Hi everybody!
One more down, two to go - no, not characters, chapters :) At least if all goes according to plan. There are some answers given in this chapter, but far from all - I hope you hang in there and don´t get confused!
I want to give a HUGE hug to my reviewers - I enjoy reading your thoughts so much, please keep it up. And you lurkers out there, feel free to join in!
Review responses:
Rosie: Hi! Glad you enjoy the story, I only hope the next chapters (including this one) live up to your expectations. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Alariel: You are quite right, there was a misunderstanding concerning the scroll! You´ll see how it works. I´m happy you still like it.
Tychen: Hey, right guess hands out cookie ! And Aragorn does make a rather dangerous opponent - I could not pit him against the poor elf for too long...
Ertia: Smirk Maybe I should write a story about Balrog biology at some point, what an interesting thought. And yes, they are in deep trouble - of course I do have a plan for them! (Now it only needs to work, too.)
Vicky Turner: Well, for now they stay in trouble - but hang in there, so do they!
NightShadow131: Thanks!! And yes, I do like nervous readers... ;-)
Red Tigress: What a thought!! I swear, you have worse ideas for them than I do, what is a bit black water, fire, a host of monsters and a demon against Balrog poop...!!
Now for the next chapter! Enjoy!
Alinah
Rating: PG 13
Disclaimer: Not mine
Answers at the abyss
Faced with a sickening feeling of defeat, Aragorn backed away from the window and the dreadful sight it held and sank back onto the bed beside Telias. The pain in his back which he had mostly ignored so far threw itself at him with a vengeance that made him suck in his breath. He could not turn his eyes away from the elf, however, and kept watching his friend who so stoically gazed out at their gathering doom.
Knowing Legolas as well as he did, he could detect the burning tension that glowed beneath the fair creature´s calm demeanor - a tension that would erupt into full-fledged battle-rage at a moment´s notice. The clear blue eyes never flinched from the enemy, a strange mixture of interest and concentration flickering ever so slightly across the pale features. Even now, he was investigating, searching for any weakness that would grant them an advantage, however slim it might be. The ranger felt comforted by such a quiet display of loyalty and courage, but he did not fail to notice the way the elf kept all weight off his injured leg. A wave of protectiveness surged through him, ridiculous under the circumstances but there nonetheless.
Aragorn snorted at his reaction. His brothers would have given him a good-natured lecture about how predictable he could be. He had felt this way before, often in the face of certain death, and he had prevailed. They had prevailed. His spirits lifted and he even managed a tiny grin at Legolas who had turned towards him at the sound, one eyebrow lifted in question.
"Thir cin chwind, mellon-nin, le algwanno" //You look weak, my friend, you cannot run// Aragorn said in a light tone, keeping to Elvish to avoid confusing Telias. The eyebrow edged up further, blue eyes searching grey ones for the fraction of a heartbeat before softening with a sudden warmth that belied the elf´s haughty reply: "Im ernil, im algwanno." //I´m a prince, I don´t run.// Their eyes locked in silent understanding, both preparing for what was to come. Turning serious without missing a beat, Legolas added: "Im maethon gwacen, mellon-nin." //I [will] fight with you, my friend.// "A im gwacen"//And I with you.// the man mirrored the pledge, and both knew no more words needed to be said between them on the matter.
Legolas turned to the window once more, resuming his silent watch, and Aragorn focused his attention on Telias. The boy had sat on the bed, unmoving and with his head bent, ever since he had placed him there. The ranger felt a knot form in his throat when he gazed down at the child, unsure suddenly of what to say, how to approach a conversation he had never been expecting to have. How did one prepare a child for battle and almost certain death? He felt tempted to avoid the truth altogether, but that would be the worst betrayal possible, and he would no inflict even more harm on the young soul. He tried to collect his thoughts, but before he was even close to ready, Telias suddenly stirred and lifted his head.
Aragorn felt a rush of surprise when the eyes that turned to him held no panic. There was fear, yes, but it was evenly balanced by a pride that shone so bright it turned the brown eyes several shades lighter. "I found it, Master Aragorn", the child said seriously, "you threw it away, but that was not really you, it was him so I thought you would want it because he didn´t." Aragorn was thoroughly confused, both by Telias slightly muddled reasoning and the very event he referred to, but he quickly gathered what the boy meant when the small frame in front of him straightened and revealed what he had held clutched to his chest. It was the book.
