Chapter 18

In the Darien Gap…

They had departed Apartado in Colombia just before dawn loaded down with extra gas cans and four additional spare wheels in the bed as a precaution. They took the established, if not always paved roads as far west as they could before, regretably, having to engage the four wheel drive and setting out across what looked to be agricultural fields owned no doubt by some Colombian farmer who would find damaged and crushed crop leaving a trail all the way into the increasingly dense brush and forest which no sane person would attempt to enter. They passed large sections of burned and scorched ground, though whether it had been part of the forest or part of the fields was difficult to discern. The streams they crossed were light at first and of little consequence to the Hilux as it powered its way across them. They made somewhat good time for a short while.

A very short while.

Not long after they left the edge of the fields, the verdant, living tropical forest appeared to close behind them and what traces there were of relative civilization vanished as though it had never existed. They were now at the mercy of the wilds.

"Oh, this forest is old." Radagast announced from the rear cab of the vehicle, his face serious. "It feels familiar to me though."

"Yes. I can feel it too." Eltariel agreed, her own expression serious. "It's old, and it's watching us."

"It feels…" Radagast began as though not quite being able to put his finger on it. "Wait, Estel. Stop this contraption for a minute. I need to get out."

"What? Here?" Estel asked.

"Yes, here." Radagast confirmed. "Unless you want to make them any angrier."

Estel brought the truck to a halt.

"Make who angrier?" Sam asked as he opened his door and got out to make way for the brown wizard.

"Them of course." Radagast gestured towards the trees which had suddenly seemed to surround them, hemming them in in a way Sam hadn't noticed before.

Eltariel exited the truck as well to come stand next to the wizard, her eyes watchful of the trees and what dangers they might be concealing from them. They were standing like sentinels around the truck and its passengers as though studying it, trying to determine what to do with it. The sounds of cracking, creaking, and the groaning of wood flowed around them while all other sounds one might expect, such as birds or creatures in the underbrush had gone silent.

"What's going on?" Jim asked, calling out from inside the truck.

"They're speaking to one another." Eltariel called back, "But I do not understand the language of trees. I don't know what they're saying."

"They're debating what to do with us." Radagast then offered. "They recognize me. They know at least what you are, my dear, and know that your people have always been their friends even if it has been a very long time since they've seen an Elf." He addressed Eltariel. "But they have no love for you three, I'm afraid." He said this looking to each man present. "Many of the younger ones would like to turn you into mulch and be done with it, I'm afraid."

"You can talk to them though, right?" Sam asked nervously. "Ask them not to?"

"I can ask." Radagast answered. "But whether they will agree is another matter entirely."

Then the brown wizard turned to address the trees which were surrounding them, and the strangest, tree-like sounds began coming from his elderly form as he swayed his arms in strange patterns like branches. Jim, who heard the strange groanings coming from the wizard from inside the truck, hadn't ever imagined those sounds could be made by anyone with two legs and vocal chords.

Then, after several minutes of this, he went silent and waited. It seemed forever before the trees began swaying and moving in response, their trunks cracking, groaning, and rustling. Then it became Radagast's turn once more, and on and on. Jim didn't know what was being said, but the conversation felt as though it was taking forever. He hoped it would not take as long as the Entish did as portrayed in the Peter Jackson films. They did not have the kind of time for an Entish "good morning."

"What are they saying?" Eltariel finally asked, feeling the mood among the trees shift from anger and hostility to curiosity and consideration.

"I explained to them why we're here, and that we're only trying to get through as quickly as possible. That mollified them slightly. Neither they nor we wish for us to be here any longer than is necessary." The wizard answered. "Men try to come through here all the time according to them, befouling Yavanna's garden with their contraptions and filth like the nastiest of orcs. They're quite sick to death of it."

"Will they let us pass with their blessing?" Estel asked, calling out from where he still sat in the driver's seat.

"They're discussing it." Radagast called back to him. "Patience will be necessary. Trees decide nothing quickly, but it may work in our favor that we have asked their permission politely."

"Indeed." Jim commented upon hearing it, though it felt much less like a joke to him now, surrounded by such trees making those decisions than it did from the hotel room in Cartagena.

