Chapter 29:
It was just over four months later that the family heard from Gandalf; the message was short and delivered via sparrow. It had been startling, the little bird landing on the table while everyone had been finishing their breakfast, but Irideth for her part had been impressed by the fact the creature had apparently managed to find a route inside through the thick thatch roof.
'3d. NS Snowbourne. G.'
It took a few minutes to figure out what the tiny note, which had been tied to the bird's leg, meant. It was Dea who first put it into plain words; Gandalf wanted them to meet him where the North-South Road intersected with the Snowbourne River, a few miles northwest of Edoras, in three days.
Planning began immediately. Svala had been taking preserved foods from kitchen leftovers for weeks; Seldor and Dea would begin packing the supplies and preparing the horses and ponies. The children, meanwhile, were tasked with making unobtrusive trips to the wells to collect water. They would leave early in the morning on the third day, hopefully reaching the meeting point by midmorning.
Despite the urgency of the situation, Adina did not take kindly to being woken up early. The girl's face was positively sour as Dea fastened her cloak about her neck so she could go with Irideth and Cevin for one last run to the well before they left. Irideth could sympathize; it was barely light out.
It was also cold; all three kids were wrapped in cloaks and scarves before they managed to all but run out the door.
The sun had crested the horizon, the first rays beginning to glint off the roof of the Golden Hall. A light spring frost crunched under foot as the children began trotting up the path to the well.
"Couldn't we have waited a little longer?" Adina muttered, barely audible through her scarf, as they reached the steepest part of the climb.
Irideth and Cevin shared a look over the top of their sister's head, grinning as, grabbing her hands, they lifted her up over a rock beside the steps Irideth was climbing while Cevin opted to go on the dirt beside them. Adina squealed in indignation when her siblings didn't set her down, kicking her feet as Irideth and Cevin swung her back and forth a couple of times before releasing her. The second the youngest Evjen had her feet back on solid ground, she was after her brother, who ran ahead of her yelling 'it wasn't my idea!'
Irideth laughed, then took off herself when Adina rounded on her.
Irideth made it over the hill a second after Cevin did, and promptly tripped over her brother and what Irideth discerned to be another boy, crashing into another child and sending them to the ground in their own stunned pile.
"Oh shr… I'm so sorry," Irideth said (Sauron may not have allowed her around the orcs all that much, but that didn't mean she hadn't managed to pick up the odd stray curse word here and there, and swearing in Black Speech was oddly satisfying. The language was excellent when it came to expressing anything like anger or frustration).
The other child, another boy, shoved her off of him, practically hitting her in the chest and almost knocking her back down the hill.
"Hey! Watch it!" Adina yelled, grabbing Irideth's sleeve and pulling her back into balance.
"You watch it!" shouted the boy Cevin had knocked over as Cevin climbed over him.
Irideth barely kept herself from groaning when she recognized the voice, and the sour, pinched little face a moment later. Viful. Of course.
The larger boy proceeded to kick Cevin in the shin as he pushed himself to his feet.
"What the heck is wrong with you?" Irideth snapped, stepping forward before she could stop herself. "It was obviously an accident, and we apologized!"
"Maybe if you and your stupid cousins had been more careful, we wouldn't have all eaten dirt!" Viful shouted back, shoving Irideth hard in the shoulder.
"Leave her alone!" Cevin said, practically throwing Viful backward by his sleeve. "It was an accident, Viful! We just need to get some water, and then we'll go, all right? No need to get your ruff up."
Viful's response was knocking Cevin to the ground again. When Irideth went to help her brother, the boy she'd knocked over (Sorli, if she remembered correctly) tackled her from behind.
Things went downhill from there.
The scuffle quickly got on the more violent side; Irideth and her siblings were outnumbered five to three, but thankfully, being a bit younger, Adina was not averse to fighting dirty early on. Irideth, after slamming her head back into her assailant's nose and elbowing him around the kidney area, heard a loud yell of pain followed by an indignant 'she bit me!' a moment later.
Irideth managed to knock Sorli off of her a moment later, only for Viful to come at her from the side while another one of the boys went after Cevin.