The ranger stared at the dark cover, still splattered with light Elven blood. His senses suddenly burst into frantic activity the way they usually did at a deceive moment of danger. A wave of heat shoved at him from the floor, accompanied by the threatening cackle of flames eating through wood. Beneath this sound was the softer hiss of the water as it battled against its enemy of old, transforming into the sickening steam that began to crawl through the cracks the boards and weight down the air. And beyond that, outside the walls of their melting stronghold, a mixture of howls and yelps, blurring into a choir that would have sent any pack of wargs running.
Aragorn allowed all these impressions to pass him by, merely brushing his mind. He knew that it was not physical danger that had alerted him, but the sudden appearance of hope. With an effort, he reigned in his thoughts as the strove to break away from him in their effort to piece together the puzzle he was faced with. "You did very well, Telias, very well indeed!" The boy beamed at the praise and scooted over to peer into the book from the man´s side.
Hastily, Aragorn drew the bag of coins from his belt and let the shining mithril circles tumble onto the blanket beside him. He reopened the book at precisely the page he had despaired at before, never wondering at the fact, and let his eyes roam over the Dwarvish letters yet again. They held little more meaning to him than before, but this time he did not fail to notice the drawing at the bottom of the faded paper. Valar, how could he have missed this before! Unless he had been meant to...
The memory of his earlier failure stung his soul but it also reminded him of much needed help. "Legolas", he called softly to his still friend, "join us, please. I will need your assistance." The elf broke his gaze away from the scene in front of the window with visible reluctance, but he made his way across the room without questioning the wisdom of Aragorn´s request. The ranger suppressed a wince when he watched the laboured movements of his usually agile companion. The severity of the elf´s impairment had been expertly covered by his watchful stance but now it broke through with cruel clarity. All the more reason to put their minds to work where the body might fail them.
Legolas took his time in the short journey, and when he lowered himself down onto the bed opposite the ranger, he let out a breath and closed his eyes as if using his sight took up too much energy at the moment. Aragorn frowned worriedly but waited, recognising the way the elf tilted his head. "We have cause to hurry", Legolas stated quietly, "the beams that carry the mill´s weight cry out in agony. Neither water nor flame are losing the battle below our feet, it is the wood." He opened his eyes calmly and added: "Gorf tawar thinta lim." //The wood´s strength is fading fast.// Aragorn nodded lightly to show that he understood but then forced his concentration back to the task at hand.
"The text seems to be in old Dwarvish, and I fear even Lord Elrond would not be able to translate it at the speed that is asked for here", the ranger explained quickly, "but there are pictures of our coins. If we are lucky, the paragraph beneath may tell us something about their usage." He turned the book to give Legolas a better view and watched anxiously while the elf went over the text, his lips moving silently in an almost human gesture. After what seemed an eternity Legolas glanced up. The fire in his eyes was the only sign of his excitement, but it was enough to send the ranger´s heart racing.
"I cannot understand it all", the elf confessed, "for this is indeed a very old dialect and I cannot say that Dwarvish has ever been my favourite subject of study - but then again, my father was very fond of the saying `Know thy enemy`." Aragorn could not help but roll his eyes at this, though his friend did not seem to notice, for he gave no reaction. Instead, he went on smoothly: "There seems to have been some sort of alliance between a group of Elves and Dwarves once, united by their battle against a creature that threatened them..." He frowned, looking at the text again. "I´m not sure what this threat was. It translates as something like `passage of souls`..."
He was sharply interrupted by the room giving a violent lurch. The floor sacked away by the door. Telias gave a loud yell and clutched Aragorn tightly when the bed began to move, slowly at first but then with an almost lifelike jump that sent them crushing into the wall. A shriek and a hiss rose from the abyss, fading into pained groans.
