In An Age Before – Part 230
'Twas during the latter hours of the night that a haze advanced from the south, and that haze progressed to a moderate o'ercast ere dawn. The 15th began with dull light, absent shadows, and the mid-slopes of Celebdil obscured in thickening clouds. Helluin marked that they moved only slowly, a thing more good than ill.
Softly blowing south winds that brought moist air north from the distant sea would lead to rain, but t'would not be a violent thunderstorm as followed the chill east winds that flowed down from the Hithaeglir. 'Twas all about the differences in temperature 'twixt incoming and native airs, and the greater the difference, the more dangerous the storm. Being the middle of the eighth month, the rain would be warm and soft, and far from unbearable. Besides, Helluin had not seen rain since coming o'er the High Pass three weeks past. Eriador needed rain to stay green.
The only downside of a slow moving front was that the rains might linger, perhaps for a day, perhaps longer. Still, a few days of summer rain would break no one's heart, least of all hers.
At dawn, the Green Elves began to take their leave. They were as unconcerned by the prospect of rain as was she, for like her, they had seen Eriador in all seasons for thousands of years. Some offered a wave of farewell or a few softly spoken words if they passed close by. Others simply walked off, soon disappearing into the landscape with the effortless stealth of their people.
Helluin gathered her ground cloth of fish fur and packed it into her travel bag, but took out her cloak in anticipation of wanting the water shedding virtue of its waxed cloth. She donned her weapons and then walked o'er to where Red waited. He lifted his head and spoke ere she had arrived.
Shall we be away, O Helluin? I deem t'will soon rain here'bouts and if we are to stay dry, we must move north.
Aye, we are to leave at once, O Red, though we may yet be rained upon in despite of such precautions.
Whyfor, Helluin? The rain comes from the south.
'Tis surely so, and yet we go but ten leagues north ere turning east into the mountains. In the end, one may not outrun the weather, nor the changing of the seasons, nor the passage of the years. They are all part of Arda and we who dwell therein are subject to them for so long as we abide upon the Hither Shores.
But I am pretty sure I have free will and choices to make, O Helluin. I can easily outpace these clouds, he said, casting a glance to the sky, and I do not wish to be drenched, perhaps for days.
Neither thou nor I created Arda and so we cannot make its rules. Thou hast choices to make, aye, but they are only those that govern thine own actions. To bend others to thy will by force is to deny their own choices and thereby to deny the nature of Arda's Children as they were created by the One. 'Tis the way of darkness, the way of Morgoth and Sauron and the Nine. To bend the weather to thy choice is an even greater sorcery. I at least need to go o'er the pass rain or no, and I hope thou shalt go with me.
At her declarations, Red looked 'round at the world and gave deep thought to all she had said. Eriador was a green land carpeted in tasty plants, and those needed water. 'Twas the matter of many moments ere he nodded to himself and raised his head to meet her eyes.
I shall accept the rain, he said.
That is well, O Red. Let us be on our way then. Thy gait I leave to thee.
Helluin mounted and they turned to the north, following the Laiquendi out of the valley at a comfortable trot. Once they had made the higher ground beyond, Red came to a canter and then to a gallop, stretching his legs after being five days idle before the Gates of Moria. The ground sped by 'neath his hooves and quickly they passed o'er the ten leagues 'twixt Hollin Gate and the foot of the Caradhras Pass, which they reached just ere noon.
At the opening to the narrow vale where the trail led upwards into the highlands, they found a company of Green Elves keeping watch. Helluin exchanged greetings with them and they traded tidings. They rejoiced to learn that the Ennin Durin were closed, for they had felt them as a threat at their backs throughout the past two decades. They were much less happy to hear that Warg riders had attacked from within Khazad-dûm.
"I am sure ye shall receive messages from the king," Helluin said, "for I parted from him this morn and he was headed north, back to Hollin Ridge."
The commander of the watch detail nodded and said, "We shall await the words of our king. Perhaps we shall soon be done with this duty at last, for 'tis a boring post."
Having heard the past night that Dálindir intended to maintain the defense of the pass, Helluin held her peace and only nodded in sympathy ere seeking word of the road ahead.
"What tidings of the pass, meldir nín? Has 'aught been seen of foes of late?" Helluin asked.
"We first engaged the Yrch eight years past and again four years after that," he said. "They were companies of two dozen Warg riders apiece, much like those thou fought yesterday, I wager."
"I see," she said, "and none survived?"
He gave her a look as if he was offended that she would cast doubt upon his peoples' shooting.
"Thou shalt pass their bones in thine ascent, Mórgolodh. None survived."
Helluin nodded, accepting his claim. She doubted not his shooting, but had needed to make sure. Nine years aforetime, she had driven Sauron from the east. It seemed that companies of Warg riders had attempted to come west each four years since, yet the previous two companies had come o'er the pass. Only the last had come through Moria, so far as she knew. She wondered whence they had come.
Three years past, the Nazgûl, commanding hordes of Yrch and Tor, had assailed Minas Ithil, and in the past year, the Tower of the Moon had fallen. Prior to, and following, their successful campaign, had Tindomul ordered Warg riders north to invade Khazad-dûm? The timing worked, but they all coincided with Sauron fleeing west. Yet an invasion force was not raised in a year or even six. 'Twixt the destruction of Sheol and the investment of Isildur's city lay but a half-dozen years. 'Twas too short a time to breed an army.