Viful was a lot rougher than any of the other boys in his little gang, and more than once Irideth found herself wanting to use a technique the Nazgûl had taught her to just get the fight over and done with.
The problem with that was as far as the Nine were concerned finishing the fight often meant finishing your opponent as well, and even unarmed, most of the moves they'd taught her were either permanently disabling or downright lethal. Considering the opponents the wraiths had anticipated Irideth needing to use those moves against, Irideth couldn't blame them. It was just that right now it was damn impractical.
A kick to the stomach in a lucky gap got Viful off of her long enough for Irideth to scramble to her feet. Unfortunately she was dizzy enough that she didn't notice the boy picking up a rock until he'd already thrown it.
Irideth's vision went white; it took a second for the pain of the blow to register, and by then she'd already fallen, hitting the ground hard. Another, sharper pain hit less than a second later; the girl realized it was likely her nose was broken.
Then her vision went black.
His eyes open, head jerking upward. He moves to stand almost before he is conscious of it, already calling to his Nine. This is the chance he has been waiting for…
Irideth slammed the connection shut, lifting her head out of the dirt and screwing her eyes closed, bringing one hand up to stem the flow of blood from her nose. A quick, focused healing spell took care of the worst of it, though the brief flare of pain it caused was almost as bad as the initial injury had been.
Her nose was still bleeding, though. She reached into the inner pocket of her coat and tugged out her headscarf, rolling it up and replacing her hand with the more effective cloth. Still hearing yelling behind her, Irideth began pushing herself to her feet.
The girl jumped when she felt hands grip her arm, but it was only Cevin. Her younger brother pulled her to her feet and began walking them down the hill almost before she'd gotten her feet under her. Adina came scurrying up behind them, placing herself at Irideth's left and clutching at her sister's jacket.
"Did you do something?" Cevin whispered in Irideth's ear as they hurried back toward their aunt's house, using his sleeve to wipe some of the blood off Irideth's face. "Viful just fell over all of a sudden and started screaming, and when he sat up his nose was bleeding."
Irideth shook her head. "It wasn't me. It…" She swallowed, taking a deep breath. Eru, she could feel herself starting to shake already.
"He knows," Irideth managed. "He knows where we are." Adina gasped audibly, and Cevin almost tripped over his own feet.
"What?! How?" Cevin said, clearly wanting to yell but managing to keep his voice low. On an unspoken agreement, all three children had started all but running down the hill upon Irideth's pronouncement.
"The collar," Irideth managed, shifting the bloodied cloth against her face; the side she'd been using was already soaked. "He… before I ran, he put some sort of spell on it. I'm not exactly sure of the details, but he can sense whenever I get badly hurt and it… I think it opens the link somehow, so he can… so he knows immediately where I am. And, it looks like if someone attacks me, they get hurt however they hurt me."
"That was nice of him," Adina commented. Irideth choked on a laugh, while Cevin nearly ran into the front door when he turned to gape at Adina.
He then almost ran into their mother's legs when she opened the door right when he turned back around.
"Mother, we need to leave now."
Irideth was really unnerved with how quiet Adina was being.
It had been a tense exit and much hastier than anyone had planned. Their parents, Cevin and Adina had left first, by the main gate. Irideth and Svala had followed a few minutes later, leaving out a much smaller, less used side gate. The rest of the family had met them about half a mile west of Edoras with the horses; Irideth and Svala had taken the last of the supplies, really only what they could carry in small packs. After waiting about an hour to see if anyone was following, they had mounted up and turned north, heading for the meeting point Gandalf had specified.
Normally Adina would be excited as a cat who'd just discovered a whole nest of mice at the prospect of going on a long ride. Now, though, her younger sister was tense in her seat, gripping the reins just a shade too firmly, gazing stonily ahead.
Though no one else seemed to be doing much better. Irideth did not like what this was doing to her stomach; she felt like throwing up the small bit of roll she'd managed to choke down this morning.
Remembering her brief connection with Sauron earlier nearly had that happening anyway. She'd been expecting… well, anger. The excitement she'd sensed was somehow worse; why on earth did he want her back that badly?
Thank goodness for Colette's bracelet, Irideth thought, bringing her right hand to fiddle with the little band of silver for a moment, letting the reins rest in her left. Distracted as she'd been at the time, she didn't know if she'd have been able to cut off the connection that quickly if it weren't for the bracelet.
