Random Orcs, or We Fell to Middle Earth
Chapter Six: The Long Dark Tea Time of The Soul
by Galadriel Tolkien
I have no idea how long I was unconscious, and, considering I was an Immortal, it's possible I was even dead. Being sandwiched between two slabs of rock could smash just about anything, dragon mail notwithstanding.
But I awoke to find Gandalf still holding my hand as we traveled through some sort of waterway, our heads barely above the top to breath. He seemed to sense I was awake, and pulled me closer, concern in his touch.
"Where are we?"
"The long dark."
"Ah." I shifted closer to him in the water, shivering at the icyness. "Where are we going?"
"We follow the Balrog."
"I thought it was a creature of fire?"
"It is."
I pondered that, then shrugged, wrapping an arm around his waist under the water. "I suppose it's useless to ask how long I've been unconscious."
Long enough for most of my bruises to heal, at least. And the ribs and other things that should have broken with the roof smashing into me weren't even twingeing. The shields I had held over the ring had gone, as well. Deep unconsciousness will do that, sometimes. I spared a tiny thought of worry for my friends left to its mercies, then turned back to the water at hand.
"It has been a day since the roof collapsed the bridge."
"Ow."
"You are other than human." He said softly.
"I'm Immortal. I told you that once." I smiled in the dark, "But you must have something Immortal in your veins or you wouldn't have lasted, either."
"The Balrog has been extinguished, but we must hunt it or die down here."
"Ah. Damn."
"There is no land," he said, anticipating my next question. "Not that I can sense, anyway," he added ruefully.
I wasn't feeling all that up to par, magically. Apparently, the roof falling had made me snap my hold on the witchlights. Even such a small thing backlashing hurt. It was kind of irritating, really. This world had harder magical rules in some ways, and yet in others, softer.
Of course, anything was better than the one universe I'd been in where magic required a ten-day fast, thirty days of meditation, and the slitting of both wrists. Very unpretty, that.
With my arm around his waist under the water, I could feel that Gandalf had not let his body go to waste over the years. He wasn't more than whipcord over bone, but it was a healthy muscle tone. It would have to have been, considering he still swung a sword. That inevitably led me to checking my own armament and I found that my sword still hung at my hip.
The water below us was deep, and I sensed that we floated in a vast river that tangled with the roots of this world, filled with mystery and things which were neither dark nor light. I wondered if this was what Gandalf had been afraid of, the Balrog, or this river of mystery. Probably both. I realised suddenly that I was shivering, and I moved closer to the wizard, my arm tightening.
He slipped his tattered cloak around us both--not that it did much good under the water. I sighed. "Tell me about the Balrog."
"Why?"
"If I'm going to help you fight it, I need to know."
I felt him tense, then sigh. "It took five of us to destroy one the last time. I do not think we two stand a chance."
"But we have to try." I guessed.
"We need it to show us the way back to the surface."
If I'd had time, I might have been able to do that myself. But we didn't have five months, or twenty, or even one. The ring had to be destroyed, Frodo had to be protected. We had to get out of the deeps of Moria.
"Tell me."
He told me of the beginning of the world, when everything was new. And dark things came, and were buried in deep places in the bones of Middle Earth. But the dwarves founded Moria, and they began delving deep into those secret holes. And one of them found Mithril, another found new ways of forging. And they grew prosperous and happy, sated on their endeavors.
Until one day they found a deeper place, one which contained a fire unknown before.
And the Balrog rose and destroyed Moria as it was. Some of the dwarves fled, filled with tales of the elves and their treachery--for the elven folk had long tried to stop the deep digging. Sadly, they failed.
Time passed, and the Balrog fell into a long slumber, deep in the chasms of Moria.
Until we came, and the orc-drums awoke it.
"Great. And we're down in the deeps, where only IT knows the way out." I sighed. "You said you'd faced it before--how did you defeat it?"
"Not this one, a different one. It was long ago."
I sensed, suddenly, that Gandalf's age was far greater than I'd originally suspected. It occurred to me that experience was definitely something useful, and I blushed in the darkness, glad he wasn't a telepath.
"What is it?"
"Nothing." Sadly, not even cold water kept my libido from awakening at the oddest moments. "Gandalf, can you accept power from another wizard?"