Helluin realized that she needed to learn if Dol Guldur was still abandoned. Elrond had said 'naught, yet it seemed that he had missed some other tidings of late as well. If any would know, t'would be Celeborn and Galadriel. She deemed that in three or four days' time, she could ask.
Following a short break to consume some rations and drink some water, Helluin and Red bid the Green Elves farewell and started their ascent of Caradhras. Sure enough, stretching a couple furlongs up the path she marked the crow-picked skeletons of Yrch and Wargs lying on the downslope in the deepening ravine to the south. She did not bother to count.
By nightfall, they had come three leagues uphill and had gained an altitude of about a thousand fathoms. For the last third of the way, they had been surrounded by clouds, and whilst they had not encountered any actual rain, the air was so humid that they were soon soaked.
We avoided the rain and yet still I am drenched. This is not fair, O Helluin!
'Tis what 'tis, O Red. Had thou not wondered aforetime what t'would be like to walk inside a cloud?
The Easterling horse rolled his eyes. All of Rhûn was comparatively flat and the possibility of walking inside a cloud was ne'er seriously considered by those who lived there. In addition to this, there was so little free moisture in the eastern air that banks of fog at ground level were very rare. Marking his upset, Helluin offered some hope.
Fear not, O Red. On the morrow we shall likely pass above the clouds, should they chose to linger.
Above the clouds…? 'Tis 'naught but sky above the clouds, or perhaps the sun, moon, and stars. Shall we not be burnt to a crisp then? Must we hide during daylight? And is there air, or shall we perish for lack of breath?
Not for the first time, Helluin was stricken silent for a moment and stared at the horse in shock. She had not encountered so many bizarre perceptions regarding the world since the last Age, when she and Beinvír had liberated Ishkabibúl and Balar from the house of Iarwain Ben-adar. Then there had been the Periannath of Fur'long a millennium ago, whose mayor Bobo Fallohide had guffawed at her claim to have come o'er the Hithaeglir from Eriador. I sh'd ask ye, how can land be green 'n fertile when th' sun crashes down the mountains' far side each eve? Common sense says such a land be burnt t' cinders long ago. Of course, he had been roasted and eaten by Yrch shortly after.
Despite all the possible answers to reassure Red that came into Helluin's mind, she simply told him of her past journeys, deeming that personal experience might carry more weight than esoteric theories of earth science.
On each occasion that I have crossed the mountains by this pass aforetime, O Red, ne'er have I suffocated or roasted. I wager that 'naught has changed since then and we shall come safely to Nanduhirion and the Vale of Anduin in two days' time.
The Easterling horse looked her o'er carefully as if checking for any lingering evidence that she had been suffocated or burnt in the past, but finally he gave her a nod of provisional agreement.
I shall accept the wisdom of thine experience, O Helluin, but should I find myself roasting or gasping for breath, I shall turn back.
Fair enough, O Red. Towards the top, the air may thin a bit, but t'will be no worse than 'twas in the High Pass above Imladris.
I shall keep a close eye on it, ne'ertheless, he said, completely serious.
With nightfall, the clouds remained, and indeed Red spent the night staring 'round at the swirling vapors, keeping a close eye on the moist haze for any sign of thinning. In the meantime, his hide had been soaking wet for hours and drops of water fell from his muzzle. With no view of the stars, Helluin sat back against a boulder, shrouded in her cloak and enmeshed in her memories. In 1847 of the Second Age, she and Beinvír had heard the Onod Soursap proclaim that, "feels like rain…tomorrow or perhaps the next day."
Thereafter, the two ellith had endured three weeks of constant downpours as they trudged south from Calenglad to Ithilien on their first and only trip to Umbar. They had been soaked to the skin for weeks and unable to kindle a fire, even had they dared to do so whilst passing just north of the Cirith Gorgor. The swollen marshes had extended south and east for miles beyond their normal bounds, prolonging their torment with an additional eight leagues of miserable slogging.
Yet the rains had finally abated. The ellith had dried their gear and rejoiced in the sight of the night sky. Their jubilation had been short-lived, to be followed by six weeks of parching heat and blinding sun as they made their way through Near Harad. Finally, after nine weeks of hiking, they had come to Umbar and there made the acquaintance of Tindomul, second son of Tar-Minastir's heir, Prince Ciryatan. Things there had gone downhill rapidly after.
Helluin blinked and sighed. By then, the night was growing old, but she marked no change in the weather. The clouds remained surrounding them. She brushed a drop of condensation from the tip of her nose and looked to Red. The Easterling horse appeared miserable, standing with his head half-lowered, his ears twitching and his eyes shifting constantly back and forth as water dripped from his coat.
"Peace, O Red," she whispered. "Pray take some rest and I shall keep watch. Dawn is still a couple hours off, but I sense no threats 'nigh."
My thanks, O Helluin, he said, I cannot see far enough to feel at ease in this cloud. I shall be glad of its departure. I miss the sight of all things.
With that, he locked his knees and dozed off upright. For the next couple hours ere dawn broke, Red snoozed and Helluin realized that he did not feel secure enough to actually lie down for some deep sleep. Whilst waiting for sunrise, she climbed atop the boulder, the better to keep watch, but she felt 'naught larger than marmots, a few mountain goats, and some sundry birds within a league.
