SALVATION FOR THE FALLEN, Chapter 22

Huor’s one word, Baroness, paralyzed Larien.  Larien sat looking at Huor in stunned shock and surprise; her hand still resting on his chest.  Oh, my!  What should she do, now?  The fact that Huor had thought of Baroness before passing out spoke to the closeness that was shared by the two.  She knew the special bond that existed and the panic that Baroness must be experiencing since Huor was obviously going through the same feelings.  Larien realized that it was imperative that she get to Baroness to allay her fears and give her peace that Huor was going to be alright.  Larien’s thoughts started going in all different directions at the same time, bombarding her senses.  If she left to seek Baroness, who would take care of Huor?  Would he understand why she might not be here when he wakes up?  Of course, he might sleep for hours which meant she might be able to leave and come back before he regained consciousness.  Would she be able to find Baroness?  She had no idea where to start looking for her.  When she was successful in finding her, would Baroness accept what Larien had to tell her or would she need proof with her own eyes that he was alive and not at death’s door?  Then there were all of the new additions to Meneldur.  Would they think she was inhospitable if she ran out without taking the time to meet them?  She was not prepared to explain the true nature of her departure to them at this point in time.  Larien looked around at all the cots still filled with her patients.  She had yet to walk the rounds of the patients still left in her care.

Larien was feeling overwhelmed with all her thoughts bombarding her at one time. She told herself to just breathe!  Well, one thing was clear; she could not stay sitting thinking about what needed to be done while time was swiftly flying away.  Action was needed.  After one more look at her patient to make sure he was now resting comfortably, she picked up her supplies and took them to the medicine room for disposal.  Nathra was already there preparing for the day.   As Larien handed her basins and basket to Nathra, she asked, “Do you mind taking care of these for me?  I don’t have time to take care of them myself.  I must leave immediately on an errand that cannot wait.”

“Of course I will.  Go.  Take care of what you need.  If you’re worried about Huor, I will keep an eye on him while you’re gone.”

“Thank you, Nathra.  That greatly eases my mind.  If he should wake in a restless mood or try to leave for any reason, tell him that I am handling it.  Tell him that he must stay here until my return and I will let him know what I have discovered at that point.  It is extremely important that he not get agitated or get up for the rest of today at least.  We cannot afford his wound to reopen.  Oh, and the dressing should be changed at least twice to keep infection away.”

“No problem.”  Nathra queried, “What if he asks where you are?”

“Just let him know I went to visit his friend.  He should understand.  I must go.  Time is of the essence.  And, thank you for your help; you’re a gem.  Oh, one more thing, please make the rounds and use your best judgment as to who needs to stay and who can go home.  I don’t know how long this will take me.”

Nathra smiled as she tried to shoo Larien out of the hospital.  “No problem, Larien.  Now, off with you.  I have this covered here and I believe that Melilot will be here after breakfast.  Between the two of us, all will be handled.  Go!”

Larien didn’t hesitate.  She grabbed her cloak and since she knew she would have to go through the older, lesser used hallways, she took one of the extra torches from the chamber walls.  She lit it on her way out the door.  Her mind was already racing trying to figure out where would be the best place to go to meet Baroness.  She was trying to communicate to Baroness telepathically.  Larien thought it best to meet at one of the back entrances to the mountain.  It was out of the mainstream areas and they would have privacy since they were meeting in the daylight.  She visualized the exact cave entrance and sent it to Baroness.  She sent positive thoughts about Huor, too.   It had been such a long time since she spoke with Baroness like this and she hoped Baroness would remember her and listen.  Huor was definitely not in any condition to make this trek so soon after surgery.  Due to the length of time before he came into her care, she figured Baroness was probably frantic with worry and in great pain.

