The Spider-Land

Gildor's POV

FA 511

You did not cross Nan Dungortheb. You did not enter at all, and if you did, you never left. Briefly, I thought they were making fun of me. Siskano shook his head, once "We crossed before. It is hard, but we can do it. That is why this was useful" he gestured vaguely at himself "Fire's my friend. With fire, you get through the valley"

No. I wondered if my desire to find Bearclaw could not be calmed for a winter. Better spend it with the Avari than to die in the unknown horrors of the dreadful valley and never find him. For a moment, I buried my head in my hands. Maybe I should try and pass through Doriath…Fat chance. They had not even let the king's own sister enter.

I knew I goggled at them. They grinned. Gilyaga made a temporizing gesture "We cross that way, yes. But only because we have Siskano. And only when we need to very much. Will you come?"

The way through the fens was long, arduous, and at the moment, full of danger. So they said, and I believed them. Also, it was not a way for a horse. But szetacan, Nan Dungortheb, the Valley of Death, the land of darkness, shadows and monsters, the land where everything lurked that had got shunted into the corridor of darkness by the expanding Girdle and mountains of Gorgoroth on the other side – that was madness. Pure and simple. I thought, but did not say so. Again, I weighed the madness-content against my desire to get to Bearclaw. And the Avari's certainty of finding him when we emerged from the forests. If we emerged?

Faire remained silent. My desire won out. With fire you get through the valley. I glanced at Siskano's calm, scarred face "You are perfectly confident of what you are doing?"

Siskano laughed and did not answer.

"Of what we are doing, yes. Of what will happen, no" Anawi grinned, too "We do not underestimate that way" he added earnestly after a moment "It is dangerous. You should ride, and shut out what you see or hear. We know that land leads your people astray. And we rely on Siskano"

I did not ask further. With them, I had the best chance I would get this year. Travelling in their company we came within two days to the edges of the land they called Everdark. It was strange. There was a quiet here that was not natural. I thought that, and when I observed it, they agreed. It was not my senses blunted from years and years in the safety of a hidden city that betrayed me this time. Even though it was broad day, the sun never seemed to rise. There was a darkness over everything, like an invisible mist, a grey tint. I looked for colour, but there was only the greyish brown of the rocks, and the dark browns of a late autumn forest. The leaves on the ground were brown, too, none red or gold. Some still clung to the trees, and they were so dark they were nearly black. I looked at them one time, and realized they were not dead leaves, but a strange version of evergreen. I then understood part of the Avarin name for this place. And this was only the edge of the land.

When we had crossed the bridge, a crumbly-looking structure of massive stones under which the river passed dark and deep, we rested for that night. There was no fire, and two at a time kept watch. We were uneasy, mostly silent, and in the dark morning we prepared to start quickly. Gilyaga had braided leather-thongs last night which they would also trade. He had given one length to me. I had not yet decided what to do with them. It was a long thing, and I hesitated cutting it up to use as better binding for my bedroll or similar things. But as Gilyaga said, it was always better to have them. As I stood rubbing Faire's head that morning she said °Use them as halter° This was the first time in days that Faire spoke to me. I blinked "What?" The Avari were by now used to hearing me talk to my horse. Her ears were flat to her skull, and had been in that position of discontent all night, coming to think of it.

°Heard me° she said curtly, stamping a back hoof °You ride, you use halter. Here°

She was frightened. That, more than the unsettling stillness and darkness of this region, frightened me.

°You not know what I know° she added, unintentionally cryptic. Some things concerning the horse-world were impossible to understand even for me. She referred to perceptions, not knowledge, that I could tell. And horse-instinct told her to flee. The others were getting ready. I took the leather-tong and knotted it into a simple halter. It was not long enough for reins, and only sufficed for a single line I could hold. I had walked all the past days, but now as we went deeper and deeper into the forest I was glad to ride. To no longer feel the ground under my own feet. It was midday, but dark as if early dusk. The sky could not be seen through the high, intertwined branches. Naked and leaved, they wove a chaotic net that cut off most of the light, and it was hard to see before us for any distance. The trees were close together, and their trunks became like a solid, grey-brown wall around us.

