That I journeyed - I journeyed down here,
That I brought a dread burden down here:
On this night of all nights in the year,
Ah, what demon has tempted me here?"
Edgar Allan Poe
Chapter 3
Through The Looking Glass
Ethan was truly a man whose nerves had been stretched to their full limit and there was not a being in that room that wasn't fully aware that it would only take a simple nudge to unhinge the man altogether - to push him completely over the edge and into insanity. Such a thought was made evident by his quick steps, furtive glances into the corners of the room and its shadows and by the close proximity he always kept to the other elves, never more than a step or two away from anyone at any time.
On the way to the sitting room, the group happened to pass a mirror and when the human saw a reflection of himself in it, he paused for a moment, thinking that he gazed upon a stranger. Raising his hand, he slowly ran it through his snow white hair then touched the other signs of age on his face, the fine lines and wrinkles that only hinted at how old he really was. Though he looked almost the same as he had on the day he had disappeared two millennia before, there were signs of age upon him that he would carry with him for the rest of his days - however many of them that he had left.
When they reached the family's sitting room, Elrond tried to hand him a glass of wine, but the man's hands were shaking so badly that he was almost unable to hold onto the glass. The elf lord knelt in front of him and folded his trembling hands around the glass then held them there. Ethan was then able to sip the wine, closing his eyes and savoring the delicate taste of Imladris' finest, the first wine he had tasted in more years than he cared to think about.
It was some time before he had calmed himself enough to talk to the others but when he did, they were amazed at the story he told.
"Time means nothing there - nothing at all." He began. "I know not the purpose of this place nor the reason why I was drawn back there again and again and ..."
Ethan's voice broke off as he almost lost control of his nerves but the calming presence of Lord Elrond provided the stability he needed to pull himself together once more. He reached up with a trembling hand and patted the hands of the elf lord then sighed deeply before he continued.
"Once you have traveled there, it - the house - remembers you and it keeps calling you back - it never sets you free."
His eyes traveled to the balcony and for a time, looked at the serene and silent landscape on the other side of the glass. Finally, after he seemed to have replenished some of his emotional energy he spoke again, his voice scarcely more than a whisper.
"I remember walking down a dark hallway, passing many dimly lit doorways as I walked and when I looked at my hands, I could barely see them and that fact alone, was enough to set my nerves on edge." He looked up at the others. "There were no candles or glows in that hallway and no windows yet the darkness was not complete - light was coming from somewhere - I just could not find the source."
He paused briefly to take another sip of wine and when he did the others shifted in their seats as they too began to feel the man's anxiety.
"As I passed the doorways, I heard voices. Some were calling out to me as I passed them, some were sobbing and babbling incoherently and others were warning me about them. At the time, I didn't know who these people were talking about although that was a condition that wasn't going to last for much longer."
He turned toward Elrond then glanced nervously at the others in the room who were listening to what he was saying with rapt attention.
"None of the doors with people behind them would open - I tried each one as I came to it then had to endure the voices begging me not to leave them as I turned and walked away." He looked down at his wine glass and a solitary tear ran down his cheek. "It was one of the hardest things I have ever done and one of the most severe tasks that domain ever required of me - walking away with the knowledge that I could do nothing. My heart could not suffer having to leave those souls to their torment - it is truly something I will not soon forget. Then I found it, a room that was fully lit, a haven from the terrors of wherever it was that I had been, and it was in this room that I found the book."
Elrond looked at Ethan with a new interest.
"Tell me of this book, Ethan. What did it say?"
Ethan took another sip of his wine.
"This book was written in a fashion and in a language that I at first did not understand for the letters on the page were not Tengwar nor were the words in the Common tongue, nor were they written with quill and ink. However," He looked up at Elrond, "the longer I stared at the book, the clearer its intent became, the very meaning of the words on its pages became more clear until I could read them just as I would a book from your library, Lord Elrond. The book told of beings, horrors with twisted and perverted minds and natures who, in their lifetimes, took lives without thought and for revenge, out of hate, and just because they could. That the writings in the book spoke of creatures long dead as if they still lived, chilled my spirit, and yet, I found out that this fact was so.
