In An Age Before – Part 210
Chapter One Hundred thirty-seven
The Road to Rhûn – The Third Age of the Sun
On 2 Hithui of T.A. 1975, Helluin rode Barq 'cross Anduin, back into the lands of the Éothéod. The Noldo had no intention of meeting again with the Northmen, and so she continued straight on eastward, taking the Dwarf Road through Calenglad. Though that road had aforetime been beset with spiders and Yrch, Dol Guldur was emptied now and the Noldo had no fear of the flingiloth¹. In any case, her only alternatives were riding all the way 'round the forest, three hundred fifty miles whether to the north or south, or traveling the Forest Path through the Woodland Realm of King Thranduil. That last choice she would not take, for by her defeat of Angmar in 1851, she had freed the Glam of Gundabad from the dominion of the Witch King, and left unsupervised, they had embattled the Wood Elves and slain Queen Inthuiril. Whate'er sorrow the son of Oropher endured, she reckoned that he could not but blame her, and Helluin was not ready to face that guilt. ¹(flingiloth, spider folk = flingil(spider) + -oth(coll. pl. suff.) Sindarin)
They entered the forest on 4 Hithui and found the surroundings dismal. Despite the road being used by trading parties from Khazad-dûm, the way was falling into disrepair with trees o'ergrowing the track, and the paving lifted by roots and littered with fallen debris. The air felt heavy and humid and lay still without so much as a breath of breeze. A musty smell permeated all, telling of mold, moss, and mushrooms growing in abundance, and they felt a drowsiness draped atop a substrate of sloth. Helluin deemed that the trees were neither wakeful, nor happy, being more akin to an exhausted Man dozing in a puddle. Just about the only positive aspect she could mark was the lack of an ammoniacal stench that would have signified a spider infestation.
I deem this is not a happy place, Barq commented only a short while after passing 'neath the trees. 'Tis oppressive and certainly the worst forest I have e'er seen.
The Greenwood has seen better days, O Barq, Helluin replied. 'Naught has been the same since the Onodrim were driven hence 'nigh a thousand years past.
The Onodrim?
Aye, the Guardians of the Trees, she said absently as she looked 'round. She had last seen this section of the Greenwood in 1551 and deemed that it had continued to go downhill since.
What dost thou mean, Helluin? These guardians, were they Dwarves maintaining their road?
Nay. They were as trees, but wakeful, Helluin said, returning her focus to their conversation. They walked and talked and marshaled their Huorns, whom thou could think of as foot soldiers.
Foot soldier trees? Helluin, this makes no sense. Trees walk not. Trees talk not.
Upon a time, some in this wood did. Long, long ago, Yavanna, the Goddess of Growing Things appointed the Lord Oldbark to be Lord of Calenglad i'Dhaer.
I see, the Easterling horse said, obviously unconvinced. So I wager he commanded his subjects when to grow, come to leaf, walk, talk, and spill their seed?
"Pray tell him of the hordes of earthworms and the migrations of millipedes, O Helluin," Anguirél commented from within her sheath.
Helluin groaned and Barq chuckled, saying, I shall be watching thee more closely for further ill effects of thy prodigious age.
"Pray tell him of the mockingbird herald and the magick stream, O Helluin," the Sarchram added.
Huh? The Easterling horse said, coming to a halt.
Ne'er mind, the Noldo muttered in exasperation. They were ganging up on her again.
Thereafter, Helluin held her peace and said 'naught save for, just follow the road. Thy gait I leave to thy discretion.
So thereafter, Barq trotted, cantered, galloped a bit, and walked the rest of the time. He was quite happy to proceed more quickly as he found the forest cheerless and unappealing, and the shorter the time spent within it, the better pleased he would be.
I understand now why the Witch King led us 'round the north of the forest, he muttered.
The fifth, sixth, and seventh of Hithui passed in much the same fashion, and on the eighth, they finally escaped from 'neath the trees. Once free of the Greenwood, they had been required to spend another dozen miles threading their way through a fen at the confluence of a tributary flowing down from the Emyn Duir into the River Celduin. Despite that, their ride had been unaffected save by the constant uneasiness arising from the depressing atmosphere. Thankfully, they had endured no worse.
And good riddance, Barq grumbled as they came out into open grassland at last and 'naught but rolling plains stretched out before them to the east. That was the worst forest imaginable.
Remind me not to take thee into Fangorn, Helluin said. To forestall further comments or questions, she added, pray continue east, O Barq. No roads 'cross these lands and so I leave our course to thee for now.
Barq nodded, eyed the Dwarf Road that turned north to Erebor, and then stopped and lowered his head to graze. There had been precious little to eat during their time in Calenglad.
Feast or famine, feast or famine, he muttered 'twixt mouthfuls of dry grass. 'Twas the half part of an hour ere he looked up and began to trot east.
By then, Helluin had taken up carefully surveying their surroundings, wondering how close the Wainriders were encamped. Since those people seldom stayed in permanent settlements, but rather roamed the lands in caravans, 'twas impossible to map their locations. In occupied lands, they were more apt to commandeer the homes of subjugated people as outposts for their slave drivers, as they had done in the East Bight. The rest of the time, they rode in masses of cavalry, seeking victims and plunder, and eager for war.
