Chapter five: The theory of resonance…

CeKay ran back to the camp, she didn't need a horse to cross a great distance in a short time and she reached the tents by nightfall, just a short time after the others did arrive. She slowed down and removed the camouflage, got her normal appearance back but it took her time. Something was most definitely off here, and she had to discover what it was before it was too late. She saw that Fingolfin came to greet her, he did look nervous and she smiled and hid her worries. "You saw them?"

She nodded. "I fought them, that is more like the truth. There were orcs and goblins and one Balrog."

Fingolfin gaped and his eyes were large for a moment. "A balrog? Eru, what was it like?"

She sat down on a rock, tried to explain the odd creature. "As we were told, huge, bulky and strong and on fire."

Fingolfin swallowed. "Can it be harmed? Is it possible to kill one?"

She hesitated. "It can be harmed yes, but heals almost immediately, and it will probably take more than just an ordinary weapon to kill one. At least one would have to be very fast and not afraid for one's own life, they are horrible"

She suspected that the one she had fought hadn't been a very large one, maybe only a runt compared to the really great ones. It was a dark thought. Fingolfin swallowed hard. "Well, at least we now know that we aren't to engage them"

CeKay nodded. "Leave that to me."

She got up again, saw that the camp was calm and that everybody were preparing for the night. "I will stay up and keep watch."

He just bowed his head and returned to his tent and she walked to the top of a ragged hill nearby where she could see the entire camp. She felt as though she needed to think this through. The orcs were such ghastly creatures and she did strongly doubt that they were natural, there were no reason why a species should evolve like that. And the dark lord was one of these valar, the powerful ones. She wished that she knew exactly what they were, apparently they had a corporeal form but could change it at least to some degree. She had never encountered anything which fitted such a description. Could they be some sort of multi -dimensional creatures? In that case it was no wonder they were powerful.

She stared up at the skies, there were no clouds this night and the stars were bright. She didn't recognize even one constellation, they were all new. The ship which brought her here could have crossed entire galaxies for all she knew, even gone through the very barriers of time itself. This could be the far past, or even the opposite, the very future. She sighed, it was a very esthetically pleasing sight, she had been programmed to value beauty after all and the starlight was extremely clear and bright. This world had seen little pollution, that was for sure. She remembered a trip to one of the moons of Chreshdah where the smoke and fumes had turned daytime into night and where you had to use heat sensors to find your way because it was pitch black, even in the middle of the day. That was the downside of a society which got its energy from burning fossil fuels. The moon had once had vast forests of giant trees and over the millennia since their death they had turned into a layer of coal three miles thick which covered the entire moon.

She stayed where she was, watching the camp, listening to the faint sounds from it. Some were talking softly to each other, some horses neighed, dogs were running around, the guards went their rounds. It was normal, and peaceful and yet she knew that this peace was a mere illusion. They were at war, and the enemy one they didn't know anything about. She had to talk to the locals, there was no way around it.

When the sun did rise she got up and went down to the camp again, she found that some were heading south, to seek out the realm which was mentioned and to gather information. Others would go hunting and some would look for a suitable place to settle down permanently. CeKay walked up to Fingolfin and he smiled and put his work aside, he was studying some papers and his son Turgon was beside him. He did look a bit confused and almost lost and CeKay did understand, these elves had come from a very civilized place, a place where you could get whatever you wanted relatively easy. Here everything had to be made there and then and to some that probably caused some problems.

The tall black haired elf smiled at her. "So, what are your plans for today?"

CeKay shrugged. "I would very much like to talk to any of the local elves. I bet there are some close by, they are probably keeping an eye on us even now"

Fingolfin raised an eyebrow. "Alright, may I ask why you want to talk to them?"

She smiled. "I need to learn everything they know about that fortress, and its masters. And I need to know what they have done to protect themselves, what they know about the orcs and the other creatures and what this place has been through since your father left this realm"

Fingolfin sighed. "I cannot order anyone to talk to you, and absolutely not someone not even of my people. But go out there, I bet they will find you, and if they are interested they may talk to you"

She nodded and smiled, turned around and headed back to the hills. There was a holt of trees not far from where she was at the moment, it wasn't that large but very dense and the trees were low and crippled by the constant wind. She walked into the holt and sat down upon a vertical log, her hands visible and her feet dangling. She was no threat to anyone, and wanted to show it too. She just sat there, passively and waited. She was pretty sure that the natives had noticed her, and that they were curious.

