An Unexpected Companion
Chapter 14
The Necromancer
Tiki knew darkness well. Shadows, broken only by flickering flame or magelight, were a deeply familiar sight to her. Her first centuries alive were spent in an ice cave, far from the sun. Indeed, during her first few decades under Bantu's care, she thought that an open flame burning on a sconce was like the sun, and that the sun itself was one gigantic torch burning in the gray sky, beyond the clouds which were the smoke it emitted.
So, delving into Mirkwood's depths did not affect her much. While she loved golden sunshine and warmth, she could weather the shadows and cold that choked the forest floor. She carefully followed Radagast and Gandalf, hopping over gnarled roots that rose and fell out of soggy soil. Dead leaves, soaked with moisture, mold, and mildew, squelched beneath her footfalls. A musty stench hung in the air, smothering Tiki's nose. She worked hard to block it out, and instead focused on her hearing.
However, that proved to be more unnerving. Forests were not supposed to be quiet. The eaves of the trees were supposed to be teeming with life. Birds singing and cawing, woodpeckers hammering at tree bark, squirrels chittering as they hunted for acorns, and bugs buzzing through the spaces between branches, should have filled her ears. Instead, she heard nothing. Not a sound except for her light footfalls, and the occasional tap of Gandalf and Radagast's staffs against a rock or a branch.
The eeriness compounded with the shadows, growing deeper, fuller, until Tiki was straining her eyes to peer through the darkness. Gandalf sparked a pale light at the top of his staff. Through that light, Tiki's eyes widened.
Spiderwebs innumerable choked Mirkwood's vast trees. Not simple strands of silk woven into fascinating patterns like she saw occasionally in the dense forests surrounding the Mila Tree. No, these spiderwebs clung to every inch of Mirkwood. They devoured the trees and bushes. Dead animals dangled from sacs, final sarcophaguses. A grisly fate. Tiki swallowed.
"I told you," Radagast murmured.
"And I fear you did not tell me enough," Gandalf replied, his steps slowing as he observed the webs.
Tiki remained quiet. All her attention remained on her hearing. The quiet may be unnerving, but it meant that nothing could sneak up on her. Not while she remained aware.
She hissed, her boot sticking on a patch of tightly woven spider-silk. After shaking her boot free, she stepped forward, only to bump into Radagast's back.
"Sorry..."
Tiki looked past the shorter wizard. Through a clearing in the dead trees and spiderwebs, she saw it; Dol Guldur. Dark spires, like black claws cleaving at the sky, towered over the forest. Not a single light penetrated the bleak stones of its walls or towers. Looking at it made her unease grow.
"We shouldn't be doing this alone," she whispered.
"Good thing we are not," Gandalf replied, glancing back at her. Although, he lacked the usual twinkle in his eyes that came with such words. This was a version of Gandalf Tiki had not seen yet. This wasn't a mischievous magician with wise sayings and tall tales to share. This was someone who was on a mission: to exorcize the demons from this place.
And he needed Tiki's help to do it.
When they neared the dark citadel, their pace slowed. Gandalf and Radagast took a winding path, moving along a narrow band of dirt that passed through the spiderwebs. Tiki followed, her ears twitching as she heard faint hissing and snarling within the shadows around them. Many fuzzy feet moved.
We're being watched.
"How many do you think, Radagast?" Gandalf whispered.
Radagast sniffed the air. "Half a dozen at least. More may be coming."
"Spiders?" Tiki replied.
Gandalf nodded, his grip on his staff tightening. "Keep close. Stay in the light." He stamped his staff, and a small crystal at the top of his staff glowed with a gentle, white light.
Dol Guldur proved not easy to gain entry to. The entire fortress was ringed by a deep ravine. Gnarled roots spiraled and dangled over the cliff's edge, grasping for any semblance of life they could find, only to find none. Tiki peeked into one ravine, spying nothing more than black rocks at the bottom, jagged and sharp.
Finally, after a little more careful walking, they came upon the one entrance to Dol Guldur, a narrow bridge. It lacked railings, reminding Tiki of the bridge in the Khazad-Dum when she encountered the Balrog. In fact, this entire mission felt as eerie as the darkness beneath the Misty Mountains.
Thank Naga there's at least open sky above me.
Gandalf paused halfway across the bridge, as did Radagast. Both looked back at Tiki, then past her.
"The spiders don't follow," Gandalf observed.
"Even they fear this place," Radagast muttered, throat bobbing. "Perhaps we should wait for the rest of the White Council to come?"
"They will only come with confirmation," Gandalf replied. "That is what we must give them."
Tiki furrowed her brow. "Confirmation of what?"