A thousand years aforetime, these lands had been the ancestral home of the Northmen. Helluin recalled her time there well; the alcoholic culture of King Lüdhgavia that had given way to the more sober realm of King Ërlick and Queen Brekka. Somewhere to the east, she and Beinvír had met the Maera Dágeleb and his mate Celegield, and destroyed an army of Dwarves. If 'aught remained unchanged, 'twas the constant north wind blowing the winter's chill down from the Northern Waste.
Know thou of a ford o'er Carnen, O Barq? Helluin asked the next day.
The Easterling horse nodded 'aye' and looked off to the north.
Riding west in the Witch King's army, we crossed that river further upstream, for the Emyn Angren were in distant sight, he said. Whither go we, Helluin? Knowing our destination, I could perhaps find a more direct path.
Helluin nodded. She deemed his words made good horse sense. Besides, 'twas no secret.
I seek the lands north of Dorwinion and the sea.
Ahhh, he said, we shall ride the road to Rhûn.
He immediately shifted course northwards and broke into a canter.
An hour later, Helluin abandoned a search of her memory to ask, pray tell, O Barq, what know thou of those lands and their peoples?
'Nigh Carnen lie the lands of the Sultan of Suat, a sturdy, round faced fellow given to bludgeoning foes with a heavy club. He was pleasant enough to us, though I reckon he was terrified of the Witch King. Perhaps he shall be less pleasant after the Nazgûl conscripted the third part of his army. I would recommend avoiding him if possible.
Barq's advice sounded good to Helluin. She would gladly avoid the Sultan of Suat and any other local warlords 'round the Sea of Rhûn.
Although she knew Rhûnwaith had long been home to the Worshippers of Fire, that generality encompassed no lore of the local realms or their rulers, only that 'twas a vast land inhabited by numerous peoples. Aforetime, many had been the servants of Sauron and the source of the Great Plague. The Gondorim had claimed that of late they were enmeshed in civil wars.
Further east, a forest stands on the northern shore of the sea, but all else is mixed grassland, scrub, and eventually, desert. When last I roamed those lands, they were ruled by many local chieftains vying 'twixt each other and allying themselves with whate'er o'erlord happened to be ascendant. Of late, that has been the Wainriders, themselves a confederation of tribes 'neath their Khans, yet even they are threatened by the growing horde of Targitai, the Red Khan.
Far beyond the Sea of Rhûn stretch wide lands with settlements surrounding wahat, oases populated by villages of herders, farmers, and traders, fiercely independent people who ride the steppes, resenting servitude in any form. Few there acknowledge the God of Fire in their hearts, favoring their ancestors and the spirits of the winds. Thither lays Xwârazm whence I came.
Helluin took the Easterling horse's words to heart. They included far more lore than she had known of the east as it now stood. Save that she might have explored some of the Rhûnwaith briefly in the early Second Age, (whilst sailing from Númenor with Vëantur), she had not trod those lands since marching west with the Host of Finwë ninety-nine centuries aforetime. She suspected that some things might have changed.
Sixty leagues the way ran 'twixt Celduin and Carnen to the ford, and Barq covered that distance in four days with the chill north wind as a constant companion. On 12 Hithui, they crossed the river Carnen a dozen miles north of its eastward bend, and sure enough, just visible in the hazy distance stood the Emyn Angren.
Looks like a good place for Dwarves, Barq observed after casting a glance north.
'Twas once home to the mansions of Bergûl Ayzn¹, and may still be, Helluin replied, though their army was destroyed long ago. ¹(Bergûl Ayzn, Iron Hills, Khuzdul, the Emyn Angren in Sindarin)
She chose not to share the tale of how she had slain Prince Zärlagab after assassinating his father, King Inkishûsh, and confiscating his Ring. Nor did she mention how she had later slaughtered his host. Yet she delved her memories of that time in detail as they rode east from the ford.
The Emyn Angren had been within sight, three days' march north after meeting the Maera, and the soulmates had already been well north and east of King Lüdhgavia's city. There they first saw the army of the Emyn Angren. On that night, Helluin had slain the king with the Sarchram and taken the Ring from the encampment of the Naugrim. Helluin and Beinvír had made good their escape, marching west towards Greenwood for a week ere they had come to the east bank of Celduin. There they had paused to decide their course and finally, the Noldo had summoned Dágeleb. Through the next day and night, the ellith had ridden some fifty leagues southeast to reach the Northmen, and all respect to Barq aside, no horse she had e'er ridden had galloped swifter or more tirelessly than the Maera.
After reaching the king's city and rousing the Northmen through an act of strategic arson, the cavalry had ridden seven leagues northeast ere they engaged the Naugrim. From such directions and mileage, Helluin could only make a rough guess as to the position of the battlefield. That was the first step.
One of her last wholly coherent memories of the engagement had been a pause in which Beinvír had observed that, we are alone, fighting the Naugrim. In character, Helluin had replied, Nay, there are many here to slay, ere she returned to the battle. Their Northmen allies had been defeated by then, slaughtered by the axes of the Dwarves, leaving barely fifty of five hundreds still horsed. Opposing the two ellith had been nine hundred foes.
