Disclaimer: I own nothing of Tolkien's works, however all original characters and story concepts solely belong to me.

Author's Note: Thanks again for the great reviews, as always they are much appreciated.

I have tried to make Moria as grand and massive a place as I always imagined it to be. Peter Jackson just hinted at it in the movies and Tolkien gave us tantalising glimpses in the book. However every time I read those passages or see the splendour of Dwarrowdelf laid out in front of us in the DVD, I keep thinking about all the things that must have been there and that we do not see. We are told that the goblins from the Misty Mountains, orcs and cave trolls lived there cheek by jowl with the Balrog, but I find it fascinating to think about what else might have been there. What other amazing sights and places were part of this huge place. Then I started to play Lord of the Rings Online, the MMORPG and it's amazing just how many of the places in the book were brought to life in this graphically beautiful game. The Mines of Moria was a much awaited expansion and when I started to explore this with my Guardian character, I was knocked out by the way the designers developed it. It was exactly how I had always thought of it.

So, it seemed a no-brainer to use their template as my Mines of Moria and many of the places mentioned in this story are those which were laid out graphically in the game itself. And this is a game that is approved by the Tolkien Estates and, of course, has to operate within the strict guidelines set out for authenticity, as Tolkien himself would have wanted it, had he ever known about it. Although I think that the good professor would always have preferred the written word.

We always hear of the 'darkness of Moria'. The characters in Lord of the Rings speak of it in lowered tones as an evil place, but I get the impression that it was not always so, in Durin's day when first built it must have been spectacular.

At any rate, I have tried to put into words the decaying, ruined splendour of a once wondrous place in Middle-earth, a place where Durin ruled and the Dwarves lived their glory days, and now, in my story, they are a race dwindled down to a handful struggling to survive within the ruins of a once great nation. I hope I have succeeded to some degree. This chapter deals with more of Moria and the arrival of some 'big guns'.

"What is man, that thou art mindful of him? ... For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour."

Psalm 8:4,5

Dark Power Arising

Chapter 49 – A Light in the Darkness

The Gilmalk Encampment, Twenty-First Hall of Moria

Thranduil opened one bleary eye and looked askance at Elrond as best he could with one eye shut. If there was one thing he detested it was a chipper Elf who stood there looking all clean and neatly braided like the class swot first thing in the morning; especially after a night spent drinking Dwarven ale.

"Come on old man. It's time to rise. Breakfast is cooking and we have places to explore." Elrond's voice was even more cheerful...and it was loud. Thranduil winced and prised his other eye open.

"Old man? How about I rise up and smack you in the eye?" He growled. Elrond chuckled and skipped off. Or at least to the jaded Thranduil Elrond's stately walk was almost tantamount to skipping. "I may kill him and then kill myself."

All around him there was activity, but it was still quite dark because the only light light came from braziers and torches. Thranduil tried to remember why he wasn't in his bed and then realised that he was sleeping in a sleeping bag on the ground in the Dwarf encampment in the Twenty-First Hall of Moria.

"Good morning." Seth squatted down beside him and handed him a mug of something that smelt like liquid paradise.

"Coffee." Thranduil took the cup and squinted at Seth. "I would like you to marry me and have my babies." He took a sip, sighed and lay back.

Seth's beautiful face creased up with laughter. "Elrond is a fine fellow, but his wake-up calls lack that certain something. I thought coffee might look better than a disgustingly cheery smile."

"You, my friend, are a gentleman and a scholar." Thranduil hoisted himself upwards and sat with his back against a wooden stanchion. "That ale last night was something else."

Seth sat down with his mug of coffee. "I must admit that it definitely puts hairs on your chest." He agreed companionably.

Thranduil glanced down at his chest. "I do hope not." He murmured. "Yet Elrond looks as fresh as a daisy. Remind me to stab him the next time he comes over here with his 'Good morning, it's a fine day' routine. Why isn't he as jaded as the rest of us?"

He jerked his head over to where a dawn chorus of growls and curses came from the rest of the patrol as Elrond roused them.

Seth chuckled. "I have a feeling that he cheated. He didn't have the ale, they found a bottle of wine for him instead."

"I really am going to kill him." Thranduil looked suspiciously at Seth. "You don't look hung over either."

The Grigori tried for a contrite look. "We Grigori don't get drunk very easily. I think you'll find that Eönwë and his kin are the same. Something do with us being who we are. We can offset the effects of alcohol quite easily. But don't feel too bad, it doesn't mean that we don't understand about the effects of it on others and that ale is very strong. Even Radagast blinked a lot after the first swallow. These Naugrim must have cast iron stomachs."

Thranduil gave him a quizzical look. "Perhaps Elrond's Maia part makes it easier for him to offset the effects." He commented slyly. "Come to think of it, I have seen him sink an entire bottle of Dorwinion wine and still be as sober as a judge afterwards."

Seth said nothing for a while. He merely sipped his coffee and Thranduil did the same. The early morning Naugrim patrol were apparently just setting out and the two of them watched as their patrol commander checked them over. All around the camp the women and the children of the clan were carrying out their usual duties. Over the other side of the encampment Thranduil could see that four of the Dwarven smiths were already at their work; one of them was a female, he noticed idly. And that beat beat beat of the hammers at least partially explained the noise in his head. Celebrimbor was standing beside the forges, he pointed at something on the anvil and made an animated movement with his arm as if he was showing them a different method of beating the metal.

