I'm not dead yet! Although, I am terribly ashamed of myself. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to all of you for your encouraging comments and immense patience with me. I have been incredibly busy with school and home, but I still feel awful for vanishing so long. I am TRULY sorry, thank you SO much for your patience, and I hope you enjoy my rather short chapter. I promise #4 will come as soon as I am capable of uploading it-I'll spend all of my free time on it.
Enjoy!
Chapter 3—Things That Go Bump in the Night
Frodo stared at the Ring as it flew into the air and began to fall. He reached for it, his hand open and extended to catch it. The commotion grew around him at the excitement.
The Ring slipped onto his finger.
Suddenly, everything around him went dark and hazy. The clamor faded to a murmur, the people all blurry and hardly perceptible. All, that is, except for one. Frodo stared in horror at the pallid, ghostly figure before him which stood out with growing clarity. Grayish mist seemed to pour off of the feminine form and surround him, giving him the feeling of floating on a cloud. The figure stood pale and tall like an elf, bright against the night-hued surroundings, but its eyes—Frodo shuddered—its eyes were glowing embers, an ominous backdrop to the third eye in its forehead. This eye was more a living flame, burning brighter, blinding him—unnatural. A horrifyingly unnatural flaming eye. And it was coming closer.
Frodo stumbled back and turned, trying desperately to escape that eye. He could not see where he was going…if he was going anywhere. He glanced behind him. The figure was following him! Didn't anybody else see it? He frantically crawled through what he assumed was a row of tables and stumbled up some steps, the fiery eye hardly two yards away. Grasping the ring, he pulled sharply, alarmed at how firmly stuck it was, until finally it slipped from his finger. Definition and shape returned to his surroundings.
A gloved hand seized his wrist.
"Glôb!" A hissing voice tickled his ear. He turned to find himself looking into an eye-shaped ruby that seemed to glow. His heart froze and he stopped breathing.
"Lat gimbatnazg," it continued, "lat snaga búrzum u ghash."
Frodo saw fangs as the voice hissed at him; fangs that glinted in the firelight and made him shudder. The cloaked figure—another Ranger, he assumed—yanked him to his feet and began to lead him away.
They did not go far.
Another cloaked figure swung around the corner and seized Frodo's captor by the shoulder. The fanged Ranger seemed unsurprised as he rotated his arm backward, grasped the other's shoulder, and twisted his arm to throw him to the floor. The other man—Strider, Frodo realized—quickly recovered and thrust Fangs against the wall, his right arm braced against the other's throat, his aching left arm poised above his sword. Fangs hissed and tightened his grip on Frodo's wrist. Frodo winced.
"What are you doing with the Halfling?" Strider whispered pointedly at Fangs.
I would rejoice to set you ablaze, Mordollwen thought. "What do you want with him?" she retorted.
The man's visage remained cold. "I am no stranger to Little Folk and their ways. They are quiet and peaceful. When I see them threatened by ruffians larger and stronger, I defend them."
"Out of pity? Pity is a weakness. Who cursed you thus?"
"Myself alone," he replied patiently. "I insist to know what interest you have in—Mr. Underhill."
By the way this man gazed calmly, yet fiercely, into Mordollwen's face, she assumed her chameleon-ruse had not fallen and exposed her midnight skin. She must still have appeared a bronze-skinned human. He also seemed oblivious of her ruby eye, which suggested he was innocent of the Ring's influence or that of its Master. She could still lie—perhaps killing him would be unnecessary. Releasing Frodo's wrist, she impatiently yanked the man's arm from her throat and crossed her arms over her chest. The Halfling massaged his bruised wrist, looking troubled. When he dared a glance at her face, she glared coldly, and his gaze dropped like a stone. How much can he see? She wondered silently. How much does the little thief know about me? Turning her eyes to the man, she begrudgingly spoke.
"Your little friend has a remarkable trick up his sleeve. You appear to be a Ranger yourself—surely you are not blind to the advantages of totally vanishing. His convenient travel size gives him greater potential usefulness." She looked down at the little man, feigning a look of envious longing. "We could strike a bargain…"
"He is not mine to give, and you may not take him anyway," the man interrupted. "Please pardon my curtness, but I have an appointment to keep." He also looked at the Halfling. The latter squirmed uneasily at the observance and chatter about him.
"Who are you, anyhow?" Mordollwen demanded of the Ranger.
"Strider," he spoke tersely. "Listen well…"
"Sïlmorna," she answered, remembering the alias given her by her father should she encounter so-called Free Folk.
