Anna stopped at the gates of Isengard, absolutely floored by what she found. He entire land was filled with puddles, the air was devoid of all the smoke produced by the wizard's machines and the only things standing in the entire field were a few trees at certain points looking forebodingly like hidden sentinels. One lay on the ground with a few orc axes in it, but not nearly enough. The clouds floated high alone the destruction, no longer providing protection to anyone.
'What is this?' a voice bellowed above her, 'Another rat come out of the water works?' Anna looked up to see another creature much like the one she met in the forest at Helm's Deep. This one now above her was taller, massive and more full of knots than the talking trees she had first seen. 'I have seen you before, racing past us, in and out of Saruman's abode.' She had seen him as well. He was one of the many tall creatures who had been desecrating the place, the creatures she was supposed to have brought orcs to defeat.
'Well, who is it? Just give us a name at least,' an all too familiar voice demanded from the creature's branches. Out of them, two hobbits stared down at a she-elf on a horse. All of their hearts plummeted to their stomachs.
'Who needs saving now I wonder,' Anna muttered as she stared up at the perfectly fine yet utterly confused young lads.
After Merry would say no more, Pippin continued in his dubious state, 'Anna! Where is Gandalf, Aragorn, the rest of them? Shouldn't they be with you?'
Anna could feel the pressure around her eyes as she stared at these two ghosts, and now what was she going to do? She was right in front of Saruman's tower, in front of his window.
'They are dead as far as I am concerned,' Anna spit. The transformation was incredible. She had been staring at them with the eyes of an old friend, completely unbelieving. After a quick glance to the tower, her shoulders stooped over her saddle and a scowl of an enemy crossed her face.
Before Treebeard could make her, Anna sped her horse to the steps of Orthanc, left him there and raced up the steps as if Treebeard might be at her tail. Seeing she was headed where he wanted her, Treebeard left her alone.
The heavy door opened a crack just to show a dark line of the shadows beyond it. Wormtongue stuck his pale face in the crack and looked out at the frazzled she-elf, looking over her shoulder.
Anna turned back to the door, expecting it open but Wormtongue was planted squarely in her way. 'Let me in, Wormtongue,' Anna warned, her flashing beady eyes catching Wormtongue's ever roaming own.
'Where are the orcs?' he asked simply, almost triumphantly. However, he was not able to hold the door closed for long. He saw her flashing in her eyes, a warning of her turning dangerous, and tried shutting the door on her, slinking away like the spineless serpent he was. Anna pushed the door open and barged in, looking levelly at Wormtongue. He kept his arrogance despite his present situation. 'I didn't think you'd come back if you failed once again. Saruman will be angry to see elves are useless in the evil business.'
Anna winced and covered it up with, 'Only humans call it evil. It's just an order, and it's Saruman's place to reprove me, not yours.'
Wormtongue knew his place. Already countered in strength and words, he knew this battle was lost. Though, he looked with delight over Anna's shoulder. 'I should like to see what Saruman would say to your news.' Wormtongue brushed past her to announce her coming to Saruman. She was left alone and kept her mind away from the meeting by her usual 'looking' around, her hand busy tracing lines of object and folds of cloth.
A call for her boomed behind her. Anna looked over her should where her master waited. Fear rose up in her throat that she tried earnestly to swallow down. She went in; her concentration ion what she had to say kept her on her feet.
'Master, forgive me for I have failed. By the time I came to Helm's Deep, the orcs were all destroyed. The men, they had others that came in from around their kingdom. And--and creatures like those outside were there as well. The Uruk-hai were doomed before I got there. The orcs leader had failed, I could not even give an order for there were none to listen to it.' She said this all rushed and adamantly, her arms waving above her head and behind her in the direction of that battle.
'If you did not give any commands, how did I hear your voice upon the wind?' Saruman said coolly. Anna's eyes widened. 'Oh, yes, not only did I hear your commands, I translated them as well. You did not give the exact orders I gave you. You ordered all the Uruk-hai to retreat--to come here. A rather moving war speech but heavily inaccurate to what I gave you.'
Anna trembled, already feeling his staff's power working up in the round room. A slow realization told her that he frozen state was no longer form fear but from the spell her master put on her limbs.
'I know I did not ever give you those orc words, so I wonder where you received them,' he continued as he stood up from his throne and stepped closer to her. 'Are you working for someone else, perhaps? Gandalf, or in your travels did you happen a visit to Morder? I know you could not have made the words up yourself. Those words couldn't have popped into your head at that very moment,' he said, more to reassure himself than to tell her. He was baffled by her and her channeling of knowledge but would not easily show it. She had done this before, come up with foreign words that fit together perfectly that he had not taught her. Before, he knew she could not have learned it from anyone else because he kept such a strict eye on her. He did not enjoy being made confused and would show this in his torture.
'Please, master. I gave them the commands because there wasn't much left--' A feeble pleas came from Anna, knowing the torture of years before would be nothing to what was to come.
'Silence!' Saruman now right in front of her, gloating at her begging. He thrust his staff at her head.
A scream echoed to the men and others at the Gates of Isengard, seemingly rushing through to the top of Orthanc to spill over the land around it. The men shuddered at what sounded like some sweet-voiced angel having her heart town open slowly and meticulously.
'What creatures does he house in there that would make such a death cry?' Theoden questioned Gandalf.
Gandalf, of course, did not answer directly. 'Let us hope it is no death cry.' Gandalf's hopes were for anything but death and led the way to the steps of Orthanc.