CHAPTER 9 - The One Ring Revealed
Lorathir squinted his eyes at the bright sunlight outside of Moria. It had been years since he had seen the sun. He put his sunglasses on again.
"This is not right." said Mayathir, pacing back and forth.
Lorathir smirked. "Don't have to say that twice. I nearly got my ass shot off."
Mayathir stepped up to Uglakh and talked right into his face. "The Nazgul should not have been able to find us. They walked into the bar knowing that we would be there. Why do you think that is, Uglakh?"
Uglakh took a step back. "You accuse me of something?"
"I think you're hiding something from us." said Mayathir, taking a step forward to close the distance between them.
"I not hiding anything." said Uglakh, pushing him away.
Mayathir drew back a fist, but Lorathir caught it. "This is not the time." said Lorathir.
"I think Mayathir might have a point." said Jimmy. "What did you do with the ring when you found it?"
"I put it in locked drawer in my computer desk."
"Are you sure that's what you did? Do you remember opening the drawer, placing the ring inside, closing the drawer, turning the key in the lock?"
"Yes, I... I don't know."
"Check your pockets." said Mayathir.
Uglakh reached his hand into his left pocket and it came out empty.
"Your other one."
Uglakh began to reach for his right pocket but it was difficult to make his hand complete the movement. A sudden anger rose inside him.
"Why you make me look through my pockets? You not trust me?"
Jimmy walked toward him slowly. "I'm going to walk up to you, nice and slow, and put my hand in your pocket."
Uglakh's forehead began to sweat. He resisted the urge to push Jimmy away. Jimmy put his hand in Uglakh's pocket and suddenly vanished.
"What the fuck?" gasped Lorathir.
Jimmy reappeared a second later, holding a golden ring in his hand.
"You bastard." Mayathir fumed at Uglakh. "You lying bastard. You've been hiding the ring from us all this time. I knew that I couldn't trust you!"
Uglakh stared at the ring, confused. "I not know! I think I have leave it at home! How it get there?"
"Hold on!" said Jimmy. "Before we get too carried away, remember that the ring has an effect on thoughts. It's quite possible that the ring tricked Uglakh to believe he wasn't carrying it. Let's not jump to any conclusions."
Mayathir opened his mouth to say something, but just groaned in frustration. Lorathir looked at everyone in the group like he was trapped in a room full of mental patients.
"Okay, uh... what?" said Lorathir. "Does anyone say anything that makes any kind of sense anymore? Who the fuck were those invincible guys that tried to kill us? What the fuck is the ring and am I going completely bonkers or did the halfling just fucking DISAPPEAR in front of my eyes there?"
"It's a long story." said Mayathir.
"Well, we got a long walk." said Jimmy. "Let's get to Gandalf in Lothlorien as soon as possible. Whatever is going on between us, whatever questions remain, let's just save them for Lothlorien where they can be answered. Agreed?"
Lorathir sighed. "Agreed."
"Agreed." said Uglakh, glaring at Mayathir.
Mayathir glared back at Uglakh, then hesitantly agreed as well.
-
Jeff, Naeronel, and Gandalf sat beside each other at a bar on the top deck of the Numenorean Star cruise ship.
"Bartender, give me a Northfarthing ale on the rocks." said Gandalf.
The bartender slid the drink across the bar into Gandalf's hand.
"Now this is the only way to travel." said Jeff. "This and by helicopter of course. Damn, I miss my old bird. I had some good memories in that copter."
Naeronel patted him on the back. "There, there, little Jeffy. It's okay. We'll just get you a new one."
"I've already arranged a replacement helicopter for you in Lothlorien. Same make and model." said Gandalf.
"It won't be the same though."
Jeff looked at Gandalf for a couple of seconds and shook his head.
"What is it?" asked Gandalf.
"I just can't believe it. You're... you're Gandalf."
"Yes..."
"I mean... THE Gandalf. That's just like, wow."
"What a surprise." said Naeronel, rolling her eyes. "Gandalf is Gandalf. Whoa."
"Hey, I knew two Gandalfs in highschool. It's kind of a common name."
Naeronel scratched her head. "Gandalfs? Wouldn't it be Gandalves?"
"Sure." said Jeff with a smile. "Dwarf turns into Dwarves, Elf turns into Elves, why can't multiple Gandalfs be Gandalves?"
They both broke down into laughter. Naeronel accidentally spilled some of her drink on her shirt.
"Aw, nuts." said Naeronel. "Guys, 'scuse me while I go back to the room and change."
Jeff watched as she walked off. He looked at Gandalf who was smiling at him.
"There you go again with that weird smile. What's on your mind, G?"