Gandalf hesitated. He uttered a heavy breath. "The Enemy, Tiki," he gave her a grave look. "Radagast and I fear the Necromancer is someone far more dangerous. Now quickly, before we are spotted."
They scurried across the rest of the bridge, coming to the mouth of Dol Guldur. A single gate yawned before them, the iron portcullis long ago rusted and rotted away. A sickly, yellow moss covered the ground and the stones at the foot of the fortress walls. Black water dripped through cracks in the rock like dark blood bleeding from a festering wound. Tiki sniffed. No scent. Rancid water should reek.
Gandalf moved through the gate first, one hand grasping his staff, the other drawing Glamdring. The elven steel glowed in the gray light cast by his staff, a single point of brightness in the gloomy courtyard. Radagast followed next, both of his hands tightly grasping his gnarled staff. He gave the ramparts wary looks, jaw tight, gaze alert.
When Tiki joined them. Metal groaned. All three spun around.
The rotten portcullis's bars snapped closed over the gate, enclosing them inside like fish in a net. Radagast paled, trembling.
"He knows we are here."
"He doesn't just know," Gandalf turned toward a path lined with gargoyles, leading to a set of stairs that ascended toward the fortress' tallest tower. "He is expecting us."
"The Necromancer?" Tiki asked. If so, this had to be quite the powerful sorcerer to know that all three of them would be arriving, and when it would happen.
Gandalf drew in a deep breath. He stared resolutely at the stairs. "This is no mere Necromancer."
Each step Tiki took echoed off the walls of the fortress. She ascended the stairs with the two wizards, climbing until they reached a series of catwalks leading to a broad bridge high above the courtyard. The bridge led to a lonesome shard of metal and stone sitting near the center of the fortress. Hooded and cloaked statues stood on the sides of the bridge, stooped, as if mourning the coming of the three. More black droplets trickled over their hoods, dripping down their hidden visages like tears. Tiki's heart beat faster.
Halfway across the bridge, she paused. She didn't know why, but she could sense something. There was pressure in the air. A sense of dread hit her and felt overwhelming. It made her freeze in place. Her heart palpitated as sharp breaths shot in and out of her lungs. Still, she forced herself to move one more step further.
A flash hit her mind. She was amidst the burning ruins of Ylisstol. The sky was black, choked by smoke and dark clouds. A similar dread filled her soul as she glided through the ruined streets like a ghost haunting the ruins of their once pristine home. Deep rumbling filled her ears. She felt the Fell Dragon.
She felt despair.
Tiki gasped, stumbling, then taking a knee on the bridge. Both Gandalf and Radagast spun around.
"Tiki!" Gandalf hissed.
Tiki raised her eyes, gaze shaky. Deep sorrow penetrated her heart, grasping it tightly, consuming her thoughts. There was no light in this place. No room for joy or courage. It was as if the Wings of Despair had spread themselves over the sky in Middle Earth, and she was witnessing them once again.
A dark, smokey form billowed out of a statue behind Gandalf and Radagast. It took the same hooded shape as the stone. A jagged blade formed in its ghostly grasp. Tiki's eyes widened. Her pupils, once round, narrowed into draconic slits, the only signal she could give Gandalf.
The gray wizard spun, snapping his staff out and letting the soft light atop it glow to a brilliant white that almost blinded Tiki. The shadow hissed, and Gandalf gritted his teeth.
"Back!" Gandalf barked, raising his staff. "Back to the realm of your dread master!"
"Gandalf!" Radagast pointed back the way they came. Two more shadows formed, blocking the exit. Their hooded forms glowered at the trio as they waited.
"Three…" Gandalf muttered. And three more formed from other statues. "Six…" The last three statues at the end of the bridge surrendered their ghosts, all of them armed. "Nine…"
"The nine," Radagast whispered.
Tiki gritted her teeth. Every animalistic instinct in her flared to life. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Her nails sank into the grimy stones beneath her like claws. One hand drifted to the pouch on her hip, wanting to draw the precious stone that could be her salvation. It could save her from this overwhelming sense of dread that had claimed her.
"Stay yourself!" Gandalf's words cut through her fear, making her freeze. "Do not unveil your nature yet."
Right as he finished speaking, a new voice emerged. It was dark, grating, snarling. When it spoke, the shadows on the bridge grew, swallowing the stones and consuming the fringes of the light cast by Radagast and Gandalf. Tiki's green eyes widened as those shadows snapped into the shape of a tall, gangly figure, looming over all of them with a black, eyeless face. Spines sprouted from the top of its dark head, the silhouette of a viscous crown. And, when Tiki gazed into the endless void of its face, her entire body shook.
What is this?
