Over the course of this past week, it seems that some glitch has taken hold here and the result is the delayed posting of updates. I saw this several times with a story I'm following, and the appearance and update of that story and its listing seem slow. I am hoping that this update appears in a timely fashion for your enjoyment, and if not, please bear with me. Updates proceed on Thursdays unless otherwise notified by the author.
In An Age Before – Part 199
Now on the following morning, that being 30 Ivanneth, Helluin rose with the sun, her mind occupied with memories of earlier journeys south as she dropped from the roof of the stable. The Noldo landed directly in front of Hagr who had just exited the doors to greet the day. The startled Northman well 'nigh leapt out of his skin and stood panting with a hand pressed o'er his heart to still its palpitations.
"Good morn, noble Hagr," Helluin said, chagrined at her lapse and trying to reduce his shock.
She offered him a smile in greeting and then stepped 'round him to enter the stable.
Helluin found Barq waiting, and many other horses turning to look at the doors with curiosity. Straightaway she greeted the Easterling horse and then together they approached Veꝺrdóttir's stall. A few other mounts stood 'nigh the entrance, protective well-wishers who had taken turns standing guard through the night o'er the new mother and her foals. They parted for Helluin, many dipping their heads to honor her, and she acknowledged them in return. Wind Daughter looked to her and to Barq and whickered in greeting.
We take our leave shortly, lady, yet I could not depart ere making sure thou art well, Helluin said to her silently, eye to eye. How fare thy children?
We are well, Helluin, and all thanks to thee. My sons I have named Álfrhjarta and Álfrspjót¹ in thy honor. Pray remain safe on thy journey. ¹(Álfrhjarta, Elfheart and Álfrspjót, Elfspear Old Norse)
Joy and long life to thee and thy sons, Veꝺrdóttir. May they bear their riders to great renown.
Mare and elleth solemnly bowed to each other in parting, and then Helluin took her leave of the stable with Barq at her side. They passed Hagr at the doors. The stable hand still appeared unsettled to her eyes.
"I bid thee a good day, noble Hagr. Thou hast my thanks," Helluin said with a dip of her head as they passed him.
He managed to offer her a small smile and a bow. Truth be told, he would be quite happy to have his life return to normal after these upsetting guests departed.
They walked back towards the city gates, stopping only briefly as they passed the king's hall. There Helluin mounted the steps and came to the door wards. They reported that the household was yet to rise, and Helluin was happy not to prolong her leave-taking.
"Pray offer my thanks to the king and his household for their welcome and hospitality," she told the guards.
After exchanging bows, she returned to Barq and finally mounted. They exited the city at a walk, but the Easterling horse broke into a canter once o'er the causeway and beyond the fosse. Soon they had passed the barricade with a shouted exchange of greetings to the company of sentries posted there, and ere the first hour of the day was past, they turned south onto the main track. Barq broke into a gallop for a couple miles, just to stretch his legs, and Helluin allowed him his head.
Now Helluin reckoned that the way from Frumgarsborg to the eaves of the forest west of Dol Guldur ran for ten score miles. She was in little hurry, for so many years had passed since the Nazgûl had brought Beinvír thither that she felt no cause of haste. She would allow Barq to set whatsoe'er pace he deemed comfortable. Indeed her greatest concern was whether or not to bring the Easterling horse with her once she entered Calenglad, for a forest was no place for cavalry.
The distance from the verge of Calenglad to Amon Lanc was thirty miles, and Helluin reckoned her time within the forest to be three or four days. Because she knew not for certain what count of foes might yet lurk 'nigh the supposedly abandoned fortress, she would go with haste and stealth. Though the Ringwraiths were not expected, meeting Easterling Men and Yrch was certainly a possibility. After the Nazgûl withdrew in 1856, the East Bight and the eastern lands 'nigh the forest had been rife with Wainriders. Within the forest, those kindreds enthralled by the evil of Sauron's servants would gravitate to Dol Guldur, perhaps assigned thither, to remain in their absence, or perhaps occupying the fortress on their own account.
Through the remainder of that day, the miles passed 'neath Barq's hooves. After his initial burst of energy, he maintained mostly a trot, with intermittent periods of cantering, galloping, and walking. On occasion he stopped to crop grass or drink from streams. Summer's heat had faded and the early autumn season held the rains at bay, making for comfortable riding. Twice during the passage of that day, they marked smaller columns of smoke rising from smaller villages of Northmen off to the west. The 30th saw them make fifty miles 'twixt dawn and dusk.
Anor had dropped 'neath the Hithaeglir and the long twilight of the Vale of Anduin had begun. The sky was still lit and colors grew on the undersides of some clouds. The Noldo reckoned o'er an hour of light remained, and so she returned to her memories of the way to Dol Guldur. In the better days of old, there had been a path she had taken to reach the hall of the Lord Oldbark.
Helluin was roused from her ruminations when Barq took an abrupt right turn off the track and onto an o'ergrown path heading west and barely to be seen amidst the rolling grasslands. Curious as to his destination, she stayed him not, but kept a sharp watch upon the land. Half a mile they came ere she was struck by the sight of late blooming flowers, asters, salvias, and stonecrops. A few bees buzzed round them, lazy now that summer was past. Beyond lay fields of wheat and hay grown wild, and closer, berry brambles run rampant.
The path soon ended in a yard of weeds and wildflowers with the last remains of a tumbled down cabin and barn. A few rotted posts and fallen rails gave testimony to runs of fencing, now abandoned for decades. The Noldo had seen its like long aforetime, when she had come from Lindórinand after too many years, only to find weathered stones marking the graves of her friends, Berlun and his wife, Grinda. 'Twas S.A. 221 and he had been the first skin-changer she had e'er met.
I wager Men of Belron's kindred once abode here, Barq remarked 'round a mouthful of hay. I could still smell his plantings a mile off. We should spend the night here.