Yet she had to sit there for quite a while, she swallowed and watched the stars from underneath the canopy and listened to the faint sounds of the small creatures moving within the bushes and grass. She relaxed but was as alert as ever and after some hours she felt a new scent, it was very faint, very weak but there and she waited. The log she sat on moved and she knew she wasn't alone anymore, She turned her head slowly, an elf sat next to her, an arms length away, staring at her with very odd eyes. They reflected light and she knew it was an adaptation to the previous lack of sunlight. They could see in the dark like some animals could and it was probably very useful and evolutionary wise.

She didn't speak, just waited for him to make the first move. He was rather tall, slender and willowy and yet he had to be very strong, she could sense that. Elves were stronger than most other species she had encountered of a humanoid nature. His hair was long and divided into several intricate braids decorated with elaborate clasps carved from bone. He had some tattoos visible here and there, and his clothes were simple and made from leather but she knew has no barbarian. There was dignity and pride in that golden brown gaze and a great deal of intelligence. He had some feathers and sea shells sewn onto the seams of the leggings he wore and he carried a short bow and a quiver pluss two long knives. They did look lethal and sharp and she knew that he probably was a master at using them.

He cocked his head. "You are no elf, you are not born of this world at all."

She nodded. "You are very observant, I am no elf, you are right."

He frowned. "Not of the eldar, and not of the Ainur. But you are an enemy of the dark one, an enigma"

She nodded again, her face without expression. "Yes, I am CeKay."

He smiled swiftly, a very pretty smile with incredibly white teeth. "May a star shine upon this hour of our meeting. I am known as Dair, I am a warrior"

She tilted her head. "Not only a warrior, I sense more in you"

He chuckled. "Yes, you are also observant. I am the shaman of our tribe"

She bowed her neck. "I am honored to meet you"

He moved a bit, stared at her. "Stardaughter"

She frowned. "What makes you say that?"

He smiled. "You have the stars in your eyes, and from them you came yes? "

CeKay felt startled, how could he know? "Yes, but how do you know this?"

He sent her a wry grin. "The spirits of the land, they do not know you. You are of another realm, of another world. You are something new, something different. The dark lord have nothing like you so beware, he will covet thy powers"

CeKay swallowed, she felt nervous all of a sudden. " Yes, I bet he will. There are things I need to know"

He smiled, made a gesture. "Then ask, and I will answer if I can"

She bit her lower lip. "There is so much that I cannot even decide where to start but alright, the orcs, what are they?"

Dair took a deep breath. "When the elves first awakened it was to the east, near a huge sea which most left over the long years. As the first multiplied some were taken by the dark hunter, and they never returned. It was Morgoth and his servants of course, and later Sauron the cruel one. The prisoners were tortured and corrupted and turned into orcs through the dark one's magic. Now they are creatures of darkness, evil and cruel and they hate everything since their fëar are in such pain"

CeKay frowned. "In pain?"

Dair nodded. "Yes, a small sliver of who they are still remember what they were supposed to be, and longs for it. And that drives them mad, to see what they could have had and know that it never will be theirs to have again"

She could understand, if you covet something which is out of reach for you it is natural that the desire turns to hatred after a while. "Are there many orcs?"

He nodded. "Thousands, and they breed like rabbits too. Some of the ones caught by the enemy end up as breeding slaves, forced to couple with each other or even orcs. The dark lord wants to improve his breeding stock, to create better orcs, stronger and more obedient."

She stored that information carefully" So they aren't that loyal to him?"

He grinned. "Orcs are loyal to their leaders, to their clan chief's, that is all. And the clan chiefs are too afraid of the trolls and balrogs and Sauron of course to dare to rebel"

It was useful information, very useful. "Are the orcs smart? How is their intelligence?"

Dair shook his head. "Some are rather clever, the leaders, some officers. But it is a cruel and twisted intelligence and they have no love for anyone except themselves. I have seen orcs kill their own kin just to devour them, animals are more noble than these creatures"

She took a deep breath, that bad, alright. "The trolls?"

Dair made a gesture towards the wood surrounding them. "They are the dark lord's attempt at copying the creatures of Yavanna, the ents. But he has not managed to create anything as strong nor as wise. The trolls are incredibly hard to kill but they are also very stupid and they hate the sunlight"

He shifted on the log, his eyes distant. "The goblins are something we think were an attempt at copying the Naugrim, the dwarves. But it failed, the goblins are just nasty, not very strong, not very brave and most are more or less insane. They are worse than orcs for they find their strength in numbers. One goblin will flee, a hundred will charge at you. "

She smiled. "Thank you for that information. The Balrogs?"

