Lac, Jorneff and Skajrnir had ridden hard, southeast, across the Horngurg to the White Mountains. Finally looiking upon Edoras in the distance. Approaching the gates of Edoras Lac looked at Jorneff and said "Do not look for welcome here, I sense a shadow has fallen across this place." As Lac pulled Lightining up to the gates he shouted "Hail the watch of Edoras! I am Lac'Nala of Oron_D-Naar! My companions and I have word from the Riddimark and the Rider's of Rohan. Open your gates for we seek urgent counsel with King Theoden!" ....... As the sun sank lower in the west and the shadows of evening lengthened, the great gates opened and a company of grim faced gaurds stood before Lac, Jorneff and Skarmir. They parted as Lac and his companions rode in, through the semi deserted streets of Edoras. The villages looked solem and witdrawn as Lac and his companions approached the steps leading up to the Golden Hall of Meduseld . They dismounted and climbed the stairs stopping at the doors of the Golden Hall. .

Jin was deliriously happy. She couldn’t help but giggle constantly. And make comments about things as Tiphereth did his best to move them out of the toxic spores that were affecting her so much.

”Is this what it feels like to run through a field of wildflowers? Oh Tiph….I did not know you wanted to do that with me. If you had just said something, I would have gladly run with you.”

When the Deithir swept her off her feet, she giggled again and wrapped her arms around his neck as she flirted salaciously with him. As she spoke to him she would lean in as close as she could to his ear and nip playfully at the sensitive lobe while she did her best to press her lithe form against his broad chest. Her voice was husky with lust as she spoke almost breathlessly to him.

”Oh my. I knew there were sparks flying between us but I never took you for the barbaric type but I have to say I am not displeased. I do like a man who can take control of the moment and give his woman quite the what for. Promise me you will allow me to practice my own form of domination upon you when we finish that first round.”

Jin happened to glance over his shoulder as he did his best to get them to the other side of the cavern and she could see the outline of the Gorrinvul as they appeared on the far end of the cavern.

”And you even invited some others to join in? Now this IS a surprise. Next time inform me ahead of time so I can be more prep….”

When Tiphereth tossed her like a rag doll out of the spore filled cavern, Jin let out a gleeful ‘weeeeee’ and when she landed her lilting laughter filled the cavern again. When she sat up the cool, moist breeze cleared her mind enough that she realized what had happened and saw how much danger Tiphereth was in. Blinking her eyes and shaking her head to get rid of more of the incoherent hold the toxin had on her mind, Jin finally began to think clearly but her body was still slow in reacting.

Withdrawing her cross bow from her cloak, she slowly raised it and tried to draw a bead on the Gorrinvul approaching Tiphereth. Her body was weakened by the affects of the spores toxins and she could not steady her aim for all the gold in Rohan but she finally began firing. Her first two bolts whizzed by the Gorrinvul’s heads barely missing them but they were undeterred. They were still closing the gap between them and Tiphereth when Jin squeezed her eyes tight for a moment, clenched her jaw hard then opened her eyes and steadied her hand enough where she fired off another bolt that hit the lead Gorrinvul in the center of his boney forehead. The force of her bolt knocked him back a few feet but the others continued to advance.

Slowly rising to her feet, Jin realized she couldn’t rely on her accuracy with her cross bow so she quickly put it away. But her magic was a different story. Swaying as she stood just beyond the Chlorus Cavern, she closed her eyes and began to chant ion that sing song form of spell casting she used. Her native language that usually sounded clipped and short sounded more like a lovers ballad. Between her hands of energy began to crackle. The more she chanted the more intense it grew. Finally she thrust her hands before her and light bolts of pure energy erupted from her splayed digits hitting the leading Gorrinvul full force. The energy bolts were so intense that the walking dead literally burst into bits. But that was just the leading group. Already she could see more emerging from the mist further back in the cavern.

Suppressing more giggles that threatened to take her lucidity from her again, Jin grit her teeth and began casting again. This time, when she thrust her hands forward a strong gust of wind erupted sending the spores and mist away from where Tiphereth lay. With precious little seconds, Jin rushed forward as fast as she could, which wasn’t near fast enough for her, and grabbed a hold of the bards wrists and began to tug and pull him from the area. The spores were already beginning to collect back from where she had blown them away as she struggled to pull him free.