"What do you mean?"
"If I were to--to link my mind to you, in some way, could not you feed on the power I had?"
"'Twould be very dangerous."
"I know. But if my experiences are anything to go by, me linked to you doubles your power, and might triple it." I frowned, "I know there's high math involved, but I can't recall the equations at the moment. Must ask Wes next time I'm on the Enterprise."
"This sharing power, how do you go about it?"
"Depends. Usually there's some sort of mental link between the people, sometimes you need to mingle blood." I pondered, my legs swishing absently in the water. "If I'm right, I think I should be able to just do--this."
I leaned forward and kissed him, reaching out with my mind, searching for his.
For a moment, nothing happened.
And then he kissed me back, a kind of exhausted desperation in the kiss. And our minds met. For an instant, there was nothing. Then brightness exploded behind our eyes as both powers met red and green clashing into blue and white, mingling and becoming a steady gold as we held on to ourselves and each other. I clung to what felt like 'me', hoping that it was. We were one, yet two. Two, yet one. Bonded mentally and magically, our mouths fusing us physically.
I broke away first, panting. The linkages stayed, pulsing between us, as our thoughts mingled without control or direction. I hissed and began focusing myself, trying to clamp away the backwash from two minds echoing into each other.
Slowly, the chaotic din stilled, until there was a gentle flow between us.
::I'm sorry.::
Amusement flowed over to me, ::If you apologise for the kiss, I shall have to do so again.::
::What if I want you to do it again?::
Surprise touched me, then more amusement, ::Another time, perhaps.::
::Yes. More serious matters to attend to.:: I let him go, treading water and backing away from him. ::Let's see how this holds with distance.::
::I saw the inside of you, my dear. You are so much more than you think.::
::Great, Philosophy in the middle of dire straights.::
::When better?::
I chuckled, ::When we're somewhere safe and can debate this endlessly.:: The string of the link was slowly thinning out the further away from him I drifted. I pondered this, then decided. ::I think that's enough.:: Reaching for his physicality, I pulled gently.
::...::
::Sorry.:: I caught his hand and pulled him close. ::Forgot I could do that.::
He shivered, his body finally giving up the ghost of being all right with this icy cold water thing. ::What more can you do?::
::Well, I can think of a way to warm up, but I'm afraid it would also use up energy we need for fighting the Balrog.::
A rumbling chuckle went through him, and I leaned into it, basking in the warmth. ::You are quite incorrigiable.::
::You should hear me when I'm not in mortal danger.::
He leaned forward, his head gently touching mine. I felt him sigh. ::If there were any way...::
I blinked. ::Don't you dare go all Noble on me, you idiot. You NEED me. My power, my energy, my gods-damned experience. Don't even try to 'send me back to the surface' to 'protect me'. Idiot.::
::Aside from the fact that we're stuck together since to find the surface, I must find the Balrog....::
::Shut up.:: I slammed a shield down between us and released him, shaking. "You're an old fool, Gandalf."
His attempt to protect me and turn me into a helpless woman shook me. I wasn't sure why. But we would have words when we were safe again. Before this Middle Earth ended, we would have deep and meaningful words.
::And maybe some deep--::
::ALAYNA!::
I heard her snicker, her mindvoice disappearing again into the ether.
--
Time passed again in the lightless space of icy water. We ended up wrapped in each other's arms for a time, sharing warmth. I wove a simple heat spell, localising it around us. It bled off into the water, but saved us from hypothermia and shock. It was probably days. I left the keeping track part to Gandalf as we both searched for the Balrog in that dank place.
We found him, finally, submerged in a deep chamber that rose high into the mountain above us.
I 'looked' down under us, seeing him floating there, fire extinguished by the water, yet I sensed there was still a possibility of it returning. Without argument, I let Gandalf go, kissing him quickly before strengthening the link and releasing him. This was his fight, I could only support him with energy and thought.
With a released breath, the wizard sank under the water, slowly drifting into the depths to confront the Balrog.
He fought for a long time, striving against a force that was greater than he. I think without me, that he would have died. Of course, the fact that he seemed perfectly fine underwater without any sort of breathing apparatus might have belied that point.
