Chapter 14: Big Trouble in Little Doriath

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As he looked up, Taurensil noticed a wry smile come across the e'Narmire's face.  The Sindar ranger followed the Vanyar's gaze, now hearing the same muffled groan that had gained his attention.  Telemire was slowly picking himself up off the ground, pushing up onto his hands and knees and shaking the confusion from his head.  He tried to stand, but was still too dazed to do so.

The Companions could not believe it.  The savagery of the beast's attack had convinced everyone that the smith was surely dead.  Instead, unknown to them, for they had lost track of him during the melee, he had managed to slip on his maille coat.  Now torn, mangled, and beyond repair, the armor had saved his life. 

Though Telemire was covered in blood, they now knew that most of it was indeed that of the beast.  Telemire's attack had been precise, severing an artery, and effectively dooming the beast to bleed to death.  But Taurensil's attack and e'Narmire's arrow had brought the beast down before the wound's full effect could be realized.

Overcome with relief for Telemire's miraculous salvation, the Companions almost entirely forgot about their shorter, more rotund, comrade. 

Curucam was not moving.  Taurensil ran over to him and placed his hand on the Dwarf's shoulder.  To the ranger's relief, Curucam let out a low moan and rolled over onto his back.

"What in the name of Aule was that thing?"  Curucam removed his helmet and rubbed his head where he had been slammed against a rock.  "I have never smelled such a foul odor in my life.  Its breath was that of a thousand rotten eggs."  He checked his hand for any trace of blood.  There was none, just a very large lump on his head.  "I will be very happy never to see down the throat of such a foul-smelling creature again."

"We must go.  Quickly," said e'Narmire.  "There may be more mischief lurking about and we are in no condition to see it off."

Gathering their equipment and retreating into the woods, the Companions were met by a troop of March-wardens of Doriath.  They had been coming to aid in the fight, following e'Narmire, but the Vanyar had outpaced them.  Taking up the weight of the two wounded Companions, the March-wardens hurried them deeper into the forest, under the protection of their queen's enchantment.

Menegroth was an Eldar city like no other.  Hewn into the mountainside by Dwarves, it looked more like the home of a Naugrim king, not the Lord of Beleriand.  To enter, the Companions had to cross a great stone bridge over the River Esgalduin.  On the other side of the bridge, a many-pillared gate-house formed the entrance into the city.  From there, a passage-way led deeper into the mountain where it branched off in what seemed to be a thousand directions.  Of the innumerable high walls and chambers, there were smithies, armories, and quarters for the resident Eldar and Dwarves.  Among these halls was the Great Hall, and it was here that Thingol held private council with e'Narmire.

While e'Narmire was conferring with Thingol, the rest of the Companions occupied themselves with exploring the city.  Of them, only Curucam had been there before, on one of his many trading expeditions, and he took it upon himself to give his comrades a guided tour, obviously quite proud of what his brethren had accomplished. 

The most impressive areas of the city, according to Curucam, were the smithies, located deep within the caverns.  Many Naugrim still worked at creating an arsenal for Thingol's warriors.  There were Eldar here as well; learning from the Naugrim master craftsmen and creating beautiful works in their own right.

Another impressive sight was Thingol's armory, filled with magnificent swords, axes, spears, maille, plate, and shield, all of them master works of martial arms.  It was here, with Thingol's permission of course, that Telemire was allowed to replace his shattered maille corselet.

Many days the Companions spent exploring Menegroth, never fully seeing all of it.  But, as soon as it had started, the respite came to an end.  All of them, including e'Narmire, seemed reluctant to leave, but the Vanyar made it very clear, in his subtle way, that it was time to go.

Their maille polished and weapons sharpened, the Companions crossed the stone bridge and set out back into the wilderness.  For the first couple of days, they traveled easy and were not concerned with being ambushed, for they still were under the protection of Melian's enchantment.  On the night of the second day, they reached the ambush sight of two weeks prior, still being watched by a troop of Thingol's March-wardens.  Shadowbane summoned the captain of the wardens to report.

The wardens had been keeping tabs on any unusual activity in the surrounding area, but they were still unable to determine the beast's origins.  There were also several rumors of attacks in the east, in the Himlad and Pass of Aglon, and warriors had been dispatched to assist, but few ever returned, and those that did where never quite the same as when they left.  None of this seemed to shock or surprise e'Narmire.  He simply listened to the report and dismissed the captain with a polite "Thank you."

The Companions were nervous, and rightly so.  Before departing Menegroth, e'Narmire had told them what they would be up against.  An ancient evil, as far back as the Great Journey, was stalking Doriath.  Thingol's warriors had tried to fight it, but to no avail.  Many of those warriors were later found brutally ripped apart.  The beast the Companions had encountered earlier had been only part of that evil,  called a Hunter, its purpose was to distract attention away from a more vile evil, a dindair—the Silent Shadow.

The dindair was well suited as a spy for the Enemy.  Creeping in the shadows, these demons would stalk their prey, casting deadly poisoned javelins, made from the very shadow in which they hid.  These demons were among those that preyed upon the Eldar as they made their way to Valinor in the Elder Days.  It was these demons, and others like them, that e'Narmire gained notoriety for hunting and killing during the Great Journey.  And now, he was teaching a new generation to do the same.  The Companions were going shadow hunting.

But Shaelina could tell that e'Narmire was not telling them everything.  He was holding something back.  And this frightened her.