In An Age Before – Part 216
Chapter One Hundred forty
The Ithryn Luin, Rhûn – The Third Age of the Sun
Now through the remainder of T.A. 1976, and during the following years of 1977 to 1980, the Mâh-Sakâ continued their campaign of holy war against the worshippers of the God of Fire. Towards the end of 1976, the host commanded by Targitai Khan met briefly with the hosts commanded by his sons Lipoksai and Arpoksai.
The khan then appointed his middle son Arpoksai to be sultan of Didā Artāvan¹, a new fortress to be built on the site of Wahat Binya. The great resource of so much open water was not to be lightly cast aside on the dry steppe. Bodies of infidels were burnt, the curtain wall rebuilt, the fortifications enhanced, and the defenses perfected. The ashes of the dead and the rubble of the temple underlay the new constructions. In what seemed but a little time, Didā Artāvan became strategically invaluable for holding the lands 'twixt the two upstream branches of the river Rā. ¹(Didā Artāvan, Blessed Fortress = didā (fortress/wall) + artāvan (blessed/righteous) Old Persian)
Late in the year 1977, companies from Didā Artāvan rode to the small wahat where date palms surrounded the water. There they burnt and then pulled down the mastabas and established an outpost of the Mâh-Sakâ cavalry. New fortifications of mud brick were built there using the rubble of the ancient tombs as their foundation, for as at Didā Artāvan, Arpoksai Sultan preferred having his defeated foes fore'er 'neath his feet.
It took 'til 1980 to fully eliminate or expel the Rhoxolāni and their allies, the Aryāni and the Lazyges, but in taking those lands stretching northeast from the Rā to the Orocarni, the Red Khan doubled the territory of the Mâh-Sakâ homelands.
In those battles, Targitai had the aid of his ally, Helluin Maeg-mórmenel. Helluin believed that any blow struck against Sauron's cause was just retribution for her loss of Beinvír, the most recent of her many grudges, and she was ceaseless in seeking her revenge. At times she called to her soulmate 'cross the link 'twixt their fëar, and though she ne'er received a reply, she took comfort in that their link remained, and so somewhere, Beinvír remained as well. She ne'er realized, indeed ne'er even suspected that the ring of their joining that she wore on the chain 'round her neck was the repository of the Green Elf's spiritual essence. And e'er she craved to come upon Khamûl, whom she now despised little less than Tindomul and their master.
During the last days of the campaign to expel the Rhoxolāni, Helluin had joined the Mâh-Sakâ in a running battle that had seen their enemies driven south to the river Rā. Tahmirih had been in command of a demi-host numbering a hundred thousand, whilst by then their foes had numbered roughly half that count. The Rhoxolāni had endured repeated defeats and the attrition of combat, and they had enjoyed no opportunity to replenish their numbers, for they were the last of their people in that part of the land. Being then less than two hundred miles southwest of Didā Artāvan, the Mâh-Sakâ had been reinforced regularly so that their host remained at full strength.
'Twas early autumn in Rhûn, 7 Ivanneth by western reckoning, and the equinox lay a fortnight ahead. For the past week, both hosts had traveled southeast following the river, the Rhoxolāni seeking a ford and escape southwestward, the Mâh-Sakâ harrying them.
"The scouts report no fords for the next score and five miles, Helluin," Tahmirih said as they shared the evening meal with Kiana and Ashti.
"Then they have no escape," the Noldo replied, "and even were they to cross the river, they would be in the lands of the Medes."
"Five years past that would have been seen as an incursion with battle to follow," Ashti said, "but now all fear us and perhaps their fellow blasphemers would let them pass."
"Pass to where?" Kiana asked rhetorically. "Should they cross the Rā, they would have little choice but to try to settle there. At best, the Medes might allow them to remain 'nigh the river as a buffer against us."
"Or perhaps drive them all the way to Khand," Helluin mused, to the lands of Khamûl's people. "One may hope, I suppose."
"They may have one chance," Tahmirih said after a pause to chew the meat from a kebab and wash it down with tea. "The scouts saw a place four leagues ahead where the river is still, and they might chance to cross by swimming."
"They would needs abandon their wagons, losing much of their supplies," Kiana observed.
"Foodstuffs, spare weapons and armor, tents, and 'aught else used by their support personnel," Ashti added. "They would not even be able to shoe a horse after."
"Perhaps we can force their hand," the Noldo said, "leaving them gone from thy lands and ill equipped to survive in any others. I wager that after half a week, they shall be praying to a god of water rather than to their God of Fire."
The Mâh-Sakâ chuckled at that thought, but Tahmirih asked after Helluin's strategy.
"What think thou, Helluin? Pray share thine inspiration."
"If we split the host, thirty thousands to continue driving the Rhoxolāni forward and seventy thousands to ride further inland through the night to come ahead of them, then on the morrow, the foe shall continue as they have for the past week, only to be confronted by a larger host waiting ahead. They shall then have little choice but to swim, though in desperation some may turn and offer battle. Still, they are already outnumbered, and if some take to the river, the odds for those who remain shall be even worse."
Tahmirih sat thinking in silence and the rest held their peace to let her concentrate.
Finally, she smiled and said, "I like this plan. Helluin, I shall leave thee with thirty thousands. Ride in the van on the morrow. Let them see thee clearly, for they fear thee most of all and shall not linger to abide thee."
Helluin nodded to the princess, accepting her assigned part in the plan.
"Kiana and Ashti, ye shall accompany me with the rest of the host, but when we have come four leagues, I shall leave ye with another thirty thousands. I would have ye foil any notion on the idolaters' part of fleeing inland from the river."