Maybe he just held his breath really well.
I couldn't do anything except send comfort and a steady flow of energy. He put it to his own uses, and I caught occasional glimpses that took my breath away.
When it was all over, when this was done, I would have to pick his brain.
There was so much to teach each other, not to mention the great sex that could result. I sighed. It had been a long time, and my libido wasn't giving up, for some reason. It wasn't the danger. Danger was so constant in my life it wasn't enough to attract me. It had to be the eyes. And the mind.
I wrenched my mind from that path and concentrated on tapping the natural energy and magic around me, feeding them down to Gandalf as he fought.
As the day--night?--went on, I began pondering exactly what I would do for a cup of coffee. Even tea would be welcome under these conditions. My body was slowly beginning to prune completely, the heat shield and dragon mail protecting it for a while from this fate.
Fate sucked.
I have to ask myself, sometimes, what's it all for? Why should I let myself be screwed over a thousand times or more? But then I remember. If I don't do it, no one will. In some ways, things might be better if I stopped. If I just settled down in some obscure backwater universe. I'd be lonely.
And people would die before their time. A friend of mine was once given the option. Die and have peace, or go on to live in pain for years to come. If he died, his friends died faster. He chose to live.
He's an idiot, is Van. But I'm just like him.
I choose life every time I open my eyes. Every time I stand, or pull a sword out of thin air.
That's me. There's nothing else to do. But live and fight and die for life.
And sex. Lots of mind-blowing sex.
It was like stacking the deck, when Destiny tossed me into the game. With me, he was sure to win. Fate tended to filch me back from time to time, too.
With a sigh, I shifted my concentration back to the battle. Gandalf had cornered the Balrog, and was now wrapping coercion spells around it so he could control it. After all, the thing had to lead us out of this massive pit of darkness.
I could've, yeah, as noted before. But we didn't have that kind of time.
Light suddenly flashed from below me, illuminating everything piteously showing the bare rock to my naked eyes. Well, it would've, if I hadn't immediately clamped a hand across my eyes with an oath. Having been underground for so long, my eyes were way too sensitive.
::Oops.:: Gandalf sounded chagrined.
::You could've warned me, dammit.::
::My apologies, Marya. I offer you my pardon and forfeit.::
Really? ::I'll hold you to that, if we get out of here.:: There could be a lot of interesting possibilities, with that promised forfeit.
::Prepare yourself, my dear. We're coming up.::
Since my eyes still hadn't stopped watering, I relied on my spatial sense to tell me when they got close enough. I hooked an arm around Gandalf's waist. ::Let's get out of here.::
::Indeed.::
--
The Balrog hated its captivity. I sensed this clearly as we slowly traversed the waterways into the underbelly of Moria. Hours passed, then with a shock, I realised dry land was at hand, the sound of water actually lapping on something other than water coming to my ears. Minutes later we were scrambling out of the cold onto damp rock. Bits of gravel dug in, but I didn't care. I wasn't pruning anymore.
Moria had been a mine in every way that counted, I realised. We passed through passageways stacked with old equipment, some of it esoteric to my 20th century eyes. Other bits and pieces looked more sophisticated than Windows XP's code did. Which isn't saying much.
We seemed to travel forever, in this black night of deep underground. Sometimes, there seemed a slight amount of light coming from the rock itself, and I put it down to phosphorescence.
Finally, we hit a stairway. It was fairly even and planed, probably as old as most of the rest of Moria had been. We went up.
And up.
And up.
You get the idea.
At some point, the light began to grow, and we had to pause a few times to allow our eyes to adjust. The Balrog was impatient with this, but I found that threatening it with freezing tended to make it sit calmly and quietly.
The stairway went on forever, and I began to sense that it spanned the mountain from top to bottom. I wondered why, since there seemed to be no entrances or exits from which we could remove ourselves from the endless span. My legs were like spaghetti before we were halfway. But we couldn't stop often, and I perservered, knowing I'd pay off by having thinner legs with more muscles. Probably.
I don't know how Gandalf did it. In his condition--holding a Balrog under control, after having faced it under water in the freezing cold--I would have been collapsing under the strain. Probably.
Our clothing slowly dried, until I was left feeling slightly sticky with whatever tacky substances and minerals had been in the water.
