Another reminder that I do not own Middle Earth and I do not own several characters mentioned in this chapter including Beren, Luthien, Elrond, Elladan, Sauron and Thuringwethil. Everyone else however I'm pretty sure belongs to me.

Breath of Midnight
Please read and let me know what you think.

A Starless Night

An ancient evil is now unleashed
An ancient foe has been unmasked.
Yet against love none can stand;
It is the arrow that pierces every heart.

We were nothing more than six faint figures silently silhouetted against the moonless night; riding through the impenetrable darkness of a seemingly starless sky. A dark veil was shrouding the world that night, protecting and hiding some dark mystery. Onward we rode despite the dark; the ground echoing the rhythm of our path. Each horse was laden with supplies and weapons that needed to be delivered to the ravaged village before the sun rose. Eldritch led the way as we rode through the treeless plain towards our destination. Aswin followed on my left and Rose on my right; neither of them would be left behind when I told them where Eldritch had asked me to go, and needless to say I found them both to be equally stubborn on the matter.

A slight breeze began to blow, and with it faint amounts of ash and ember danced across the plain.

We had arrived.

We rode on to what must have been the main road, but now it only appeared to be a makeshift cobblestone graveyard. The dead and injured were laid out on street, side by side, with eerie candles lighting their ghastly images. The fire danced across their anguished faces, giving just enough light for families to find their loved ones despite the strange darkness. We did not have a lot of time to take in this new scene. Upon our arrival we were instantly mobbed by dirty faces and hands; looking and reaching for anything we might have to ease their suffering.

My heart broke.

We struggled to make our way through the crowd, but were overwhelmed. Soon

A short stout man with red hair and a ruddy beard ran out from a dilapidated pub, and no doubt having seen our plight, quickly approached Eldritch's horse. Eldritch dismounted and managed to politely shake his hand despite the surrounding madness. They spoke for a moment as the crowd became increasingly restless. When they had finished their discourse the short man spoke to the mob in a surprisingly loud voice, and the crowd instantly calmed. He motioned for our group to follow him towards what remained of the center of town. There we were able to tie the horses and hand out the supplies in an organized fashion. Two rangers maintained order in the crowd while the rest of us dealt with the villagers on as much of an individual basis as possible. Taking care of everyone's needs as quickly as we could. Rose and a light haired ranger named Immin followed a villager to a tent set up for healing. Both were skilled in such arts and were desperately needed to relive the already overworked physician. We all worked hard and late into the night lending a helping hand where we could. Aswin seemed particularly affected by the people's urgent need. The situation of the village reminded him of the plight of his own, and no doubt the loss of his own family. When we had done all that we could do, we began to prepare the horses for the return ride. I was about to mount my horse when Eldritch and the short man approached me. Eldritch spoke in a hushed whisper.

"Feaestel, I would like to introduce you to Bertwald. He is a very well respected man here, and I think he might have a few things to say you might be interested in hearing."

The three of us then left the group and entered the dilapidated pub. The place was empty for the moment and definitely reeked of what was in my opinion very bad ale. There was nothing of mention about the place, only some overturned tables and a lot of broken glass on the floor. Bertwald stumbled about in the dark until he found a candle to light. We righted some chairs and sat down at a table in the middle of the empty room.

"Bertwald…now that we're somewhere private, please tell Feaestel and myself what happened."

The nervous Bertwald stewed a bit before leaving the table to find himself a pint. When he returned he took a long drink, wiped his mouth, and began.

"Well, as you know, this village brews the best ale this side of the Misty Mountains. That's why they call us Gold town…our beautiful golden ale. We are the only village to sell our store to the Golden Hall. My father and my father's father ran this place. We were and will always be known, and well renowned throughout the Mark!"

(The ale didn't seem that good to me, but who was I to judge?)

Eldritch looked as though he had heard this speech many times before, and he gently encouraged the man to get to the point.

"Those barbarians usually only storm through here to steal some meat and drink, but this time it was different. Oh yes, they took more than there fair share of ale, but they wanted more than just a chance to quench their thirst. They were looking for something…or… someone."

My heart jumped into my throat.

"…and they weren't looking alone neither. There was this woman with them. She was a thing to look at, but not something you would want to touch. She was as cold as death and twice as bitter. She spoke to me about some Elf fellow that escaped from one place or another. I told her I didn't know anything about any Elves, but she wouldn't listen. She ordered the men to tear this place apart until every blade of grass had been crushed. Her men interrogated every man, woman, and child in the village. When she left, she said would search every village, house by house, in the region if she had to… So you can imagine my concern when I saw your pointy eared friend riding into town tonight Eldritch."

Eldritch lit his pipe and nodded slowly before turning to me.

"Rose mentioned you had escaped from the Southern camp. Tell me, are you the one they are looking for?"

"I can't imagine who else it would be; but I have no idea who this woman is. Aswin was the only one sent out to find me, and as far as I know he's not looking anymore."

Eldritch then returned his attention to Bertwald.

"Do you have any Idea where the woman came from?"