The two warriors dipped their heads to their princess, for they were e'er at her command.
"I shall continue forward with the remaining forty thousands, but I shall not simply await the Rhoxolāni. When they are 'nigh the place where they may swim the river, I shall charge them. I pray ye bring both hosts against them in concert. Fight or swim, they shall endure assault from three sides, and whether in battle or by drowning, I would see the least number of them survive."
"I reckon they shall require three hours on the morrow to come the four leagues and thou shalt need four this night to pass them," Helluin said. "Thy hosts' horses may rest another six hours."
Tahmirih nodded, agreeing with Helluin's timing.
"On the morrow, we shall drive them from our lands at last," she said.
Kiana and Ashti smiled and nodded enthusiastically. Helluin grinned and thought, the princess is becoming a vicious and decisive tactician. The longer I fight beside her, the more highly I esteem her. One day she shall make a great khan.
That night, having calculated that the enemy would reach the correct place on the river in the third hour after dawn, Tahmirih, Kiana, and Ashti broke camp and led their hosts southeast two hours ere sunup. They first moved their combined hosts away from the river for a league so as to avoid any Rhoxolāni scouts, and then they followed the river's course southeast. By the second hour past dawn, they were in position. Helluin awaited Anor's rising and then, with the remaining thirty thousands, rode down the river towards the enemy's camp. As on the past seven days, they found hoof prints, wagon tracks, and footprints. The Rhoxolāni host had moved just after dawn.
Now Helluin rode at the fore of the Mâh-Sakâ host and they moved forward at a fast walk. They spread inland from the riverbank in a front two hundred yards wide. After an hour, they could see the dark specks of the enemy a mile ahead. The host continued forward, slowly closing the distance. After another hour, they were but a half mile behind and the Rhoxolāni hastened their pace. The Noldo increased her pace to press them further, closing to 'neath a quarter mile as the third hour came to a close.
"They have reached the place where we deemed it possible to cross by swimming," the lead scout in her host reported.
Helluin gave him a nod and then rose to stand atop Barq's back, trying her best to keep the heels of her boots from digging into his spine. She strung her bow and set an arrow to the string, and then she raised her arm and shouted, "Charge!"
Immediately, Barq broke into a gallop and the thirty thousand Mâh-Sakâ followed, whooping, screaming war cries, and readying their bows. It took precious heartbeats for the Rhoxolāni to react, and during that pause, Helluin and her allies closed to within a furlong. The Noldo raised her bow and fired the first arrow in a ballistic arc so that it fell into the midst of the enemy column. Her host raised their bows and loosed a cloud of arrows towards their fleeing enemies.
Now the Rhoxolāni had come to a gallop, but ere they had ridden a hundred yards, their lead ranks reined to a halt so that those following piled up behind them, throwing their companies into disarray. Directly ahead, another host of Mâh-Sakâ was charging up the riverbank straight towards them, shrieking like banshees, waving their swords, and firing arrows. The blasphemers were caught in a vice whose hostile jaws were swiftly closing.
Only a pair of choices were left to them, to fight on two fronts against a numerically superior force, or to flee inland. They chose the latter, wheeling to abandon the river. Now they started forward, spread in a wide front with little depth. This time they had barely come to a gallop ere they were halted again. Charging to meet them came a third host of Mâh-Sakâ, brandishing their weapons and screaming like maniacs. Then confusion reigned and their host milled, horses screaming, captains shouting contradictory orders, and finally, terrified soldiers turning in the only direction from which no assault came. Before them lay the smooth water of the river, at last free of rapids, and into it they began to ride their horses.
Behind them, on the bank, the dead and wounded littered the ground. The three hosts of the Mâh-Sakâ had converged into an unbroken horde that pressed them e'er more tightly against the riverbank. From 'nigh point blank range, hails of arrows exploded towards them, darkening the sky and providing further motivation. They abandoned their wagons and carts and the drivers flung aside packs and weapons, and in panic, they splashed into the river afoot, hoping to wade its breadth, for they knew 'naught of swimming. Riders urged their horses forward down the bank, praying the current would let them cross ere their mounts tired.
The most terrified went into the river first, the most stubborn last, whilst in the hearts of the rest, fear of their enemies warred with fear of the river 'til they either committed to chance swimming, or were slain as they stood undecided. Some few flung aside their arms and knelt, despairing and begging for mercy. These were more oft slain by their own comrades than by the Mâh-Sakâ. Ere the last sought the water, Tahmirih's host sat in silence, watching as one by one, horses and Men disappeared 'neath the smooth flowing surface. Against the water's depth and the swift current, their devotion to fire availed them not. In the end, 'twas deemed that out of a host of fifty thousand, fewer than ten thousands survived to stagger into the lands of the Medes.
On the hither bank, Helluin sat atop Barq watching with the rest of the host, but unlike the mortals that surrounded her, she could feel the presence of something in that land, something she could only characterize as power. 'Twas far from their place on the river, and whether for good or ill, at such a distance she could not tell. Only was she sure that 'twas not a mortal power comprised of arms, horses, and troops. Rather, what she felt was the hint of a presence from beyond the Mortal Shores, perhaps Sauron in his fortress, or perhaps the Ithryn Luin with Maglor and his warriors.
Curious as she was to discover the source of the power she felt, Helluin would not risk swimming the river to investigate it. Nor would she risk Barq in such a hazardous crossing.
The host remained to watch as the Rhoxolāni trudged off into the distance, the dust raised by their footsteps settling and the dark speckles of their cloaks slowly growing dim.