"We should indeed, O Barq," Helluin said. "I shall hunt some berries."
Whilst she was picking, the Easterling horse found a spring of clean water and drank his fill from the bathtub-sized pool it fed. He was already dozing off on his feet when Helluin returned to find him standing 'nigh the pool. Good work, my friend, she thought as she knelt to drink.
Night drew down and Helluin viewed the opening of the stars. In the distance she heard horses galloping, probably on the north-south track. Northmen riding home from patrol, she reckoned.
Morning came, the 1st of Narbeleth, and shortly after dawn, Helluin and Barq returned to the road. Fresh hoof prints led them south, and they followed in the wake of the riders all that day. Wheresoe'er the Northmen had been bound, 'twas not to some nearby outpost or hamlet. They had come too far to be a local patrol. Twice to the west and once to the east they marked the rising of smoke that signified a settlement, yet the hoof prints ne'er turned aside.
No certain tally of their numbers can I make, Helluin thought, yet I wager 'tis no fewer than fifty…o'er three times the count of a company in Ërlick's day. I wonder what boon they seek, and what errand calls them thither.
Throughout that day, Helluin and Barq covered another fifty miles, but the Northmen were e'er to the fore, and when they stopped for that night, they had seen neither hide nor hair of them, only their tracks that continued unbroken into the south.
2 Narbeleth opened, and again Helluin and Barq took to the road. As aforetime, they followed the tracks of the Northmen down the trail. Again they saw evidence of small settlements, columns of smoke and trails leading off towards them, yet now these lay only to the west, as if they shied from the verge of the forest.
They had not come far that morn ere they saw a well-traveled side track branching off to the west, and thither had many hoof prints marked the dirt. In the distance, perhaps a furlong down that path, they espied the now familiar sentry's barricade behind which a dozen riders and their sergeant would keep watch on the approach to their city. Helluin marked that the hoof prints they followed had continued on o'er a rise some fifty yards ahead. She slowed Barq to a trot and waved a greeting to the watching riders, receiving a shout in return, and then they continued on, breaking into a canter.
Barq topped the rise and there the landscape again opened out to the south, yet close by, the road was waylaid by a gathering of riders. Helluin estimated their count at no less than a hundred, and so she deemed that either the company they followed was double her estimate, or they had been reinforced from whatsoe'er city lay to the west. She brought Barq to a halt and waited to be hailed. Amongst that gathering, she marked the standard of the Third Hors Earm, and another akin to it, but denoting the second horse army of King Frumgar.
Now though the riders indeed blocked the road, they were not formed up to assail any traveling south. Save for some sentries about their perimeter, they were not properly arrayed to offer battle. Rather, they seemed to be awaiting some arrival, either from the city, or perhaps from further south. When Helluin appeared o'er the rise, the sentries called out, but not to her. Rather, it seemed they were summoning their captain. At their call, riders mounted up and formed columns to either side of the track. After a short time, a small group of officers rode toward her and she recognized Prince Fram at their head.
Helluin had not seen Prince Fram mounted aforetime. He had been afoot throughout her visit to Frumgarsborg, yet she had marked that he was both tall and strong. By her best guess, he was a hair o'er two rangar in height and he was a solid sixteen stone if he was a pound¹. His horse stood sixteen hands² and was a powerfully built destrier, with a thick mane and tail, and a dark brown, 'nigh black coat. She thought the animal fortunate that the Northmen did not wear full armor, as did the Noldor and Dúnedain knights. Their mounts too escaped the added weight of barding. ¹(By this estimate, Prince Fram is about 6'5" tall and around 224 lbs.) ²(16 hands, 16h = 64")
When three fathoms stood 'twixt Helluin and the prince, the Northmen halted. The Noldo bowed to King Frumgar's heir and her bow was returned.
"Well met, my lord Fram, 'tis a surprise, but e'er an honor, to greet thee," she said.
"Lady Helluin, I rejoice to see thee well," the prince said. "T'would seem we passed thee in the evening, for thou had already taken thy leave ere we rode."
Helluin nodded in agreement with the prince's words and said, "I heard riders passing in the eve of the 29th. Now I deem 'twas thy company, for we have ridden in thy wake since."
"I led the reinforcements to Suꝺriborg¹ for their fortnight's rotation," he said, giving a cant of his head towards the track that Helluin had seen leading west on the northern side of the rise. "'Tis our closest settlement to the evil of Borg Fjōlkyngi." ¹(Suꝺriborg, South Fortress Old Norse)
"Thou appear to await some arrival, lord. Have thy lands been invaded?"
"Nay, Helluin. We awaited thee," Prince Fram declared.
"Whyfor, pray tell, would thou await me, Prince Fram?" Helluin asked.
"Helluin, when my father deemed it faithless for us to fail to offer thee aid in thy quest to the Sorcerer's Tower, he spoke as any Northman would. Even more than our horses, we value our honor, and to abandon an ally in such jeopardy would dishonor us. We have resisted that foe for 'nigh a thousand years, winning some battles, but slowly losing the war, yet now that thou hast defeated him in Eriador, we would not be denied the boon of coming to his fastness and laying low any such of his servants as may linger there.
Aye, we would aid thee, and more. We would see our lands finally freed of the Sorcerer's servants, for whilst he may be a foe beyond our ken, his servants are mortal and they can be assailed. We would seize this opportunity to rid our home of their threat, and in thy noble company, secure the safety of our people."
At his declaration, Helluin stifled a groan. All that he said was true. For the first time in living memory, the Northmen had a chance of victory in their centuries' long war against the Nazgûl's minions. Still, 'twas a simple fact that should any Yrch or Easterlings linger 'round Dol Guldur, Helluin was capable of destroying them. It might take her a day, or it might take her a decade, but she reckoned that outcome was not in doubt. The alternative was to bring Prince Fram and a hundred riders to Amon Lanc, and there perhaps lose the king's heir in a needless combat. Though he undertook the campaign with noble intent, 'twas a jeopardy still. Having dissuaded King Frumgar from accompanying her to Dol Guldur aforetime, it seemed she would have to do likewise with his son.
