The Plan

The sun was beginning to set as Claire saw Laemellon returning. After they had somewhat recovered from the incidents of that day, the vanaloke had flown back to where their horses were and had walked them slowly down the path to the foot of the falls. This had taken longer than Claire cared for, but she didn't let that delay waste any of their time. While waiting she had consulted the voice of Eru. When she had asked Him the simple question of "What do we do now?" He had said simply Consider what you have learned. You are more than qualified to discern where you should go next. Go in My strength and you will not fail.

A rather cryptic response she thought. When Laemellon returned with the horses, Claire had asked if she would be willing to fly high above, get the lay of the land, and to see if she could spot the Orc party and/or Morlyg. Laemellon complied. She seemed to be more cooperative and agreeable now after the confrontation with Morlyg. While the vanaloke scouted ahead, Claire consulted The Lord of the Rings. By the time Laemellon returned, the young girl had the beginnings of a plan forming in her mind.

"I have much to report," Laemellon said as she landed next to Claire's horse. Mounting her own beast of burden, the vanaloke lamented, "I am afraid I didn't see Morlyg at all. She is doing a fine job of keeping herself hidden. I did spot the orcs and they seem to be heading back to Isengard. The halflings are still with them. I also spotted three persons not far from here in pursuit of them."

"That's Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli," Claire said smiling warmly. "'The three hunters'."

"I also saw men on horseback. Quite a few of them actually moving here and there throughout the lands to the west of the river."

"The Rohirrim," Claire said looking down at the book in her hands. "They will play their part if Morlyg doesn't interfere."

She weighed the text in her hands. Claire had had a long time to think on it and she had peace that her next statement wouldn't be a bad decision.

"I need to tell you what this is," she said handing the book to Laemellon. The vanaloke took it in her slender green hands and examined it gingerly. "This book," Claire continued, "Is how I know the future."

Laemellon glanced at Claire, her purple eyes widening.

"It's the story of the halflings," Claire said. "It's the history of the War of the Ring told from their perspective and right now..." She reached over and turned a few pages as Laemellon held the book. Claire at last reached page 411. "Right now we are here."

"'The Riders of Rohan'," Laemellon said reading the chapter title.

"Yes. Using this book, we can know exactly what will happen. Where people will be, the battles that will be fought, who will win, and what earth shattering things will happen along the way." Claire paused to give the vanaloke a moment to process it all. "Morlyg also has this text. That is how she knew where to attack the hobbits."

"And by reading this book," Laemellon mused. "She can know where they will be in the future and kill them?"

"Yes, but…" Claire held up a pointer finger and smiled. "Morlyg is on the same playing field as we are. She is bound to the physical world even though she is a fallen Maia. Now, we have already been told that she will only go after the hobbits. For now they are in two separate groups." Claire reached into her pack and pulled out her map of Middle-earth. She pointed to the falls and said, "We are here. Frodo and Sam have already entered Emyn Muil over here to the east. That place is a labyrinth of stone. No one except for a certain individual in particular will be able to find them in there. It would be a lost cause for her to go after them. At least from my limited knowledge that would seem to be the case."

"No, Morlyg will go for an easier target I think," Claire said pointing at Isengard on the map. "You see, she needed to manipulate the orcs to get her hands on the hobbits. That's why she disguised herself as their leader. That probably means that she can't take on the whole group by herself and now that her cover has been blown, they probably won't fall for that again. They have been given strict instructions to take the hobbits to Isengard. Funny thing is, the hobbits will make their way there, but not in the way the orcs think. Let's see."

Claire took the book from Laemellon and flipped to the timeline in the back. "On the 28th, which is day after tomorrow, the Rohirrim that you saw will overtake the orcs and kill them at the edge of Fangorn forest. In the midst of the fight Merry and Pippin will escape and then the next day, meet Treebeard the ent. The fight will be chaotic so I doubt that Morlyg would attempt to get at them during that time and she most certainly can't enter Fangorn without possibly getting stomped on by some Ents or other things that are in that wood."

She looked over at Laemellon and saw her glassy-eyed expression. This was a lot of information to take in for someone who wasn't familiar with half the people and places Claire was talking about.

"Basically," the young girl said congenially. "The next time that Merry and Pippin will be absolutely alone without any orcs or ents nearby to protect them will be here, the morning of March the 4th. I re-read this part while you were scouting. There is a brief time period on the 4th of March when I think Morlyg will attempt to kill them again."

"How can you be sure exactly when and where she will strike? A lot can happen in the span of a few hours," Laemellon said.

Claire rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "If I had this book and I was trying to pinpoint Merry and Pippin's exact location, I would wait for them at the arch that is over the one gate into Isengard. The floods will force them there and they won't have any avenue of escape."

"We had better get started then," Laemellon said with a sigh. "That gives us about a week to cover the distance. But before we go, I want to give you something."

The vanaloke reached up and removed her shoulder armor that was made from her old claws. They were attached by leather straps and as she removed them, Claire saw that they were actually made from two pieces each with a hinge in between.

"Take these," Laemellon said handing Claire her pauldrons. The girl took them hesitantly as the vanaloke said, "It is a tradition amongst my people for companions to share armor. You have no armor to give me, but I feel that you need these more than I do."