"They have done very well here with their encampment." Seth commented.

Thranduil looked up. All around them stood the wooden stanchions that supported the wooden walkways high above the camp which served much the same purpose as the palisade around the early British castles. At each corner of the palisade there was a watchtower which was constantly manned and the whole was constructed with defence in mind.

The camp itself was built on an area in the Hall which rose higher than the rest. Thranduil assumed that some edifice had once stood there, perhaps a building that had been destroyed or a raised dais, although Eru only knew why the Dwarves would have a raised dais of that size in the middle of a large hall.

"Yes, they have." He said after a little while. "This is a good, defensible area..."

"But? I feel a 'but' coming on." Seth asked with a whimsical smile.

Thranduil sighed. "But nobody should have to live like this. It's a virtual prison and Eru only knows what a strain it's been for Orgrim and the other leaders knowing that there is something here that does not mean them well. I know that Dwarves love being underground, but those children need to feel the sun on their faces. They need to play on the grass, hear the birds sing and feel the wind as it blows."

Seth nodded in agreement. "Yes they do and I have put the matter to Joaquim who will speak to the Council of the Grigori and see what they can come up with. However I cannot get a signal here to speak to Joaquim and the others, we are too far underground. Hopefully Ezekiel will bring a message for me from them and then I will broach the subject with Orgrim."

"Ezekiel?"

"Ezekiel is one of the Kerubim warriors that Joaquim is sending, there will be ten of them, all trained by me. I am their commanding officer, so to speak. They are all consummate and deadly warriors." Seth drained his coffee and handed it with a smile of thanks to the German member of their patrol, a man called Dieter, who was passing by.

"Kerubim." Thranduil said thoughtfully. "Everything I have read says that there was only four Kerubim and they stood by the throne of God. The likeness of two of them was depicted on top of the Ark of the Covenant and it was said that when Israel worshipped God, they turned to each other in an embrace. Most erudite sources have come up with a number of theories as to what they actually were. Weren't the Kerubim supposed to be an amalgamation of four living creatures?"

Seth smiled. "There is a great deal that mankind do not know about the Kerubim, but it doesn't stop them fantasising and speculating. In Jewish, Christian, and Islamic literature, we are depicted as a celestial winged being with human, animal, or birdlike characteristics. We are of the second order of Ainur or Angels, and in the Hebrew scriptures we are described as the throne bearers of God. In Christianity and Islam we are the celestial attendants of God and praise him continually. In Islam we are known as karubun; apparently, according to them, we repeat "Glory to God" ceaselessly, and we are supposed to dwell in a section of heaven inaccessible to attacks by the Devil."

"And how accurate is all that?" Thranduil asked.

Seth shrugged and gave him an impish smile. "Some of it, certainly. We are of the second order of Ainur and there are always two of us in attendance with the Source of All Things, that which you call Eru Iluvatar, but I think Eru might have a few words to say if we kept up the 'Glory to God' chanting ceaselessly. The Timeless Halls are a place of beauty and peace. Eru knows full well who and what he is, he doesn't need to be reminded every few seconds."

"And the celestial winged being part?"

Seth sighed. "It's difficult to explain in terms you would understand. Not that I am saying you are by any means stupid. Like the Maiar, and in our natural form, we can incarnate and disincarnate ourselves. Our fea is constant, but our hroa is not. It can be whatever we wish it to be. Those of us left behind here when the others were recalled to the Halls, either by choice or because we had transgressed, were told that although we retained what we were and many of our powers and knowledge, we would not be allowed to disincarnate. We are bound to our incarnate form until the end or until Eru recalls us. We cannot communicate with Eru or our brethren in the Timeless Halls because of that, although they can communicate with us if need be. In order to speak to them we need to free ourselves of our physical form and travel in spirit. This is called 'walking the paths of the moon' but it is denied us and we need to use other methods to sustain ourselves. In antediluvian times we often appeared to mankind in a form similar to their own, both Seraphim and Kerubim. But as civilisation marched on and they began to create their pantheons of deities and many of them turned away from Eru. So he recalled the stronghold on earth after commanding Michael punish the transgressors Semjaza and his brethren. Those of us left then served the faithful among mankind, but of course our interaction with them became less and less over time and we found that in order to make them listen to and heed the messages we were given for them, we had to assume more and more frightening forms."

"So what do you look like in your celestial form?" Thranduil asked, a bemused expression on his face.

"In spiritual form we resemble columns of the four elements." Seth said calmly. "But if we appear to mankind in that form they would see four creatures within us, representing the formative powers of the elements. We are the Kerubs of Air, Water, Earth and Fire manifested in one being. Air is represented by the face of man. Fire is represented by the face of a lion, the face of the eagle represents Water and the bull represents the Kerub of Earth. Unfortunately, by the time that a mortal man has seen us in that form, it is already too late for them. When we appear as such, we are here to judge and purge wrongdoers at the command of Eru and that judgement is terrible. We are both guardians and heralds. In our physical form here on earth, we are warriors and there are many of us. Along with the Seraphim we form the Armies of the Host. Mostly though we now remain in a human form and if any from the Halls visited earth, then so would they."