Eventually the day began. Slowly, and seemingly grudgingly, the fog 'round them brightened by degrees, and from a distance, a few birdcalls broke the silence. Of breeze, there was little and no noticeable increase in the speed of the tendrils moving in torpor amidst the haze. They could see but a scant ten fathoms or so ere all faded to a milky soup. Cast shadows were so faint as to appear absent. Red shook himself and looked 'round, obviously disappointed that his snooze had not changed the weather. 'Twas 16 Urui.
Is it morning…somewhere?
It is morning here, O Red, Helluin answered, and yes, probably elsewhere as well. Perhaps t'would be more comforting to think of being within a cloud on a mountain as like being in a bank of fog at ground level?
It is not, he said looking 'round and sighing, then shaking his head to sling the water from his ears and forelock.
Ne'ermind. We shall come above it soon enough, I deem. Shall we be away?
Aye, we shall and good riddance to it should we not burn up or die for want of air once free of this morass.
Now Helluin mounted and directed Red up the path towards the heights of the pass. During the morning, they ascended another seven hundred fathoms o'er three leagues. Like what had come aforetime, the trail led along cliffs on their left with an abyss to their right. 'Round two hours ere noon they had reached an altitude of eight thousand one hundred feet and finally broke from the clouds. The air abruptly cleared in the space of but a hundred yards and they found themselves in bright sunlight with a vista of milky clouds 'neath them and mountains spreading out before them.
Well, this is different, Red remarked, and none too soon.
'Tis as I said, O Red, and we are neither scorched to death by the sun, nor suffocated for lack of air. I deem our passage shall be far more pleasant hereafter.
'Round noon, they broke to rest and consume some rations. With good visibility and flatter terrain, they had covered another two leagues since clearing the fog. Ere they resumed their ride, Helluin doffed her cloak and returned it to her travel bag.
By that point, they had ridden eighteen miles and some twenty-two more lay ahead ere they came to Nanduhirion. During that time, they had reached an altitude of ten thousand two hundred feet and were within a thousand feet of the highest point in the pass. The most arduous section of their climb lay behind. The remainder of their ascent would stretch out o'er the following ten miles as the trail wound 'round the southern face of the Red Horn ere they began their descent on the eastern slopes of Caradhras. Helluin nodded to herself in approval of their progress.
They rode through the afternoon at a comfortable walking pace and the miles slowly passed 'neath Red's hooves. With late afternoon, the trail climbed up from a broad hollow, and at the top, a vista opened to the north. For the first time, they could look past the slopes of Barazinbar to the line of peaks stretching towards the distant High Pass. From that point, Helluin also marked the long, rocky valley that ran 'twixt Caradhras and Fanuidhol. She eyed it through narrowed lids, instantly suspicious, for its hither end opened high in the Dimrill Dale.
I shall be sure to seek for tracks when we come 'nigh and I should be little surprised to find that Wargs and Yrch have passed from that valley of late, she thought to herself.
Helluin chose to stop for the night at the highest point. There lay a bit of flat land ere the descending switchbacks began, and Red was glad to have the space. He was gladder still to have the view. The Noldo thought of that space as a potential landing site if her hopes bore fruit in the morning. She spoke not of that possibility to the Easterling horse, for she suspected that he would find it terrifying and she reckoned that he deserved a good night's sleep whilst he could get it.
The night passed without incident. Helluin kept watch, but felt 'naught threatening in any direction. At first, Red stood dozing as he had during the night past, but 'round midnight, he lay down for a deep sleep of several hours. During that time, he whickered softly, chewed for a while, and his hooves moved in a gentle mimic of a trot. Eventually, he wakened and stood, cropped some heather, and finally stared down the trail towards the night-darkened lowlands stretching out ahead.
At their current altitude of ten thousand feet, the world's curve eclipsed their view at a distance of one hundred twenty-two miles, far enough to see three leagues past the east bank of Anduin. 'Twixt their feet and where the earth ended lay all of Nanduhirion and Lórinand, but the darkness shrouded it and few details could be discerned. At the far verge of their sight lay a shimmering hairline of reflections off the surface of the great river. Closer lay the irregular, shadowed canopy of the mellyrn wood, but closer still there lay a dark mirror reflecting the sky, shaped as a great spear-point pointed toward the Dimrill Falls.
Helluin followed Red's gaze and saw what he saw, though more sharply and in greater detail.
"Kheled-zâram, the Mirrormere," she whispered softly to him, "discovered by the first Durin ere the founding of Khazad-dûm. Therein he saw reflected a crown of stars o'er his head and he took that as a sign that the long-sought home of his people lay to hand. 'Twas 'nigh ten thousand years past and yet his crown lies in that deep water still."
Red turned to her, curiosity in his eyes.
"We shall come to it in the afternoon of the morrow, and thither we may see Durin's crown reflected."
Even in daylight, O Helluin?
Aye, for Durin the Deathless saw them ere the first rising of the sun and moon, and though they are taken to be the reflections of stars, they may yet be seen even when the stars cannot. 'Tis a great enchantment, a mystery of the Elder Days. We shall see.
She fell silent a while and Red nodded to her, curious about the lore she had told and eager to see these daystars for himself. Eventually, Helluin continued.
I believe that so long as the crown of stars appears, another Durin shall come to be crowned in the mere someday. The Dwarves believe that he shall return one more time, the seventh and last.
Perhaps then, Durin VII shall take the stars with him at his coronation, Red said, and then, as if 'naught else was peculiar, he added, I am most surprised that any save a Durin can see them.
