Chapter 1: Taken Away
Middle-earth, Fourth Age
The Golden Wood has been darkening lately. Shadows grew among the trees. Many folk told stories about demons coming from the skies and taking people. Even the stars foretold a threat coming from far away.
Only a few have witnessed flashes of light descending from the sky; strange objects flying through the air, beams of light browsing the ground. The ones lucky enough to stay alive remembered seeing strange creatures, like misshapen orcs wearing unfamiliar gear. They would grab their prey with a deformed hand (and) would take their life, absorbing their vital energy.
It started with some villagers in the Westfold. Men, women and children were equally attacked. So men came searching, seeking the help from the Elves of the Lothlórien. All warriors searched for the enemy. With time, more and more Elves were taken or found dead, their bodies husks as if they had been drying under the sun for years. With time, the attacks against our fair folk have increased so much that our number(s) grew few. It seemed that these strange orcs have some particular preference for taking the lives of elves since they encountered them.
We, wardens of the Golden Wood were scanning the trees and the sky. Many years had passed since the fall of Sauron, and since then we have had many years of peace. However, Evil had somehow found its way back. Yet, this Evil was unknown, unseen, and unclear. How do you fight an enemy you do not know?
"The night is clear; there are no clouds in the sky. Yet I feel the darkness close."
Thenian, our Chief Warden was considering us. We, the three wardens were Nandur, Mendil, and myself.
"I think I do see what you mean." My heart just skipped a beat as my eyes detected what I suspected to be the enemy.
I stood up and looked toward the forest line. A bright object had just crossed the sky and sent a beam of light across the trees towards our position.
"We move down!" Thenian waved to us and we climbed quickly down the tree and made our way on the ground.
Soon massive dark figures approached, aiming strange weapons at us. We swiftly engaged arrows at the monsters, but they did not seem to affect them at all. As they came closer, our chief warden yelled "Swords!" and the fight was engaged.
The creatures were strong, stronger than anything we had encountered before. Four of them were bearing a strange mask covering their entire face; the third one was uncovered and appeared to be their captain. These monsters were different to the Uruk-hai I had seen. Something was more disturbing, more vicious. They were no orcs. For the first time in my long life as a warrior, I was frightened by my enemy.
"We take them all," his low voice commanded. Quickly, we found ourselves overrun and mastered by the beasts. They did not kill us. The captain reached for a device attached on his forearm. A massive flying object swiftly approached and arrived above our head. A beam of light enveloped us and in less than a second, the world around us vanished.