"It's very hard for me to visualise." Thranduil said softly. The true nature of these beings was almost as disturbing as he had imagined. "Do the Maiar and the Valar have similar forms to you that we Eldar do not see?"

Seth stood up and smiled down at him. "Their choice was very different to ours. They came down here because Eru formed the earth and they found it beautiful. So beautiful that they were given the task of looking after it. Had they stayed in the Halls, then they would have been subject to the same laws as the rest of us. The Valar would have been Seraphim and Eönwë would have been a Kerubim warrior had he not been the Herald of Manwe and the Oathkeeper of Eru. Unlike us, he can still disincarnate and is not earthbound, although for the purposes of his task here and the marriage with a mortal woman, he must remain in his incarnate form for most of the time and in that form he cannot commune with Eru, which is necessary for his well-being. Sooner or later he will have to seek communion from the rest of us in order to retain that form without damaging his hroa beyond repair which would require his return to Valinor. This is why we have become as involved with you all as we have at the request of Eru himself through the auspices of Raguel who has been sent from the Timeless Halls to Valinor to liaise between the Valar and the Grigori."

Thranduil also stood up and methodically started to roll up the sleeping bag and sort out his kit. "I suppose I never thought about it, but how has Radagast maintained his form, if Eönwë will have to seek communion for his? I wonder what Eönwë did about it during the War of Wrath, he was here for some considerable time."

Seth gave him a ghost of a smile. "Radagast comes to us regularly and has done since the Ice Age when he came across us in Cappadocia. He is a regular guest at Vevey and at Deir Al Suryan in the Western Desert of Egypt. He 'recharges his batteries' as he calls it when he does come to us. I have known him since I was young in the eyes of the Ainur. And yes Eönwë was here for some time in incarnate form, but you must remember that he was also in the presence of a Vala the whole time, since Tulkas was also here and therefore he received communion from Eru through him."

"Many apologies for the interruption, but I am to tell you that the food is ready." Arras interrupted their conversation. "I have been sent over by Orgrim to say that it is time to break your fast my Lords."

Thranduil was disappointed that the conversation with Seth had to end so quickly, he hadn't even begun to plumb the depths of all the questions running through his brain; things like how did the Grigori manage to maintain their own forms if they couldn't commune with Eru. He also wanted to know how Elrond fitted in with all of this. Was there part of him that could perhaps disincarnate or was he considered by them to be wholly earthbound? All of this must have shown on his face because Seth put out his hand and grasped Thranduil's arm gently.

"We must eat now and move out, but I know you have many more questions. We will have a chance to talk again later and I will attempt to answer them all. You must not be concerned for your friend." He nodded to where Elrond was already seated at the long wooden table talking with Radagast, Celebrimbor and Glorfindel. "He is keen to explore the side of him that he feels has always been there. It will not harm him to do so."

Thranduil flushed. "I didn't think it would for one moment. It's just that I never really thought about that part of him before. I don't think anyone has, not even his wife."

"No." Seth said quietly as they headed over to the long table together. "I don't believe that the Valar believed it was necessary to explore it. They simply conferred the title of Halfelven upon him and his descendants and granted him the immortality of the Eldar because the larger part of his blood was Eldar and because it was the easy option. Yet the call of his Ainur blood is still there, although it is controllable within the grace and light of the Valar in the Blessed Realm. However it has recently become stronger because he is back here in Arda after a very long time living under that grace and does not have it to support him now. The Valar's link with earth is now severed. We will help Elrond come to terms with his heritage and help him to deal with whatever issues may arise from it."

Their conversation was cut short as they sat down and Seth's attention was claimed by their host, Orgrim. Thranduil noticed that Elrond was giving him a querying look, but he ignored it and helped himself to the bread which was coarse but very good and some honey. That was another thing that he needed to remember to ask Orgrim about. Where on earth did they get flour to bake this stuff? Surely nothing would grow this far underground without adequate light? And honey? Some of this just had to come from the surface. This Bofi was known as an adventurer and often travelled topside, perhaps he was in charge of some sort of local procurement and if that was the case what did they use for money?

There were many more questions than there were answers.

His musings on the issues of growing things underground and Elrond and his dratted Ainur blood fell into the back of his mind as the Australian member of the team, Carver Grissom, engaged him in a light banter about the properties of Fosters Lager against the dark brew they had drunk with the Dwarves the previous evening. The conversation gradually decayed into a verbal sparring match which caused a great deal of laughter among the group. Elrond and Glorfindel joined in, ably assisted by Celebrimbor whose dark grey eyes were dancing with a laughter that had not been seen in him for a good long time.

Seth sat at the end of the table ostensibly talking with Orgrim, Bofi and the other elders, but in fact he was watching with a feeling of considerable satisfaction as the group bonded with each other and included young Arras in the teasing. He bore it well and even threw in a few sharp comments of his own which made Celebrimbor laugh and clap him heartily on the back.

"They are good people." Orgrim said quietly, intruding on Seth's thoughts.