Seeing the Gorrinvul grow closer, Jin knew she lacked the physical strength to pull Tiphereth free. With one, last ditch effort, she did the one thing she never wanted to do and that was cast a spell with Tiphereth as the target of the spell. Hopefully this would not have any effect on him as it was one she was sure that was similar to the one he used to make himself near weightless.

When her spell was released, Tiphereth’s body grew weightless and she was able to use her strength to pull him free of the spore covered cavern and away from the approaching Gorrinvul. Already she could hear their disappointed grunts and cries to the fact she had gotten their prey away from them. The effort she put into pulling Tiphereth free sent both of them tumbling backwards and rolling on the cool, earthen floor of the tunnel. More giggles threatened to erupt from her lips as another wave of incoherency tried to overtake her.

The sound of the water drew her attention again and she quickly pulled and tugged the bard with what was left of her strength towards the water. What she found when she got there was a surprise. The water collected at the base of the cascade into a pool like area. It was about ten feet wide and about 20 feet long.

Glancing behind her and seeing the Gorrinvul so close Jin could practically feel their fetid breath on her. Whispering to TIphereth as she pushed prodded and shoved until she rolled him close to the edge of the pool.

”Goddess I hope you have no trouble with water. It is our only hope at this point.”

Finally with one last grunt, Jin was able to get Tiphereth to fall over the pools edge into the water and sink below the waters surface. Before she could get herself into the water she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise in warning and quickly rolled to her right. She felt the woosh of one of the Gorrinvul’s blades against her cheek when she moved. Rolling to her feet, she stumbled before she caught her balance good enough to pull her cross bow once more. Firing off a few shots and hitting the Gorrinvul in non vital locations, she went to take a step backwards and felt her foot suddenly give out from under her.

Her arms flailed as Jin tried to get her balance thrust forward but the weight of the cross bow and the effects the toxins from the spores still had on her was too much for the Drowess to compensate for. As one of the Gorrinvul rushed forward with his blade high over head to strike her down, Jin fell backwards into the water just as the blade came down.

Jalisa never let the riders or Lac’Nala escape her protective gaze. While they didn’t know she was there, she did and that was all she cared about. The riders made excellent time as they made their way to Edoras. As Jalisa got closer to Edoras she noticed the darkness that seemed to have settled over the land here. A sense of foreboding washed over the dragoness as she stood in the shadows and watched Lac and the Rohan riders make their way into the gates and up to the golden hall.

Using her magic, she placed herself in the rafters of the Golden Hall to observe, undetected. Something was amiss here and she was going to find out what it was. Jalisa had a feeling Lac’Nala and the Rohirrim were waling into a spiders lair and she was going to make sure the spider was harmless one way or another.

The Deithir fell limply into the water and a cool wave of awareness instantly rushed through his body and mind. His eyes opened wide allowing the water to wash away the glowing green as they returned to their inky black registered where he was. He breathed in deeply allowing the water to fill his Phaerie lungs and his recovery was fast.

The Gorrinvul blade descended swift and would assuredly strike the Drowess' leather breast plate as she tumbled backward into the pool. She grit her teeth in anticipation of the burning pain as the sword stayed its course but as it bit down water erupted all around her and she felt a cold supportive hand against the small of her back. Suspended just above the surface of the pool, Jin could see the Deithir above her, sparkling green droplets of water streaming from him his skin like emeralds by the soft light of the Chlorus Cavern. His opposite arm rushed across her body with blinding speed and Tiphereth's palm struck the flat of the Gorrinvul's blade with enough force to throw creature's arm to the side. Then even as the creature began to open it's black mouth wide in protest, the bard's powerful leg lashed out, hitting it flush in the chest with explosive power. The Gorrinvul flew backwards, striking two other of it's advancing brethren, knocking them to the ground.

Many more, Gorrinvul were approaching. They flooded into the cavern by the ten's, and would be able to fight two abreast. Even if the Deithir and Drowess were at full strength they would eventually fall against shear number. They were trapped!

With little time to spare, Tiphereth looked down at the Drowess who was still supported by his arm. "You have to trust me." he told her, "Take a deep breath."

There was no time for debate. The Drowess could feel his arm quivering weakly beneath her and seeing the Gorrinvul flood madly into the dead end cavern knew that whatever option, Tiphereth was proposing was their only option.