Siskano had prepared torches. Dry sticks of wood smeared with a black, sticky substance he promised would burn for a long while. We had travelled without light the past days, but they said they never could cross this land on foot without fire.

Fire. Siskano. It came down to that. He went in front now, his hood thrown back, and we followed in single-file behind, silent but for the rustle of dead, brown-black leaves as we went. Gilyaga and Anawi often glanced aside, but they too relied on Siskano's guidance completely. Or rather, they knew the direction, but Siskano picked the way. I had expected we would use the old road, but we did not. Instead, we moved parallel to its line, along a course only Siskano seemed to see clearly. Occasionally someone pointed out a peculiar twisted tree or a furtive squirrel, but most of our attention was on going forward. There were a few dark forest-streams to cross, icy cold and whispering softly. They were hardly ankle-deep, and the Avari jumped them. Faire nonchalantly stepped right across. Once, she lowered her head as if to drink, but jerked back up with a snort and went on.

What is it?

°Not good° was all she said. We had filled our water-flask to the brim this morning since Anawi had already said the water was not fit to drink here. Under a particular mighty, dark tree with black leaves we rested a while. I offered Faire some water, but she glared at me with a °Not yet°. After that rest, we came deeper into the forest. The trees were higher here, and thicker. If we had held each other's hands we might have circled the biggest of them. The duskiness deepened into night.

"Is it so late already?" I had spoken mostly to myself, but Anawi shook his head.

"We are nearing the centre. That tree, it marks the border, kind of. If you go this way. We never tried another. Always dark here. Soon, there might be trouble. The last part of way, they make it hard. It makes itself hard. It is easy going in, but not out"

"Why do we not use the road?" I asked finally, not caring if I appeared a fool.

"Not yet" Anawi said "Roads are predictable. Here, sometimes orcs hunt. But further in, we must use the road"

Trouble, they had said, had a name, but no face. It was shadows, and sounds, and creeping, confusing fear. Sometimes, Gilyaga said, there were the spiders. But they did not expect to meet them here yet, as we were skirting the edges. Later, they might come.

At one point, Siskano moved straight south, and we came back to the old road. This we were following now, the only way that, aside from orcs, was remotely safe. Because sometimes Avari crossed here, with fire and arrows and 'magic'. What that 'magic' was Anawi had not said, and I had not asked. I did not want to know so long as it worked. Zontuc the Avari said, and it sounded more than half like Orc-speech. The word felt wrong. I knew 'magic' was not the correct translation.

It could have been midnight. I lost track of time. There was deep darkness now, and though there was no direct light, there was a greyishness filtering through the webbed canopy, seeming to gather at the feet of the trees. Shadows seemed to move in that grey dark. More than once, I twisted around, staring into nothingness where I had thought to see movement out of the corner of my eye. There were rustles, but no shadows belonging to them – sound and sight did not match. It was an unreal feeling. Once more we halted for a few hours, but none of us slept. I had lost track of time, but roughly assumed we had travelled for a whole day. Or night. It did not matter here. Even when we started off again and Faire moved onward, we seemed to be suspended somewhere. She stopped abruptly when the line ceased to move indeterminable time later. The others formed a circle with her, and Gilyaga gave me a small sign to stay mounted. Siskano knelt and untied the packet of torches. There was suddenly haste to his movements. In the dark, I could only see him as a shape. I tried to watch with night-sight, but it seemed to refuse to work here. All I got that way was more shadows, shadows that were clearer than the trees themselves. I quickly stopped the attempt. Siskano spoke one low, harsh word, passing his hand along the stick he held. A small, blue light gathered around it, like a spark. Blue and unreal in the dark grey shadows, throwing his scarred face into sharp relief. With a soft crackling, the blue spark caught and the torch flickered into bright flame. The shadows seemed to retreat with a sound, though I could not say if there was a sound, or which kind of sound. It was as if the darkness itself had sucked in its breath. Siskano lit the three other torches. Anawi gave one to me and said "Swing it at shadows. Do not use your blade".