That book was placed in that room as a warning that we must never ignore the dark words of legend and myth nor must we mire ourselves in those same words without balancing our thoughts with light and wholesomeness. The book urged balance while warning that total darkness could kill us just as what lived in the darkness of that place could steal a being's mind and spirit."
"Who were these beings, Ethan?"
"I do not know, Master Wizard, for it seems that the book and the knowledge it contains are confined to that place of darkness - that dank prison. I saw things while I was there, things that my mind can see clearly but I cannot give voice to, creatures and beings that would snatch at you from the shadows and try to pull you to them. I have run from these beings and dark creatures ever since I first became trapped in that place and over the long years since I first set foot there, I have come to know every hiding place by touch, every possible escape route." He paused and took a deep breath. "The only escape route I couldn't find was the one that led back home."
Ethan raised tear filled eyes to Lord Elrond.
"Is this really home, my Lord, or is this hell, a place to torment my mind with reflections of the world I once knew - or is it just another part of that accursed place that knows only torment and pain?"
Elrond looked at Gandalf who only shrugged his shoulders and looked puzzled.
"I don't understand, Ethan. What do you mean by hell?"
The human first looked puzzled, then a look of understanding passed over his face which quickly disappeared to again be replaced by puzzlement. He was frowning as he looked up at Elrond.
"I know not, my Lord. For a moment I almost remembered something from the book - but then that moment was gone and all that remains is a meaningless word."
Elrond put a hand on the man's shoulder.
"Do not trouble yourself about it, Ethan, for the harder you try to remember the things of that place, the more such memories will try to elude you. I am quite sure that if we were meant to know what this word means, then in due time, all will become clear. Now what can you tell us of your meeting with Anayah?"
Ethan looked up at the Noldor Lord.
"Do you mean the young lady that saved me?"
Elrond smiled.
"Yes. Her."
"Well, actually Lord Elrond, we kind of just ran into each other."
There was almost a smile on the man's face when he spoke, but it soon disappeared, once more leaving his expression dark and brooding.
"I had found a new corridor and I was walking its length, trying the door handles as I walked when one of the dark beings, a large man, came around the corner and started walking towards me. I had seen this particular being many times before and remember him well, for he is an extremely large male, of an unknown race, and he never speaks, even when he fights, which is with a short sword. It has been my experience on more than one occasion that it was much healthier for me if I ran in the opposite direction when I saw him. Anyway, when I saw him coming toward me, I turned around and ran, then the air in front of me began to shimmer and someone walked through the opening. I was running too fast to stop - terror often does that to a person - and so I ran right into her and knocked her down."
Ethan paused and looked out the windows with the small smile once more on his face.
"At first I thought that I had died and that one of the Eldars' Valar had come to take me to the next life, especially when I saw her 'glow.' Either way, I have never been so glad to see someone in my entire life although when I saw that she was and elf," he glanced at the others, "and a female, my heart saddened, for I did not want one of the race of Eldar, nor a delicate female, to be trapped in such a horrible place nor have such experiences as I had."
There was more than one snicker in the room which caused the human to look at the others, puzzled at their reaction. When Elladan saw the man looking at him strangely, he felt compelled to explain.
"I'm sorry Ethan, for it is not my intention to make light of your reaction to our sister. However, I must tell you that the word delicate is not a word that we have many occasions to apply to Anayah."
The human nodded.
"So I was quick to find out, Lord Elladan."
Ethan had found it quite difficult to sit in one place, for he had spent too much time in a place where to stay still for too long could mean a quick and painful death. When he stood then began to pace up and down in front of the fireplace, nobody said a thing about it for they well understood that it would be some time, if ever, before he would be comfortable sitting in one place again.
"It was the Lady who grabbed me by the collar of my tunic and hauled me to my feet. Her survival instincts are amazing although having a large man with a sword in his hand walking towards you with the clear intention of taking your life probably was pretty easy for her to read as a danger sign. Anyway, we started running and I was showing her different routes to take as we traveled. We were both listening for the man's footsteps and we could easily hear them although I thought it quite odd that while we were running and he was walking with heavy footsteps, that he always seemed able to keep up with us.
