Intersections at Right Angles
By Verbosity
Hello all. Finals are done and the semester is over with. Yes! Here is the next chapter. All the way to Moria, just like I promised. For the next chapter, a lot of dark, a bit of traveling, and a really big fight.
As always, I hunger for pithy feedback.
Feed me.
Chapter 10At Boromir's suggestion the company gathered firewood for the journey over the pass before they reached above the tree line. They would burn it only at desperate need; the light of a fire would be seen for leagues.
Setting out again in late afternoon the company moved swiftly at first. Soon, however, the path became steeper and more difficult, and their progress slowed. They reached parts of the trail where snow remained on the ground from the first storms of the winter and slogged their way laboriously up the slope. Andromeda turned at Aragorn's cry of, "Frodo!" To see the hobbit sliding down the slope, to stop near the ranger's feet. Aragorn pulled up and steadied him, as Frodo began to grope frantically at the opening of his shirt.
Boromir moved an instant before she spotted it. The Ring was lying in the snow just a couple yards from him and he stepped towards it, and picked it up by the long chain.
He held it up before his face, staring at it with fascination and said, "It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing." His voice grew soft. "Such a little thing."
"Boromir." Aragorn said.
Andromeda glanced down the slope to where the ranger and Frodo stood. Both gazed toward Boromir with sharp concern and she saw Aragorn's hand close over his sword hilt. The ranger's worried gaze darted momentarily to her, where she stood just a little behind and to the right of Boromir. She met his eyes for an instant then returned her attention to Boromir's face. He seemed entranced by the circle of gold suspended on the chain. She didn't know him very well yet, but this behavior was not normal.
As he began to reach for the ring with his other hand, Andromeda stepped closer and set a hand on his shoulder. "Boromir," she said.
He jerked, as if a sleeper suddenly awakened, and turned his head toward her.
"That's not you, it's the Ring. The desire you're feeling for it." She thought for a moment about what part of him to appeal to. "Are you going to let it tell you what you want?"
Boromir's gaze traveled from her to the ring and back. She knew could take it away from him if she had to, but would much prefer, for everyone's sake, particularly his, that he give it back.
He shook himself once more, and holding the ring out in front of him like a live viper, walked to Frodo and gave it to the hobbit.
There was a communal release of breath as he did so, and a relax of tension. As the Fellowship started on its way again Andromeda and Aragorn were the only ones to catch sight of the conflicted look on Boromir's face.
The path wound on and the hour grew later as clouds began to build overhead. Night fell, closing swiftly around the companions, dropping the temperature and causing the wind to pick up.
The clouds gathering in the sky above deepened the darkness of night until not even the faintest glimmer of light shone from the stars and moon above. The path wound ever upwards, becoming rockier and more treacherous with every mile.
Andromeda picked up a temperature shift and looked up just as small white flakes of snow began settling out of the darkness above. The gray flank of Caradhras towered upward beside them, disappearing beyond the reach of even her eyes, into the night above. The snow, coming down harder, began to obscure vision and cover the ground.
At the front of the company Gandalf halted. Andromeda listened as he and the others spoke about the storm and its possible cause. Legolas drew her attention, the elf seemed unsettled, shifting and glancing around, listening to the wind and casting dark looks into the storm above.
"What is it?" She asked.
The elf glanced down at her and then his eyes flicked back up toward the sky. "I feel a great ill in the storm. Full of malicious anger and hate."
Andromeda followed his gaze upward, even as she heard Gandalf's reply to Gimli's statement that the arm of Sauron must have grown long if he could reach them here, three hundred leagues away.
"His arm has indeed grown long," said the wizard.
* * *
The wind picked up when they resumed their trek, howling its rage, hurling the snow into their faces. The snowfall became a blizzard and Boromir could barely see everyone in the company. The hobbits were bent up against the wind taking cover in the lee of the larger members of the Company. He glanced at Pippin as the hobbit trudged behind him, noting how miserable he looked. It didn't look like the hobbits could go much farther. Occasionally over the wind he could hear Gimli's grumbling as he forged forward against the wind. Even the stout dwarf was having trouble with the storm. Once again he glanced at the two members of the company who seemed to be most untroubled by the elements.