Aragorn sat frozen for a couple of breathless heartbeats, expecting them to fall yet again and be consumed by the blazing battle below. He could feel the boy´s violent shivers as he held him close and the tension radiating from the elf at his side engulfed him in a smothering embrace. Legolas face was a mask of concentration, and he relaxed only slightly when he finally spoke: "Tawar thala - na hi." //The wood holds fast - for now.//
"Did the fire speak to you?" Telias voice was little above a whisper, fear and fascination warring in the eyes he turned on the elf from the safety of Aragorn´s arms. "What did it say?" Legolas tension broke a little more when he smiled at the child. "The fire is much easier to understand even than your chicken", he said warmly, even though he knew there was little comfort in what he was able to offer. Yet the child´s perception in a situation so dire impressed him. "It yells of nothing but hunger and consumes everything in its path. But the wood that carries us is still keeping us safe - it will not let us fall as long as it can muster any strength." The boy nodded, strangely satisfied, and snuggled his face into Aragorn´s side.
Legolas turned back to the book, his mind easily picking up the trail it had left before. "There seems to have been a dispute over the coins", he continued to Aragorn, "how much of them would be needed." He shook his head. "There are so many words that are alien to me." Aragorn found it much harder to refocus, and he was still stumbling over what Legolas had said before. "Passage of souls", he mused, "let me see that." The elf pointed out the words and the ranger gazed at the unfamiliar shapes. He tried to wrap his mind around them, turn them, recognize what truth lay beneath.
The wood groaned loudly again only heartbeats before another beam gave way, this time across from them. The floor was jerked downwards, almost levelling out again, but the tension was too much for some of the ancient boards to bear. They cracked with a sickening crash. Hissing in contempt, the water that was not yet able to reach them sent ahead waves a steam that squeezed through the narrow gaps. With is came a stifling heat that robbed their breaths.
Aragorn saw Legolas turn his head towards the window sharply and wondered whether the elf considered opening it for air, a most dangerous undertaking now even if there had been no army of bloodthirsty creatures outside. "Something has changed", the elf said sharply, his clear voice cutting through the rising sounds of water and flame, "it has grown quiet. They are waiting." Without having to say a word, they both realized there was only one monster worse than the ones already present, and Aragorn´s heart sank at the thought that they would be no match for Daramus.
Willing himself to ignore anything but the words that now danced before him in the heat, he pondered them again, his instincts telling him that they were the key. "A creature of old, a spirit that should long be resting never to be revealed again." For some reason, Aragorn seemed to hear Elrohir´s voice as the spoke the words that rose from his memory. "He threatens with the passage of souls. He was paid. Daramus said you would make a special bonus..." The ranger was hardly aware that he was speaking at all, but he could feel his mind finally getting a grip on the riddle.
There was another sharp crack, followed by a rumble that made their teeth chatter and the whole structure around them vibrate. The door only paces from them shot open and coughed orange flames into the room that were quickly entangled with the swirling tentacles of black steam. Telias´ arms around Aragorn´s ribs tightened almost painfully, and a tiny voice drifted through the ever rising sounds of disaster. "I will not die I will not die I will not die mommy said I can only die by the river only by the river I will not die mommy said..."
The pieces finally fell into place. The age in Telanna´s eyes. The lost souls wandering the riverbanks and even Daramus´ jeering words to him. "It´s death." He locked eyes with Legolas. "This creature takes souls away! And there is no death here, Legolas, unless brought upon by Daramus! Think about it, these people never leave this place, not one path leads away from the village. And there is no place to bury the dead here! Even the souls are doomed to linger."
With completely uncharacteristic haste Legolas grabbed the book back again, eyes racing over the pages. "There is something here about penalty. About punishment... " His voice became excited. "The coins were not made to keep this creature away, they were meant to make him come!"
"Daramus wanted to die." Aragorn shook his head, feeling sweat pour down his face as the heat intensified. "That was the only way for him to break out of his prison, even if it meant calling upon a demon of death!" Laughter began to ring outside at these words. The sound grew more and more intense until Legolas dropped the book with a grimace of pain and clamped his hands over his sensitive ears, trying to block out the rising shrieks.
The glass of the window shattered, sending splinters of glass through the room in a glittering shower of shards. Mercifully, the laughter ebbed away then and lowered into a deep chuckle, leaving Legolas looking dazed. A small line of blood trickled from his left ear. "What a smart little ranger you are." The voice seemed to be in the room with them, so close it made Aragorn flinch. Even Legolas gave the slightest notion of backing away from the source of the words that felt to be right in front of them.