The lands on both sides of the river were undifferentiated. The steppe spread in an endless dun expanse that would slowly grade to true desert in the south and east somewhere after the river Rā turned south on its way to the eastern seas of the bent world. When the last sight of their foes was lost in the hazy distance, the Mâh-Sakâ host turned and made their way north, back to Didā Artāvan to report their victory.
Now whilst Arpoksai Sultan governed the lands 'twixt the upper branches of the Rā from the stronghold of Didā Artāvan and Tahmirih led the demi-host to complete the campaign in the south, Lipoksai commanded the southern host of the west. Months at a time they spent roaming the lands of western Rhûn 'twixt the upper Rā and the Sea of Rhûn. There they prosecuted the war against the Medes that had raged by then for o'er a decade. Targitai Khan commanded the northern host of the west that rampaged through the lands north of the Sea of Rhûn 'twixt the upper branch of the Rā and the river Silys. For the father and his eldest son, well 'nigh any they came upon in those lands were foes, worshippers of the God of Fire, and therefore blasphemers and idolaters. They slaughtered or drove off all they found, leaving an empty land behind.
Tahmirih and her host returned to Didā Artāvan on 11 Ivanneth bearing tidings of their victory o'er the Rhoxolāni at the river Rā. Arpoksai Sultan rejoiced with his sister and the people celebrated with a great feast. Helluin took counsel with them, for she was intent on learning the truth of the sensation she had felt after the battle. With the year 1980 now growing old and the campaigning season waning, she determined to ride west seeking the khan ere she turned south.
"I deem it fitting that I tell thy father of my suspicions, Arpoksai Sultan," Helluin said. "I am an ally of the khan and of thy people, and if those I seek are indeed to be found, they may prove to be valuable allies as well."
"As thou say, thou art an ally and not subject to my command," Arpoksai said, smiling. "I am sure that my father would value thy counsel and thy tidings. E'er hath he held thee in honor."
O'er the years, the sultan had come to esteem the Noldo for her prowess in battle and her unwavering commitment to their cause. For her part, Helluin had come to feel the same about the Mâh-Sakâ, for they were vehement in prosecuting her cause, the opposition of Sauron.
"As I hold him in high esteem as well," she said. "Shalt thou seek for battle though the year has grown old, or shalt thou stand down for the winter?"
"I am only charged to hold the lands 'twixt the rivers, and now my sister tells me the last of our foes have been defeated or have fled these lands. 'Til I learn the will of my father, I shall not seek war beyond these borders, but rather I shall rest the troops and the horses, replenish supplies, and renew weapons, armor, and gear."
"Then I too shall stand down ere spring," Tahmirih said, and her brother nodded in agreement.
"We have troops sufficient to patrol these lands, sister. With the completion of thy mission, command of the demi-host devolves to the garrison of Didā Artāvan."
"In that case, I too would seek after our father and then accompany Helluin south if she will accept my company on the road."
"I would be glad to accept thy company, Tahmirih," Helluin said, "and if we find those I seek, t'would be good to have a representative of the Mâh-Sakâ to treat with them for to build an alliance."
"And I can think of no finer embassy to come before potential allies," Arpoksai said. "Pray give my regards to our father and our brothers should thou find them."
"I shall offer thy salutations along with the tidings of victory, my brother," the princess said.
"Can thou be ready to ride upon the morrow?" Helluin asked.
"Aye, I shall be ready," Tahmirih said. "Kiana and Ashti shall be ready as well."
"Were thou to ride in the company of any other, I would send a thousand with thee, sister, but Helluin cows all foes and I shall not fear for thee," Arpoksai said.
Helluin dipped her head to honor the sultan's words and vowed, "no harm shall come to the princess, nor to her warriors, whilst in my company."
They took their leave of Didā Artāvan on the morrow, alas delayed 'til after their noon meal by Helluin's determination to obtain a magnetized needle of steel. The purchase of a needle was no challenge, but magnetizing it proved more difficult. Finally, in consultation with one of the sultan's charlatans, Helluin learnt that such a virtue could only be achieved by rubbing the needle against a magnet stone, (rare and lacking in Didā Artāvan), or by the use of friction with the fur of a cat. The Noldo finally found a cat 'nigh the granary, coaxed it forth with a fish head, and then seized the animal and rubbed the needle against its pelt 'til it stuck to Anguirél's hilt. She thanked the disgruntled felid, provided it the remainder of the fish, and rejoined her companions at table.
The foursome left the fortress and made their way west-northwest, the direction proudly determined by Helluin using her newly magnetized needle, stuck through a fragment of palm leaf and floating on water cupped in her hand. The Mâh-Sakâ had rolled their eyes at her display, but they knew the value that such an accoutrement would offer later in their journey. Thrice during the afternoon, the Noldo checked their bearing, making slight course corrections each time. In that way, after a fortnight, the company arrived at the ford of the river Rā. They had veered from their course only to find water. 'Twas 27 Ivanneth.
It had been four years since last they had set foot in that land, as they had returned Alun Sultan from his captivity amongst the Medes. Helluin darkest memory of the area was the explosion skyward of the giant were-worm and its destruction of the small walled town. She was apprehensive as they rode forth in search of Targitai's host and her eyes ceaselessly scanned the landscape for the slightest hint of holes in the ground.
