Indur stopped, his head whipped to face the shadows, the eyes glowed, then sputtered, died.

(…alone… completely alone…) he let his legs give way, sitting on the floor and pulling into almost a crouch. The hood fell from his face, exposing pale cheeks, and bitter tears. (All for this… wasted, his life, ours, wasted!) The gauntlets on his hand were the stuff of minds, but they clanked as he clenched them nonetheless. He stood, looked out over the nothing, and for a moment time seemed to stop. Something had changed, something had finally broken, something was new, and strange… JI-Indur surveyed the nothingness, his eyes glaciered and deep. His back and shoulder straitened. He had been betrayed, he had been isolated into himself even among his own, there was good reason… the lips parted, and a soft hiss echoed into the silence…

The betrayed would become the betrayer, and the fallen would strike the abhorrent.

Lion and Eye would fall both, and ice,

Ice and silence…

Would cover all…

Morgoth watched from his throne, and he smiled, just a little. The blade from behind, is always the sharpest… ah my Anatar. What harm you do yourself…

…
…when the steel is red…
…when the shield has split…
And the Furies beat their wings of brass,
Be wary of the roads at night…
In the darkness lye the answers, that the fools alone would seek,
The snakes sleep in the grass…

Gandalf eyed the darkness, the path was getting dimmer, and the light from his staff was fading. Beside him Aragorn let his hand fall from his scabbard, looking around in silent wonder. Faramir and Legolas advanced almost back to back, weapons drawn. Gimli strode beside them, rubbing his eyes. The building loomed in the distance, reaching seemingly for the sky of the realm of blackness. Above it sparkled thousands of small lights, almost appearing as the stars of the midnight sky. At their sides a forest was spreading into the shadows, driving back the blackness and replacing it with the soft twilight. A deer grazing near their path raised its head, a rabbit scurried through the underbrush. Frodo reached out curiously to touch the bark of a tree.

"…I am, a might confused by all this…" Bilbo looked about him again. "Where is this all coming from?" Gandalf looked back at the hobbit, the skin between his eyebrows furrowed.

"I… am unsure." Merry and Pippin stopped to regard a badger on a log; it sniffed at them, but did not scurry away. "As strange as this is, it seems… safe. A place that is special of itself." The badger, having seen enough, walked off. Samwise gave the two a nudge to keep them moving.

The hall grew near, the doors began to open…

And they were in darkness once more. Gandalf drew his sword, his knuckles white. "Ah, I should have realized… you were always the deceiver."

A chuckle in the dark, then footsteps. Sauron smiled, he walked casually towards them, his golden hair draped across his shoulders. He stopped before Gandalf, the smile dimmed somewhat.
Well, at least you acknowledge my skill, more respect that I could glean from you one several of my better days. You bring quite the variety with you. Khamul hissed, eyes glowing crimson. Sauron turned his head towards the sound, his eyes deepened, and his smile returned. Ah… how refreshing to see you again …my easterling. Khamul drew back slightly, eyes loosing their intensity. Sauron walked around the wizard and took the wraith by the chin, tilting his head to look in his eyes, to look deeper still… the wraith cringed, backing away and into the shadows, his hair falling over his face. Sauron turned the other way, extending his hand to Adunaphel.

The wraith planted his feet, keeping his gaze glued to Sauron's own, and whispered in a hiss,
…betrayer…

Frodo stood still, still as death, a strange voice was whispering inside him, crying out with a sorrow that would shame the sea. He grabbed his hand with a cry. The missing finger had begun to ach. Sauron turned as if struck, staring at the hobbit with disbelief, his face twisted into a snarl. You! Ringbearer! From through the flames I know you hobbit! I see you now! Frodo turned and ran, a shriek sounded behind him, then another, both Khamul and Adunaphel fell under the pull of their lord.

Their cries drew nearer. Frodo looked over his shoulder, eyes wide in panic.

The wraiths were in pursuit, forms dancing in and out of the shadows, Adunaphel gave a shriek, Khamul returned the wail, then faded from sight. Adunaphel crouched and sprang further ahead, nearly flanking the terrified hobbit. Frodo leapt out of his reach, a sharp gauntlet flashed above his shoulder, and a spurt of red followed. Frodo screamed and fell, rolling out of the way. He stopped against one of the twilight trees, staggering back to his feet.

The bushes in front of him parted, Frodo froze. Khamul hissed above him, sniffing the air, his eyes gazed blindly above the hobbits head. A wail sounded in the distance, Khamul turned, then stopped. He whirled back around, smelling the blood, shrieked and reached for his sword…

…Gandalf yelled out his incantation, Aragorn swung Narsil. Legolas had drawn his knives and Gimli was keeping the hobbits out of the way. Sauron roared out as the spell wrapped around him, throwing it off and grabbing the wizard's staff. The wood flashed beneath his hand and the Miar gave a shriek of pain. Faramir swiped at his leg, the blade passed harmlessly through as if it was air. They did not see the Nazgul stalking them from the shadows. Legolas fell back, blood running from his side. Gandalf was yelling, gripping the staff with all his might, bracing as Sauron bore down on it trying to force it from his hands.

Aragorn's sword sank into the fallen dark lord's arm, red stained the blade.

Sauron cried out but did not release the staff. The wood shivered under the strain, glowing white as a supernova and cracking like frost. Still the Nazgul remained unseen. Narsil slashed again across the dark ones fingers, drawing blood. Sauron reeled back, howling not in pain but hate, his eyes held Aragorn's in a vice. Aragorn choked, feeling those hands around his throat again…

And fell gasping to the floor as Sauron wheeled about to face the assault from behind him, the wizard once more cracking him a burning blow with his staff. Legolas was the only one to hear the hiss, his eyes grew wide in surprise, "…When did Indur-"

The wraith leapt out before him. He had only a passing gimps like seeing a blade flash from its scabbard before the deed was done.

Sauron staggered, blood running from his many wounds as the wraith circled him, white hair ghosting out the corners of his hood. He reached to his chest, feeling where his armor had been pierced, looked stunned into the Nazgul's eyes. The flash came again, cutting across the exposed cheek where the helmet no longer protected. Sauron staggered, reached to swing his mace around…

…screamed as it, along with the fingers holding it, fell to the floor. Akorahil hissed with pleasure as he lapped the edges of his gauntlet. Sauron backed away, screamed out and leapt again, this time from Dwar. Five deep furrows ripped down each of the Miar's sides where the armor was thin.

Weakening now, he watched with disbelieving eyes as the wraiths closed in around him, their eyes glowing red in the darkness. They advanced, closing tighter until he thrashed to throw them off.

...Red splattered the ground, the shrieks of the hunting Nazgul drowned outSauron's cries.

Morgoth smiled as he watched the battle behind closed eyes, savoring the moment when his lieutenant realized he had been abandoned. Laughed at the panic in the Miar's spirit when he realized why he was growing weaker, The Dark Lord drawing the strength from his bones.

The screams ended, fading into the blackness like the memory of an echo.

In the darkness Morgoth stood, well pleased with the gift he had been presented by his, 'ever loyal' lieutenant. In all of creation he was yet to see a better pack of hunting hounds, and would probably never find a more enjoyable, 'kill'.