Eventually I perceived what had to be an opening far above us. A whisp of cleaner wind wafted around us, and we redoubled our efforts, trying to reach the surface before we gave out.
The Balrog took advantage of this, and broke free, kiting its way up the stairs and out of our view faster than I'd anticipated.
::Shit.::
Gandalf blinked at me.
::Let's go.:: I pulled my sword and ran, pulling at my reserves and the air around us. The magic there was strong, earthy. I tapped into it, gratefully filling my channels and pathways with it, preparing a large pool for the coming battle.
For the Balrog would have its revenge on us, and we would have to fight it. As tired and broken as we were, we might not win. But we would try.
Behind me, I could hear Gandalf muttering. But I didn't have time to stop and ask him the plan. The Balrog needed to be kept off-balance, or we would lose the single edge we had.
I broke through the last set of stairs and was immediately blinded by snow-glare. It was a lovely sunny day, but I didn't have time to stop and smell the roses. And I couldn't see. I closed my eyes and reached out with my spatial sense.
The Balrog slammed a fist the size of a horse into my side, and I went flying. Things crunched inside, but I ignored them, rolling to my feet and stabbing at the claw as it came again. I succeeded in nicking it, then I danced away, carefully not to fall from the mountain peak.
Again, it attacked, and again, I slashed at it, sheering more of its essence to wind away into the breeze that whisked around us.
I was angering it, but I had no choice.
With a roar, it jumped up into the air, intending to land on me, crushing me. I made a split-second decision. Gandalf was almost to the top of the stairs.
For us both to live, I would have to die.
I swung my sword up, and felt it impact through the Balrog and up inside of it, as the foot smashed me towards the ground. Pain shattered everything else, then, and I twisted the sword, doing as much damage as I could while the blackness hovered on the edge of my mind.
Opening my eyes, I beheld the sun shining serenely down on me. It was so beautiful.
"NO!" Gandalf's voice was hoarse with his run to follow me up the stairs. But he was too late.
With a last effort, I threw all the energy I'd gathered down my link to Gandalf. And then darkness took me and I knew no more.
--
Chapter Six: The Long Dark Tea Time of The Soul
by Galadriel Tolkien
I have no idea how long I was unconscious, and, considering I was an Immortal, it's possible I was even dead. Being sandwiched between two slabs of rock could smash just about anything, dragon mail notwithstanding.
But I awoke to find Gandalf still holding my hand as we traveled through some sort of waterway, our heads barely above the top to breath. He seemed to sense I was awake, and pulled me closer, concern in his touch.
"Where are we?"
"The long dark."
"Ah." I shifted closer to him in the water, shivering at the icyness. "Where are we going?"
"We follow the Balrog."
"I thought it was a creature of fire?"
"It is."
I pondered that, then shrugged, wrapping an arm around his waist under the water. "I suppose it's useless to ask how long I've been unconscious."
Long enough for most of my bruises to heal, at least. And the ribs and other things that should have broken with the roof smashing into me weren't even twingeing. The shields I had held over the ring had gone, as well. Deep unconsciousness will do that, sometimes. I spared a tiny thought of worry for my friends left to its mercies, then turned back to the water at hand.
"It has been a day since the roof collapsed the bridge."
"Ow."
"You are other than human." He said softly.
"I'm Immortal. I told you that once." I smiled in the dark, "But you must have something Immortal in your veins or you wouldn't have lasted, either."
"The Balrog has been extinguished, but we must hunt it or die down here."
"Ah. Damn."
"There is no land," he said, anticipating my next question. "Not that I can sense, anyway," he added ruefully.
I wasn't feeling all that up to par, magically. Apparently, the roof falling had made me snap my hold on the witchlights. Even such a small thing backlashing hurt. It was kind of irritating, really. This world had harder magical rules in some ways, and yet in others, softer.
Of course, anything was better than the one universe I'd been in where magic required a ten-day fast, thirty days of meditation, and the slitting of both wrists. Very unpretty, that.
With my arm around his waist under the water, I could feel that Gandalf had not let his body go to waste over the years. He wasn't more than whipcord over bone, but it was a healthy muscle tone. It would have to have been, considering he still swung a sword. That inevitably led me to checking my own armament and I found that my sword still hung at my hip.
