Celeborn's Nine - Riders of the Night

Author's note: Did anyone remember what Argimenes said the eyes of the ring were made of? What if he was right? Beginning of the Prometheus line

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The vulture settled on the Titan's body, one taloned foot digging into his breast, the other into his belly. IF it were possible to sweat blood, the Titan would have been, as the vulture lowered its beak to his belly.
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Tiger awoke with a sharp cry and reached for Haldir. She was frantic, believing something was hurting him, and nothing he said could reassure her that he was all right. Confused and frightened, her mind filled with an image she could not understand, she clung to him for a moment and then released him to pace.

The Sakas watched her in numb silence, while the twins, none the worse for their experience, tried to understand what was going on. It was only by chance that Glorfindel, sensing that he and Celeborn knew what was going on, noticed her ring.

"Look at the eyes," he said.

Haldir grabbed Tiger's hand and held it up. The dragon's eyes were bleeding. This immediately sent the Sakas rushing to saddle their horses as they believed a great magic was about to happen. Haldir tried to pull the ring off Tiger's finger, but it wouldn't move, and then Tiger got a strange look in her eyes that he had never seen before. He was standing right in front of her, but she didn't see him.

Glorfindel felt the sudden surge in power around Tiger. She was about to shape shift into something new and more dangerous than a jinn tiger. Lunging for Haldir, Glorfindel threw him back as Tiger caught fire, and from within that fire leaped a red mare with flames for mane and tail. The Sakas became excited and swung on their horses. Celeborn motioned that they needed to do the same thing. Tiger was about to start running.

Glorfindel, still keeping Haldir away from Tiger, looked up at Celeborn and said, "You know where she's going, don't you?"

Grabbing the front of Glorfindel's tunic, Haldir hissed, "What's happening? You know!"

Tiger squealed but it was not the cry of a mortal animal. There was fear and pain and rage in her voice. Tossing her head, the flames illuminating the still dark sky, she looked around, faced east and started to run.

"HUrry before we lose her!" Celeborn shouted.

"She's going to him, to Prometheus," Glorfindel relucatantly answered. "And we'll lose her if we don't ride now."

Haldir was stunned that Glorfindel had been keeping this secret from him, but his body reacted on its own and he hurried to get his horse ready to follow Tiger, or that thing that had been Tiger. Within minutes the nine were spurring their horses behind Celeborn and the Sakas, following the flame that was his lover.

All though the day they gave chase, coming close but not close enough to catch her, and while Haldir tried calling to her, she ignored him, answering a summons none of them could hear. The Sakas proving just how tough their horses were stayed with the elves, their leader Scopias just as determined to find out where the mare was going.

Sometimes the mare (no one could bring themselves to say that that was Tiger) would slow to a trot but she was always just beyond their reach. When it got dark they followed the light burning off her mane and tail. As morning approached her speed picked up until she was running flat out. It was at these times they lost her, but Scopias showed them where the grass had been burnt by her passing. All they had to do was follow that.

Having a trail to follow meant they could stop and rest the horses, get something to eat, or in the case of the Sakas, get some sleep. It also meant Haldir could find out why no one thought it important enough to tell him about Prometheus and his connection to Tiger.

Grabbing Glorfindel by the shoulder, he jerked him around and snapped, "When were you going to tell me?"

Glorfindel stared into the young elf's face, but he had no answer for him. "We have no choice," he finally said helplessly.

"Oh, you had a choice," Haldir contradicted him and threw the first punch. "You damn well had a choice!"

Celeborn, sword in hand to seperate them, stepped forward and said, "Haldir, it was my decision to keep this from you."

Haldir stepped back, disbelief etched on his face. "Why, my Lord?" he asked in dismay.

"We can not go back," Celeborn told him, "and we feared you would try. We just did not anticipate this happening."

Glorfindel, sitting on the ground wiggling his jaw to make sure it still worked, waited for Celeborn to turn away before striking back. He was tired of Haldir's arrogance and petty jealousies. He slammed himself in Haldir's midsection and rode him to the ground. It satisfied his ears to hear Haldir grunt in pain.

Celeborn turned back, but it was too late to stop the fight. Glorfindel was not as stout as Haldir, but he was certainly every bit as tough, and he meant to hurt Haldir.

The Sakas scattered out of the way as the two combatants wrestled on the ground, but it was Glorfindel who freed his arm first and made contact with Haldir's jaw. Blood flew. Enraged, Haldir twisted free and lunged back at Glorfindel, but the elf lord was fighting with a cold brain, while the younger one was full of passion and fire. Glorfindel dodged out of the way and used his clutched fists to send Haldir into the dirt. Haldir crawled to his hands and knees, his head hanging, but he wasn't whipped. Pausing a moment, he sprang back at Glorfindel and grabbed him around the midsection. Glorfindel dropped on his back which threw Haldir face first in the dirt.

"Enough!" Orophin yelled. "Enough!"

Glorfindel threw Haldir away from him and waited. Haldir rose unsteadily to his feet and looked at the elf lord. Haldir didn't know what to do. "Maybe I should just go," he finally said, the weight of his emotions threatening to overwhelm him.

"And prove to everyone you really are a fool?" Glorfindel taunted him. "Lord Celeborn told you we have to do this. We have no choice. If you don't want Tiger, I'll gladly take her, because the god she is running to see is chained to a rock and won't be able to keep her."

"You have always wanted her," Haldir retorted angrily.

"Of course I have," Glorfindel admitted. "Everyone here has. But you were the one she bit, and so you became her master. Believe me, I would gladly bare my skin for her teeth." Haldir stared at him a long hard minute and then turned away.

"Let's ride," Celeborn said thoughtfully.
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A second night of hard riding took them closer to the Mountains of the Wild Horsemen, but they lost Tiger after sun up in the rocks. Trusting Scopias who seemed to know where he was going, Celeborn fell in beside him for the hard climb on horseback.

It was almost dusk when the Sakas drew rein and dismounted. Scopias kneeling on the dry rocky ground pointed.

Haldir's throat tightened in misery. Tiger was herself but she was lying on the ground beside the chained creator god, the side of her face lying in his manacled hand. They were looking at each other, no words passing between them, and he suspected that the words were in their minds. Slowly Prometheus turned his head and stared at them.

The Sakas dropped to their knees, but Haldir refused to bend his knee. Tiger belonged to him, and he was not going pay homage to the man who took her from him.