Part 15
Look, cried Legolas, reining in his mount and pointing
towards Emyn Arnen. Over there! A dark, winged shape,
just visible against the starry sky, was circling the hilltops.
You were right, mellon nín! It is hiding
in the hills.
Do you think your wife,Bors hesitatedis
still safe, my Lord?
Yes, she is alive, said Legolas. Since finding
Eowyn again, he had had an almost constant impression of her
state of mind. She was startled a moment ago, but she
does not seem frightened now. He turned to Bors. We
will give the horses another short restI intend to ride
through the night.
And when we reach the hills, my Lord, said Bors,
what then?
We will climb, like Túrin Turambar.
In Camelot, said Bors, thoughtfully, it is
said that the men of past ages were giants compared to the men
of today...
The same is said here, mellon nín, said
Legolas. Ah... You think that we are over-matched.
A trifle, my Lord.
Well, you are the one who knows about dragons. What is
their weakness?
Save for the belly, which is a little softer than
the back, Sire, Im not sure I know of any.
...
By the time they had reached the foothills of Emyn Arnen, a
thick layer of cloud had blotted out the moon and stars, making
it hard to recognise the peak on which they had seen the dragon
land.
Legolas scanned each hill in turn, looking for any sign of
the beast.
It would certainly break my spirit to scale the
wrong unscalable rock face, said Bors. He dismounted and,
coming up beside the elf, stared up at the hills. What
we need is some way of making it show itself. Perhaps if we
were to tether you, my Lord, dressed as a maiden, over by that
gully.
Despite himself, Legolas laughed.
Or perhaps... said the man, more seriously. Am
I right in thinking, Sire, that you can hear your
wifes thoughts?
We have a bond, said Legolas, trying to describe,
without revealing too much, how he could reach out and sense
Eowyns thoughts, and howsometimesshe could do the
same with him. Especially when the emotions are intense,
he explained, like pain or fear...
So it is likely that she could hear you now, were you
to try?
There have been moments, as we rode, when I felt that
she could hear me, said Legolas.
Then would it be worth, said Bors, trying
to speak to her, and asking her to give us some sort of signal,
my Lord?
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