I was almost glad to have her with me for I knew that she could probably see better in the dark than I could - that is, I did think so until she ran into a wall."
There was a buzz in the room as everyone wondered at this occurrence.
"I helped her to her feet and then when I started to run down the corridor again, I sensed she had not followed so I turned back, only to find her looking at the wall, feeling it and looking at it from different angles - and that is when I ran back and grabbed her then turned her in the direction the two of us should be running in."
Ethan paused and frowned.
"It was the oddest thing, Lord Elrond. We had only been running for a few more minutes when she suddenly stepped into me but when I almost fell, she grabbed my arm and kept me upright. Without speaking she pointed and when I looked, saw that there was not a hand's width between her and the wall. When I whispered to her and asked what that meant, all she said was that the wall was saying hello." He looked at Elrond. "What do you suppose she meant by that?"
Elrond frowned.
"I cannot even guess, Ethan, especially without talking to her, but my first assumption would be that the wall physically moved to try and block her path. With everything that has happened this night, I would not rule out anything as a possibility."
Elrond got up to fill his wine glass.
"This is all so fantastic that I do not know what to think about it."
"I hate to add to your puzzlement, Elrond, but have you any guess as to what time it is?"
Elrond looked at Gandalf.
"I imagine it is somewhere near dawn, Gandalf."
The grey wizard just chuckled as he pointed out the balcony doors toward the sky and when everyone looked, they saw that the moon was not even halfway through its nightly journey. They were all stunned by this new mystery.
"At least the moon is back." Aragorn said sarcastically.
Elrond looked at Gandalf.
"Would you care to shed some light on this, Gandalf? And I intended no play on words with that statement." He raised an eyebrow when it looked like Aragorn was about to speak.
This time it was Gandalf's turn to pace.
"I cannot even begin to think about definite answers although I can make something of a guess."
He could see that he had everyone's full attention.
"It is my belief that Lord Elrond's home, if not all of Imladris is either stuck in, or is slowly passing through, a very thin spot between this world and the next. While it is here or while it is making this journey, it is my belief that time will mean very little and many things will happen that defy all rational thought or explanation. There is no telling what we will encounter but we should all prepare ourselves for the possibility that we will encounter things that will seen strange and unreal to us."
"When do you think things will return to normal, Gandalf?"
"I cannot answer that question, Elladan, although I think it is safe to say that either the journey of this place will complete itself or we will all disappear out of time and place just like Ethan did all those millennia ago."
"Is there nothing you can do, Gandalf? Is there no magic that will fix all of this?"
Gandalf shook his head.
"I am sorry Estel, but I am afraid that time and place is something that even the Valar cannot change. We must all just wait this phenomenon out."
Gandalf turned to Ethan.
"Ethan, why don't you continue with your tale?"
The human cleared his throat then took a sip of his wine before proceeding.
"We had been running from the large man for some time when Anayah finally came to a stop and held up her hand, signaling for silence. The atmosphere of that place was dark and almost suffocating in nature during the best of times, and it is usually silent as well, something that was noticeable at that particular moment - there was silence, no footsteps or the sound of heavy breathing - there was absolutely no sound. We thought we had eluded our pursuer and had leaned against a nearby wall to rest when we heard a whimper come from one of the nearby doorways. Anayah tried the handle of the door but when it wouldn't open, knelt down to where she could easily see the light coming out from underneath the door.
The being on the other side of the door spoke to her and I heard her tell the poor thing to calm itself and speak slowly because she couldn't understand what it was trying to say. The creature did manage to calm itself a bit and it was then that a single word was spoken that chilled our hearts. The poor thing said, 'Run!'
We looked up to see the big man step out of one of the side corridors not more than 20 feet from us - in front of us now - for somehow it had taken a route that cut off our escape. Anayah jumped to her feet and grabbed me by an arm and pulled me to mine then we both took off running down the corridor back the way we had come. I began to fall behind but did not have the breath to call out to her, however, when I fell, she must have sensed that I did so, for she turned back. She was too far away from me and the big man reached me first and and when he raised his sword to strike me down I curled myself into a ball and instinctively covered my head for I did not want to see the moment of my death coming at me.