"Nothing of importance now, although I have a good idea of what's on your mind."
"Oh, so now you're reading my mind. That one of your magical powers?"
"No, but after living for a couple of millenia you begin to notice patterns in people's behaviours. You begin to notice certain ...looks that people give each other, and what results from that. And I think I've seen some of that between you and Naeronel." Gandalf took a sip of his ale.
Jeff laughed nervously. "What are you talking about? I barely know her. Besides, she's an elf. She could be like 500 years old for all I know. Not interested. No way."
Gandalf smiled. "Then why did you blush when I mentioned her?"
Jeff raised his finger, about to say something in his defense, then stopped. "All right, you got me."
"Score one for the wizard." said Gandalf, finishing off his Ale.
"So..." said Jeff slowly. "You think I... you know... have a chance? ...Or something?"
Gandalf laughed. "I still haven't lived long enough to figure things like that out. All I can say is good luck. And remember: chicks like confidence."
"Thanks, G." said Jeff.
"Stop calling me th..." suddenly Gandalf's face grew pale, his expression somewhat worried.
"What is it?" asked Jeff.
"I sensed something. A feeling of intense dread in the pit of my stomach. It came suddenly." Gandalf reached into his pocket. "Nope. It was just my cellphone. I had it set to 'vibrate'." He brought the phone to his ear.
-
"Gandalf here." came the voice on the phone.
"Hey, Gandalf. It's Jimmy. We're out of Moria, on the way to Lothlorien. Should be there by this afternoon."
"Did you retrieve the ring from Udun already?"
"Good news, and sorta bad news." said Jimmy. "We figured out why the Nazgul were homing in on us like a heat-seeking missile. Turns out that Uglakh had the ring on him this whole time."
"Excellent." responded Gandalf. "However, be careful. The enemy may have spies at work in Lothlorien. Tell Mayathir to find the back door. He'll know what you are talking about. We will arrive there later in the evening."
"Thanks. Seeya later."
Jimmy hung up and looked at Mayathir. "What do you know about a back door in Lothlorien?"
"There is a branch office of Mithrandir Corporation in Lothlorien..."
Suddenly Lorathir burst out into laughter. "Ha! That's classic. A Lothlorien 'Branch'! ha ha ha ha!"
"Are you finished?" shot Mayathir.
Lorathir waved him off and stifled his giggles.
"Anyway, there is a secondary entrance to the building, but we have to go under Lothlorien to get to it. Follow me."
They walked down along the Silverlode river, until they were clear of the Misty Mountains, and saw the city of Lothlorien in the distance to the east. It was a sight to behold, tall towers of earthly green and brown hues that seemed to float on top of the trees. Several of the buildings had large twisting roots spiraling around them in precise patterns to their tops. Quite a feat of high-tech architecture combined seamlessly with nature. A nature trail led through the woods of Lorien until they reached the edges of the city. A road led up a ramp supported by strategically placed trees of increasing height, and cars drove in and out through it.
"We must go around the side of Lothlorien." said Mayathir. "That is where we can access its underside."
He led them across the road, around the side of the city. It looked amazing, even from this close. The entire city was supported about 40 feet in the air by the giant, thick Mallorn trees. All around the edge of Lothlorien was a large chainlink fence with barbed wire on the top and signs reading "Lothlorien maintenance level. No unauthorized personnel allowed."
Mayathir found a part of the fence with a locked door, and quickly pulled out a key. They entered through the door, which Mayathir locked behind them. As they walked deeper into Lothlorien's ground level, they saw more of how the infrastructure of the city in the trees worked. Wooden roadways stretched in between the trees, supported by networks of vines. They could see how the roads slightly flexed with every car that drove over them. Many of the large buildings used the Mallorn trees as their central support. Since the buildings and roads blocked the sun out, the whole area underneath was lit by thousands of ultraviolet lights built into the undersides of the buildings. Sewer pipes led into the trees where the waste would be distributed as a fertilizer to keep the trees growing strong.
"Come on." said Lorathir impatiently. "Let's get to this office building before these fucking lights give me skin cancer."
Mayathir approached a particularly thick tree and looked at the underside of the building on it. A security camera stared down at them.
"Everyone wave hi to the camera!" said Mayathir.
They all looked up and waved. A square panel in the bottom of the building opened up, and a rope ladder lowered itself. They climbed up, one by one, into a small square room with another security camera. The rope ladder retracted itself, and the panel slid back into place.
"What now?" asked Jimmy.
A door to the room opened, and an elf stepped in. "Good day, everyone." said the elf. "Welcome to the Lothlorien branch of Mithrandir corporation. My name is Elrond."