"Yes they are and young Arras has the makings of a good member of the team." Seth sat back in the high back wooden settle chair and smiled at the Dwarf leader.

"He has the good makings of a nuisance." Orgrim growled, but there was affection and pride beneath the crusty exterior. "You are sure that he should accompany us? He is no warrior, in fact he has not yet shown an aptitude for much. His weapons skills are negligent, his smithing is unenthusiastic and his metalwork is rudimentary. Usually by that age a young Dwarf has shown some sort of talent, but not Arras, he is a dreamer of the first order. No wonder you caught him so easily, his head is always in the clouds, he's always looking for the Repositories of Dwarven lore and was most disappointed that the scrolls in the Chamber of Records were so badly damaged. I am honestly not sure what to do with him. Now he says he wants to find the Treasury and Mahal alone knows where that might be in Moria."

Seth toyed with the crumbs on his plate. "Has it ever occurred to you that his talents may lie in another direction? He has a fine inquiring mind and a raging curiosity, not to mention an obvious thirst for knowledge. The ancient Dwarves were as known for their lore-keeping as they were for their forging and metalwork. It seems to me that Arras is a prime candidate for the keeping of your records. It would be a shame if the lore of the Naugrim were to be lost for the want of someone to record it."

"A Lorekeeper?" Orgrim's mouth dropped open in surprise. "I had not even considered the possibility. We have been so busy surviving that keeping the Lore seemed the last of our troubles. Even if he was, and I agree that it would seem so, how would he learn? Where could he go to do this? There is no one here among the Gilmalk to teach him what he needs to know."

"No." Seth interrupted gently. "But the Grigori may be able to help on that score. The keepers of our Lore are the Anakim who dwell in the Western Desert of Egypt. There are many teachers among them who would be more than capable and willing to teach Arras what he needs to know and how to go about it and they would welcome an exchange of knowledge of the Elder Days, which I suspect is probably still here in Khazad-dum. They have not had a student for at least a thousand years and would welcome him, if you could spare him. Until then, he could learn the art from one who is much celebrated among his own people for his knowledge of the Lore."

Orgrim glanced along the table and nodded sagely. "You are meaning Master Elrond of course. Even we have heard of him in that respect, but you are entering a battle, will he have time to take an apprentice and would he wish to?"

"He would be delighted to do it and has already said as much...and we are not yet in a pitched battle, this is the lull before the storm. There is time and once we are engaged with the enemy, I have a feeling that young Arras will show that he is a Dwarf of quality. His weapons skill is one thing that we can teach him. He has a Balrog Slayer and the King of Mirkwood to teach him how to fight."

Orgrim nodded to one of the female Dwarves as she took his plate away and shyly bobbed her head when Seth gave her one of his beautiful smiles. "If you're not careful you'll have all of our women falling in love with you." He commented, at which Seth laughed.

"I am quite surprised that they don't have beards. Celebrimbor insisted that they did used to have them and he was backed up by Thranduil and the others."

Orgrim roared with laughter and winked at him. "Strangely enough, they certainly used to. What records we do have show that during our sojourn in the south, our hair became less...er...luxuriant, both males and females. It was a source of great distress as you may imagine, a Dwarf's beard is a most important part of him or her, it is a sign of status amongst us. It was decided that this distressing situation was possibly due to the climate and hair not really being necessary to keep us warm. When we travelled north, the hair changed again, the men's beards grew profusely, much to our relief, but sadly the women did not change. Their facial hair was lost forever and now they are as you see here. But no less charming for that." He added hastily.

"I think your assumption was probably correct." Seth said thoughtfully. "I am no endocrinologist, but perhaps the female hormones had adjusted themselves to the change in climate to such an extent that it could not be reversed. It would be interesting to do some tests on their blood."

"Experryments? You want to do experryments on us?" Bofi, who had been sitting silent for most of the conversation suddenly reared up in dismay.

"Peace Bofi." Seth laughed. "I understand your fear of such things and nobody will do anything to anyone without their express permission. I have far too much respect for you all to allow anyone to treat you as a laboratory rat. I merely said it would be interesting."

"We should not fear the outside world Bofi." Orgrim scolded him, albeit gently. "I think perhaps we have avoided it for far too long and now it has come upon us whether we wish it or not. Much will change now that the outside knows the city of Khazad-dum exists and we will have to change with it in order to survive." He turned to Seth. "With regard to Arras, we will do whatever is best for him, but I would be obliged if you did not speak to him with regard to being a Lorekeeper just yet. Perhaps if Master Elrond was to just talk with him about such things, as in a conversation, at least for the time being."

Seth bowed his head in assent. "Of course. I will speak to Elrond."

"Thank you." Orgrim stood up and rapped on the table to get everyone's attention. "If you are all finished eating, perhaps we can begin our excursion into Moria. Pick up your equipment and muster by the large brazier." He bent down to Seth and said in a lower voice. "I thought that we would head to the West and the Great Delving once the rest of your folk get here. It is a very large and impressive area and I would not mind getting your view as to what might be there that we could use. There are apparently many buildings and edifices, but we do not know their purpose."

They walked over to where Seth's equipment lay and Orgrim waited patiently while Seth put his webbing on and checked his weapon.

"You haven't been to the Great Delving yourself? Seth asked.