"My Lord Fram, none doubt the honor of thy people, or their valor, I least of all. Noble too is thy desire to end the threat of the Sorcerer's slaves. Yet some things need be taken into account ere this campaign begins.
The Northmen are cavalry first and none better, yet the forest is no place for a mounted force. There is little fodder or running water for horses, and any movements would become spread out. There is no space to form battle lines or to charge. Indeed, even encampments would be dispersed amongst the trees and the paths must be ridden single file, both increasing the hazards to thy riders.
Yet if thou accepted these limitations and left thy horses beyond the trees, then some few must be detailed to guard them, and both they and thy tack would be vulnerable, whether to capture, destruction, theft, or even to 'naught but the weather, as of rainfall soaking the leather. Thy Men would then proceed afoot, and whilst I doubt not their mettle when fighting unhorsed, t'would be a march of several days, and I wager thy warriors are not trained to stealth. No fires may be lit at their camps. No scent of cooking food that might draw enemies, nor words spoken above a whisper that any could hear can there be. On the march they must move in single-file, with no words spoken, nor twigs snapped 'neath their boots. They would be subject to the predations of any who are so trained, a few hunters shooting from cover, unseen and unassailable, for thus did the Laiquendi assail the Host of Angmar, taking many hundreds of lives.
By contrast with thy Men, any of the Sorcerer's servants who linger in the forest have grown accustomed to warfare amongst the trees and are long familiar with the terrain. Thou would stand at a fatal disadvantage."
Helluin shook her head. It saddened her to think of such valiant warriors slain by unseen foes, fallen and unavenged, simply because they had sought to wage a style of warfare for which they had ne'er been trained.
Though they were far less stealthy than the Green Elves, the Yrch used the trees for cover, shot passably with their short bows, and could move quietly if they were few. Ambush was natural to them. She doubted not that t'would be the Northmen who were espied first and then hunted after.
Before her, Prince Fram weighed all she had said. He dismissed 'naught of it, for his respect of the Noldo would not allow him to gainsay her words. Finally, he nodded to himself, having reached some decision.
"Helluin, I understand thy points and I value thy counsel. I would accompany thee, bringing four others with me, bowmen all and hunters who have entered the forest aforetime seeking beasts. The bulk of my force I would leave outside the forest to cover our retreat, or to assail any foes that came 'nigh to raid or to enact some other mischief," Prince Fram said. "Would this be acceptable to thee?"
Though 'twas still not to her liking, 'twas a vast improvement and could possibly be successful depending on the resistance met. Finally, after giving the proposal thought, she nodded 'aye' and accepted that she would have allies.
"I reckon we shall ride another five score miles, and there set a camp. Afoot we shall march ten leagues 'neath the trees ere we come to Amon Lanc. Thither, upon the heights above the forest, stands the fortress of Dol Guldur, and though expected to be abandoned, I deem it holds secrets still, for I doubt not that it hath changed in the thousand years since I saw it last."
To this, Fram nodded his agreement. He had ne'er aforetime heard of any who had viewed that place and lived. Indeed, left on his own, he would probably have spent days blindly searching for it. The closest any of his people had come was during their desperate flight through the forest in 1856, when they had fled the Wainriders and the lands east, and none had dared pass in sight of the fortress save by the illest of fates. The personal courage required of the prince to propose invading that accursed place with but five others was greater than 'aught demanded of him aforetime. He could not imagine preferring to go thither alone.
Having decided their course, the prince mustered his riders, and with Helluin beside him in the van, began their journey south. They rode in a double file column with archers posted ahead and behind, much like the company Helluin had met 'neath the command of Captain Ërlick all those years ago. O'er the course of that day, they covered thirty-five miles.
Through the next two days, the company continued south, covering thirty-five miles on 3 Narbeleth and the remaining thirty on the 4th. That last day they left the north-south track, riding southeast 'cross open grasslands towards the forest. In the late afternoon they reached a spot, five miles from the edge of the trees, and there Helluin bid the column halt and set their camp.
"Thou hast now a measure of safety from easy attacks by any coming from the forest," she told the prince. "Foes must travel five miles o'er open ground ere finding thee. By then, their advance should be marked by thy sentries, and their retreat made more difficult by the distance."
Prince Fram nodded. His Men would encamp far enough from Calenglad to avoid all but an earnest assault, yet still close enough to render aid if required.
"I would counsel thee to post greater than normal counts of sentries, and to maintain two dozen horses saddled and ready for battle at all times, night and day, so that thou might not be taken at unawares," Helluin said. "Light no fires, and maintain such silence as thou can."
The prince passed those orders to his Men and then watched as the camp was set in the waning hours of daylight. Ne'er aforetime had he assigned so many to the watch, nor kept a company readied for quick response 'round the clock. It made the Men edgy, and both he and Helluin deemed that good. The riders would spend no time distracted by hot food or mirth at meals. Rather, they would remain discomfited, focused, and constantly aware of their peril. Perhaps t'would keep them alive.
"Rest this night, my lord, and on the morrow we shall go thither," Helluin said, tilting her head southeast towards the forest.
Now after Fram had joined his Men for a cold supper of bread, cheese, sausage, and water, the Noldo spoke with Barq, giving him instruction for the next few days.
Four or five days I shall be away in the forest, O Barq. As thou can see, 'tis no place for horses or mounted Men. 'Tis even worse than the road 'nigh Bruinen, outside of Imladris.
Barq nodded gravely to her, recalling the starving horses he had led to new homes in Celenhár.
Thou take with thee Prince Fram? He is not a Ranger, nor is he trained in the Elvish ways.