Lorathir squinted his eyes at the bright sunlight outside of Moria. It had been years since he had seen the sun. He put his sunglasses on again.
"This is not right." said Mayathir, pacing back and forth.
Lorathir smirked. "Don't have to say that twice. I nearly got my ass shot off."
Mayathir stepped up to Uglakh and talked right into his face. "The Nazgul should not have been able to find us. They walked into the bar knowing that we would be there. Why do you think that is, Uglakh?"
Uglakh took a step back. "You accuse me of something?"
"I think you're hiding something from us." said Mayathir, taking a step forward to close the distance between them.
"I not hiding anything." said Uglakh, pushing him away.
Mayathir drew back a fist, but Lorathir caught it. "This is not the time." said Lorathir.
"I think Mayathir might have a point." said Jimmy. "What did you do with the ring when you found it?"
"I put it in locked drawer in my computer desk."
"Are you sure that's what you did? Do you remember opening the drawer, placing the ring inside, closing the drawer, turning the key in the lock?"
"Yes, I... I don't know."
"Check your pockets." said Mayathir.
Uglakh reached his hand into his left pocket and it came out empty.
"Your other one."
Uglakh began to reach for his right pocket but it was difficult to make his hand complete the movement. A sudden anger rose inside him.
"Why you make me look through my pockets? You not trust me?"
Jimmy walked toward him slowly. "I'm going to walk up to you, nice and slow, and put my hand in your pocket."
Uglakh's forehead began to sweat. He resisted the urge to push Jimmy away. Jimmy put his hand in Uglakh's pocket and suddenly vanished.
"What the fuck?" gasped Lorathir.
Jimmy reappeared a second later, holding a golden ring in his hand.
"You bastard." Mayathir fumed at Uglakh. "You lying bastard. You've been hiding the ring from us all this time. I knew that I couldn't trust you!"
Uglakh stared at the ring, confused. "I not know! I think I have leave it at home! How it get there?"
"Hold on!" said Jimmy. "Before we get too carried away, remember that the ring has an effect on thoughts. It's quite possible that the ring tricked Uglakh to believe he wasn't carrying it. Let's not jump to any conclusions."
Mayathir opened his mouth to say something, but just groaned in frustration. Lorathir looked at everyone in the group like he was trapped in a room full of mental patients.
"Okay, uh... what?" said Lorathir. "Does anyone say anything that makes any kind of sense anymore? Who the fuck were those invincible guys that tried to kill us? What the fuck is the ring and am I going completely bonkers or did the halfling just fucking DISAPPEAR in front of my eyes there?"
"It's a long story." said Mayathir.
"Well, we got a long walk." said Jimmy. "Let's get to Gandalf in Lothlorien as soon as possible. Whatever is going on between us, whatever questions remain, let's just save them for Lothlorien where they can be answered. Agreed?"
Lorathir sighed. "Agreed."
"Agreed." said Uglakh, glaring at Mayathir.
Mayathir glared back at Uglakh, then hesitantly agreed as well.
-
Jeff, Naeronel, and Gandalf sat beside each other at a bar on the top deck of the Numenorean Star cruise ship.
"Bartender, give me a Northfarthing ale on the rocks." said Gandalf.
The bartender slid the drink across the bar into Gandalf's hand.
"Now this is the only way to travel." said Jeff. "This and by helicopter of course. Damn, I miss my old bird. I had some good memories in that copter."
Naeronel patted him on the back. "There, there, little Jeffy. It's okay. We'll just get you a new one."
"I've already arranged a replacement helicopter for you in Lothlorien. Same make and model." said Gandalf.
"It won't be the same though."
Jeff looked at Gandalf for a couple of seconds and shook his head.
"What is it?" asked Gandalf.
"I just can't believe it. You're... you're Gandalf."
"Yes..."
"I mean... THE Gandalf. That's just like, wow."
"What a surprise." said Naeronel, rolling her eyes. "Gandalf is Gandalf. Whoa."
"Hey, I knew two Gandalfs in highschool. It's kind of a common name."
Naeronel scratched her head. "Gandalfs? Wouldn't it be Gandalves?"
"Sure." said Jeff with a smile. "Dwarf turns into Dwarves, Elf turns into Elves, why can't multiple Gandalfs be Gandalves?"
They both broke down into laughter. Naeronel accidentally spilled some of her drink on her shirt.
"Aw, nuts." said Naeronel. "Guys, 'scuse me while I go back to the room and change."
Jeff watched as she walked off. He looked at Gandalf who was smiling at him.
"There you go again with that weird smile. What's on your mind, G?"