Legolas moved easily against the wind, just seeming to slip through it, barely taking notice of the swiftly piling snow. The elf did not seem greatly bothered by the freezing winds either. Boromir's gaze then drifted to the slight being walking in front of Sam.
Andromeda seemed perfectly untroubled by the cold, snow, or winds. It was not like the elf, who appeared detached from such troubles. No, it was simply that she ignored them, as if they were insignificant, and mattered not at all to her.
And perhaps they didn't, he mused. Her nature was such that little that affected mortal man seemed able to touch her. His thought darkened as he recalled what she had revealed around the fire, about her lifespan in Middle-Earth. In that regard she was more mortal than he. He found the though oddly disturbing.
The wind gusted suddenly, nearly knocking the smaller members of the party from their feet, and all at once the company came to a halt. The darkness around was filled with the howl and shriek of the wind, it's throatless voice pouring forth whispers and malevolent laughter.
Boromir looked around at the company. The hobbits were shivering, exhausted, and nearly dropping where they stood. Even Aragorn and Gimli were showing signs of wear. The only member of the Fellowship not seeming even the least tired was Andromeda, though even she showed signs of the rigors of the last few hours. There was snow and ice worked into her hair and peppered upon her body where it hadn't been shaken off by her movement.
Taking this in he called out, "We can go no further tonight. This is no mere storm, whatever it's source."
"Caradhras was know to be cruel, and had an ill name long before any rumor of Sauron reached these lands," Gimli said.
Who the enemy is matters not if we cannot turn aside his assault. Further along the path there is even less shelter from the storm," Gandalf said. "So we must either hold here until it passes, or go back."
Aragorn shook his head, and spoke, "The storm would soon overwhelm the hobbits. We must take what shelter we can here."
The company huddled together at the base of the cliff, taking what relief it offered from the biting winds. The snow continued to come down, piling deeper and deeper.
Hours passed, and the snow deepened until it passed the hocks of the pony. Boromir flexed hands grown numb with the cold and moved to uncover Frodo, who was nearly buried in snow. The hobbit seemed groggy, unfocused, and Boromir shook him gently. He'd seen this before, in men who were near to freezing to death. They couldn't endure much longer in this cold.
"This can't continue." Andromeda's voice came from beside him. "Their body temperatures are getting dangerously low."
As if hearing the possibility of victory over its enemies the wind redoubled it ferocity, blowing harder and whirling snow about even thicker than before.
"We need a fire," Boromir said. "It seems a clear choice now between that and death. What say you, Gandalf?"
"Make a fire," Gandalf said. "If there are any watching that can endure the storm, then they need no fire to see us."
They swiftly cleared a space in the snow and laid out the kindling and wood, but between the wind, snow and frozen wood, not even Gimli or Legolas could strike a flame that would catch.
Gandalf reluctantly stepped forward, reaching down to pick up a faggot. Indeed, Boromir thought, it was going to take wizardry to light the wood in this storm. Andromeda seized hold of Gandalf's arm before he could pick up the wood.
"Will anyone be able to sense this like I do?" She asked.
"Yes," Gandalf said. "This will make it quite obvious to any with the eyes to see, that I am here."
"Then, in the interests of not drawing attention, it's probably better if I do it."
The wizard looked silently at her a moment and then stepped back. Boromir looked at them, confused, and glanced at Aragorn, only to see the ranger just as much at a loss. Was magic another of her hidden skills?
He watched as she knelt next to the kindling and his bafflement increased as she pulled off her coat. She set it to the side and the company traded glances over her apparent disregard for the cold. Completely unaffected by the spiting snow and howling wind, she pushed up one of her sleeves, and removed her knife from her belt. Boromir watched with sudden alarm as she brought it to the skin of her forearm.
"Lady!" He lunged forward, grasping hold of her wrist, noticing that Aragorn too, had stepped closer.
