In An Age Before – Part 220
Chapter One Hundred forty-two
The Fall of Skator, Rhûn – The Third Age of the Sun
An hour ere noon on 16 Nórui, Targitai's three messengers returned 'cross the bridge o'er the river Rā. They were then in the familiar homelands of the Mâh-Sakâ Confederation. Ere nightfall, they had covered another thirty-five miles and reached an outpost of General Arpoksai's host where they rested for the night and took fresh horses for the next day's ride.
On the morn of the 17th, they continued north just after dawn. Didā Artāvan lay two hundred twenty-five miles north of the bridge o'er the Rā and they had covered thirty-five of those miles on their first day. They reckoned that in the late afternoon three days hence, they would reach the Blessed Fortress and offer their tidings to the Lord Targitai.
Riding the new horses, the messengers covered fifty miles that day and camped out at a small wahat o'ernight. Though their mounts had already run a full day, with plentiful water and forage they were rejuvenated enough to make almost forty miles on the 18th. That night they again stayed at an outpost of the army and changed horses for their ride on the 19th. That day, the messengers covered a hair o'er fifty miles, but were forced to camp out that night with little forage and only the water seeping from 'twixt layers of rock in the face of a bluff. The riders let their horses drink their fill in the evening and waited 'til the morn to refill their own water skins from the small pool that gathered 'neath the seep. Thereafter, they let the horses drink the pool dry ere they returned to the road.
In the morn of the 20th, they started their final day's ride. They pushed their horses hard 'til the early afternoon, but by then they had reached the outpost that Arpoksai had established on the site by the small wahat where aforetime had stood the ancient mastabas filled with cursed mummies. The messengers exchanged horses there and then raced for Didā Artāvan. They arrived in the late afternoon just as they had hoped, and went straight to the citadel to report to their lord.
Targitai was eager to hear their tidings. Kouridatês, Iazad, and Azariôn came before him in a counselor's chamber that Arpoksai had provided for his father's use during his current stay at the fortress. After they had presented an initial summary of their visit to the lands of the Magi Lāžaward, Targitai held up a hand to forestall the presentation of added details.
"What thou hast told is too important for my ears alone," the ex-khan said to Kouridatês, "and there are others now upon whom thy tidings bear. I bid thee await their arrival."
He exchanged a glance with the e'er present Enaree who then took his leave in haste. Targitai had seats and refreshments brought for the trio of messengers and together they waited.
'Twas not long ere Enaree returned with the Mage Halatir, Arpoksai, and Tahmirih. At their entrance, Kouridatês, Iazad, and Azariôn leapt to their feet and bowed. Arpoksai and the Khātūn took chairs and set them beside Targitai's, then settled to hear the tidings from the south as Enaree and Halatir stood flanking them.
"I bid ye continue now," Targitai said, "and leave 'naught unsaid, even if 'tis but your own impressions of what ye have seen."
Thereafter the three messengers spoke at length and well 'nigh e'ery detail of their time in the wizards' citadel was examined. All that they had witnessed they now recounted, and all that they had seen or heard was told. As messengers, they were not only charged to recite verbatim, but also commit to memory all that was said to them, and to repeat it word for word upon their return. The three Men had absorbed details like sponges, especially Iazad and Azariôn who had not been called upon to voice their lord's missive.
Their recitation was followed by many questions and 'twas well past the time of the evening meal ere they finished.
"How is such a weapon possible?" Targitai asked his Mage.
"The spirits of the Celbin are possessed of a Light acquired during their time in the Blessed Realm long ago," Halatir told the group. "All of my people who were liberated from the dungeons of the Barad-dûr marked this phenomenon in varying degrees amongst the Elves of Lindon and Imladris during the siege of Mordor. Like us, the Elves of Lórinand and Calenglad did not project such brilliance from their fëar. Those spirit lights all the Elves can perceive. I also marked that some outshone others and Helluin the brightest of them all. I can only suppose that the Ithryn Luin, or the Magi Lāžaward as thy people call them, have harnessed that Light to create a weapon."
"The Magi made no explanations," Iazad said, "yet with their beam of Light, they clove the top from a spire of rock at a distance of some three furlongs."
The other two messengers nodded in agreement with his recollection, and Azariôn added, "'Twas sheared off as clean as a sharp knife would slice a sausage."
"By the times they estimated, their attack would not begin for at least another three weeks or more?" Tahmirih Khātūn asked.
"Aye, they were determined to scout the God of Fire's fortress and that lay four hundred miles west," Kouridatês said. "I reckon t'would take their party a fortnight, two for the round trip, and then another three weeks for the march of an army."
"A fortnight at least and perhaps a week more there is ere they march from their fortress," Arpoksai guessed. "Their fortress lies but a week's ride south. There is time aplenty to come there and then ride with their army to witness the attack."
For a while, none spoke, each mulling o'er in their own minds the tidings they had received. Yet as had been his place for half a century, 'twas Targitai who spoke first.
"Thou art Khātūn now," he said, looking to his daughter. "What are thine orders?"
"We go to support our allies," Tahmirih said. "My father shall depart to the fortress of the Magi Lāžaward within the week. I shall ride west at dawn to gather the hosts and then come south with Kolaksai and Lipoksai. Arpoksai shall guard our lands east from the Silys and the Sea of Rhûn with his host 'til our return."
Having made their plans, the messengers were dismissed at last for their evening meal and a well-deserved night's rest following their hard ride.
On the morn of the 21st, as the sun broke the horizon and Targitai rose and began his daily meditation, three horses galloped west from Didā Artāvan. The notion of the ruler of an entire empire riding with an escort of only two warriors would have been unimaginable elsewhere, but these were the homelands of the Mâh-Sakâ and things were different there than in the west.
Tahmirih, Kiana, and Ashti would travel 'nigh five hundred miles to meet her brother Kolaksai and gather his host. Thereafter, they would turn south to meet Lipoksai. The eldest brother would have to assign a quarter of his host to guard the western flank against any opportunistic incursions, but even so, in a month, the Khātūn would lead a third of a million warriors against the stronghold of the Great Enemy. Despite the fearsome weapon that Helluin and the blue wizards had created, battle was fought with bows, spears, and swords, and to wield such, hands were required, the more, the better.
Now following the demonstration of E-ngúrglaw, the scouting party to Skator was organized. Rations were drawn, (mostly waybread and dried meat), weapons and armor checked, and provisions loaded. Helluin and Maglor would lead a party of two dozen Umanyar, all veterans who had seen Sauron's fortress a decade aforetime.
To support them on the eight hundred mile roundtrip, a train of six packhorses carrying sustenance for a month, along with medical supplies and spare clothing would replace a slower moving cart. They set out in the evening of the 16th, the starlit night being more welcome to the Elves than the hot summer days.
