A Deed Most Foul

Part 2 - Veser (Pursuit)

The ancient trees of the Mierani Forest swayed gently. As leaves gently fell to the ground, they passed a number of Elven Sentries strung out across the great valley. Mostly high in the trees, the Sentries were guarding one of the main approaches to enter/exit the Mierani Forest. Ravines and other natural hazards created a number of geographical funnels that most Orodaes had to utilize to enter/exit the area.

One hundred feet in the air, perched at the base of a wide branch, Lythar sat stock still with his back to the tree’s trunk as his eyes played back and forth in a scanning pattern, watching the slice of the valley to which he had been assigned. The leaves woven into his Tylaelaes (a cloak much like the gillie suit) fluttered softly in the stiffening breeze. As a quick sniff of the passing air revealed the ozone smell of the coming storm, Lythar sighed inwardly at what would definitely be another cold and wet night.

After a week of travel, Lythar and a small group of Thysaer Kasol had been monitoring the area for two additional weeks. In that time, they hadn’t seen hide, nor hair, of either the Orodaes that spurred their being ordered into the Forest, nor their Dark Cousins, who infested nearby Celwynvian. “It is, however, rather odd that we haven’t heard from Crying Leaf by now...” Lythar thought to himself. Surely Elordria dealt with the Orodaes and we will receive recall orders any day now with our relief?

The slightest tremble passing through the tree was all the warning Lythar had, as another Elf settled lightly onto the branch in front of him. A quick twitch, and Lythar froze as he found himself looking down his hastily drawn arrow at Kaerishiel, who was returning Lythar’s gaze with a raised eyebrow.

“Do you mean to spit me on that arrow then Shalaes Lythar?”, Kaerishiel asked dryly, yet very quietly.

“Of course not Tadal! Cry pardon!” Lythar responded equally quietly, as he reduced tension on the bowstring and re-concealed the bow and its nocked arrow inside his Tylaelaes.

“You need to be far more vigilant lad,“ Kaerishiel observed, as his own eyes scanned the forest floor and canopy, “there are Drow about if I don’t miss my guess. And these seem to have some skill, unlike most of their worthless brethren. Watch above, as well as below you. While Orodaes usually move with all the grace of a stampeding buffalo herd, and as such can be heard and smelled for miles, our shadowy cousins are far more circumspect and have a talent for appearing where, and when, least expected.”

For Kaerishiel to mention Drow with any type of respect was nearly unheard of, and an icy chill passed through a chastened Lythar, as he found his own eyes immediately darting to scan a much more sinister appearing forest canopy.

“There is at least one Stalker about, “ Kaerishiel continued, “and he is very good. Even Zerranthus was having trouble tracking him last month, prior to his coming and warning us of the Orodaes.” Kaerishiel paused, eying the young Thysaer Kasol scout, then said “But that is not why I’ve...dropped in...on you this evening. We have a much larger problem. It would seem that Lady Elordria and her retinue ran into more than they could handle with the Orodaes.”

At that proclamation, Lythar was completely floored. It was unfathomable to him that a small group of Orodaes could waylay Elordria and the Shin’Rakorath. In a moment, Lythar realized why they were still out on their original orders. His control slipped for a moment and his cloak shook in a way even a blind Orodaes couldn’t miss as he briefly tottered on the branch. “What happened?”

Kaerishiel replied “It must have been an ambush by a superior force. The tracks indicate that the Orodaes appear to have moved a good-sized raiding party into the Mierani Forest. From the evidence, it looks as if Elordria was likely carried off by one or more humans, while the rest beat a retreat towards the sea. We have scouts out looking for the main body now, and it may be war, lad. In the mean time, I’ve been following horse tracks for a week now that appear to be related to Lady Elordria herself, and when I passed near your post, I decided that I should have some extra help, in the event that this is a trap.”

With that revelation, Kaerishiel looked thoughtful for a moment, then removed a small wooden box from his cloak and handed it to Lythar. “You were first in your class were you not Lythar?”

“Aye, that I was Tadal.” Replied Lythar, taking the box and gently pushing the cleverly concealed lid open, to reveal a small silver insignia consisting of the crossed leaves of the rank of Valaes (Runner, or Wing Leader).

