Chapter 7

'Anin….'A voice returned to her, in her mind. It was the Dark Lord.

She jolted awake, laying on the ground. She thought he had been destroyed… She closed her eyes, willing the voice to talk to her again.

'I'm at your bidding, Lord.'

'Go to Isengard. There are allies there, though they may be turning away from us, for their own benefit, and I want you to oversee it. You were a faithful servant.'

'Yes, milord. What of Daecam?' She asked the voice.

'He is there as well, aiding Saruman. Keep an eye on the Istar…' The voice left her.

She rose immediately, and mounted her horse. She had no idea where the hell Isengard was, but she had a feeling that the sense of direction she had developed was still with her. Before riding out, she pulled her hair back; it hadn't grown an inch. She knotted it quickly, and kicked her horse off, heading to the north.

After two days worth of riding, she saw a great black tower, that must be it. She rode up to the front step of it, and dismounted; she walked up, and saw a wizard, wearing white robes, leaning on a black staff, that matched the tower. He had long white hair, as well as a beard, although there were some black streaks through it.

"You are the servant the Dark Lord informed me about? You look no more than a child." He laughed, and Anin glared at him.

"Be assured sir, that I was a servant during the Last Alliance. And I can be sure that I'm to prove more faithful than you." She looked around. "Now where is Daecam?" She asked.

"We shall see, girl. He is inside. Do you know of him?" He questioned slyly.

"I do. I wish to see him."

"Follow me." He turned around and walked back up the steps. "You shall be staying here, for Sauron wishes you to aid me for the time being." He said shortly, and he led her up some more stairs once they were inside. He then led her to a door, which he pushed open, and she saw inside many scrolls and books, and a black figure reading by a candle, for there were no candles in the room. "I grant you two solitude for now. I wish to see you both at dinner." Anin nodded and walked into the room, assuming it was a library the figure did not look up.

She walked over to a shelf, grabbing a book that looked interesting; the figure still took no notice of her, or that way that her red gown flowed behind her, her hair seeming to be one with it, her eyes burning with a passion to see him again; he looked not at her. She walked over, and say down across the table from him; he finally turned his head to her, and stared, for what seemed like eternity.

"A-Anin?" He stuttered. "I thought they killed you…no this can't be right." He said, and he walked over to her, and picked her up by the waist, and spun her around, looking into her eyes. "You haven't aged a day…" He said again. "Not a day. You look as you did when I rode out." He set her down. "And as…as beautiful." He looked as though tears were about to seep out of his eyes, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I thought that they had killed you." She said. "They kept me locked in a room for these two thousand years."

"But you are still the same…and you have returned to me." He looked at her, and a single tear rolled down his cheek as he looked at her. They walked to a door that lead out onto a balcony; they went outside, and looked over the mass of orcs that were beginning to gather, awaiting orders from Saruman. "So they let you go, after imprisoning you for serving Sauron, and yet here you are, in the service of yet another seeking power." He said to her.

"Indeed, but there is more to my coming here than you may know." Anin replied, with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

Before answering, Anin looked around, to make sure that they were alone. "Sauron does not trust this wizard completely. When I set out from Mirkwood, the Dark Lord spoke to me, inside my head, and told me to come here. He wishes me to keep an eye on him. Make sure his loyalties are where they belong." She smiled. "I may have practically passed into nothing, but I am still the best at what I do." She said devilishly.

"And what is it that you do, dear?" He asked, returning her look.

"Betray."