Despite the best estimates of their mission duration by the Mâh-Sakâ messengers, the scouting party had purposely excluded mortal Men. There would be no nightly camps for sleeping. Indeed, the pace of their ride would be dictated by the endurance of the horses, and horses sleep but a few hours a day. Although their mounts required perhaps five hours of rest in twenty-four, that time included feeding, resting, and sleeping, and horses can sleep standing up. Some of the Elvish trained mounts could even doze off whilst walking at a relaxed pace. The remainder of their rest time was allotted to lying down as required for dreaming, or for simply relaxing their legs from the labor of walking 'neath a load, especially during the heat of summer days.
The Elves, both Merbin and Celbin, could remain alert for days at a stretch if required. Even whilst enmeshed in the resting of their minds, they were not insensate or oblivious and were quick and easy to rouse. 'Twas also possible to rest one's mind in the saddle, and the notion of a 'sleeping' Elf riding a sleeping horse was potentially worrisome in lands where sudden ravines yawned 'cross trails, or pools of quicksand lay hidden 'neath littered leaves.
Of course, there was no lack for apocryphal tales regarding such occurrences. 'Aught that can be imagined is sure to be attested in some dubious account conveyed from a 'friend of a friend', or heard by a distant relation no longer living. Given the unending lifespan of the Elder Kindred, there might be one in any company who knew of an Elf of Doriath who had 'slept' whilst crossing the Iant Iaur and inadvertently strayed into Nan Dungortheb, there to be eaten by spiders as his companions fled in terror. Many had heard the tale of one who had 'sleep' ridden to a deadly fall into the ravine of Teiglin and was ne'er seen again, though each teller of the story gave him a different name.
Legitimate historians might have been suspicious that so many such incidents had occurred in long-drowned Beleriand whence no source or detail could be confirmed. Still, doubtful veracity stifled not the telling, as when occasionally one would hear of an itinerant trader who had happened upon a gem that turned out to be a Silmaril. And from time to time, there would even be whispers that the Abhorred's Ring had been found, always unexpectedly, and always by some unlikely party who remained ignorant of the peril that had come into his possession. That one, at least, no one believed.
It took the scouting party but ten days to cover the distance 'twixt the Blue Wizards' fortress and Skator. In the evening of 26 Nórui, Helluin and Maglor led their company to the outskirts of the circular ridge that formed the outer border of the circular plain in the center of which stood Sauron's fortress. They had slain sentries and emptied a pair of Wainrider camps at thirty and fifteen miles out, just as they had done in Lothron of 1984. Yet as had not been the case aforetime, they were forced to waylay and slaughter parties of mounted sentries as they came 'nigh the ridge.
Now when the approach was finally clear of foes, all steeled their hearts to confront the vast ugliness of the crater and the evil of Sheol. Topping the ridge, the Elves beheld the desolate plain and the rocky spur at its center, and 'twas e'ery bit as revolting as they recalled. They marked the breaching of the encircling ridge to the east and west allowing passage on roads leading in direct lines from the gates of the fortress. The changes were clearly for the benefit of mounted troops. Whereas aforetime the plain had been deserted, indeed devoid of any life, now 'twas populated with thousands of tents, with massive wains, and with thousands of picketed horses. It seemed that Sauron had amassed a host, though whether for defense alone or for some other end, the Elves knew not. One further detail they marked. All of the tents encircled the walls of the fortress, just as one would expect of a defense, howe'er they stood off from the walls by almost a half-mile. Likewise, 'nigh a half-mile separated the outermost tents from the inner margin of the circular ridge.
Helluin groaned at the sight of it and rolled o'er to lie on her back, staring out into the surrounding steppe. Finally, she turned to Maglor and the two Noldor took counsel together.
"What guess would thou make as to their count, meldir nín?" She asked
"Fifty thousands at the least, but almost certainly more," he replied without hesitation.
She nodded, deeming his estimate accurate. They had seen a ring of tents in a circle a half-mile thick whose outer boundary was two miles in diameter.
"By the arrangement of their camp, I deem they fear both what lies within and what threatens from without," she said, and saw Maglor nod in agreement.
"I wonder how many of them have been sacrificed," Maglor mused, "'twixt the spider and the cruelty of their master."
"Obviously not enough," was Helluin's immediate reply. She thought for a moment and then said, "T'would seem we need questions answered."
The prince sighed and then again nodded in agreement. He withdrew from the crest of the ridge to take counsel with the commander of the Moriquendi. Afterwards, a half-dozen rode off into the night. Maglor returned to the ridge, finding Helluin scanning the fortress with her telescope. After appraising the citadel and the base of the spur, she handed him the viewing tube.
"There are many Yrch on the wall walks," she said, "and as e'er a thin column of smoke rises from the temple. I also mark strange tracks 'round the base of the spur. Perhaps they shall seem familiar to thee as well?"
Maglor brought the telescope to his eye and adjusted the focus.
"I mark not a single Man within the walls," he said after a while.
"Nor did I," Helluin agreed. They have all been driven hence as a living shield against invasion, though I wager many have been taken by the guardian of the fortress.
A moment later, he sucked in his breath and then hissed an exhale 'twixt his teeth.
"I have not seen such tracks in three Ages of the world, and not at all upon the Mortal Shores."
"Nor have I, meldir nín. Ensconced within the Echoriath, we spent no time on the south border of Dorthonion."
Maglor lowered the viewing tube and returned it to Helluin, then turned onto his back, sliding down 'neath the crest of the ridge.
"They are 'nigh as large as I recall…"
"I had thought the same, insofar as I can tell from this distance," said Helluin as she resumed spying on Skator. "I wonder how long we would be forced to tarry ere seeing the proof of our suspicions."
"I would be willing to linger through this night on the chance," he said, casting a glance up to mark Ithil's position.
"As would I, for I do not believe t'would willingly come forth by daylight."
"I wager that by then, the sentries we have slain shall be missed," Maglor said, "if not sooner."
"Perhaps we shall receive some answers ere that."
Now the hours of the night passed and 'naught moved within the camp, nor came or went from the fortress, yet when the Elves reckoned that dawn was but a hour away, a company of six Easterlings left their camp and rode east down the road and through the breach in the encircling ridge. 'Twas deemed that they were sent to relive the party of sentries that had kept watch aforetime, and who now lay together, shot dead and dumped in a ditch.
The riders passed the ridge and turned south, and after a furlong, four of the company were shot from their saddles by arrows that hissed out of the dark. The attack had come without warning, leaving the two lead riders unharmed. They continued forward at a trot for a few more heartbeats ere turning to see their comrades lying crumpled on the ground. The survivors turned their mounts to gallop back to the road and one raised a horn to sound an alarm. He was shot in the throat ere he could wind a note. The last sentry saw a half-dozen archers closing their circle 'round him, their bows drawn and arrows aimed. He could do 'naught but raise his hands in surrender. One of the Elvish archers motioned for him to dismount.
Following his capitulation, the Easterling's weapons were confiscated and his arms bound fast against his sides with several ells of Elvish rope. The six horses from his patrol were led away into the night whilst he was marched back towards the ridge on a lead.