“You’re out of uniform Lythar, and you and your Shol (Wing, or Squad) are assigned to me until this crisis is over.”

At that news, Lythar once again almost fell off his branch. To be promoted and assigned to one of the greatest Elven Shas Jhaedaes (War Leaders) in one day was almost too much.

“Valaes Lythar, your Shol is to accompany myself and my Shin’Rakorath in pursuit of the Lady Elordria. We’re ordered by the Lady Eviana to bring her back, dead or alive, without regards to the cost to ourselves to do so.” Kaerishiel’s eyes hardened as he assumed a grim visage and continued, “These filthy interlopers can not be allowed to possess her in any way, shape or form, and they’ll pay very dearly for their transgression.”

With that proclamation, Kaerishiel dropped lightly down the bole to the ground. As he did so, a half dozen Shin’Rakorath seemed to materialize out of nowhere, some in the canopy, others on the forest floor. Lythar marvelled that he hadn’t noticed any them prior to that moment.

Loudly giving the bird call for “form on me” followed by “make ready to march”, Lythar descended the tree rather more slowly (and less deftly) than Kaerishiel had. Then, attaching the new rank on the collar of his studded armor, waited for the...no, his...Shol to arrive from their posts and make ready to leave.

***

The silent forest’s reverie was broken briefly by the forms of Elves living up to their fey nature as they became visible in brief glimpses flitting through the trees. Now and again, one or more of the forms would pause momentarily to read sign, or to watch their back trail. To an observer, it was almost as if the dense undergrowth moved aside for the graceful Elves, who seemed not bothered at all by tangles of briars or vines.

Lythar had now been in pursuit of the interloper for a few days. Kaerishiel’s ability as a tracker had absolutely stunned him, as the older Elf picked up sign that the younger Elf barely noticed even when it was pointed out to him.

On the fifth day, the trail seemed to stop near at the edge of a ravine. While it appeared that one or more items had gone down the steep slopes, the sign was muddled, and confused.

“Lythar, take your group down into the ravine for a look, we’ll continue farther downstream and see if we can pick up the trail again. Meet up with us at sundown.” Kaerishiel ordered in an almost silent voice.

Nodding once to Kaerishiel, Lythar looked at his Shol and indicated the ravine. The five Elves immediately began to carefully pick their way down the side, as Kaerishiel and the Shin’Rakorath continued downstream, slowly checking the ground for the trail they had been following for so long.

Upon reaching the ravine floor, Lythar’s eyes immediately picked up scattered horse prints heading downstream along the ravine’s floor. As he began to move to follow them, the low morning sun peeked its way through the thick canopy to pick out a detail that would have gone unnoticed otherwise - the horse’s prints weren’t as deep as they had been on prior rare occasions that they could be found. Looking even closer at a few relatively clear prints in a sheltered part of a rain pocked snow drift revealed that the horse couldn’t have been carrying much at all when it made those prints, let alone two bodies, and the lack of any obvious accompanying prints immediately sent a chill up Lythar’s spine.

At that moment, a raven sounded from behind him. Lythar turned his head to see Fel’myhtaria, an excellent tracker in her own right. As he quietly joined her, she pointed at a spot Lythar had missed where the river stones, old icy snow, and sand had been scattered haphazardly in an attempt to sweep away tracks....their prey had definitely been in this area for an extended time.

With a quick signal, Lythar’s Shol immediately melted into their surroundings, bows springing into their hands as they did so, leaving Lythar to draw his Elven Curved Blade as his eyes began scanning around him.

A meditative technique he’d learned as a child while playing the wolf version of hide and seek (the wolves cheated of course, with their sensitive noses) allowed Lythar’s unfocused gaze to notice a pair of caves tucked up under the ravine wall, behind a fall of water. Now that he was looking, it was obvious, as the ravine wall’s tilt would have created a much different pattern in the cascade. Further scanning pointed to those caves as being the only likely place their prey could hide, if they were indeed still in the area.

After indicating the cave to the covering Shol Members, Lythar and two of his burlier compatriots cautiously advanced on the shared cave entrance.