Jim's watch told him that a half an hour had passed since the trees began discussing it amongst themselves. During that time, the occupants of the truck had been left to wait for their answer. Sam had returned to sitting in the rear cab of the vehicle while the Elf woman and Radagast remained standing where they were, just as ancient and patient as those deciding their fate.

Then Radagast's attention was drawn to a particular set of groanings and crackings, and he appeared to be listening as though being addressed. He responded in kind once they were done, and gave a slight, but respectful bow to the woody giants that had surrounded them.

"What did they say, wise one?" Eltariel asked, feeling the mood shift again as a gap in the trees to the west opened up, large enough for the truck to pass through comfortably.

"They will allow us to pass with their blessing, and they will send word to the rest of their brethren to not oppose our travel as long as we reach the human road on the other side by sundown and harm nothing. But if we linger any longer, well… They promise nothing after that. And they cannot speak for the rivers, or the other residents of the forest. We must ask their cooperation as well separately." Radagast answered loud enough for them all to hear.

Eltariel then pressed her hands together, faced the trees and gave her own respectful bow saying in her own native tongue, "Annon allen!" Thank you.

As Jim watched her do so, he could not be sure, but it almost appeared as if two or more of the trees returned the gesture with their trunks and branches. His eyes went wide as he saw it, and took off his glasses to rub them a few times wondering if he had truly seen what he thought at all.

The Elf and the wizard then returned to the cab of the truck, Sam getting out to make room for the wizard's entrance, and they proceeded slowly across the forest floor through the newly parted path which the trees themselves had made for them. Nevertheless, Jim could not shake the feeling that they were still being scrutinized by the flora as the truck's tires rolled across the forest floor.

In spite of the path which the trees and plants graciously allowed them, the Hilux could still do no more than fifteen or twenty kilometers per hour, and this only on the better stretches of ground. Many patches were soggy, though not to the point where they could not traverse them. The truck continued moving forward, the moods of those within tense and watchful. Every so often, Sam would spy the eyes of a jungle cat watching them curiously from a distance, or the large slithering form of a constrictor snake blending in with the foliage where it hunted. Once, he would have sworn there was the rusted form of an old automobile just beyond the path, surrounded by vines and overgrown as though the forest was giving them incentive to keep moving. Estel was careful to keep the Hilux on the path the trees had laid out, and once they had passed, it just as quickly disappeared behind them as though no one had passed through at all.

An hour after they had begun their path, they came to the first river. It appeared to be a little over thirty meters across, and not particularly deep. Like most of the streams and flowing water they had encountered in South America, its waters were the color of hot cocoa, and they were moving fast.

"I believe we should stop on the bank before attempting to cross." Radagast told Estel.

"It doesn't look that deep." The Numenorean returned.

"Perhaps, but it would be quite rude to presume, wouldn't it?" The wizard returned.

"The wise one is right, edhellen." Eltariel told him from the passenger seat. "We tread in some else's home, not they in ours. The spirit of the river is no different from the trees who gave us permission."

Estel nodded in concession and stopped the truck. "Of course, you are right, edhelvain."

Once more, Sam moved and got out of the vehicle, making way for the brown wizard to approach the bank of the fast moving water respectfully. His gnarled wooden staff suddenly appeared in his hand, though neither Jim nor Sam could tell from where as he was not holding it within the truck's cab. The wizard walked up to the edge of the bank, and tapped the end of his staff on the ground, intoning something in Sindarin which those in truck did not quite hear.

The next thing which occurred nearly gave those among the party of the race of men heart attacks for the sight. The waters of the river, quite unnaturally, rose up like a column and shaped themselves into the form of an attractive young woman with cocoa colored skin and hair. Her eyes and expression were fierce and fiery. She had the air of a woman with authority and power who did not like being disturbed.

"Señora Carepa." Radagast addressed her with respect in Spanish.

"Señor Marron." She returned in the same language as though addressing at least an equal. Her voice was pleasant but commanding in tone. "Por que estan aqui? Que quieren ustedes?"

