Ten
Aragorn, Jack, and Will stumbled to the edge of the pool after emerging, desperate to see why Legolas did not follow. They watched in horror as Tarleton grabbed Blink, and Jack growled in anger at his rough handling of the boy.
“Can we go back?” Will whispered.
Aragorn didn’t reply. He stared hard at the surface, willing it to take him back. His brow furrowed with concentration, but nothing happened.
Then Legolas was shot.
Aragorn, Will, and Jack flew backward as the pool seemed to explode. A blast of light erupted from the formerly still surface, and Legolas appeared in the pool.
For a moment, all was silent. The clearing seemed to stand still, as if time had held its breath. The only movement came from the steam that rose from the pool in wavering strands.
The elf drew a breath, and time began again.
The three staggered to the side of the pool and laboriously pulled Legolas from it. Blood seeped through his tunic, and the elf breathed in low gasps. “You never......told me......it could do......that.” He smiled weakly.
Aragorn shushed him as he ripped the elf’s shirt open. “Save your strength, Legolas.” He turned to Jack and Will, desperate. “What does the gun do? I see a hole, but how do I treat it?” He ripped the end of his tunic and pressed it to Legolas’ chest.
Jack frowned. “You’ll have to dig out the ball.”
“Ball? What ball?”
“The pistol ball. Do you have a knife?” Jack felt for his, and groaned. “They took ‘em, didn’t they.”
Aragorn nodded mutely.
“Then we’ll have to bind it. We just have to get him help, soon. People have lived with bullets in them, but it’s not very common.” Jack sighed.
Suddenly, Legolas went limp. All tension went out of his body and he sprawled on the ground, the pain in his face easing.
Aragorn felt the elf relax, and whirled to search for a pulse. He calmed as he felt the beat, but stared at Legolas in confusion.
Slowly, he lifted his makeshift bandage. It was clean, not a sign of the blood that had previously stained it. The elf’s chest was puckered with a slight scar, but even as Aragorn watched, a piece of metal emerged and popped from the skin, to leave the skin smooth, with no sign of the ragged hole that had once been there.
Jack and Will clustered around to stare in amazement. “Hm. Well. That’s interesting.” Jack mused. “Some elf bodily function I should know about?”
“None that I have heard of before.” Aragorn murmured. “Perhaps he – ”
Legolas opened his eyes and sat up. He looked around in confusion. “How did I get here?” He looked up. “Aragorn. Did we escape?”
Aragorn smiled in relief. “Yes, mellon nin. We escaped.” He glanced at Jack and Will. “But the crew did not.” He looked at the steam rising from the pool. “And I fear the pool will not allow us to return.”
“We’ll never know ‘til we try, eh?” Jack said heartily, but Will could hear the undertone in his voice. Jack walked to the edge of the pool and squatted by it. “Just look in, right? What should I see?”
Aragorn came up behind him and gazed into the depths. Neither saw anything but water, and the strangely colored rocks on the bottom. “It will not work, Jack. We have used it too much. Perhaps it needs time to rest.”
Jack slapped the surface of the water in agitation. “No! We don’t have time!” Angrily, he strode through the water, then back. “Make it work!”
Legolas spoke from behind. “Perhaps Lord Elrond would know of this.”
Aragorn turned back. “How far are we into Mirkwood? Can we get to him soon?”
Legolas frowned. “We’re right on the west edge. It’s about two hundred miles to Rivendell, and we have no horses.”
“That would be no, then.” snarled Jack. “How do you get this thing to work again?”
He reached into the water and grabbed a blue stone from the bottom. He stared at it strangely for a moment, then glared at the water. He sat frozen, staring, for a long moment.
Finally, he stirred and shook himself. “There’s a pattern. Blue, purple, green.” He counted off, then the set his blue stone down precisely. He shifted another stone, eyed the water, then moved another. He stopped. “There’s one red stone. It doesn’t fit.”
Will scrambled to his side. “In the middle, perhaps?” He considered. “No. There. Where the swirl meets the edge.”
Aragorn stared into the water. All he saw were colored stones. No pattern jumped out at him. Yet the two men were concentrated wholly on their task, as if mesmerized by what only they could see.
Will nudge one last stone into line, then leapt backward as the pool flashed brightly, then settled into a comfortable view of the cave the four had come from. Jack turned to Aragorn and Legolas. “We’d understand if you didn’t want to come, but we’d like the help if you’ll give it.”
The friends exchanged looks, then nodded. “We will help, but we’ll need weapons.”