As the screaming horde descended upon them, Tiphereth leapt into the water carrying, Jin with him. He had seen a tunnel at the far end of the pool and prayed it offered an escape. The undead Gorrinvul followed, unhindered by the lack of air, that the Phaerie also was not reliant on. The only one who relied upon a breath of air was the Drowess, and Tiphereth did not know whether or not she harbored the magic to survive beneath the water as his kind did, but they had no other choice.

As they swam deeper into the pool they descended into the blackness and soon the Drowess' breath would be spent. They had to keep going, and not knowing whether or not, Jin could cast a spell that would save her life took it upon himself to do it for her. As the dark images of their undead pursuers hovered above them, the Deithir drew the Drowess near and placed his mouth upon hers. Jin could feel a rush of cool air enter her lungs and when the Phaerie pulled away, she found that as the water entered her mouth it became as air and she could breath freely.

Motioning to Jin to enter the tunnel, Tiphereth paused before the opening and began to move his hands in the familiar somatic motions of a spell caster. The Drowess could suddenly feel the water turn cold and then she could see before the bard, the water quickly begin to freeze. First there was a thin barrier of ice that formed between them and the Gorrinvul, then as the creatures swam closer it grew thicker, enveloping the first of the Gorrinvul and suspending them in an icy tomb.

Tiphereth kicked off the barrier of ice and floated down into the tunnel to where, Jin waited. He was weary, but able to swim adequately. Before them the dark tunnel wove its way down into the earth. They had no idea where it would take them, and both hoped that it filtered into a greater source rather than tapering down into narrower tunnels that would seal their fate.

Jin blinked in total disbelief when she felt the supportive hand in the small of her back and saw Tiphereth above her. How in the name of the Gods did he….? The thought didn’t have time to complete as the Deithir fought off the Gorrinvul that was hell bent on ending her life. As she felt the Deithir’s hand begin to quiver indicating he wasn’t exactly up to strength yet, she knew they had to do something fast. Especially considering the way the Gorrinvul began to pour into the tunnel the pool formed in.

When Tiphereth told him she needed to take a deep breath, Jin tried to protest but she barely uttered a sound when she realized what the bard was doing. At the last possible second she took as much air as her lungs would allow her. As the water rushed around her body, Jin felt the cooling, cleansing effect it had upon her body. Like her Deithir friend opened her eyes and allowed the water to wash away the spores. Her senses were coming back to her now and she would be forever grateful for his intervention.

Unfortunately, Jin had no strength to cast any more spells and as they swam deeper into the pool, she began to feel her air supply running out. She tried desperately to stay with Tiphereth even as he helped guide her along but all too soon her lungs began to burn as her body began breaking down the oxygen. She had just started to panic when Tiphereth grabbed her firmly and drew close to place his mouth over hers.

As the water rushed in and turned to air, Jin could immediately feel the cleansing effect it had upon her. The haze in her mind from the spores was lifting with each passing second and the burning sensation in her lungs quickly evaporated. As soon as Tiphereth gave her the precious element she needed to survive in this aquatic world, she saw for the first time the Gorrinvul behind them. Her red eyes grew wide and as Tiphereth gestured for her to get into the tunnel, she would have protested had it not been for the fact she knew she had no choice.

As she saw his hands begin to move as he started casting his spell, she glanced in the direction she needed to go before hesitating a moment longer and moving into the tunnel. As she swam through the narrowing cave she glanced behind her and saw what Tiphereth had done. It would at least give them the opportunity to reach the other side, if there was one, without fear of the horde gaining on them.

Unfortunately, Jin was still too weak to cast and before too long she had to stop and let Tiphereth give her some of the life saving element again. Once she had her lungs filled with the precious air she swam even faster this time in an effort to get to a place where the water receded and she could breathe on her own. The tunnel grew extremely narrow and for a moment, Jin thought they had reached a dead end but then, there was a small opening and she was able to make her way through it. It would be a tight fit for the Deithir, but he cold make it through. Just to make sure, Jin waited on the other side and when she saw his hands she reached down and grabbed pulling him the rest of the way.