Upon reaching the ridge, he was confronted by two of the most disturbing beings he had e'er met. One appeared to be female, the other male. They sat at the foot of the slope, shrouded in dark cloaks, but their eyes gleamed unnaturally bright from 'neath their hoods. The male wore polished Elvish plate armor concealed 'neath his cloak. The female in the foreign black armor was surely the root of the rumors of the Nazgûl that opposed their master. The Elves who had captured him forced him to his knees before them.
Having ne'er aforetime actually met a Ringwraith, he could not be sure, yet the figure draped in the tattered black cloak had a face. 'Twas beautiful, pale, yet her expression was cold as ice. He had heard rumors that such creatures were invisible to mortal sight.
"Whyfor are thy people gathered here?" She calmly asked.
She spoke in the dialect of the Red Khan's people, his mortal enemies. He glared back at her in defiance, gritted his teeth, and said 'naught, deeming his life forfeit as soon as their questions were answered.
"Which do thy people fear the more, the devil in the fortress, or the monster that abides 'neath it?" The male asked.
Again, he said 'naught, though he was daunted by the intensity of their eyes and fear made his hands shake. So far at least, they had threatened him not, nor applied their torture. With effort, he jerked his eyes away from them and stared at the ground.
"Very well," the black robed female said as a sneer shaped her lips. "Speak or speak not, I shall know all thou knows and I shall see all thou hast seen."
Her words held the self-assured menace of a Nazgûl, not the threats of a natural being. It reminded him of the whispered accounts of how his god's hideous mouthpiece spoke to victims ere his priests burnt them upon his altar.
At a nod from the male, one of his captors seized his head from behind. His eyelids were pinned open by strong fingers and he was constrained to look into female's eyes. There his gaze was captured and the blue fire within them held him thrall, riveted, immobile, and helpless. His consciousness was subsumed and 'twas 'naught that he could conceal, for she was within his mind. Even the boon of shivering in fear was denied to him, for her will held his body as a hot ingot is held, clamped in tongs and awaiting the blows of a blacksmith's hammer. She sifted amongst his memories at her leisure, choosing what was of interest and ignoring the mundane.
The Wainrider felt no natural passage of time. He could not guess as to how long he was held in thrall. When she was satisfied that he had 'naught more to offer, he felt a moment's pressure in his head, as of something fragile broken, a tea cup or eggshell reduced to shards. 'Twas hard to think thereafter. Then his captors released him, ignoring him as they took counsel together.
The prisoner staggered when he tried to regain his feet, but the command of his limbs that had become second nature in childhood seemed to elude him and he crashed down on his side. His vision seemed to move as if he had spun 'round and 'round 'til dizzy and 'naught was still or steady. Of habit he made to curse, but his words were slurred, his tongue thick in his mouth. A sound came from his throat, guttural, more bestial than human, followed by copious drool. A brutish giggle escaped as he tried again to stand, but crashed down on his face, hands too clumsy to break his fall. The night-darkened steppe spun unsteadily as he looked 'round. He tried to focus on the dim brightening of the eastern horizon, but his sight kept drifting off, the dizziness undiminished. Finally, he tried to crawl, yet even that challenged him for he could no longer coordinate his limbs. He keeled o'er onto one side and then the other, and finally onto his back.
Animal noises came from his mouth as saliva collected 'round his tongue. Somehow, the skill of swallowing had been forgotten. He tried to spit it out and it merely slopped o'er his lips and 'cross his face. Some slid down the tube of his airway. Choking began, coughing followed, and then more saliva filled his mouth. He ne'er thought to roll off his back. Instead, panic gripped him, his coughing grew spasmodic and he bellowed as his mouth repeatedly filled. Like a turtle unable to right itself, his arms and legs flapped helplessly. The choking continued, sputtering with bubbles frothing at his lips. Fluid coursed down into his lungs and they contracted in violent reflex spasms. His chest felt afire and his heart beat as if to burst.
Eventually, he drowned in his own saliva, still lying on his back with dead sightless eyes open to the morn's sunlight. 'Twas not a palm's depth of open water to be found for many leagues.
By then, the Elvish company had withdrawn and were riding east, back to the fortress of the Blue Wizards. They had learnt all they had hoped to discover and now knew what they faced.
On 5 Cerveth the company reached the gate of the fortress. They brought tidings and eleven dozens of captured Wainrider horses. Ere half an hour had passed, Helluin and Maglor were in the study, holding council with the Ithryn Luin. They found that in the three weeks of their absence, Targitai had ridden from Didā Artāvan with a small bodyguard of Mâh-Sakâ. The retired khan awaited the two Noldor, seated at the table in the study with Alatar and Pallando.
"Well met, my friends. We are glad for your safe return," Pallando said in greeting. "Helluin, thy old friend Lord Targitai arrived on Loëndë¹. He hath brought important tidings." ¹(Loëndë, Mid-year's day according to the 'King's Reckoning', the calendar of the Númenóreans 'til Mardil, Steward of Gondor amended it and instituted the 'Steward's Reckoning' in TA 2063.)
"Our thanks for thy welcome," Maglor said as the two Noldor dipped their heads in greeting and thanks for his welcome.
"'Tis good to see thee again," Targitai said to Helluin with a smile. "As thou can see, I have met with my allies at last."
"I am glad thou hast come, Lord Targitai. It hath been years since we last met, but 'tis my honor to greet thee again. Thy coming is fortuitous indeed, for we have learnt much of late and have many tidings to share," Helluin said.
"Pray be seated then," Alatar said, gesturing them to a pair of chairs, "for we crave to hear what ye have discovered."
Pallando reached o'er and grasped a bell cord that hung from the ceiling. The muffled ringing could be heard through the wall, and shortly the cadence of a cane and peg-leg preceded the chamberlain to the door.
"I pray thee arrange refreshments for our friends," the wizard said in Silvan, "for far have they ridden and long was their journey, and they are but newly returned."
The Umanya offered a short bow and left the chamber, the rhythmic th-thump, th-thump, th-thump of his cane and peg leg on the floorboards marking his retreat.
He was not gone long ere a server arrived bearing a silver salver with slender stem glasses and a decanter of blown glass holding a pale wine, and accompanied by a silver plate of water biscuits and assorted sliced cheeses. The celerity of his appearance made Helluin think that the wizards kept a scullery down the hall. She and Maglor helped themselves, thankful for the fare.
Now Helluin and Maglor told of all they had learnt on their scouting mission to Sheol. Along with the state of Skator and the count of the foes there was the 'testimony' of the captured Wainrider sentry.
"Timely I deem is our plan to attack, for Sauron has gathered an army of Easterlings," Maglor said. "We saw o'er fifty thousand of them encamped on the plain encircling his fortress. For now, they wait in posture of defense."
Upon hearing the count of their enemies, the wizards' eyes widened. Their own army would be outmanned by at least two and a half to one.
"The Wainrider sentry we questioned believed that his master fears being attack," Helluin said. "Sauron became aware of us when we scouted his fortress in 1984, and for that, I bear the blame. Yet absent his Ring, doubt rules him as he ruminates alone in his tower, for he accepts the counsel of none. As the years passed after our discovery of his refuge, he grew e'er more certain that his fortress and temple would be assailed, and with each passing year, e'er more uncertain of the outcome. Two years past, he summoned well 'nigh all his Wainrider subjects to stand guard against our coming. They have remained there since, and in each year, many are taken by the spider and many are sacrificed in the temple."
