Chapter 15:

Irideth was floating.

At least that's how it felt. It was nice; peaceful, quiet and dark.

'Hello again, Child of Akatosh.'

The voice wasn't as startling as it perhaps should have been.

'Am I in the Void again?' Irideth asked.

'Yes. A bit deeper, too,' the voice answered. Then it paused. 'Are you well, Child of Akatosh?'

Irideth frowned. Or at least, it felt like she did. Was she dreaming? Or sleepwalking? She remembered Asha saying something about the medicine…

'No,' the girl answered after a while. 'But I don't really want to talk about it.'

'No, I wouldn't expect so,' the voice answered, sounding a touch dry. 'You must find a way to return home, child. Preferably before you are killed.'

Irideth bristled, pointedly ignoring the shock of dread the voice's words brought. 'You think I don't want to get out of here? That I don't want to see my family again?'

'Not exactly what I was pertaining to, but that would be a start, I suppose.'

Irideth was momentarily confused. 'Pertaining?'

'Referring to, talking about,' the voice answered.

'Oh.' It was Irideth's turn to pause. 'Then what were you talking about?'

'I am uncertain it is wise to tell you, considering your current state of affairs,' the voice said. 'I'm certain you'll figure it out on your own eventually. You have all the necessary information.'

'What?' Irideth asked.

'I would not think it wise for your resident daedra to discover much of anything further about you, thus I will not tell you plainly what you can figure out for yourself.'

'Resident what?'

'Ah, yes, you call his class of spirit Maiar,' the voice said, sounding pensive. 'I had forgotten; Arda is truly not of much interest to many of us these days.'

Irideth was completely lost at this point. 'What are you talking about?'

There was a noise that resembled a chuckle. 'In time, child. I must go now; there are other things that require my attention.'

'Wait! What are you…?'


Irideth came out of unconsciousness slowly, head spinning and pounding in equal measure. Her left arm was throbbing, she was cold, her mouth was dry and her throat sore. Actually, most of her body hurt, noticeably worse than it ever had over the past fortnight. She opened her eyes as slowly as she could manage.

Where…?

Oh…

Irideth felt bile rise in her throat and closed her eyes again, swallowing with considerable difficulty. She heard footsteps approaching the door and shrank in on herself as much as her aching muscles and joints allowed. The girl flinched when the door opened.

"Irideth? Are you awake?"

Asha, Irideth realized, opening her eyes and moving her gaze to the healer as she shut the door behind her.

"Yes," Irideth said. Whispered, really; she barely got the word out.

Asha walked over to the girl's bedside, reaching out a hand and keeping Irideth down when she tried to push herself up. "I wouldn't move about on your own just yet; you developed a fever during the night, and you don't currently seem to be doing any better."

Well, that explained the sore throat and body aches. Irideth lay back as Asha picked up a cup of water sitting on a table by the bed, pouring the contents of a small vial into it and stirring. The orc set the cup down briefly, helping Irideth sit up before handing it to her.

"The medicine I just mixed in will help keep your temperature down as well as dull any pain you might be feeling," Asha said. "Be warned, it tastes as foul as it smells, so I would recommend not breathing and taking it all in one go."

Irideth gave the cup and its slightly viscous contents a dubious look. She could already smell it; a rotten scent that reminded her of the small swamp in Firien Wood where she and her siblings would go to hunt frogs.

Taking a deep breath, Irideth lifted the rim to her lips and tilted her head back, pouring the liquid right to the back of her throat. She swallowed before she could have much time to think about it, grimacing as a bitter, earthy taste remained. Asha chuckled when the child stuck her tongue out, emphasizing her disgust as she handed the cup back. The orc placed it back on the table, picking up another cup and filling it with water from a small metal pitcher before giving it to Irideth. Irideth took as many swallows as her burning throat allowed; it tasted a little metallic, but it was better than the medicine.

"Well, I think it's clear you know your name," Asha said when Irideth handed the cup back. She placed it back on the table. "Do you know mine?"