The area opened up around them and instinctively they swam upwards. Kicking with all her strength, Jin could feel the burning returning to her lungs as her air supply began to dwindle once more. As soon as her face was free of the water, she sucked in all the air she could and began coughing immediately. Making her way over to the side of the pool, she slowly half dragged, half pulled herself from the water then dropped and rolled over on her back. Panting heavily and still coughing from time to time, she was still able to take in the air all around her as she lay on the earthen floor of where ever it was they ended up. Her white hair had come loose from the rawhide tie she used to keep it pulled away from her face and her damp locks splayed out behind her head like a halo.

As Tiphereth came up beside her, the Drowess looked over at him. The events of the Chlorus Cavern seemed like a dream veiled in fog. She remembered bits and pieces of things but she had no clear recollection of what really took place. What she DID remember was the way she had behaved when Tiphereth picked her up. She had done the one thing she had given him her word of honor she would never do. The deep regret she felt could be seen in her red eyes and when he looked at her, Jin turned her eyes away from him.

In the past she wouldn’t have given one iota what he thought about her actions but that was a lifetime ago. Literally. She was a different being now and the fact she’d so easily reverted to her past ways made her feel as though she had done the Deithir a great injustice. With her head turned the opposite side he was lying on from her, Jin spoke softly but knew he could hear her perfectly.

”I apologize, Tiphereth. I should have…..practiced more….restraint. I am truly…..sorry for tempting….you so wrongly.”

The Deithir rose from the dark waters like Nixie rising from the depths of its home. He slowly spun around, surveying where they had ended up while the Drowess collapsed upon a shelf of rock that ran along part of the small cave. While he was able to see well in the darkness, fine details were often difficult to decipher and noticing some strange markings on a far wall decided that a little illumination would be necessary.

Raising a hand high out of the water he spoke but a single foreign word and an orb of bright light flashed into existence. The micro-sun then rose slowly to the top of the cavern where it hovered bringing daylight to the eternal night of the Under Dark.

Swimming over to the Dark Elf, he pulled himself up onto the shelf and sat beside her. Her apology of her earlier behavior was touching, but unnecessary. "You were not yourself. Let us think not of it again." he told her then smiled mischievously, "Remember, I kissed you first.", he joked. "I had thought that my gift of the 'Nixie Breath' would have served you better, but it seemed the effects of the Chlorus Cave had somehow dampened my magic. The effects yet linger on, but I feel much stronger now."

In truth, the Deithir had been somewhat put ill at ease by the Drowess' display. It served to reinforce his belief that 'Natural' beings could not fight their nature but he was hardly one to sit in judgment. In his lifetime he had committed many atrocities and it had taken him the spans of many Human lives to gather the wisdom that they accumulated in such a short time. Thinking no more of the past he whipped his damp locks to the side and drew, Jin's attention to the other side of the cave with a motion of his eyes.

Jin could see that one half of the cavern they were in was water while the other, upon which she laid and Tiphereth sat was dry. The soft white orb of light above them reflected off of the stirring water casting rippling patterns across the walls and the one across from them in particular caught her eye.

Carved into the stone was a Drow relief, a grand scene depicting what the bard believed was a representation of some historical event, a cataclysm perhaps? On one half of the relief the terrorized Drow cowered from the light that fell upon them like rays of fire and on the other side the Drow were at peace, nestled within a great web. In the middle of the carved stone scene was a door that some of the people in the scene desperately reached for. The door, was life sized (for a Drow) and had such detail that it might be real. There were no other exits from the chamber they had found and so the bard dared to hope that the door might be real. In fact, there were the remains of a broken platform that was once beneath it, now only a narrow ridge that one could easily mistake for being part of the original relief. He was sure, however, that at one time there may have been a stairway that lead up to the ornate portal.

To Tiphereth's left on the dry side of the cave, the bard noted that the wall had the look of a collapsed tunnel. The loose stones had since melded into a solid wall, but there was no mistaking that at one time, this cave was once a chamber and part of the Under Dark.

Jin was glad the Deithir had the where with all about him to cast the spell that brought forth the light orb. Her vision was still a little disrupted, although it was improving by the moment. She felt a little better that Tiphereth didn’t take her actions as anything other than the effects the spores were having on her. But in the back of her mind, Jin could remember what his arms around her felt like when she pulled herself close against him and even now she felt a longing for that feeling again. Thankfully his attempt at lightheartedness worked in pulling her from her thoughts and she turned her head to give him a puzzled look. When he explained his ‘kiss’, she felt relieved to know it was his sharing of air he was referring to.