To that, Helluin had no answer.
Now 17 Urui dawned and Helluin bid Red stay beside her for, "I must call for one with whom to take counsel ere we leave these heights, as I am troubled by the long valley yonder."
The Easterling horse looked to the valley, then to Helluin, tilting his head and perking his ears in curiosity.
"I beg thy indulgence, O Red," she told him, then after a moment, said, "perhaps thou shalt be best served by looking away."
Red nodded and turned to present his tail. Helluin burst into a blazing ril of Light, causing the horse to squint. Upon the heights of the pass, a new star of silver and gold burned for all to see. Upon the north and west marches of Lórinand, the watchful Galadhrim took note and Haldir dispatched a messenger east to Caras Galadhon bearing tidings of what they had seen. To the north, far more distant, but far sharper eyes marked the flaring of a familiar Light, known long aforetime from Aman and still recalled by a few upon the Hither Shores. 'Twas an omen not to be ignored in these latter days, and so swift wings turned south, cleaving the cold, thin air at an altitude of two thousand three hundred fathoms.
Even to Helluin's eyes, the Eagle was halfway 'twixt her position and the eastern side of the Hithaeglir 'nigh the High Pass ere she marked a dark speck approaching. In another quarter-hour, he had become the tiny but sharp imagine of a raptor soaring against a slight southern headwind. Helluin pulsed the Light of her fëa thrice in greeting and watched as the Eagle bobbed his wings thrice in answer. Then she dimmed her ril and waited, knowing her position had been marked.
A third of an hour later, the Eagle bore down on their position and Helluin backed away to join Red, allowing the great bird a clear landing area. The poor Easterling horse's eyes had been growing larger and larger with shock the closer he came. The Eagle flashed o'er their position, still bleeding off speed and altitude by tilting his pitch breast forward to increase his air resistance, ere he drew in his wings and executed a displacement roll. He then spread his wings again, bleeding off both his forward velocity and his remaining altitude ere extending his legs and dropping to a landing three fathoms from where Helluin waited. After giving himself a shake and folding his wings, he cocked his head and gazed down upon her with a questioning look. His head was 'nigh two fathoms above her and his beak was nearly as large as her body.
Helluin offered the Eagle a bow. Shaking in fear, Red did his best to hide behind her.
"Áye, Héru Gwaihir, 'tis my pleasure to meet thee again. I thank thee for coming."
"Áye, Heldalúne Maica i móremenel," the Eagle replied, "It hath been long since last I saw thy Light. Whyfor hast thou called?"
"Lord, I am troubled in thought and would beg thy aid," she told him. "Of late I have fought Warg riders inside Khazad-dûm. I fear they seek to colonize those empty halls to the detriment of all free peoples east and west."
She saw the Lord of the Eagles widen his eyes in surprise at her tidings, then narrow them at the thought of Yrch and Wargs roaming the halls of Durin's folk. Though the Eagles had ne'er been close in friendship with the Gonnhirrim, they had been allies in their mutual hatred of the Yrch. Nor were either race fond of the Tor. Those servants of Morgoth had earned the enmity of both kindreds Ages ago. Now the Dwarves had been driven from their mansions and the Eagles had lost their principal allies on the ground, or more rightly 'neath it. They had only one remaining ally who was universally feared by the Yrch.
"What aid would thou have of us, Helluin Ghâshgûl?" Gwaihir asked.
"Yonder valley augurs a threat to me, now that 'tis no longer held secure by the soldiers of Khazad-dûm," she said, gesturing to the long depression 'twixt the slopes of Barazinbar and Bundushathûr.
Gwaihir tilted his head to follow her gesture and surveyed the floor of the valley south to north. When he returned his gaze to her, Helluin continued.
"It ends high in the Dimrill Dale and must begin somewhere in the northern foothills of Fanuidhol. Any traveling there would be hidden from the Dwarf Road and from Lórinand's march wardens. I can imagine the Yrch marching south from Kapul Utot or further north, from Gundabad perhaps, or even from 'cross Anduin, following that way to the East Gate of Moria."
Helluin waited for a reply whilst the Eagle searched his memories of the valley as seen from the air. He realized that it did indeed open in the foothills north of Cloudyhead, and it could indeed be used to come unseen to the Dimrill Dale and the East Gate. He nodded to himself.
"We shall take up a watch upon that valley as we can," Gwaihir said, "though we cannot post any there at all times. We simply no longer have the numbers."
"I understand, yet I can think of no other solution, lord. The Laiquendi keep watch on the west exit from the pass o'er Caradhras, but they will not go 'neath the ground."
Gwaihir nodded to Helluin, understanding the reticence of the Green Elves to venture from 'neath the stars. He recalled their similar reluctance long aforetime when they chose the forests of Ossiriand o'er the delved halls in the fortified realms of Doriath and Nargothrond. In the end, they had survived whilst the Sindar and Noldor had been slain by the thousands. Nargothrond; its fall brought to mind another long held concern.
"Helluin, I have a concern to air as well. In Ages past, we marked that many had escaped both the destruction of Utumno and the breaking of Angband. Of the Yrch and Tor, our suspicions have been proved beyond doubt. Yet I speak of the greater foes, the Valaraukar and the Urulóki."
His words provoked a look of alarm from the Noldo.
"When 'twas told that Khazad-dûm was beset by deadly heats, I suspected either might be at fault," the Eagle said, "yet the Grey Wizard found no proof of either."