"Asha," Irideth answered.

"Do you know where you are?"

"Barad-dûr, in the healing wing."

"What month is it?"

"August."

The orc hummed approvingly, placing clawed fingers beneath Irideth's chin and tilting her head back to examine her eyes. "Are you dizzy at all? Seeing any spots?"

"No," Irideth answered, turning her head slightly to the left when Asha applied gentle pressure to her jaw.

"What about your hearing? Are your ears ringing?"

"No."

The orc nodded, releasing Irideth's head as she straightened. "You appear to have recovered from the concussion; unfortunately I can't say the same for the rest of your injuries."

Don't have to tell me that, Irideth thought, biting her tongue to keep from saying anything out loud.

"When is the last time you ate, Irideth?" Asha asked. "A full meal," she said when Irideth had barely opened her mouth; her pause had apparently been long enough to be conspicuous.

Asha sighed when Irideth remained silent. "I carried you here when the wraiths first brought you in; I could tell that you've lost a significant amount of weight. I'm guessing it's been several weeks since you've eaten properly."

Irideth's eyes dropped to the blanket. "I can't… remember, really," she admitted quietly.

She heard Asha sigh again, looking at the healer as she pulled a stool from behind the bedside table and placed it by the bed. "Can you tell me why you haven't been eating?" she asked, voice softening just slightly as she sat.

Irideth began studying the cast on her left arm with undue fascination. When Asha didn't move for a minute, though, Irideth took a quiet, fortifying breath.

"I… feel sick, whenever I try," she said quietly. "I can only ever eat something like half an apple or a small slice of bread; any more than that and I feel like I'm going to throw up."

"Can you remember how long this has been going on?" Asha asked.

Irideth thought about it for a while; her memory hadn't been the best recently. "A little less than a month, I think."

Asha nodded. "Have you noticed anything else?"

"I… a little bit after I couldn't eat I started having trouble sleeping," Irideth said quietly, swallowing to clear her throat and then wincing at the pain. Asha handed her the water cup again and Irideth took a few sips before continuing. "It… I've had nightmares for as long as I can remember, but they started getting worse. I don't really remember them, but most nights I'll wake up every few minutes sweating and shaking. Then I started feeling tired all the time. It was almost like… I don't know, like I was moving through cold molasses. My whole body feels heavy all the time, like my clothes are made of lead. My arms and legs hurt, too; I feel like I can't bend them, sometimes."

Irideth took another swallow from the cup, then stared down at the contents. The small ripples she could see made her realize her hands were shaking. She felt a familiar sting behind her eyes and blinked, hard.

"Well," Asha said after what felt like an age. "I can give you medicine to help you sleep; we'll need to be careful with the dosage, though. You can become dependent if you use it too often, and in some cases it will worsen other symptoms."

Irideth glanced up at the woman. "Do you… know what's wrong with me?"

Asha studied her for a moment. "What you described to me are symptoms of what many of the healers here call melancholy or melancholia. It's an illness more of the mind than body, strange though that might sound. It's far more commonly observed in prisoners and captured slaves rather than born ones, which makes us think it is caused by periods of prolonged emotional strain."

Irideth looked down at the cup again.

"You were captured about a year ago, weren't you?" Asha asked quietly.

The child nodded morosely.

"You said it's your nightmares you don't remember," Asha said. "What about pleasant dreams?"

"They might as well be nightmares," Irideth muttered into the cup. "Dreaming about my family, then waking up here and remembering I'll probably never see them again is worse than some nightmare-vision I'll forget in an hour."

Asha did not seem to know how to respond to that.


What to do with this child? Asha thought, watching as Irideth stared without seeing at the water in her cup. The girl was no dullard; Irideth was able to look ahead and consider consequences far better than any other child her age Asha had ever seen. This had likely saved her life on more than one occasion, but in this instance such a skill was also a bit of a curse. Asha knew that it was extremely unlikely Irideth would ever see her home or her family again, and it wouldn't help the child any for the healer to deny it. Asha believed such knowledge would have brought most of the adults she knew to their knees long before now. For a child to have to face a realization like that…

Irideth glanced up at her. "Do you… need to change my bandages?"

