A/N: My apologies for taking this long with the first chapter. Juggling school, projects, and writing is not a fun experience.
Note: As always, if you see weird characters, please right click, and go to encoding, then Chinese Simplified. Of course, I¡¯ll appreciate any help given in knowing how to fix my MS Word encoding back. I¡¯ve been unsuccessful thus far.
Dagor Dagorath
One:
The constant beeping of the sonar filled the almost-silent submarine as some people remained in their positions at their respective stations. A few others moved about, checking various screens and giving instructions.
Not everything in the sonar picture was right.
¡°Captain Sanders, look at this!¡±
The Captain, a lean, dark-haired and dark-eyed man, walked over. His steps were unhurried but purposeful and brisk, and he stood before the screen then, his eyes scanning the details quickly to determine what was wrong.
¡°What is that?¡± he demanded.
The screen showed the uneven terrain the bed of the North Sea presented. There were hills and valleys, most of them ranging from two hundred meters to about four kilometers deep. Their sonar could not reach as far as that, and sometimes, there were ¡®holes¡¯ in the sonar picture where these valleys went too deep.
But those were wide holes, spanning many meters across.
This one was small, and at a much shallower depth than the limit of the range of the sonar. This hole measure only about fifteen centimeters across, and a few centimeters wide.
There was no answer to his question.
¡°Visual?¡± he asked another.
¡°It¡¯s pretty unclear, sir. Looks just like a clump of soil and muck.¡±
Sanders leaned closer to the screen, staring, as if by the will of his eyes alone the image would become clear and the phenomena revealed.
It was strange, and even though it was there, a hole in the sonar picture shouldn¡¯t have appeared without at least some sort of warning.
¡°Can we go closer to find out what it is, sir?¡±
Sanders hesitated for a few seconds. ¡°No,¡± he said decisively. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to know more. Take down the coordinates. We can send divers down later.¡±
¡°Yes sir.¡±
***
The ground started to harden, soft rich soil giving way to dried and harder ones, littered with stones and rocks. There were certain slithery patterns running through them: solidified remnants of lava that had flowed a long way.
That particular layer of soil had been covered by a few other layers of dirt and lava that had flowed over it in later times, but the land had been weathered as the volcano died, and this one was exposed.
Lindsey MacRonnell trudged uphill, some picks and shovels in her hands. She grumbled, wondering why England couldn¡¯t have had any known (or even extinct) volcanoes, so that she didn¡¯t have to go so far north to find one (and those were extinct too!).
After a few minutes more of climbing, she stopped and placed her equipment down, selecting the pick to use on a patch of soil and rocks. It was not too hard or too packed together, and she managed to loosen enough to pick a few surface debris up.
But when she reached for a large clump slightly to her left, it wouldn¡¯t be moved.
Lindsey dropped the pick and switched to using the shovel. She dug a circular trench around that clump, and saw that it wasn¡¯t embedded too deeply in the ground.
Still, it wouldn¡¯t be lifted when she tried it again.
Paleo-magnetism only affects the direction of the iron in lava, right? She questioned her knowledge. I don¡¯t think rocks are affected, and this stupid clump certainly doesn¡¯t seem to be iron.
Debating with herself presented some choices, and she picked the option of choosing other clumps of rocks and soil, promising to return with help at a later date.
***
¡°Yo, Leon! Wait up!¡± A pause. ¡°And you too, Gary!¡±
Legolas and Gildor paused in their strides, turning together to he who had called their names.
¡°Please hurry, Michael,¡± Gildor said, an almost hard tone in his voice. Having lived for but forty years amongst mortals had not taught him patience with their dealings of them. ¡°And why do you walk so slowly, Sarah? Linda?¡±
The two girls giggled at the irritated frown on Gildor¡¯s face.
¡°And why are you guys walking so fast, Gary?¡± Linda teased. ¡°Where are you hurrying to?¡±
Legolas snorted, and shot, ¡°You are too slow. Hurry up. The eating house will be full if you drag your feet like that!¡± He turned and started to walk again, and Gildor followed, grumbling.