With a deep sigh that resulted in very little coughing, Jin finally sat up and began to wring her hair out. As her hand drew the white locks over her right shoulder and she squeezed from the base of her skull to the ends of her hair she noticed Tiphereth’s attention drawn to the opposite side of the cave. Furrowing her brows, she let her gaze slide to the other wall and she blinked.

”By the Goddess….”

Slowly getting to her feet, Jin let her eyes absorb the depiction of the scene carved upon the wall. She could almost hear the terrified screams of the Drow cowering from the light that was shining upon them. True to their nature, the other Drow were not offering any assistance in getting the terrified, trapped Drow to help them gain access to the sanctuary they had. Over and over her eyes started on one side and ended on the other as though she were reading it like a book. Finally her voice broke the silence that followed the discovery and she spoke in a voice that sounded as though she was afraid of disturbing something without taking her eyes off the scene.

”This is very old, Tiphereth. It was put here many, many years ago to symbolize an important event. And this was a very important event. The Drow on the side of the door where the light finds them were trapped there when the ceiling above them caved in. For some reason, the tunnel was not strong enough to sustain the ground above it. The collapse brought sunlight into the Under Dark causing the Drow to cower from the painful light.”

Her eyes darted form the scene to the evidence of the cave in one could still see then back to the scene.

”What I do not know is why the tunnel collapsed. The Runes simply ward against the door being opened again to prevent the light from flooding the Under Dark to protect the People from the deadly rays. It almost looks as though the ones protected by the door knew this was going to happen and sacrificed the ones who died in order to protect the….”

Jin suddenly stopped talking and the look that crossed her face was sheer terror. Swallowing hard, she spoke again but her voice was clearly shaking.

”They were not Drow. At least…..not when the light hit them. Look closely at their faces, Tiphereth. They have no skin upon them. Nothing but bone.”

She looked over at Tiphereth then.

”They were Gorrinvul. Drow Gorrinvul. And the tunnel was opened up to rain daylight down upon them.”

The Drowess' description of the ancient relief left, Tiphereth very curious indeed. Had the Gorrinvul, really consumed and raised a Drow army at one time? If it were true then it was only a matter of time before the undead army sought to prey upon the Dark Elves which meant that it was in their best interests if their mission were a successful one.

The Deithir stood and without word, leapt out into the water. He laid down light step that rippled the waters and skipped to land upon the broken ledge beneath the engraved doorway. Running his fingers along the edges he became convinced that it was indeed an actual portal. Digging his fingers into the cracks, he pulled and felt the stone slab move.

"There is a passage behind this stone depiction of a doorway." he told the Drowess, "Maybe it is a way out."

The Deithir groaned and his muscles surged with power as he pried the piece stone out of the wall. Slowy, little by lot, he pulled it out until the heavy slab teetered within his grasp. He pivoted, and allowed the Drow-sized door way to fall into the water with a loud splash.

With a wave of his hand the light source that hovered at the top of the cavern floated down and entered into the narrow corridor. It went on for what he assumed was fifty feet then it made a sharp turn to the right. The Phaerie was now even more curious as he surmised that something very special indeed must be hidden behind the ancient relief, but had no idea what it may be.

Moving aside from the portal, the bard awaited the Drowess to take the lead. The corridor was tight, and though he could fit would not be able to effectively fight should the need arise, not as well as the Drowess would be able to.

As the gaurds stapped to attention, mighty bolts could be heard unlatching and the doors swung slowly open. Out walked Hama, , Door Warden of King Theoden and by his side Gamling, , First Knight of King Theoden. Both stood grim faced and determined. Hama spoke sternly "I am Hama door warden to Theoden King of Rohan what brings you to these doors, in the company of these riders of the north?"

Lac bowed his head slightly in respect and answered "I am Lac'Nala of Oron_D_Narr, I come to seek consul with the noble King Of Rohan and bring him news of his lands to the north."

Hama glanced at Gamling who in turned noded slightly. "If it be consul you seek, I cannot allow you so armed in the presence of King Theoden." Gamling said.