Nay, he is not, nor are the four who shall accompany us. Yet 'tis better than bringing all of them, for I hope to return with five of five, rather than five of a hundred.
I shall hope for thy victory and thy safe return, O Helluin.
And I for thy peaceful days in my absence, O Barq. She glanced 'round the camp and sighed. Pray look out for these riders. Though they have long opposed the Yrch, I doubt they have oft maintained an open camp for days, so close to their foes. I fear their vigilance may wane ere we return. Be ware, especially after the second night hence.
I shall keep watch with the eyes of an Eagle, O Helluin. Fear not.
Helluin nodded to him whilst maintaining a straight face. Thy kindred sees clearer than Men, especially at night. Pray employ thy vision for their benefit when thou can.
Barq nodded to her. Though none saw with the sight of an Eagle save another Eagle, the vision of horses is better than that of Men, especially at night. Helluin was reminded of how quietly Barq had tread as they had advanced on the host blockading Imladris. 'Quiet as a mouse,' he had promised, and he had been surprisingly quiet indeed. Not even a mouse is silent, she thought, just ask a cat.
The night passed and the camp remained quiet, at least for a camp of Men. Helluin had taken a position to the east, closest to the wood, and there she spent the dark hours surveying the trees. Save for a slight breeze, 'naught moved and the forest seemed to be at peace. As the dawn approached, birds began to waken, chattering and eventually taking wing in search of seeds and bugs to break their fasts. When the sky grew light, Men roused and the camp came to life. With a sigh, Helluin went to find Prince Fram and his companions. Ere the first hour of 5 Narbeleth was done, they were approaching the verge of the wood. There, just 'neath the eaves of the trees, Helluin gathered the company and offered instruction.
"Follow me in single file. Speak not and make no unnecessary sounds," she said. "We wish to draw no untoward attention. All 'round us are ears and eyes, some friendly, some hostile, but most unconcerned. With luck, we shall pass far into the forest ere any seek to come against us, yet that danger will increase with each step. Thirty miles lie 'twixt us and Dol Guldur, and I wager foes shall be concentrated there. On this day, we shall seek to cover twenty miles and remain undiscovered. Let us now proceed."
'Round her Men nodded in understanding and clutched their bows. She looked each in the eyes a moment and then turned and walked into the forest.
At once the air felt still and warmer, with greater humidity and the scent of humus and mold. Sounds of the breeze came from the canopy far above, rather than from all 'round as when wind blew through grass. All was dimmer, for the canopy was complete and little direct sunlight reached the forest floor. 'Neath their feet, the ground was cushioned with centuries of leaf mold, and few were the plants growing 'twixt the great trunks. Just a few herbs, ferns, and mosses carpeted patches of soil. At least the Men found that moving quietly was easier than expected, and they trod with care o'er the cushioned ground.
They heard the calls and songs of birds from the branches above, and more rarely, the calls of other animals. It seemed that soon their hearing grew acute and sounds came to them through their silence, buzzing of insects and the clawed toes of squirrels as they chased each other up and down the bark of the trees, chattering and scolding in their passage. Of friends or foes, they saw 'naught.
Helluin led them southeast. To her eyes, the forest felt less alive than in the past, as if it dozed, or perhaps held its breath. She sought for tracks, but found none, either of Men or Orcs. Only a few tracks and signs of larger animals did she mark, hoof prints of forest deer, rooting of swine, the digging of foxes, and scratched bark from the claw sharpening of lynx. What she was thankful to not see were the webs or egg sacks of spiders, trees chopped down or burnt, markings on outcropped boulders from Men or Yrch, and excavations or constructions. It seemed that her expectations were correct. Whatsoe'er foes that remained in the Greenwood were deeper in the forest and closer to Amon Lanc.
Dusk came early 'neath the canopy, and in deference to her mortal allies, Helluin bid them rest amidst a cluster of exposed rocks, whilst she ascended into a nearby tree to keep watch. The Northmen found night in the forest unsettling and none slept well. The creaking of the trees and the occasional calls of the nocturnal kelvar were enough to startle them to wakefulness each time they began to doze. Nervous anticipation ruled the hours of darkness and all welcomed the least glimmer of dawn. Helluin found them ready to get underway at first light.
Now on 6 Narbeleth, the company continued their march. All passed much as it had upon the previous day, unsettling, but without overt threat. Towards the mid-afternoon, Helluin reckoned they were within a couple leagues of Dol Guldur. Now she began to see spoor and signs of the enemy, though she deemed these old. Each track, path, hewn tree, abandoned fire ring, or evidence of wanton destruction she pointed out to the Northmen. They proceeded with greater care at a slower pace, and oft Helluin bid them stand fast as she went forward to scout.
As the day began to fail, Helluin approached Amon Lanc. She found the once familiar terrain greatly changed. No trace remained of Lord Oldbark's hall. The majestic double wall of trees that had lined that dell were long gone and not even their stumps remained. The bed of the Enchanted Stream had been obliterated. Not a pebble of quartz or mica was to be seen. Gone too was the small graveyard in which she had interred Lundhini. Now that space was barren rock, hewn and quarried, and so too the hillside that had once hosted the path climbing up onto Laiquadol. 'Twas a sheer precipice, a cliff face falling a hundred feet. But most astonishing to her, beginning a furlong west, an ascending causeway had been built for the passage of the Sorcerer's arms, and it led from a road hewn through the forest leading west, to the ramparts of Dol Guldur, which now o'erlooked the ravine that had once been home to the lord of the Onodrim. That way was wholly exposed to any upon the walls, Orkish archers in particular came to mind. Helluin groaned and shook her head in exasperation. There was no way in Udûn that she would choose to simply traipse 'cross that bridge, especially with five Northmen in tow.
The fortress appeared silent and deserted. Helluin watched it carefully for the half part of an hour, but she realized that her eye point was so far 'neath the battlements that she had no reliable way to judge 'aught that went forth within the walls. Finally, as evening drew down, she took her leave and returned to the Northmen.