Thankfully, the only evidence of worms that they found was the perforation and boring through of some cadavers of Men and some carcasses of horses that littered what had been a battlefield perhaps two seasons past. Those bodies were shriveled by the intervening months in the sun, fully desiccated by the drying winds, and 'naught moved amidst the stringy remnants of their flesh. The worms had eaten their fill and abandoned the husks, perhaps leaving eggs behind, perhaps not. None of them had been eager to check. Having seen evidence of those lands indeed being infested, the company went forward e'er wary, checked e'ery drop of water, and slept whene'er possible atop outcroppings of solid rock.
'Twas on 1 Narbeleth that in choosing a site for their nightly camp, they came upon a smallish cave in an up thrust stand of rock. For their own safety, they gingerly explored the entrance, thrusting in a torch as deep as an arm would allow. To their horror, beyond a heap of rubble, they found a sarcophagus of notably crude workmanship. The lid slid aside, and rising from it at their intrusion was a mummy.
Now unlike the mummies from the mastaba several years past, this one came to a sitting position and then regarded them o'er the side of its sarcophagus. It groaned and shook its head ere reclining and trying to drag the lid back into place. Helluin, Tahmirih, Kina, and Ashti looked at each other in confusion. In the meantime, the wight continued to struggle with the lid.
"Whyfor hath it not attempted to assail us?" Kiana asked rhetorically. No one had an answer.
Within the cave, the mummy continued to struggle. After several moments, in which it seemed increasingly unlikely that the mummy would be able to reseal its resting place whilst recumbent within it, Helluin crawled inside and warily approached. She marked that nestled into a carved niche in the cave wall at the head of the sarcophagus stood a row of canopic jars.
The Noldo deemed this to be her chance to answer the question presented by Barq some years past, and so she lifted a jar at random. Now this jar was capped with a sculpture of a human head, and though she knew it not, 'twas called Imseti, a representation of one of the four sons of Horus, and it guarded the mummy's liver. She could clearly feel movement within, and so she lifted the lid and chanced a peek. Sure enough, the desiccated organ lay within and 'twas clearly unquiet. Helluin stared at it in amazement, then replaced the lid and set it back in the niche. She next examined the baboon-headed jar, called Hapi, who had the honor of holding the mummy's lungs. These wheezed when she observed them. Again, she recapped the jar and set it back onto the niche. She discovered that the same animation enlivened the organs in the final two jars, capped by portraits of Duamutef, a jackal-headed jar that contained a stomach, and Qebehsenuef a falcon who held intestines. The stomach was engaged in peristalsis, contracting repeatedly, whilst the intestines exhibited rhythmic contractions that traveled down their length. Following her observations, Helluin sat petrified in amazement, glowing weakly simply to provide herself with sufficient Light.
"Blessed Isis, Queen of the Throne, replace my organs in my body that I may have life again," the mummy grated out in a dusty rasp. He was now sitting upright and staring at her.
Helluin was dumbfounded, staring back at the mummy and unable to comprehend how she could understand its speech. Outside the mouth of the cave, Tahmirih, Kiana, and Ashti crouched, staring in with mouths agape in utter astonishment. The mummy canted his head to Helluin in question, obviously hoping to prompt a response, and a puff of dust sifted from 'neath the bandages 'round his neck from the movement.
"I may be able to replace thy organs, but I cannot grant thee life," Helluin finally managed to croak out. She belatedly realized that the mummy already seemed to be alive in spite of not having his organs in his body.
"But art thou not Isis? I can see the glow that surrounds thee, even with my shriveled eyes," he said. He would likely have blinked, save that his lids were shrunken and frozen in place.
"Alas, I am not Isis. The glow comes of my abiding in the Blessed West long ago."
"Then have I not come to Duat, dwelling place of the Gods? Art thou not attended by Anubis who shall weigh my heart and Thoth to record my judgment?"
"Nay, thou hast not come to Duat, and nay, I have not seen them," Helluin said, thankful to have not encountered any of the mummy's animal-headed gods, but now wholly absorbed in the conversation. "I wager that thou hast not moved since thine interment."
"Then I am confused," the mummy admitted, "for if I have not traversed the underworld in the solar bark and 'tis not the time of my judgment, then whyfor have I wakened?"
"I know not, save perhaps by my intrusion into thy tomb?"
"Perhaps," he said, seeming to mull o'er that possibility. He brought fingers to his mouth as if to chew his nails, found them wrapped in bandages, and retracted his arm.
"Know thou thy name or 'aught regarding thy death?" Helluin could not resist asking.
"My name I shall not recover 'til I am judged, or so I was taught. Of my death, I believe I was amongst the last of my people to migrate south, following our chieftain to Faiyum, but I ne'er came there."
Helluin nodded to him, though she had ne'er heard of Faiyum.
"If I am not to be judged, then I should resume my rest," the mummy said with a sigh of resignation, lying back down in his sarcophagus, "pray aid me with the lid?"
"That at least I can do for thee. Be blessed and come to thy next life renewed," Helluin said.
She slid the lid back onto the sarcophagus, careful to make sure that the edges aligned with the sides. In the niche, the canopic jars were stilled. She resisted the temptation to open them and check. Finally, the Noldo hunched down and crawled out through the cave mouth. The Mâh-Sakâ stood staring at her in silence, and Helluin was silently counting 'til they broke from their paralysis to pelt her with questions. She made it to eneg, (six). Thereafter, they were insatiable and 'twas late in the night ere they ceased.
"A strange enchantment holds sway, I deem, for as aforetime when we understood the words of the wights' chant 'neath the mastaba, so too was I able to understand what he said," Helluin explained. "Did his words make any sense to ye?"
The three shook their heads 'nay'.
"'Twas 'naught but gibberish to us, Helluin, both his words and thine own in reply," Ashti said.
"Huh," the Noldo said, shaking her head in amazement, "then I understand it not."