"For such a long time I searched for the master whose pet I´ve found hidden in my prison, but the Lord of the Dark Waters would not come unless called and paid the ancient way. Alas, even his pet would demand its reward to stay at my side, crowding this stinking whole with weak spirits groaning for release. But then, finally, some filthy grave robbers discovered my treasure."
The laughter rose again, its joyless mirth enough to make Aargorn break out in shivers with flames licking at the floor and walls only paces away from him. "You cannot imagine the contradicting emotions I was pulled through after that, watching my seeing stone and following my saviour´s path into Elven hands and believing it lost, then the joy at a human in their company. Oh, the elves, especially the Lord, they would have been trouble, but you and the princeling -oh priceless, priceless irony. Your noble fight finally united me with what had followed my orders for centuries and there is no more need for death. For now I am strong. I am almost what he is. I will take some more souls, drain this village of useless fodder. And then I will break free." There was the tiniest pause before the voice continued: "So, little hero, are you up to the challenge? Will you stop me?" The laughter rose again and Legolas groaned, raising his hands once more but then halting his movements abruptly. Even though clearly in pain, he cocked his head, his eyes widening.
"Estel, tawar gorf methiel!" //Estel, the strength of the wood is spent.// The elf rose unsteadily but his eyes were blazing. "Em danthon. Telo ette." //We will fall. Come outside.//
Aragorn had known this moment would come and he had dreaded it. But now that it was there, he felt something like hope grow in him, living up to the name he had been so aptly given. He stood to his feet beside his friend, Telias securely held in one arm, and together they faced the window amidst the swirling smoke and licking flames, edging ever closer. The ground wove beneath their feet.
"I will need your memory once we are out there", Aragorn said quietly, "for I do not trust mine to be up to the task. It will be dangerous, mellon-nin." He sought out his friend´s face to make sure he had grasped his plan and actually found the trace of a smile there. "Iston." //I know.// The smile widened ever so slightly before the elf broke into a run, heading straight for the window.
TBC
One more down, two to go - no, not characters, chapters :) At least if all goes according to plan. There are some answers given in this chapter, but far from all - I hope you hang in there and don´t get confused!
I want to give a HUGE hug to my reviewers - I enjoy reading your thoughts so much, please keep it up. And you lurkers out there, feel free to join in!
Review responses:
Rosie: Hi! Glad you enjoy the story, I only hope the next chapters (including this one) live up to your expectations. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Alariel: You are quite right, there was a misunderstanding concerning the scroll! You´ll see how it works. I´m happy you still like it.
Tychen: Hey, right guess hands out cookie ! And Aragorn does make a rather dangerous opponent - I could not pit him against the poor elf for too long...
Ertia: Smirk Maybe I should write a story about Balrog biology at some point, what an interesting thought. And yes, they are in deep trouble - of course I do have a plan for them! (Now it only needs to work, too.)
Vicky Turner: Well, for now they stay in trouble - but hang in there, so do they!
NightShadow131: Thanks!! And yes, I do like nervous readers... ;-)
Red Tigress: What a thought!! I swear, you have worse ideas for them than I do, what is a bit black water, fire, a host of monsters and a demon against Balrog poop...!!
Now for the next chapter! Enjoy!
Alinah
Rating: PG 13
Disclaimer: Not mine
Answers at the abyss
Faced with a sickening feeling of defeat, Aragorn backed away from the window and the dreadful sight it held and sank back onto the bed beside Telias. The pain in his back which he had mostly ignored so far threw itself at him with a vengeance that made him suck in his breath. He could not turn his eyes away from the elf, however, and kept watching his friend who so stoically gazed out at their gathering doom.
Knowing Legolas as well as he did, he could detect the burning tension that glowed beneath the fair creature´s calm demeanor - a tension that would erupt into full-fledged battle-rage at a moment´s notice. The clear blue eyes never flinched from the enemy, a strange mixture of interest and concentration flickering ever so slightly across the pale features. Even now, he was investigating, searching for any weakness that would grant them an advantage, however slim it might be. The ranger felt comforted by such a quiet display of loyalty and courage, but he did not fail to notice the way the elf kept all weight off his injured leg. A wave of protectiveness surged through him, ridiculous under the circumstances but there nonetheless.