"The prisoner we questioned was terrified of his master, terrified of the spider, and terrified of being attacked within the encircling ridge," Maglor said. "If our threat caused his master to fear, then the fear of his subjects is greater still. I deem that 'neath the pressure of a siege, many shall break and flee rather than fight."
"Aye, as dangerous and desperate as their position is now, encamped on the plain encircling Sauron's fortress, they fear withdrawing within its walls still more," Helluin said. "They feel themselves trapped in a no man's land 'twixt known terrors and some fearsome unknown, with their avenues of escape curtailed to two narrow exits through the surrounding ridge. Hence, their morale is low, for they deem themselves beset by inescapable threats.
I too believe that when we attack from the east, most will try to flee west. Each shall desire to be first in line where so few may pass abreast. Desperate shall be their rout. Still, some shall succeed and I shall rue letting them escape."
"Perhaps they shall not win free, or at least not ride far," Targitai said, having grinned at Helluin and Maglor's confidence. Few knew better than he the value of troop morale on the outcome of a battle. "Three weeks past, the khātūn hastened from Didā Artāvan to marshal our hosts to ride south in support of thy attack on Sheol. 'Tis a great distance they must cover, yet I reckon that by month's end, they shall have raised the hosts of Kolaksai and Lipoksai. In another fortnight, the Khātūn of the Mâh-Sakâ Confederation could join the assault with a quarter million warriors."
"That is very good tidings, lord," Helluin said, thinking, not even Ciryatur brought so many swords to the relief of Gil-galad. We shall destroy Sauron's refuge! Two hundred and fifty thousand cavalry would be a great boon indeed.
"Think ye that we can delay so long?" Maglor asked the Ithryn Luin.
"I deem that a week shall pass ere we can muster the army from Samara," Alatar said.
"'Nigh a fortnight shall pass during our march on Sheol," Pallando said.
"Mid-Urui for our arrival then," Maglor mused. "To meet the Khātūn's host at Sheol, our army would ride on 31 Cerveth."
The Blue Wizards nodded, accepting his estimate.
"We have then twenty-four days to arrange all things," Helluin said, "and shall require not more than seven of them, I wager. We can arrange what is needed here as we await the arrival of our troops from Samara."
"In preparation for war, there are always unforeseen details and added time is a boon," Maglor said. "At the least, we can use more arrows, more lances, and more rations."
"And spend time in the refinement of our battle plan," Alatar added. "With the extra time, we may even fabricate some spare parts, just in case."
Now the following two dozen days were spent in preparation, and with the added time, thought was given to contingencies and possibilities, and aye, the creation of spare parts. Being as the assault was expected to be a mass cavalry battle in which the majority of the confrontation would be waged on horseback, Helluin spent most of her time in the smithy. There she forged a pair of cuisses, plate armor for the protection of her upper legs from knee to hip.
Now whilst she could not match the craft of Gneiss or the strength of the mithril he had used to forge her armor four millennia past, she casehardened the exterior surfaces of the steel plates to turn a sword stroke whilst leaving the inner surfaces softer to avoid shattering. Additionally, she worked raised ribs running from knee to hip into their surfaces to stiffen the plates, four such flutes on the cuisse for each leg. The finished metal was a stark contrast to the galvorn blackened mithril, but the Noldo improvised, blackening the outer surfaces with a mixture of soot and bee's wax.
Once that task was complete, Helluin assisted the smiths in the forging of lance heads and spear points. An army could ne'er have too many so long as they had poles to mount them on. After a week in the forge, she spent the remainder of her waiting time reshafting and refletching some of her arrows. Yet finally, the time of waiting was past. The warriors from Samara had arrived, eight thousand Elves and Men. They joined the twelve thousand from the wizards' fortress who had been mustered as well.
Wagons and carts were loaded with rations, spare weapons, clothing, medical supplies, and camp necessities. Several wagons hauled barrels of fresh water. Several more carried dried horse fodder. The charcoal, anvil, portable forge, and other paraphernalia of the blacksmith went into his specialized wagon. A train of four hundred spare horses followed the supply wagons. Last but not least, the cart whereon was mounted E-ngúrglaw was hitched behind a draft horse and readied to travel. 'Neath its shroud were the spare parts Alatar and Pallando had crafted in the last two dozen days, a pair of replacement glass rods with their mirror-polished mithril end caps.
Yet eventually, all was readied and all their preparations completed, and at noon, the army of the Ithryn Luin rode from the fortress heading west. A fortnight they had reckoned sufficient time to cover the four hundred miles to Skator, roughly twenty-eight miles a day.
At the fore rode the Blue Wizards, Helluin, Maglor, Targitai, and the high commanders of the garrisons from the wizard's fortress and Samara. They were accompanied by a contentious party of astrographers, astrolauteurs, archaeometrists, cartologists, cosmographers, dowsers, diviners, meteorographers, phrenologists, and other practitioners of practical esoterica. All of these had copious conflicting opinions and spent most of their waking hours in heated exchanges that the wizards regarded with mock concern and effortfully suppressed hilarity.
"War is harsh business," Pallando intimated to Helluin when he caught her regarding the 'experts' with a murderous gleam in her eyes. "We find it therapeutic to provide for the comic relief, and court jesters are so…gauche."
O'erhearing the wizard, Targitai burst out laughing.
"We are of one mind in this, my allies," he said after mastering his mirth, "for on campaign, I reveled in the services of my obscurantanists, reductionists, excrementalists, phallologists, and all the other sagacious charlatans that a realm can breed. Thus they had value in spite of their criminal inclinations."
Helluin recalled the esotericists from the time of their assault on Wahat Binya. Only the soldiers reading the maps and the compass had truly been helpful. She deemed Targitai better at maintaining a 'poker face' than Pallando, for she had thought the khan took his pseudo-scientists completely seriously.
"Such characters must be kept on a leash," Pallando agreed. "We have found them sufficiently convincing to hoodwink the people to the detriment of all."
"Precisely! The rule of a realm requires unfailing vigilance of its knaves," Targitai said.
Pallando smiled in agreement.
"There are those who find power in knowledge and some that combine it with the understanding of motivation," the wizard said. "They have learnt that the illusion of remedies more readily brings profit than the reality of planning, sacrifice, and labor. More gears, bigger fires, mysterious elixirs, they say, shall cure what ails thee. Such fantasies serve as the answers for all ills through the reasoning of laziness. True solutions more oft require what they lack…wisdom. Alas, the recognition of their wiles requires that same virtue."
The ex-khan nodded in agreement.
"And so thou could no more leave them behind unsupervised than could I in my time," he said.
They continued riding west and in the late afternoon of 14 Urui, their scouts reported that the encircling ridge lay five leagues ahead. The Wainriders were encamped on the plain 'round Sauron's fortress, just as Helluin and Maglor had reported. It seemed that 'naught had changed and there had been no sign of the Mâh-Sakâ.