Her brown eyes met his. "It's alright Boromir. There won't be any lasting harm; in a few hours it will be good as new. I'd rather a little discomfort now than face an army later on because the enemy knew where we were. Let go."
Her gaze remained steady, and slowly, reluctantly, he did as she asked. Glancing at Aragorn he saw the ranger was as discomfited as he was. Gandalf's face was grave as he carefully watched, his eyes never leaving Andromeda.
Placing the knife, she pushed it just through the skin and, in one smooth motion, cut a slit in it almost the entire length of her forearm. Boromir's breath hissed through his teeth, as he expected a gush of blood. It didn't come. There was a slight bleeding of a dark liquid at a few points in the incision, but that was all.
Those watching leaned forward, pulled by a sort of horrid fascination, as she set the blade down, carefully pushed the skin aside, and began to do something with the internal structure of her arm.
Boromir caught glimpses of not flesh and blood, as he knew it, but rather materials he had never seen before.
Swallowing heavily he tore his gaze away and glanced at her face. She was calm, not displaying any pain as she dug into the insides of her arm. A swift glance around displayed the reactions of the company.
Gimli had leaned closer, watching with fascination, while the hobbits were wide eyed and had gone a pale. Aragorn's expression revealed not so much discomfort over what was revealed but concern for Andromeda, while Legolas watched with a thoughtful expression.
Andromeda, moving with careful deliberation, pulled what looked like one end of a fine length of string or cord out of the incision. Her gaze was suddenly turned inward, as if to some internal process, and the end of the length began to glow, casting odd shadows onto the watching faces. A slight crackle could be heard even through the noise of the wind and from his position next to her, Boromir caught an unfamiliar sharp smell before the wind whirled it away. As she leaned down and inserted the glowing crackling end into the kindling he remembered where he had seen light such as that before. It was like the lightning that flickered and played in the clouds of a thunderstorm.
As soon as the end touched the kindling it began to smoke, and then burst into flame. The wind tried to extinguish the newborn flame but Andromeda kept the length inserted until all of it was burning.
There was a frozen moment when she leaned back from the fire, everyone looking as more at her arm then the flame.
Andromeda looked up from her arm and, looking around, said, "It might be a good idea if someone put some more wood on the fire, before it goes out."
The paralysis broke and Aragorn swiftly added larger pieces to the flame that crackled merrily up in defiance of the storm. The flames heat and brightness cheered the Company, even as it melted snow and pushed back the night.
Boromir watched out of the corner of his eye as Andromeda tucked the no longer glowing piece of her back inside and moved everything carefully into place. The light of the fire now revealed much more, and it gleamed off a couple things inside her that seemed metallic, while illuminating other substances, the like of which he had never seen. Finishing, she cast about for a moment, and he realized that she was looking for something to bind the wound, just a moment before Gandalf leaned down with bandages from his pack in hand. She took them and cast a grateful smile up at him.
"How long will it take to heal?" Gandalf asked.
"A few hours. Say midmorning, or thereabouts."
As the fire burned and the evening moved on Boromir couldn't help casting glances at her, disturbed. So alike us on the outside, but so very different on the inside.
* * *
Andromeda glanced upward into the clouds overhead. The snow still fell, but less hard now. She could see a slight lightening behind the clouds still invisible to any human eye but clear to her gaze. Analyzing the cloud composition as the others consulted over the decision to continue forward or go back, she came to the conclusion that the storm, while currently abating, was not nearly blown out.
She had been standing for some time when Gandalf stepped up beside her and, together, they watched as the land slowly brightened until the world was bathed in a soft gray light. The snow was piled deep, mounded over rocks and boulders, and chest high in many places.
The wizard sighed as he glanced upward at the threatening clouds and the mountain above. "Caradhras has snow yet left to fling at us. It seems we must go back and take another road."
Andromeda nodded, having overheard as much from the conversation. Out of the corner of her eye she could see him studying her.
"You're disturbed about something."