Lac nodded to his companions and began handing the gaurds his silver and eboney hilted, mithrial bladed elven long sword, two elven daggers, two ebony mitrial enlaid hilted / mithrial bladed elven long knives, two elvan daggers, an elven longbow and a quiver of leather containing phosphorous and silver tipped arrows. Lac had removed all his weapons, except two Elven daggers that were hidden in his boots.

As Tiphereth began testing the cracks around the depiction, Jin hissed a curse under her breath. What ever happened here should not be disturbed, or so she had always believed. And from the look of the relief, it would be a good idea to keep it that way. As she watched Tiphereth pulled the stone slab out, Jin held her breath certain something was waiting on the other side to lunge out at them.

When nothing appeared to be waiting on the other side, Jin grew curious, especially when Tiphereth sent the glowing orb of light into the passageway that existed. As Jin made her way to the opening Tiphereth made for them, she watched as the orb slipped down the tunnel then made a sharp right. Blinking, she looked back up at Tiphereth who gestured for her to lead them onward.

Furrowing her brows, she made her way into the hidden tunnel pulling her cross bow from her cloak once more preparing for what ever may come up the tunnel towards them.

”Have you ever heard the human expression ‘curiosity killed the cat?’ Basically it means too much curiosity can lead to deadly situations. I pray that is not the case we have just found ourselves in. Sometimes it is better to leave things be. Although, in our case, we followed that rule, we would slow die in that place.”

When they reached the sharp turn, Jin stopped and placed her back against the wall and glanced back at Tiphereth. She didn’t want to laugh because the situation was quite serious but to see the Deithir hunched over and trying his best to make it through the tunnel she couldn’t help but smile devilishly at him.

”I wish you could see yourself through my eyes right now. You would look back upon this moment and find some humor in it.”

Seeing the way Tiphereth furrowed his brow, she took on a serious look, cleared her throat softly then leaned forward to peer around the corner to make sure they weren’t going to be attacked. The orb was still flowing down the tunnel and so Jin turned the corner and followed the orb curious to see where they would wind up. It would be interesting, to say the least, to find out what lay at the end of this maze of a tunnel.

Tiphereth would remember the Drowess' wry comment. The passage was so narrow that it forced him to twist his broad shoulders to the side while he hunched his near six and half foot frame over in the tight space. Able to move at a normal pace through the corridor which would be considered tight by Drow standards, Jin was constantly pausing to allow the much larger Phaerie time to catch her up. For him the journey seemed to be taking the better part of the afternoon as they followed the single winding passage, but when he checked his watch it had only been a little over an hour, but was an hour of hell for the long limbed Deithir.

"Where does this passage go?" The pondering bard said aloud. He could make no sense of it. The hidden passage obviously had to lead somewhere, but there had not been a single deterrent. No signs, no omens, no traps, it was just a narrow corridor that had been slowly winding its way westward. He did note something though. After an hour of travel the stone had continued to show the same kind of weathering, which was obviously smoothed by the constant rush of water.

"I believe this passage was once used to transport water." Remarked the bard, "For some reason, though, your Drow ancestors decided to seal the water way, perhaps if only because the water ceased flow."

The light orb had long since extinguished and the two had made their way through the black corridor by their 'dark-sight' alone. The passage once more slanted upward and the Deithir groaned as he shambled along behind his smaller lithe companion, but then finally she emerged into a much larger chamber.

The Deithir sighed with relief as he pulled himself out of the hole and stood upon the rocky shore of a large underground lake. His theory had been correct, the passage was indeed once a water way, but apparently the water level of the lake had greatly receded over time. Tiphereth stretched and rotated his stiff neck while the Drowess sniffed about and studied their surroundings. He was aware that he had tampered with a taboo object and perhaps, Jin was still expecting some sort of divine retribution but there was nothing. Then a flash of light from across the lake caught their eyes.

Instinctively both Tiphereth and Jin crouched low like cats, their bodies tense and ready to move. The light source continued to bob and weave about, but it was too far away to illuminate them and so they both relaxed.

It became apparent to them both that the distant flickering light was from a single torch being carried by some sort of bipedal creature on the far side of the lake. Allowing his eyes to breech the distance the Deithir focused as well as he could on the torch bearer and though he could not completely make out its features saw enough to know what it was.