Orgrim shook his head. "Not in recent years. None of us have been back since we sent a large patrol to find Hoibur. We have not spoken of it to the rest of the clan but..." He swallowed nervously. "...Hoibur's axe was not all that they found. There was an area which we think was part of one of the old Palaces, a wide place of ponds and fountains in the old days, perhaps there had even been gardens there. There was evidence that there had been a goblin camp of some kind there, but long ago. The patrol went as far as the steps that led up to the palace but did not go further and there in the corner by the stairs there were some...remains... which they brought back to us secretly and we interred them as best we could, but there was no doubt that it was Hoibur. The clothes were his, but some of him was missing. We think that something took him and..." His voice failed him at this point, as though it were too shocking and terrible to put into mere words and there were tears in his deep dark eyes.

Seth's heart went out to the poor Dwarf. How hard must it have been for him to keep them all going with the dreadful knowledge of what was really happening around them. He could see great grief in the old Dwarf's eyes and it filled him with a momentary rage that even made poor Orgrim take a step back. Seth's eyes became silvery and light trickled out of the corners of them. He seemed to become much taller and dangerous, but as fast as the changes came they were gone again as Seth exercised iron control over his emotions, but it made him further resolve to either purge Moria completely or find another place for the Naugrim to go where they could be safe and move on with their lives. This was not living, not for anyone. It was surviving against terrible odds.

He put a reassuring hand on Orgrim's shoulder. "I am sorry my friend. I momentarily lost control because of my anger over your situation not because I am angry with you. I do not know how you have kept morale up among your people, although I suspect that it is by keeping such terrible things from them and doing that comes with the great price of your own peace of mind and feeling of security. I assure you that I will do everything in my power to make this place safe for you and if it proves impossible, then I will find somewhere for you to go, this I swear."

Orgrim realised at that moment that he had made a powerful friend and his heart lightened. This higher being had powerful allies who were even at this moment coming to them and with the help of the Elves and the Men who were with Seth and these others, he saw, for a blinding moment, a light at the end of the long tunnel. He could not form words to thank the Grigori instead he reached up and squeezed Seth's hand fiercely, then he cleared his throat and turned to the waiting patrol of Elves, Men and Dwarves.

"Right, is everyone ready? Then let's go adventuring!"

ooOoo

Elrond noticed that Seth's expression turned grim as they prepared to leave the encampment and he felt disquiet at it since it had only been there after he had spoken at length to Orgrim. It was very strange, he could almost see the terrible fury swirling under the surface of the Grigori. It appeared to Elrond as a darkening of the aura around him. Normally Seth's aura was an incredible peacock blue colour, vibrant and full of light, but when he was angered it turned a darker purple colour. At the moment it was blue one minute and purple the next indicating rapid mood changes.

He wondered, not for the first time, why Seth's aura should be so visible to him. Eönwë and Radagast were the same sort of being, so why could he not see their aura? Although perhaps he hadn't looked close enough. He turned and peered at Radagast who was stomping along with Thranduil and Glorfindel as they passed out of the encampment area and moved into the brazier lit main part of the hall.

"Ah look, more columns." Thranduil commented dryly and was rewarded by a snicker from Glorfindel.

Radagast grunted. "Humph, I normally would have assumed that they supported the roof, except that the roof is actually part of the cavern system. So unless the mountain is thinking of crashing down in the next few years, which I doubt, I cannot see why they are there at all." He craned his neck and looked upwards. "Decorative...they've been put there for show and do not serve any other purpose. What do you think Elrond?"

He addressed the question to the Peredhil without actually looking at him so he didn't notice that Elrond was staring fixedly at him with an extraordinary expression on his face.

"Elrond?" Glorfindel frowned when he saw his friend standing there apparently rooted to the ground with his gaze fixed on Radagast. "Is something wrong?"

Elrond dragged his gaze away from the beautiful soft green radiance that was shifting around Radagast.

"Huh? What? No...nothing." He finally managed to look away and met his friend's concerned gaze. "Sorry, I just...it's nothing, really."

Glorfindel sighed. He knew all of Elrond's moods intimately, possibly even better than Celebrian did and he could tell when he was being shifty and evasive. "Right." He said sceptically. "Radagast was asking you if you thought the columns in the hall were merely decorative."

"Columns?" Elrond said blankly.

This time Thranduil answered him. "Yes, you know...columns, tall cylindrical pieces of stone." He gazed up at the roof of the hall and grinned to himself. "I spy with my little eye, something beginning with...c."

Elrond raised an eyebrow at him. "I know what a column is." He said defensively and then looked upwards. "I can see no purpose for them. They aren't holding the roof up, but they are rather spectacular."

"Good. We're agreed then, the columns are very nice but don't hold the roof up. Got it. Once you've seen one column you've seen 'em all." Thranduil rolled his eyes heavenward in mock boredom.

Both Radagast and Glorfindel laughed at him and he joined in with them after a few seconds. Elrond shook his head in mild despair.

"They are very nice columns." He said, trying to keep a severe look on his face, but somehow that only made the others laugh all the more. "All right, all right, heaven forfend that I should launch into some sort of dissertation on them, my sons have told me more than once that I send them to sleep."

