"Frodo step away from her!" Legolas said as Meia closed her eyes and let out a peaceful sigh. "She's evil!"
"She's no evil!" Frodo snapped, laying the sleeping girl on the ground. "She's only carrying something evil." Frodo hand slipped inside his jacket and pulled out the ring, "So am I, and you don't fear me!"
"That thing doesn't live in you!" Gimli argued. Frodo shook his head.
"Yes, it does," He breathed, "You are safer with her than me, at lest she has a safegaurd." The blue eyed hobbit turned and looked at Gandalf, "Please, Gandalf, let them go," The grey wizard waved his hand and the druid, rover, and dwarf were free.
Tay was the first to reach Meia, picking her off the ground. She was still sleeping. Aragorn rose from the ground, looking singed and bruised. He pointed at the druid.
"You owe us an explanation, now more than ever! What possesses her and why?"
"No!" Said Gandalf," We must first leave this place. Place Lady Meia on the pony and they can explain themselves as soon as we place some distance between us and this cursed place."
Reluctantly, Aragorn agreed and they began on their way as the sky continued to lighten.
"You worthless maggot!!" Rimmer Dal bellowed. The small round room rang with the sound of leather glove on flesh. Saruman, who kneeled at Dal's feet, gave a grunt of pain and swung his violet eyes up to meet Dal's fiery red ones. Of course, Dal noted, that was all Saruman could do was stare. The shadowen had full reign over the wizard's body and power. The shadowen kept Saruman half in power because the shadowen, Putrid, who had taken over the wizard's body hadn't figured out to work Saruman's magic yet.
"I told you to make my shadowen powerful. POWERFUL, YOU INCOMPETENT RAGDOLL!!!!" Putrid took his cue and lashed out inside Saruman's mind, making the old man cry out in agony. Dal stood from the black throne and grabbed Saruman by the front of his robes, dragging him to his feet. "I told you power, and all you did was blot out the sun, if I had wanted to blot out the sun I would have conjured a whirlwind of rot from my world." Dal hissed. He threw Saruman away like a soiled rag and fell back into the stone throne. He watched as the wizard picked himself up, shaking both physically and mentally. "Saruman, you worthless disarray of bone and flesh, I'll give you one more chance of your own mind. I'm sick of chasing that woman. I want you to drive Meia and her 'fellowship' here. You fail, and I let Putrid suck the magic from your marrow," Saruman looking rather green with fear and fatigue gave a tottering bow and left the room. Dal stood up as the door shut with a thud. Then, with a bestial snarl, he kicked out at the pedestal beside the rock hewn throne. Atop the pedestal was a single round orb. It shattered into a million shards on the floor. Rimmer Dal didn't need a magic stone to see or know where Meia was. He always knew. Rash made tracking her quiet simple, but at times like this, when that blasted stone interfered !!
Rimmer Dal knew the stone well, he had possessed it once. It was an elfstone, part of one, but one did not need to be of elven blood to wield it. That's why the stone's red color, it was actually petrified elf blood, like tree sap turning to amber. It had incredible power, but the thing chose when it would interfere.
Dal bit his thumb and drew his own blood. If he hadn't been so stupid to throw it away when he had first infested her!
My poor Dal, sometimes your as foolish as she," Dal's own Shadowen, Hex. murmured in his ear. He became alert and shut away his foolish anger.
"Hex, I'm guessing she's awake since your talking to me," The shadowen gave a soft hiss and he felt it curl around his senses like a calming smoke. Unlike Meia and Saruman, he had linked with his Shadowen. He and Hex were very much one, but it was he who was in power. He had given Hex commands not to interrupt him unless the girl and Rash had come out of their unconscious state. It had been nearly two weeks.
Yes, my sweet Master," Hex purred in a silky voice," She just came around a few hours ago, Rash is weak, he reported to me and then went still again"