Suddenly Runil, Seldor's horse, pricked his ears and snorted. Eoghan followed suit a moment later, and when Irideth looked up she could see, still far off and barely visible over the tall grasses of the plains, a chestnut horse and a stooped, humanoid figure in a distinctive blue hat.
The family all nudged their mounts into an easy canter toward the road. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Irideth felt herself relaxing as she and Eoghan fell into the familiar rhythm of horse and rider perfectly matched, the wind pulling at hair and mane and long grass brushing against their legs.
Gandalf straightened up when the family got close, slowing their horses to a trot, then bringing them to a stop in a line before the wizard. The old man was smiling, but the crease between his brows betrayed his worry.
"You are earlier than I had anticipated. Has something happened?" Gandalf asked.
At once, a look passed between the family.
"The Dark Lord knows where we are," Dea said after a pregnant pause. "Or at the very least that we were at Edoras. No doubt he has gathered that we will have fled by now."
"It was his bond with me," Irideth said when Gandalf opened his mouth, guessing what he was going to ask. "He's sent the Nazgûl to track me down." This last bit was added in a voice so tight it was almost a whisper.
Gandalf's face was grave. "All of them?"
"Yes."
It was mildly frightening, how fast the wizard could move. With his wizened face, he looked so frail, you wouldn't think he could mount a horse with that much speed. Even the horse looked startled.
"Then we must go with all haste," Gandalf said. "I have sent messages, to have friends watch the roads before and behind us; this changes things. Do you know how they will come?"
Irideth could've sworn the feeling of all eyes present falling to her was a physical weight. She swallowed thickly. "I'd expect they'll be flying at least to the borders of Gondor, and he'll have horses ready and waiting for them wherever they're set to land. I doubt he'll want to risk them being spotted over Rohan this early on."
Gandalf nodded, pensive. "Did you notice if anyone saw you leave? Who may have noticed which direction you were heading in?"
"We had the horses waiting out of sight of the gate," Seldor said. "Irideth and Svala left by a side gate, a few minutes after the rest of us did. We went straight north first, to make it look like we were going toward the West Emnet."
"A wise thought," Gandalf said; he may have been smiling, but with the beard it was hard to tell. "Hopefully that will throw them off the track. Come! Our path does lie to the north, but much further west!"
"Where are we going?" Cevin asked as the wizard turned his horse about, nudging him into a fast trot toward the North-South Road, which was still visible a bit of a ways off even though it was mostly grass-covered at this point.
"To Rivendell, Master Evjen!" Gandalf called over his shoulder as the family drove their horses to follow. "We must keep a good pace to stay ahead of pursuit, though I'm sure you know as well as I we must be careful not to travel too quickly or too long. Tiring the horses is something we must be certain to avoid now!"
The cloud cover had been a difficult thing to work, but with their Master's help Murazor was able to keep the moon and stars obscured by thick clouds as he, Khamul, Akorahil, Hoarmurath, Adunaphel and Indur slipped over the walls of Edoras while the others kept watch outside with the horses.
There was a muffled shrak as Indur's boot caught on one of the fence posts, leading to an inelegant face-plant and equally muffled snickers a second later.
"You probably should have stayed in full wraith form for this," Khamul teased quietly as Indur got to his feet again.
Murazor, resisting the urge to slap his subordinates upside the head, gestured for them to get in a tight diamond formation, himself at the head, Khamul and Adunaphel close behind and flanking slightly.
They knew the house they were looking for, and they knew where it was. Their human and avian spies had been able to relay enough information they were able to locate the house without much trouble.
Thanks to the darkness, the Nazgûl were essentially invisible, and with their senses so heightened by shadow, they were able to reach their destination without encountering any of Edoras' human denizens. The house was a good distance from the stables, luckily for them; the panicking of the steeds would no doubt alert the guard that something was amiss. The few livestock that were kept within the city walls had fled quickly enough, but thankfully no one had paid this much mind.
Murazor, Khamul and Adunaphel went to the front, while Akorahil, Indur and Hoarmurath went to the door of the cellar around the back. On a mental signal, Murazor broke the lock on the front door while Hoarmurath sliced through the door bar blocking the cellar's entrance.