"She wishes to know why we are here and what we want." Estel translated.

Radagast replied in the same language, his tone of voice always cordial and respectful of her. Her own facial expression betrayed nothing of her thoughts as she listened to his explanation and petition. Then she spoke, her features softening just a little at the humility of the ancient wizard asking for her permission for himself and his companions to cross her waters.

"What's she saying?" Jim asked.

"That she appreciates the gesture." Estel told him, his own expression a little more humble and thoughtful at the conversation he heard. "Many just foul her shallow waters even further without giving it a second thought. She will gentle her flows enough to allow us passage across, but she cannot promise her sisters along our path will be so accommodating. They have seen much harm and much blood has been shed by our kind in their waters over the years in addition to the poisons which pollute them from man's presence."

"So what will we do then?" The Englishman inquired. "We will need to cross them, won't we?"

"We will." Estel confirmed. "I suppose we will find out what mood they are in when we reach them."

Once more, Radagast bowed respectfully to the Lady of the river as her form collapsed back into the waters from which it came, and then he and Sam returned to the cab of the truck. As promised, the flow of the river slowed and then very nearly stopped, lowering the water level enough to where Estel was able to drive the Hilux with more ease than was rightfully possible across the rock and mud strewn river bottom and up the opposing bank where the trees once more began to part for them.

"A little kindness and respect goes a long ways towards opening up new paths with others I have found." Radagast commented to the two Englishmen as they reached the other side.

"It certainly does." Jim agreed, thinking of something which his aunt used to say which was very similar. He wondered briefly what she would think of the extreme proof of concept which they had just demonstrated.

The way through the trees continued on through the mid-morning. There were times they were going slow enough to where Jim swore he'd be able to run faster than the truck, but there were others when they were moving at a considerable rate. They came to another, similar river to the Lady Carepa's waters, and once more, Radagast respectfully asked permission. This Lady did not seem nearly as fierce as Carepa, and instead, like her waters, had a slower, gentler disposition. She was not apparently fond of humans either, but like her sister, she appreciated their request for permission and granted it. It was well she did too. As the waters slowed even further and drew down to allow them to cross, it could be seen that the Hilux would have easily and quickly been swamped and deluged by the deceptively hidden depth of them. From there they moved on once more into thicker and more dense jungle than they had even been in before.

Estel's dashboard mounted compass had them pointing west and in the general direction they needed to be heading. At the very least, the makeshift road the trees were creating was not leading them astray as they continued to move forward. Nevertheless, all within the vehicle kept their eyes open and alert.

The path the trees laid brought them to the bank of a much larger and faster moving river. To Jim's eyes it might have just as well been the Thames in London for its breadth. He of course didn't know how deep it was, but just from its size, he could guess that there was no way for the truck to traverse it regardless.

"How are we supposed to get across that?" Jim asked.

"You really need to ask that, mate?" Sam asked with an incredulous look on his face as he glanced towards the wizard who sat in between them.

But Radagast's own expression looked dubious at that point. "Yes, well, hmm." He responded. "We will see what kind of a mood she is in."

His tone of voice was not hopeful.

Once more, Sam got out to let the wizard go and speak to the spirit of the river. Once more Radagast tapped his staff, intoning a few words in Sindarin. And once more, the cocoa colored waters of the river coalesced before them into a fiery, fierce woman with the same color of skin and hair. But her expression was far less than welcoming.

"Señora Atrato…" Radagast began, but that was all he was able to get out before she began speaking both angrily and rapidly to where the wizard couldn't get a word in edgewise. Her voice raised higher and higher as she talked at him, gesturing with her watery arms wildly up and down the banks and stamping a liquid foot repeatedly on the bank.

"What's she saying?" Jim asked Estel, whose face betrayed both amusement and dismay at the sight.

"The Lady isn't pleased to see any of us." Estel replied succintly.

"Well, yes, I gathered that." Jim replied. "But why?"

"There are some choice words I'd rather not repeat, but suffice it to say that she's upset about being polluted by our kind, mistreated, and ignored, she and her tributaries. She hates the bloodshed which our kind have fouled her waters with and is sick of it. She feels that she has no reason to help us whatsoever, and if we set so much as one foot into her waters, she will drown us." Estel told him the gist of her angry message.