"Yes, actually I do. One of our boys said he saw her in the Golden Hall once while delivering ale. She seemed to hold a strong confidence with the king and was hardly seen away from his side."

Eldritch's eyes grew wide as a terrible realization came upon him.

"Did she have black hair and strange haunting eyes?"

"Why yes…do you know her?!"

"Yes, and she has been a long festering poison in this land for many years now. She works at the very right hand of this new darkness. She was sent on the behalf of the King of Gondor to give council to the throne of Rohan. She is the reason we are overrun with the red army. She is a king slayer, and under her eye King Eoelwald was murdered and his depraved cousin Hereric set upon the throne. I am sure she is behind some dark villainy in Gondor as well, though what exactly I can not tell."

King Eoelwald was no doubt Rose's father and Hereric her wicked uncle. Eldritch must have come across this woman while tutoring Rose after the murder of her father and the madness of her mother. All these thoughts ran through my head as I tried to put the pieces together, but all was soon lost when Aswin entered the pub.

"We need to ride out now if we are to avoid the exposure of daylight. I just waned to tell you that your horses are ready to go as soon as you are."

It seemed that discovering this lady's origin and purpose would have to wait. Such things are better discussed in daylight anyhow.

We rode out into the dark again; leaving the burning embers of the town behind us.

I didn't know how it was possible, but the sky was not growing brighter with the coming dawn; instead it seemed to darken all the more with each passing moment. The air began to grow thin and cold as the night wore on, and the horses became restless; jolting back at unseen dangers. Soon they stopped moving all together in mid-step and would not move forward despite the kicks of their riders. After that the night grew very still. No sound from man or animal could be heard, except the sudden shrillness of a woman's scream. I immediately feared something had happened to Rose. I managed to calm my horse with soft words, and rode to the back of the group where Rose had fallen behind. I was relived to find that she was safe, and that she was not the source of the terrifying scream.

But if not her, then who?

Soon one of the rangers at the front of the line called back,

"It's a she-elf, and I think she's hurt!"

I left Rose and rode to the front where I saw what Immin was talking about. I saw a dark haired maid reaching out and crying for help. She had the looks of an elf, but not the feel; there was something not quite right about her eyes.

I slowly stepped down from my horse as she continued to moan in pain on the ground. I told the other men to stay on their horses, and not to come too close. Everything about this seemed wrong but I didn't know why. I asked the fragile looking creature if she needed help,

"Lle anta amin tu?"

She grew still and silent; but did not answer. Slowly she lifted her head, and I felt the full weight of those strange eyes fall upon me. Eyes I had seen only in my worst nightmares.

I drew my sword and shouted to the men,

"Ta naa neuma! It's a trap!"

It was then I felt it; a strange change in the air. The darkness surrounding us seemed to pull back as the night was filled with a sick green light. This light was not like the light of the sun nor the stars. Instead of giving life, it seemed to take it. The grass beneath us began to wither, and the horses began to foam at the mouth. The woman stood at the center of this plague with a calm smile.

"I am looking for Feaestel, son of Erubadhor, grandson of Elladan, of the house of Elrond. Tell me elf where I may find him, or die where you stand."

I remained still despite my beating heart, and pointed my sword toward her throat. I was afraid, but I couldn't let her know that. If given the opportunity an enemy will feed off your fear until they consume you.

"Then look no further daughter of darkness, for he stands before you. I am he that you seek. What is it that you desire?"

"You're still beating heart."

With that she let out a blood chilling shriek. She lifted her arms like wings and rose into the air. Her eyes turned red and her face became pale and sunken. Her fingers and teeth grew long and sharp until they formed into menacing iron weapons. Then with what seemed to be a great effort she summoned the darkness to her and clothed herself in it. Like a giant leather winged bat she flew above me, circling in for the kill. I raised my sword, stood my ground, and prayed for strength. She came down on me with a great weight; her iron teeth bared. I drove my sword into her side, but it had no effect. My sword was of no use other than to stand between myself and those teeth. I felt blind and deaf surrounded by so much darkness. I felt myself being drained of strength and will, I could feel myself weakening under her weight. I fell to my knees as it grew harder and harder to hold her back. Finally her iron teeth managed to find their way around my sword and snapped it in two. I called out,

"A Elbereth Gilthoniel o menel palan-diriel, le nallon si di'nguruthos! A tiro nin, Fanuils!"

As I spoke those words the darkness around me lifted and the creature shrieked in pain. She thrashed in the air like a wounded snake; wounded but far from done. The ranger Caelin rode to attack her, but soon found himself being attacked as well. Her wings fell down and her claws clasped hold of his steed. Caelin fell off his horse and was forced to watch the creature suck the very life blood out of the horse until nothing but an emaciated shell remained. When she had finished her meal she again took flight. Her powerful wings pushed the air with a great force as she flew toward me again; her wrath apparent.