Aragorn snorted at his reaction. His brothers would have given him a good-natured lecture about how predictable he could be. He had felt this way before, often in the face of certain death, and he had prevailed. They had prevailed. His spirits lifted and he even managed a tiny grin at Legolas who had turned towards him at the sound, one eyebrow lifted in question.
"Thir cin chwind, mellon-nin, le algwanno" //You look weak, my friend, you cannot run// Aragorn said in a light tone, keeping to Elvish to avoid confusing Telias. The eyebrow edged up further, blue eyes searching grey ones for the fraction of a heartbeat before softening with a sudden warmth that belied the elf´s haughty reply: "Im ernil, im algwanno." //I´m a prince, I don´t run.// Their eyes locked in silent understanding, both preparing for what was to come. Turning serious without missing a beat, Legolas added: "Im maethon gwacen, mellon-nin." //I [will] fight with you, my friend.// "A im gwacen"//And I with you.// the man mirrored the pledge, and both knew no more words needed to be said between them on the matter.
Legolas turned to the window once more, resuming his silent watch, and Aragorn focused his attention on Telias. The boy had sat on the bed, unmoving and with his head bent, ever since he had placed him there. The ranger felt a knot form in his throat when he gazed down at the child, unsure suddenly of what to say, how to approach a conversation he had never been expecting to have. How did one prepare a child for battle and almost certain death? He felt tempted to avoid the truth altogether, but that would be the worst betrayal possible, and he would no inflict even more harm on the young soul. He tried to collect his thoughts, but before he was even close to ready, Telias suddenly stirred and lifted his head.
Aragorn felt a rush of surprise when the eyes that turned to him held no panic. There was fear, yes, but it was evenly balanced by a pride that shone so bright it turned the brown eyes several shades lighter. "I found it, Master Aragorn", the child said seriously, "you threw it away, but that was not really you, it was him so I thought you would want it because he didn´t." Aragorn was thoroughly confused, both by Telias slightly muddled reasoning and the very event he referred to, but he quickly gathered what the boy meant when the small frame in front of him straightened and revealed what he had held clutched to his chest. It was the book.
The ranger stared at the dark cover, still splattered with light Elven blood. His senses suddenly burst into frantic activity the way they usually did at a deceive moment of danger. A wave of heat shoved at him from the floor, accompanied by the threatening cackle of flames eating through wood. Beneath this sound was the softer hiss of the water as it battled against its enemy of old, transforming into the sickening steam that began to crawl through the cracks the boards and weight down the air. And beyond that, outside the walls of their melting stronghold, a mixture of howls and yelps, blurring into a choir that would have sent any pack of wargs running.
Aragorn allowed all these impressions to pass him by, merely brushing his mind. He knew that it was not physical danger that had alerted him, but the sudden appearance of hope. With an effort, he reigned in his thoughts as the strove to break away from him in their effort to piece together the puzzle he was faced with. "You did very well, Telias, very well indeed!" The boy beamed at the praise and scooted over to peer into the book from the man´s side.
Hastily, Aragorn drew the bag of coins from his belt and let the shining mithril circles tumble onto the blanket beside him. He reopened the book at precisely the page he had despaired at before, never wondering at the fact, and let his eyes roam over the Dwarvish letters yet again. They held little more meaning to him than before, but this time he did not fail to notice the drawing at the bottom of the faded paper. Valar, how could he have missed this before! Unless he had been meant to...
The memory of his earlier failure stung his soul but it also reminded him of much needed help. "Legolas", he called softly to his still friend, "join us, please. I will need your assistance." The elf broke his gaze away from the scene in front of the window with visible reluctance, but he made his way across the room without questioning the wisdom of Aragorn´s request. The ranger suppressed a wince when he watched the laboured movements of his usually agile companion. The severity of the elf´s impairment had been expertly covered by his watchful stance but now it broke through with cruel clarity. All the more reason to put their minds to work where the body might fail them.
