Celeborn's Nine - Riders of the Night

Elrohir and Elladan crept over the narrow mountainous trail with their eyes on the cliffs above them. Tiger was up there trying to flush high climbing moungtain goats and sheep their way. Every so often they would glimpse a magnificent ram but it was if the moment they saw it, it saw them and ducked back. But the brothers were determined and once they had a flock located, they hurried to get up the rocky trail after them. Tiger could see what they were doing and circled the small group to prevent them from getting away. And while the thought of bringing down a huge ram with a full curl appealed to the brothers, a half grown kid would be better eating.

With the mountains at the top of the world in the distance, the landscape was not as alien to the elven eyes as one might have first thought. Elrohir and Elladan were seasoned travelers, and there were mountain ranges between Rohan and Rivendell that were almost as magnificent as these. Pausing on a rocky ledge, the wind blowing their dark hair back, the brothers revelled in the beauty around them. Like two young stallions, they drank in the wind and exhalted in their own lives. They were the immortal twins of myth who forsook that immortality to stay at the only place they knew and loved. A life of eternal ease and luxury sounded boring to them...forever doing nothing. Better to live passionately like a bright fire, to know what if felt like to get drunk and wake up with a hangover, to whore and love, that was life.

Returning to the hunt, they continued up the mountain side and listened for Tiger's cough. She no doubt was beginning to think she would have to kill the goats herself if they were going to eat this day.

Master did not object to her hunting with any of the other elves or men, but he always told her to be careful, like a jinn tiger could not take care of herself. Reclining on her own rocky ledge with the goats below her and the twins coming up below them, she yawned and wondered how much longer this was going to take. There was a stream near camp and she could have caught some fish for supper, something King Aragorn seemed inclined to, but no one else wanted fish two nights in a row. So now she was watching the twins, most beautiful twins, hunt goats. Thinking it would help out, she roared and spooked the goats into the open. Elrohir was on top of it this time and shot one as it sprang into the open. Now she could go back to her beautiful master.

Rising up she looked towards the great mountain range and saw something approaching in the sky. She had never seen anything like that before, what was it? Staring intently at the five dark objects approaching them, she curled her nose to see if there was any scent on the air. Elrohir and Elladan were farther down the cliff side, the goat's death leap taking it almost to the bottom, so they weren't as close to her as they had been.

She shape shifted and stood up but then decided that was not a wise thing to do. She had better skills in her tiger skin. Still?

Dunz saw the woman/tiger on the highest rocky point and motioned for the orcs and leatherwings with him to go after her. Suffering from a cat's curiosity, she had hesitated too long. The net dropped on her and she screamed savagely and tried to claw her way out, but her struggles only secured her more firmly in the net. He knew they had to get away quickly because the twins were probably hurrying up the rock right now to rescue her.


Elrohir appeared first and fired, killing one of the orcs sitting on the back of a creature he had never seen before. It looked like a bird and a bat combined but with neither feather nor fur. And it had teeth sticking out of it's long muzzle. The others were quickly airborn with Tiger. Elladan fired and killed another orc, but they were afraid to keep shooting. If Tiger was dropped, the fall would kill her.

Running back down to their horses, they untied the pack horse, wrote a quick note, attached it to the harness, and slapped the horse on the butt to send it back to the camp. Then climbing on their own mounts, they put spurs to their sides and rode after the fleeing orcs. There was no way they would have dared return to the camp without Tiger.
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Legolas grabbed the reins of the returning pack horse and found Elladan's note. He read it quickly and then handed it to Celeborn. It was a simple message: orcs, Tiger, in pursuit.

"Fools!" Celeborn hissed. "Saddle up!"
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Khamul looked at the snarling tiger crouching infront of him and smiled. She was a shape shifter of some sorts, and while he admired the striped beauty in front of him, he wanted the human female. All it took was one touch of his lance to have her slinking back in fear. Liquid electricity. It had the power to tame anything. "Show me your other face," he said icily and threatened her with the lance again.

Tiger relented and found herself kneeling infront of a creature who existed on two planes. The dark shadowy one of this world and a macabre spirit creature that vaguely resembled a man. This was what Lord Celeborn was looking for. Tiger looked around. The keep was dark and cold with only a few torches giving it light. And it smelled bad. Master was not going to be able to find Tiger here.
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Elrohir and Elladan had to leave their exhausted horses at the foot of the great pass and continue on foot, and long after midnight they pressed their bodies against a boulder and stared at the dark keep of Khamul. A sheer wall of solid granite jutted outward and met the face of the mountain, an impregnable fortress with no visible way inside. Any hope of an easy rescue were dashed by what they were seeing. All they could do right now was wait for their grandfather to arrive, and something told them he was not going to be happy.
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Celeborn was furious but he also understood why his grandsons took off alone after the orcs. They liked the jinn tiger and probably thought they could rescue her. Foolishness of course. Khamul probably took the tiger in hopes of luring them all into a trap. And with all element of surprise now gone, the elf lord was even beginning to consider the viability of continuing the pursuit. Turn back and leave all his riders behind, because that would be the results. Even Glorfindel who ought to have more sense was acting like an elf driven. Of course the dwarf was driven. Somewhere along the way he developed a fondness for the tiger...fresh meat had a way of winning over Gimli's affections. For Aragorn it was the principal of the thing. He had come this far to remove the last threat to his heirs, and the tiger wouldn't have been here if they hadn't come this way. Kill Nazgul, save Tiger...that was Aragorn. Legolas might turn back, but not if Aragorn and Gimli were staying. And forget the Galadhrim. If Haldir had asked them to follow him into the bowels of damnation, they would go.