I braced myself as she approached and held my broken sword in defiance, yet she did not strike. Then from behind me, singing through the air, came an arrow. The arrow was true to its course and struck the creature in the heart. Rose had taken aim, and had hit her mark. The creature wailed in agony as darkness oozed from the wound, and she diminished back into her more mortal form. Her now human hands clasped the arrow in her chest as she spoke.

"You may think you have won, but heed my words you have not seen the last of me. I shall not rest until I drink of your blood and hold your heart in my hand. Wherever you go, I will find you. Even unto the depths of thy dreams I shall torment thee foul son of Luthien!"

And before anyone could move to stop her she melted away into the shadows, and disappeared taking the darkness with her; revealing the first light of the rising sun.

The weight I had felt on my body and spirit lifted as well. I dropped to my knees on the grass still holding the broken remains of my sword. Aswin and Rose ran up behind me to see if I was hurt. I was tired but amazingly unharmed. Caelin seemed fine, but was in an awful state if shock over his horse. Rose gave him her horse and asked if she could ride with me the rest of the way home. I pulled her up behind me and set off. We moved fast, galloping all the way. We had lost the cover of darkness and had no desire to meet anything else on the road that day. We made good time as we trampled across the now sunlit plain, and I was glad to have Rose with me for the return trip. She had amazed me. There was clearly still more to this girl than met the eye. I had been underestimating and misjudging her since I met her, and I promised myself I would not make such a mistake again. When we arrived we tied the horses up behind the barn, and when we had finished a young boy came out to send us inside for breakfast. We followed our noses toward the food while the boy stayed behind to care for the animals.

Mayda stood outside those big blue doors and greeted us as we came in. Never has there been such a kind and welcoming sight. On the kitchen table she had waiting for us fresh biscuits, honey, eggs and milk. Mayda had us all take a seat around the table while she spoke.

"So, tell me how everything went. How are our friends holding out over there in Gold?"

Eldritch told her about the state of the village, and informed her that in a few weeks they would need to go back to make sure everything was coming along as smoothly as possible.

"But what took you so long getting back? I was in a panic when the sun came up without you here."

Everyone at the table turned and looked at me. I'm sure they thought I was the best one to try and explain what had happened that morning, but I still wasn't sure. I wanted to forget about it for at least a while. The morning was so beautiful that I didn't want to spoil it with tales from the dark night; but alas, they were still all looking at me.

I told Mayda about the dark lady on the road, and about the iron clawed beast. When my tale was complete she pulled out a chair, slowly took a seat, and a long drink of milk.

"I guess that explains the delay (Gulp of milk) Does anyone know who this Lady is?"

Eldritch spoke of what he knew, but his knowledge was still not enough to see the whole picture. I myself had spent the ride back trying to put the pieces together. I had my suspicions, but I didn't dare voice them aloud lest they be true. My blood again began to run cold at the mere thought. I had met this dark lady even before this morning. She must have been the source of my evil dreams of late; the dark shadow, the iron teeth and claws, it had to be her. She had been the tormentor of my sleep, but now she had found her way into my waking hours. The more thought I gave to the problem the clearer the answer grew in my mind, and without noticing I began to speak my thoughts aloud.

"Son of Luthien…before she left she called me a foul son of Luthien."

Rose gave me an odd questioning look."

"This is a story you would like Rose… My ancestor Luthien was the fairest of all our kind. She fell in love with the mortal Beren. Luthien's father did not approve of this love and gave Beren what seemed to be an impossible task; he sent Beren out to recover a jewel of immeasurable value that had been stolen from our kin by Morgoth himself. Beren set out on his quest but was captured. Luthien went out to find her love and overcame many obstacles to be reunited with him and reclaim the jewel. But In order to do so she disguised herself in a cloak of darkness, complete with iron teeth and claws. A cloak she stole from Thuringwethil; Vampire of Angband and servant of Sauron."

Eldritch grew wide eyed.

"Are you sure, that's impossible!"

"I'm fairly sure, and it's not impossible. No one really knows what happened to Thuringwethil after her run in with Luthien, all the stories and songs are very vague on the matter. She could have been alive and well all these years hiding in a hole somewhere for all we know. I'm telling you it's her. That is the only explanation that makes any sense.

Eldritch shook his head.

"But why is she looking for you now? A late revenge? That seems ridiculous. Not to mention that if Luthien stole her cloak, then where did she get a new one?"

"I agree a late revenge against an old foe is ridiculous. I would have to guess that she is merely working for her master and that it was he; whoever that may be; who gave her a new cloak."

Mayda grew pale.

"You said she was a servant of Sauron, does this mean that Sauron has returned?"

"I don't know what it means. It could mean anything. The world is filled with so much evil, new and ancient, that anything could be the source of the Dark cloud that now hangs over Rohan and Gondor. I do however truly believe that Sauron is no more, but I fear that it is a far darker and more cunning evil that we face this day than the world has faced in many an age."

After our talk we helped Mayda clean up and then headed off to sleep the rest of the day away. While the others rested I sat alone outside under the old oak tree lost in thought. There was so much going on here and I still desperately needed to know what I had to do with any of it.

To be continued…