Andromeda glanced behind at the others as they prepared to get underway. She spoke softly to keep any from overhearing. "Not so much disturbed. Just worried over how the others will react to me now. How different I am was just an idea before, now it is something far more real." She pulled the arm out of her coat and pushed her sleeve. All that remained of the incision was a thin line in the layers of her skin.
"You're afraid of their rejection." Gandalf stated, in a similarly quiet tone.
Andromeda was silent staring into the distance. If they rejected her, what she was, then she would be alone. And paradoxically, as capable as she was, being alone was not something she could handle. Hard experience had taught her that AI's left alone were not a good thing. They tended to go insane, and as little fear as she had about other things, that terrified her.
She turned her head to glance at the wizard and found herself meeting his eyes. She'd spoken with him of what had happened to those other AI's but hadn't told him directly about her fear of it. Looking into his eyes she realized, he already knew.
"Firstly, in the unlikely possibility that such a thing should occur, I will make certain you are not alone. Secondly, and perhaps far more important, it will not happen." His voice was gently chiding. "You do our companions a disservice by thinking them capable of such an abandonment."
Gandalf paused for a moment and continued, "Gimli, for one, was not at all put off by this more…pointed revelation of what you are. The friendship of the dwarves is more steadfast than the mountains, and he would not abandon you while there is life within him. Aragorn will not judge you by your flesh; it matters not to him what you are made of, only the strength of your character. The hobbits have a far stronger spirit in them than you might imagine, it is a shock to them, but they will swiftly recover from it. And Legolas is honorable and not one to judge based upon such considerations, nor to abandon a comrade."
"I notice you don't mention Boromir."
"Boromir has a good heart," Gandalf sighed. "I believe he can overcome any bias, but I do not know if he will."
There came a hail from behind them, signaling the others readiness to depart.
It took most of the morning to make their way back down the path and out of the snow. With the departure of the company from the pass the storm, Andromeda noted, in defiance of all the information she had on weather patterns, began to disperse. It seemed the malice of the mountain was exhausted.
From one of the mountain ridges they looked out over the western lands. Andromeda saw black specks in the distance, and shifting her eyes to a telescopic mode, she took a closer look.
"More Crebain," she said, pointing.
"There is nothing to be done now." Gandalf said. "We must continue on, whether they are good or ill."
* * *
"Only one other road choice lies before us," said Gandalf. "I have spoken of it with Aragorn and Andromeda in council with Elrond. Aragon has spoken against it, but I see so other way."
"Worse than the Redhorn Gate?" Merry asked. "The storm was bad enough, this way must be truly terrible."
The road I speak of is the path through the Mines of Moria," said Gandalf.
"If indeed the path leads through," Aragorn commented darkly.
Looking around Andromeda saw the name of Moria had passed an uneasy feeling to all the Company, save for Gimli, who seemed fired by its mention.
I see no need to go by such a dark way," Boromir said. "The men of Rohan have always been allies to those of Gondor and would surely welcome us through their lands."
"Matters have changed, Boromir," said Gandalf. "The betrayal of Saruman, makes that way far more dangerous. I would not take the Ring within his reach if there were any other choice."
"I would take this path with you Gandalf," said Gimli. "To look upon the Halls of Durin is something I have greatly desired. And remember, it was there that Balin and others of the Lonely Mountain journeyed, so we may yet find a royal welcome."
"I will not go unless the vote of the whole Fellowship is against me," said Boromir. "What say the others?"
"I will follow you Gandalf," said Aragorn. "As you followed my course into the snows of Caradhras, I can do no less." Yet there was foreboding in his voice and face. "But I feel that you should beware passing the gates of Moria." He met the wizards eyes for a long moment
"I do not wish to enter Moria, but I, too, see no other path," said Legolas. "I will go."
The hobbits looked at each other and were silent. Finally Frodo spoke, "I do not think that any of us wish to pass the doors of Moria, but I also know the counsel of Gandalf to be wise. We will follow him into Moria."
Andromeda suddenly found herself the focus of the Company, being the only one not having voiced an opinion.