He suddenly became aware that both Thranduil and Glorfindel were staring at a point behind him with their mouths open. Even as he turned to see what they were looking at that shocked them so much, Seth was swooping past him with a huge smile on his face and his hands held out in greeting.

ooOoo

Celebrimbor and Arras had already left for the First Hall when the others were assembling for the grand tour. They would meet and then guide the Grigori newcomers to where everyone else would be. It had been decided to take a look around the Twenty-First Hall and also the Chamber of Mazarbul while Seth and the rest waited for Celebrimbor and the newcomers to catch up with them.

Arras kept up quite well with Celebrimbor's long legged fast pace and they were in the passage that led to the three steps up to the entrance of the Second Hall when the Elf suddenly whipped an arm out and stopped Arras from steaming on through the doorway. The young Dwarf caught on quickly and hastily stepped back behind his companion. Celebrimbor's hand went down to the hilt of his sword through force of habit, but he then remembered the P90 automatic weapon slung across his back and he reached for it, clicking off the safety as quietly as he could. He cocked the weapon and raised it to his shoulder in the ready position aiming it towards the doorway.

Arras held his breath. He could now see what Celebrimbor had spotted. Lights; bright lights moving across the previously gloom ridden hall down below.

"Are they friend or foe?" He whispered to the Elf. He himself was hefting his axe in both hands and trying to force down the butterflies which were fluttering around in his gut. He hoped that terror would lend him the strength to actually use it.

Celebrimbor put his finger across his lips and shook his head. Arras fell silent, wondering when the Elf would make his move. Surely he wouldn't wait until the enemy were on top of him? It seemed like years that they stood there waiting. Celebrimbor was hardly breathing, or so it seemed to Arras. He was perfectly still, like a beautiful deadly statue. Arras, however, was breathing hard enough to rattle windows.

A tall shadow was suddenly cast across the threshold of the doorway and Celebrimbor tensed, he drew in a breath and his finger trembled on the trigger. The owner of the shadow had paused just outside the door but whoever it was obviously knew Celebrimbor and Arras were there because they stayed out of sight to one side of the doorway.

Arras felt a dribble of sweat trickle down his forehead and into his beard and he discovered that he had a dreadful itch on the end of his nose that he was desperate to scratch. He was just about to surreptitiously reach up and relieve the irritation when there was a sudden blur of movement and then Celebrimbor was pinned up against the wall with a long shining sword at his throat by a being with ophidian features, silver eyes and long black hair tied back in a long braid. He seemed to be radiating his own very bright light and was at least seven foot tall, although the young Dwarf admitted afterwards that he may have just seemed that tall to him. Even so, the being was at least two inches taller than Celebrimbor and he was not exactly short.

Celebrimbor's assailant stared into his eyes for a few seconds and his silvered gaze seemed to pierce right down into the Elf's very fea, then he smiled and the silver light died from his eyes. His head turned as swift as a striking snake to the doorway.

"It's an Elf and a Dwarf; our guides I think." He said to the unseen people still in the Second hall. He gave Celebrimbor a stunning smile, which lit up his whole face which had returned to more normal proportions. "I am Ezekiel and these..." He gestured to the other Grigori who had now come into the passageway, all of them tall and beautiful to look at and also radiating a glow which was similar to Celebrimbor's, only brighter. "...these are my brethren."

Celebrimbor was still stunned by the speed of the attack and he had to swallow his thudding heart down until it was in the right place before he could answer. These were Kerubim warriors? In full flow they were terrifying.

"You are Celebrimbor are you not?" Ezekiel's eyes were filled with kindly amusement. The others stood in a row and hardly blinked or moved, they were as still as alabaster statues. "I know we were meant to wait by the bridge as per Seth's orders, but Professor Hallam suggested we cross the hall to save time."

Celebrimbor finally found his voice. "Yes, I am Celebrimbor Curufinwion and this is Arras of the Gilmalk clan. Welcome to Khazad-dum my Lords." He inclined his head in a slight bow and Arras did the same.

Ezekiel laughed. "No, no my friend, we are not Lords, we are merely warriors. You may call me Ezekiel, these others from let to right are Mithras, Baktamael, Gavriel, Abelech, Dagon, Nadiel, Nadar, Rahamael and last but not least, we have Caleb."

He pointed to each in turn as he said their name and Celebrimbor and Arras nodded weakly to them.

"Mae govannen." Celebrimbor said courteously. He placed his right hand over his heart and bowed. "Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo."

"Er...what the Elf said." Arras said gruffly jerking a thumb at Celebrimbor. "Pleased to meet ye."

The Grigori Kerubim all laughed and bowed almost in unison.

"Greetings, we have heard much about the grace of the Eldar, although we have never met one. What we have heard of their courtesy is not exaggerated." A red-headed Grigori, who had been introduced as Rahamael said. Then he turned to the Dwarf and squatted so that they were on eye level. "Of the Naugrim we know little, but we have heard rumours of your kind occasionally appearing from time to time on the surface of this world."

"That would be Bofi." Arras said, apparently completely unconcerned by these rather impressive beings even though everyone was now towering above him. "He thinks he's an adventurer, but I think that if he saw anything dangerous he would probably faint."