Asha nodded as she stood, not commenting on the obvious change of subject. "I'll be back in a few minutes with fresh bandages and some soup for you," she said. "I know you likely don't feel up to it, but I would like you to try to finish the bowl."

Irideth did not look at all pleased with the order, but she nodded all the same.

Asha left quietly, pace picking up to a brisk walk after she'd closed the door behind her. Considering how much Irideth understood about her situation, coupled with the fact of her melancholy and that she didn't seem at all confused about how she'd been so badly injured, Asha didn't want to leave her alone for too long and risk the child having a panic attack.

She had already suffered more than enough.


Irideth had tried falling asleep again, but Asha returned before she was able to drift off.

It still took considerable effort for her to open her eyes and sitting up was virtually impossible; she felt like there was an anvil on her chest.

Asha apparently noticed her struggle, because she set the bandages and a small soup bowl on the bedside table before propping a few pillows behind Irideth's back and slowly helping her into a sitting position. Irideth murmured a thank you, then broke off into a fit of very painful coughs.

Irideth leaned back against the pillows with a grimace once the fit had subsided; the pain in her throat had flared up again, and the right side of her chest felt like there were dozens of tiny daggers scraping against her ribs. She tensed when Asha touched her right shoulder, flinching before she could stop herself.

Asha didn't appear to pay it any mind. She held the bowl of steaming soup up to Irideth's mouth, waiting until she'd taken a few swallows of the thin broth. Irideth felt her muscles relax slightly when the pain in her throat eased.

"Lie back," Asha ordered softly, setting the bowl down before bringing both hands to Irideth's shoulders. Irideth did as she was told, allowing the woman to guide her down so her back was at an angle, her head draped slightly over the back of the pillows.

Irideth tensed when she felt rough hands just above the collar. Asha applied a gentle pressure to the front and sides of her throat, massaging carefully up and down until Irideth relaxed. The child was surprised a minute or so later when she realized breathing had become much easier.

"Are you ready for me to change your bandages?" Asha asked after another minute or so.

Irideth, who had closed her eyes by that point, opened them and nodded as best she could. Asha gently gripped her shoulders again and helped her sit up before setting to work.

Irideth held still, wincing every now and then at either a tug on her hair or pressure against the wound as Asha unwrapped the old bandages. The girl barely concealed her grimace as Asha parted her hair and prodded gently at the wound.

"It looks to be healing nicely; no fresh blood, no signs of infection," Asha said after a moment. "I'm going to keep putting antiseptic salve on it for a day or two; best err on the side of caution, as far as I'm concerned."

Irideth nodded her understanding. She screwed her eyes shut, biting back any sound as Asha spread an herbal-scented ointment over the injury. It wasn't really an open wound at this point, but the salve still stung horribly when it was applied. Asha worked quickly, thankfully, and the pressure of the bandages helped ease the pain.

"Are you alright?" Asha asked as she finished tying a small, neat knot just above Irideth's right ear. Irideth nodded.

"I might be a bit more convinced if you were breathing," Asha said dryly.

Oh, yeah. Irideth felt heat rise in her cheeks as she exhaled.

"Better," Asha said, slightly amused. "Now I want to take a look at your left arm. Can you move your hand at all?"

Irideth's gaze moved to the aforementioned appendage. After a few seconds, she managed to curl her fingers into an almost-fist, gritting her teeth against the pain around the fracture.

"Don't push it too much," Asha cautioned, voice stern but gentle. She smiled when Irideth glanced guiltily upward. "I know; a broken bone is nothing to envy, but it's better to take things slowly than risk re-injury."

Irideth managed a wan smile in response.