"I know very little about Moria, only what I've been told in counsel, and," she smiled a little, looking at the dwarf, who was brimming with anticipation a the thought of Moria. "From Gimli's stories. So I must go with the experienced voices." She nodded to Gandalf and Aragorn. "I'll go."
Boromir gave an unhappy sigh, "So be it."
* * *
That, Andromeda thought, is not healthy water.
She was standing on the shoreline, string out over its stagnant surface. Glancing once at the smooth gray cliffs looming up behind, and the Company resting at the base, she turned back to the pool. She was picking up traces of organic matter in the water.
Frowning, she shifted her active sensors on. The water was being particularly stubborn about blocking most of her scan, but she could see…
"Andromeda." Gandalf had turned away from where he sat contemplating the doors. "Do not. It would be wiser to do that as little as possible during this part of the journey. I don't yet know who or what may sense you."
Andromeda cut her sensors, but stood silently processing the readings.
The Company had looked up at Gandalf's words, but seeing only Andromeda standing at the waters edge, had looked at one another in confusion.
The wind bore the far off sound of wolves to their ears and the pony started in fear. Sam took hold of his tack and soothed him.
"Keep hold of him," said Boromir. "It seems we may need him yet if the wizard cannot open the door." Turning he stalked near to Andromeda and the lake. "I do hate this fetid pool." He picked up a stone and made to hurl it out into the lake.
Even as the stone left his hand Andromeda's hand flashed out faster than any watching could follow, and the rock made solid smack as it impacted her palm. Pippin gave a startled yelp at the speed and suddenness of the unexpected motion. Boromir stared at her; she hadn't turned her attention away from the lake, she had caught it without even looking.
"Don't disturb the water." Andromeda's voice was quiet but with an uncharacteristic intensity that drew the Fellowship's attention.
"Andromeda?" Aragorn lifted himself from the rock upon which he had been sitting.
"There's something down there," Andromeda replied, never taking her eyes from the lake.
Everyone followed her gaze to the dark, still, water.
"A fish," said Boromir. But his voice was uncertain.
Andromeda shook her head. "It's big. The water is keeping me from getting a good idea of what it is though."
"Is it moving?" Aragorn asked.
"No, it's lying still on the bottom."
"Could it be dead?" Boromir asked.
"No." Andromeda's voice was certain.
"Now I know why I am so afraid of the pool," said Frodo. The hobbit had backed up from the water as much as possible and stood close to where Gandalf sat.
The wizard had turned back to the doors from looking at the lake when he suddenly crowed, "Of course!" He laughed. "So very simple." He stood before the doors and spoke in a clear voice, "Mellon!"
Smoothly and silently the doors opened, revealing a square portal into darkness. They all stepped toward the opening when Andromeda stopped and snapped back around toward the water.
"Inside, now!" Her urgent yell brought the company's attention back to her. "It's coming up!"
The Fellowship began to move, snatching at equipment and racing for the door. Andromeda grabbed to two nearest hobbits, Merry and Pippin, and propelled them through the doorway. There was a great hissing noise and the water began to boil with motion. A terrible stench filled the air as long sinuous arms burst forth from the waters. The arms groped through the air heading for Frodo.
Andromeda raced toward him and caught hold just as one of the tentacles seized Frodo's leg. She reached for her sword, but Sam, always near to his master, was already hacking at it with his knife. The arm let go as a shrieking hiss escaped from somewhere in the mass of writhing arms. As more tentacles reached for them Andromeda picked up both hobbits and dove for the entrance. She twisted beneath the hobbits to absorb the impact as they came down on the stone floor inside the entry.
"Quickly! Inside, and up the stairs!" Gandalf was shouting to the rest of the company.
They made it just in time. The coiling tentacles groped across the threshold, and not finding what they sought took their rage out upon the doors. Multiple limbs seized each of the doors and with hideous strength, wrenched them closed.
Andromeda, standing in the darkness, could hear the booming and feel vibrations as objects were hurled at the gates from outside. Slowly the sounds faded until only silence reigned.