He shook his head, obviously still confounded.
"I too explored the mines and the site of a recent manifestation of heat, but I felt 'naught of malign intent," Helluin told him. "Like Mithrandir, I found no proof of any intelligence behind 'Durin's Bane'. I have attained no enlightenment since."
"We also know thou served Turgon son of Fingolfin 'til Gondolin's fall, and so better than most in these latter days, thou would recognize both Balrog and Fire-Drake."
To this, Helluin nodded in grim agreement. She would forget neither 'til the end of her days. Finally, Gwaihir sighed, a gentle whistling of breath exhaled from his beak, and nodded to the Noldo.
"We shall keep watch on yonder valley and for the great foes we fear escaped the ruins of Melkor's realms long ago."
"And I shall examine the Dimrill Dale for tracks of Warg and Orch ere I make my way to Lórinand to take counsel with the lord and lady. Thereafter, I believe my way shall lead down to Gondor." A look, cold and grim shaped her features and she added, "Though I know not how to avenge my friends in Khazad-dûm, perhaps I can at least bring some discomfort to the Nazgûl in Minas Morgul."
The Lord of Eagles nodded to her in approval. Deeming all their tidings told, he prepared to depart.
"May the stars of Elbereth shine upon thee 'til next we meet, Heldalúne Maica i móremenel," Gwaihir declared.
"May thou find succor in the breath of Manwë, my old friend," Helluin replied ere offering a parting bow.
Gwaihir dipped his head to the Noldo and then spread his wings and launched himself o'er the rim of the flat and down into the long valley. Helluin watched as he swooped low, his head turning side to side as he sought for spoor. For a creature as large as he, 'twas surprising how slowly he could fly when it suited him to do so. Eventually, Gwaihir dwindled to a dark speck in the distance, far north up the valley. By then, Red had shaken himself free of his terror and come o'er to watch.
What a horrifying creature, he muttered silently to her when she looked him in the eyes.
Huh? Gwaihir? She asked in surprise.
I doubt not that he has carried off many a horse in his time, Red said.
Whilst such was entirely possible, Helluin had given it no thought. All of the Eagles were capable of taking creatures the size of a horse, but they were seldom indiscriminate about it. Usually they subjected enemies to their predation, or wild beasts, not those in service to allies. Even Meneldor, when he had snatched up the Easterling cavalryman and his horse outside of Lindon, had been striking terror into their foes. Of course, that terror had o'erflowed onto friends when he had dropped them from a great height and then alit outside of the Dúnedain refugee camp to consume them in a barbaric and bloody display. Helluin shook her head to dispel the memory.
From my long experience with the Eagles, I have ne'er known them to hunt friends, she told Red, though it seemed to pacify him little. Gwaihir is now lord of all the Eagles residing on the Mortal Shores and his spirit is noble.
Noble, but not vegetarian.
Nay, he and all his kin are raptors, mighty hunters of the servants of Morgoth and a terror to Yrch, Wargs, and evil Men. They have aforetime carried off Tor and even did battle with the Great Enemy's dragons long ago. Now 'tis mostly a watch they keep on the west of Middle Earth, bearing tidings when necessary, and even carrying some few who need swift passage in grave times.
The Easterling horse regarded her, obviously trying to feel reassured, but still doubtful.
Talons like billhooks and beak to cleave a body asunder, he said, shivering, 'tis hard to watch the ground yet also scan the sky above, and they are swift and silent awing. I shall ne'er again feel safe in these lands.
All he said was true and Helluin could only shrug. She deemed his nervousness was simply an outgrowth of his status as a herbivore, and reckoned that he had more to worry about from wolf packs, Men, and Yrch than Eagles. In the end, she gathered her travel bag and convinced him that the sooner on their way to the lowlands, the less time spent in the highlands that the Eagles favored. When explained to him thus, Red found great inspiration for haste and trotted down the switchbacks all morning, scarcely stopping save to cast wary glances at the sky. By noon, they had covered 'nigh four leagues, descended five thousand feet, and reached the head of the Dimrill Dale.
Rather than barren rock or scrubby plants flattened by snow and wind, a turf grew green and springy and the sound of falling water rose from the lower slopes to accompany their path. 'Neath their feet, the cleft 'twixt Fanuidhol and Celebdil widened and they saw that the Mirrormere lay far closer than when they had viewed it the prior afternoon. Shortly later they found pines growing, the first trees they had seen since Eriador. The highest clung to the turf with wind-shaped limbs, but soon the trees grew with straight trunks in thickening stands.
Trickles of snowmelt had joined one to another 'til they formed a rill that skipped 'twixt boulders o'er a bed of polished stones. 'Twas the humble source of the Mirrormere, and the headwaters of the river Celebrant, the Silverlode that ran through Lórinand on its way to Anduin.
They came 'neath the canopy of the trees and Helluin marked that Red seemed to calm a bit. Beside the rill, she dismounted, shouldered her bow and quiver, and bid Red await her return.
Pray remain, and enjoy a rest and a meal, O Red. I must seek for tracks and whatsoe'er spoor the Warg riders may have left ere they descended from the valley to the East Gate. I should not be gone long.
Very well, O Helluin, he replied, eyeing the turf. I shall be here, though I shall be happy to take my leave, the sooner the better. He cast another glance to the sky.
Helluin turned away and rolled her eyes. By now, Gwaihir was likely a hundred leagues or more to the north.