"I have found a problem," she told them in a whisper as they took council behind a wall of rocks. "The approach to Amon Lanc has changed much since I saw it last."
"How so?" Prince Fram whispered.
"Aforetime there was a climbing path up to the hilltop, and the gate of the fortress lay 'cross a small field. Now I find the battlements hard by the face of a cliff, and the only entry is 'cross an ascending causeway in full sight of any upon the walls," she said. "None lacking a death wish would go that way."
The prince and his Men nodded to her in agreement. Such an approach seemed suicidal.
"How then to enter yonder fortress, Lady Helluin? We seek not to besiege it, yet we know not its ways," Prince Fram said. "Know thou of some other approach?"
"Perhaps so," Helluin replied after a few moments thought. "In days of yore there was a pathway leading north from the heights. It may still exist, it may have been destroyed, or it may also be transformed. I deem 'tis worth the time to check."
She was recalling the path leading north from Laiquadol, which she and Beinvír had taken in S.A. 3410, whilst fleeing the mind-numbing boredom of an Entmoot. They had used it to 'escape' to the realm of King Oropher.
The Northmen nodded in agreement, for they had no alternatives to offer.
"I shall examine that way this night, and so 'neath the cover of darkness, perhaps find an unguarded path," she said.
Having no other recourse, the Northmen settled into a camp amidst the rocks. There they took some food and set a watch, and then tried to rest. Helluin wagered they would spend another night with little sleep and much apprehension as she set out northwards in the growing darkness.
Now for Helluin, and indeed for any of the Eldar, a night 'neath a canopy of leaves was comforting and familiar. She had spent centuries walking by starlight in the primeval forest ere coming to the West, long ere the Sun and Moon. So 'twas that she walked easily, projecting her senses and finding 'naught threatening in her path. That is not to say that she marked none, but these were kelvar native to the forest and for the most part, they were at rest. A few hunted by night as was their nature, and one of these stalked close by enough that she thought it good to observe, for such a hunter hunts not when in danger of being hunted itself.
For 'nigh an hour she followed as the object of her curiosity sought for prey. This the hunter eventually found, and Helluin shadowed the pursuit, staying far back that she not spook hunter or prey. She only chanced to close that distance when a squealing and a brief thrashing spoke of prey taken and a hunt concluded. Then she dared approach, finally advancing from downwind 'til she had a clear view of the feasting.
Thither to a sheltered glade came Helluin, glimpsing a large lynx gorging on a small boar. She sat by 'til the cat was sated and had proceeded to cleaning its paws and coat. When he licked his chops and indulged in a satisfied purr, Helluin let flare a glow of blue from her eyes, and curious as is the nature of cats, the lynx looked thither, piercing the darkness with 'nigh preternatural vision. Eye contact was made and a conversation began.
Praise to thee, mighty hunter, Helluin said, success and a full belly this night.
'Tis so this night, yet not so on all nights, though I hunt only to the west of the hill, said the cat with a sigh. He licked a paw and added, rare 'tis to find one of thy kindred amidst the wood, O bright one. Whence came thee?
I come from o'er the mountains seeking tidings of one abducted years ago. I believe she was brought to yonder tower. Pray tell, know thou if any linger there?
The lynx produced a low growl through curled lips, and his expression was one of disgust.
Lore tells of the long hunt of many Men and Yrch from the tower, seeking for something 'nigh the banks of the river. For centuries it continued, yet we learnt 'naught of what treasure they sought. Generations ago, most fled with their masters and but few remained. Here he shivered, as with the lingering fear of nightmares or dark tales.
So some tarry still? Helluin asked, just to be sure.
Aye, some few dozen goblins, the lynx said. I avoid them as they blunder through the trees, but they no longer seek for 'aught 'nigh the river and seldom stray far from their accursed walls.
Those dozens stand 'twixt me and whatsoe'er I might learn, and woe be to them. I deem they shall soon number the less.
I should not waste sorrow on any who fell, he declared with a narrowing of his eyes.
Perhaps thou shalt find more prey with fewer of them 'nigh, Helluin said. After a pause, she asked, pray tell, dost thou know 'aught of a path leading up onto the hill from the north? I came that way once, long ago.
The lynx gave thought to her query and spoke not as he searched his memories and the lore of his kindred. Finally, he said, history tells of a path of Men, but 'twas destroyed in the stone hewing days when the fortress was abuilding. Were I to seek entry, I would take game trails…those used by goats.
He licked his chops, obviously recalling tasty prey in days past. Helluin nodded to him. Such paths might be used by a careful few, but ignored by troops coming and going on regular patrols.
My thanks for thy tidings, mighty hunter. Good fortune to thee and thy kin.
And to thee, bright one. Good hunting, should thou come to the tower.
Now Helluin took her leave of the lynx and returned to the camp of the Northmen using the stealth of the Laiquendi. They were startled when she appeared amongst them unheralded.
"I have held converse with one of the 'natives' here'bouts," she began, "and have learnt that the path I knew was destroyed, but some game trails remain. One of these we may chance, and thereby gain entry into the fortress."
"Others linger 'nigh, Helluin?" Fram asked, worry shading his voice. "Be there still free Men dwelling in the forest?"
"Nay, O Prince. I spoke with a lynx who knew the lore of these lands." The Northmen blinked and disbelief was writ clearly upon their faces. "He knew much of the fortress and told of a few dozens still ensconced therein."
"So, 'tis not deserted," the prince said, his lips pressed in a grim line as his eyes narrowed.
"Not for much longer," Helluin said with a feral grin that chilled the Men's blood. "We shall seek for a trail when there is light."
On their third morn, that being 7 Narbeleth, the company broke camp with the first light of day. In silence, they gazed upon the foot of the causeway as Helluin led them past it through the woods, and then they turned their footsteps north within the cover of the surrounding trees.