Dair tilted his head, his expression a stern one. "Fallen maiar, fire maiar. They have chosen to follow Morgoth and have become his, body and soul. They are horrible and yet he has many equally terrible creatures at his command. Werewolves, vampires, monsters yet without a name."

CeKay hissed. "He is pretty inventive then, with a lot of dark imagination!"

Dair grinned, a somewhat sardonic smile. "He is jealous of the maker, and wants to create his own things, greater and more magnificent than those of Eru. But he cannot surpass the one, and that is eating away at him all the time."

CeKay could understand this, if everything there, including this Morgoth was created by the one it was no wonder why he couldn't go beyond what his maker had created of limits. "This Sauron?"

Dair nodded and fidgeted with his bow. "Originally one of the maiar of Aüle. But Melkor did seduce him, and now he is a loyal servant, doing his very best to please his dark master"

CeKay made a grimace, even the best can become corrupted, if the corruption is right that is. She tilted her head to the side, saw that the starlight barely reached the forest floor and yet Dair saw her. "The fortress?"

The avarin elf sighed, "A monstrosity, I know the high elves wishes to attack but it is folly. It is too heavily guarded and impenetrable. A siege could be possible but it comes at a high price. Many will die, and the slaves of that place first of all. They will kill and eat them before they are willing to starve"

CeKay hissed. "No weaknesses? Have anyone ever escaped?"

Dair nodded slowly. "Some have managed to get away yes, but they never recover fully. Even if their hroar are healed their fëar never will. They often perish, some go insane, others…we put out of their misery"

CeKay swallowed, she realized that this was something of which he preferred not to speak so she changed the subject. "The weapons? Do they have good weapons or are they just…primitive?"

He pulled one of his knives out of the sheath. "See this? It is lovely, well forged and shaped, made from good steel. In Angband it is all about quantity, not quality. If an orc dies because of a faulty armor who cares? There are hundreds new to take its place. If a blade can cut through flesh it doesn't need to be pretty, nor well forged. It just need to do its job for a while."

CeKay got a vision of a factory, where heat and steam made the air shimmer and where hot rock and lava was used to melt metals and countless slaves were whipped forth in endless suffering and toil. She sighed. "I see, that is frightening"

Dair nodded slowly. "Survivors have told us much about the place, enough really to tell us that it is hopeless to bring it down. The valar themselves would have problems doing that."

CeKay imagined a thermal bomb, or a photon torpedo. It would have turned the entire region into smithereens, not to mention some of the more primitive nuclear weapons. The area would have been vaporized. "Where I am from…there were weapons strong enough to destroy even the greatest of fortresses, even the greatest of foes. There were weapons which could destroy worlds"

Dair sighed. "Then may Eru forbid that such deviltry ever is created here"

CeKay just nodded. "Yes, they only bring misery and death and in war only death is the winner."

Dair smiled, he was rather handsome, even for an elf and she could sense that he had a lot of power among his people. He was one they would listen to. "Those words are true"

She took a deep breath. "So how do you defend yourselves? Have you any good tactics?"

He grinned. "Oh yes, we use traps, they are too stupid to avoid them, and we have the trees and the woods themselves protecting us. Yet many are lost each year, and our grief and sorrow is great"

She felt sorry on his behalf. "I pray that this may change. That the dark ones will be vanquished."

Dair nodded but his eyes were distant. "So do we, but it is hard to imagine that this will be accomplished. The valar themselves cannot foresee the future, only that there will be an end, and that Eru then will remake the world in all its splendor, without the marring."

CeKay felt a surge of renewed curiosity. "The magic of this world, how does it work? What sort of power is it really?"

He frowned, stared at her with narrow eyes. "That is a tough question to answer my friend, I guess…it just is? It is everywhere, and I guess it springs from the mind of the one. I cannot explain it really"

She took a deep breath, she had to get to the bottom of it, somehow. She was pretty sure that this magic was the reason why she was experiencing such odd symptoms. "I need to understand, it is important"

He made a grimace. "You are different, your…energy doesn't match anything I have felt before. Maybe you are looking at it the wrong way?"

She frowned, felt a bit uncertain all of a sudden. "What do you mean?"

Dair shrugged. "Magic has to be accepted to be understood, and whence understood it needs to be embraced. There is no way around that. Do you understand your own powers? If not you cannot understand the magic of this realm, only through enlightenment of the fëa can the magic be controlled."