The water below us was deep, and I sensed that we floated in a vast river that tangled with the roots of this world, filled with mystery and things which were neither dark nor light. I wondered if this was what Gandalf had been afraid of, the Balrog, or this river of mystery. Probably both. I realised suddenly that I was shivering, and I moved closer to the wizard, my arm tightening.
He slipped his tattered cloak around us both--not that it did much good under the water. I sighed. "Tell me about the Balrog."
"Why?"
"If I'm going to help you fight it, I need to know."
I felt him tense, then sigh. "It took five of us to destroy one the last time. I do not think we two stand a chance."
"But we have to try." I guessed.
"We need it to show us the way back to the surface."
If I'd had time, I might have been able to do that myself. But we didn't have five months, or twenty, or even one. The ring had to be destroyed, Frodo had to be protected. We had to get out of the deeps of Moria.
"Tell me."
He told me of the beginning of the world, when everything was new. And dark things came, and were buried in deep places in the bones of Middle Earth. But the dwarves founded Moria, and they began delving deep into those secret holes. And one of them found Mithril, another found new ways of forging. And they grew prosperous and happy, sated on their endeavors.
Until one day they found a deeper place, one which contained a fire unknown before.
And the Balrog rose and destroyed Moria as it was. Some of the dwarves fled, filled with tales of the elves and their treachery--for the elven folk had long tried to stop the deep digging. Sadly, they failed.
Time passed, and the Balrog fell into a long slumber, deep in the chasms of Moria.
Until we came, and the orc-drums awoke it.
"Great. And we're down in the deeps, where only IT knows the way out." I sighed. "You said you'd faced it before--how did you defeat it?"
"Not this one, a different one. It was long ago."
I sensed, suddenly, that Gandalf's age was far greater than I'd originally suspected. It occurred to me that experience was definitely something useful, and I blushed in the darkness, glad he wasn't a telepath.
"What is it?"
"Nothing." Sadly, not even cold water kept my libido from awakening at the oddest moments. "Gandalf, can you accept power from another wizard?"
"What do you mean?"
"If I were to--to link my mind to you, in some way, could not you feed on the power I had?"
"'Twould be very dangerous."
"I know. But if my experiences are anything to go by, me linked to you doubles your power, and might triple it." I frowned, "I know there's high math involved, but I can't recall the equations at the moment. Must ask Wes next time I'm on the Enterprise."
"This sharing power, how do you go about it?"
"Depends. Usually there's some sort of mental link between the people, sometimes you need to mingle blood." I pondered, my legs swishing absently in the water. "If I'm right, I think I should be able to just do--this."
I leaned forward and kissed him, reaching out with my mind, searching for his.
For a moment, nothing happened.
And then he kissed me back, a kind of exhausted desperation in the kiss. And our minds met. For an instant, there was nothing. Then brightness exploded behind our eyes as both powers met red and green clashing into blue and white, mingling and becoming a steady gold as we held on to ourselves and each other. I clung to what felt like 'me', hoping that it was. We were one, yet two. Two, yet one. Bonded mentally and magically, our mouths fusing us physically.
I broke away first, panting. The linkages stayed, pulsing between us, as our thoughts mingled without control or direction. I hissed and began focusing myself, trying to clamp away the backwash from two minds echoing into each other.
Slowly, the chaotic din stilled, until there was a gentle flow between us.
::I'm sorry.::
Amusement flowed over to me, ::If you apologise for the kiss, I shall have to do so again.::
::What if I want you to do it again?::
Surprise touched me, then more amusement, ::Another time, perhaps.::
::Yes. More serious matters to attend to.:: I let him go, treading water and backing away from him. ::Let's see how this holds with distance.::
::I saw the inside of you, my dear. You are so much more than you think.::
::Great, Philosophy in the middle of dire straights.::
::When better?::
I chuckled, ::When we're somewhere safe and can debate this endlessly.:: The string of the link was slowly thinning out the further away from him I drifted. I pondered this, then decided. ::I think that's enough.:: Reaching for his physicality, I pulled gently.
