The Last Ring-bearer - Kirill Yeskov [176]
A frontal attack does not have to be a headlong rush, though. Sir Taranquil was a much more experienced commander than his predecessor and had no desire to cross the creek playing a target. His fighters crept up to the trees by the ford, and the sniper duel resumed. This time, though, the Elves have had time to swap in spare bowstrings, plus the rain let up a little, so their arrows sped true now; finally the Elves (without a doubt the best archers in Middle Earth) could show what they could do. The Mordorian crossbowmen fired prone from behind boulders for cover, so their corpses were not visible from this side, but Taranquil could warrant that they were down from six to two at most. Only after exploiting his advantage in fire density to the fullest did he order another attack. The other bank responded with a drawn-out and imprecise volley – but from six crossbows once again! Are these Morgoth's tricks? Did they get reinforcements?
Chapter 64
Suddenly all crossbow fire ceased and a scrap of cloth tied to a scabbard waved over the boulders. The Elvish archers had already put five arrows through it by the time Taranquil snapped out of it and ordered: "Cease fire!! For now," he added, quieter. "Are they surrendering? Well, well…" The scrap waved for a short while longer and then the amazed Elves beheld scout Edoret, alive and well, sword in hand. "Come over, now!"
"…Where's the rest of them?" Taranquil inquired after checking out the natural fort. There were six crossbows in the gaps between the boulders but only two corpses (dressed in Mordorian uniform without insignia, but neither one an Orc by appearance; one with an arrow in his eye, the other with half his head taken off by Edoret's sword).
"I don't know, sir," the scout replied, abandoning the flask proffered by one of his comrades and grudgingly ending his saga of how he, no doubt protected by Ulmo and Oromë themselves, managed to crawl to the enemy shore some three hundred yards downstream, crept through the forest and attacked the enemy from the rear. "There were six of them at first, but by the time I got to this nest there was only one bird in it," Edoret nodded at the half-headed corpse, "he was firing all the crossbows in turn. I think that the others have retreated, sir – they were almost out of arrows. Shall we pursue?"
…When the rider from the ford caught up with Grizzly's team (this was the unheard-of reward for the first man to be wounded – to immediately carry the news), they were having a quick rest stop in a large heather field, which abound here at the edge of the Mirkwood in the Brown Lands. The lieutenant listened to the dispatch silently and his face thawed a little for the first time in three days – so far everything was going as he expected. So the Elves did send only about a hundred hunters after them, the rest being stuck fast at Dol Guldur… less however many the crossbowmen will get at that mad creek – you really can't know where you'll gain and where you'll lose. The most important thing is that if my boys manage to hold out for at least a couple of hours (which they will, there's no doubt of that now), then we'll join His Majesty's forces tonight: they had to have received messages already and even now must be on a forced march to our rescue. Watch out, Firstborn! Did we really make it?
I wonder where we should set up the new Weapon Monastery – perhaps indeed in Mordor? Wait, what am I saying – after the Gondorian army gets involved, even the densest of these smart guys will wise up. On the other hand, maybe that's for the best – where're they to go now? Guys, you've been serving the enemy for quite a while now – want us to turn you over to the Resistance with appropriate explanations? No? Sure they'll keep working on the Weapon of Vengeance for us. Well, that's all in the future; right now my job is to deliver all escorted persons safe and sound and let the commanders sort it all out. Really, who would've thought that all those Jageddins and such would become the greatest treasure of the Crown? Well, we