Larien’s mind was racing as she traversed the corridors, the flame from her torch lighting her way.  The path was relatively smooth in comparison to the unevenness of the various sizes of the dripping icicles hanging from the ceiling.  Most hung closer to the wall.  However, occasionally, she encountered one closer to the center of the path which had her ducking around it.  She was now glad for the additional warmth her cloak provided her.  The air was moist, heavy, dank and stale.  There was no warmth from the sun touching this area.  It was too far from the normal rotundas and sleeping quarters and too far from the outside exits.  Very few people knew and remembered these back paths.  But, right now, Larien wasn’t bother by the chilling cold or smell or uneven terrain.  It served her purpose well enough as she wound her way through the heart of the mountain.  The path beckoned to her, calling for her to continue; or, was it Baroness?

She hadn’t given Baroness a thought when Huor was first brought to her.  Her immediate thought was only of him.  Seeing him carried up from the battlefield and into her care shocked and scared Larien more than she cared to admit, to herself or to anyone else.  She and Huor had been through a lot over the many decades since he had come to Meneldur.  He was a broken man when they first met and she helped him through those long, dark and hopeless days.  But he had found a new purpose, a new mission that gave him the will to continue living.  Baroness was a large part of that incentive.  He worked hard with Baroness to give his life purpose and direction.  He was there to help her when she first brought the boys home.  She had no practical experience handling children, let alone three young, mischievous boys.  All three of them carried their own scars and memories.  Larien felt she always walked a fine line with what happened to the boys’ parents, how she found them, and giving them a warm and secure home-life. 

Huor and Larien’s relationship developed into a mutual respect for each other.  There was understanding of past hurts and healings, and more importantly, acceptance of each other for where they were in life right then.  He had become a man whom she relied upon for strength, guidance, and wisdom.  He was the one that she went to for advice especially after her father died.  Not that she looked at Huor as a father figure but he had many of the same valued ideals that Farren had.  Larien looked to Huor as a kind of moral compass.  Larien thought herself to be pretty immune to battle injuries and deaths.  However, to see him brought to her this morning just tipped her world upside-down.  She knew that Deamon probably noticed her reaction but hoped that the others had not.  She didn’t want it known where her weaknesses were.  As the Elf Queen, she had a certain standard that she kept for herself and showing weakness was not one of them in the off chance that it could be used against her or harms those she loved.  It was even more important now with the influx of additional people to Meneldur.  Whether they were going to stay and put down roots in Meneldur or go on to other parts after a brief respite within its gates, Larien personally felt that her actions needed to be above reproach.  Running off with her cloak and torch would probably cause some eyebrows to be raised should she have been noticed.  Well, if it was, it was.  Finding Baroness was more important for the moment and Larien would deal with everything else later.

Larien could see the path ahead lightening up and the corridor was widening into a small cave-like area.   The chill was going away and she could smell the freshness of the morning air wafting down the corridor.  She breathed deeply, clearing her lungs of the musty, cloying dankness.  If she remembered correctly, this next corner should take her to the entrance.  Larien doused her torch and let it fall to the floor as there were no holders to hold it on the cave walls.  She hoped that Baroness listened to her urgings and would be waiting for her.  Larien’s time was precious and she could only wait for a short time for Baroness to join her.  She knew the longer she was away, the more explanations she would have to give regarding her absence and she wanted to avoid having to do that.  Not that the Elf Queen needed to explain herself at all but she did prefer honesty in her dealings with the inhabitants of Meneldur.  However, there were times when they didn’t need to know everything that went on in the keep and she felt this was just such a time.

This cave entrance was on the north face of the mountain.   One could stand at the edge of the plateau and see the beauty of the lands, woods and fields on the other side of the mountain range.  It would take several days journey to traverse what she could see from this one vantage point.  The sun was still in her ascent into the morning sky, her warming rays already working their magic even into the confines of the cave.  As Larien neared the entranceway, her thoughts leaped to Baroness, concentrating on connecting with her.  Larien’s heart leapt.  Baroness was here!

Larien closed her eyes briefly so she could get use to the brightness and reached her right hand out, beckoning to Baroness as she walked through the portal into the morning light.  Larien stepped into the full sunlight.  Baroness approached Larien from her right side, casting a shadow across Larien’s path.