With a few steps, she reached the bank of the freshet and easily leapt 'cross its breadth. On the far side, she headed towards the northern verge of the dale. Narrow as Nanduhirion still was, she reached it in but a few minutes. There she climbed a steep slope of but a hundred feet ere finding a view down into the valley. She marked a faint trail leading to a notch somewhat lower down, leading into the trees.
When she reached the notch, Helluin found faded prints of Wargs coming up out of the valley. They were perhaps a fortnight old, and these continued to a shallow crossing with more distinct prints upon the banks where a few ferns and some moss grew in a thin layer of soil. It seemed that they had stopped to drink, and shortly she found the footprints of boots worn by Yrch. 'Twas no trouble to cross the water in their wake.
Upon the south side of the stream, she followed the tracks a ways further. She saw that they joined an established trail worn smooth through many centuries by the boots of the Gonnhirrim, which led down to Azanulbizar. Whilst she could not make a precise count, Helluin did reckon that the party was no smaller, and probably little larger than those she had met in Khazad-dûm. She deemed that a good sign, for it implied that no great count of enemies had slipped into Moria.
Finally, Helluin turned from the tracks and ascended the trail to rejoin Red. She found him beside the water, happily chewing. In all, she reckoned that she had been gone the half-part of an hour, maybe less.
Well, t'would seem that they came this way, and I hope that Gwaihir and his vassals can offer the next party a bitter welcome.
Better them than me, Red muttered 'round a mouthful of grass. Shall we continue on our way?
Aye, but pray spare me a moment first, Helluin said, seating herself and rummaging in her travel bag. I too shall enjoy a noon meal, O Red.
From the bag, Helluin withdrew a day-old flatbread, which she examined closely and then dusted off, and a canister of peaches that she had taken from a shelf on her first foray into Moria and not shared with the Laiquendi. As Red continued to crop sweet grass from the verge of the freshet, Helluin cut away the top of the canister with her dagger and proceeded to extract the halved fruit from its syrup. In the sunlight, washed o'er by a gentle breeze of fresh mountain air, and listening to the soft whispers of the tumbling rill, the Noldo enjoyed her most peaceful meal in many a day.
As Helluin drained the last of the syrup with an indulgent slurp, she marked the approach of a swan, snow white with a beak of jet like those from the iris marshes of the Loeg Ningloron, or the lower Celebrant 'nigh the Naith of Lórinand. Its long neck was stretched straight forward as if the bird had swallowed an arrow, and wings beat like the oars of a ship's dinghy. Helluin watched its approach and as it drew 'nigh, became sure that t'would alight beside them.
Sure enough, the swan landed in the freshet where it paddled furiously against the current a while ere it waded out of the water. Once it gained the bank, it retracted its neck into a sinuous S-curve, then shook and folded its wings. Helluin and Red regarded it with curiosity. Knowing the swans were a lowland kindred attracted to placid water 'nigh riverbanks, its arrival so high in Nanduhirion was peculiar.
It seemed the swan thought so as well, for at first he twisted his neck and turned his head from side to side, looking back whence he had come as if astonished at how high above Anduin he had come. Eventually he settled, and after looking Helluin and Red in the eyes, proffered a message. It seemed that despite his dignified and formal appearance, he was at heart quite a 'nervous' individual.
"I-bibity-bipity-boo. A-gadidy-bibiddy-bop," the swan pronounced, wholly serious. He then bobbed his head and cocked it to the side, awaiting a reply.
Helluin and Red looked each other in the eyes.
I understood not a word, the Easterling horse said. Perhaps he is mad?
Perhaps he is cursed with an impediment of speech? He makes even less sense than Iarwain Ben-adar.
Earwig who?
Helluin groaned, muttered, Ne'ermind, and returned her attention to the swan.
"Da-dappity-dabiddy-bofitty-gwaat," he said urgently, as if his welfare depended upon it.
A hint of blue fire sizzled in the Noldo's eyes and she seized the swan's consciousness, eye to eye, constraining it from speech and peering directly into its mind. 'Twas only then that she perceived a profound trauma in the creature arising from a terrifying encounter and a command laid upon it 'neath pain of mortal consequences. E'er since, the swan, who named himself Idnatzio, had been scared literally out of his mind and could only blubber in a relic lizard-speak arising from his hindbrain. Though he appeared relatively normal to look upon, Helluin deemed that he had reverted to some primitive, inherited state of mind. She groaned and gave thought to his plight, wondering if she might alleviate his torment.
Eventually, she deemed that the best she could do would be to draw off his memories as one would drain a boil, and then bestow forgetfulness upon him. This she did, viewing what had brought such a trauma, and extracting it from his consciousness. Helluin found that once again, what was historic to one was simply mundane to another.
Now when Helluin examined the swan's memories, she found the perspective of seeing through its eyes grossly disorienting. The swan could see in all directions, including both of its own feet and all directly o'erhead, as well as what lay before its beak and behind its tail. The swan's field of vision wrapped completely 'round it in all directions and as a result, what lay directly to the fore was greatly magnified. 'Aught else appeared as if painted upon a glass ball that surrounded her head, leaving the periphery of her vision markedly reduced in scale. The horizon was curved in a circle and it rocked sickeningly if she tilted her head up or down. The scenery encompassed the iris marshes of the Loeg Ningloron, as she sat treading water whilst dabbling with her beak for watercress.