Ezekiel turned to Celebrimbor and laughed in delight. "I believe I am going to like the Naugrim if this little one is anything to go by. We have already been tutored in both Sindarin and Khuzdul so communication between us all should be good."

One of the others said something in a language Celebrimbor recognised as similar to the Valarin he had heard the Maiar speaking on Valinor.

"Ah yes." Ezekiel sheathed his sword. "We are to tell you that they are beginning to floodlight the Hall behind us...the Second Hall? It should make it easier to walk across it. There is much rubble, but we have cleared a path on our way over and put torches along the path to light the way."

Celebrimbor stepped through the doorway and looked out over the balustrade. Sure enough he could see a line of torches marching across the hall. He could also see very faint lights moving at the end.

"They should be careful." He said. "When I came here to meet Arras so he could take me to their encampment, there was something in the shadows...it followed me across the hall, keeping pace with me. If I stopped, it stopped. By the time I got to the stairs it was almost at my heels making a loud noise with its breathing. The people from the dig are not warriors and the Professor should post guards just in case."

Ezekiel looked at his companions and grinned. He stepped back through the door and came to stand beside Celebrimbor. "Do you mean that creature over there?"

He pointed to the right and Celebrimbor looked down. There standing at the bottom of the stairs was a very large, bony goat. Arras, who had followed the Grigori out, sniggered.

"It's a goat." He said, rather unnecessarily. The goat bleated and looked up pleadingly.

Celebrimbor blinked. "I can see that. The question is, where did it come from?"

Ezekiel chuckled. "Would you like us to catch it so it can be interrogated?"

The laughter rippled around the group and Celebrimbor flushed with embarrassment, but he also saw the funny side and laughed as well. "Poor thing. I wonder how it managed to survive at all. Perhaps we should take it back to the encampment."

"Not necessary." Ezekiel turned away from the balustrade. "We actually tethered it and contacted Professor Hallam by radio. He is sending somebody to fetch the goat, in fact here they come now. He will find a good home for it, poor beast. It deserves a better end than to run around underground in a place like this scratching for food."

Celebrimbor frowned. "Still, it might be well to know how it got in. Or perhaps was it brought in? He turned to Arras. "Did your people bring goats with you when you first came to Moria?"

Arras shook his head. "I don't believe so. The issue of feeding them would have caused a problem. I was quite young when we arrived though and such things did not concern me overly much."

Ezekiel stared at them with hooded eyes. "In that case, someone else must have brought it in. Is there another entrance which is accessible from the outside? You spoke of your friend...Bofi? You mentioned that he thought of himself as an adventurer going onto the surface, he must have got out there somehow."

"We have asked him." Arras said doubtfully. "But he just said it was far too dangerous and it was better for everyone not to know, especially the young among us."

Ezekiel smiled down at him. "Then we shall ask him. I imagine he will not keep anything from us."

Arras burst out laughing. "If you ask him, he may not be able to say anything at all. He will be too busy hiding under the table!"

ooOoo

Elves, Men and Dwarves watched in something approaching awe as the Grigori warrior party entered the Twenty-First Hall accompanied by a dazed looking Celebrimbor and a bouncy, cheerful Arras who was talking nineteen to the dozen with a tall beautiful man with black hair and who was three times his size in height. The rest of the Grigori were also beautiful and tall, but there the resemblance between them ended. No two had the same hair colour and their facial features varied, much as a Man's or indeed an Elf's would. They were all dressed very practically in desert type combat clothes and soft desert boots. All of them carried backpacks, along with their automatic weaponry and a pistol in a holster attached to their belts. On the other side of the belt, they each carried a long sword in an ornate scabbard.

Glorfindel's eyes gleamed when he saw the swords. In a modern world where people either didn't carry a gun or a knife at all or they overloaded themselves with guns and knives legal and illegal, the Elves often felt themselves to be anachronistic in their choice of swords, bows and the wicked looking curved daggers and long knives as a means of defending themselves. Even Thranduil who had been in Men's armies down through the millennia and used guns still preferred the sword or the bow, although he was expert in all of them.

"Seth doesn't usually carry a sword." Elrond murmured as he watched Seth clasp the arms of the dark haired Grigori in an affectionate greeting and then greeted the rest in a similar fashion.

"Not that you've seen." Thranduil said slyly. "I know he carries a wicked looking knife though."

"They glow." Carver remarked inanely. "Must come in handy if you lose your torch."

A ripple of laughter passed around the group. Thranduil noted that the Australian was rapidly becoming the group clown. He could be relied upon to lighten the atmosphere with completely irreverent and inappropriate humour whenever necessary, but interestingly enough, the man was astute enough to pick his moments carefully. He was a tall well-built man with a deep sun tan, a thatch of short wavy silver hair and keen blue eyes and he could handle himself well in any situation. The Elvenking had already noted him as a good man to have at one's back.

"Don't we glow?" Glorfindel joked with him. He pushed his lower lip out in a mock pout and allowed it to tremble.

"Sure you do." Carver responded immediately. "But it's like a sort of girlie glow, not a dark ballsy sort of glow like them." He pointed at the Grigori.

