As they passed along the corridor the light seemed to grow dimmer. Glorfindel kept glancing around concern written on his face. "These lights should not be reacting to our presence," he murmured. "Unless…."
"Unless what?" Sam asked quietly.
"Unless someone else has reach here before us and the security traps are already active." Glorfindel raised a hand and stopped everyone moving forward.
"What does that mean for the directions we are following," Daniel asked worriedly.
"It means that we cannot trust them, "Glorfindel stated ominously.
Sirius touched Glorfindel's shoulder, worried by his friend's concern. "Have you studied this place in the library scrolls? How certain are you of the information."
"The information is not that specific. Both Daniel and I have studied what we have in Rivendell extensively but the warnings are clear. These people should have destroyed what was here, not buried it. It is so deadly and so simple to use. If it were activated here, Middle Earth would simply cease to exist. This is not just an ordinary library we are here to destroy; it is a museum containing the weaponry of some very violent previous ages. These peoples' power would make Sauron look like a child. I fear that for all their intelligence they were incredibly short sighted."
"With our people, especially scientists I would say for all their intelligence they can be incredibly stupid," Sam commented and Daniel grinned.
"You all do realise that Sam is a scientist," Daniel told them.
"An Astrophysicist," Sam commented with a straight face and then a dimple appear in her cheek and a sparkle in her eyes as she began to smile but it died rapidly. "I guess if we are to get this done it is time to look ahead with great care and move slowly. I hope that whoever got in first met a suitable fate here, but I also hope we do not join them." A murmur of agreement greeted her comment and they began to move slowly forward watching the walls and floors ahead for signs of danger.
Daniel walked beside Glorfindel for a while but suddenly grabbed his arm to stop him. They had travelled about a hundred yards with the lights fading and darkness appeared to be creeping toward them up the corridor. "I do not like the look of that. Why deprive us of light unless it hides something bad for us."
"Everyone move against the walls!" Sam suddenly shouted. "Lie down!"
Most obeyed her immediately, trusting her instinct for a danger they could not perceive. One elf lifted his head to look for the danger as a violent wind passed over them and something large swept up the corridor. There was very little room below it but enough for those who had led completely flat. They heard a single cry of pain shut off as suddenly as it began. Slowly they rose after it had passed and looked around. They lit a couple of their torches and flooded the area with light and found one of the walls smeared with blood. There was no sign of the elf.
"What was that?" Mizar gasped.
"I am not sure, but I felt the pressure building," Sam replied. "It was silent and the air did not try to push us over so I guessed whatever it was did not fill the corridor." She looked around and said calmly, "I could have been wrong you know. If that was the first line of defence I am dreading what will come next."
"Perhaps we should go no further," one of the elves suggested.
"Have you heard nothing Glorfindel has said," Mizar asked him. "We cannot leave until we destroy this threat." Sam gave a nod of agreement and smiled at Mizar, resting a hand on his arm. They all began to move forward again and nothing else happened for several minutes.
There was no kind of warning when the next trap was sprung. The lighting had brightened and they had unconsciously quickened their pace as they were able to see. The floor suddenly opened up under the back half of the group. The two elves at the rear disappeared into the gaping hole that ran wall to wall. The two walking in front of them also dropped but managed to grab the edge and were quickly pulled to safety. There was no sign of the bottom or the elves that had fallen in.
"At this rate none of us will make this cave," Daniel muttered his face setting in grim lines. For the next three hours the remaining group of eleven walked on in silence. Concentration on walls, floor and roof was now intense. They passed through two caverns and although they were spectacular to look at, with the large vaulted roofs, stalactites and stalagmites, no one was interested in the natural wonders. When they reached the third cavern it dwarfed the other two. Water still dripped from the roof sliding and glistened on the stalactites and creating shimmering pools on the floor. Here the light seemed more directional and threw shadows that appeared to dance and move among the formations. Daniel's attention was captured by the movements and he slowly moving away from the group as it crossed in the direction Glorfindel indicated.
"Daniel?" Sam called questioningly but did not get a response. "Glorfindel there is something wrong here," she called and Glorfindel turned in time to see Daniel crouch beside a pool and reach out.