He had his sword drawn, and so had Gilyaga, but Siskano held only a torch. When we went on now, it was worse. The shadows seemed to grow in proportion to our light. When we swung our torches at half-seen movements, these seemed to become solid things for a second as they fled back from the brightness. I held one hand in Faire's mane, clasping the leather-thong loosely, and with the other held the torch, flickering and stinking. A part of me felt incredibly foolish, afraid of shadows like a kid. A real city elf. The sensible part was not bothered by that notion. It was properly afraid. And so were the Avari. As Anawi had said before we had started today, they gained speed and traded better, arriving east so early, skipping the mountains – but the price was danger and fear. I did not question the sensibility of lugging their enormous packs with trade-goods through a land that was marked as impassable on maps. Sensibility had taken its leave with the fall of the city.

"Ai!" shouted Gilyaga suddenly, and barely a second later a black thing that looked like a cross between fox and rat shot out of nowhere, scuttling so fast it seemed to slither. Anawi swung his sword, but not fast enough, it seemed. The thing passed him and Faire reared. Her fore-hooves hit something, I felt it, but the shadow-thing was gone. She had not killed it.

"What was that!" A predictable question even as I spoke it.

"Don't know" Anawi's predictable answer.

He walked beside us for a moment "Swift things. We never managed to kill one"

"What if they get you?"

Anawi shook his head and grinned briefly "They never managed that, either"

We went on. I had the doubtlessly fascinating but equally doubtlessly dreadful feeling of getting strangled by air that seemed to become shadow. I held my torch higher, held it in front of me despite the heat, but gave that up when I singed my hair. I closed my eyes and hoped Faire would take my head into account if we met low branches. As the trees were so thick and high here that seemed impossible, though. She moved stiffly, tensed. Time passed, but we dared not rest. Sometimes, I heard Siskano's hoarse voice hiss something. At one point I became aware that Gilyaga held Faire's halter, leading her. I was puzzled, but indignation dwindled before the enormous breathing darkness we were crossing, and the fact that Faire had not even protested. Then I had another fascinating sensation – for the first time in centuries, Faire balked. I was so taken aback that I urged her on like a simple horse without thinking. She was too occupied to take offence. She made a sound that was half snort half whinny. Gilyaga held on to her halter reflexively, but he looked frightened as he glanced at her. The others halted immediately. We stared around into the shifting darkness. The trees were lower here. The branches shone dark red in the firelight. Then the Avari looked at me, uncertain, startled.

Faire what?

It was a moment until she replied with images I could understand.

°Ground. Gone. No. Like water. Water beneath it. Not walk°

"Water" I said "She says there is water under the ground. That the ground is like water. I think we should not go on that way is what she means" Even as I said it, I knew what she meant, though it seemed so out of place here – "Has there ever been quicksand here on your way?"

The Avari looked at each other. Gilyaga had not understood. Siskano obviously repeated the word in Avarin. Without waiting for Gilyaga's answer he went to one of the gnarled, dark-leafed trees and broke off a dead stick. Jabbing it at the ground before him he went on, holding his torch aloft. There was a soft squelching as he walked slowly. Abruptly, his probing stick sank into the leaf-covered ground more than half-way. He swore softly and came back.

"Was not here last time" Anawi said darkly "Soon, the way will be closed. I will not dare going here anymore" He glanced at Siskano, who nodded "Every time we try, it is harder. Can she – can your horse lead us around this? She knows it better than we, it seems"

"Go on" I said after a moment "Siskano, take her halter"