Larien quietly spoke to Baroness, “Hello, my friend.  It has been a long time since we last were together.”

“Yes it has, Queen Larien. You know I have been worried about Huor.  I hope you have news of him?  We have both been in great pain.”

“He was sleeping when I left him, Baroness.  He was injured in the battle with the orcs taking a wound to his side.”

Baroness groaned in pain for Huor, her pain resonating throughout the cave and mountainside.  Larien tried to soothe Baroness, ease her suffering.

“He was extremely stubborn, staying to battle even with the cut to his side instead of coming to me.”  Larien stepped closer to Baroness, looked into her eyes as she continued, “I am sorry for the pain which you have endured throughout the long, dark night; the need to see him to assure yourself all was well.  To have the knowledge that he was just injured and not laying down somewhere dying.  I was not aware of your plight, his injury, until this morning when they brought his body to me.  I know that you must have felt his pain and have been trying hard to get to him.”  Baroness bent her head in acknowledgment as Larien reached up to touch Baroness’s snout.  “Your name was the last thing he said before he fell…asleep.  I got here as quickly as I could to set you at ease.”

Before Larien could continue, she and Baroness heard a scuffling sound coming from the interior of the cave.  It intensified.  Larien turned towards the sounds, wondering what could be causing such noise.  She took a few steps forward to investigate the cave entrance while she said, “Baroness, you stay here.  Let me see what is going on.”

She was standing to the side of the doorway and looking towards the commotion.  Suddenly a loud, angry voice rent the air bellowing, “Stand back, Larien, while I kill this beast!”

Bone Face broke through the cave’s entrance, brandishing his sword; the morning sun glistening along the long blade momentarily blinding her with its brilliant winking.  She screamed, “NO, BONE FACE!!  STOP!!!”

Larien tried to position herself between the furious man and the startled Baroness.  She thought, “Baroness, move back and let me handle this.  Now!”  An acute pain started at her left hip and traveled down her leg.  She only had a few seconds to stem the advancement of the charging man so she ignored it, digging deep into herself to move swiftly to stem the upcoming disaster.  Events were moving rapidly out of control.  She could see that every well-honed muscle on Bone Face’s body was ready for his command to attack.  His eyes flashed in anger, his lips forming a straight line marring his face.  She could see the white knuckled grip on his sword as he raised his arm ready to attack.  She was frantically thinking of the best way to stop Bone Face from injuring Baroness.

She ignored her own pain.  She took a stance, legs firmly planted as she raised her right hand as she faced Bone Face.  She shouted an incantation, “Gwindor!  Súrion!”

Bone Face froze in mid-flight.  The tip of his blade a hair’s width from Larien’s outstretched hand.  He found himself breathing but unable to move any other part of his body save his eyes.  He could see and move his eyes to the left and right and he could blink.  He willed his arm to move, his legs.  They didn’t obey no matter how hard he willed them.  He could not talk, could not utter a sound from his motionless lips.  It was as if he had fallen into a cold, cold body of water and froze into a statue in mid rush.  Bone Face’s righteous anger now turning quickly into a panic he never felt before.  He looked at Larien.  Her face was white.  In all the years that he had known her, he had never seen her eyes look like this.   They glittered with an inner depth.  They were the most intense green he had ever seen – almost a white-green, hot, angry, and penetrating.  They bore into him.  His eyes dropped to her raised hand at the end of his weapon and saw a bright red mark marring her palm.  It dripped, slowly, with each beat of her heart, one single drop at a time.  They were collecting, pooling.  He couldn’t move his eyes from the trails those little droplets made as they traveled downward towards Larien’s wrist before dropping from his sight.

He closed his eyes to the sight of Larien’s blood.  He closed his mind to the look in Larien’s eyes.  He couldn’t talk.  He couldn’t move.  As he slowly opened his eyes he thought, “Mon dieu, what have I done?”