"Were I Tahmirih, I too would stay my host beyond the horizon," Helluin said.
Targitai nodded in agreement and said, "Aye, she would do 'naught to jeopardize thy battle plan or the successful deployment of thy weapon. This plan is thine and the honor of striking first lies with thy host."
"If they are positioned as thou deem, then too far for a scouting party to reach this night is the Mâh-Sakâ host," Maglor said.
"If they are so positioned, they shall look to the signs of war, and from such a distance, 'tis the rising column of smoke that shall tell the tale," Helluin said.
"And 'tis by daylight that such a sign shall be best seen," Pallando said.
"Then we lay a bonfire to light as we attack with the sunrise," Alatar proposed.
"A very smoky fire, aye," Helluin agreed, "though we have camped cold for security's sake and have no store of firewood."
"The army has consumed a ton of rations and two tons of water. Dismantle and burn four supply wagons," Alatar ordered.
The rest agreed with that course and the arrangements were carried out by the Umanyar whilst the mortals in the army slept. They drove the wagons south, 'round the encircling ridge 'til they were a mile from the camp and deemed that should the wind shift, the smoke would not debilitate their own troops ere rising into the sky. There they dismantled the wagons and skillfully laid a bonfire that would be partially suffocated and produce as much smoke as flame.
For good measure, they tossed on many handfuls of the 'desert salt' they found in whitish crusts that grew o'er the centuries in depressions on the steppe. 'Twas a mixture of borax, sodium nitrate, and common table salt, dissolved out of the ground during the infrequent rains, and then left behind as the water evaporated off.
When they were done, two remained behind and the rest rode the draft horses back to the host. A company would return to them as the battle started, with spare horses and orders to light the fire. They would guard it a while, but once the smoke had risen, they would return to add their bows to the fight.
Now the night drew on with the resting of horses and mortal warriors, and the intermittent slaughter of a few parties of Wainriders sent out from Skator as forward sentries. Although none returned bearing warnings of the gathered enemies, their very absence left their captains and lieutenants fearful that the attack was imminent. Still, none dared report that suspicion to their master, for no good came of any meeting 'twixt them and him. They deemed bad news especially unwelcome, and in this they were correct. Better to face unseen enemies with a sword than to be burnt on their god's altar, or fed to his spider, or slain and consumed by his Yrch. So the hours of darkness passed, and finally, a dim glow began to brighten the eastern horizon.
Targitai rose with the sun as was his custom, and looking out from his tent flap, saw the two wizards standing together gently indulging their astrographers, astrolauteurs, and cosmographers as they argued in hushed tones the gravity of portents and omens seen in the sky. 'Round him, the camp came to life. Warriors were roused, rations eaten, and horses saddled. Armor was donned and weapons checked. To one side, Helluin and Maglor waited with the driver of the cart bearing the weapon.
Soon, tents were struck and packed on a supply wagon. The horses were watered and fed and then the wagons and carts were driven into a triple line facing east. Two Men per cart remained behind to watch o'er the supplies as the army began to mount. All had been carried out 'nigh silently with practiced efficiency and little distraction. Soon they would ride west, crossing the last five leagues ere arranging their companies for the attack on Satan's fortress.
The ex-khan aided his bodyguards in striking his tent and hefting it onto a wagon. Then with his Men, he mounted and awaited orders from his allies. The wizards had left their charlatans behind and were mounted now, surveying their troops. When they reckoned that all was in readiness, making eye contact and receiving subtle nods from their captains and lieutenants, Alatar simple raised a hand and made a gesture of 'forward'. Somehow, Targitai had half-expected a horn call or a shouted order.
The Blue Wizards' army moved out with 'naught but the sound of hoof beats, and faintly, the rolling of one pair of wheels. They broke into a quick trot, and after two and a half hours, slowed to a walk. By then, the army was not a mile from the encircling ridge and the accursed crater that held Sheol, the Land of No Return.
One hundred companies formed up in a wedge with its point a half-furlong out from the breach in the encircling ridge. The last company of Wainrider sentries had been slain a mile out and now, none marked their presence. Normally, specialized cadres of Moriquendi archers would have disappeared into the landscape to attack or hold the flanks, but with the distance to the enemy encampment so great, they would ride onto the crater with the rest.
The companies were two hundred warriors each, mixed Men and Elves, and they would charge together passing one after another through the breach from alternating sides of the wedge. Only two companies would remain to guard E-ngúrglaw as Maglor and Helluin prepared to loose their weapon upon Sauron's fortress, seeking to drive the spider out of its den and into the light. Off to the south, a score Elves rode swiftly towards the site of the bonfire.
Again, Targitai expected some signal for the charge, yet with all eyes trained on the two wizards, all that happened was Alatar again raising a hand and gesturing 'forward'. And then the army began to move, kicking their mounts to a gallop and passing into the breach. Again, there were no battle cries, no horn calls, and no waving of banners. There was only the thunder of hooves. A moment passed and then companies of Men and Elves exploded onto the plain within the encircling ridge. They spread alternately north and south, for none would ride before the beam of The Death Ray.
'Twas 'nigh three hours past dawn and the Wainriders were taken at unawares. No reports had come from their sentries; no alarms had been raised forewarning of their peril. They had expected attacks by night, for what little they knew of Elves told that they could see as well in the dark as the Yrch. They had expected attacks at dawn, for such was the preferred time for many Men, especially when they could contrive to have the blinding sun on the horizon at their backs. Instead, the enemy had come midway 'twixt the morning and noon meals, and just when the fear of dawn had faded to the constant terror of the day.
Now they saw thousands of riders charging onto the plain and spreading to the north and south. 'Twas the tactic of a great host, hastening to occupy their flanks whilst e'er more riders poured in to occupy the center. Although they still numbered 'nigh fifty-five thousands, they expected that they would be trapped in the crater facing a more numerous enemy. They raced to their horses, throwing saddles onto their backs, jerking girth straps tight, or pulling on their own sword belts, donning helms and gauntlets, whilst seeking for their comrades and their captains. Haste and fear combined to make their efforts clumsy and confused. A glance back up revealed more enemies galloping in through the breach.
A full five minutes passed ere all the companies could pass the narrow road through the breach, but with the last, Maglor and Helluin pushed the cart forward. They continued 'til they were at the entrance to the plain. Half a mile ahead lay the closest of the enemy, their camp in an uproar like an anthill trod on by a child. Helluin stripped the shroud from the weapon as Maglor began preparing to aim. Behind them, a company lined both sides of the road whilst the last company had turned back to face outwards onto the steppe in preparation for any counterattack.
Helluin and Maglor traded a glance and she offered him a grim smile, then she doffed her cloak and climbed up to take her seat 'twixt the concave mirrors. She settled her feet on the rest and then bent her upper body forward to grasp her ankles.
"Ready?" She asked Maglor, who stood behind her.
"Aye, ready whene'er thou art," he replied, and a heartbeat later, she burst into an eye-scorching ril of silver and gold.