Legolas took his time in the short journey, and when he lowered himself down onto the bed opposite the ranger, he let out a breath and closed his eyes as if using his sight took up too much energy at the moment. Aragorn frowned worriedly but waited, recognising the way the elf tilted his head. "We have cause to hurry", Legolas stated quietly, "the beams that carry the mill´s weight cry out in agony. Neither water nor flame are losing the battle below our feet, it is the wood." He opened his eyes calmly and added: "Gorf tawar thinta lim." //The wood´s strength is fading fast.// Aragorn nodded lightly to show that he understood but then forced his concentration back to the task at hand.
"The text seems to be in old Dwarvish, and I fear even Lord Elrond would not be able to translate it at the speed that is asked for here", the ranger explained quickly, "but there are pictures of our coins. If we are lucky, the paragraph beneath may tell us something about their usage." He turned the book to give Legolas a better view and watched anxiously while the elf went over the text, his lips moving silently in an almost human gesture. After what seemed an eternity Legolas glanced up. The fire in his eyes was the only sign of his excitement, but it was enough to send the ranger´s heart racing.
"I cannot understand it all", the elf confessed, "for this is indeed a very old dialect and I cannot say that Dwarvish has ever been my favourite subject of study - but then again, my father was very fond of the saying `Know thy enemy`." Aragorn could not help but roll his eyes at this, though his friend did not seem to notice, for he gave no reaction. Instead, he went on smoothly: "There seems to have been some sort of alliance between a group of Elves and Dwarves once, united by their battle against a creature that threatened them..." He frowned, looking at the text again. "I´m not sure what this threat was. It translates as something like `passage of souls`..."
He was sharply interrupted by the room giving a violent lurch. The floor sacked away by the door. Telias gave a loud yell and clutched Aragorn tightly when the bed began to move, slowly at first but then with an almost lifelike jump that sent them crushing into the wall. A shriek and a hiss rose from the abyss, fading into pained groans.
Aragorn sat frozen for a couple of breathless heartbeats, expecting them to fall yet again and be consumed by the blazing battle below. He could feel the boy´s violent shivers as he held him close and the tension radiating from the elf at his side engulfed him in a smothering embrace. Legolas face was a mask of concentration, and he relaxed only slightly when he finally spoke: "Tawar thala - na hi." //The wood holds fast - for now.//
"Did the fire speak to you?" Telias voice was little above a whisper, fear and fascination warring in the eyes he turned on the elf from the safety of Aragorn´s arms. "What did it say?" Legolas tension broke a little more when he smiled at the child. "The fire is much easier to understand even than your chicken", he said warmly, even though he knew there was little comfort in what he was able to offer. Yet the child´s perception in a situation so dire impressed him. "It yells of nothing but hunger and consumes everything in its path. But the wood that carries us is still keeping us safe - it will not let us fall as long as it can muster any strength." The boy nodded, strangely satisfied, and snuggled his face into Aragorn´s side.
Legolas turned back to the book, his mind easily picking up the trail it had left before. "There seems to have been a dispute over the coins", he continued to Aragorn, "how much of them would be needed." He shook his head. "There are so many words that are alien to me." Aragorn found it much harder to refocus, and he was still stumbling over what Legolas had said before. "Passage of souls", he mused, "let me see that." The elf pointed out the words and the ranger gazed at the unfamiliar shapes. He tried to wrap his mind around them, turn them, recognize what truth lay beneath.
The wood groaned loudly again only heartbeats before another beam gave way, this time across from them. The floor was jerked downwards, almost levelling out again, but the tension was too much for some of the ancient boards to bear. They cracked with a sickening crash. Hissing in contempt, the water that was not yet able to reach them sent ahead waves a steam that squeezed through the narrow gaps. With is came a stifling heat that robbed their breaths.
Aragorn saw Legolas turn his head towards the window sharply and wondered whether the elf considered opening it for air, a most dangerous undertaking now even if there had been no army of bloodthirsty creatures outside. "Something has changed", the elf said sharply, his clear voice cutting through the rising sounds of water and flame, "it has grown quiet. They are waiting." Without having to say a word, they both realized there was only one monster worse than the ones already present, and Aragorn´s heart sank at the thought that they would be no match for Daramus.