"Listen well, Sïlmorna. The Halfling will soon be relieved of his 'talent,' so shadowing us will do you no good. Trouble hunts him, and if you follow, it will hunt you as well. Forget this night and be on your way. Here;" he fished through a battered travel sack at his hip, took her hand, and placed a handful of silver coins in it. "Consider that a token of my apology at depriving you of the Hobbit. You should leave this town as soon as possible, or else find somewhere safe to hide when trouble comes." With that, he took the Hobbit by the shoulder and led him toward a room.
Footsteps alerted Mordollwen to other Little Folk approaching rapidly. Dropping her false coloring, she retreated into a shadow and vanished entirely from sight. Three other Halflings, one of which she recognized as the Ring-thief's "second cousin once removed," dashed after Strider, armed with a chair and candelabra. Mordollwen followed silently.
~The Ring-bearer is in the town. He is guarded by a Ranger who seems cognizant of the Halfling's treasure. The Prancing Pony Inn. They are cornered, but alert.~
The wraith shrieked gleefully. "Her Highness has them cornered! Let us reclaim what was stolen!" His followers cheered and spurred their horses forward.
~We heard the Ring's call. We are coming,~ the wraith replied telepathically to his princess. The four Nazgûl seemed to fly like spirits of the earth's most harrowing nightmares; silent horrors, shadows of death.
Bree-town would have nightmares tonight.
The call of the Nazgûl shattered the stillness of midnight, filling every crevice and corner, piercing the hearts and ears of all within hearing. Mordollwen smirked slyly. You expect trouble, she thought toward Strider. But even you know little of the true threat. Settling comfortably into her hiding place near the Man's and Hobbits' room, she waited for her troupe.
And waited.
The minutes dragged on like a dying thing stubbornly clinging to life. Mordollwen grew restless and annoyed. Speaking of threat, she grouched, where are those fools? She grasped her telepathic link to her wraith captain and was startled by an influx of excited anticipation. She glanced toward the quiet room beside her. How did they enter so quietly?
The captain raised his sword, pointed down, over the bed. The other three followed suit. Their prey lay silent and still, totally oblivious of their impending death. The princess said they were alert, did she not? Do they merely pretend?
Puzzled, though still eager to kill, the captain nodded. The swords struck in lethal unison like bolts of poison lightning upon metal soldiers' helms. The bundles in the beds jerked with the force, but did not cry out. No pretending—they truly slept.
The wraiths plunged their swords again and again, perforating the sleeping bundles until they could have been used as sieves. Satisfied, they tore away the covers.
Pillows.
The captain shrieked in fury. She said they were here! She said they were alert! Did she forget to mention they devised a ploy? "They are gone!" he seethed to Mordeznush, his princess and commander.
"Fool!" she replied. "I said I had them cornered! Did you see me there?"
The captain sheepishly bowed his head.
"Now, thanks to your ignorance, they know you are here! Leave this town at once, before you cause more trouble!"
Strider's voice drifted through the closed door of their room, and Mordollwen leaned slightly closer to listen.
"They are the Nazgûl—Ringwraiths," he explained to the halflings. "Neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the Ring, drawn to the power of the One…"
Mordollwen drew away and cursed silently. He knows! That thrice-accursed scum knows of the Nazgûl! Damn him! Damn that captain! She would simply have to follow the Ranger and his Hobbits tomorrow. He would unknowingly lead her to the next step of her task, anyway.
To Rivendell.
Author's Notes:
Glôb = fool
lat gimbatnazg = you found the ring
lat snaga búrzum u ghash = you [now] are slave to shadow and flame
Mordeznush = Dark Offspring
Sïlmorna = Dark/Black Starlight (Sindarin)
So...not too bad, I hope?
Sorry it was so short; I wanted to update as soon as possible, so I had to sacrifice some content. It seemed a good place to stop, anyway. If you were wondering, servants of Sauron address her as Mordeznush, but it serves as more of a title. Her name really is Mordollwen, and later you will learn why Sauron did not name her otherwise.
TMI Fairy: To be honest, I have no clue what Xth Walker is...lol. And I hadn't realized that my character is something of a Mary Sue until you mentioned those "stupid cliches." I'm trying to fix her now-does she seem any better?
KnowDrumsGotLife: Thank you very much! I'm glad I can make "Tolkien-esque" moments-immense compliment. I'm glad you like it!
ElfofMirkwood1379: You hush! Your writing is fabulous! As you'll probably notice, though, you and I have very different writing styles...and you know how you tend toward long chapters? Apparently I am the opposite. 😊
DeLacus: Very glad to have you here! I'm fond of the concept myself...I created it at least a year ago. Of course, I held disdain for fanfic back then, so I didnt go anywhere with it. I'm glad you're enjoying it!