They did not stop their trek 'til the causeway and the gate had disappeared from view. Any sentries keeping watch upon that approach would then be facing the wrong way, and they hoped would mark them not. Now to their south, the fortress of Dol Guldur frowned down upon them from the heights of the Bald Hill. Deserted seemed its walls and tower. No lights shone from windows, no sounds came from within, and no movement could be seen upon the battlements. And yet an air of menace pervaded that place, so long the home of evil.
Twice, Helluin and the Northmen marked movements on the faces of the hill. There the small mountain goats that the lynx had mentioned leapt from ledge to ledge, or scrambled up steep slopes. It seemed that none hunted them, for they evinced no fear. No arrows came to take them, nor did their presence precipitate any actions from the fortress. The Men weighed their chances for ascending those trails and deemed them exposed and difficult at best. Helluin continued to lead them onward in hopes of finding some better possibilities.
Now they continued 'round the foot of Amon Lanc for another hour, and when they had come halfway 'round the Bald Hill, they marked a dark crevice in the steep rock walls wherein a small stream ran down and a few stunted trees grew. There it seemed a more sheltered game trail led upwards, though 'twas deserted when they saw it.
"Await me and I shall scout this approach," Helluin said.
The Northmen nodded, maintaining their silence, and Helluin slipped away. Shortly, she disappeared from their sight, and with the stealth of the Laiquendi, made her way to the base of the crevice. There she made an astonishing discovery, wholly unexpected, and she wondered at first why the lynx had mentioned it not. From her memories, she replayed their words.
Praise to thee, mighty hunter, success and a full belly this night.
'Tis so this night, yet not so on all nights, though I hunt only to the west of the hill…
Huh, she thought, we have come beyond his hunting range, 'round the east side of the hill.
After listening and hearing no sign of any, Helluin warily climbed the stairs, and when she reached the top and found none 'nigh, she surveyed the eastern side of the fortress. Well above the canopy of the forest, the sun shone down bright on the empty fortifications. All appeared silent and deserted. Then she retraced her steps with stealth, returning to the company to speak of what she had found.
"I have indeed found a way in, and an easier path than any game trail," she reported. "Maintain thy silence and follow me."
Prince Fram and his Men carefully followed the Noldo, well 'nigh step for step lest they reveal themselves. Slowly, Helluin led them 'round tree trunks and behind boulders 'til they had crossed from the forest to the side of the hill. There, within the crevice they had seen from afar, they found a rough staircase hewn from the living rock by their enemies in centuries past, yet now seemingly abandoned. Shock and amazement ruled them. 'Twas the Sorcerer's postern.
There was no way for Helluin to know when it had been constructed. She only knew that it had not been present during the tenure of the Onodrim, but that was a thousand years past. Sometime during the occupation by the Nazgûl or their master, many slaves had labored to carve those hidden steps. No doubt they had provided easy access for deployments to the east, whilst the causeway facing west remained the focus of any hostile attentions.
Following in Helluin's wake, the Northmen barely breathed in hopes of maintaining their silence. Trapped thus in a narrow cutting o'erlooked by steep walls, they were extremely vulnerable to counterattacks, and they prayed to pass unmarked into the fastness of the Sorcerer. Step by step they ascended, and the stairs became enclosed in walls of fitted stone, but eventually they reached the top and safely came to the end of the staircase at last.
Rather than emptying into a courtyard, or some dark and concealed chamber at the base of the walls, the staircase began in a flanking tower on the battlements. 'Twas wholly unexpected, something none of them had seen aforetime in a castle or fort. The singular wisdom in such a location was that those using the postern could look out at the surrounding lands ere they made their way down the stairs for their sortie.
Now the company found themselves high up, with a view down into the fortress of Dol Guldur. The layout was confusing, haphazard even, as though constructed from sundry plans o'er many years, and guided by the vacillating wills of different lords. They were upon the exterior curtain wall, yet they marked also an inner curtain wall, not quite so tall, and wholly contained within the fortress as it now stood. 'Twas a remnant of the earlier Dol Guldur that Helluin had emptied aforetime.
No wall walk connected the inner and outer curtain walls. Helluin and the Northmen would be forced to descend in order to explore the fortress. They sought and soon found a stairway for the defenders, descending into the outer bailey. There the Men well 'nigh tip toed their way 'cross the open yard as they followed the Noldo. She led them to a stair leading up onto the inner wall, but stopped abruptly at the opening to a hall wherein stairs led downward, sniffing carefully and then hastening them up the stairs.
"Yrch!" She hissed, once they were atop the inner curtain wall. "I smelt their stench from within. I wager they hide from the sunlight. We must hasten, for remaining here after nightfall shall invite attack."
With so much stealth as they could muster, the Northmen followed Helluin down from the inner curtain wall and into the inner bailey, and thence by paths recalled from her memory, threaded their way through the maze of buildings to the place she remembered as the entrance to the dungeons. 'Nigh a thousand years aforetime, she had come from that place of terrors with slaughter, but now they found the descent blocked at the first turning of the staircase by a solid mass of rubble. The way was shut, and Helluin's eyes blazed with a growing rage. In all of Dol Guldur, the one place that she reckoned most likely to supply clues to Beinvír's capture and disappearance was inaccessible. Though she racked her memory, she knew of no other entrance to the subterranean maze of corridors and cells.
After seething a while, the Noldo led Prince Fram and his Men back up to the bailey, and there she took her bearings and then proceeded towards the one other place in which she deemed she might find 'aught to clarify the disappearance of her beloved. Straightaway, she marched to the entrance of the tower, and hearing and smelling none inside, breached the doorway and came within. The way was familiar, and though she knew they had not the time to search all the rooms, she remembered clearly the way to Tindomul's throne room.