::...::
::Sorry.:: I caught his hand and pulled him close. ::Forgot I could do that.::
He shivered, his body finally giving up the ghost of being all right with this icy cold water thing. ::What more can you do?::
::Well, I can think of a way to warm up, but I'm afraid it would also use up energy we need for fighting the Balrog.::
A rumbling chuckle went through him, and I leaned into it, basking in the warmth. ::You are quite incorrigiable.::
::You should hear me when I'm not in mortal danger.::
He leaned forward, his head gently touching mine. I felt him sigh. ::If there were any way...::
I blinked. ::Don't you dare go all Noble on me, you idiot. You NEED me. My power, my energy, my gods-damned experience. Don't even try to 'send me back to the surface' to 'protect me'. Idiot.::
::Aside from the fact that we're stuck together since to find the surface, I must find the Balrog....::
::Shut up.:: I slammed a shield down between us and released him, shaking. "You're an old fool, Gandalf."
His attempt to protect me and turn me into a helpless woman shook me. I wasn't sure why. But we would have words when we were safe again. Before this Middle Earth ended, we would have deep and meaningful words.
::And maybe some deep--::
::ALAYNA!::
I heard her snicker, her mindvoice disappearing again into the ether.
--
Time passed again in the lightless space of icy water. We ended up wrapped in each other's arms for a time, sharing warmth. I wove a simple heat spell, localising it around us. It bled off into the water, but saved us from hypothermia and shock. It was probably days. I left the keeping track part to Gandalf as we both searched for the Balrog in that dank place.
We found him, finally, submerged in a deep chamber that rose high into the mountain above us.
I 'looked' down under us, seeing him floating there, fire extinguished by the water, yet I sensed there was still a possibility of it returning. Without argument, I let Gandalf go, kissing him quickly before strengthening the link and releasing him. This was his fight, I could only support him with energy and thought.
With a released breath, the wizard sank under the water, slowly drifting into the depths to confront the Balrog.
He fought for a long time, striving against a force that was greater than he. I think without me, that he would have died. Of course, the fact that he seemed perfectly fine underwater without any sort of breathing apparatus might have belied that point.
Maybe he just held his breath really well.
I couldn't do anything except send comfort and a steady flow of energy. He put it to his own uses, and I caught occasional glimpses that took my breath away.
When it was all over, when this was done, I would have to pick his brain.
There was so much to teach each other, not to mention the great sex that could result. I sighed. It had been a long time, and my libido wasn't giving up, for some reason. It wasn't the danger. Danger was so constant in my life it wasn't enough to attract me. It had to be the eyes. And the mind.
I wrenched my mind from that path and concentrated on tapping the natural energy and magic around me, feeding them down to Gandalf as he fought.
As the day--night?--went on, I began pondering exactly what I would do for a cup of coffee. Even tea would be welcome under these conditions. My body was slowly beginning to prune completely, the heat shield and dragon mail protecting it for a while from this fate.
Fate sucked.
I have to ask myself, sometimes, what's it all for? Why should I let myself be screwed over a thousand times or more? But then I remember. If I don't do it, no one will. In some ways, things might be better if I stopped. If I just settled down in some obscure backwater universe. I'd be lonely.
And people would die before their time. A friend of mine was once given the option. Die and have peace, or go on to live in pain for years to come. If he died, his friends died faster. He chose to live.
He's an idiot, is Van. But I'm just like him.
I choose life every time I open my eyes. Every time I stand, or pull a sword out of thin air.
That's me. There's nothing else to do. But live and fight and die for life.
And sex. Lots of mind-blowing sex.
It was like stacking the deck, when Destiny tossed me into the game. With me, he was sure to win. Fate tended to filch me back from time to time, too.
With a sigh, I shifted my concentration back to the battle. Gandalf had cornered the Balrog, and was now wrapping coercion spells around it so he could control it. After all, the thing had to lead us out of this massive pit of darkness.
I could've, yeah, as noted before. But we didn't have that kind of time.
Light suddenly flashed from below me, illuminating everything piteously showing the bare rock to my naked eyes. Well, it would've, if I hadn't immediately clamped a hand across my eyes with an oath. Having been underground for so long, my eyes were way too sensitive.
::Oops.:: Gandalf sounded chagrined.