She had scarcely accustomed herself to the swan's perspective so that she did not immediately vomit, when a vast, winged creature stooped upon her. It fell from the sky o'erhead and grew so large as to eclipse 'aught else. The swan was petrified in terror and froze in place.
With a tidal splash, the great raptor landed in the water, and whereas the swan had been comfortable swimming there, the Eagle stood with the half-rangar depth barely covering its feet. From the swan's perspective, it blotted out the sun and sky, leaving only a thin strip 'round the periphery free for the rest of the world. Then the Eagle loomed o'er him and turned an eye vaster than his own body upon him, and commanded his attention. Its great and cruel beak opened to reveal a cavern of darkness, and the Eagle's tongue was as a world unto itself.
My good Idnatzio, it said, and to his horror, he realized that it knew his name! I pray thee grant me a favor if thou would. South in the Dimrill Dale is one of Elven kind to whom I must send a message, yet her companion, a horse, seems terrified of me, poor thing. I would discomfit him the less, yet she must learn that the Warg riders came down the valley as she suspected and ere that, had made their way 'cross Anduin. They came hence from the south. Pray say thus to her, noble Idnatzio. Thou may find her high in the dale.
The swan had been so terrified that he could only bob his head, nodding his acquiescence ere he took flight south towards Nanduhirion. As he beat his wings to clear the water, he heard the Eagle say, there's a good fellow. Pray make haste.
Idnatzio had flown as fast as he could, eager to deliver the message, but more eager still to flee the Eagle's presence. Somewhere along the way, he had pretty much lost his mind, poor thing.
Having received her message, the Noldo withdrew from the swan's consciousness, taking his trauma with her and leaving him disoriented, but with his wits restored. He looked 'round in wonder at finding himself in the upper reaches of the Dimrill Dale, a place he had ne'er ventured aforetime and had held no desire to visit. Indeed his last memory was of stuffing his beak with watercress in the Loeg Ningloron. Before him sat two total strangers, an elleth and a horse.
Greetings, Elf, I am Idnatzio, he said, looking the elleth in the eye. Why am I here?
Well met, Idnatzio. I am Helluin and I have no idea whyfor thou hast come, Helluin told him, straight-faced. Thou arrived a short time ago. 'Twas a surprise to me.
Thou may think me addled, Helluin, but I cannot recall coming here at all, Idnatzio said, staring 'round again in confusion.
I have seen none of thy kin here'bouts, so perhaps thy coming was a mistake. Could thou have been so bored as to fly hither whilst thy mind wandered elsewhere?
Idnatzio gave thought to the possibility, and though he had his doubts, he admitted that, 'tis possible, I suppose. I simply cannot recall. After another pause for further thought, he said, I find myself mortified and confounded. I beg thy pardon and shall take my leave at once.
'Tis no trouble, good Idnatzio, Helluin said, then wished him, Safe travels.
The swan bobbed his head in farewell and then ran downhill ere he leapt from the edge of a boulder. They watched a while as he flew downhill towards the lowlands.
And good riddance, Helluin said to Red, his memories well 'nigh made me nauseous. I found his point of view far too distorted to abide and his angst needlessly self-inflicted. He was an excitable and foolish fellow.
But did he offer any tidings of value? Red asked.
Indeed so. He conveyed a message from Gwaihir. The Warg riders did travel the valley and came 'cross Anduin from somewhere to the south.
So then we were both correct, Red said, a self-satisfied smirk shaping his lips. When Helluin cocked a brow in question, he added, thou suspected the Warg riders of traveling the valley and I thought Gwaihir a horrifying creature.
Helluin rolled her eyes at that, but loath to accuse Red of being 'an excitable and foolish fellow', she simply nodded in agreement. Perhaps he would come to trust the Eagles one day. In the meantime, they needed to continue their descent into Nanduhirion.
"Let us resume our way, O Red. I crave to spend this night 'neath the trees of Lórinand."
Very well, O Helluin. I am inclined to prefer lowlands to high at present.
He cast another worried glance to the sky, but found no trace of an Eagle anywhere o'erhead. Helluin mounted and they resumed their ride down the path that ran alongside the rill.
Now the stream rapidly graduated in size as other trickles and freshets joined it, bearing the snowmelt of Caradhras down to the Mirrormere. Soon it became a torrent that skipped o'er a series of falls. Another hour came and went as they passed beside the Dimrill Stair to reach the Lower Falls. There, the standing rainbow stopped Red in his tracks.
The gateway to the afterlife, he exclaimed in silent awe. 'Tis real!
'Tis a rainbow, O Red, and it hath persisted in this place for Ages, so long as the mist rises and the sun shines.
In the east, this very same gateway is seen from time to time. It appears after the blessing of rain, but so vast is the steppe that perhaps only once in a generation is it actually viewed. The Wise say that to chase it is folly, for the afterlife comes to each of us in its own time, and only then may one pass 'neath its divine arch and into bliss.
We shall pass 'neath it at the base of the pass as we leave the trees, and yet we shall remain in this world, O Red. I have done so many times in the past.
But thou art an Elf, O Helluin, deathless, or so 'tis said in the east. I reckon 'tis I who shall find bliss in the afterlife should we pass 'neath it.
Of that, we shall see soon enough, Helluin told him, for it appears to lie but a furlong ahead. I have marked that the precise moment of passing 'neath it is impossible to discern. It appears ahead, 'til it appears behind, but thou shalt see.