Along the way she marked the unblemished coating of dust upon the floor, undisturbed for a century by her estimation. The halls and passages smelt musty, long shut against any cleansing motion of air. Here and there they saw furnishings of wood crumbled by dry rot, and fabrics, pennants and banners, shredded by mold 'til their thread-bare remnants dangled o'er piles of dust and fibers. Soft as they tread, the Men's footfalls echoed from the cold stone walls, and so silent was that space that the sound of their own breathing was reflected back to their ears.
Helluin led them to the throne room and marked the stone seat upon which she had once lounged, reveling in her slaughter ere she liberated the Sorcerer's prisoners. Now a long dead and desiccated corpse of impressive stature occupied it, with hollow sockets and taunting rictus. Perhaps many had done his bidding upon a time, yet that room was as all else they had seen, cold, dusty, deserted by the living, and but dimly lit by a few slotted windows high up on the walls. Before the throne was set the time-shabbied remains of a dry rotted oaken table, and upon it lay only a platter of brass decorated 'round its rim with reliefs of leering Orc faces.
From the platter a single glint of white light reflected, pure and wholly out of place in that dismal abode of ghosts. Attracted thus, the Noldo came thither in curiosity, to gaze upon the singular item in the whole of the fortress which birthed not revulsion in her heart. She saw there a white jewel of adamant, carved in the likeness of the canopies of two trees, and still set in a band of gold and mithril entwined. Unchanged that gem was, hardest of elements. The fine gold smithying of the House of Gneiss had been crushed, as from a forceful blow delivered in anger, yet the mithril had retained its form unblemished, for like the gem it had yielded not, as a spear point yields not to flesh. Indeed, 'round that band was a dark splatter and pool, as of blood shed and aged to a black crust.
Helluin reached down and clasped the ring, wrenching it from the foul scab, and even as she moved to recover it, her body blazed with the Light of Aman, flaring in a ril of silver and gold from which the shadows recoiled in an instant. Then, with a mindless shriek of rage, she slammed her fist down on the platter, shattering the dry-rotted table 'neath it and leaving the impression of her mailed fist in the metal. Blue fire blazed from her eyes and the Northmen cowered back from her in shock as the echoes of her blow rang throughout the tower.
Without a word of explanation, she turned from the throne room and marched back out of the tower, her allies following in stunned silence. She gave no thought to stealth; seething wrath and bloodlust ruled her, and she blazed with the Light of Aman. The Ringwraiths might be long departed, but the lynx had told of several dozen Yrch remaining, and for them she had questions.
Straightaway she came to the entrance from whence she had smelt the stench of the Yrch aforetime. Then 'cross a narrow hall and down some stairs she stalked, and Anguirél was unsheathed in her right hand and the Sarchram was freed from its belt clip in her left.
Sereg garathon!¹ The Black Sword gleefully declared. ¹(Sereg garathon! Blood I shall have! = Sereg(blood) + garo-(have) + -atho-(future v. suff.) -n(1st pers. subj. pron. suff., I) Sindarin)
Fëar narcuvan!¹ The Sarchram grated out with Helluin's voice. ¹(Fëar narcuvan! Spirits I shall rend! = fëa(spirit) + -r(pl. suff., spirits) + narca-(rend) + -uva-(future v. suff) + -n(1st pers. subj. suff., I) Quenya)
All that underground space was ablaze with the Light of Helluin's rage and no torches were needed. The Northmen shouldered their bows, and in that enclosed space, drew their swords or hefted their axes instead. Down corridors ending in a vaulted chamber she led them, and there they found the company of Yrch, some seven dozens in an uproar, unsure of what response to make. The entrance to their lair was shot with blinding Light, forcing them to squint at the invaders.
"Answer me and save your lives," Helluin called out to them, "or refuse and die."
'Round and 'round the creatures milled, cursing and brandishing their weapons in a chaotic throng whilst their chieftain sat upon his throne of bones, shouting at them and goading them to assail the intruders. Some finally broke from their confusion and advanced to assail her.
"Slay any who seek to escape," the Noldo ordered Prince Fram and his Men.
Then Helluin waded into the press of Yrch, shouting, "Beltho Huiniath!" and slaying with vicious prowess all who came against her. Their attacks were too slow and too uncertain to even pose a real threat. As she had for millennia, the intentions of her mortal foes were easily anticipated. Bodies fell. The Black Sword and the Sarchram cursed and threatened as Helluin wielded them, and terror spread amongst the Yrch. 'Twixt the unnatural blaze of Light and the unstoppable bloodlust of this enemy their hope was diminished, and no few recalled tales of a terror that had long haunted the mountains. Now even the fastness of their master was not safe. Some amongst them cried out that horror's name, "Ghâshgûl!"
"Draut gijak-ishi!" Helluin screamed back at them in their own tongue as she blasted the chamber with a blazing ril of Light. And then to fulfill the terror of their myth, she called out, saying, "my questions ye shall answer, or I shall deprive ye of dying with your tongues!"
Then some despaired and tried to flee, but Prince Fram and his Men held the doorway and waylaid the narrow escape passage against them with vicious thrusts of their swords and swings of their axes. They too were infected with the lust of battle and their hearts were kindled by Helluin's example of unrestrained slaughter.
Foremost amongst them, Prince Fram laughed with the joy of combat and he cursed his foes, saying, "Kringlaugd wierd, ein spadi for qvoki ne skeifr drpr munni ne svinhqfdi!¹" ¹(Gaze upon thy destiny, with this sword I will cleave your lying maggot mouth from your swine head! Norse curse courtesy of Nara no Jebu from housebarra)
More and more of the Yrch were hewn down and soon corpses lay strewn 'cross the floor. The flight of the Sarchram and the blade of Anguirél took the full measure of that company, and Helluin carved her way to the chieftain's throne. Though his personal guard essayed to stay her, they were o'ermatched. One by one they fell and their blood ran in streams. Finally, as the Northmen slew the last of those trying to flee, the Noldo came before the Orch Chieftain.