Rarely in her long life had anything made her tremble in fear. When she was small, still under the tutelage of Bantu, the world was a more terrifying place. But, as the centuries passed, she learned to fear nothing. Then came adversaries that consistently broke her confidence; everyone from terrible Gharnef and old Medeus, to Mila and Duma across the sea from her and the horrors she heard unleashed in Valentia, and finally, to the Fell Dragon himself. Those rare few made her feel terror. Now, a new foe managed to instill that in her heart once again.
The Necromancer.
Its grating voice, like heavy millstones grinding over each other, scraped through her ears. It snarled and bit, each word sending ice through her mind. She could not understand it, but her heart knew what was being said. She was doomed. All she cared about was doomed. The Necromancer claimed dominion over all, and it would take that dominion by force. It would not be stopped. And, for a moment, Tiki quailed, bowing her head, a tear trickling down her cheek as she felt the same despair she felt in her nightmares of the Fell Dragon.
A numbness overtook her senses. All was quiet for her, but not so for Gandalf and Radagast. The shadows that sprouted from the statues moved, wielding blackened weapons. They shrieked and screamed terrible songs. If Tiki didn't feel so distant, her ears would have been ringing.
Her head shivered up. She looked at the dark shadow still materializing at the end of the bridge. She gasped. In her mind, something flashed: a flaming eye.
One of the statue shadows swept toward her, sword pointed at her face. She remained frozen, staring down the tip of its thin sword. Right before it could strike, a brilliant white light burst through the shadow's chest. It screeched, and the shrill sound pierced through the fog clutching Tiki's mind.
All of her senses returned, sharp and vivid. She heard Gandalf snarl as he blocked a slash with Glamdring before blasting another shadow with his staff. Radagast stood behind Tiki, guarding their rear, frantically attempting to create an opening for them to escape through. Still, the dark tongue spoke in her thoughts.
"Up, Tiki!" Gandalf barked as he battered a shadow back, giving the trio breathing room. She raised her gaze. There was a fire in Gandalf's eyes. Defiance that she, for the moment, lacked, and it brought her courage. "We must fight our way out!"
"There is no escape," the snarling voice said aloud. "I see you."
One of the ghostly shadows broke through Gandalf's guard, making him reel. The wizard remained standing, but his hat flew from his head. A bead of red dripped from a gash across his wrinkled forehead. Pain morphed across his face. He muttered a spell under his breath, and the light on his staff shone even more brilliantly.
The ghosts retreated, even from Radagast as the other wizard joined Gandalf, creating a cocoon of brilliant light around them. The shadows circled, and the dark voice laughed, amused.
Tiki's eyes widened as dark tendrils erupted from the figure at the end of the bridge, smashing against the light conjured by Gandalf and Radagast. Both wizards buckled, but held firm, clenching their staffs tight, until blisters formed on their fingers.
"G-Gandalf-" Radagast gasped, his light quivering.
Gandalf glanced back at his companion, then at Tiki. A resigned expression crossed his face, making Tiki's heart sink. They couldn't defeat the Necromancer and its monsters. Not like this.
"Radagast," Gandalf said, voice filled with power, "take Tiki and alert the White Council. Alert Thorin Oakenshield and King Thranduil of the Woodland Realm. They must know."
Tiki stared at Gandalf. For the first time, words managed to come from her lips, though they were a mere whisper.
"And you?"
A sad smile crossed Gandalf's lips. "I have a job to do, I'm afraid, and it is not the same as yours."
Radagast looked at Gandalf, shocked. "Gandalf?"
"Go now!" Gandalf gritted his teeth and groaned, pouring more power into his light until he was single-handedly fending off the darkness. "Fly!"
Radagast ended his defense, one grimy hand grabbing Tiki's shoulder and spinning her around. He urged her forward, toward the stairs they came from and the closed portcullis they passed through when entering Dol Guldur. The ghosts moved to block their path. Radagast fired off a blast of light at one, but the other rushed at Tiki.
For a split second, Tiki felt like a small child again. The fear that generated finally prompted her to act.
She opened her mouth and roared, vicious and loud. A gout of fire erupted from her maw, consuming the ghost until it faded altogether. The other shadows retreated, stunned.
"Now's our chance! Don't let Gandalf's sacrifice be in vain!" Radagast exclaimed.
Weariness slammed into Tiki. She channeled such power without her dragonstone. The wear and tear on her body immediately became apparent as she staggered with Radagast away from the bridge. The wounds she received from Moria and the Misty Mountains flared with pain as she stumbled through the ruined fortress. Radagast kept her upright though, and she kept moving for his sake.