"Even Radagast?" Jim asked, not knowing who could really be angry with the eccentric but gentle old wizard.

"Did it look like she was exempting him to you?" Estel questioned.

"No." Jim conceded.

When the river spirit was done shouting, her physical form dispersed and rejoined the waters of her mighty flow. Radagast's cheeks were burning at the scolding she gave. Nevertheless, as she returned, he responded dejectedly, as if to her back, "Si, Señora." He stood there for a moment as if to recover himself, and then rejoined the others at the truck.

"She is a powerful and passionate river." Radagast told them upon returning. "I do not blame her for being upset."

"I suppose I wouldn't either." Jim conceded. "But that still doesn't change our need to get across. Is it possible to go around?"

"No." Radagast answered. "She stretches for over six hundred of your kilometers north to south."

"What do we do then?" Sam asked.

"I need time to think." The wizard replied as he produced a pipe and began to smoke it.

"She didn't seem pleased at all to see even you. Why?" Jim asked.

"Because I wasn't here to stop them from hurting her." Radagast replied, a tone of shame creeping into his words.

"That's not fair, is it? You can't be everywhere, mate." Sam told him.

"How true that is." The brown wizard replied sadly. "But still, I have spent far too long holed up in my comfortable little house. The trees have told me over the years, but I didn't know to believe half of it. She was right. I have neglected caring for the remnants of Yavanna's garden here and elsewhere. Leave me for a moment. I need to walk a little."

Radagast wandered off towards the tree line alone, the sweet smelling smoke from his pipe filling the air in his wake.

"What now?" Jim continued to ask aloud to those still within earshot.

"For now, we wait until he thinks of something." Eltariel responded.

"What about building a raft and floating the truck across?" Jim then asked, thinking aloud.

Estel shook his head. "She'd capsize it the moment it was in the water."

"Well, can we turn back, or find a shallower part downriver?" Sam then joined his friend's speculation.

"We could be traveling many kilometers, and still have the same problem. No, it is safer and more useful to let Radagast think of something else to try." The Numenorean replied.

The noontime came and went before the brown wizard returned.

"Do you have something?" Sam asked.

"Perhaps. There is an old friend who resides not far from here. I have sent a message asking for any help she can give us." The wizard replied. "I am certain she will respond. We used to be quite close, though I admit, we haven't spoken for a while. Not since that Simon Bolivar fellow was around."

"She?" Jim asked, wondering to whom the wizard was referring.

"Yes. She." Radagast answered cryptically.

Fifteen minutes later, a terrifying screech like no eagle or hawk had ever made before pierced the air around them and filled them all with a kind of dread. Jim's eyes immediately shot to the skies as he asked in a low voice punctuated by his instinctive fear, "What was that?"

"Oh good. She got my message." Radagast exclaimed, appearing quite pleased. "I think everyone should probably get in the vehicle now." He then followed his own advice and climbed into the center rear seat calmly.

Another screech filled the air and the sound of great wings flapping beat hard, creating breezes and winds around them as a dark shadow flew over their heads. Estel and Eltariel obeyed the wizard with expressions of concern on their faces. Both Jim and Sam instinctively covered their heads before running and jumping back into the truck. But for just a second, Jim glanced upwards to see what was about to arrive. And his heart nearly stopped as he saw the owner of the terrifying cry.

"It's a bloody dragon." He managed to whisper before diving into his seat and slamming the door tight.

"THAT IS A BLOODY DRAGON!" He shouted from fear and astonishment, pointing towards the sky. "HOW IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS HOLY IS THERE A BLOODY DRAGON OUT THERE?!"

"There's no need to be rude about it. That's just one of the forms she can take. I imagine it's the one she thought most useful for what we needed." Radagast replied, completely unconcerned about the impending attack of the massive and powerful creature.

"Just who is it that you sent a message to?" Jim demanded.

"Carnan." Eltariel answered for the wizard with an awe and wonder in her voice. "She still lives, after all this time."