"Girlie?" The outraged response burst from all three Elves at the same time. They advanced menacingly on Carver who immediately ducked behind Dieter. The German sighed and shook his head and the other men guffawed loudly. The Dwarves weren't entirely sure what everyone was talking about and laughed nervously.

"Now now children." Radagast decided to break up the impending riot before it even began. "Can we please behave nicely to each other and not scuffle in front of the Grigori?"

Amidst the ensuing laughter Thranduil watched Elrond as his attention was drawn to the newcomers. There was a strange look on his face and he seemed to gravitate towards them like iron filings to a magnet as Seth introduced them to Orgrim first before bringing them over to the rest of the patrol. Thranduil sighed to himself. He had hoped that Elrond would be satisfied by just accepting that he had some Maia blood and that he would just explore it as another aspect of his character. Instead it was developing into a full-blown obsession as he had feared it might.

What the Peredhil needed was Celebrian to keep him grounded and remind him of important things like his family. Both Thranduil and Glorfindel had hoped that him meeting Hal would keep him on the track of looking for Arwen and Estel's descendants, but instead he had become involved with Seth. Not that this had bothered Hal of course, he wasn't going anywhere and he could answer any question Elrond might have had at any time.

Looking at the Grigori, Thranduil could understand why Elrond was becoming obsessed. Seth was charming and charismatic and judging by the look on young Arras's face it was something that all the Grigori shared. There was also that aura power that clung to him which was entirely due to being of the Ainur. Eönwë had the same aura, but if he had the almost dark, primitive core that these Grigori had, then he hid it well. This was what Seth had meant about the remit of the Valar and Maiar being very different to that of the Grigori.

I just hope Elrond doesn't get in over his head. Thranduil thought to himself. The Grigori version of the Maiar were not the same as the Valinorean version, but apparently only he and Glorfindel could see that...and possibly Radagast, but with him it was difficult to judge. He had never gone back to Valinor after the One Ring was destroyed and Sauron brought down, instead he had stayed, seen the ice age out with the help of the Grigori, and then just assimilated himself into the society of mortal men. Somehow he had managed to balance both worlds very nicely. Balance was something that Elrond needed. He resolved to have a word with Seth and also the Herald. Perhaps Celebrian could come back, or even Elladan.

He sighed as the patrol moved off to the south exit from the Hall. From there the road was, according to Bofi, fairly circuitous, through areas that Orgrim had told them had not been fully explored but could not be reached from the road. Instead he described brick and stone walls on either side of the road and windows set high in them giving a tantalising view of some building behind those windows.

"It is quite a long way." Orgrim was saying to Seth and Ezekiel. "And the road twists and loops back on itself in places. Then we will pass the ceremonial chamber of Jazârgund which is a circular hall that forms a hub for many other sections of Durin's Way.. It is said that the chamber has seen so many rites and pronouncements throughout the ages of Moria that it was claimed that Durin's voice is engraved into the very stone from which it is hewn, and can be heard echoing through the vaulted space when all else lies silent. From there we will travel across the Lonely Span which lies just beyond the eastern gate of the Great Delving. It is the only direct passage to the streets of Zelem-melek, and is where the nobles of Khazad-dûm once resided."

They all listened in fascination to Orgrim's dissertation on the part of Moria they were about to travel to, but each felt that nothing could outdo the Gothic splendour of the Twenty-First Hall itself. It was there that the Fellowship stopped and rested before Gimli discovered the Chamber of Mazarbul and his kinsman's tomb.

"What of this place?" One of the Grigori inquired. "It is a spectacularly large place and must have served some purpose."

Orgrim puffed his chest out with pride. "Indeed you are quite correct. The Twenty-first hall is among the largest in all of Khazad-dûm, and often regarded as the most famous. In times long past a great market stood here where the Dwarves of Moria and travellers from abroad would trade in fine goods from across much of Middle-earth. Fine woods and wine and foodstuffs would be exchanged for gold and priceless gems and finely wrought pieces of smith-craft. In truth nearly anything at all could be bought or sold within this very hall, though it is hard to imagine it to look upon it now. It was once a mustering hall, but has lain empty until a few centuries ago when we arrived to take up residence. It was to this hall that he Balrog of Moria came seeking the first true challenge to his power since the deaths of Durin and his son Náin."

"This is quite fascinating." Radagast was heard to say. His brown eyes were alight with excitement. "And is it true that you found a goat back in the Second Hall Celebrimbor?"

Ezekiel snorted with laughter. "Let us just say that the goat found poor Celebrimbor as he made his way through the hall in the dark. You could even describe it as a 'Ninja Goat' since it followed him surreptitiously all the way to the staircase. I imagine it felt lonely and thought that one Elf was better than nothing at all."

This caused a great deal of hilarity of course and even the Dwarves guffawed loudly when poor Celebrimbor's quandary was translated for them.

"You can all laugh as much as you like." Celebrimbor said sulkily, but there was a sparkle of laughter in his grey eyes. "All I heard was a shuffling noise and heavy breathing." Which of course led to further eruptions of laughter all round.

And so it was a merry party that exited the Twenty-first Hall and set out on the road to the Great Delving. Their last sight of the Hall was the braziers and the watchful Dwarf sentries high up in the Watchtowers.

ooOoo