They set out again the next morn. Finding the small battlefield with its worm eaten corpses aforetime had attested that they were following in the wake of the khan's host, but they deemed that they were months behind. The winds had scoured away any tracks from that time, and so they could not but continue along the same course 'til they found more contemporary spoor.
The company continued west-northwest for another week, 'til on 8 Narbeleth, they came to the ford on the river Silys. 'Cross the water stood the small town they had passed through on their way east. The walls were still intact and they could mark no evidence of fighting. No tracks of the passage of a host were to be seen in the ford or the banks. They reckoned that Targitai and his host had not crossed the Silys, and indeed this had been his plan. The Red Khan intended to first clear the lands east of the Sea of Rhûn, for there he and his eldest son Lipoksai had already warred with their hosts for many years.
Because the lands to the north had been the scene of the great were-worm's destruction of the walled town, and because that attack had been precipitated by the noise of the besieging riders, Helluin and Tahmirih thought it less likely that Targitai had led his far greater host north rather than south. Acting on their expectations, they turned their search south-southeast.
It took another four days ere they came upon a clear set of tracks, but on 12 Narbeleth, they found the remains of an encampment too large for a smaller band of riders. Enough of the trail remained despite the wind that they could see that a host had ridden south. They followed for the remainder of that day and the next two, coming upon the ruins of a walled town, and beyond it, spreading in all directions, lay the encampment of the Red Khan's host. At the sight of it, the four rider's eyes widened. 'Twas surrounding the very same town they had come upon and hastily fled during their journey east, a town destroyed by the were-worms.
With great reluctance and little enthusiasm, Helluin, Tahmirih, Kiana, and Ashti approached a company of sentries who had ridden forth from the encampment to meet them. The town was one of the last places they were eager to visit. 'Twas 14 Narbeleth.
The leader of the sentry detail bowed in the saddle to greet the princess and offered welcome.
"Princess Tahmirih, we are thankful to see thee safe. Please accompany us to the camp and we shall send word of thine arrival to the khan."
Tahmirih dipped her head to acknowledge the commander's words and said, "We thank thee for thy welcome and shall be glad to accompany thee. I have tidings of battle for my father."
Along the way to the camp, the princess traded words with the commander.
"I am surprised to find my father's host encamped 'nigh a town destroyed by were-worms."
"Many of us were also uneasy, but the khan's astrologers and other practenders to the esoteric sciences have assured us that the worms are far and their coming was long ago." In a softer voice, he added, "Still, we sleep with one ear to the earth, may we remain uneaten."
The Man appeared nervous despite the reassurances of the khan's charlatans. Helluin was less than reassured and appraised him closely. Sure enough, there was dirt in his right ear. She realized that he had spoken literally.
They found that two large tents had been set flanking the larger tent of the khan. It seemed that Targitai had maintained accommodations for the possible visits of his eldest son and daughter. The four were shown to one of the large tents and found it furnished with four of e'erything, just as it had been when they had last seen it. Helluin joined the others in hanging her bow, quiver, and travel bag from the weapons stand and then washing the dust from her face and hands. After but the sixth part of an hour, a soldier arrived and announced that the khan would see them. He meant, immediately.
Straightaway, Tahmirih led the way to her father's tent, with Kiana and Ashti a step behind her and Helluin bringing up the rear. The sentries at the entrance bowed and one held the tent flap open for them. When they stepped inside, it seemed that 'naught had changed since they had met outside Ürgenҫ and Helluin confirmed this with a quick reference to her memories. The four bowed to the Red Khan, and Targitai nodded to acknowledge them.
"Welcome, daughter. I am blessed to see thee safe. It hath been told that thou bear tidings."
"Father, I rejoice in finding thee safe. 'Tis true. I bear tidings of victory. Of late, the last of the Rhoxolāni and their allies fled south 'cross the Rā after much slaughter. Our lands east of the river are now free of the infidels and idolaters. Arpoksai rests the host at Didā Artāvan."
The khan smiled at learning of his daughter's victory and the safety of his middle son. Then, Targitai ordered chairs and refreshments brought, and when his guests were seated, he called for the tale of their victory and the state of the east. As at their first meeting, and in many more o'er the years since, only Tahmirih spoke to provide their report. 'Til 'twas done, all sat silent and 'naught was questioned. The three viziers, the scribe, several of the khan's pseudo-scientists, and Prince Kolaksai, now age twenty and a sub-commander of the host, listened carefully.
When Tahmirih completed her report and the few questions had been asked and answered, the princess introduced Helluin's intent to travel south, "for at the final defeat of the blasphemers, she felt some power emanating from the lands to the south. She deems it comes of the West."
Targitai Khan became yet more attentive and asked for the Noldo's impressions.
"As I stood upon the northward bank, I was visited by the certainty that some power come from the Blessed Realm abode to the south. The distance would have been a day's ride or more, and I could not mark whether 'twas good or evil, only that it exists. I learnt some years past that the Blue Wizards had their stronghold in that area. I deem the chances good that 'tis they, and so I shall investigate in hope of finding a potent ally to aid in the prosecution of the devils."
"'Tis the words of the 'angel' in the huluppu tree that thou recall?"
"Aye, Targitai Khan. In the huluppu tree, Liltisse the Maia spoke of their location. I had come east seeking them after many centuries, hoping to hear tidings of Sauron's fortress in Rhûn."
The khan nodded, recalling his first conversation with the Noldo at the time of her arrival. After four years of campaigning with her, the notion of finding more allies from Aman was very appealing.