A storm had been approaching from the southwest, and as the rains fell, evening had come. Anor set in the fourth hour of battle, and then Beinvír had been struck down, already stunned ere a blow on the head caused a concussion that left her unconscious. Knowing no better, Helluin had deemed her slain and in anguish an explosion of Light had erupted from her, to be received with apprehension by the Wise and the Lords of the West, and as a torment to the Dark Lord who had watched the combat whilst Helluin wore the Ring. It had been felt by others as well.
Helluin had turned back to the battle with a cold, murderous intent far beyond the fey and heated swordplay for which she was known. In that frame of mind, she would not only have slain all of the Dwarvish army, but with time, e'ery foe in the east, dispassionate, unstoppable, and unappeasable in her wrath. She would have bathed the world in blood as she had once promised in an Age before. Yet the Rhûnwaith had received a reprieve that day with her discover that the Green Elf still lived.
Six hours, or perhaps seven hours' they spent riding at a gallop, she thought, and eighty to one hundred twenty miles traveled at most? They came from the east…there must be, or have been, another ford more southerly. Her allies had come from somewhere within an arc east of Carnen, and having a radius of one hundred twenty miles centered on the battlefield.
Pray continue south in sight of Carnen, O Barq, Helluin said, squinting against the bright sun and blown dust ere pulling up the hood of her cloak.
The horse eyed her a moment as if to ask, art thou sure, but then reluctantly nodded and turned their course half south following Carnen's eastward curve. In the distance, the glint of water flowing downstream could just be seen. They continued along the river for three days, traveling one hundred twenty miles and coming within twenty leagues of the confluence of Celduin and Carnen. During that time, they had passed an increasing count of small villages along the banks and seen a few dirt tracks, but no travelers. Helluin marked that Barq seemed to become increasingly nervous with each mile they rode. Finally, she halted him as they came to the crest of a low hill. 'Twas the early afternoon of 15 Hithui.
Whyfor art thou so unsettled, O Barq? Helluin asked.
He had been shifting from hoof to hoof and staring east since they stopped. She had looked him in the face, marking the visible whites lining his eyes 'twixt fear widened lids.
Whyfor? Whyfor? Helluin, dost thou not mark the column of smoke rising some four leagues east? Thither lies the fortress and city of Suat!
What? So soon? I thought that realm lay much farther south.
As I said, 'nigh Carnen lie the lands of the Sultan of Suat, Barq said in exasperation. We crossed into the north of that realm at the fords and have ridden deeper into it e'er since. Why do none e'er listen to me? He muttered the last rhetorically, adding a groan for dramatic emphasis.
Helluin could not but roll her eyes at his histrionics and then shake her head at her own earlier misinterpretation of his tidings. She half expected the sultan to appear with a few hundred troops at any moment. The Noldo was simply amazed at their luck. To find those she sought, she would have to search half the sultan's realm.
If we are indeed deep within the realm of Suat, why then have we not been challenged? She asked. Thus far, we have not even been approached.
Hast thou not taken stock of thy appearance of late, O Helluin? Barq asked, astonished. When the Noldo shook her head, 'nay', he rolled his eyes and said, tattered black cloak, deep hood, black armor, black sword…the people of these lands fled in fear of one so attired not three years past. Seeing thee unaccompanied now, perhaps they fear thou seek to conscript a new army.
He made no mention of the steel Númenórean bow and quiver of arrows, a weapon the Nine had ne'er been known to carry, yet his words made sense.
"Tindomul," Helluin ground out. She grimaced at the thought of being mistaken for a Nazgûl again, but eventually a smile graced her lips. "I suppose I can work with that."
They continued south along the river for another two days, seeing none and finding no trace of what they sought. The riverside villages had petered out and it seemed no one inhabited the banks. There had been no hint of a ford, or of boats crossing Carnen.
At the confluence of Celduin and Carnen, Helluin stopped and looked south and east. The land appeared to be at peace, or at least 'twas quiet. They had seen no hordes of Wainriders or any signs of fighting. Whate'er the character of the sultan, his lands were tranquil. Indeed, Helluin marked 'naught moving. The gently rolling, dun landscape stretched on in all directions with only a few scrubby trees breaking the early winter's monotony. Western Rhûn appeared deserted.
Whither have all the people gone? Helluin muttered.
I came not so far south with the Ringwraith's army. Perhaps these lands have long been deserted, for I have seen no ruins along the way, Barq said.
Nor have I, and one would think the riverbanks a desirable place to abide, for there at least, none would lack for drink.
Helluin shook her head, confounded. By her best guess, the search area she had calculated extended still a little ways south, but it also reached inland so much as a forty miles from Carnen. 'Twas still a vast area of possibility, so the only concerning fact was that they had seen no ford. She could only imagine that the riverbed had changed in the last thousand years.
Hazard thou a guess of how far south we might explore ere finding the Wainriders, O Barq?
Nay, O Helluin, I cannot, for we ne'er came so far south whilst this far west. We passed well north of the sea on our way to Carn Dûm.
Helluin nodded and made her decision.
