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Silmeriel was thrown to the ground in the middle of the ring of men, her hands and feet bound. Cuma lifted her up by the front of her tunic, glared at her, then threw her against the wall, hard. He signaled to his men. They spun her around and pushed her against the wall. "Tell us why you're here and who sent you." Cuma demanded. Silmeriel spit in his face. "I wouldn't tell you anything, scum!" she shouted. "Perhaps after some...persuasion you will." he said, leering viciously. The men descended on her. One tied her to a tall pole, and another raised his whip. Silmeriel closed her eyes as it descended on her back, again and again, crying out at the pain. She slumped to the floor, only to be met by the vicious boot-kicks aimed at her ribs and head. Under their punishing force, she lost consciousness once more.
Neal was beginning to panic. Why was she here, and what did they want with her?
The boy didn't know what to do. He wanted to kill her... but he had failed. Instead, he, himself, had been taken captive.
The big man stood in front of Neal, while sharpening a knife. 'Mr. Cain wants his money back...' He looked at Neal with an icy gaze. I would suggest you paying him back, and your life just might be spared.'
"I don't have the money..." Neal said through clenched teeth. She was very scared but made herself not look it.
"Go tell Mr. Cain that I had a pleasure doing business with him..." She said sarcastically.
Telturwen wondered around the city. She went into an Inn and saw large men drinking their hearts out. She took a sniff of air and coughed out smoke. She hated these places. She was staying in a room in this one. She went up the stairs, into her room. She heard yelling and shouting out of the window, but when she looked out it, no one or nothing was there. She became confused. She walked out of the Inn and as soon as she stepped out of the door she lept backward because a white horse almost had ran her over. She cursed under her breath.
Silmeriel woke slowly, then wished she hadn't. Her head still pounded. *Elenanna?* she called weakly, questioningly.
Airain talked with the innkeeper for a while before finally getting out of him where the man lived, and his name. Which was Rean. Airain quickly mounted her horse and rode towards the man's house. When she reached the house she looked through the windows and saw nothing, complete darkness. She sighed, the man probably wasn't holding Neal here, and he probably wasn't there at all. She knocked on the door but there was no answer. She finally got annoyed and kicked open the door and walked inside the house.
Rabaûr was shocked when the hobbit she was seeking suddenly appeared in front of her. One look at Elanor's frightened glances gave her enough information...a large man was following her. She shoved the hobbit past her roughly.
"Act as if you don't know me!"
She walked up to the man as if noticing him for the first time. Turning to him, she called gruffly, "Minaldâi!"
He looked at her, surprised. She spoke again. "You are to report back...to the boss. He is not pleased. I suggest you drop everything and go." She turned to leave, satisfied by the sound of retreating footsteps, and gave a small sigh of relief.
Finding the hobbit against a wall, she said "Elanor, we must go. We aren't safe here anymore..."
As they hurried back through the city to Rabaûr's room, she contemplated the possible ramifications of her actions.
Elenanna led the boy to the dungeons and pushed him to the guards. "Keep him here until someone is sent to retrieve him."
Elanor followed Rabaûr to her room. "So what are we going to do now?" she asked when they entered.
Elenanna rode her mare to excercise her some more. Shadowpax nickered and Elenanna chuckled. She patted her mare's neck.
Meanwhile
A cloaked figure sat in the corner talking to another. His face was shadowed, and he was known by no one in Gondor. He stood up and walked out of the tavern. His search for the one who had killed his great-grandfather was starting to seem hopeless. but he wouldn't stop. Not until she was dead.
Telturwen stood on the side of the road and waited for something interesting to happen. She had no idea where everyone had gone. They'd all just left her, but she figured she could stir up some mischief on her own.
*Elenanna?* Silmeriel called, weaker by the second.
Neal looked at the man with bitter, cold eyes. There was rage and fear burning in them. She eyed the knife warily. She would not tell them anything, even if it was her life that was going to go.
The boy sighed as he leaned his back on the wall.
~~
The man who was questioning Neal stopped sharpening the knife, and went to stand behind her, putting the knife to her throat threatingly. 'I will ask you only once more.' he said with a rough voice. 'I know you have his money, where are they?'
Silmeriel grabbed a passing breeze quickly, before it flew past. "Tell Elenanna and the others I need help.." she released it, praying they'd find out. She took stock of her injuries before she fell into unconsciousness once more- several broken ribs, bruises all over her torso, slashes on her legs, cuts on her arms- she moved her arm, and gasped at the pain. Broken arm, too.
Neal stuck her chin up defiantly. Her eyes flashed. She smiled smugly at the man. He wasn't going to get anything out of her.
Airain rummaged through the man's house tearing down the place to the ground. Everything was a mess when she was finished with it but she found an address to another place. It possibly could be the place where the man was holding Neal.
The man looked at her with an evil grin, yet annoyance in his eyes. 'Very well.' he spoke. He sheathed the knife and went to speak with a guard who stood right outside the room, leaving Neal to herself for a few minutes. After a bit, he came in, accompanied by two others. 'Look after this girl' he whispered. 'She is not to be harmed, by order of Mr. Cain.' He then left, but to where, only few knew.
Neal watched as the man left. There were two other men watching her now.
