East of Khand. May 3, SA 722

MAIRON nodded as he watched thousands of slaves toil on the green hill and the shallow river before him. The hill was covered with people carrying and pulling dark bricks in a cart driven by horses. So many people.

Like ants.

They crawled all over the tallest hill among the cluster of hills that stood like a green wall behind the river. There were also men by the river, screening the sands for gold. Unexpectedly, the riverbeds here were full of auriferous sands. The dark sands of their rivers contained a large number of gold nuggets and pellets which these people knew not their value.

Beyond the hills dotted with stunted trees, an arid plain of low-growing bushes spread far and wide. And far beyond, golden dunes fazed in the haze of heat, as if Ulmo suddenly withdrew all his waters and left them with miles and miles of sand.

Mairon gazed at the temple being built at the top of the hill. It will be his. The dark gray blocks of stone shimmered as the flecks of gold glittered in the burning sunlight. Once completed, it will be the tallest structure for miles around.

As ignorant as these humans are, Mairon found they could be taught. When given enough motivation and knowledge, they could build. These people were not the most skilled, certainly. They were not the Noldor, but who among the dwellers of this Middle-earth could compare to the Elves who were taught by Aulë himself?

Mairon found them living in the holes made in the side of a mountain. It took them two centuries, but they were building massive structures of stone now.

The portly man prostrated beside his feet shift position. Mairon could sense the man's need to move his stiffening muscles, but the mortal was too afraid to move them. The poor fool was almost wheezing for his need to breathe.

"Speak."

"Your Grace, hap…happy with work?" the chieftain asked, picking up his head slightly to steal a look.

Mairon drew his brows together and spoke as gravely as he could.

"Slow. Too slow."

"I…I will double the men." The man's tanned face turned visibly white as sweat beaded his forehead.

"Do it!"

The chieftain crawled backward, then ran out of the room. Mairon pulled up the corners of his lips. Primitive as they are, they knew how to obey. And surprisingly, when he taught them one thing, they learned to use the knowledge in a variety of ways, sometimes improving them, sometimes finding innovative ways to do things faster when Mairon pushed them.

Just recently, he taught them how to make stronger mud bricks by using baked and ground limestone to mix with the sand and water. He wondered if he should tell them that using seawater like the salty water from the Sea of Rhun would further strengthen them. Of course, using volcanic ash would be better, too, but there was no volcano here.

Besides, too much information given at once befuddled these lesser beings. And he didn't want them becoming stronger too quickly. It was the reason he withheld the knowledge of working with iron. For now, he had his Orcs supply iron weapons and armors. Only his handpicked warriors were gifted with iron weapons and armors.

His master said to gift humans sparingly and they will want ceaselessly. Mairon found the advice very sound. Men who coveted were willing to do anything to achieve their desire. And those who had tasted power and glimpsed riches always wanted more.

Overall, humans were much easier to handle than the Elves. However, they were slower and weaker. They had no mental capacity for spells, except for very few amongst them. This made them slow at everything. What took only a flick of his wrist, it took men months to years, to learn, to understand, and to build. Still, they were obedient and devoted.

Mairon walked to a large stone brazier where a flame from the volcano he had brought from Forochel burned. Dernwulf called him.

Mairon wished there was a volcano near here. To forge his designs, he needed strength of the fire only a volcano or a dragon could provide. What furnaces these people had were made of mud. And they fanned the flames with weak apparatus. With fires so weak here, in order for Mairon to forge what he needed, he had to expend his own power.

With a wave of his hand, the flickering flame flared tall. Within the flame, Mairon saw the kneeled form of Dernwulf. Unlike the connection he shared with the Orcs and the creations of his master's hands, his connection to Dernwulf was possible through the bracelet Mairon had gifted the rhunedhel.

Wiry and taut like a strip of metal coiled into a spring, Dernwulf seemed ready to jump up at a moment's notice. But when Mairon reached into his mind, Dernwulf lowered his head. The gold bracelet Mairon had given to Dernwulf acted much like the gold collard Mairon made with Uluch's blood, a device that allowed Mairon to reach into the mind of its wearer. However, the bracelet was much weaker than the previous collars.

