted into a grimace of pain.

"How can you love me?" she asked him in a small,
pitiful voice. "How could you ever have loved me?" To his horror,
she drew her blades along both forearms, bringing blood onto the
grass at her feet. She did not appear to feel the pain. With a last
look at Nelwyn, she moaned once more, then turned from them and ran
through the dappled forest light. Nelwyn and Rogond both called
after her, to no avail.

"We must go after her, Rogond! She means to harm
herself. She may put out her own eyes, or…or even kill herself. She
is not rational! We must pursue her, for she is swift and knows the
forest." Nelwyn turned to Galador. "Can you take the horses and
Fima back to the Elven-hold?"

"Nelwyn…please don’t go into the deep wood without
me. I fear you will not return! Please don’t go without me."

Nelwyn shook her head. "Fima cannot manage the
horses. You must do this--for me. I will be all right."

"Leave the horses! I would see to your safety," said
Galador, panic in his face. "And I would aid you in your pursuit of
Gaelen, for I love her even as you do."

"If you love her, then do as I ask, and do not delay
us further. Fima cannot strive with us, and we cannot leave him
here alone.

Please, my love, do as I bid! We will return as soon
as we may."

She embraced him then, and turned to Rogond. "Follow
me, Aridan. She is swift, but I am taller and swifter. Let us be
away!"

They sprang forward through the trees, following
Gaelen’s trail. At first it was easy to follow, for though she ran
lightly, the blood from her slashed forearms was clearly visible.
Nelwyn cursed as she made her way amid the thick, tangled
undergrowth that Gaelen had intentionally run through to block
their way. Here, size was a disadvantage, and Gaelen drew farther
and farther ahead of them, to their dismay. "She knows what she is
doing," said Nelwyn ruefully. "We must be swift, for she is gaining
ground."

The signs grew fainter as they went northward, but
eventually they led back to the river. As they looked up and down
for signs of Gaelen, a sudden insight, followed by a look of
horror, came upon Nelwyn. "She is headed for the Narrows, I just
know it! Oh, Rogond… if she reaches them we won’t be able to save
her. She means to cast herself in. We must fly!"

She turned north and sped along the river’s edge, as
the land rose into two great bluffs on either side. They could hear
the rushing waters of the Narrows, a deep, swift section of the
river quite unlike the gentle, serene waters that flowed past the
Elven-hold. As Nelwyn had feared, they spotted a lone figure
standing erect on top of the bluff overlooking the water. Gaelen
looked small and forlorn, but her shoulders were thrown back, her
hair was lifted in the wind, and her head was not bowed.