We shall continue south another day or two 'til Carnen turns east towards the sea.
Very well, O Helluin, Barq said with an audible lack of enthusiasm. We shall continue south two days and pray not to meet hordes of Wainriders along the way. At least the armies of Suat should lie behind us by then.
The ground slowly began to rise o'er the course of the next day, not in the abrupt way of the Cold Fells or the Troll Shaws of eastern Eriador, but more akin to the rolling lands of central Eriador. Vegetation was still scrubby, with coarse, dried grasses, heathers, and stunted trees mostly, their stems bared by winter. Carnen ran slightly east of south as it found its way through the lowest land, whilst minor undulations in its course attested to the path forced upon it by the higher ground east and west. Of habitations, they saw none. The land continued to be deserted.
Throughout the second day, the land had continued to rise. Now they looked down on Carnen from the heights of a tall but gentle slope. Helluin estimated that the river lay three hundred feet below their path and a half-mile west. 'Round noon they crossed a broad valley where a stream ran through the bottomland to reach the river. The descent had been easy and they broke for a meal at the bottom, thankful for a respite from the worst of the wind.
I am surprised that none abides hither, Barq remarked after slaking his thirst. The water is clean and the grass growing 'nigh is sweet. People too would find this a good place to settle.
Aye, yet there are neither hoof tracks, nor the ruins of homes, and in this dry clime, structures would long remain, Helluin said, looking 'round as she gnawed a strip of jerky.
They had not seen any appreciable source of timber for many days and so any buildings would have been of mud brick or stone. Such would have been slow to weather and disappear. She refilled her water skins as Barq cropped grass 'nigh the stream.
After allowing the Easterling horse to rest, Helluin bid them continue south. The ascent from the valley was easy and soon they had resumed their ride. A second valley they crossed a few hours later, and just ere evening, they came to a third. Like the first encountered 'round noon, these were broad and gentle, and both offered water at the bottom. In the last hour of daylight, they came to the start of a long downslope. Flatter land stretched out from the bottom as Carnen turned due south. Somewhere yet further downstream, too distant to see, highlands would rise to the east and west, forcing the river into an eastward bend. Helluin deemed they had come further than her area of search extended, whilst ahead there was 'naught to see. She could find no reason to descend. They would remain just shy of the top the slope for the night.
On the morrow, we shall turn inland and north, O Barq, she said as she dismounted. They had sought shelter from the north wind on a shelf a couple fathoms downslope. We shall remain here 'til dawn.
Night fell and Barq dozed off, standing tail to the wind. Helluin lay on her ground cloth of felted dog hair, staring up at the stars. The sky was broad and velvety, cloudless, and Ithil was bright, waxing half-full. Beyond his radiance, the vault of Ilmen was bespeckled with points of light. The Noldo picked out constellations for a while, comparing them in her memory with those viewed long aforetime from Beleriand, and from Númenor, and from the high talons of great ships running in fair weather on the sea. Despite their beauty, she found them faded, and yet inspiring still. Slowly a glow grew in the east, then Anor touched the horizon o'er far Rhûn and dawn crept west. 'Twas the morn of 20 Hithui.
The light grew and Barq roused, turning and shaking out his mane, then stepping in place to loosen his cannons and fetlocks. Helluin shook out her ground cloth, watching as a thin cloud of dust was carried south on the wind. As in the evening past, the lowland lay empty and silent save for the gusts of wind spinning up dust devils. Helluin looked 'round her feet and saw that what grass remained was so sere as to appear inedible, and fresh water was wholly lacking.
Come, O Barq, we shall retrace our steps to the last valley and pause therein for breakfast.
That would be most welcome, O Helluin, for there is 'naught here worthy of a chew. What I would not give now for a bucket of treats in Khazad-dûm; sweet sliced apples, crunchy carrots, ginger snaps, and griddlecakes with butter and syrup…
He continued to rhapsodize o'er the menu in his memory as the Noldo groaned and rolled her eyes. Finally, Helluin began to lose patience, having mentally taken stock of her remaining rations.
May we be on our way please? I wager that with the fresh grass and water in the valley, thou shalt eat better than I.
Barq blinked and looked o'er at her, then gave her a sheepish grin.
I should be happy to share, he offered.
Shortly later, having descended into the third valley that they had ridden through the evening past, Barq stood drinking his fill of fresh water and cropping grass still green even in the winter. A short distance back from the streambed, Helluin sat, dour and dissatisfied, whilst gnawing on a hunk of waybread she deemed well 'nigh petrified. So dry was it that she felt inclined to blink hard with each swallow, in the manner of a frog that uses the pressure from its eyeballs moving in its skull to help force food down its gullet.
"Miserable thief of my saliva," she muttered as she rose and came to the stream bank to drink.
She dunked the remainder of her morning's ration into the water in hopes of making it more palatable. After a moment, she bit into the sodden mass, finding it much like cold mashed potatoes…a vast improvement. Finally, she washed her hands and splashed her face. A glance o'er at Barq revealed the Easterling horse face down in the grass, chewing with gusto whilst a growing pile of dung collected behind him.
