Celeborn's Nine - Riders of the Night

Author's note: Oh Wow! I had actually forgotten that Agaznamahn had been a part of that scene...sort of. I need to consider that. But I want a few more adventures with Tiger before........(smiles)
And this tale is nowhere near over..............

'Do not fly yet', Longma told the dragon who then slipped back into the river. She needed to go up with him and see where Haldir was first. His brothers, the Galadhrim and most certainly Glorfindel would want to be along, but their horses were too slow to keep up with the dragon. And there was Tiger to consider. She needed to be awake for Celestial to locate Haldir, but as hurt as she was, it would be dangerous to take her along. Longma did not want to think about the missing elf too much, what he might be going through. Such thoughts would interfere with doing things the right way.

'Celestial?'

'Yes?'

'Can you feel Master?'

'Faintly.'

'What do you feel?'

'Fear, anger, weariness.'

It was what she had expected. Fear, anger and weariness could be dealt with a little while longer. Pain, terror, the scent of a daeva, those things would have required immediate action. Haldir was vulnerable and either one or both would be tempted to take advantage of it.

'Celestial?'

'Yes.'

'If in any way you sense Agaz or Agaznamahn, let me know. I'm going to give Tiger one more day before we go up.' Deciding that maybe now was the time to let at least Glorfindel know what was going on, she caught his eye and indicated they needed to talk outside.

"I know you've been talking to the dragon,"Glorfindel said one they were away from the small house.

"Tiger has a link to Haldir. She can feel him but can't find him. Celestial can't feel him except through Tiger, and she must be awake. If Celestial can feel him, he can find him."

Glorfindel gazed down the river where the dragon waited in the water. Celestial was watching them. "You are going up tomorrow to look for Haldir?"

"Yes. Tiger will be able to manage it then."

"Did Celestial sense him to the east or the west?"

"If he were in Bree, I'm certain Celestial would have had a stronger sense of him through Tiger. He is on the other side of the mountain, but where I do not know."

"It doesn't matter. The Galadhrim and I will ride. We will cross the mountains and be on the other side. If you can get me a general direction, we can be headed that way when you pass."

Longma looked at the dragon. 'Do you have a sense of where?'

'I need to go up.'

'Do it then but be quiet. And don't tell Tiger what you are doing. She Will Have one more day of rest.'

Celestial started turning in the water, reminding Glorfindel of a cat getting ready to lie down, but instead of sinking lower in the water, the dragon leaped straight into the sky, the water pouring off him. It was a magnificent sight.

Celestial could not get too far away from Tiger or the 'feel' for her master would slip away. It was like listening to someone else's conversation. If you got too far away from it, you couldn't hear it anymore. Oh, he could feel Tiger easily, she and he were spirits of magic and kin, but her master, although immortal, was simple flesh and blood.

Snaking higher into the sky, until he was gazing at the tops of the mountains, Celestial paused and came to rest on a cloud. He opened his mighty mind and touched the jinn tiger's thoughts. Longma was going to be upset with him, but he needed Tiger's help. She needed to concentrate on Master. She needed to find that part of herself in him and focus on it. Turning his head to the north and south, to the east and west, he felt Master as a faint scent in the air. Master was to the southeast. That was the best he could do without Tiger on his back.

Returning to the river, he settled down carefully so as not to splash Lord Celeborn who had now joined Longma and Glorfindel.

'Where did you sense him?'

'South of the sunrise.'

Longma knew that to mean the southeast. Glorfindel and Celeborn sprinted towards the stables, pausing briefly at the small house to grab the Galadhrim. Within the hour they were riding hard through the main street of Rivendell in an attempt to be in position before the dragon caught up with them the following day.

Tiger, desperately wanting to go with them, was assured by Longma that they needed to wait one more day. That Glorfindel and Celeborn had to be on the other side of the mountain before Celestial took flight. And Tiger, if she could, needed to reassure Master that they were coming. To do that Tiger needed to lay quietly and concentrate on him. He needed to know he wasn't alone anymore.
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Haldir looked up as the door to the cell opened and Armanea entered with a couple of her guards. "How did you fair?' she asked curiously and raked him up and down with her eyes. Something wasn't right. She grabbed a fistful of his hair and jerked his head back. "Someone's been with you!" she hissed angrily. "Who?"