"Deem thou that these wizards of azure would ally themselves with the Mâh-Sakâ, Helluin?"
"For Pallando and Alatar I cannot speak ere I find them, though they were charged by the Elder King to oppose Sauron. What wiles they may now employ I cannot know save through taking counsel with them, yet they rejected him in the Blessed Realm and revile his master, Morgoth. I wager they are already thine allies in spirit."
"Father, as the host has stood down for the winter and I am not on campaign, I believe t'would be of value for me to accompany Helluin in her search for this fortress of wizards. Should we succeed, then I can act as embassy for the Mâh-Sakâ in seeking an alliance," Tahmirih said.
The khan nodded in agreement with his daughter's intention.
"Then thou art appointed embassy for the Mâh-Sakâ Confederation and have authority to treat with these wizards on behalf of the Council of Clans," he declared.
He shared a glance with Enaree and the grand vizier gave him a nod and left the tent.
"Thou knew these wizards aforetime in Aman, Helluin?" The Khan asked.
"Aye, I knew them long whilst dwelling 'cross the sea. They are Maiar, hunters who followed in the train of the Vala Oromë, the Huntsman."
"Then I shall wish thee well in thy search, Helluin," Targitai said. "I shall hope for thy success as well, daughter. Perhaps we shall begin the coming year's campaign with the aid of mighty allies."
"I shall present our case and do what I can, father."
Shortly later, Enaree returned to the tent with a document, and the scribe offered his quill to the khan. Targitai signed it at the bottom, validating an official Appointment of Embassy from the Mâh-Sakâ Confederation for his daughter.
Thereafter they spent the night in the encampment and took their leave in the morning heading southeast. Helluin reckoned their way would lead five hundred miles, but with her magnetized needle, she deemed they would spend as little as a fortnight if all went well. 'Twas 15 Narbeleth.
Now of course, not all things went well or according to expectations, for when have they e'er? As their journey had begun at a town wrecked by were-worms, they traveled warily at first. Indeed, for the first half-week, they slept with their ears to the ground, cleaning the dirt from them in the mornings. E'er they expected to hear the rumble and feel the tremors in the earth that would warn of a were-worm tunneling somewhere 'neath them. Had they been able to command their horses to tiptoe, they would have done so. Instead, they padded their hooves with many folds of sackcloth in hopes of softening their tread.
After three days, and having come by then a distance of one hundred miles, they deemed they had safely left the lands bordering the Sea of Rhûn. They breathed a sigh of relief, for the most worm-eaten terrain lay behind them. That night, they camped beside a seep of water, a shallow pool of a ranga's diameter with neither inlet, nor outlet, for there was not an outcrop of rock in sight and they thought to occupy the most advantageous place available. The horses stood close by, having perceived the nervousness of their riders for the past half-week. Now they nervously stepped in place, snorting softly and swiveling their ears as their eyes shifted ceaselessly from side to side.
"Still this land makes me nervous, and even the horses are unquiet this night," Ashti muttered.
"I too distrust this land. 'Tis only fit for Satan and his worms," Kiana whispered in agreement.
They were lying side by side in bedrolls, their eyes shifting ceaselessly from side to side just like their horses, and each had one ear pressed to the ground. Tahmirih sat a short way off having taken the first watch, her head shifting ceaselessly from side to side. Helluin took it all in, then got up and walked o'er to the horses.
Know thou 'aught that I too should know, O Barq? She asked, remarking on his disquiet.
'Tis 'naught about this land to settle the heart, O Helluin, he said, and the nervousness of thy companions least of all.
Beside him, Kiana's mare and Tahmirih's stallion nodded their heads in agreement. Helluin groaned and shook her head. It seemed that the common morale was suffering in a loop of feedback, humans to horses and horses back to humans, each adding to the jumpiness of the other. We are but a step away from panic, she thought.
We have marked 'naught of tremors or wormholes of late, she said to them in silence, trying for a reassuring tone, and I wager it most likely that any worms are far from us this night.
The four horses stared into her eyes, looking like they desperately wanted to believe her. After a short while, in which she added 'naught further and the ground remained still, they nodded and turned away to again survey the surrounding landscape.
Helluin sighed to herself, hoping that perhaps reason was displacing fear at last and they would all rest better this night. At least, one could hope. She returned to her ground cloth of onionskins and lay down to gaze at the stars.
Now it seemed she had no sooner reclined than the ground began to shake. So jumpy had her companions become by then that Kiana and Ashti leapt from their bedrolls, crouching to maintain their footing as the ground rolled 'neath their feet. Tahmirih was standing and staring frantically in all directions. The four horses neighed in panic and then bolted where the princess had looked, in all directions. Helluin groaned, snatched up her travel bag and weapons, and then rolled to her feet. Though the ground 'neath their entire camp was shaking, her eyes lit on the one anomaly that differentiated that piece of ground from its surroundings.
"Flee the seep!" She screamed to the others. "Get away from the water!"
It took a precious moment for her words to pierce their panic, but the Mâh-Sakâ followed their horses and bolted off in all directions. The shaking in the ground only grew stronger as Helluin joined them; fleeing in the direction Barq had taken. They managed to cover perhaps five fathoms ere the ground 'neath the seep exploded upwards, raising a cloud of dirt and raining clods down on their heads. They continued running, but the Noldo chanced a glance back o'er her shoulder.
Sure enough, a were-worm had engulfed the seep in its gaping jaws, which were now a good dozen feet up in the air atop the writhing cylindrical body of the worm. 'Twas perhaps three feet in diameter, but its full length was still hidden in the ground. She marked that this creature was far smaller than the worm seen aforetime.