In one end and out the other, in one end and out the other, keeps a horse healthy, happy, and regular, he said when he caught her watching him. One must make room to enjoy a meal properly, or so claimed the stable master in Khazad-dûm. I applaud his wisdom.
With a groan, Helluin took a seat and waited out the remainder of his meal. When he was finally done, she mounted and they rode east down the valley. The scene was oft repeated o'er the following three weeks as they criss-crossed the lands east of Carnen. During that time, the Noldo found no allies, no trace of allies, and no sign of the sultan's troops. By then, she had been forced to hunt small birds and rodents when she desired a meal, and Barq regarded her with increasing pity at mealtimes.
Finally, by 12 Girithron, Helluin had lost patience. Her search had been fruitless and they had covered the whole of the area wherein she had expected to find her allies. There were but two places they had not examined, the villages on the banks of the river Carnen, and the city of Suat.
Pray wait here and try not to attract attention, she told Barq as they stood at the bottom of a dry gulch some two leagues east of Suat. 'Twas the closest place on an approach to the city that offered cover.
We have attracted no attention in the past month, O Helluin, and that whilst wandering to and fro with no thought for stealth. I doubt any shall find me now, he said. And pray buy thyself some rations. 'Tis depressing to watch thee feasting on sparrows and rats or whate'er those creatures are.
She gave him a sour look and trudged off down the gully ere climbing up and out as evening fell. Through the deepening darkness, Helluin walked towards the walls of the city of Suat. Of cover, there was 'naught, for the land 'round the walls was flat and devoid of vegetation taller than her calves. The better part of two hours she spent pacing the two leagues to the city, and ere she drew 'nigh, full night had fallen. She assumed that any keeping watch upon the walls would regard one alone as no threat, and in this estimation, she proved correct, for though sentries marked her approach, none called out to raise an alarm or stay her. She came to the city's eastern gate unchallenged.
At the gate, the watch keeper took one look at her and fled. So too did the small garrison of six soldiers. She shook her head in amazement and walked down a broad avenue lined with closed market stalls and small businesses shuttered for the night. Dust swirled down the streets and the wind whistled through narrow alleys amongst low buildings of sun-dried brick. Windows were lit with the orange-yellow glow of candles or lamps, but it seemed that none ventured out after dark. She wondered at that, for most villages had some nightlife and cities the more, yet save for the few soldiers, Suat seemed deserted.
After ten minutes, she had covered a third of a mile and stood in a dark plaza before the citadel of the sultan. Only there did a company of guards stand forth to halt her. At first, they hailed her in a tongue she did not understand, and then, when she came fully into the torch light before the doors, they broke and fled, crying out words of alarm she could not understand. By this point, Helluin's astonishment was well 'nigh complete. Had she intended to subdue the city, t'would have been as a gift presented upon a platter.
Helluin found the doors unbarred and pushed them open, entering a deserted hall behind. Only a serving maid did she encounter as she explored the citadel, and the poor woman dropped the load of laundry she carried and ran away screaming. The Noldo shook her head at the reception she was receiving, but more than that, at the apparent depopulation of the sultan's household. She encountered no one else ere shoving open the doors of the great hall.
At the head of a long table that would have seated dozens, a late middle-aged Man sat with his face in his hands, elbows on the tabletop. A tall silver crown sat before him along with a tankard and a plate holding the remains of a meal. At her entrance he looked up and groaned, then wiped his eyes with his fists as if he could so easily dismiss her from his presence. The Noldo paced down the length of the table 'til she stood beside him. He kept his seat in resignation, neither cowering, nor groveling. Helluin had to give him credit; he was the only citizen of Suat not to flee her on sight.
Finally, he looked up and spoke, but 'twas gibberish to her. Needing to share speech, she grasped his face in one mailed hand and stared him in the eyes. Just ere his consciousness was subsumed by her will, his eyes widened in shock. He realized 'twas not the Ringwraith who had come aforetime, but by then, 'twas too late.
Art thou the Sultan of Suat? She asked.
Aye, he admitted, or at least I was. Since the coming of the Nazgûl, I have no realm to rule.
How so? Whither have thy troops gone? Whither went thy armies and thy people?
The best of my soldiers were conscripted to join the Ringwraith on a fool's errand to the west. Those who remained soon fought each other 'til most lay dead or took their leave in mutiny, miserable traitors, may they die of tooth aches. I clubbed a few myself to teach them a lesson, but 'twas no use. Now I am left with but a tithe of cowards, yet I deem thou hast discovered this on thy way here. The greater part of the people fled, back to their villages along the river where they cower in fear of each coming morn. My realm is a disaster, and who now shall hold back the Wainriders? Thou? Thy black master? I think not.
With a groan, Helluin blinked and released him, watching as he recovered himself. He seemed to be amazed that he still drew breath. For her part, the Noldo was no les amazed, if for different cause. She realized that she had badly prejudged the sultan. He had sought to constrain the Wainriders from adding the north to their growing empire, and she had thought him an enemy simply because he abode in Rhûn. A tug at her cloak called her from her ruminations. The sultan was staring her in the eyes, and after a span in which she did 'naught, he made a gesture with his free hand clearly saying, 'what art thou waiting for?'