"You have what I asked for, Dernwulf?"

"Forgive me, my lord. We only have two Elves. Before we could gather more, the men were driven out of the forest."

"Wood-elves drove men out? Men with my iron armors?"

"No, my lord. The new-comers. They brought their entire army."

"Sindar?" Mairon knew there was a possibility the Sindar may be moved to intervene if they felt men threatened their territory. "Have you told the men not to attract attention?"

"I have. But men do not always listen."

Perhaps he should have sent the Orcs, but too many were destroyed in the underground explosion at Forochel. It was only because of the precautions he took, enlarging the air shafts in the ceiling of the underground tunnels, that made it possible for Mairon to escape the collapse of the underground magma chambers. He did not fear the heat or the fire, but the collapse of the structure on top of him would have imprisoned him underground.

Mairon shuddered, remembering how close he came to being trapped again.

"Kill them."

"My lord?" Dernwulf looked up, eyes wide.

That the rhunedhel would question his command showed the limitation of the gold bracelet. It was necessary, however. Because he had so little of Uluch's blood left, Mairon had diluted the blood when making the bracelet. To compensate, he had made the item smaller to concentrate its power. Unfortunately, he could not make the device too small as the amount of gold used determined the amount of power it could hold. Even at its current size, just enough gold to encircle a man's wrist, the new device lacked the complete hold on its wearer. It still allowed Mairon to reach into the minds of its wearer, but he had to strengthen the weakened hold of the diluted blood with his own will. And expending his own will weakened him.

"I do not need men who do not listen." Mairon frowned down at the image of Dernwulf.

How he wished he had harvested more of Uluch's blood before her betrayal. He had so little of the dragon blood left. Had he known those collards would be destroyed in underground magma, he would not have spent so much of Uluch's blood in making them.

If only I had more dragon blood.

The Maia fingered the crystal around his neck. It was hollowed inside to keep close to him the couple of drops that remained.

"Yet you hesitate."

"I would not dare." Dernwulf lowered his head onto the floor. "If Grimshod is to be killed, his brother must be as well."

Mairon allowed his lips to curve up. Despite his willingness to betray the Wood-elves and to drive out the Sindar, Dernwulf always hesitated when it came to killing, whether Elf or Men. Even now, Dernwulf resisted the dominating effect of the bracelet. Didn't matter.

The longer he wore the bracelet, the more completely Dernwulf would submit to Mairon's will. For now, no matter how he felt, the Maia knew Dernwulf would do what he was told. The rhunedhel had a desire and his desire aligned with Mairon's own needs.

But if this lowly creature could fight against the effect of the bracelet, how could it dominate the Noldor whose minds are stronger? That was the question that consumed Mairon's time here. If he could make the bracelet smaller without compromising the power it can wield….

If it was a size of a ring, even with the scant amount of blood he has, he could make more of them. But Mairon needed a way for the device to hold enough power despite the small size, at least enough power to influence the minds of Noldorin Elves.

"Speak freely." Mairon silkened his voice. He had chosen Dernwulf for a reason, despite the inferiority of his blood. The Maia had wanted someone who knew Wood-elves, and no one knew them as well as Dernwulf. "You want to spare the men. Why?"

"Grimshod commands many men, my lord. All of them fierce warriors and loyal to him. It easier to command those who willing than those who unwilling. And Grimshod owes you now that he has returned empty-handed. He not able to return the gold and the arms you had already given. And…" Dernwulf hesitated a moment before he continued, "the Elf you wanted, my lord. I need more men, not less. We lost many men trying to capture him. Without Grimshod's men, I unsure if we could manage to capture him. I thought he just a minstrel, but he a demon, fierce and fey."

"The delivery of that Elf is paramount." Mairon infused his voice with power lest Dernwulf forgets who he was dealing with. "I have gathered my best Orc warriors and a company of them are already on their way to you."