"Gorrinvul." Whispered Tiphereth, then he pointed a ways behind where the creature was walking from, to a cave entrance, "That must be the entrance to their lair." he said, "It appears we have come full circle and bypassed the Chlorus Cave."

Jin felt bad for Tiphereth having to maneuver through the tunnel the way he did. To make matters worse she would constantly advance further than he could causing her to pause and wait for him to catch up. Not once did she say anything, jokingly or otherwise, to his lagging behind. The fact that it was just plain rude was enough to still her tongue, no matter how much she wanted to make light of the situation.

As they continued through the narrow passageway, Jin observed the smooth wall like Tiphereth did. When he remarked about what he thought the tunnel was, Jin had made the same conclusion about the same time and nodded.

”I believe you are correct. It is not uncommon for the Drow to tap into water sources from the surface and the occasional rare underground water source if it is large enough. I just hope we do not get swept away by a sudden rush of water. Although I do not believe that shall be the case. The walls are dry and have been for quite some time.”

When they finally emerged into the large cavern and Jin saw the lake, she whispered softly.

”By the Goddess…..The Black Lake. I thought this was just a myth but I see it is as real as the nose upon our faces.”

At almost the exact same time, both of them caught sight of the bobbing light and crouched ready to pounce. As they watched the figure moving along and relaxed knowing they were out of range of the lone light it carried, Jin let her eyes focus on the moving creature. Just as Tiphereth whispered the word, Jin’s eyes had registered what it was as well. Nodding in agreement to his deduction of where they wound up, Jin studied their options carefully then looked over at her Deithir friend and smiled devilishly.

”Feel like getting wet again, my tall friend? We can cross the expanse of the lake and emerge on the other side and see where we are led from there. I have the strength to cast an air bubble spell that will allow me to remain underwater until we reach the other side. What do you say in paying that bitch of a Queen an uninvited visit?”

With their goal in sight, Tiphereth could feel the eagerness building within the Drowess. She restrained it well, but her unbridled nature residing behind a warrior's discipline raged like flames before the Phaerie's eyes. He too longed to put the prophet's words to the test and destroy the maggot-queen, but the task before them would be hardly an easy one. She was their life and so every Gorrinvul's existence was forfeit in her presence. They would fight to their last breath flowed from their rotted lungs.

While the Drowess revered the mythical, 'Black Lake', the Deithir sat upon a smooth flat rock and leaned back on his arms. He was tired. The spores of the Chlorus Cave had taken their toll, and the bard longed for good rest in order to replenish himself but as he checked his watch he saw that they had precious little time. Much more time had elapsed than he had originally thought, and it occurred to him that effects of the cave must have lingered on even as they traversed the water way. Fortunately now, he felt himself but as, Jin prepared to enter the Gorrinvul caves and suggested swimming beneath the lake a wide yawn escaped the Deithir before he answered.

"Oh, forgive me." The bard apologized with a shake of his head to dispel the sleepiness. He then cast his gaze into the waters and nervously chewed the inside of his lip. "We do not know what, if anything lurks in those dark waters." he stated, but then as he surveyed the borders of the underground lake he saw that there was little of shore line they could use to walk around the water.

Tiphereth considered flying over the waters but then he quickly noticed the many great spider webs above them. Strung between the stalactites, the covered the entire roof of the cavern and the Deithir did not care to risk awaking the creatures that built them.

"Very well." He agreed, "Let us swim this lake to the far shore and find this queen o'the hive."

Jin knew the Chlorus Cavern had affected Tiphereth as it affected her but on a different level. And the fact they hadn’t rally had the chance to rest properly to built up their strength and rid themselves of any remaining affects of the toxic spores didn’t help matters. But both knew they didn’t have the luxury of taking the time to rest the way they wanted to. Brief moments were all they were allowed right now. While Jin didn’t have a watch she knew they were running out of time and something was urging her onward as though she knew the scales had been tipped in favor of the Gorrinvul. While traversing beneath the waters was not the way she truly wanted to go, it was the only logical way. What ever lived beneath the dark waters of the Black Lake they would have to deal with when they crossed paths.

When Tiphereth yawned, Jin gave him a soft, knowing smile. Reaching over and touching his shoulder gently, she tilted her head slightly causing her white hair to fall over her shoulder now that it was completely free of any bindings. Her voice was soft and seemed to have a soothing tone to it as she spoke.