All I saw was this blur of motion as she flew over my head and hit the big man in the middle of his chest with both feet. I thought I was going to cry for I know the Lady is not weak, but all she managed to do was drive the man backwards for a few feet - he did not fall! Then - and I can hardly explain how she did this - but she leapt completely off the ground and spun her body in a full circle until one of her feet came in contact with his head."
Ethan looked at the others and they saw that he had tears falling down his cheeks.
"Twice more she kicked him in this fashion and both times only managed to drive him backwards - but still he did not fall!" Ethan's voice had faded until it was no more than a whisper. "I felt so helpless and useless for I know that the Eldar are naturally stronger than humans but whoever ... whatever ... this being, this creature was, he managed to keep his feet where another might have been killed or seriously injured - and I could do nothing to help her."
Elrond laid a comforting hand on the man's shoulder.
"But the two of you survived the attack, did you not?"
Ethan raised his eyes to Elrond and smiled although the smile came nowhere near his eyes.
"We both lived, my Lord, but the Lady - Anayah - was injured in the attack. When she failed to take the man down, she started backing up and when she was beside me once more, grabbed my arm then shoved me behind her as we continued to slowly make our way up the corridor. He came at us and started swinging his sword with great power and the Lady kept ducking, causing the man to miss her, his sword hitting the wall then tearing chunks out of it as he pulled it free. I don't know if she was getting tired or if he was just getting lucky, but he caught her in a slice across her chest, then some moments later, he stabbed her in the side. I can almost hear the sound ringing in my ears as first she gasped then screamed and fell into me and as I also screamed in reaction to what was happening."
Súrion nodded his head.
"That was when I found the blood."
Ethan looked at the big Silvan elf for a moment before continuing.
"We had finally found our way into one of the large rooms. There are things in this room, devices of torture and other oddities that I would have liked to look at, for the times I had been there before, I was being pursued and so could not stop and indulge my curiosity, however morbid you may consider it. I know she was weakening and was tired because she quit running and started picking things up and throwing them at him - anything she could get her hands on, large and small. And it was the strangest thing," he looked closely at Elrond, "but her eyes had turned completely black."
"The blood rage."
Ethan turned his head in Rahan's direction.
"I'm sorry, Master Elf, but I don't understand."
Rahan got up from his seat across the room and walked until he could sit in a chair next to the human.
"Until now, I thought this was a trait particular to our Thurin Tirith Warrior Order, Ethan, although apparently I was mistaken, especially in Anayah's case. I will try and explain it to you. Under certain extreme circumstances, and most of the time in dire battlefield situations, a warrior can be taken by this rage, called a blood rage, also known as berserker's rage by some humans.
During this time, the elf is capable of great feats of strength and daring, and oftentimes perform these feats without the use of conventional weapons. It's an all-out attack and is usually used as a last resort. Humans might attribute this rage to a great rush of adrenaline, but in any case, when this happens, the colored part of our eyes turns completely black. It seems that our Anayah lost her temper - not always a good thing - for the enemy or for her."
Ethan nodded his head in understanding.
"She was managing to drive him back although he didn't drop his sword but kept a firm grasp on it. Then, it seemed as if the man got his second wind and started dodging what she was throwing at him and once more began walking toward us. It was at that time that I saw her hold out her hand and look at it while whispering something I could not understand. A large red fireball formed in her palm and she threw it at him, and after it hit him in the chest, he quickly caught fire and was soon engulfed in flames. That was as close to panic as I had ever seen him, and still he made no sound as he moved around, burning and patting at his body to try and put out the flames. It was at that moment that Anayah grabbed me by the arm and we fled."
"That's when we smelled that horrid odor in the common room." Thranduil nodded his head. "Apparently not all facets of that place are confined there but bleed over into our world, or are beginning to anyway."
The others nodded in agreement.
"There is something that you all have to understand - that place is a living nightmare, where there is no rest, reprieve or hope - only pursuit and terror." Ethan frowned. "No ... in this case I am mistaken, for there is the room with the book and it is only there, in full light, where I have been able to spend any length of uninterrupted time. I even saw one of the creatures pass the doorway without pausing, for it seemed as if the thing didn't even see me."
"How many different creatures have you seen, Ethan?"