Willing himself to ignore anything but the words that now danced before him in the heat, he pondered them again, his instincts telling him that they were the key. "A creature of old, a spirit that should long be resting never to be revealed again." For some reason, Aragorn seemed to hear Elrohir´s voice as the spoke the words that rose from his memory. "He threatens with the passage of souls. He was paid. Daramus said you would make a special bonus..." The ranger was hardly aware that he was speaking at all, but he could feel his mind finally getting a grip on the riddle.
There was another sharp crack, followed by a rumble that made their teeth chatter and the whole structure around them vibrate. The door only paces from them shot open and coughed orange flames into the room that were quickly entangled with the swirling tentacles of black steam. Telias´ arms around Aragorn´s ribs tightened almost painfully, and a tiny voice drifted through the ever rising sounds of disaster. "I will not die I will not die I will not die mommy said I can only die by the river only by the river I will not die mommy said..."
The pieces finally fell into place. The age in Telanna´s eyes. The lost souls wandering the riverbanks and even Daramus´ jeering words to him. "It´s death." He locked eyes with Legolas. "This creature takes souls away! And there is no death here, Legolas, unless brought upon by Daramus! Think about it, these people never leave this place, not one path leads away from the village. And there is no place to bury the dead here! Even the souls are doomed to linger."
With completely uncharacteristic haste Legolas grabbed the book back again, eyes racing over the pages. "There is something here about penalty. About punishment... " His voice became excited. "The coins were not made to keep this creature away, they were meant to make him come!"
"Daramus wanted to die." Aragorn shook his head, feeling sweat pour down his face as the heat intensified. "That was the only way for him to break out of his prison, even if it meant calling upon a demon of death!" Laughter began to ring outside at these words. The sound grew more and more intense until Legolas dropped the book with a grimace of pain and clamped his hands over his sensitive ears, trying to block out the rising shrieks.
The glass of the window shattered, sending splinters of glass through the room in a glittering shower of shards. Mercifully, the laughter ebbed away then and lowered into a deep chuckle, leaving Legolas looking dazed. A small line of blood trickled from his left ear. "What a smart little ranger you are." The voice seemed to be in the room with them, so close it made Aragorn flinch. Even Legolas gave the slightest notion of backing away from the source of the words that felt to be right in front of them.
"For such a long time I searched for the master whose pet I´ve found hidden in my prison, but the Lord of the Dark Waters would not come unless called and paid the ancient way. Alas, even his pet would demand its reward to stay at my side, crowding this stinking whole with weak spirits groaning for release. But then, finally, some filthy grave robbers discovered my treasure."
The laughter rose again, its joyless mirth enough to make Aargorn break out in shivers with flames licking at the floor and walls only paces away from him. "You cannot imagine the contradicting emotions I was pulled through after that, watching my seeing stone and following my saviour´s path into Elven hands and believing it lost, then the joy at a human in their company. Oh, the elves, especially the Lord, they would have been trouble, but you and the princeling -oh priceless, priceless irony. Your noble fight finally united me with what had followed my orders for centuries and there is no more need for death. For now I am strong. I am almost what he is. I will take some more souls, drain this village of useless fodder. And then I will break free." There was the tiniest pause before the voice continued: "So, little hero, are you up to the challenge? Will you stop me?" The laughter rose again and Legolas groaned, raising his hands once more but then halting his movements abruptly. Even though clearly in pain, he cocked his head, his eyes widening.
"Estel, tawar gorf methiel!" //Estel, the strength of the wood is spent.// The elf rose unsteadily but his eyes were blazing. "Em danthon. Telo ette." //We will fall. Come outside.//
Aragorn had known this moment would come and he had dreaded it. But now that it was there, he felt something like hope grow in him, living up to the name he had been so aptly given. He stood to his feet beside his friend, Telias securely held in one arm, and together they faced the window amidst the swirling smoke and licking flames, edging ever closer. The ground wove beneath their feet.
"I will need your memory once we are out there", Aragorn said quietly, "for I do not trust mine to be up to the task. It will be dangerous, mellon-nin." He sought out his friend´s face to make sure he had grasped his plan and actually found the trace of a smile there. "Iston." //I know.// The smile widened ever so slightly before the elf broke into a run, heading straight for the window.
TBC