Some instinct for danger began to scream in his head. "Daniel!" he shouted as one of the elves darted forward grabbed the collar of Daniel jacket and began hauling him away from the pool. A tall watery shape formed and rose from the pool extending a large claw like hand that made a grab for them. Daniel kicked out at it as he was being dragged clear. The liquid hit his boot and steam rose from the leather as the surface was immediately eaten away. Glorfindel ran over and dowsed the boot in water. The floor where Daniel had been crouched appeared to be steaming.
"Another trap?" Sam asked as they all stared at the pool.
"Not something I have heard of," Glorfindel said and looked at the others who all shook their heads. "This is new. A liquid creature that can dissolve anything it touches but not the ground it lies on. Definitely this is new," repeated the shaken elf.
Sam frowned and everyone backed hurriedly away from all of the pools. "That would not seem natural," she mused.
"Perhaps an invention of Sauron's that found its way down here," Mizar suggested. "Looking for somewhere to hide with its master gone?"
"I suppose that is a possibility. If it was this, these, that activated the security traps it is one less concern," Glorfindel decided and smiled for the first time in a while.
"Why?" Daniel asked as he straightened his jacket and muttered his thanks to the elf who had rescued him.
"It would mean the Goa'uld are not here."
"That is all well and good," Daniel uttered impatiently. "Will someone tell me why I went over there because I do not remember a thing. I would not call that good at all, especially if those things take to following us! They are all on the move!"
It suddenly became apparent that traps or no traps they needed to leave the cavern very quickly. There were five of the pools making definite motion toward the group. "Maybe there is a door or someway of sealing up behind us to keep them here," Sirius said as he stopped and searched the wall around the exit. It seemed like a good idea and one elf watched the approaching danger while the others searched.
"Here!" One finally shouted and Glorfindel strode over and glanced quickly at the indented patch of wall. He nodded his head almost as if he was recalling something and called the watcher away from the entrance. Then he pushed his hand through a small hole in the deep indent to reach the mechanism. A large stone door slammed into place and then they heard a large explosion that rocked the tunnel they had entered. Dust descended from the roof above them and sounds of massive rock movement behind the door told them they would not be returning that way.
"I think we had better keep moving," Sam commented after the noise died away. "How much farther have we to go?" She asked and then the light died away and they were stood in total darkness.
"Great!" The sound of annoyance was clear in Daniel's voice. "That is all we need."
"Actually that may be good for us," Glorfindel's voice wafted out of the darkness with an upbeat note in it. "It is probable all of the systems have shut down. Now we just have to conserve the light we carry. The traps are probably inactive in this area. The whole of this section will probably be safe to navigate through."
At that Sam's flashlight flickered on. "Lack of light is going to slow us down but I suggest we use only one light at a time. I have two of these and Daniel has two. Do any of you have light sources with you?" The resourceful elves had indeed all remembered to bring torches from the outer cave. "So we are doing OK for light at least and if you are right we can relax for a little while at least."
They walked on for hours in the darkness and silence trusting to Glorfindel's sense of direction and confidence. In the gloom no one could see the strain on the elf's face. Daniel however was watching him from directly behind and sensed his uncertainty. Glorfindel however was not being communicative at all. What little he was divulging to Daniel had dried up. 'It is almost as if he is waiting for something to happen,' Daniel decided. However the lack of light was forcing everyone to concentrate on their feet and the shadows being thrown so Daniel put his worry to the back of his mind.
Finally they stopped to rest for a while and eat and drink before they moved on. Daniel sat in the gloom looking around at his companions and counting. He did not count eleven but ten and then he counted again just to make sure and tried to work out who he could not find.. "Hey!" He called anxiously, "I only make it ten of us, Axio is missing."
"I noticed Axio was missing three hours ago, but I do not know when we lost him. He just was not there one of the elf guard commented."
"Why did you not say something?" Daniel asked angrily, "we should have looked for him."
"Because there was nothing we could do about it in the darkness. Where would we have started," the elf replied. "Glorfindel had me drop back and make sure no one else disappeared."