It was plain from the moment they stepped inside the house was empty. How long it had been empty, and where the inhabitants had fled to, was what they needed to find out.
The wraiths split up, searching the house in pairs for any clues. It was clear the family had left in a hurry; food had not been properly stored, clothing had been left haphazardly piled from where other items had been hastily pulled out of dressers and chests.
"Given what Lord Sauron told us, I don't think they've been gone more than a couple of days," Khamul murmured to Murazor as the two stood in the hastily cleared kitchen; there were a few dishes still left in the wash bin.
"I agree, but that's still a two-day lead, and the only indication we have on which direction they went is north," Murazor said.
"Did you see this?"
Murazor and Khamul both turned to look at Akorahil as he came downstairs from the loft. He was holding a bowl in one hand, and in the other several opaque jars.
"She dyed her hair. Blonde, judging by the mixture; that's why none of the spies recognized her," Akorahil said, setting the items down on a table in the hall.
"The third child," Murazor said, realization dawning. "The one that was supposedly adopted by her mother's sister."
"Then that means she came straight to Edoras," Khamul said. "Remember the reports? The third child appeared nearly a month before the rest of the family came to live here."
"Irideth and her aunt must have sent a message to the rest of the family," Akorahil mused. "Their home village was in dire straits as it was; I doubt the decision to move was an altogether difficult one."
"Smart," Hoarmurath's voice drifted up from the cellar; no doubt he and the others had been listening in.
"Any luck?" Khamul asked the cellar team.
"Well, judging by what all looks to have been disturbed, they were planning on an extended trip. It looks like a good bit of the preserved foods were taken," Adunaphel said as she and Hoarmurath came back up the stairs, Indur coming to peer over the side of the loft.
"They took their horses, of course. Our spies were able to confirm that much," Khamul said.
"But little else," Murazor said grimly. "They were very careful to make sure no one knew where they were going."
"If they know themselves," Adunaphel pointed out. "We know that Lord Sauron's connection with Irideth was unexpected; even if they were planning to leave already, their departure was certainly more abrupt than they'd thought it would be."
"Dale wouldn't be a bad bet," Indur said, coming down the stairs to stand beside Akorahil.
"Pretty long way, though," Hoarmurath said. "Not to mention risky; I doubt any of them have traveled outside of Rohan in their lives."
"It's not like Dunland is much of an option," Akorahil said. "The Dunlendings have been feuding with the Rohirrim for years; going through their lands with such a small band is asking for trouble."
"Do you think they'd try going to Lorien?" Khamul mused.
"I doubt it," Adunaphel said. "No humans know much about the place, and the Rohirrim are at best wary of it; they don't quite trust the tales they hear, and they do know how tetchy the Elves can be about visitors."
"I think," Murazor said, becoming a bit testy himself, "we've discovered how pointless speculation is. Dawn will be coming in a couple of hours, and we want to be well away from here by then. We will head toward Nan Curunír; I've no doubt Saruman has had his own agents in Rohan for quite some time. We'll see what they know."
"If you can get the bastard to talk," Khamul muttered. "You know what a schemer he is."
"I'm sure we can all use the entertainment."
Irideth glanced over her shoulder at her siblings as discreetly as she could manage; Adina was holding up better than she'd expected, though she still tired easily and had to ride two to a saddle with one of the adults more frequently than Irideth or Cevin.
Gandalf, since he was the only one even slightly familiar with their path, set the pace. Most of the time they kept up a steady trot, picking up a canter at some of the more level sections of the road. The horses could keep these paces for a good portion of the day, though their riders made certain they were never completely tired out. And Gandalf always made certain they were off the road and had set up camp well before full sunset, which allowed for some additional rest for the steeds in the evenings.
Irideth turned her focus back to the road when it looked like Cevin had noticed her looking. Eoghan tossed his head, and Irideth felt his muscles bunching. She tugged gently at the reins, straightening, letting her horse know she did not intend for him to start trotting just yet; they were keeping at a walk for now, more for the riders' sake than the horses.
"You seem deep in thought."
