Caledorn left the company soon after darkness fell. He preferred to keep watch rather than sleep, and he preferred to do it alone, away from the others. He had found a sturdy tree with thick branches not far from the camp, and he had quickly ascended high into its boughs. The pine needles kept most of the rain from reaching Caledorn, but he still kept his hood pulled over his head. In a way, it was a sort of comfort to him... Though he didn't care to admit it, it made him feel safer. More concealed.

The tall tree commanded a view over the rest of the forest, which was partly why the reticent elf chose it over the other trees. He could see everything that moved among the trees, from bats and owls to the occasional deer. His emerald eyes scanned back and forth, constantly alert to his surroundings.

He had seen no more ravens since they had made camp. Perhaps they had realized that he noticed them and were attempting to keep a lower profile... Or perhaps it was all just in his head. It was possible that they were just ordinary ravens, however unlikely that seemed. Caledorn knew that he had been growing overly paranoid of late, and he wondered if maybe that was all it was. He seemed to be seeing shadows around every corner, even where there weren't any.

Am I losing my touch? Caledorn thought to himself. Is everything I've seen, everything I've done really effecting me in such a big way?

As the thought went through his mind he saw a shadow disappear behind a nearby tree. A human shadow.

No... It wasn't anything. My mind is playing tricks on me, the elf thought as he pulled down his hood and ran a hand through his jet black hair. No, there it is again! He thought, seeing the shape again. It was definitely something...

Like a stealthy cat he soundlessly descended the tree, an ebony dagger in hand. He crept in the direction of the figure until he saw it again, walking quietly further into the trees. He followed it, unsure of what, or who, it was. It strode silently along until it came to a dark, still pool. Caledorn couldn't see its face, for it wore a thick black cloak with a hood that covered it.

He slowly, carefully snuck forward, his dagger at the ready. He was preparing to put his knife to its throat, find out who it was.

But just as he got close enough, the figure spun around, grabbing his wrist and twisting the dagger from his grasp. In the process, the hood fell and Caledorn found himself staring at a familiar face.

"F-father?" Caledorn asked as he backed away. "How... How is this possible?"

His father frowned, and his face seemed unnaturally pale as he tilted his head to the side. "You have failed me... You fight for a lost cause."

Caledorn's eyes widened in surprise. "What?? What do you mean? This is what you would have wanted!"

"The Lord of Gifts is kind, and you have thrown his kindness back in his face!" His father hissed, striding closer and forcing Caledorn to stumble backwards. He raised a pale hand as he approached, its fingers long and grasping.

"He killed our people! All of them! Not even Celebrimbor escaped his cruelty!" Caledorn cried. As he stumbled back he fell into another cloaked figure.

"I shaped the history of Middle Earth... I crafted the Rings of Power," The figure said. His voice was unmistakable, for Caledorn remembered it from when he was little more than a child.

"You died Celebrimbor! None of this is real, it can't be!" Caledorn exclaimed. He spun around and ran into the forest, hoping to escape the phantoms. But as he ran, he turned a corner and ran right into a tall armored figure. The figure was wreathed in fire, and a fiery Ring was upon his finger.

"Traitor! I see you. Only death awaits in the tenantless darkness. The void of time will make your actions known to all. Ruination will come to you on the field of the inferno. Gu kibum kelkum-ishi, burzum-ishi. Akha-gum-ishi ashi gurum."

Caledorn fell to the ground, blinded by the fiery light. His head was pounding and the foul words echoed in the depths of his mind. No more, please... Go away.

He felt an armored hand grasp his shoulder, and he swiftly leapt away. He held his dagger protectively in front of him, but he was shaking with fear.

Suddenly the blinding light faded, and the voice stopped. In front of him was Taliel, who still had her hand held out in shock.

Caledorn quickly sheathed his dagger and attempted to regain his composure, but he was drenched with sweat and his hands were shaking uncontrollably.

"What's wrong???" Taliel asked as she looked at him wide-eyed. Caledorn took a deep breath and turned away.

"Nothing... I... It was nothing," He said. He wondered how much of that nightmare she had seen, if any of it, and if she had seen him running around in fear.

"I heard a voice and I came at once, you sounded like you were in danger," She replied as she sheathed her own sword. "When I arrived you were sitting on the ground, staring into the forest."

"My apologies, I do not know what came over me," Caledorn said as he brushed off his cloak. He hoped that she would just leave it at that, but she didn't.

"You don't seem like the type to be afraid of shadows... So I doubt it was just that," She said, a hint of humor in her voice.

"It wasn't," He admitted. "I do not know what it was, but it was odd. And frightening."

"If you don't want to talk about it, I understand. But don't keep it to yourself for too long. That sort of thing eats people from the inside," Taliel said, putting a hand on his shoulder. She nodded turning and walking back to the camp. Caledorn was alone once more, the silence of the forest giving him a chance to collect his thoughts. What had happened? And what did it mean?