"If some one was picking us off you could have been the next to go," Sam commented with dismay looking at Glorfindel.
However, it was the elf who answered. "I would have made a lot of noise," he commented dryly and despite the sorrow for another lost a smattering of laughter sounded.
Daniel sat beside Glorfindel a little away from everyone else. "How many more will we lose?"
"Why do you expect me to know?" Glorfindel asked calmly. "I only know enough to complete my mission." Then he looked at Daniel with something undecipherable in his eyes. "I will be able to go home very soon and I am glad. I am very, very tired."
"Where is home?" Daniel asked him knowing he did not mean Rivendell.
"A place you may come visit me one day," he replied. His smile was pure amusement at something hidden from Daniel, then he would say no more.
After a little rest they pressed on, the loss of another of their group heightening their sense of danger once again. After some hours Sam peered at her watch and realised that they had walked through the night. Daniel was walking beside her and she whispered to him. "They never seem to get tired."
Daniel hitched his pack to ease his shoulders and replied. "But I do. It is time for another break I think…"
"I agree," Mizar commented from just behind them. "Tiredness will make us careless."
"You mean tiredness will make Daniel and I careless," Sam responded a dimple appearing in her cheek again accompanied by a laugh that echoed. "Big space we are walking through. A shame we can not see it."
"I think we are at the outer doors," Glorfindel suddenly said. "I can show you this space if you will be a little patient. I remember this place…" His voice trailed off as he made the comment. "Yes, I can remember this from before."
"Of the library?" Daniel called as he caught up with him not questioning now that the before was when he was much younger and before he had died. Quietly he added, "you did not say that your memories of before were gone or hazy."
"I did not want to worry you too much," he replied as quietly and with the touch of humour reappearing. Then he added in a normal voice. "No, I believe you would call it more of an underground city," he replied.
"How big is it?" Daniel asked allowing his voice to carry the questions to the others arriving at their spot.
"It is a massive cavern with many layers of dwellings in the walls," Glorfindel replied. "It is here where the major danger lies. We have to get in here and past the guardians."
"Can not say I like the sound of that," Daniel murmured.
"Neither do I." Sam said equally quietly from directly behind them. "What are you two not telling us?"
"This cavern is only a third of the size of the one beyond and it is safe here. I know how to activate the lighting so I can show you what we must traverse beyond these doors. The guardians however defy explanation, you will have to experience them." With that comment he reached through the wall and Sam realised they were faced with an illusion. Slowly light began to appear and spread. The darkness seemed to creep away from their feet slowly at first but with increasing speed. It finally began to rush away and light spread setting up an explosion of colour. There where so many different types of rock that appeared, so many different colours that it confused the senses. The height of the cavern was immense and in the roof so very far above twinkled lights. They looked small and did not illuminate the darkness surrounding them. In fact it looked like a wonderfully clear nights sky.
"Amazing!" Sam whispered.
Even the elves faces filled with awe. "Whoever created this place were a mighty people," Mizar whispered and then Glorfindel surprised them all.
Slowly he spun around raising his arms, his eyes glittering with laughter and perhaps a little pride. Look well on this my friends," he called looking round at the elves. "This was created by your ancestors. They chose not to stay here but to move on and leave you to what was your peaceful and natural existence then. They sealed this place off from the world thinking that one day it would be of use to you." The laughter that followed was bitter and his eyes narrowed as he added, "they left a deadly legacy which we must now destroy before it destroys Middle Earth and much more." Then he pointed at the huge doors beyond them. "Beyond is a great city and in its centre is a large building with many floors filled with the weaponry that they should have destroyed. They realised their error and sent us back to destroy it. In sending us back they made another error, they wiped our minds of who and what we had been and with it the memory of what we needed to find. Galadriel and Gandalf finally went back and they realised their error. My mind was released and I have spent recent years reacquiring the necessary knowledge. Daniel helped to complete the circle and now I must complete my mission. Will you help me to protect Middle Earth one more time?"
Sorry this is longer than I anticipated. it has a life of its own, LOL! Reviews are welcome and have already been helpful in triggering my imagination.