He obeyed, carefully. It was strange. He and Faire walked, she always pulling to one side. We seemed to walk along what must be an underground stream, soaking the ground from below. And we went far from what I gathered was the Path, the occasionally travelled way. Into the shadows. Closer, Siskano did not look nearly as calm as he appeared from the end of the line. He was weary, and frightened, with a determined defiance in the way he walked on. We were in the front now, and the shadows and whispers only opened reluctantly to let us pass. Sometimes, it seemed a black curtain swung towards us, only to turn into bat-wings and flutter off as Siskano jerked the torch towards it. I saw now that the word he occasionally hissed was not a curse, but a few similar words, sometimes accompanied by small, barely visible gestures. The torch, burned low by now, flared brightly at his command. There was a commotion behind us, and Siskano whirled. Anawi had his blade drawn, but Gilyaga was fighting with something my eyes could not seem to define. It was both solid and shadow, many-legged, but of no real size. He was fast, swiping at the legs and bulging outgrowings. Siskano flung his torch like a knife, and when it came hurtling towards the thing I saw for a moment beady, facetted eyes. The thing curled up, twisted and fled. The torch guttered out on the wet leaves. Gilyaga snatched it up and tried to rekindle it on Anawi's. Siskano fumbled another torch from his stack and snarled, making a cutting motion with his hand. Once more, the wood burst into flame, crackling and hissing. The hair on my back prickled and stood on end.

"Quick now" he took Faire's halter, and we hastened on. The ground squelched, and we had to swerve further from our course. When Faire stopped and said °Here° she jerked her head up so fast Siskano was pulled back against her. He caught himself and released her, swinging the line over her neck. I gathered it up.

"Quick now" The Avari fell into a trot again, and Faire followed. She and the others still sunk into the soft ground to their knees, but then we were across the strip of miry ground.

"Not stop!" Gilyaga ordered, and we went on, half running half trotting. I flattened myself to Faire's neck, because here the branches hung lower and I would have knocked my head several times. We ran, and after a few moments knew we were running. There were rustles all around, and the shadows drew in on us. Something came out of the darkness and Anawi's torch was jerked out of his hands. The spot of light we dragged with us diminished. Beady eyes gleamed in front of us. Faire charged, giving me a tiny warning to brace myself. This time, she hit something solidly, and stumbled. There was a loud hiss, more like the breaking of glass, and the black thing raised two gleaming, slightly furred black legs. A large, attacking spider. I saw pincers as long as my forearm. I wanted to jerk Faire aside, but the leather thong dangled loose. She kicked forward again, wheeled and kicked out, much too fast that I saw what she hit or if the spider managed to bite her. Do they sting or bite, I wondered. There was a blaze of light behind us, a shout, and the spider fled. Then the Avari crowded around us, surrounding us with flickering firelight. They were out of breath. Anawi pressed his hand to a gash in his arm. Siskano caught himself against Gilyaga "Run" he ordered no one particular, making a vague gesture "They are here"

I nudged Faire towards him, and she obeyed, moving sideways so I could pull him up behind me. Anawi gave him a hand up and we fled forward. Anawi and Gilyaga ran flat out, and Faire kept behind them at a jarring trot. We were back on a kind of path. The low branches were gone and we gathered speed. Along the path the shadows had now become solid, beady-eyed creatures. They moved with the rustle of large crabs. I found it odd that between these creatures, Faire's trot and the hectic of our flight I thought how long it was since I had last seen a crab. A sea-crab. It was very long ago. I could hear Siskano's harsh breathing behind me.

"Tela" he wheezed, and added something in Avarin. They were obviously attuned to listen for his soft commands. Anawi stopped us all. One of the spiders dropped out of the darkness. It looked heavy, but did not plop to the ground. A thick, shiny thread caught it smoothly, and it scuttled towards Anawi, raising its first forelegs high as the first had done. Faire moved forward, but Gilyaga already roared and charged, aiming for the raised legs. She could not go in without risking to kick Gilyaga too. He sheared off one raised leg, barely. The spider flattened and leaped in under his defence. He was bowled over but flung up the torch he held, stopping the pincers before the spider could sink them into his arm. Anawi leaped forward with his torch thrust before him. There was a hiss both from the flames and the spider, it screeched, and retreated. We did not know if it had fled. Gilyaga got to his feet, exchanging a curt nod with Siskano. We ran on, pursued by shadows and our own fear. There were rustles and shadows, but the trees thinned slowly. We could see the sky through the branches. We splashed across a broad, shallow brook. Suddenly, Faire's hooves thundered on the hard ground, leaves rustled, the others gasped from our long run, and sound seemed to return to the world. The night was cold, stars gleamed through holes in the canopy, and the darkness under the trees was black and empty. The Avari slowed, Faire slowed, but we did not stop. Only when dawn came pale, cold and grey we finally halted.