"Just as you and I do, of course she still lives." The wizard told her.

"Carnan. Just who is Carnan?" Jim asked, not recognizing the name.

"She's a spirit of nature, isn't she?" Sam answered. "You've never gotten into the Shadow of Mordor stories, Jim, but she's in there right along with Celebrimbor's ring. She helped Talion take down a Balrog once."

"Indeed she did." Eltariel confirmed for them, a reverence in her voice.

"She did, did she?" Jim answered, mollified. "Well…"

Just then the beating of the air grew louder and louder, and then something huge carefully grabbed the truck from under the vehicle with huge taloned claws and the next thing they all knew, the truck rose slowly into the air, gaining speed with every beat of the massive, powerful wings.

"She's giving us an airlift?" Sam asked with both amazement and disbelief.

"It would appear so." Estel replied with no less awe than his friends.

As Jim looked out the windows of the vehicle, he saw massive forelegs clutching the front end of the Hilux. But they weren't made of scales or reptilian flesh as he would have imagined a dragon's might. Instead, they appeared to be made of living wood, vines, and tree bark as though the whole creature was crafted from the living wilds itself.

They flew over the river in a matter of moments, but the dragon carrying them aloft didn't lower them or slow down. Instead, it soared onward to the west, passing over a canopy of trees that revealed nothing of what their boughs and leaves hid.

"Wait, where is she taking us?" Jim asked. "We're well past the river."

"I did happen to mention in my message that our errand was urgent." Radagast replied.

They continued to soar like that for another ten minutes or so until the creature began to slow down and lowered them into a clearing in the forest far to the west from where they began. The Hilux bounced as the dragon released the truck onto the rainforest floor and then the ground trembled slightly as she landed nearby.

"Please, let me out for a moment so I can speak with her. It has been some time, and I don't know when I will get the chance again." Radagast asked Sam who complied and opened the door to step out, a kind of wondrous shock still etched in his expression.

Jim too opened his door and got out of the truck. He wanted to confirm that he had actually seen what his senses told him was true in spite of what reality was supposed to be. He looked in the general direction which the brown wizard had gone to find the dragon's shape already beginning to morph into something else, the woody branches, vines, and bark changing shape and rearranging. When it was done, instead of a terrifying beast, there was a giant woman's form waiting to greet the wizard. Her expression was just as proud and fierce as those of the river spirits which he had seen, but also tender and gentle when she looked upon the form of the eccentric wizard. She reached out a wooded hand to touch his cheek gently.

The wizard blushed slightly as they exchanged words in the Elven tongue. Carnan's expression grew serious and solemn as Radagast appeared to be explaining what was happening in detail, and she nodded in response several times, replying in Sindarin. Her voice was strong, the voice of a person who was clearly master or mistress of her domain, yet still feminine and maternal in quality. She appeared almost to be the picture one might imagine upon the title of "Mother Nature."

It seemed fitting just then to the Englishman that both the brown wizard and this maternal spirit of nature should not only know each other, but apparently have a relationship which clearly went beyond mere friendship. Seeing it, and realizing that he was staring and intruding on what must have been the only moment they had shared for some time, he felt like an intruder or a voyeur and decided to excuse himself silently and return to the confines of the truck.

Some short time later, Radagast returned to them.

"She has set us only a few kilometers from the nearest town where the highway begins. The trees will continue to part for us until we reach it." he told them. "She has also promised aid should we need it when we reach our destination. She too wants to see Celebrimbor's mistake rectified."

Jim felt, in that moment, completely ashamed for his reactions that entire trip. He wanted to say something but all he could come up with was, awkwardly, "She is quite special, isn't she?"

"She is indeed, my friend." Radagast agreed. "She is indeed."

Ten minutes later they reached the highway where they were stopped by surprised Panamanian authorities and their travel documents were checked. They had no way of explaining either the claw marks on the sides of the truck, or how they had managed to get visas from the Panamanian consulate the day before, or how they had been able to get the truck across the forest in less than a day. But, no contraband was found that the officers could find, and an hour and a thousand U.S. dollars later to smooth things over, they were on their way again up the highway towards their goal.