Finding his grandson's horses quietly grazing, Celeborn motioned for them to dismount and continue on foot. They located Elladan and Elrohir just before daybreak. And it was now that Celeborn realized the enormity of their quest. There was no way inside Khamul's keep. He hadn't noticed it when Longma took him up the first time. He wondered why?

"Well, we have one advantage," Gimli spoke up.

"What's that?" Legolas asked.

"Tiger's inside and we've got Hal-dear. Khamul won't know what hit him when she decides she wants out."

Everyone but Hal-dear actually chuckled at the thought of the Nazgul trying to control the jinn tiger. But Gimili did have a point, Tiger wasn't going to be sitting on her tail waiting to be rescued.
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Tiger snarled at the orcs and lashed at one with a wicked paw. It squeeled as she ripped into his back shoulder, but his companion slammed her with a club and drove her back. Another orc came at her with a lash, and the thin leather strips whipped across her back. Spinning to face him, she was stuck on the other side. It was becoming too much for her too keep fighting them, but everytime she tried to stop, tried to crouch against the wall, they poked at her. And she didn't dare assume her human shape.

Finally unable to continue after being tormented all night, she just laid her head on her paws and let them lash and club her. They were going to do it if she fought or not. She closed her eyes and thought of her beautiful Master, and sometimes she thought of Longma. But mostly she thought of Celestial and what he would do to the orcs if he was here. Celestial would eat the orcs. But Celestial had been hurt in the fight with the dark naga. Longma would not come with Celestial hurt.

Finally the orcs went away and left Tiger locked in a cell that was dark and smelled real bad. She saw tiny eyes in the dark, but she was too sore and tired to give much thought to them. Closing her eyes, she willed herself to sleep.
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Celeborn and Glorfindel looked at their map and notes and saw what the problem was. They had seen a gate into the Keep that was no longer there.

"He's using magic to hide it from us," Glorfindel said.

Celeborn looked at the enormous wall and then compared it to the map. The gate was beside the third tower, if it was still there. "We need to check it out, but I'm certain he has guards in the towers who can see in the daylight," he said.

"And orcs at night," Aragorn added. "But even if there is a gate, how do we get in? He's not going to open it for us."

"True," Glorfindel agreed, "but a way in is also a way out."

Haldir, whose patience was wearing thin, just wanted to do something. "Let me go check it out," he offered.

"No," Celeborn said. "They'll be looking for something like that."

"I'm not going to just sit here," Haldir countered impatiently, drawing a stern look from his lord. Yes, he was. He'd spent all of his life obeying Celeborn; he wasn't going to change now. He sat there and waited, while who knows what was happening to Tiger.
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Tiger opened her eyes and found herself staring at the smallest human being she had ever seen. Delicate wings fanned her back and she seemed perfectly formed. Tiger blinked in surprise. A pari! Tiger was being visited by a pari. Making certain no orcs were about, Tiger sat up and offered her hand to the delicate sprite.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Mena," the pari answered in a voice so tiny only a jinn tiger could hear it.

"You are in a bad place, Mena," Tiger said. "Better you go home."

"I heard you crying," Mena said, "when those bad creatures hit you."

"Orcs," Tiger explained. "You are pleasant company,Mena, but Tiger would have preferred Celestial."

"Who is Celestial?"

"A dragon, and my friend. He would be able to get Tiger out of here."

"Why doesn't he come then?"

"I don't think he can. The dark naga bit him several times and that hurt him."

Mena considered it a moment. "That is sad."

"Yes, it is," Tiger agreed. "And my beautiful master does not know where I am. Tiger is in a lot of trouble."

"There are men and elves outside the keep," Mena told her, hoping that would make her happy. "Is your beautiful master one of them?"

"I am sure he is," Tiger said with a smile. Then she frowned. "This is a bad place, Mena. There are many humans and orcs here. Too many for Lord Celeborn."

Dunz heard the tiger talking and growled, "Who are you talking to?"

Tiger shape shifted and growled at the ugly orc. He was back for some more fun. Tiger roared fiercely as the whip bit at her hide and drove her back away from the cell door.