"Nothing of importance now, although I have a good idea of what's on your mind."
"Oh, so now you're reading my mind. That one of your magical powers?"
"No, but after living for a couple of millenia you begin to notice patterns in people's behaviours. You begin to notice certain ...looks that people give each other, and what results from that. And I think I've seen some of that between you and Naeronel." Gandalf took a sip of his ale.
Jeff laughed nervously. "What are you talking about? I barely know her. Besides, she's an elf. She could be like 500 years old for all I know. Not interested. No way."
Gandalf smiled. "Then why did you blush when I mentioned her?"
Jeff raised his finger, about to say something in his defense, then stopped. "All right, you got me."
"Score one for the wizard." said Gandalf, finishing off his Ale.
"So..." said Jeff slowly. "You think I... you know... have a chance? ...Or something?"
Gandalf laughed. "I still haven't lived long enough to figure things like that out. All I can say is good luck. And remember: chicks like confidence."
"Thanks, G." said Jeff.
"Stop calling me th..." suddenly Gandalf's face grew pale, his expression somewhat worried.
"What is it?" asked Jeff.
"I sensed something. A feeling of intense dread in the pit of my stomach. It came suddenly." Gandalf reached into his pocket. "Nope. It was just my cellphone. I had it set to 'vibrate'." He brought the phone to his ear.
-
"Gandalf here." came the voice on the phone.
"Hey, Gandalf. It's Jimmy. We're out of Moria, on the way to Lothlorien. Should be there by this afternoon."
"Did you retrieve the ring from Udun already?"
"Good news, and sorta bad news." said Jimmy. "We figured out why the Nazgul were homing in on us like a heat-seeking missile. Turns out that Uglakh had the ring on him this whole time."
"Excellent." responded Gandalf. "However, be careful. The enemy may have spies at work in Lothlorien. Tell Mayathir to find the back door. He'll know what you are talking about. We will arrive there later in the evening."
"Thanks. Seeya later."
Jimmy hung up and looked at Mayathir. "What do you know about a back door in Lothlorien?"
"There is a branch office of Mithrandir Corporation in Lothlorien..."
Suddenly Lorathir burst out into laughter. "Ha! That's classic. A Lothlorien 'Branch'! ha ha ha ha!"
"Are you finished?" shot Mayathir.
Lorathir waved him off and stifled his giggles.
"Anyway, there is a secondary entrance to the building, but we have to go under Lothlorien to get to it. Follow me."
They walked down along the Silverlode river, until they were clear of the Misty Mountains, and saw the city of Lothlorien in the distance to the east. It was a sight to behold, tall towers of earthly green and brown hues that seemed to float on top of the trees. Several of the buildings had large twisting roots spiraling around them in precise patterns to their tops. Quite a feat of high-tech architecture combined seamlessly with nature. A nature trail led through the woods of Lorien until they reached the edges of the city. A road led up a ramp supported by strategically placed trees of increasing height, and cars drove in and out through it.
"We must go around the side of Lothlorien." said Mayathir. "That is where we can access its underside."
He led them across the road, around the side of the city. It looked amazing, even from this close. The entire city was supported about 40 feet in the air by the giant, thick Mallorn trees. All around the edge of Lothlorien was a large chainlink fence with barbed wire on the top and signs reading "Lothlorien maintenance level. No unauthorized personnel allowed."
Mayathir found a part of the fence with a locked door, and quickly pulled out a key. They entered through the door, which Mayathir locked behind them. As they walked deeper into Lothlorien's ground level, they saw more of how the infrastructure of the city in the trees worked. Wooden roadways stretched in between the trees, supported by networks of vines. They could see how the roads slightly flexed with every car that drove over them. Many of the large buildings used the Mallorn trees as their central support. Since the buildings and roads blocked the sun out, the whole area underneath was lit by thousands of ultraviolet lights built into the undersides of the buildings. Sewer pipes led into the trees where the waste would be distributed as a fertilizer to keep the trees growing strong.
"Come on." said Lorathir impatiently. "Let's get to this office building before these fucking lights give me skin cancer."
Mayathir approached a particularly thick tree and looked at the underside of the building on it. A security camera stared down at them.
"Everyone wave hi to the camera!" said Mayathir.
They all looked up and waved. A square panel in the bottom of the building opened up, and a rope ladder lowered itself. They climbed up, one by one, into a small square room with another security camera. The rope ladder retracted itself, and the panel slid back into place.
"What now?" asked Jimmy.
A door to the room opened, and an elf stepped in. "Good day, everyone." said the elf. "Welcome to the Lothlorien branch of Mithrandir corporation. My name is Elrond."