Dernwulf frowned. "Orcs, lord?"

Mairon could see the revulsion on Dernwulf's face and realized that using the Orcs would not do. Not with Dernwulf.

"Warriors who are capable fighters against the Orcs. Did you not have a problem with the Orcs before, Dernwulf?"

Because of the name, Mairon had forgotten briefly who Dernwulf is. He would have to change his order and hold those Orcs in reserve.

"Where is he now?"

"We managed to corner him into a deep valley where Ered Lithui (Ash Mountains) meets Ephel Duath (Montains of Shadow), a short distance from where we took other prisoners. He injured but we not able to go near him. The Men in my command not skilled enough, my lord. With Grimshod's men, we may keep him there, but if Grimshod killed, I know not if his men will listen to me. The power you gave me may calm them, but angry men are not easy to command."

"You do what you must. But the Noldo, could he not escape? He is a better swordsman than you could possibly understand."

"We have archers on him. And there only two gaps within the valley through which he could escape, the north and the south. The north we have fortified with a gate. The south leads out to the mountain of fire and the region is full of gaseous smoke and molten rocks and is not passable."

"Mountain of fire?"

"It spouts fire and ash. The whole region rumbles time to time. It is the reason no one, not even Northmen come here."

The Maia was intrigued. Melkor said he had created many volcanoes in the world, but Mairon had only found one in the east of the Blue Mountains, at Forochel, where it was damn cold all the time. He had not known volcanoes existed in the south and so near the great forest where the Elves lived. If he could have a forge near the forest, he could have his pick of the Elves to experiment.

"Do as you see fit, Dernwulf, as to the men. I will see to the Noldo myself. Inform me as soon as you have him. And I see that my gift has been useful to you?" Mairon reminded Dernwulf. "The sooner you fulfill your part, the sooner your wish will be granted. I'll leave the men to your discretion to use them as you will. But I want results. Deliver the Elves you promised, Dernwulf, preferably among the Sindar. And if possible, their leader."

"The leader of the newcomers inaccessible, my lord. He has many capable warriors about him. I not think we could approach him without alerting others. Perhaps, I could offer you his son?"

Mairon perked his ears.

"His son? You mean Oropher's son?"

"His son came recently from the west to settle in the forest with his father. I have been told that he likes to run through the forest alone and without weapons."

Mairon laughed out loud. He could not help himself. Was his master looking out for him?

"If you can bring me the son of Oropher, Dernwulf, I would not only help you rid the Sindar from the forest, I would give you the power to do more than just change your appearance and influence minds."

Dernwulf's eyes rounded briefly. He lowered his head again.

"But be warned. Oropher's son will not be easy to capture. He is as cunning as he is deadly with his sword. But if you capture him, you will show your worth." Mairon turned from the flames so Dernwulf could only see a side of his face. "I can give you power, Dernwulf, to help you conquer not only the Greenwood but the rest of the forest if you deliver both the Noldo and this Sinda."

Dernwulf lowered his head further.

"I do not desire to conquer others. I only desire to protect mine."

"Yet you are willing to sacrifice some of them."

"Some to protect the many."

"Yes, sometimes it is necessary to sacrifice the few for the greater good of the many. Unfortunately, very few understand this. Use my gift well, Dernwulf. And may you achieve what you seek."

"Thank you, my lord. I will not fail you. You will have both the Noldo and the Sinda and the pairs you have requested. And I have just the right pairs in mind. By the end of the summer solstice, you shall have them."

"Summer Solstice?"

"A great gathering of all the chieftains will take place on this year's Summer Solstice. Many villagers started to gather already at the Dark Mountains, in the heart of the forest. There will be a great feast and the flow of wine. The newcomers have also started their journey. And Oropher's son, I have been told, tends to wander alone."

"Hmmm. If that is so, wait until he is near his destination."

Dernwulf looked up.