The beam lanced out but a yard above the ground, and it cut down 'aught that stood in an arrow-slim swath that brooked no interruption 'til it struck the base of the central spur. E-ngúrglaw had pierced them belly high and begun to etch the rock a mile and a half away. In that moment, all movement in the Wainrider camp froze in shock. In that moment, a great cheer rose from the throats of the wizards' host. Off to the south, ignored by all, a cloud of smoke rose into the heavens.
Now Maglor panned The Death Ray from side to side, and like a scythe, it mowed down all the Men and horses that stood before it. In moments, hundreds died and those not slain tried to flee. The Wainriders had neither answers, nor understanding. Whate'er fell sorcery the beam of Light was, 'twas a horror worse even than their master or his spider. 'Naught could stave it off. It clove shields and armor as easily as flesh. They felt that the half of their host encamped on their side of the crater would fall.
Doomed Men abandoned horses and weapons and without thought of combat, fled away from the source of this bright death as fast as they could contrive. They gave no thought to any other threat. Only panic and the desire to escape ruled them. Yet running faster aided them not. Indeed, the only hope they had was to fall flat on their faces 'neath the beam and crawl. Only those lying on the ground paralyzed by fear were spared, for a time. Then the beam winked out.
Following a scant five heartbeats, Helluin ceased her radiance. She and Maglor had wrought slaughter on their enemies and hundreds lay dead, yet of far greater value was the panic their assault had created. A scant few moments of incomprehensible terror had wholly reordered the Wainriders' priorities. Now their litany of fears was surmounted by the new threat, the sword of Light that slew with a touch. Now the Wainriders fled blindly towards the spur, towards Sauron's fortress, and towards the silk-lined holes of the spider.
Within Nehemoth, that place manifest in the physical realm of Arda where the most mundane of the Spheres of Creation and the Husks of Contention o'erlapped, there dwelt Ungolúróg the Dark Spider Demon. She was of the first brood of Ungoliant, and with her little sister who haunted the High Pass in the Mountains of Shadow, was strong from the old power that had come of the Light their dam had once sucked from the Two Trees. Yet 'neath the influence of the Spheres of Contention, all things were transmuted and perverted into Shadow and Evil. What had been Light persisted within her now as Darkness. What had been pure devolved to profane, and what she had inherited had been twisted from illumination into fear, an invisible vapor that preceded from her form to pollute the physical space where Arda and Nehemoth contended. All felt it, and all fled it so long as they had wit to do so.
Ungolúróg had feasted on the fear of the Wainriders since their coming to Sheol, supplementing that spiritual diet with the juices of their bodies as chance allowed. Such a liqueur condensed and rendered palpable the mortal terror they offered, and indeed she could reckon no more valuable reason for their very existence save to appease her appetite.
On this particular morn, that fear had risen to irresistible heights, and augmented by the vibrations from the thunder of horses charging, led her to the entrance of her realm craving offerings of fear and flesh. She could sense the conflict. As of old, there was war! With many coal black eyes, she beheld the rout on the plain, and lo, thousands were fleeing directly towards her! Her mouthparts clacked in anticipation. They came on, whether afoot or ahorse, charging as fast as they could and driven by such terror as she found intoxicating. T'would be a day she would long remember.
As the moments passed, the spider expected that the fleeing Wainriders would turn away, and yet they came on unwavering. Ungolúróg could scarce believe her many eyes. When they came within a furlong, her patience failed and she charged forth, snatching Men and horses and stinging them to immobility one after another. In moments, she had taken more prey than in some lean years, and yet the fleeing mortals continued to charge towards her. She snatched them up with greedy abandon, and still they kept coming. Indeed those that had passed her fled directly into her tunnels! Ungolúróg imagined not needing to hunt again for the remainder of the Age. Ruled thus by her unquenchable avarice, the spider ne'er thought to wonder what terror had driven her prey to favor her as the lesser jeopardy.
Now in the topmost chamber of the tower lurked the vaporous form of Sauron, the Tormentor of Thralls and erstwhile Lord of the Earth. For 'nigh two thousand years his will had contrived to reclaim whatsoe'er measure of his power he could access whilst still lacking his Ring. During all that time, he had admitted to himself that following Helluin's inspiration to bequeath a portion of his personal Maia power to a talisman might have been a questionable strategy, yet the possibilities at the time had been compelling. He had achieved his aim of ruling the wills of others, at least in part, for his Nine were well 'nigh universally feared. They had proved fell and loyal and he reveled in them.
Yet his intentions for the other kindreds had not been fulfilled. The Elves had sacrificed their own gains and removed their Rings rather than be ruled by his, and the Dwarves were simply too greedy and self-serving by nature to bend to his will. O'er time, he had found that he could corrupt their hearts, but not rule their spirits. That outcome had vexed him, and then he had lost his Ring. Atop the loss of his form in the Whelming of Númenor, the unfolding of events had left him bitter, doubtful, and afraid. He deemed that the best he could do now was to nurse his slow accumulation of power and hope that his servants would find his Ring.
His plan had been proceeding on other fronts in the meantime. The hated House of Elendil the Rebel had been laid low. Arnor was gone. The South Kingdom had faltered, its lordship diluted and its majesty slipping away. The years would bring his victory. Eventually, Gondor would fall. Yet the other kindreds had continued to defy him.
Then fourteen years ago, a great boon had appeared. In 1980, a mighty though unwitting ally had arisen. Maia though he was, Sauron had not felt the presence of a Valarauko at the roots of Caradhras. Indeed, he still could not communicate with it, but his servants had reported on its actions. The kings of the Durin's line were slain and their people had fled from Khazad-dûm. The greatest mansion of the Naugrim lay abandoned, and already he was sending his Yrch to investigate, gather treasure, and perhaps occupy that most strategic locale. As an added bonus, the Lord of Lórinand and his lady had fled the neighboring forest, and if his spies had reported true, they had been lost ere they could flee o'er the sea.
Still, some unforeseen consequences had come to pass. Of all possible successors to the love besotted King Amroth, 'twas his ancient foes Celeborn and Artanis who now ruled in the Golden Wood. That, he had not expected. 'Twas a realm of primitives and Galadriel was urbane to a fault, a pampered princess of the Noldor. What in Arda did she hope to accomplish by ruling a backwater collection of Sindarin and Silvan Elves? He could only deem that such an impulse had been whelped by her own desperation to rule a realm of her own, having been exiled from Aman for that very ambition and subsequently failed at e'ery attempt since.
But worse had been in the offing of late. A decade past, the impulsiveness of his arch-foe Helluin Maeg-mórmenel had revealed her renewed plotting against him. Accompanied by the deposed prince of the House of Fëanor, she had made plain her awareness of his citadel. Their conspiracy of course, was now obvious to him.
If 'naught else, Helluin was predictable. From the moment she had flared with Light on the border of his refuge, he had expected an attack. For years after, Sauron had discerned 'naught suspicious and increasingly, the suspense had gnawed at him and he had known not a moment's peace. Finally, goaded by his doubts, he had summoned his Wainriders, leaving only such on the western border as were required to hold Gondor at bay. They had arrived, the spider had feasted, and the riders had encamped on the plain 'round his fortress in fear e'er since.
