A/N: The aftermath starts now...

Chapter Sixteen

Aftermath

Unhindered by Timothy's stone Ingacarca would have slaughtered the mortal heroes in seconds. Even with such an impediment he was still a far superior swordsman. Eddil was the first to fall, his knee ruined by a kick from the orc's heavy boot. Caranel narrowly parried the killing stroke that followed, allowing Eddil a chance to crawl away from the fighting.

While Aldamir and Caranel narrowly survived Inga's vicious onslaught, Timothy and Mirumor struggled to pull the carcass of the massive wolf off Astra's body. They succeeded in time to save her life, but The Huntress was gravely wounded. The monster had landed squarely on her right shoulder and chest, breaking more bones than she knew she had. Simply breathing was agonizingly painful.

After a few minutes Caranel was knocked unconscious by a forearm to the face, but Ingacarca had no chance to finish her off either. Mirumor's poison was taking effect; Inga was now fighting left handed because his right arm was completely numb and limp. Robbed of the power in his blood and use of his good arm Ingacarca was unable to defeat Aldamir, who recognized a lot of similarities between Inga's style and Thorongil's.

After five minutes Aldamir was looking the stronger of the two combatants. Ingacarca had not survived all of recorded history by taking chances; he was more cautious than any orc. He retreated to the gates of Cirith Ungol where Aldamir was loathe to follow him in, for he did not know what might be waiting for him inside.

Aldamir rushed back to his friends. Caranel was waking up while Timothy tried to determine the extent of Astra injuries. Mirumor drew her knife and cut the black arrow out the dead wolf's body.

"Do we go back for Thorongil?" asked Caranel, struggling to her feet.

"He wouldn't want us to," answered Aldamir sadly, but correctly. Timothy was glad Aldamir was the one making the decision - the last thing he wanted was Elerína blaming him in any way for her husband's death.

Timothy and Aldamir carried Astra and Caranel helped Eddil to stand and walk. Timothy gave The Huntress his stone to hold, which eased her pain considerably. Nevertheless the journey through the Spider's Tunnel was very slow.

They had almost forgotten the spider, but she was waiting for them. She dropped into their path with a cunning plan.

At the sight of Shelob Timothy grabbed his stone and Caranel pulled the black arrow from Astra's quiver.

"Wait wait wait!" sputtered Shelob, wanting no part in a repeat of their last encounter. "I have a proposal for you. I'll let five of you pass, but I get to keep her."

"Me?" squeaked Mirumor as the spider pointed to her with one of her many jointed arms. Caranel remembered her comrades tortured to death in Cirith Ungol by Mirumor's orcs and for a moment was eager to accept the offer; but the King had pardoned her.

"I don't think so," answered Caranel. She would never forgive Mirumor for what she had done, but the King's will must prevail.

"There's a giant wolf we killed less than an hour ago outside the tunnel," suggested Timothy. "Go eat that."

"I am not some carrion-eating beast," hissed Shelob, venom spewing from her maw.

Timothy's stone sprang to life in answer, filling the tunnel with a soft blue glow.

"Alright," muttered the spider. "I'll check the wolf. Tell Eönwë he owes me for this."

"Eönwë?" Mirumor gasped.

"You didn't know?" laughed Shelob. "Well tell him if he needs to get rid of you now, I'd happily take you."

Shelob skittered up onto the ceiling and away down the tunnel. She found the wolf and decided to enjoy a meal, even if she didn't get the pleasure of the kill. Just as she began to feed Thorongil came stumbling up the road to Mordor, carrying a few bags of coin he had taken from the orcs below.

"Not you!" hissed Shelob, her mouth still inside the wolf. Outside her lair, forced to fight in only two dimensions, the spider had no interest in a conflict. "I let your little friends pass, leave me in peace."

"Have you seen Ingacarca?" asked Thorongil, laughing at the frustrated spider.

"He was here?" shouted Shelob, choking on some dissolved wolf. "And you didn't kill him? You really are worthless."