Down the length of Anguirél's dripping blade she indicated that he remain seated and satisfy her query. Then she drew forth the crushed ring that she had once set upon Beinvír's finger in the refuge of Henneth Annûn as the world teetered on the brink of war, and she held it up for the Orch to see.
"Speak to me of this token, and of she who bore it," Helluin demanded.
Alas, chieftain though he was, he had not lived long enough to know. Too few years of experience and lore gifted him with 'naught. He had no answer for the terrifying apparition that held him at sword point. Fear thickened his tongue and he could not even produce a lie. He sat upon his throne of bones, shivering and shaking his head 'nay' as his water left him.
Losing patience, Helluin struck quick as a viper and the Orch's left forearm dropped from his elbow, hewn clean off. A shriek of pain followed, but still no answers. She set Anguirél's black steel against his neck.
"If not thee, then who knows?"
In desperation, the Orch named the only being he knew to have held command of the fortress, decades ere he had come. 'Twas a gamble, yet he reckoned he had 'naught to lose.
"Nazgûl Lindgoth-Zau!¹" He said. ¹(Lindgoth-Zau, East Lord-Black aka The Black Easterling Orkish)
At his declaration, Helluin's eyes widened and she recalled Khamûl from her combat with the Nine inside the Sammath Naur. In an Age before, she had matched swords with the King of Samar' Khand, and in the end he had fled her along with Tindomul. She had not seen him since.
At her reaction, the Orch believed himself redeemed and offered a nervous chuckle, hoping to ingratiate himself further, for he had heard stories and deemed Helluin no less fearsome than the Ringwraiths.
"The tower. Fear lingers. None go there," he offered.
Helluin judged the Orch truthful in this, for she had seen and felt none alive in the tower. Indeed from all she had marked, none had come there in many decades. Only fear would master the native covetousness of the Yrch and banish them from a potential source of riches. She nodded to him in agreement.
"So, none save the Nazgûl knows 'aught of she whom I seek?"
Eager to appear agreeable, the Orch vigorously nodded 'yea'. Having proved himself useless, Helluin abruptly hewed off his head.
His body slumped on his throne and blood was still pumping from his neck when she returned to Prince Fram and his Men. Without a word or a look back, she quit that gruesome scene and led her allies back to the outer bailey. Despite all they had done since the morn, 'twas now barely an hour past noon. Helluin shook her head, and then in the clear light of day at last, again appraised Beinvír's ring. After a while, she deemed it repairable, and she knew of but one craft tradition that she would entrust with such a task.
Once ere they took their leave, the Noldo projected her senses 'cross the spiritual link that bound her fëa to Beinvír's, but as had been since 1851, she received no answer, only the faint confirmation that somewhere, her beloved still lived.
Having now no fear of meeting enemies in the forest, Helluin and her allies marched openly and set a goodly pace. Through the remaining hours of the 7th, they returned northwest. So too passed the 8th and the morn of 9 Narbeleth, yet in the last hour ere noon of that day, Helluin and the five Northmen came from the verge of the forest, and an hour later the sentries and horses marked their approach. All rejoiced that they were unscathed, and more, that they had slain their enemies and reaped renown in battle against the minions of the Sorcerer. They had been gone five days.
"I shall ride with thee upon thy return to Suꝺriborg," Helluin told the prince as they broke camp and mounted to ride north, "yet thereafter another errand calls me."
"Thou seek repair of thy beloved's ring," he said, sympathy in his eyes. Helluin had explained the significance of the token she had found in the Sorcerer's tower.
"Aye, and where better than in the house of its making," she asked rhetorically.
Prince Fram nodded in agreement. Though there were able goldsmiths amongst his people, mithril was but a name to them, not a material they crafted. In the lands of the west, only in Khazad-dûm was the mastery of that metal known.
On 11 Narbeleth the column of riders crested the rise and fifty yards ahead they halted. There the bulk of the riders turned west to the south fortress of their people. They returned with jubilation and good tidings beyond the hopes they had maintained through many years. There too, Helluin and Prince Fram parted in friendship and with much honor.
"Thou return victorious, O Prince, and great valor thou and thy Men have shown in the very heart of thy enemy's fastness. Thy deeds shall long be recalled amongst thy people," the Noldo said, yet Prince Fram would be recalled for an even greater act of valor still to come.
"In thy company my Men and I have won renown and conquered our foes," the prince said, "and yet 'twas thy courage that bore us up and led us to chance these deeds which none amongst us had attempted aforetime." For a moment the prince fell silent, and he gazed at the ancient Noldo astride her Easterling horse and shrouded in her antique black armor. For the rest of his life, he would recall the blaze of Light she had cast and the flawless swordplay he had witnessed. "I know not all thy history, Helluin, and yet I wager this battle the lesser of many for thee. Still, 'tis of note to us and thou shalt e'er have the welcome and friendship of my people, just as King Ërlick once promised in days of yore. More than this, I am proud to count thee an ally and to call thee a friend. May the Gods keep thee safe upon thy journeys."
"I am glad thou hast assured the safety of thy people, Prince Fram, for such is a leader's care and honor demands it of one who shall be king," she said. "Unto itself is each battle, a trial aside from any other, past or future. For a warrior, 'tis more important that the cause be just than the count of the fallen be great. I deem that proud would King Ërlick have been to know thy bold and courageous heart. I too am proud to call thee ally and friend. I bid thee good fortune and wish peace for thy people."
The prince nodded, and then a smile shaped his lips.
"Alas that we have no more time together, Helluin. I would have been honored to have Barq stand to stud for the enrichment of our herds."
Helluin laughed as Barq turned towards her, wagging his brows and offering a hopeful grin of anticipation. 'Twas only after he turned away that she rolled her eyes.
She took her leave of Prince Fram and rode north. In her haste to repair Beinvír's ring, Helluin marked not the most important tidings she had received.
To Be Continued