Finally, after a decade of peace in which he had felt not a day of tranquility, on a day that had begun like many others and portended 'naught of catastrophes, Helluin's co-conspirators had been revealed. The army of Alatar and Pallando, who were now acclaimed as wizards after spending an Age parading 'round Aman slaying creatures for sport, and had then been rewarded for their murderous mien by the Valar, had brazenly invaded his land. Whilst he had been carefully surveying the Vale of Anduin again for any clue as to the disposition of Isildur's remains, the two hunters had led their rabble to his doorstep.
When he had looked out from his chamber at the disturbance, he had witnessed a scene of mayhem. Just like his Wainriders, he saw something that he simply could not comprehend. 'Twas Helluin and Maglor, just as he had expected, but the beam of Light they wielded as a weapon, that he could not understand. Light was Light. It spread equally in all directions from its source. A hundred million lamps and candles and a pair of Trees had proved that point. How then had his enemy come to direct it with malign intent, wielded as surely as the Black Sword in her hand? Against all doubts, the wizards had proved themselves crafty and Sauron was both impressed and confounded.
Perhaps on some day to come, one of their number I can subvert to do my bidding, he thought.
Yet on this day, on the field 'neath his citadel, hundreds had fallen in but moments. Not even the most virulent plague was so thorough. Then that beam of Light vanished as abruptly as it had appeared, and yet his Men still fled. They ran for their lives, their valor o'erborne by mortal panic, abandoning the battlefield and surging towards the tunnels of his spider. 'Twas the most suicidal action he could imagine, and the last he would have predicted. Had he a head, Sauron would have shaken it in consternation.
Then a thought came to him and Sauron felt the rise of his rage. He had thought Helluin's attack could not but be directed against himself, and yet she had another foe and another craving for redress that predated even her opposition of him.
From his high tower he watched the nightmare unfold. As predictable as she had e'er been and driven by her lust of prey, Ungolúróg came forth from the safety of her tunnels. She snatched Wainriders and horses right and left, stinging them in a frenzy, whilst oblivious to 'aught else including her own great peril. Had he a mouth, Sauron would have shrieked a warning to the witless creature.
As predictable as she had e'er been, Helluin lashed out with her new weapon. The beam of Light leapt from the breach in the surrounding ridge and swept side to side, hewing Ungolúróg's legs from 'neath her bulk and cutting down any Men unlucky enough to be in its path. It wavered a moment, and then swept back, slightly higher now, and sliced her body top from bottom as effortlessly a razor through the fatty wattle 'neath a burgher's chin. The great spider literally fell apart before his tower, revealing that 'twas filled with greenish slime. In the next instant, the beam of Light winked out again.
Below his tower chamber, the Wainrider army was in full rout. Some fled into the silk walled tunnels, others 'round the north and south of the fortress. On the western side of the spur, the encampment was no less chaotic. Men mounted horses and sped down the road toward the western breach, seeking to escape the cataclysm within the circular plain. The first riders there were already passing through the surrounding ridge and Sauron had no doubt that they would not slow 'til their horses collapsed 'neath them.
As he watched them fleeing he saw their column convulse, then stall, and finally, as more riders collected on the plain just shy of the breach, reverse direction. The Wainriders were practically falling o'er one another in their haste to retreat. For a moment, the Lord of Lies entertained the thought that they had realized that they were free of the threat of the spider and had chosen to return to fight. Howe'er, all too soon the reason for their retreat became clear. As the last of the Wainriders fled from the breach, the first of the Mâh-Sakâ charged in, driving the Medes before them in a second rout.
From the west entrance to his refuge, the host of his soldiers' hereditary enemies poured onto the plain and there seemed no end to them. Sauron saw all this and deemed the field lost. On the rolling land of Eriador 'nigh Tharbad upon Gwathló in an Age before, his Glamhoth and Mannish allies had been crushed 'twixt the armies of Gil-galad and Ciryatur. Now his Wainriders stood 'twixt the Mâh-Sakâ and the Blue Wizards, and it required not his Maia sight to see what would soon come to pass. Yet in their encirclement of his soldiers, he saw a single boon.
Helluin could not deploy her beam upon the field for fear of striking her own allies who now ringed his fortress. Her field of fire was constrained and Sauron did not believe for a moment that she was so fey or cold-blooded as to disregard the lives of her allies.
In the mouth of the eastern breach, Helluin and Maglor had celebrated the destruction of Ungolúróg. E-ngúrglaw had cleaved its chitinous armor like a heated blade through butter. Now the upper half of the monster lay on its back like a great oyster, presenting its undefended innards to the sky, whilst its lower body lay with hewn legs clenched together, just like any natural spider lying dead on the ground.
On their side of the fortress, most of the Wainriders were still fleeing. Some plunged into the spider's tunnels, but the majority fled 'round the north and south sides of the spur, seeking shelter behind Sauron's fortress. The two Noldor let them run.
From the first blast of Light, they had marked the billowing cloud of black vapor that roiled in the windows at the top of the citadel's tower. 'Twas Sauron taking the measure of his defeat, and the sight of him kindled Helluin's hatred anew. She wondered if in brazenly showing himself, she was seeing the proof that he deemed himself safe in the height of his lair. Perhaps having seen that she had first targeted the Wainriders and then Ungolúróg, she would be satisfied with the mayhem already wrought. For whate'er cause, she was resolved to demonstrate that he was not exempt, though she was unsure if E-ngúrglaw would bite on his current form.
Sauron, whether my Light can assail thee, thou great gasbag, we shall soon see, she thought, yet I wager t'will certainly bite upon thy tower.
"Shall we proceed, meldir nín?" She asked.
"Aye," Maglor answered. "Like thee, I crave to strike a blow against the Sultan of Suffering."
Helluin met the prince's new title for their foe with a cackle of glee, and then she bent forward to grasp her ankles. She felt Maglor elevating the weapon, training it through his telescope to find the southern edge of the topmost chamber of the tower, just above Sauron's windows.
"Ready!" He called out to her, and she burst into a blaze of Light.
Again the beam streaked from The Death Ray, and this time, it found the tower. Maglor saw the beam strike, hold, and then blast skyward, having cleaved stone and mortar. Slowly, he rotated the cart to his right, toward the north, and as he did so, he allowed the beam to lower just as slowly.
From his chamber, Sauron saw the beam strike his tower. It began at what would have been head height for a Man. Then, to his astonishment and horror, it began advancing, crossing his chamber on a downward slant as it transited from south to north. Fearful of testing its effects after witnessing the damage done to Tindomul at Fornost in 1851, he drew up his vapors and clove to the ceiling. Even from there, he could feel the intense heat that mirrored the intensity of the Light. He recalled from long ago that even the Two Trees had not burned so bright.
When he returned his gaze, the beam was already on the north side of the chamber, unerringly carving its way 'cross his privy space. In but a few moments more, it struck the north wall at floor level, and in heartbeats its transit would be complete.