Irideth glanced up at Gandalf as he brought his horse beside Eoghan. The wizard's eyes were shaded under the rim of his blue hat, but she could still see the intensity of his look.
Irideth looked ahead again, not certain how to respond.
"We have been making good time," Gandalf said. "I was not expecting to pass the Fords of Isen until today. You and your siblings are strong riders, though I suppose I should have expected nothing less of the Rohirrim."
It was their fifth day out from Edoras; Gandalf had estimated they were traveling 25 miles a day, give or take a few. Thankfully the road had been level for the most part, though it was becoming noticeably less maintained the further they headed into Dunland.
"You're not so bad yourself," Irideth said, trying to sound light but not managing it too well. Gandalf chuckled.
"I have not been called the Grey Pilgrim without reason," the wizard said. "I have traveled far and wide over Middle Earth, and am able to ride a horse for quite a stretch at need."
Once again, Irideth didn't really have a response. They rode on in silence for a while, Irideth taking what comfort she could in the warmth of the sun on her face; they would probably be stopping for a light lunch and some water soon. It was nearly midday.
"For what it may be worth, I do not think you erred in returning to your family."
"Huh?" Irideth was startled enough she jerked in the saddle slightly. Her head turned and her eyes met the wizard's once again. His gaze seemed far more piercing than it had before, but Irideth did not feel the same unease she did when Sauron studied her. Gandalf's eyes were… softer, and she did not get the sense of someone trying to… to examine her like an herbalist might an unfamiliar species of plant.
"That is what has been occupying your thought, is it not?" Gandalf asked. Irideth pursed her lips, looking ahead again.
"Yes. They wouldn't be in this mess if I hadn't come back," she answered, a bit curtly.
"And how do you know that, hmm? You told me the Nazgûl took you from your home. They, and of course the Dark Lord himself, knew where your family lived. They know their names and what they look like. When the Enemy discovered you had escaped, your home by the Mering Stream is no doubt the first place he sent his spies to seek you," Gandalf said.
That had been one of the first things she and Irianna had discussed. "Yes, but…"
"And when you were not there, who is to say he would not have taken your family? Or at least some of them, for questioning?"
A chill ran down Irideth's spine. She and Irianna had talked about that as well; Irideth had at the very least wanted to warn them, and they'd ultimately decided that her contacting them in person was the best way to do that. With the help of the Torpor, Irideth had gotten there far faster than it was possible for Sauron's servants, or at the very least for messages to be passed to those who were nearby. Her parents had been considering leaving for some time before, so packing up and heading to Edoras had gone much more smoothly than Irideth could have hoped. The trickiest part had been getting word to Svala and creating the 'adopted child' fiction. As a result, Irideth had gone to Edoras a few weeks before the rest of the family. By all appearances, the plan had worked. Sauron certainly hadn't known when that… accidental connection had occurred that she'd been in Edoras.
After that connection, though, Irideth had called into question her entire course of action, seeing her family having to uproot themselves again to flee from danger that she was ultimately the cause of.
"Once the Dark Lord took an interest in you, they would have been safest fleeing regardless of if you were with them or not," Gandalf continued, voice soft.
Irideth's gaze fell to her hands; she'd begun fiddling with Eoghan's mane practically unconsciously.
A sudden weight on her left leg had Irideth's head snapping in that direction. Adina was looking demandingly up at her, standing up in Aisling's saddle while the pony, with saintlike patience, lengthened her stride to keep up with Eoghan. Irideth sighed, giving Adina her hand and helping her sister up and into the saddle behind her.
Gandalf chuckled when Adina wrapped her arms around her older sister's waist and promptly fell into a half-doze against her back.
The sound of a horse at a canter had all parties turning their heads to the right; they were just in time to see Cevin bring his chestnut Sigrun to a halt beside Gandalf's horse.
"There's someone coming up behind us," he said urgently. "It looks like a man; he's wearing a brown cloak, and he's riding like he's got a pack of wolves on his heels."
Irideth's heart skipped a beat; she felt Adina's arms tighten around her waist. She quickly urged her sister back onto her pony, in case they needed to move in a hurry.
Everyone had turned to face the approaching figure by then. All were tense, but then Gandalf, who Irideth noticed had reached for the staff in his saddlebag, relaxed.