Helluin sighed, but applied her will and engulfed the sultan's consciousness. 'Nigh as soon as the enchantment was complete, she heard him speak.
Whyfor hast thou come? What intent dost thou hold for Suat? Though I am by all rights deposed, still I would die ere seeing those flea-bitten nomads ruling this land. If thou art not as the Nazgûl who came aforetime, than who or what art thou?
I am hungry and thirsty foremost, and in search of allies known long ago. I have spent 'nigh a month seeking for them and have found 'naught save a few rats and sparrows. 'Tis for victuals and tidings I have come. In thy time, hast thou seen any others akin to me, or dost thou know any from lore? I am Helluin of the Host of Finwë, an Elf of Aman who last trod these lands 'nigh ten thousand years ago. The God of Fire I count an enemy and I have fought him aforetime in Mordor, long ago. His Nazgûl I would destroy as well. The one who came here I defeated in the west not six months past. She felt the shock and amazement of the Man.
Food and drink thou may have in abundance, Helluin of the Host of Finwë. Of Elves, I know 'naught. They have e'er been regarded as but a fancy by my people. No tales do I know of any akin to thee. I have heard myths of Dwarves in the north long ago, but they are myths only for none of that folk have been seen by any. They are tales for children.
His peoples' ignorance of Elves and Dwarves was only slightly surprising amongst mortals living far from realms of either kindred. That he would not know of any other Amanyar was even less of a surprise. Allies such as Prince Arne and the Men of the Éothéod had ne'er aforetime seen Elves like those from Imladris.
Tell me, sultan, dost thou know of a ford crossing the river?
One only and it lies three days' ride to the north. None here wish to go west. The sole reason I had ne'er ordered it dug out deep was to leave my people an escape route should the nomads come.
I have seen no Wainriders to the south so far as the lowlands two days beyond the joining of the two rivers. The land stretched out for many miles, and 'naught moved upon it. For now, I deem thee safe from that direction and for some thirteen leagues to the east as well. When did they last attack Suat?
So far, I deem we have been fortunate. They have not come, but rather fought their wars in the south, yet I reckon 'tis but a matter of time ere they march upon the north.
Thy respite may be longer lived than thou expect. Their chief hatred is given to the realm of Gondor, far to the south and west. Many wars they have fought o'er many centuries, winning some and losing others, the last a resounding defeat but three decades past. I have heard that of late they are distracted by civil war in the east. Know thou 'aught of Targitai, the Red Khan?
Nay, I do not, but if he is called a khan, then he likely hails from far to the east, from the steppes beyond the sea. 'Tis said those lands go on fore'er and they have bred the worst of the nomads, may they slaughter each other to the last.
Helluin withdrew then with a blink and a nod. The sultan called for a servant, the same woman who had dropped her laundry and fled, and ordered food and drink brought for his guest. Hoping to reduce her likeness to the Nazgûl, she had doffed her cloak and sat in her battle armor, still not a comforting sight, but at least she had a visible head and hands. During their wait and through the meal afterwards, Helluin engaged the sultan in halting conversation, trying to learn the basics of his tongue. As she had when she was first a guest in Khazad-dûm, she knew the native language would be an invaluable asset.
After a surprisingly satisfying supper of braised scorpions and harissa, she had the sultan walk her out onto the east wall from which she let forth a piercing whistle, calling Barq to the city. The Easterling horse appeared shortly and they met him at the gate. So began a stay of a fortnight, during which Helluin learnt passable language skills, and Barq fed on hay and millet. They took their leave at the end of that time, for to aid the sultan, Helluin had offered to scout the lands so far south as she had come aforetime. 'Twas 26 Girithron.
As they had done in late Hithui, Helluin and Barq rode in sight of the river Carnen, and in two days came to the confluence of Celduin and Carnen. Again, the riverside villages had disappeared and the land lay quiet and empty. Two days later, that being 30 Girithron, the last day of 1975, they camped the night at the verge of the slope leading down to the lowlands. They spent the night on the same small shelf they had used aforetime. The night passed in peace and without remark, cold stars wheeling o'erhead through the hours of darkness.
With the dawn, Helluin stretched and shook out her ground cloth of felted dog hair with its new border of rat pelts. As aforetime, the wind carried off the shaken dust. Barq woke and shook out his mane.
I should like a drink of water and a bite…
The Noldo raised a hand to hush him. The Easterling horse sighed, but turned to follow her line of sight. Further off, perhaps a league or more out on the flat land below, a tail of dust rose. She fixed it with her vision, focusing on the distance.
'Tis the pursuit of a couple dozen by a larger company, Helluin said. Three warriors lead a gaggle of unarmed folk in flight from mixed cavalry. There are six chariots, each bearing an archer and a driver, and another four dozen horsemen. I believe they may be Wainriders.
Lousy way to start a morning, the Easterling horse said. Lousy way to start a new year. May we be on our way now?
Pray pause a moment, O Barq. Any who would flee and be chased by Wainriders may be of interest to me, and certainly to the sultan.