Despite thy fearsome weapon, thou hast missed me, Helluin! He gleefully thought.
But then he heard the rending, and felt the trembling, and saw the crumbling of stone. He saw the upper portion of the southern wall slowly moving towards him and watched the ceiling above sliding down as the north wall o'erhung the lower walls of the tower. The entirety of his chamber had been riven at an angle and 'twas now slipping free with rapidly increasing speed. Sheer amazement ruled him as he watched the walls slide from 'round him to tumble and plummet to the ground with a monumental crash that raised a billowing cloud of dust.
With the fall of the tower, the host of the Mâh-Sakâ and the army of the Blue Wizards gave a great cheer and fell upon the remnant of the Wainriders. The cavalry battle ensued, but 'twas one-sided, for the Medes were reeling from shock and the allies outnumbered them by an increasing margin as more and more of the Khātūn's warriors charged into the crater.
There thou art, miserable cloud of evil, I see thee, Helluin thought as she gazed upon Sauron.
She had no need to tell Maglor where to aim. The beam jerked left and slightly upward, and it struck the black cloud amidmost and there held steady.
Sauron felt the impact of The Death Ray as a hammer blow to his spirit. The wound screamed with pain and felt as if its infection leapt to spread throughout his form. Centuries of slowly accumulated power were stripped from him in a moment. 'Twas intolerable. The fallen Maia abandoned the battle and fled his fortress, a dark cloud shrieking into the west.
In the next moment, ere Maglor could alter his aim to track their routed foe, the beam flickered once and then with an audible 'pop', winked out. A heartbeat later, Helluin marked its failing and ceased her incandescence. When the two Noldor looked more closely, they saw the glass rod shivered into myriad shards. The heat generated by the sustained bombardment with Helluin's Light had o'ertaxed its substance and it had shattered. Indeed, 'twas the very same particles of chromium that had allowed the glass to produce a coherent beam of Light that had caused its failure, concentrating heat unevenly within the glass 'til it fragmented. They found the shards and the frame far too hot to touch, let alone allow them to replace the rod.
E-ngúrglaw's part in the engagement was finished and the two Noldor carefully watched as Sauron continued to withdraw. Should he return, they could harry him no further.
Helluin climbed down from the cart and donned her armor. Neither of them felt the need to join the battle. A short look confirmed that victory would be had and resistance was futile. Instead, after bidding the remaining company guard the weapon, they mounted and slowly rode towards the spur to look upon the fallen horror of the spider.
Halfway 'cross the plain, Helluin stopped and drew forth her telescope. She searched the walls of the fortress, seeing only a few Yrch cowering on the battlements. They continued their ride and finally came 'nigh the fortress.
"We saw many Easterlings fleeing into the tunnels, meldis nín," Maglor warned as they arrived at the base of the spur. "I deem the nether regions remain filled with foes."
"Were thou they, having marked what they did, would thou feel inclined to come forth and offer battle?" Helluin asked.
A glance 'round revealed allied cavalry riding at will against the last remnants of the Wainrider host. The ground was littered with bodies. Finally, he grinned and shook his head 'nay'.
Now they reached the remains of the spider and 'twas actually larger than they had deemed it from the distance of a mile and a half. Each of its legs were as thick as Helluin's waist. Out of curiosity, she drew Anguirél and hewed at one segment. She was astonished when the Black Sword rang, but rebounded, cleaving it not, but transmitting the shock of impact to her hand. It gave her an idea. She gathered the hewn legs and set them with the lower half of the body, intending to lay claim to them later.
She went next to Ungolúróg's head and paid heed to her mouthparts. The fangs were the length of the Noldo's forearm, curved, and came to wicked points. At their tips, she marked the small opening through which the spider's venom was delivered.
From a fallen Wainrider, she took a glass bottle, and with a sniff, determined that it held some amber liquor that she immediately dumped out on the ground. Then, after rinsing it with water from her water skin, she shook it out and returned to the spider's fangs.
Helluin encircled one fang with the Sarchram, and whilst holding the bottle to the end of the fang, wiggled it 'til a milky venom filled the bottle. This she capped and placed into her travel bag, to join the bottle of narcotic rhododendron honey she had collected in the Old Forest. She deemed that someday, both would answer some need as yet unforeseen. She then invited Maglor to repeat the process on the second fang. This he did, gingerly holding the filled bottle up in the sunlight for a closer look.
"One can ne'er tell what needs the days to come may bring," she said as he tucked the bottle away.
"That is a great truth and we have both lived long enough to see the proof of it more than once," he said. "Thou hast my thanks, meldis nín."
Of all their allies, 'twas Targitai who came to them first. The old khan rode up and looked o'er the carcass of the monster with frank amazement. Helluin and Maglor greeted him with honor.
"My lord Targitai, welcome to the taking of the spoils from this fallen enemy," Helluin said. "I have found the spider's hide most sturdy and from it I intend to make a special armor, worthy of a khātūn."
The ex-khan gave her a look of curiosity, then drew his sword and dealt a mighty blow to the spider's head. As had Anguirél, the blade rang and bounced off leaving not a mark. Targitai's eyes widened in shock.
"My friend and ally, for thy generosity I offer my thanks. As would any parent, I shall be thankful for the protection accorded to my daughter."
Now with the evening, the Wainrider army was wholly worsted and the field was held by the allies. They set a camp to guard the plain and the breaches in the encircling ridge from any sorties out of the fortress or incursions from beyond the crater. Helluin and Maglor held council with the Ithryn Luin, Targitai, Tahmirih, Lipoksai, and Kolaksai as 'round the camp, the warriors celebrated their victory with great joy and surprising restraint.
"My lords, we deem that several hundred of the Wainriders fled into the tunnels 'neath Sheol," Maglor reported.
"We have also seen Yrch upon the walls of the fortress and both must be worsted," Helluin said. "I would also see the fortress razed and the temple broken."
"As when the Last Alliance razed the Barad-dûr and hunted down the remnants of Sauron's host, we too have that duty," Alatar agreed.
"Satan shall not reclaim his stronghold in these lands without great effort," Lipoksai declared.
In the end, there was unanimous agreement that the lingering servants of Sauron would be rooted out and his fortress razed to the ground. They hoped to use the rubble to fill in the holes 'round the base of the spur, for the Blue Wizards warned that they were more than the home of a giant spider.
"They are openings to Nehemoth, the topmost of the Husks of Contention," Pallando told them, "and from them, evil finds an easy gateway into Arda. Though it is not given to us to wholly bar the way from those husks, for they exist upon many planes, we can at least keep the daemons spawned there from entering our lands, and deter any of this world from entering to join them."
"Together we shall undertake this labor, for 'tis no less a battle than that just won," Tahmirih said, "but such a task shall be taken up in the morn, not this night."
'Round her the others agreed. They had ridden far of late and all had fought that day. The khātūn yawned and offered a sheepish grin.
The Blue Wizards laughed and said, "We are old Men and need our sleep too."
I could use a few hours viewing the stars, Helluin thought, and then I shall hunt some Yrch.
To Be Continued