"It is Radagast the Brown," the wizard told the others. "A member of my order. He is one of the friends I set to watch the road."
Irideth, inexplicably, felt like she'd swallowed a rock as the figure of a mounted man drew closer. Though his horse had been galloping like mad, it looked to have barely broken a sweat when the wizard brought it to a halt practically in the middle of the group, causing a few of the Evjen's horses to back up a few steps, snorting in surprise.
The rider, by contrast, appeared very out of breath. Radagast was a good two heads shorter than Gandalf, at the least. His cloak was a deep brown, a color that reminded Irideth of the trunks of trees when under the sun. His face, by contrast, was so white it was practically bloodless.
"Gandalf! Thank goodness I caught you!" the shorter wizard said in a single breath. "The Nine know where you've gone! I can't imagine they're far behind!"
Irideth felt like someone had just poured ice down the back of her tunic. Judging by the sharp intakes of breath around her, and even a small cry from Adina, she imagined everyone else felt much the same.
The grey-clad wizard's eyes immediately fell to Irideth; the girl, recognizing the question there, shook her head. "I don't know; I haven't… felt anything to suggest he'd been watching us."
"Is this the one?" Radagast said, his own eyes darting to Irideth. She barely kept from shrinking from the wizard's studying look. "What on earth would he want with a child?"
"That is a question only he can answer," Gandalf said gravely. "Do you know how far back they are?"
Startling both humans and horses, a small brown bird fluttered off of Radagast's worn hat, twittering loudly and frantically. The Brown wizard listened intently, nodding and making noises of assent every now and then.
"The messengers said they were heading north; it appeared they were going towards Isengard, but then they turned aside and started galloping up the North-South Road! The last any of our scouts saw they're heading right for you; a few of the wood elves and southern Rangers are going to attempt to draw them off, but we do not know how successful they will be."
Probably not very, Irideth thought. Judging by the expressions on everyone else's faces, they were thinking along the same lines.
She wondered how the wraiths had discovered where they'd gone, or at least the direction they were heading in; had one of Sauron's spies seen them by the river, meeting up with Gandalf? Or had they been spotted on the road later?
And had their pursuers guessed where they were headed?
"Well, we do still have a few days' lead on them," Gandalf said, though his face was still grim. "But if what the scouts have reported is true, they will soon catch up to us if we remain on the road."
Glancing over the family quickly, he said, "we shall keep following the road for a few more hours, and then we must cut across country. We shall go directly north toward Hollin, and then follow the Bruinen to Rivendell. The way will be harder, but it will also be far harder for any pursuit to track us."
Irideth certainly hoped that would prove to be the case. How the hell had the Ringwraiths learned which direction they'd gone, anyway? Had Sauron managed to track them through the Palantír or some other method, and she just hadn't been aware? She was damn certain she hadn't sensed another connection being made at any point during their journey.
Her attention was drawn from her inner musings when Gandalf abruptly turned his horse around, facing back up the road.
"Come," he said. "We must go several more miles up the road; if I remember well enough, there is an old way of the Rangers that will allow for an easier path to the Swanfleet River."
When he kicked his horse into a canter, the Evjen's followed his lead.
"Good luck!" Radagast called after them, voice fading quickly. "I'll tell the others! We will watch for you and help however we can!"
Up on a rise, a few minutes later, a large brown wolf stood, snout raised to sniff at the air. The little brown man had gone, and the little human had continued to go with what was apparently the rest of her pack. They were going faster now, and by the scent, they were afraid.
Indron's tail flicked. Did they know he followed? Or had they somehow scented the Unseen Ones?
No, that wasn't possible! His Master had told him they were still far behind; human noses were much too weak for that.
Had the brown man told them something? He had come up from behind; maybe he had scented the Unseen Ones.
Whatever had happened, the pack of humans was moving away with the little one his Master wanted back. He wondered why she had left, when his Master was so fond of her. Had Master done something to upset the little one?
No matter. Indron would help the Unseen Ones get her back to him, and then she and Master could figure it out.
The wolf began making his way down the rise in a steady, ground-eating trot, following the scent of horses and humans up the road.