::You could've warned me, dammit.::
::My apologies, Marya. I offer you my pardon and forfeit.::
Really? ::I'll hold you to that, if we get out of here.:: There could be a lot of interesting possibilities, with that promised forfeit.
::Prepare yourself, my dear. We're coming up.::
Since my eyes still hadn't stopped watering, I relied on my spatial sense to tell me when they got close enough. I hooked an arm around Gandalf's waist. ::Let's get out of here.::
::Indeed.::
--
The Balrog hated its captivity. I sensed this clearly as we slowly traversed the waterways into the underbelly of Moria. Hours passed, then with a shock, I realised dry land was at hand, the sound of water actually lapping on something other than water coming to my ears. Minutes later we were scrambling out of the cold onto damp rock. Bits of gravel dug in, but I didn't care. I wasn't pruning anymore.
Moria had been a mine in every way that counted, I realised. We passed through passageways stacked with old equipment, some of it esoteric to my 20th century eyes. Other bits and pieces looked more sophisticated than Windows XP's code did. Which isn't saying much.
We seemed to travel forever, in this black night of deep underground. Sometimes, there seemed a slight amount of light coming from the rock itself, and I put it down to phosphorescence.
Finally, we hit a stairway. It was fairly even and planed, probably as old as most of the rest of Moria had been. We went up.
And up.
And up.
You get the idea.
At some point, the light began to grow, and we had to pause a few times to allow our eyes to adjust. The Balrog was impatient with this, but I found that threatening it with freezing tended to make it sit calmly and quietly.
The stairway went on forever, and I began to sense that it spanned the mountain from top to bottom. I wondered why, since there seemed to be no entrances or exits from which we could remove ourselves from the endless span. My legs were like spaghetti before we were halfway. But we couldn't stop often, and I perservered, knowing I'd pay off by having thinner legs with more muscles. Probably.
I don't know how Gandalf did it. In his condition--holding a Balrog under control, after having faced it under water in the freezing cold--I would have been collapsing under the strain. Probably.
Our clothing slowly dried, until I was left feeling slightly sticky with whatever tacky substances and minerals had been in the water.
Eventually I perceived what had to be an opening far above us. A whisp of cleaner wind wafted around us, and we redoubled our efforts, trying to reach the surface before we gave out.
The Balrog took advantage of this, and broke free, kiting its way up the stairs and out of our view faster than I'd anticipated.
::Shit.::
Gandalf blinked at me.
::Let's go.:: I pulled my sword and ran, pulling at my reserves and the air around us. The magic there was strong, earthy. I tapped into it, gratefully filling my channels and pathways with it, preparing a large pool for the coming battle.
For the Balrog would have its revenge on us, and we would have to fight it. As tired and broken as we were, we might not win. But we would try.
Behind me, I could hear Gandalf muttering. But I didn't have time to stop and ask him the plan. The Balrog needed to be kept off-balance, or we would lose the single edge we had.
I broke through the last set of stairs and was immediately blinded by snow-glare. It was a lovely sunny day, but I didn't have time to stop and smell the roses. And I couldn't see. I closed my eyes and reached out with my spatial sense.
The Balrog slammed a fist the size of a horse into my side, and I went flying. Things crunched inside, but I ignored them, rolling to my feet and stabbing at the claw as it came again. I succeeded in nicking it, then I danced away, carefully not to fall from the mountain peak.
Again, it attacked, and again, I slashed at it, sheering more of its essence to wind away into the breeze that whisked around us.
I was angering it, but I had no choice.
With a roar, it jumped up into the air, intending to land on me, crushing me. I made a split-second decision. Gandalf was almost to the top of the stairs.
For us both to live, I would have to die.
I swung my sword up, and felt it impact through the Balrog and up inside of it, as the foot smashed me towards the ground. Pain shattered everything else, then, and I twisted the sword, doing as much damage as I could while the blackness hovered on the edge of my mind.
Opening my eyes, I beheld the sun shining serenely down on me. It was so beautiful.
"NO!" Gandalf's voice was hoarse with his run to follow me up the stairs. But he was too late.
With a last effort, I threw all the energy I'd gathered down my link to Gandalf. And then darkness took me and I knew no more.
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