====================================

The next morning was heralded in by the pale sun peeking through the trees, casting dark shadows over the camp like creeping fingers. Glorfindel was the first to awake, and he quickly began to wake the others. Soon the entire camp was up and buzzing with movement and quiet discussion as the company hurried to pack their belongings. Glorfindel had already packed, and was silently watching the going's on around him. He noticed that Caledorn was unusually pale, and his dark hair was unkempt and tangled. The older elf wondered what was the matter, but he decided not to pursue an answer to his curiosity. He nodded in acknowledgement as Gloin passed by, grumbling and struggling to lead his pony ahead.

"A fine day, is it not master dwarf?" Glorfindel said with a twinkle in his eye.

"It'd be finer if I wasn't so rudely awakened at this forsaken hour!" The dwarf huffed. "It's barely light out!"

"Oh don't be silly, half the day is gone already!" Gerithor exclaimed as he walked by, overhearing their conversation. Gloin scowled as the ranger passed.

"Rangers and their cheery dispositions!" He growled.

Glorfindel let out a short laugh. "Rangers! Cheery? You clearly are mistaken."

"Well, they're more cheery in the mornin' than they should be lad," He grumbled as he sat down and rubbed his eyes. "Even Thorin let us sleep in on our quest to the Lonely Mountain."

"Well, when a Ranger and an Elf are leading a quest, do not expect 'sleeping in' to be a feature of said quest," Glorfindel said with a chuckle.

"I thought I was leadin' too," Gloin said with a frown.

"Of course you are! But you were outvoted my friend. Plus, time is of the essence here. Every hour could be the difference between making it in time and failing our quest."

"Agh... I suppose you're right," Gloin said defeatedly. "Maybe I'll get used to it."

A loud, clear voice at the front of the company drew their attention. "If everyone's ready, we're moving out! No stopping until nightfall!"

Gloin let out a sigh. "Never mind... There's no gettin' used to this."

===========================================

They traveled for hours, through forests of tall conifer trees and sloping hills, across streams and rivers until they came to the end of the forest. Ahead of them lay a vast expanse, broken only by occasional lonely hills and boulders jutting out of the land.

"The Lone-Lands will be treacherous, especially for a company of this size," Gerithor observed as he looked uncertainly back at the group.

"We can no longer hide," Glorfindel said with certainty. "If the Enemy has spies, they will see us. If they haven't already, that is."

Caledorn suddenly rode ahead of the group, his coal black horse stomping nervously as he came to a halt. "They have seen us."

"What is it? What do you see?" Gerithor asked.

"Ravens," Caledorn replied as he pointed at a dark cloud in the sky. "A whole flock."

"Ah yes, I see them too," Glorfindel said as he peered ahead. "They seem to be congregating over that hill away to the north."

"Then it's already too late," Gloin said as he pulled his axe from his belt and felt the blade. "We'll have to fight."

"Fight what? Ravens won't attack us," Gerithor replied. "Unless there are worse enemies in these parts, we'll just have to be careful."

"Do not speak of our errand from here out, unless it is done in secrecy," Caledorn said.

"We should set a guard on the perimeter of the company, in case of ambushes," Halbarad said. Flicker and Taliel nodded in agreement."

"You know, I'm not a military strategist..." Edhael said slowly as he rode forward. "But I was thinking. Perhaps we should split into two different groups. That would confuse them and make them question what our purpose truly is."

Gerithor pursed his lips together and nodded. "That actually is a decent plan. But the two groups will have to travel far enough apart, and that will make both groups more vulnerable to attack."

"In a pitched battle our group is too small to hold out for long as it is," Caledorn mused. "Splitting the groups would allow each group to travel more quickly, and more easily evade the enemy."

"True," Glorfindel said. "What do you think, Gloin?"

The sturdy dwarf nodded in agreement. "I like it! Confusing the enemy is a good thing! We'll just need to figure out where to regroup."

"That seems like an easy enough problem to solve. We shall meet where the road enters the Blue Mountains," Gerithor said.

"Agreed!" Gloin exclaimed. "Now to split up the groups."

"Gloin, I'll accompany you to the Blue Mountains," Gerithor volunteered. "Caledorn, Glorfindel, Edhael, and Taliel, you can take Flicker and half of the rangers and travel to the south of the road. I'll take Halbarad and the other half and we'll travel to the north."

"Good plan. We shall see you soon then!" Glorfindel said as he and Caledorn began to split up the rangers. Once the groups had been decided the elves rose their hands in farewell.

"Until next we meet, Gerithor," Caledorn said as he and the rest of his group rode away down the hill.

"Farewell, mellon!" Gerithor called after them. He watched until they were mere specks in the distance, then turned to Gloin.

"Y'know what this means?" Gloin asked the ranger.

"No... What does it mean?" Gerithor asked with raised eyebrow.

"We're just going to have to beat the elflings to the mountains!" Gloin exclaimed with a hearty laugh as he thumped Gerithor on the back. "Let's be off!" 

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you all know that the first book in my new fantasy series, The Sword Quest Saga, is now up! It's just the prologue and the trailer for now, but once I'm finished with this I'll be writing it!