Being by then fifty feet away, Helluin stopped and turned to watch. A glance revealed her companions still running whilst the horses had disappeared into the darkness. It seemed the only real losses, aside from their peaceful night's rest, were some bedrolls and some miscellaneous baggage that had been flung aside by the worm's explosion into the air.
And no one was truly resting peacefully this night anyway, Helluin observed, 'tis probably just as well to get this possibility out of our systems. Ahhh well…
Now after its initial launch skyward, and perhaps half a minute spent waving 'round in a threatening fashion, the were-worm slewed o'er onto its side on the ground next to the hole. The rumbling and shaking in the ground had completely faded, and so she deemed the worm was alone. It seemed to the Noldo that the monster had come for a drink, 'naught more.
Using her full stealth, Helluin slipped silently forward with steps so light that none would mark her passing. She kept her focus on the creature protruding from the wormhole as it wriggled blindly on the ground. Along the way, she marked Kiana and Ashti's bedrolls and a saddlebag full of rations, then a water skin and Tahmirih's saddle. Finally, the Noldo managed to come alongside the worm so that she stood a yard behind its mouth. With a swift down stroke of Anguirél, she hewed off its 'head', or at least the three-frontmost feet of its body.
Arghhh! Disgusting! I believe I shall vomit! The Black Sword exclaimed without a shred of irony.
Now just as had the serpent from the huluppu tree, the exposed section of the were-worm's decapitated body took to flailing and thrashing blindly in its agony. On the ground, the severed mouth flexed and snapped its teeth. Helluin was forced to flee its presence again. From a safe distance, she regarded this activity and wondered how long it could continue. Finally, she shook her head, and careful to avoid the lashing of the worm, retrieved the company's fallen baggage and slung it safely beyond reach. Last, she managed to snag her ground cloth, but finding it badly ripped, flung it down the worm's maw in disgust. In the end, she watched 'til dawn, by which time the worm's activity had diminished not at all.
At some point, the Mâh-Sakâ had collected their wits and returned, and seeing the aftermath of Helluin's actions, collected their baggage and then went in search of their horses. 'Twas the better part of an hour ere they returned, though the horses would not approach closer than a hundred yards from the ruined campsite. By then, Helluin had managed to kick the snapping mouth down into its own severed maw, just out of curiosity to see what would happen. Alas, she obtained no insights into nature or the cosmos, and finally joined her companions as they took their leave.
After taking stock of their losses and mounting, they had no difficulty to convince the horses to run fifty miles a day for the next two days. In that way, they put a hundred miles 'twixt themselves and the scene of the were-worm attack. Again, they deemed they had put sufficient distance 'twixt themselves and the Sea of Rhûn. By then, the horses were tiring more quickly, and though Barq exhorted them to continue at that pace, the lack of rich forage and abundant water had left them weakened. The company settled on a pace of thirty-five miles a day so that by the end of the week after the attack, they had come two hundred seventy-five miles. 'Twas then 24 Narbeleth. They had been gone from the Red Khan's encampment for nine days and had come three hundred seventy-five miles. Helluin deemed that they were right on schedule.
Now in the evening of the 24th, the company found themselves riding atop a low ridge. To their west lay a narrow valley with a dry riverbed at its bottom. 'Twas no way to know for sure if it had been dry for a season or a century. A small pool of water had seeped from the boundary 'twixt two rock layers and the company counted themselves fortunate to have found it. They refilled their water skins and the horses drank the rest. Having learnt their lesson aforetime, they tarried not, but rode another mile.
The company made their night's camp amidst the ruins of a small town long abandoned, with fallen walls and not a single footprint hinting at its inhabitants. They deemed it most likely that the river had dried up long ago, and thereafter the town had been left to the elements.
Full dark approached as they shared some rations and water whilst the horses grumbled o'er fibrous mouthfuls of sere steppe grass. The stars kindled in the dark dome above and 'round them night deepened, peaceful and quiet. Tahmirih, Kiana, and Ashti lay down to sleep, whilst Helluin took the first watch and sat atop a ruined wall.
After a couple hours, the Noldo marked the disappearance of the 'nigh constant breeze. A heavy silence draped itself o'er the camp as if 'twas smothered 'neath a shroud of rawhide. She decided to make a circuit of the perimeter, and so she dropped off the wall and strode downslope a ways to the west. It seemed the dirt road gave way to paving, and after a few dozen feet, the paving appeared well 'nigh new. She looked up from the road and saw silent water flowing down the riverbed, and small boats of bundled reeds tied to posts driven into the shore.
Turning, Helluin looked back, only to see that behind her, the ruined town had been restored! Now buildings of mud brick stood where aforetime there had been broken foundations, tumbled walls, and fallen rooves. In the center, upon the highest point of the ridge, there stood a keep with windows lit bright yellow by candles or lamps. A causeway of pounded earth led up from the river to the town, and upon it was a throng bearing torches and charging uphill. It seemed they had been incited to violence, for they clutched farm implements and brandished them as an army would pikes and spears. Many mouths were opened wide, perhaps in threats or curses, but not a sound came to the Noldo's ears.
Curious, Helluin followed, and despite the haste of the villagers, she soon caught up with them. A glance at the countenance of a townsman revealed features twisted by anger, and 'neath it, the Noldo perceived a primal fear. The mob seemed to be of one mind, desperate to redress whatsoe'er outrage had been perpetrated upon them. Straightaway they came to the keep and they smote upon its doors. All their rage and effort was to no avail, for that portal was stout and barred against them. In frustration, they flung their torches through windows and the fire caught on the furnishings within. Soon it spread, reaching e'er higher whilst flames leapt and smoke billowed from the lower windows.