"If he disappears too early, his father will be alarmed and will send out warriors looking for him." Even with his best men or the Orcs, Sindarin warriors were not to be taken lightly. "But, if they are near the destination and if there are as many Elves there as you claim, it will not worry his father too much to lose sight of his son. He will take comfort in the numbers."

"Once I capture them, should I send them to you, my lord?"

"I will come to you." Mairon was not about to let this opportunity pass. And he was curious about this mountain of fire. If it was an active volcano, he could harvest its fires to forge a better device. "Expect me by the end of the summer. And if you capture the pairs of Elves as I have ordered, you may start the procedures I taught you. But do not touch the Noldo and the Sinda. I will deal with them myself."

"As you command."

As Dernwulf got up to step back, Mairon stopped him. "Oh, and I don't need the son of Oropher whole. I just need him alive. You may do whatever you need to capture him as long as he is not bleeding to death. In fact, for your peace of mind, I recommend permanently disabling the Sinda so he cannot use his limbs, perhaps even blinding him."

That would prevent Thranduil from becoming a nuisance. Let's see what the little Sinda could do when he is unable to see. Mairon chuckled to himself.

"My lord?"

"Not a hair is to be harmed on the Noldo, but with Oropher's son, I only need him breathing. Do with him as you will. I plan to arrive there by end of summer but expect me sooner if you capture them."

Mairon turned away from the brazier. The furor of the flames settled down into a soft hiss.

The Maia walked over to the window cut into the stone wall and looked up at the hill. The temple was almost complete. He will make certain of his hold here before he leaves.

The Elves were more useful to him than these primitive people. If he controlled the Elves, he didn't need these men, but Mairon had learned not to put all his Orcs in one place.

That blast at Forochel had taken the greater number of the newly bred Orcs than Mairon had ever thought possible. Gil-galad's Silmacils and Oropher's Sindarin warriors had hunted down any and all Orcs who had survived the collapse of the underground structure, the ones who had been near the opening of the caves to the Misty Mountains. Only the ones Mairon had reserved at the deeps of the Misty Mountains, out of pure caution, had survived. He would not make the same mistake again.

Mairon did not expect his current plan to fail, but if Elves would not work with him, Mairon needed Men to build his army. He had absolute control over the Orcs, but Orcs alone were not enough. He had seen the limitation of what Orcs can do.

Mairon reached into the Orcs he had previously sent south to Dernwulf.

Change your course. Gather at the east eave of the Greenwood Forest near the mountains and wait for my command.

Although Dernwulf proved himself capable and loyal, Mairon wanted to make sure nothing went wrong. He was not about to let the opportunity slip past him.

To the rhunedhel, he will send some of his guards, the fastest and the deadliest. In order to capture that Noldo, Dernwulf would need all the help he could send.

Mairon fingered the crystal by his neck again.

Thranduil had Uluch's blood. By now, her blood would have slowly increased. There may be enough in Thranduil to feed the Noldo. Mairon was certain the darkness in the Noldo was great enough for the blood to take to him. The Elf was a slayer of kin, after all. If Mairon could control this kinslayer, he would have gained a powerful lieutenant that Thranduil could never hope to match in skill or power.

Mairon rubbed his hands. There was so much opportunity here. He will drain Thranduil of Uluch's blood. That would leave the bare drops left to him toward the creation of the bracelets, or rings if he could find a way to make them powerful enough. Mairon's heart boomed in his chest.

There was an answer here, a way to preserve all his power no matter what happened to his body. If he could enhance his own powers, he could protect himself and dominate these lower beings all at the same time. He could feel that he was close. The answer lay in front of him. It all lay in the dragon blood, the Elves and…he picked up a bowl of gold nuggets harvested from the river. All the pieces were here. He just needed to find a way to make them all connect: the blood, Elves, and the gold.

Ered Lithui (Sindarin, Ash Mountains) and Ephel Duath (Mountains of Shadow) are the mountains of Mordor, Black Lands, where Sauron later took as his own. The volcano there refers to Mount Doom where Sauron later forged the master ring mentioned in the LOTR.