"That looks promising," Asha said, gesturing to Irideth's hand. "I don't want you moving your arm if you can avoid it; you'll need to wear a sling while walking or sitting upright for the first two weeks. If it doesn't hurt too much, I would like you to try touching the tip of each of your fingers to the tip of your thumb," she said, demonstrating the exercise with her left hand. She nodded in approval as Irideth copied her, albeit much more slowly.

"Good," the healer said. "Do this three times a day, if you can. In a week or so I want you to try flexing your wrist up and down. If that's bearable, start doing that in addition."

"Yes, ma'am," Irideth answered quietly.


Sauron almost growled in annoyance when he heard a knock on the door. Some things never changed, and him being irritated whenever someone interrupted him while he was working was one of them. He turned toward the door.

"Enter," he said, sounding much calmer than he felt.

Sauron wasn't at all surprised when the door opened to reveal Siraaj, who grimaced momentarily at the undoubtedly astringent smell of blood and burnt flesh. The Maia's irritation eased just slightly when he noticed the man's cheeks lose some of their color when he noticed the bloodstained blade in Sauron's hand; the man very visibly avoided looking at the rack behind the Dark Lord, as well as the Nazgûl milling about in the shadows at the cell's corners and rear wall.

"My Lord," Siraaj said with a bow. "The scouts from Ithilien and Osgiliath have returned; the captains wish to give their reports as soon as they may."

"Yes, I am aware. I will see to them when I am finished here," Sauron said dismissively, already turning back toward his latest… subject. The bound man made a choked sound; he undoubtedly would have cried out had he been able. The terror in his remaining eye, clouded though it was, was impossible to miss.

Sauron felt a devilish smile overtaking his face when he heard Siraaj's alarmed intake of breath behind him; he could feel the man's horror without even trying.

He was impressed Siraaj had recognized Basaam so quickly, considering his face was lacking most of its distinctive features. As well as most of the flesh.

The Dark Lord turned back toward the door, raising a questioning eyebrow when he felt Siraaj's turmoil increasing by the second. Honestly, why was he so surprised? The man was a fairly gifted torturer himself. He'd never witnessed anything quite this extensive or visceral, Sauron knew, he didn't know anywhere near enough about keeping victims alive for extended periods, but gore had never bothered the man before.

Ah… Sauron realized what the issue was when he sensed the question the man was currently unable to voice.

"Nothing you need concern yourself with, Minister Siraaj," Sauron said, allowing his amusement to color his voice when he beheld the man's now completely bloodless face and his gaping mouth. "Basaam and his assistant merely thought it wise to touch what is mine."

The wraiths hissed quietly from the shadows, their version of a collective growl. Basaam twitched and whimpered as much as he was able; the body at the far corner of the cell, barely recognizable as human at this point, made its own pitiful sound. Sauron's gaze moved to it momentarily.

"Hm. He can still speak," the Dark Lord said in the same manner someone else might comment on some mildly interesting flora. "I am a little bit impressed."

He smiled slightly when he sensed the Nazgûl's amusement.

That smile turned more than a little dark when he sensed the moment Siraaj made the connection, both to just who that thing in the corner was and his Lord's declaration of his (former) colleague's crime.

Siraaj bowed his head hastily, turned about on shaking legs and all but leaped out of the room, almost slamming the door behind him. Sauron heard him take six very erratic steps down the hall, then the thud of the man's body hitting the floor when consciousness fled.

The wraiths cackled. Sauron allowed himself a small chuckle as he returned his attention to his work. He studied the bloodied, mangled form before him and savored the feel of the man's agonizing fear.

Sauron clucked his tongue thoughtfully, twirling the blade idly in his hand. What to take next…?


This chapter's a bit of a filler. We get a little bit more into Irideth's head, and Sauron gets to screw with his human minions and partake in some semi-recreational torture. What's not for a Dark Lord to love? Things lighten up a tidbit in the next chapter, so bear with me, y'all.