The closed portcullis came into view. Blocking their path were three of the ghosts, all with swords raised. Tiki gritted her teeth, dug deep, and summoned what strength she could. All she could manage was a simple thunder spell. Nothing spectacular. Yellow lightning crackled on her fingertips as she charged it. When it was ready, she didn't take aim at the ghosts.
She aimed for the gate.
Her hand thrust forward. Static shot through her arm, making it buzz. The thunderbolt fired from her palm, rocketing through the ghosts and into the portcullis, throwing the rusted, ruined contraption from its ancient hinges and into the ravine beyond it.
Both Tiki and Radagast raced onto the narrow path across the ravine. A small sliver of safety sat on the other side, even though spiders waited for them. Spiders Tiki could deal with.
But I am so tired.
More shrieks and screams sounded behind her. The ghosts were chasing them. With some of the last of her strength, Tiki threw herself forward. She slammed to the ground, bouncing against mossy earth and sliding through dead leaves until she came to a stop on the other side. The ghosts ground to a halt, unwilling to complete the crossing.
Tiki's body was just as unwilling to move. Her vision blurred, and her mouth was dry. The wound in her gut flared hot, like coals burned inside of her. She huffed, struggling to catch her breath when she finally managed to push herself to her hands and knees.
Radagast hooked her arm with his own, hauling her upright.
"We're still not safe, Miss Tiki," he warned, brown eyes darting to the darkness of Mirkwood, where the giant spiders waited for them to pass through their webs. "Come, quickly. My home is not far. Just stay awake."
Stay awake; easier said than done for her. Nevertheless, she gave Radagast a shaky nod as her eyes drooped. The shorter wizard let her lean on him as they raced through the web-infested forest, taking wind paths. For a moment, Tiki glanced back. Flashes of light danced within Dol Guldur. One pulse, two, three, four, five… A few moments passed. The trunks and eaves of the trees blotted out her view.
There were no more flashes.
Tiki sat near the fire, watching orange flames dance amid charred logs. Embers popped. The wood hissed. Tendrils of smoke drifted into her nostrils, making them burn. She ignored it as she tucked her knees close to her chest.
Around her rang the familiar rattle of armor. Horses whined and snorted in the distance as soldiers struggled to corral them. Grindstones scraped against the edges of swords and axes, a piercing shriek that she worked hard to tune out. Most of the stomping from marching soldiers was muted by the soft mud of the battlefield turned into a makeshift camp.
When a sharp wind swept through the camp, Tiki shivered. She wrapped her pink cape tighter over her shoulders and inched closer to the fire. When she did, she detected the horrid stench of bodies decaying on the breeze. Her eyes closed. That was something she could not ignore.
"You're troubled, little one."
She was small again. The campfire flickered and moved, tongues of fire rising taller than her as she remained seated on her knees. Beside her, Bantu stooped to a knee, letting his weight rest against his staff. Beneath his hood, his eyes shone down at her. A gentle, comforting smile formed on his wrinkled lips. For a split second, the sight warmed Tiki's heart.
Then, it turned cold again when she heard the cries of men in the distant infirmary. Her eyes squeezed tight. She couldn't shut those out.
"Yes, you're quite troubled."
"Yeah," Tiki admitted, her eyes cracking open, a little bleary from tears. "Ban-Ban?"
"Hm?"
"Is it my fault?"
Bantu turned to Tiki. Pity spread over his wizened face. He reached over and patted her head before bringing that same, weathered hand to her shoulder.
"Do not place such a burden upon yourself," he said gently.
Tiki sniffled. "But, I couldn't do anything. I couldn't help. Gharnef- that- that horrible man, he killed some of Mar-Mar's friends. He," she hiccoughed then bowed her head, trying to hide her growing shame. "I was useless."
"From what I've heard, you were quite brave. Few can stand against the darkness Gharnef conjured, be they man or manakete." Bantu raised her chin with a finger, gazing into her watery eyes. "Do not shoulder the burden of death, little one. To do so is to place an impossible weight upon yourself."
"Why?"
Bantu let out a small sigh. "We are Manaketes, Tiki. Dragons cocooned within flesh and bone. The ages will pass. Civilizations will rise and fall. Great leaders will be born and die…" He trailed off a moment. "Good friends will pass on to the next life. Yet, you will remain."
"Then, I can't be sad?"
"Nonsense," Bantu chided in that calm, soft way of his. "To grieve is natural. It is one of the few things we share with humans. But, to regret… that can be deadly for a Manakete. Know that you did what you could. In the end, it is the will of powers beyond us that dictate the comings and goings of the world. Let them carry the weight of the dead, for they can handle it. You, little one, will have to shoulder the burdens of the living."