¡°The years amongst Mortals, especially Mortals of this Age, has influenced you greatly, Prince,¡± Gildor muttered. ¡°I see no good in that.¡±
¡°If we wish to live amongst them,¡± Legolas answered, ¡°we must speak and act like them, for do you not remember the strange and suspicious looks upon us when we first stepped on these shores? Those were hard times indeed.¡±
Gildor nodded, casting a wary glance behind them, then speaking even more softly, his eyes flicking to each person that passed them. ¡°Those were hard times, even with our disguises. Songs hold less strength here than they do in times of old.¡±
¡°Yes, and this rising of technology brings fear into me. Saruman¡¯s hold may be short, but even in bodily death, his reach grows long. Does his feä spread throughout the lands?¡±
Gildor shook his head. ¡°I do not know where the souls of the Maiar go after death, for not even Manwë will reveal that to us. But it is frightening indeed.¡±
The chattering of Michael, Sarah and Linda drew closer, but Legolas and Gildor ignored them, though they did not let their guards down.
¡°The things they name ¡®computers¡¯ feel too much to me like the palant¨ªri,¡± said Legolas, ¡°and the recount of the one Denethor held brings to my mind of evil and shadows.¡±
Gildor was about to speak more, but they had heard the fast approach of their companions, and both fell silent.
¡°Hey, s¡¯up, man?¡± Sarah demanded of them. ¡°You guys have been talking so softly ever since we came out of the theatre. What gives?¡±
¡°It is nothing, Sarah.¡± Gildor stepped forward and pushed open the door to the McDonalds, holding it for the rest.
¡°You guys are nuts, man.¡± Michael grinned, brushing past them to get to an empty booth. ¡°Walking so closely together and talking so softly. You guys must be in luurve.¡±
Legolas glared at him. ¡°Be quiet, and go buy the food.¡±
¡°Fine, fine! I give!¡± He stepped out of the booth and dragged the two girls along to the queue.
Sarah glanced back and saw the two settle onto the seats with grace and an almost quiet sort of¡strength. She frowned but kept quiet.
¡°Mortal children,¡± Gildor sighed. ¡°What did you think of the¡movie, Legolas?¡± He spoke the name almost in a whisper.
Legolas¡¯s face was troubled. ¡°It does not feel real. They do not know how the war was fought. They were not there.¡±
¡°Yet, the books that were written were accurate,¡± said Gildor. ¡°I did not think that a Mortal would know enough to write our tales. Where do you think he heard our tales from?¡±
¡°Foresight fr¡ª¡±
¡°Leon! What drink d¡¯you want?¡± Linda called, causing several heads to turn.
¡°Water!¡± he answered, and turned back to Gildor. ¡°¡ªfrom the Va¡ª¡±
¡°I want a coke, please! My thanks!¡±
Legolas glared at his companion. ¡°You claim not to like the ways of Mortals and you cannot tear your heart away from coke?¡±
Gildor just shrugged.
¡°¡ªforesight from the Valar, mayhap.¡± There was a sigh. ¡°Or mayhap from Il¨²vatar?¡±
¡°What from Il¨²vatar?¡± Sarah set her tray down and slid in. ¡°Talking about the movie?¡±
¡°Ye¡ª¡±
¡°It was totally awesome, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Linda sat down, followed by Michael. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s been two years since FotR! RotK was excellent!¡±
¡°Yes, it was good. But I do think that many facts were¡inaccurate.¡±
¡°Always the spoilsport, Gary,¡± Michael shot.
Sarah thought a look of anger passed his face, and for a moment, there was a bright fire in his eyes.
¡°I thought the Elves throughout the whole thing were pretty cool,¡± she said.
Gary caught her eyes and held her gaze. ¡°You have read the books,¡± he spoke slowly, almost as a thought to himself. ¡°Do you¡believe that Elves yet live?¡±
She gazed into his dark depths, feeling as if the surface was a veil to which his real thoughts lay beneath. He conveyed steadiness, danger, yet gentleness. Almost like an Elf, she thought.
¡°It¡¯ll be so cool if Elves are real!¡±
Sarah jerked her eyes away to look at Michael, realizing he was speaking.
¡°If they look anything like the LotR Elves, whoa! Y¡¯know?¡± he chuckled.
Linda only grinned. ¡°I want Legolas.¡±
Legolas glanced sharply at her, then relaxed, knowing that she spoke of the golden-haired Legolas that was acted by a Mortal named Orlando Bloom.
Sarah saw that Gary was looking away.
¡°I don¡¯t believe in Elves,¡± she said.