"That's enough" Anawi said. He let his pack drop to the ground and flopped down beside it, gasping. Gilyaga followed suit. I glanced at Siskano behind me, and he gave me a wry, weary smile "Your horse sure has some walk" he whispered hoarsely. We dismounted stiffly, which made the other two snicker dirtily, and dropped down beside them. Faire gave herself a mighty shake.

"There should be a small pond down there" Siskano whispered, gesturing. Faire turned and went off in the direction he indicated.

"Are we safe here?" I asked doubtfully. The forest still did not look that much inviting to me. Anawi shook his head "We will keep watch. But for now, yes. Daylight. Go to sleep, Siskano" he added. Siskano had already pulled his hood up and curled up on the ground. Anawi and Gilyaga glanced at each other "Close, this was. We will not go back that way. Ever, I think. You alright, city elf?"

"I think so"

"You look like hell"

"I do?"

Anawi inspected the gash in his arm "We told you, ride. Ask your horse – the land is like…sponge, you say? It sucks your strength. We met some of your kind, some years back. They were miserable, very much. Said the land drained things"

"I thought the shadows were solid" I said after a while "The darkness breathed"

Anawi stared at the sleeping Siskano "Yes" He was silent for a while "Fire. Only fire keeps it back. When it touches you it is…when we tried crossing first, we stumbled right into it. We went mad, nearly. I take first watch" he added abruptly.

I did not want to sleep with the cold, spooky touch of the shadows so close behind. But Gilyaga curled up beside Siskano, too, and Faire came back from drinking. She lay down beside me, folding her legs gingerly. I leaned back against her warm, solid bulk.

'Lady, are you alright? You ran fast and far'

She craned her neck around and breathed into my palm, saying nothing. She went to sleep quickly, and so did I, despite my misgivings.

Gilyaga must have taken the second watch. He woke me in the early afternoon. I sat up, and after a while Faire got up, too. She stretched, swished her tail, and started to inspect the bushes around the clearing. The day passed slowly, but I did not even feel tired. Once I was awake, the tension was back. I had never paid so much attention to birds and mice, I thought. Faire foraged around our resting place, so I could rely on her as well. After a while I went down to the pond, washed and drank. Siskano was still fast asleep. Towards dusk, I woke Gilyaga and Anawi. They trudged down to the water as well, woke Siskano, and we went off. I did not ride this time. I was stiff from the past ride, the cramped day, and angry at myself. City elf. It always came back to that. Ha.

As night fell, we lit the remaining torches. We were on a path again. Once, Siskano pointed to the side. He went into the trees a little distance and held his torch down, lighting something on the ground. It was pale white and a bit luminous. It looked like bones covered in mould. Twigs and leaves were caught in it. Siskano held his torch to the stuff, and it withered like hair. It was soft, not solid as it had seemed. The spider-webs, I realized. Was this a deserted one, or something that held their young? If so, maybe it was not a good idea to put fire to it. But then, all that debris caught in the web seemed to show it was deserted. We went on silently.

It was hard to tell sometimes where the road was. The ground was even and hard and covered with dry leaves. Only where they had been swept away at times stones or bare ground showed through. The dark-leaved trees vanished, and were replaced by beeches and oaks. These, too, looked twisted and dark, but the leaves were brownish-yellow and no longer black.

Anawi, walking beside me spoke up suddenly, softly "Those nets…they spread. We are away from the border, and yet there was one, so near the path"

"Deserted" Gilyaga said.

"Not for long" Siskano hissed in front of us. He turned briefly "Not long enough. I will not pass this valley again"

"No" Anawi agreed "Better lose some trading, but not this again"

Chapter Notes:

The Avarin names and words are NOT AT ALL based on the information Tolkien provided about the Avari and their dialects.

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