(PTII)Defenders of Middle Earth: A Middle Earth Story(Book 4)

Chapter 23: Dawn

"Of course it might! I knew it might, otherwise I wouldn't suggest it!" Dain shouted, an insane gleam in his eyes. 

They sped across the battlefield, passing by wide-eyed Easterlings who stared in surprise to see a dwarf at the reins of one of their own chariots.

"Troll, look out!" Brand shouted. Dain jerked the reins to the right, narrowly avoiding the large beast. Another troll turned around and swung his club, but both kings ducked and the strike whooshed over their heads. 

They were nearing the gate, and only a few obstacles stood in their way. Several columns of Easterlings were advancing slowly forward, and one large Mumak was plodding across the plain. As of yet, however, none of them had noticed the hijacked chariot. 

Dain pulled the chariot to a stop, studying the scene in front of them. "It's gonna be fun tryin' to get through them!" He exclaimed. Brand nodded and glanced around nervously, feeling vulnerable in the open chariot now that they had stopped moving. 

"We should move quickly," He said as several Haradrim pointed their way. One of them gave a shout of anger and threw his spear. It whistled as it flew and hit the side of the chariot, rocking it violently to the side.

"We should move now!!" Brand insisted, his knuckles white as he tightly grasped the side of the chariot. Dain nodded and the chariot flew back into motion. The battlefield moved past them in a blur, and soon they were almost to the gate. Just as they were about to pass the Mumak, however, a great horn sounded through the valley. The sound of it was high and clear, like the wind moving through a forest. It was answered by a dozen more, and Brand quickly glanced in the direction it came from. 

On the hills to the south, a new army was massing. Dark green banners billowed in the wind, and the rising sun glinted on sharp, leaf-shaped spears. At their head was a great elk, and atop it rode a silver-haired elf that could only be King Thranduil of the Woodland Realm. 

"Elves!" He exclaimed joyfully. "We're delivered!" 

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Khamul's hooded head turned to face the elven army, and as he looked he gave a shriek of rage. He swung a gauntleted hand at Zaskia, landing a slap squarely across her face. 

"Fool! You were supposed to destroy the elves." His voice was filled with malice, and Zaskia trembled as she massaged her bleeding cheek. 

"We tried, m'lord! There were too many of them, and I wasn't given enough-"

"Silence, wench! It is clear that you serve no use as a leader of armies. Go onto the battlefield, do the one thing you still possess skill in." Khamul hissed as he spun his hellish steed about to face Khanar. "Move in to meet the elves with your reserves. Send the Mumakil that were delayed at the Celduin to attack their flank when they've engaged your forces. Have the rest of your men push the assault on the gate." 

"A good plan," Khanar rasped, reining his warhorse under control. "I shall send out the order immediately."

"Oh, and Khanar... The ranger was spotted fleeing from a small gate on the western side of the mountain. He was forced to retreat back inside, but only a few of his men survived. See to it he doesn't escape." 

Khanar nodded, his infernal helmet hiding the smile that was no doubt playing across his burnt features. "Good... I will end him."

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Taliel looked down upon the battlefield, her eyes wide. Even from this distance, it was clear that the enemy had been triumphant thus far, and the entire valley appeared desolate. Deep trenches cut across it like long, jagged scars, and every here and there fires had broken out. The bulk of the enemy's forces were at the gate now, though she could see that a battle had already taken place outside. Countless bodies darkened the ground, and behind the main attacking army she could see lines of prisoners being led back to the Easterling camps. 

"We're too late," Taliel murmured despairingly. Thranduil nodded in agreement. 

"Too late to save most of them, perhaps. But we can attempt to defeat the enemy, and save those few that still stand." With this he drew his sword, shimmering and cruel in the light of dawn. Over his long braided locks he secured a helmet, silver as the long stream of hair it sat upon and adorned with silver stag's horns. His icy eyes glared out from its slits and he raised his weapon slowly. 

"Eledhrim! Sir maeth, sir gurth! An ennor!" 

The elves as one cried out, their voices shrill and terrible to their enemies.

"Death! Death to our foes!" 

Thranduil's steed reared as he let out a mighty shout, and the elven host thundered into the valley. Arrows sang from a thousand bows, and the sky grew black with their passing. The swish of blades being drawn accompanied the foremost warriors as they descended the hill. 

The Easterlings hurried to face the new threat, never once breaking into disorder. 

"An khar skiluum!" Their captains shouted, swiftly forming them into a shieldwall. Their halberds stuck out between every shield, presenting the charging elves with a nigh-impenetrable wall of death. They stood eerily quiet, and their masked faces showed no fear as they faced their enemy. 

The elves crashed against the wall like waves upon a rock. Though they were tempered by the fires of a millenia's worth of wars, the calm, almost inhuman determination of the Easterlings proved to be their match. 

Eventually, the elves turned from the attackers to the defenders. A strong flanking force of Haradrim pinned the elves between the razor-sharp halberds of the Easterlings and the deadly tusks of the Haradrim's Mumakil. As the day progressed, it seemed as if the enemy were herding them ever closer to the gates of Erebor... Where they would be forced to either stand or die. 

Taliel found herself along the eastern slopes of Erebor, struggling to hold out with a handful of Mirkwood archers who had broken off from the main force. Here they were met with fierce resistance from a vanguard of Easterlings who had been hastening towards the mountain in an attempt to secure a vantage point for their fellow archers. 

"Fire!" Taliel shouted, loosing her own bow a final time as the Easterlings closed the distance. Several of them fell, but the thick scaled armor that marked them as the elite of Rhun's armies protected most of them from the elves' arrows. 

"Swords!" She cried, drawing her sword and raising it above her head in defiance. Though the archers of Mirkwood were lightly armored, they were nonetheless expert swordsmen and were eager for a chance to close ranks with the enemy. They shouted out in unison and charged, meeting the eastern warriors with a clash of steel. Taliel quickly blocked a downward swing from one of the foremost Easterling warriors and slashed across his stomach, immediately bringing her blade up and over her head to deliver a fatal blow to his neck. She quickly moved to dodge an attack from another warrior who was approaching from behind, deftly avoiding his blade as a nearby elf struck him down. 

As she advanced from enemy to enemy, Taliel glanced down into the valley below. She saw, to her horror, that the rest of the elven host was fleeing. She could barely make out the magnificent elk that was King Thranduil's steed at the rear of the force, bravely holding off the enemies that dared stray too close. 

"M'lady," the archer that was the captain of her group of warriors said breathlessly as he approached. "The group that attacked us is in retreat. The path into the valley once more lies open. Shall we go to the aid of our king?" 

Taliel nodded. "Move quickly. We may not have time-"

She was interrupted as a black feathered arrow flew past, hitting the captain squarely in the chest. She spun around to face the new threat, but immediately took a fearful step back as she saw what lie before her. 

Three large orcs clad in black cloaks stood atop a column of nearby rocks. One of them held a bow in his hand and grinned in satisfaction. But that wasn't what frightened Taliel. 

Zaskia, the great sorceress of the Dead Tree, stood between them. 

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Whoo, update! It's been forever! Hopefully, I can actually do some writing now. College and work is killing me, but I'm at least somewhat motivated now!