"In truth, Master Wizard, I do not know how many different creatures are in that place although I can say with certainty that I have seen at least six different beings or creatures or whatever they are. My stomach turns at the thought of the Lady trapped there alone and without a weapon. Even though she is Eldar and I am not, she does not have the millennia of experience that I do in that place and where I know all the best hiding places and corners and shadows to rest in, she does not - and that thought pains me greatly."
"But how did you get out of there Ethan? There is evidently some way out as well as in, for you went there and back many times millennia ago and Anayah entered that place and you escaped it. How is this so? Do you have any ideas?"
"Perhaps the next part of my story will explain it, Lord Elrond." Ethan took a deep breath before proceeding. "We had left the burning wreck of a creature, and were traveling up the corridor side by side when Anayah suddenly stopped. I stopped as well and when I looked up the corridor to see what she was looking at, I felt all the blood leave my face and I thought I would pass out from my fear. Ahead of us, at the top of the corridor, we saw the silhouette of a man, casually leaning up against the wall and even though I could not see his face clearly, I could still see that he held several small knives in one of his hands.
Our nerves were pretty much gone by that time but when the Lady turned and spoke to me, I was startled by how calm she seemed to be. She told me that she had found a way out and that if the worst should happen that I was to look for a spot in the air around me that looked like it was shimmering. She said not to expect to see one of these shimmering spots in the same place twice but to always be alert for the presence of one. Anayah said that if I saw one of these things that I was to walk, run, jump or skip through it, saying that the choice was mine but that the important thing to remember was that I was to get myself through it."
Everyone in the room could see that the man was about to burst out crying.
"Anayah turned back to the man that was now walking toward her, dragging his knives along the wall and making a horrible screeching noise with them. She must have seen one of these doorways forming behind me - for I did not - but she turned me around and pushed me toward it then turned back to fight the man with the knives. Just before I stepped through the door, I heard her cry out."
Ethan finally broke down and sobbed while both Gandalf and Lord Elrond tried to soothe him. The man looked up at the two as if he was begging their forgiveness.
"She sacrificed herself for me and now she is wounded and alone - with neither a weapon nor prospect of help."
Everyone in the room jumped when they suddenly heard what sounded like another great battle going on out in the common room with the sound of loud banging and crashing and cursing which could only have come from Anayah together with the sound of maniacal laughter which could have only come from whoever she was fighting with. Almost as one, they rose to their feet and rushed out the door.
When they reached the common room they all came to a stop for the only evidence that anything out of the ordinary had happened was when they saw Glorfindel picking himself up off the floor. When he saw everyone standing and staring at him, he carefully adjusted his tunic, smoothed down his ruffled hair then walked towards where everyone was standing as if nothing strange had just occurred.
"Something or someone just barreled into me and knocked me down - I mean to tell you that my feet flew up into the air. I haven't been so embarrassed in millennia - and there wasn't even anyone around to witness my humiliation."
He came to a halt and ceased talking then ever so slowly walked up to Ethan and for a moment just stood looking at the man until, without warning, he threw his arms around the man's neck and hugged him. When most of those standing in the common room looked at Elrond, he just smiled.
"Glorfindel and Ethan became quite close millennia ago when he worked here. On rest days, the two of them would spend hours just sitting in the gardens telling stories and laughing. Glorfindel was quite saddened when Ethan disappeared the last time."
The others nodded in understanding. Suddenly Legolas pointed to a spot to one side of the group.
"Look! The air is shimmering - I think it's one of Ethan's doorways."
The others turned and did, in fact, see one of the doorways forming. However, before anyone could react, Greyfell, being the closest to it, ran towards the place and jumped through it, just seconds before it disappeared. Rahan gave a cry of rage and slammed one of his fists into a nearby wall after which all three of his Guards gathered around him in emotional support while the others, stunned by his outburst, remained silent. After some moments spent calming himself, he finally turned to the others.
"I apologize for both my outburst as well as the fact I was not able to react quicker to the doorway's appearance." He sighed deeply. "We must not lose hope especially now that Anayah is no longer alone. All of us must keep the faith that the Captain will be able to find her and bring her home."
TBC