CeKay didn't really understand what he was saying but she did realize that he was right, she had to explore her own abilities and maybe then she would understand what made this strange power interact with her own in such an odd manner. She bowed her head. "I thank you, you have showed me the way"

Dair chuckled. "I hope so. When I first saw you among the host of the tall one I knew you were special, I knew you would change things"

She sent him a swift grin. "Yes, That is so. At least I wish to try. Give me your blades"

He frowned but obeyed, pulled both blades and she put her hands on them, let some of her nanites free and reprogrammed them. They attached to the blades, became part of them immediately. A small spark of light could be seen as it happened and his eyes got wider. She smiled. "From now on they will stay sharp whatever you do with them, they will never need a wetstone again"

He looked a bit overwhelmed. "I…Thank you!"

She got up. "I know what I must do now, and I will get to it immediately"

He smiled. "Then I wish you luck my lady, and may your hand and voice be blessed by the one"

She gave his hand a swift squeeze, it was hard and warm and told of strength. "Watch out for yourself Dair, keep your tribe safe"

He smiled, a very charming smile. "I will. A shame you are not of us, for a female like you would be the pride of any ellon"

CeKay had to blush, she had no idea of where that response came from but she didn't try to suppress it. He bowed his head once again and disappeared among the shadows and she went through her elvish vocabulary and realized that his name did mean shadow. It suited him like a glove.

She went ahead until she found a clearing, she sat down and focused inwards, like she had before but now she actively sought energypatterns which didn't match her own. She went deep, deeper than ever before, deeper than her basic programming, into the very energy and matter which made up her physical being. It was time consuming and hard but she reached the atomic level and still she went deeper, her consciousness sheer energy, not limited by the confinements of matter. She expanded her awareness while still being on the sub atomic level and there she felt it, a dissonance, like someone having tuned an instrument with one string out of tune with the others. She took a deep breath mentally, followed the dissonance and it came from everywhere around her. Everything was in tune except her, she was the faulty string and now she did realize what the problem was.

She pulled back, regained her full conscience and shook herself a few times. The ship had crossed a border indeed, this wasn't even her original universe. This matter came from another creation than hers, from another energy. She was out of tune with this universe, and slowly that caused her to deteriorate. She had to tune herself, find the same frequency as the rest of this realm to stay strong. Of course the magic of this place would cause her harm, it had another vibration than her own energy and she did remember the physics lessons she had stored. The theory of strings, how everything was connected and how the vibrations of the strings made the universe sing in unison. She wasn't part of the song of creation, thus she wouldn't fit in, no matter what! The one creating this place did know a lot about quantum physics, that was for darn sure. Creation through sound, forging energy into solid matter with the frequencies and vibrations of song, oh it was elegant. It was so tantalizingly different and yet she did understand it.

She was thinking hard, forcing her own matter to swing at a new frequency would be tough, it required a lot of power, in fact it would require more power than she had available, even with her reactor going on full power. She would have to get power from somewhere else and slowly an idea formed in her head. What she was trying to do was in fact transmutation, the change of one element into another and it was something which could have disastrous side effects if anything went wrong. Her brain worked fast, going through alternatives but she found none suitable. There was only one way to do this, she had to drain some of those creatures of its energy, to feed her own and transform it.

CeKay closed her eyes for a moment, they were glowing slightly and she took a look around. She would have to seek out the enemy's territory, go behind his lines and then…she would kill some balrogs and feed from them!

She returned to the camp feeling oddly excited, she liked a challenge and those burning beasts were just that, a suitable challenge indeed. It would be morning soon and she couldn't afford to wait, she had to take action right away. The elves were worth fighting for and she was curious too, she wanted to see how she could fare when she tuned in to this world and its energies. Would it make her vulnerable? Maybe, but there was little choice. She felt how the excitement grew within her and she sat down to rest a bit before she took off.

She waited until the sunlight reached the hills around them, then she left the tent and saw that Fingon was outside, he was staring in the direction of the enemy's land and she felt his anger and sorrow as something physical. He turned his head when he heard her. "Where are you going?"

His voice was hard and it didn't have the normal musical quality to it. " I am going to find something, something important"

He frowned. "I have the same thought, but I doubt that my search will be a successful one."

She tilted her head. "And yet you wish to go, even if it may cause your demise?"

He nodded, eyes distant and face grim. "Yes, I owe it to him damn it, I cannot…I cannot abandon him, not now, not ever"

CeKay smiled. "There is strong love between you, I feel you will find him again"

Fingon took a deep breath, the shadows within his gaze did for a moment lift. "You do? Then I will go, feeling hope!"