The race continued, drawing e'er closer. It seemed the Wainriders neither closed on their prey, nor fell further behind. Those fleeing maintained enough of a lead to forestall them from shooting. Finally, Helluin's curiosity and animosity decided her course. By then, the pursuit was 'neath a league distant. She folded and stowed her ground cloth in her travel bag, withdrew and donned the coif of mithril that matched her armor, drew up the hood of her cloak, and then strung her bow. Beside her, Barq groaned and shook his head.
Battle on an empty stomach, he carped, only less welcome would be an empty stomach without battle.
That's the spirit, Helluin said.
Im aníro sereg!¹ Anguirél declared from her sheath. ¹(Im aníro sereg, I want blood! Sindarin)
Well, at least someone will get breakfast, Barq observed.
After draping the bow o'er her shoulder, Helluin mounted and coaxed Barq downhill towards the river. They went forward at a trot, deeming that the conflict was heading towards them regardless of how fast they rode. Sure enough, those pursued led those pursuing straight on towards them, apparently heading for the lowlands beside Carnen.
By the time they had closed to within a mile, Helluin was sure of what she was seeing. From descriptions heard in tales at the Hall of King Frumgar, the Wainriders were easily recognizable. Those they chased were not. The three warriors who led the flight were dark haired, cloaked in black fabric and leather, bearing bows and quivers of arrows o'er their shoulders, and curved swords sheathed at their waists. Their horses were dark of coat and of the same eastern stock as Barq. Those who followed them wore no armor and bore no arms. Indeed their raiment was so ragged that for a moment, Helluin wondered how such beggarly figures could own such fine steeds.
Helluin and Barq had reached the lowlands as the fleeing company approached, and seeing her, the three warriors in the lead knocked arrows on their bowstrings. Closer they came and at last, their mortal sight now reported clearly on what they saw. As if in panic, they swerved towards the riverbank, forgetting their bows and crouching low o'er the necks of their horses, urging them to their greatest speed. The ragged riders followed, casting glances of terror at the Noldo.
After they passed, Helluin nudged Barq forward so that they blocked the path the fleeing company had taken, and then Helluin drew an arrow and fitted it to her bow. The Wainriders were less than two furlongs away, charging towards them at a full gallop and closing fast.
At three hundred yards, the Noldo released her first arrow and it took the lead rider through the base of his neck, exploding out of his upper back and retaining enough force to slay the rider behind him. A second arrow pitched the driver from a chariot on the right flank, and the third killed a rider to the left. As the chariot hit a small boulder and flipped into the air, Helluin slung the bow o'er her shoulder. Then she drew her sword as she burst into a blaze of Light.
Less than a furlong ahead now, the Wainriders saw a figure draped in a black cloak draw a black sword. They had barely registered the deaths of their leaders a split second afore ere the figure exploded into a blinding brilliance.
Now though their people had long been 'neath the dominion of the God of Fire, in living memory they had heard only rumor of his undead servants. 'Twas told that they numbered Nine, black robed, and terror proceeded from them. E'ery one amongst them felt terror, for confronting them was a single black robed figure that had slain four of their company in the time t'would have taken them to fire once. The arrows had been devastating. None craved to challenge the sword, and the blazing Light was wholly preternatural. Amongst their people, to oppose such a servant of their god was blasphemous as well as suicidal.
The Wainriders wheeled their mounts tight, and then fled at an even faster gallop than when they had chased their foes and the escaped slaves. Helluin watched 'til they were gone and then ceased the blaze of Light from her fëa.
"Cowards," she muttered as she sheathed her sword.
No breakfast for anyone, Barq commented as he watched the cloud of dust settle.
Come, O Barq, let us hear the tale of those who fled. I hope t'will not take too long to catch up with them.
I reckon their tracks shall remain undisturbed for a time, O Helluin. I should like a drink of water and a bite…
Yes, yes, the Noldo said, throwing up her hands in capitulation as she dismounted. 'Tis but a short walk to the river. Enjoy thy sup. I shall retrieve my arrows and return straightaway.
The half part of an hour later, Helluin, with her arrows, and Barq, with a full belly, followed the tracks of the fleeing horsemen north along the banks of the river Carnen. These led on another quarter mile ere slowing from gallop to trot, for by then, the lack of following hoof beats must have been evident. They had slowed to rest their horses, and shortly later, tracks leading to the riverbank attested that they had allowed them to drink. The prints leading away were fresh, no more than a quarter hour old by Helluin's reckoning.
Finally, after another half-hour, the trail turned east, into the third valley that they had passed a day aforetime, and Helluin directed Barq to follow ere coming to a halt a couple hundred feet within. There she sat carefully listening, and then she dismounted and set her ear to the earth. The sound of hooves had been silenced. Helluin led Barq back out of the valley, bidding him await her to the north of the valley's entrance, and then she climbed the slope afoot 'til she could look down into the lowland.
The Noldo had walked a couple hundred yards eastward, carefully scanning the bottomlands for the company of horsemen when she heard a tell tale hiss from close by. She had just begun to raise her right arm to block when an arrow slammed into the mithril plate of her bracer, driving her forearm flat against her side. The bronze arrowhead shattered in an explosion of shards and the shaft snapped. It had happened in a moment, taking her by surprise, but her reaction was just as fast.