"I will?"
Bantu nodded. "You are free from Gharnef now." She followed his gaze as they looked around Marth's chaotic encampment, the soldiers still reeling from a devastating battle against Gharnef, the servant of Medeus. "The humans see you for what you are, and can become."
"And what is that?"
Bantu smiled at her. "What am I to you?"
Tiki furrowed her brow. "A pain?"
Bantu chuckled and shook his head. "Only sometimes." For the first time since the end of the battle, Tiki found herself quietly laughing as well.
She inhaled deeply, then spoke again. "A guide." She stared into Bantu's aged eyes, gazing into the wealth of knowledge he possessed from the ages he had lived. "A guardian."
Bantu nodded. "And that is more than enough problems to deal with for one lifetime, I say."
Tiki's eyes shot open. A thatched roof sat over her head, a few holes poking through it, allowing golden sunlight to spill into the small hovel she found herself in. A pillow filled with itchy moss sat beneath her head. As she stirred, she smelled broth, fragrant and aromatic, bubbling in a cauldron nearby.
Radagast muttered under his breath near the fire as he stirred the broth. When she sat up, he noticed.
"Oh good, you're awake." He hurried over to her with a bowl of soup. "Eat swiftly. We are pressed for time."
Tiki blinked. "How long was I out?"
"Not long," Radagast replied as he frantically scurried around his hut, gathering traveling supplies as small songbirds chirped in the ceiling. "Where did I put- ah, there it is." He dusted off an old pipe and shoved it into his brown robes.
"Your definition of 'not long' and mine are not the same."
Radagast spun around. "On the contrary, long is… well, long, yes? Gandalf and I are of similar age."
"Nearly a century?" Tiki hummed.
A small light sparked through Radagast's eyes. "Longer, Lady Tiki. Much, much longer. But, that is not what we must be concerned about!" He snatched his staff and stamped it against the ground. When he did, he let out a shaky breath. "Gandalf charged us with tasks… and I've put my greater task off for far too long. I've… I've let myself wander from the path dictated to me long ago. It is time I started down the correct road once again, and that begins with me traveling to Lothlorien."
"Lothlorien?"
"To the home of Lady Galadriel. She will know what to do to save Gandalf."
Tiki swung her legs out from the bed. "And me?"
"You may not be one of the fair folk, but you can pass for one," Radagast replied, moving toward the door. Tiki rose to her feet, some of her strength renewed. "That means you're the ideal person to go and speak with King Thranduil."
"King Thranduil?" Tiki's lips thinned. Too much was happening too fast. She was still reeling from Gandalf's sacrifice. Centuries of burying the pain that came with losing friends had reared its ugly head once again. This time, it felt much more difficult to quash.
"King of the Woodland Realm, and a right pain in the tookus that one," Radagast remarked huff. "Stubborn lot, those wood elves are. But, I think you're just as hardheaded, or so Gandalf has told me. Maybe you cancel each other out?" He wrenched his door open. When he did, he stamped his staff again. The fire in the fireplace went out. "Eat first, Lady Tiki. When you are finished and have your strength, you must hurry north. King Thranduil's home lies there, near the Old Forest Road. Go there, and I'm sure some of his household will find you."
Tiki's ears twitched. The Old Forest Road was the path Gandalf and Thorin laid out for the dwarves and their quest. If she could hurry there, she might still be able to catch up to them. Maybe she could assist them as well.
I might not have been able to save Gandalf, but I can help Bilbo and the others.
Tiki nodded then looked at her bowl of steaming broth. To her rumbling stomach, it smelled divine.
"Thank you, Radagast."
Radagast gave her a crooked smile as he stood in the doorway. "And thank you as well, Tiki. May Eru and the Valar watch over you."
Tiki wasn't sure what that meant, but she simply nodded.
"And you as well."
The door shut. Radagast raced off. Tiki watched him through a window as he disappeared into the forest, heading southwest as fast as he could. Her heart grew heavy as she watched him leave. She would have to trust that he was right and that Lady Galadriel will know what to do about Gandalf and the Necromancer.
As for herself, Gandalf tasked her with another mission, and an important one. King Thranduil and Thorin needed to know about the dangers of the Necromancer and his ghostly servants. They were strong, and if they waylaid Thorin's company of dwarves-
Tiki's stomach dropped. As fast as she could, she devoured her soup, left her bowl on a small table in Radagast's hut, and sprinted out of the door north, into the darkness of Mirkwood.
And chapter! I think it's safe to say this story has gone from mild crackfic to a semi-serious character study at this point lol, but damn is it too much fun to write when I get the momentum going! Let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed it! Have a nice day!