She smiled and gave him a swift hug. "But do wait until I return, please. I don't know what will happen but it may be…very dangerous"

Fingon did look worried. "Do return to us CeKay, my father…he has faith in you. You gave him hope, and saved Elenwë, and countless others. We do need you"

She nodded. "Yes, and that is exactly why I have to go. To rescue myself, this world…I cannot explain it to you, but…it harms me, and I have to stop that from happening. I will be back, I swear"

He did grasp her hand. "Then go, and return swiftly, for we are like an open flame without you, unprotected. "

She felt a bit odd, it was nice to be appreciated but it did also make her feel somewhat nervous. She freed herself gently. "Tell you father I will be back soon. Keep your guards alert, take no chances."

He nodded and she ran off, heading east first and then north, her heart beating hard with the thrill of it. Now she was chasing the dark ones and she went into camouflage mode yet again, felt that it drained her more than it should. This would have to be changed, and swiftly.

She ran for hours, until she reached the area where the land itself seemed to groan and moan under the weight of the darkness holding it hostage. The skies were grey, the ground barren and burned and ashes and sooth lay in thick layers. It could be the result of a volcanic eruption and yet it wasn't a normal one. This was malicious, done with evil intent. Nature is never set upon destruction, even through destructive events it does create new opportunities for life, new places for life to inhabit. This land couldn't harbor life, not any kind of life. She roamed along its border for some more hours and she felt the fortress in her mind, like a terrible weight, a dark looming shadow ever present to the north. It felt just wrong, it was not nature but something just…revolting.

She found the first group of orcs just before sunset, there were no balrogs among them so she just ran by, didn't stop to kill any for it was of no use. She wanted power, and orcs had little of that. She found what she was seeking when the moon had risen towards the skies, a camp with orcs and some balrogs. She saw that these were larger than the one she had encountered before, good. She circled the camp, the balrogs were gathered in a small group of their own, chatting in an odd language which she didn't recognize. They didn't notice her and she had to act swiftly. There was no way she could lure one of these beings away from the others, she had to take them down all three at once.

She released some nanites and they spread through the air, aiming for the balrogs. They entered through the creatures mouth and nose and found the central nervous system pretty fast. There they attached themselves and sent out a burst of energy. The three huge bulky beasts froze, caught in a sort of epileptic seizure and CeKay ran forth, extended her energy and focused it. She pierced through the aura of these beings and felt their own life force as a pulsing heavy rhythm. She pulled it in, forced it to join with the power of her reactor, fed it to it, and at the same time she started to change her very molecules. The quarks and other sub atomic particles of her material body started to change their vibration, got more in tune with the vibration natural to this realm and she gasped. The power she suddenly received from the balrogs was overwhelming, it was almost too much. And it felt good, it felt so good, like nothing she had ever felt before.

She jammed more and more of that power into her own core, took it all, greedily and desperately. She had to be done and be gone fast, before anyone saw this. At last she couldn't get any more energy from the three creatures and released her hold of them with a shiver. They collapsed onto the ground, and as they did they changed, now they looked almost elflike, pretty but larger than an elf and with odd patterns covering their skin. They were not dead but unconscious and she checked her systems. They were fully operational, and she felt better, a heck of a lot better. She grinned, she felt the song now, like a distant hum you barely can sense and she was in harmony with it. She was a part of this world now, it would no longer mess with her programs but she guessed that some damage already had been done. Her odd behavior wouldn't change and if she had developed a soul, well, then be it.

She knew that many would claim that the things she had done was impossible but she had realized that there was much not yet known, even to the very wisest of beings. She remembered the conversations her maker had had with his friends, about the nature of the universe and how the very large and the very little was intimately connected, through one theory which united the world of the grand and the world of the tiny. She had just proved that things indeed was connected, she wished that her master could have seen this.

She ran off, feeling oddly satisfied but also a bit scared by her own reaction. If it felt that rewarding feeding off these beings she had to be careful not to be tempted into going too far. She couldn't afford that, not at all. The line between doing things for the sake of good and doing things for the sake of your own good is thin, and if she lost her grip on right or wrong she could become something just as menacing as those dark beings. She ran fast, using the cover of night and before long she returned to the camp. She felt the change within herself as something joyous, now she sensed this world way better than before. She could feel the trees, the flowers, feel the steady rhythm of the very earth itself under her and the slow breath that was the movement of air above her. It was wonderful, simply breathtaking and now she did also understand the magic, the power which flowed through the very creation, corrupted and twisted by the darkness and cherished and held pure by the elves and the land itself. It was the very lifeforce of this Arda and she would do whatever she could to protect it.