Jack gestured to the floor in the reflection, where most of the soldiers lay, passed out. “I don’t think we’ll have a problem.” The pirate flashed a roguish grin. “Let’s get my ship!”
“Can we go back?” Will whispered.
Aragorn didn’t reply. He stared hard at the surface, willing it to take him back. His brow furrowed with concentration, but nothing happened.
Then Legolas was shot.
Aragorn, Will, and Jack flew backward as the pool seemed to explode. A blast of light erupted from the formerly still surface, and Legolas appeared in the pool.
For a moment, all was silent. The clearing seemed to stand still, as if time had held its breath. The only movement came from the steam that rose from the pool in wavering strands.
The elf drew a breath, and time began again.
The three staggered to the side of the pool and laboriously pulled Legolas from it. Blood seeped through his tunic, and the elf breathed in low gasps. “You never......told me......it could do......that.” He smiled weakly.
Aragorn shushed him as he ripped the elf’s shirt open. “Save your strength, Legolas.” He turned to Jack and Will, desperate. “What does the gun do? I see a hole, but how do I treat it?” He ripped the end of his tunic and pressed it to Legolas’ chest.
Jack frowned. “You’ll have to dig out the ball.”
“Ball? What ball?”
“The pistol ball. Do you have a knife?” Jack felt for his, and groaned. “They took ‘em, didn’t they.”
Aragorn nodded mutely.
“Then we’ll have to bind it. We just have to get him help, soon. People have lived with bullets in them, but it’s not very common.” Jack sighed.
Suddenly, Legolas went limp. All tension went out of his body and he sprawled on the ground, the pain in his face easing.
Aragorn felt the elf relax, and whirled to search for a pulse. He calmed as he felt the beat, but stared at Legolas in confusion.
Slowly, he lifted his makeshift bandage. It was clean, not a sign of the blood that had previously stained it. The elf’s chest was puckered with a slight scar, but even as Aragorn watched, a piece of metal emerged and popped from the skin, to leave the skin smooth, with no sign of the ragged hole that had once been there.
Jack and Will clustered around to stare in amazement. “Hm. Well. That’s interesting.” Jack mused. “Some elf bodily function I should know about?”
“None that I have heard of before.” Aragorn murmured. “Perhaps he – ”
Legolas opened his eyes and sat up. He looked around in confusion. “How did I get here?” He looked up. “Aragorn. Did we escape?”
Aragorn smiled in relief. “Yes, mellon nin. We escaped.” He glanced at Jack and Will. “But the crew did not.” He looked at the steam rising from the pool. “And I fear the pool will not allow us to return.”
“We’ll never know ‘til we try, eh?” Jack said heartily, but Will could hear the undertone in his voice. Jack walked to the edge of the pool and squatted by it. “Just look in, right? What should I see?”
Aragorn came up behind him and gazed into the depths. Neither saw anything but water, and the strangely colored rocks on the bottom. “It will not work, Jack. We have used it too much. Perhaps it needs time to rest.”
Jack slapped the surface of the water in agitation. “No! We don’t have time!” Angrily, he strode through the water, then back. “Make it work!”
Legolas spoke from behind. “Perhaps Lord Elrond would know of this.”
Aragorn turned back. “How far are we into Mirkwood? Can we get to him soon?”
Legolas frowned. “We’re right on the west edge. It’s about two hundred miles to Rivendell, and we have no horses.”
“That would be no, then.” snarled Jack. “How do you get this thing to work again?”
He reached into the water and grabbed a blue stone from the bottom. He stared at it strangely for a moment, then glared at the water. He sat frozen, staring, for a long moment.
Finally, he stirred and shook himself. “There’s a pattern. Blue, purple, green.” He counted off, then the set his blue stone down precisely. He shifted another stone, eyed the water, then moved another. He stopped. “There’s one red stone. It doesn’t fit.”
Will scrambled to his side. “In the middle, perhaps?” He considered. “No. There. Where the swirl meets the edge.”
Aragorn stared into the water. All he saw were colored stones. No pattern jumped out at him. Yet the two men were concentrated wholly on their task, as if mesmerized by what only they could see.
Will nudge one last stone into line, then leapt backward as the pool flashed brightly, then settled into a comfortable view of the cave the four had come from. Jack turned to Aragorn and Legolas. “We’d understand if you didn’t want to come, but we’d like the help if you’ll give it.”
The friends exchanged looks, then nodded. “We will help, but we’ll need weapons.”
Jack gestured to the floor in the reflection, where most of the soldiers lay, passed out. “I don’t think we’ll have a problem.” The pirate flashed a roguish grin. “Let’s get my ship!”