"Thank you," Claire said. She wasn't sure how she felt about wearing her friend's old claws on her shoulders, but she figured that they were better than nothing. Surprisingly they fit perfectly and the vanaloke smiled in approval as Claire finished adjusting them. Laemellon was slowly becoming more friendly toward her which was surprising. Something about almost being killed by Morlyg had drastically changed her attitude, though the vanaloke didn't seem to be willing to admit it verbally as of yet.

Claire returned the book and the map to her pack and checked to make sure it was securely tied to her saddle. "I say we ride until nightfall. Then tomorrow we start bright and early. We shouldn't have to push the horses too hard to cover the distance."

Laemellon nodded and the two travelers prodded their horses down the path heading northwest. The sun was setting in a blaze of red light. For the first time since Claire had set foot in Middle-earth, she felt absolutely confident of her situation. Her doubt that this was a dream was slowly fading away. She was beginning to believe more and more that all of this was real.

Her first confrontation with Morlyg had shown that she was without a doubt the Venë Faeur. It had also shown her that she was capable of far more than she guessed. She wasn't exactly sure how her powers worked, but she would have at least 5 days to figure it out before she would have to cross blades with the demon again. And on top of that, the voice of Eru was like a calming salve on her constantly running mind.

He didn't speak all the time, but when she asked Him a question there was always an answer. This whole thing with "God" talking in her head seemed a bit hokey, but she had to admit...it wasn't half bad. She wished that God in her own world would be this vocal.

And now here they were, off to continue the adventure with an objective laid out before them that rested well in Claire's mind. She couldn't explain it, but for the first time that she could remember, a plan of her own devising actually seemed like it would work.

I called you to this, Eru said to her as they trotted along. I will be faithful to carry it on to completion. Abide in Me and you will not go astray.

The next morning, Claire woke up early with the sunrise. She peeked out from beneath her cloak that she was using as a blanket and saw the remnants of the fire they had made the previous night. Laemellon was still sleeping. She was curled up like a cat a few feet away, her wings spread over her giving her the appearance of a giant green leaf with a small dragon's head poking out from the side.

Claire sat up slowly so she wouldn't wake her. The orange tinges of sunrise were just beginning to peek through the trees and the air was cool and fresh. Claire thought that this morning was the nicest morning she had ever seen while traveling in Middle-earth.

She looked down at her hands and wondered if she could make use of this time before Laemellon woke to figure out how her powers worked. Staring at her palms she considered how to do this based on what she had done previously.

"If it be Your will," she whispered. "Um...let my hands ignite."

There was a soft ppfff as her hands suddenly burned blue.

"Well that was easy," she thought.

When it is within My will, you will always have what you ask for.

Claire arched an eyebrow. "Well, good morning," she said in her head.

Good morning, the Voice said in her mind.

She stared closer at her burning hands. It seemed that the source of the flames were the palms her hands which glowed the brightest of all. She flexed her fingers on her right hand and then made a fist. The flame still burned constant. She flapped her hands around rather ridiculously. The fire whipped through the air like you would expect, but no movement lessened its intensity. She began experimenting with different objects, holding them in her flaming hands to see if there was any effect. Her hands didn't burn anything. Even a stick of wood that she gripped as tight as she could wouldn't burn.

She then moved on to the "indestructible-ness" of her hands. She found a sharp twig and poked at her palm. She could feel it, but there was no pain. She pressed the stick harder into her burning blue skin. Same result. After a few more tests, she was jabbing the stick into her palm. The tip of the stick eventually broke off.

Out of the corner of her eye, Claire saw Laemellon stir. The young girl gave a cheery "Good morning" to the vanaloke. Laemellon folded her wings back and drew herself up into a seated position. She blinked a few times and then noticed Claire's continued examination of her burning hands.

There was one more thing to try. Claire drew out her sword and the flames leapt from her hands to her blade. Once again she had the sensation of being light and untethered. Apparently it was the sword that helped her to move quicker and fight better. She grinned like a child at Christmas. This was the coolest thing that had ever happened to her.

"Figured things out yet," Laemellon asked stretching her arms in front of her.

"Flames off," Claire said outloud. The fire vanished as quickly as if someone had flipped a switch. Now she just held her sword in her ordinary hands. "I think so," she said to Laemellon. "This is a lot easier than I thought. Apparently if it is Eru's will, I can use my powers whenever."

Claire sheathed her sword, but then went back to concentrating on her hands. Laemellon got up and began to break camp while the young girl continued to experiment. By simply thinking it, Claire found that she could turn the flames on and off again, either two hands at the same time or one at a time. Shortly before they saddled their horses, she whipped out her sword and asked Laemellon to feel the burning blade. Carefully, the vanaloke drew her hand close until she pressed her palm against the flat metal shaft. She felt nothing but cold steel.

"So apparently my fire powers don't have anything to do with fire," Claire remarked as they mounted their horses.

"My people have always seen blue fire as a symbol of the power of Eru," Laemellon said.

"I suppose that fits," Claire said, though deep down she was a bit disappointed that she couldn't actually burn anything. However, she knew when to be thankful for what you have and she let the matter rest.