Fingolfin was sitting outside of his tent when she came running, he lifted his head. "My son said you were away, did you find whatever you were after?"

She nodded, her eyes did shine. " I did, but prepare yourselves for I think I may have ticked off the dark lords, unfortunately it was needed"

Fingolfin looked baffled. "Very well, I trust you had your reasons"

She nodded. "Yes, I am stronger now, can do more. At least I hope so."

She saw that the guards were heavily armed and took a sigh of relief, if there was an attack to come they would be ready for it, no doubt.

She returned to her tent to rest and let her systems upgrade themselves while she tried to make sense of the information she had received. It had to be a way to make use of it.

While CeKay was resting a few orcs rode hard across the plains towards the towering entrance to Angband, the orcs were terrified and yet they couldn't do anything except obeying their leader. The wargs they rode snarled and hesitated as they approached the gate, even the beasts did fear the dark atmosphere of this hell hole but the riders pushed them forth mercilessly. Trolls stood guard by the gates and the orcs dismounted and were let in under doubt. They sort of scurried along, through the reception area which was undoubtedly grand but very sinister and into numerous corridors. Everywhere there were orcs and skinny bruised slaves with their heads shaved and their eyes empty. Werewolves and huge beasts of unknown origin wandered about and the orcs tried to draw as little attention to themselves as possible as they ran toward the throne hall. They were close to pissing themselves but they didn't stop, they were allowed through the doors and before them lay the throne room of Morgoth. It was humongous, so large clouds formed underneath the roof and it was black, pitch black. Only lamps and carefully placed lava falls did light the room and the effect was sinister to say the least. Upon a dais lighted by a pond of floating lava sat Morgoth, and he had his lieutenant by his side. Sauron was fair to watch but the orcs knew that he was no less wicked than his master, in fact he had some new ideas of how to torture others which made the orcs cringe just thinking of them.

The two did notice the orcs and Morgoth tilted his head. He too was beautiful, but it was a terrible beauty, hard and sharp and cold. "You carry a message, speak"

The voice boomed through the hall and the orcs winced, wetting their lips, fear in their eyes. "Yes master"

One did step forth, brave enough to stand out in the crowd. "Something…something has happened oh great one. Something strange"

Morgoth stared at Sauron who shrugged. He had no idea of what that may be. "Explain"

The orc stared at the floor. "One of your balrogs sire, the one who calls himself Durzhuk, he was attacked by something invisible. It injured him with terrible cold sire"

Morgoth leaned forth. "Cold? "

The orc nodded, its feet scraping against the floor, he was trembling like a leaf in the presence of the dark masters. "Yes, he did heal, and whatever it was killed a goblin too. We think it was some kind of unknown enemy"

Morgoth frowned. "An unknown enemy, injuring a balrog?"

The orc almost sobbed with fear. "And it has struck again my master, three balrogs, all drained of power, returned to…to ordinary maiar."

Morgoth got up and Sauron gasped, the golden eyes wide open. "Impossible, how can anyone take the energy from a maia? It is what they are, energy?!"

The orc hiccupped, taking some steps backwards. "I do not know oh mighty one, but they have no powers left, no fire. They are just a hroa now, sure they can fight but they cannot take the balrog form again."

Sauron breached the orc's mind, violently. He saw what the orc had seen and the poor creature stood there shaking as if in a seizure. He dropped it and the orc fell to the ground, groaning and probably dying from the brutal intrusion. "He speaks the truth sire, they are reduced to just their resting form."

Morgoth hissed, a creature capable of ruining his most feared creations? That would have to be explored and possibly exploited. Most of all, he needed to know what it was, and who it was who stood behind it. "It must be Manwë, or maybe the whole lot of them"

Sauron cringed. "Let us not be hasty here, do not make conclusions too early. We need to know for sure before we decide that it is your brother's doing"

Morgoth was fuming with rage and the three silmarills on his crown shone like tiny suns. "Who else has that sort of power? No, this is a trick of his, I am sure"

Sauron didn't mention Eru himself, he kept his mouth shut, knowing that Morgoth was ready to explode. The dark lord waved at two orcs standing by the door. "Get me the two hunters, I need them, now!"

The orcs nodded and left and Sauron felt a shiver run down his spine, the hunters, now there you had some sinister beings for sure. Morgoth grinned. "Whatever it is, it will not last long before it is either on our hands, or dead"