Helluin backed off a pace and looked up. In the topmost window of the tower, she saw the figure of a Man of great stature, immensely strong and immensely ugly. A closer look revealed that he appeared to have been stitched together from many cadavers, a dark necromancy surely, for he was animated, indeed frantic. She watched as he howled and railed against the throng gathered 'neath him, but he was impotent to smite them. In the final moments of the vision, he cast his eyes to the heavens and raised his arms in a gesture of supplication as if beseeching the gods for deliverance. Then he disappeared with a final shriek of despair, forsaken utterly as the tower fell, collapsing in a conflagration whose flames leapt into the sky. Against all expectations, 'twas sympathy the Noldo felt most strongly.
Helluin blinked and found herself standing alone in the still darkness 'neath the silent sky. A slight breeze picked up, shifting the dry grass so that it danced with rhyme, but not reason. A horse snorted and hooves shifted. All was as it had been. The riverbed was bone dry, and if there had e'er been a causeway, 'twas long ago eroded away. The town was a ruin, just as it had been for centuries. Helluin walked back to the wall, but on the way, she examined the highest point of the ridge. There she found a few broken stones that might once have been burnt. Finally, she took a seat, and resumed her watch.
As the night grew old, Helluin pondered the vision. It meant 'naught to her. The town and its keep had been far from impressive pieces of architecture. Like the people and all else about the setting, 'twas unidentifiable and undistinguished. There had been no emblems, no heraldry, and no banners. Helluin could not even determine the time period, and as no words had been heard, she had no clue to the language or the civilization. If there was 'aught to be learnt from the vision, it wholly escaped her. 'Twas vexing, but there was 'naught to be done about it.
Dawn tinted the eastern horizon, coloring a few thin clouds, and light grew in the sky. Tahmirih, Kiana, and Ashti crawled out of their bedrolls, yawned, stretched, and looked 'round at the quality of the day. The princess cast her eyes to the wall and saw Helluin, who gave her a 'thumbs up' sign declaring that all had been quiet and no threats had been seen. She replied with a nod and then took a drink from her water skin. Soon, they were ready to continue their ride.
The company continued another three days, and on the fourth, they marked a dark line in the distance that resolved through the late morn and early afternoon into a line of trees. By this sign, they knew they were approaching the river Rā and had come to the lands from which Helluin had sensed an aura of power.
Now the Noldo sharpened her focus and again felt the sensation of some presence come of the Blessed Realm. As aforetime, it lay ahead, but this time she was convinced that 'twas on the same side of the river. They rode forward through the afternoon and as Anor westered, Helluin felt the power drawing 'nigh. Dusk began to fall, and through the gloaming hour, Helluin continued on. So 'twas that as evening darkened they came upon a road trod by many hooves, whereon the ruts of wagon wheels too could be seen.
The company followed the road 'til full dark o'ertook them, but the power Helluin sensed lay now so close that stopping was inconceivable to her. She rode forward and felt the quickening of her fëa that she recalled from Aman in the Years of the Trees. The land rose and the road followed it, and the company crested that low rise and looked down onto the wide land of the steppe, flat as it drew towards the river. There in the midground stood a fortress of massive sandstone blocks, its walls tall and thick, and its gates of steel stronger than any they had seen in the east. Square towers rose flanking the gate and within those walls stood a keep, tall and massive.
But for Helluin, there was no question that this was the bastion of those who had come from Aman, for on the front faces of the towers flanking the gate there were carved the emblems of Two Trees in flower, one on each tower, and these she recognized from her memories. An image of Telperion was graven on the left-hand tower, and the likeness of Laurelin was depicted on the right-hand tower. Yet more even than these affirmations of the allegiance of the fortress to the West was the subtle aura of Light that came from within.
Although there were many ways for travelers to announce themselves when coming as unknowns to a fortress, there was only one way by which they would not be questioned. When they stood twenty yards from the gate, Helluin bid them halt. She doffed her black cloak so that her weapons and armor were visible, and then she rode forward another horse length. There she too stopped, and then she burst into a subdued ril of silver and gold, sufficient to illuminate their figures in the dark. Then she called upon the wellspring of Light that she had absorbed in Aman and the power within her flashed o'er the fortress, expanding in a blinding sphere 'cross the landscape like a tidal wave, but with the speed of a thunderclap. Behind her, the Mâh-Sakâ recoiled and shielded their eyes.
As the circle of Helluin's Light raced into the distance, there came a creaking of hinges and the gates of the fortress slowly edged open 'til a space of a few yards appeared at the center. Then in answer to Helluin incandescence, from the keep came twin flares of azure that exploded like lightning bolts upwards into the sky.
Before them, a single knight rode from the gates at a walk, and he came forward 'til two fathoms separated him from Helluin. Brilliantly polished and bejeweled was his armor, and upon his shield were scribed Tengwar of Fëanor declaring the bearer in the Quenya of Tirion. This, Helluin read at a glance and she bowed in the saddle and offered a greeting.
"Áye, Héru Kanafinwë,¹" Helluin said, tempering her formality with a grin. ¹(Áye, Héru Kanafinwë, Hail, Lord Maglor Quenya)
"Mai omentie, Heldalúne Maica i móremenel,¹" Maglor said in reply, a broad smile on his face. "'Tis good to see thee again, my old friend." ¹(Mai Omentie, Heldalúne Maica i móremenel, Well met, Helluin Maeg-mórmenel Quenya)
To Be Continued