”The day will come, Tiphereth, when we will have the rest we so desperately need. And then some. I understand your weariness. I pray the our bodies will finally purge what toxins remain in our bodies from that horrible cavern. Until then, we must press forward. Rohan’s future depends upon our success for failure is not an option.”

Seeing the resolve in the Deithir’s black eyes, Jin’s smile grew and she nodded then eased over to the shore of the lake and looked at her reflection in the waters dark surface. She was still not used to seeing her appearance and for a moment, she had forgotten of her younger image. Shaking it off, she cast the spell that put an air bubble around her head so she could breathe under water. Silently easing herself into the water, there was only the sound of the water breaking gently against the shore.

Once she was below the surface, she realized why this particular body of water was called the “Black Lake”. She could only see a few feet in front of her before the blackness of the lake encompassed everything around her. Even her dark sight was of no use to her here. Already Tiphereth’s words were echoing in her mind, ‘we do not know what, if anything, lurks in those dark waters’.

When Tiphereth joined her beneath the surface, she looked over at him. The look he had on his handsome features mirrored her own. Still, they knew this had to be the way so they pushed off and started swimming the dark waters. They stayed within sight range of each other which meant they were less than a foot away from the other. Jin’s swimming was not near as strong as Tiphereth’s and the bard had to slow his strokes in order for the smaller Drowess to keep up with him.

They had been in the water a few minutes when something swam behind them close enough that Jin felt the water move against her. Daring to look back she saw nothing and kept pressing forward. Their swimming became just a little faster then. While they couldn’t see anything, they knew they weren’t alone in these waters, just as Tiphereth had suspected.

They swam a few more feet when a dark figure suddenly appeared to the right of Tiphereth. The first thing Jin noticed was its size. It was longer than the Deithir was tall but it was three times as big around. And it had strange eyes. They were very, very small. The next thing she noticed were the huge, razor sharp teeth protruding from both the upper and lower jaw. Its body was covered in a scaly looking skin that looked as though it had sharp edges. It swam directly towards the bard and instead of opening it’s mouth to bite at the bard, it bumped into Tiphereth as it tried to gauge his location and size. Jin gasped and instantly stopped moving, reaching out to take Tiphereth’s hand. The last thing they needed right now was to get separated but if they needed to fight, they would have to use both hands.

As they treaded water beneath the lake’s surface, Jin could feel the water around them moving telling her the creature. or creatures, was circling them. Through the dark water she could see the large form swimming and realized what it was doing. Pulling Tiphereth close, she whispered as softly as she could to him.

”It is using the vibrations of our movements to locate us. When we stop it cannot sense us. We will need to figure out a way to send this thing in a different direction.”

The thing swam closer then and Jin had to move her head out of the way for fear of the thing running into her. She followed it until she lost sight of it in the dark waters that surrounded them. It was a few moments later when she caught sight of the behemoth form swimming directly at Tiphereth again and when it came into view this time, it’s mouth was open and many more rows of those razor sharp teeth could be seen coming directly for the Deithir. Jin’s eyes grew wide and she yelled Tiphereth’s name.

”TIPHERETH!”

Hama and Gamling escorted Lac, Joneff and Skajirnir into the Great Hall of Edoras. The hall was dim and a sullen air was all about. King Theoden sat hungkered on his throne, a withered, pale sickly image of the once strong and vibrant man that Lac'nala recalled from his youth. Knelling at his side was a pale dark haired man with an ilfavored look about him. The man spoke softly to Theoden "Ill news this ill favored guest brings to you. ...... This Ranger and these you have banished are not welcomed here, My Lord."
Theoden looked up at Lac and his companions as the approached and spoke in a weak crackeled voice. "What bring you, a Ranger from the north and these that have betrayed Rohan to the Halls of Edoras?"
"A wise question My Lord." the pale man beside Theoden said as his rose and glared at Lac and his companions.

Lac bowed his head slightly in respect for Theoden and said "Your halls, I remmbered as joyous and bright when last I was here, Theoden King of Rohan, have grown dark and sullen as of late."

"And why should I welcome you Ranger?' Theoden asked
"Another just question My Lord." The pale man, now standing and resting his hand upon Theoden's throne, said, glarring at Lac with hatred and just a faint glint of fear in his eyes.