So I shall, though I would beg of thee a boon, should the wisdom of the east prevail.
Helluin raised an eyebrow in question, wondering just what manner of apocalyptic notion would be forthcoming.
I pray thee see to the burial of my carcass with due honor for service rendered, O Helluin. I shall not miss it, of course, yet I would not that it become fodder for wolves, Wargs, or wild Men.
Helluin could scarce refrain from rolling her eyes, but she indulged her friend and said, Of course I shall see to thine interment, O Red. Thou shalt be buried with all honor due, my friend.
Then let us proceed, and we shall see if I shall achieve my bliss this day.
Shaking her head, Helluin nodded and Red paced forward, watching the rainbow as the base of the falls passed 'nigh. The track ran 'round the southern edge of the pool at the base of the falls, thence to the nether banks of the Mirrormere upon its lawn. Where the trail broke from the trees, the rainbow rose from the bracken and leapt up into the misty air, its colors sharp and clear against the blue sky behind.
With his long history of peculiar beliefs and folk wisdom, Helluin had no doubts that Red would soon be disabused of yet another bizarre notion. She just hoped he would not be too disillusioned after.
Red was looking up, watching carefully as the rainbow approached closer and closer o'erhead. Finally, when it seemed to shrink to a line of white, he took a step that brought him and Helluin directly 'neath the rainbow. Helluin nodded, seeing that in another pace they would be looking back at the colored arch. Red took another pace forward and dropped dead in his tracks, dumping Helluin so that she tumbled a fathom ere recovering to her feet. She whipped 'round and looked at her horse, who lay on his side with a peaceful expression on his face.
"Oh, very funny, Red. Get up, we still have a ways to go ere we reach Lórinand," Helluin said, hands on her hips as her patience frayed.
Alas, Red moved not, nor hinted at a surreptitiously taken breath. His lips revealed no hint of a grin at a jest well played. He lay splayed on the path, silent and still. Helluin eyed him closely, counting to herself and wondering how long a horse might hold its breath, yet finally, after the sixth part of an hour, during which her irritation progressed to alarm, he remained unmoving.
Finally, the Noldo threw up her hands and walked o'er to Red's carcass. She laid a hand on his forehead and then jerked it back, aghast. No trace of his spirit did she feel within him. He was truly gone. Soon, a trickle of tears ran down her sculpted cheeks and she gently closed his eyes. Then she sat down beside him in silence, honoring him by reviewing her memories of their years together, of the places they had seen, and the things they had shared.
After an hour, Helluin rose, and still unable to master her sorrow, walked back amongst the pines and there began to viciously hew down saplings, hacking them into sections of four feet in length. When she had a dozen, and several longer poles, she brought them to where Red lay and one by one, moved them 'neath him. Then, using them as rollers, she slowly moved his stiffening carcass from the path and out onto the lawn that borders the Mirrormere. It took the remainder of the afternoon, but she had finally brought him to within five fathoms of the edge of the mere.
As twilight faded to night, Helluin began digging, using sharpened poles after cutting the turf with her dagger and rolling it up like a ground cloth. Her labor consumed the night, but as dawn broke o'er Fanuidhol, the grave was complete. By then, Red was stiff as a board, and the Noldo was barely able to lever him into the hole using the poles. He fell in like a stone and hit the bottom with a thud. 'Twas the most unceremonious interment she could recall in many a year.
She spent 'til 'nigh noon refilling the grave by hand, setting the rollers and poles upright 'round the verge of the refilled hole to mark the site, and then laying the turf atop so that it seemed but little disturbed. Afterwards, she walked to the Mirrormere and bathed.
I am sorry that thou ne'er had the chance to see thyself crowned with Durin's stars, mellon nín, she said as she stood at the head of the grave with her own head bowed and her right hand o'er her heart. Rest now in peace from thy labors. May thou find thy bliss beyond the rainbow. Thou hast my thanks and commendation for thy service, O Thunder who followed Lightning.
'Twas a somber Helluin who flew down the Dwarf Road, running fleet-footed in her sorrow past the crossroads and then east along the Silverlode. She crossed the bridge o'er Nimrodel and only slowed when she came 'neath the trees. Evening had drawn down by then, and she felt the march wardens 'nigh, but 'twas to others more distant that she sought to announce her presence.
'Neath the golden mellyrn a star of silver and gold blazed in the dimming twilight, lingering long enough to be apparent to all. Haldir and the Galadhrim approached, glad to see their old friend and prepared to lead her hence. In Caras Galadhon, the lord and lady prepared to receive tidings from her, but also to delve the cause of her sorrow and the underlying wrath they had clearly felt 'neath it.
Haldir, greet Helluin and send her hence, then stay those who follow. Cause them no harm if it can be avoided.
Haldir stopped mid-stride for a moment. His new regents had been known to him for an Age and more, yet of late, they were no longer semi-permanent guests. With the abdication of Amroth, his peoples' whole land had changed. 'Twas a slow thing, little marked from day to day and more felt than seen, yet in retrospect, though but a score and two had passed, much had changed. He thought little now of hearing the lady's voice in his head, having become accustomed to receiving instructions thus at a great remove. He no longer tried to acknowledge receiving such instructions, knowing that she would know that he had heard. Instead, he whistled softly, caught the attention of his fellow march wardens, made a series of hand signals, and then resumed leading them west towards the mountains.
To Be Continued