With her left hand, Helluin snatched the Sarchram from its clip at her waist and slung it sidearm towards the place where her senses reported the arrow had been fired. It sliced through the air with a whine, and twenty-five feet away at the very edge of the slope down into the valley it impacted, cleaving a bow in half, deflecting slightly to clip the steel plate of a pauldron, and knocking the attacker backwards down the slope. The Sarchram sped off into the open space o'er the valley ere slowing, hovering a moment, and then reversing direction to return to the Noldo's hand. She charged to meet it, catching the Ring as she came to the edge.
Her attacker's body was still rolling downslope in a cloud of dust, and after a quick glance at the cloven pieces of a short, recurved bow, Helluin leapt downhill, giving a sharp whistle to summon Barq. She recalled from earlier that all three warriors had borne bows.
As if triggered by her thought, Helluin was forced to leap into the air to avoid an arrow fired with admirable precision at the space where she would have been, then dive and roll to let another pass o'erhead. After another two somersaults, she reached the bottomlands, coming to her feet beside her first attacker who was dazed and struggling to stand. Helluin snatched the back of the warrior's cloak and hauled her upright so they were face to face.
The warrior looked into Helluin's eyes and there she was constrained, her will submersed in the Noldo's pools of blue. For a moment, she felt herself drowning in deep water, and then she saw another's memories, the images well 'nigh rammed down her throat in an instant, but now she understood what had happened to their pursuers and how they had won free.
I am not yet thy enemy. Pray that I do not become one, the mortal heard in her mind. The voice was velvety, but the words commanding saying, now tell me thy name and thy purpose.
I am Tahmirih of the Mâh-Sakâ¹, the warrior said silently, finding herself compelled to speak, come to the wretched west to free some of my people made slaves by the Medes. ¹(Mâh-Sakâ, Moon Sacae (Massagetae) Persian)
The Medes?
Those who chased us…those thou call Wainriders.
Wilt thou agree that for a time, the enemy of thy enemy can be thy ally?
Aye.
I am Helluin of the Host of Finwë, come to these lands that I call Rhûn seeking allies of old.
Seeing Tahmirih nod in understanding, Helluin blinked and released her. She took a deep breath and then turned to face the two warriors accompanying her.
"Lower your bows, sisters. This one is not our foe. She drove off the Medes," she said in her own tongue.
Helluin could understand not a word of it, but the other two indeed lowered their weapons and replaced the arrows in their quivers. Barq walked up to them, giving the freed slaves a glance and then looking o'er the three warriors more closely.
They are far from home, O Helluin, Barq said after Tahmirih had rejoined her sister warriors. If I place their gear aright, I reckon their lands lie but a couple hundred miles northwest of Xwârazm.
How long shall their return journey take if all goes well?
I wager they shall be lucky to see their homes ere early spring. Many foes lie 'twixt here and there and winter can be cruel in those open lands.
Helluin nodded in agreement, knowing now that the Wainriders would likely hunt them on sight. Then she thought of another consideration.
Dost thou understand their tongue, O Barq? T'would take me a while to learn it, and in the meantime, I shall need a translator.
So then, may I assume that thou intend to accompany them east? And shalt thou abandon thy mission to find thy allies in these lands?
Perhaps so, Helluin said silently, though she had some doubts. T'would certainly seem that they could use the aid. Still, I know little of their people or their ways. I should not be o'erly quick to aid the cause of worshippers of Sauron, even if they oppose those best known in the west. The enemy of my enemy today may not remain my ally on the morrow.
And if such should prove true, thou shalt be far from home and bereft of allies, O Helluin.
The Noldo nodded at that, for Barq's reasoning was sound. She had ne'er had any allies in the east save those she sought. Would this company turn on her five hundred miles down the road? Helluin had little doubt that she could slaughter them all in any kind of honorable combat, but there was always treachery. Finally, she sighed. She had not even heard them declare that they intended to withdraw back to their homeland. She had only assumed that they intended to repatriate the freed slaves.
Oh, and aye, Barq said, answering a prior question o'erlooked for a moment. At Helluin's look of confusion, he added, I can speak their tongue well enough, though to my ear they have a horrible accent.
Perhaps we should first bring them to Suat, she said. If they desire to return home, then at least they could be provisioned for their journey. I deem the sultan would like tidings of his foes being so close as well.
Barq nodded to that course and Helluin walked o'er to where Tahmirih stood with her two companions. Along the way, she doffed her hood, but retained the coif. Predictably, they stared her in the eyes.
If your purpose is to return home, then a long journey ye have, she told the warriors, eliciting expressions of surprise. Of late, I have found an ally to the north. Provisions for the road east and warmer clothing for your slaves could be had there. Know ye the Sultan of Suat?
A chorus of nay, we know no Sultan of Suat, and yea, we intend to accompany the freed slaves home. Tahmirih added, one is a sultan of his own people and they want for his leadership.
Then would ye follow me north, four days ride to the city of Suat?
Aye, we shall follow.
To Be Continued
Author's note: in visualizing the Sultan of Suat, just think of Babe Ruth. For Tahmirih, imagine Nyssa al Ghul as played by Katrina Law.