Haldir knew she wouldn't believe him, but he did see this as a way to dish out a little payback. Without actually saying anything, he looked at Brute, whose eyes suddenly got as large as plates at Armanea spun around and glared at him.

"No, my lady! No! I was nowhere near him!"

"He speaks the truth!" another guard interjected. "Lothal never left the guardroom last night."

Armanea looked back at Haldir who was wearing the faintest ghost of a smile on his face. She suddenly struck him across the face with the quirt that had been dangling from her wrist, the blow cutting deep into cheek and licking around to his ear. Since nothing else seemed to work in removing the proud arrogance from his face, she started hitting him across the body as hard as she could in her cold rage. And the leather bit deep and blood splattered, igniting a white fire in him that was so consuming he feared he would scream. But teeth sank into lip, and he forced down the cries she desired. Blood was running from his mouth before she finished and the guards with her were beginning to wonder if the courage they were seeing was the courage of a monster. When the elf dared to raise his head, they saw a strength in his eyes that was at once terrible and gallant to behold. He would die with his honor intact, that they were sure of.

Armanea looked at her work, at the way she had marred his perfection with the bite of a quirt. And even still he was beautiful in his misery, in his own blood, in his pain. His hair, the palest of golds, was splattered with red and clinging to his slashed skin. But there was one more cruelty she had to inflict on him, one cruelty that would end with his death.

"Hold his head back," she said as she drew a small fine pointed dagger from her sleeve. One of the guards grabbed a handful of hair and forced his head back, showing Armanea his throat. And it was a beautiful throat, a stallion's throat. She caressed it, felt for the deep pulses; she wanted a jugular. With the tip of the fine dagger, she punched a hole through his skin and into the great vein. He jerked but no sound escaped his lips. Black blood oozed up to the skin and slowly ebbed down his body. Slowly, slowly, bleeding to death.
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Tiger turned over on her stomach with Dog beside her and shut out all light and pain with a pillow over her head. Master? Master, where are you? She could feel him as soft candle flame flickering at the edge of her mind. She focused all her attention on it, caring for nothing but that gentle flame. She imagined his beautiful face and poured her whole heart into touching him.
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Armanea was surprised by the sudden sorrow she saw in his eyes. She couldn't know that he had just been touched by a jinn tiger, or that once more with safety close at hand, he was seeing himself die. But he still clung to the caressing thoughts with their promise of rescue.

Haldir would hold on to Tiger's touch as long as he could. It was all he had. How many hours, how many days before the black blood stopped flowing and he died?

Tiger, I need you.
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Tiger's night was restless. She wanted to leave now, go find Master, but Longma refused before there was light in the sky. Tiger glared at her, growled, showed Longma her tigerhand claws,but Longma refused. She and Tiger could certainly make an impressive entrance anywhere Haldir was being held, but they were going to need the elves who were by now pushing their horses hard across the Plains of Rohan.

"Longma!" Tiger hissed in her face. "I see sunlight."

Longma, lying on a couch, looked out the door Tiger had opened and could see nothing even remotely resembling sunlight. "Are you sure?" she asked wearily and put her hand over her forehead.

"Longma, please. Master needs me."

Longma opened her eyes and looked at Tiger's desperate face. "Very well."

Tiger jumped up and grabbed Dog, but Longma was able to convince her to leave Dog behind this time. Tiger quickly explained to Dog why he could not go and then ran up the tail of the dragon behind Longma. Celestial, giving vent to his emotions, roared fiercely as he rose from the water and then leaped into the sky. Dog stood on the riverbank and watched them fly away; he then sighed heavily and lay down to wait.
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Celestial topped the highest mountaincrest and paused in flight to view the rising sun. Pawing the winds, he turned his head towards the southeast and said, 'Longma, the flame is dimming. Tiger does not understand it."

'Fly swiftly then Celestial. Fly with all your might.'