The man, Rean, that was holding Neal, had her held captive in a place on the outskirts of Minas Tirith. It was a very secretive place that few entered. Airain was able to locate it though and she found that Neal was in fact there. The two men that were left watching over Neal, were facing her, standing up and not moving.
Neal looked up, shocked, when she saw both the men in front of her fall forward to the ground. She watched as she saw Airain pull her Elven knives out from the guard's backs. Airain cut the bonds around Neal before sheathing her Elven blades again.
"Neal, are you okay? What did the man want from you?" Airain asked.
Rean, the man, believed the girl was in "good" hands. Rowena couldn't possibly be able to find her. Or could she? Thinking this over, he crossed the great river of Anduin with little difficulty, and headed toward the hills of Emyn Arnon.
Neal looked at Airain.
"The money..." She said.
Neal stumbled out of the chair. Her head was throbbing.
Airain grabbed Neal and steadied her.
"What did they do to you?" She asked looking at her, because Neal was holding her head painfully.
'Knocked me out with a rock. That's all. Other than threatening to kill me...' Neal shrugged.
Airain sighed. "They clearly don't want you dead. Those guards were only watching over you..they had no intention of killing you. 'The Employer' wants his money back, from what I can gather." Airain said leading Neal out of the building.
' Wait.' Neal said.
'We need to find the employer, its personal now.' Neal said.
'His name is 'Mr. Cain.' Neal said. She looked Airain in the eye. It was more than personal.
Silmeriel felt the hard knots against her wrists. She pulled, and heard several somethings snap. Encouraged, she continued, until she realized she was in no position to run. She slumped back down. The others would never find her, and Cuma would make sure she never got well enough to escape.
Elanor felt that Silmeriel wanted her so she went in search to find her.
"Neal..it’s always been personal. I have a bounty on my life. But listen to me, we cannot go off and aimlessly search for this 'Mr. Cain' you don't even know if that’s his real name, and we have no idea where he could be. So for now..we need to worry about protecting ourselves, the mystery of 'Mr. Cain' will unravel soon. But for now...we wait." Airain said.
Rabaûr was surprised to see Elanor walk out of the room. She followed her.
"Where are you going? We don't know where the others are, or what they're doing..."
"I think something happened to Silmeriel. Plus these men might be after them too. They will need our help." said Elanor.
"I know! I know its been personal for you!" Neal snapped. Her anger rising.
"But you don't know how hard it was running from them, then getitng captured so openly." Neal said, her tone firery.
Neal immediatly realized her tone. Instead of fixing it she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Neal, I as well have been through very many things in my life. So do not mistake for one moment that I don't know what you feel like. I understand you're anger..just don't let it consume you. We will find out more about this later. For now, we need to leave this place. We don't know who could be coming back." Airain said, about ready to drag Neal out herself.
As she approached the tower, she was joined by Morwen. "Morwen."
"Where were you?" the other elf asked. Elenanna said, "Taking care of buisness in the lower levels of Minas Tirith."
Morwen nodded.
Meanwhile
His eyes narrowed as he watched the Lothenedhel approach the tower. He raised his bow, notched an arrow, and aimed. The string held taut, his eyes moving. He pulled the string further back and took a more careful aim. He released it and it flew into the mare's leg. He cursed and then backed away, seeming to melt into the shadows.
Elenanna was caught off guard as Shadowpax reared. She slid off and fell to the ground, hitting her head hard. Her vision became slightly uncoordinated as she tried to get up.
Morwen had dismounted her horse and tried to grab the Meara's reins, but Shadowpax whinnied and kicked. She jumped away in time and saw the arrow in the leg. She sighed and spoke in a calming manner, grabbing the reins. She kept speaking in her native language, and soon the mare had calmed down a bit.
Elenanna felt a pain in her head and reached up to feel it. She sighed as she felt blood on her hair. She glanced toward the alley but didn't see anyone.
Morwen looked at her friend and said, "We need to get Shadowpax's leg looked at."
Elenanna nodded and she walked toward the mare. Morwen stopped her, however, and said, "Get on my horse."
Elenanna protested, but Morwen stood strong. The Lothenedhel soon gave up and said, "Fine, Morwen..." and mounted the gelding. The two elves pushed the horses into a walk and headed up to the citadel.
Neal did not respond to Airain, as they left the facility that Neal had been held in. They made their way back into the heart of Gondor when Airain spotted Elenanna.
Neal was atubbornly silent out of frustration. She set her jaw and made her eyes only look to what was infront of her.
Silmeriel appeared to be sleeping, even in a coma, but her mind was racing. It was unlikely anyone would come to rescue her. At the same time, she'd need a very long time to be healed. If she tried leaving now, she'd probably die in the moving, but she might make it. It was her best shot. So that night, as the men went to bed, she painfully dragged herself out through the window. She managed to get out of their path and a little out of their way before she collapsed, as bad off as she'd been before. She was going to die here, never having done anything, and there was no hope left.
Neal went to the stables. She was petting Hareth when she felt something. Hareth was pawing the ground nervously. Someone was in trouble. Hareth had only acted like this once, when her spy master was killed. She quickly tacked up Hareth and got on her back.
"Lead me there." Neal murmered. Hareth took off at a gallop, on her back was a wary, wounded girl, who was going to save her friend.
Mist played over the ground, shrouding Silmeriel, then gusting away as the sun rose.
(OOC-Allright...please post your characters if you're joining, or rejoining in the charry thread!))
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