"I wasn't aware the two of you didn't get along," replied Thorongil.

"Who do you think it was that Morgoth tasked with driving me and my siblings out of Ered Gorgoroth after he decided we no longer served a purpose?" hissed the spider.

"Well I promise to tell you the next time I'm expecting him," nodded Thorongil.

"If you catch him…" began Shelob.

Thorongil smiled. "I'd love to bring him here."

Being in no condition to fight Shelob, Thorongil left her to her meal and slowly made his way to Minas Ithil, where he found Timothy and Mirumor waiting at the bridge across the hauntingly quiet flow of the Morgulduin.

"You're alive!" exclaimed Timothy.

Mirumor, seeing the bags of coin he carried, had slightly different priorities. "We get a share of what you found, right?"

"Yes, and yes," smiled Thorongil. "Is everyone safe and sound?"

Timothy shook his head. "Astra is gravely injured, but the healers of the tower say she will live. Eddil can barely walk, but he's in much better shape than she. Also, you should know that Shelob told us all who you are."

"You're not supposed to tell him that," exclaimed Mirumor.

"I should have set your meal on fire!" roared Thorongil, shaking his fist at the mountain. He looked then to Mirumor to see if she had anything to say about the revelation.

She went with "I thought you'd be taller," much to Timothy's amusement.

"I am starting to understand why Sauron preferred his mortal servants as wraiths," laughed Thorongil.

As they walked through Minas Morgul on their way to find Astra and the others, Timothy and Mirumor recounted in detail their encounters with Ingacarca and Shelob.

"You found a poison to kill elves?" asked Thorongil. "I thought that knowledge was lost after my war with Melkor."

Mirumor nodded proudly. "I am still working on deciphering the formula from the notes I found. Fortunately there was a dose of it already prepared."

"You know who I am, you might learn how to poison elves…" muttered Thorongil.

"I just keeping getting more expensive," grinned the sorceress.

"Or becoming such a liability that I should take Shelob's offer," replied the maia.

"Expensive but useful," objected Mirumor. "My poison saved the day!"

"Hence we return to my wraith observation," countered Thorongil.

"Timothy, where is your stone?" asked the maia, suddenly realizing he was without it.

"Astra has it," answered the scholar. "It seems to ease her pain."

Thorongil was very impressed. He was somewhat notorious in Valinor for taking an Astra-like view of sharing. "That's very kind of you; my wife would be proud."

The healers had done as much for Astra as could be done, so after briefly congratulating them on their victory Thorongil left the wounded in their lovers' care. The Huntress was not doing well - she knew she might never be able to draw a bow again. That evening he dined with Timothy and Mirumor.

"There're a lot of nice weapons just lying around on the other side of that pass," sighed the maia with a knowing glance to Mirumor. As he predicted, she was eager to return to Mordor.

"When do we leave?" she asked.

"Haven't we had enough adventure for this week?" moaned Timothy.

Both Thorongil and Mirumor laughed at the idea of too much adventure.

"I hate you both," laughed Timothy. "Can we have a night's sleep first?"

"You don't have to come," replied Mirumor. "More treasure for the two of us."

"I want to see the aftermath of the battle," answered Timothy.

The next morning Eddil and Caranel set off for Minas Tirith while Thorongil, Timothy, and Mirumor went back to Mordor. Aldamir stayed in Minas Morgul with Astra, who was too injured to travel. Thorongil, upon reaching the remains of the giant wolf, cut off its head and burned away flesh and fur with a wave of his hand.

'The Huntress should have this,' he thought as he tied the skull to his pack.

The three treasure hunters found even more than they expected. The band of wolf riders Thorongil killed had been Ingacarca's personal guard. Many of them carried weapons stolen from great warriors from other cultures, including First and Second Age Dwarven swords and axes coated in mithril.

Timothy was glad he came - not only because they found an incredible amount of treasure, but because the battlefield was impressive to behold. Everything was burnt and charred - even the rocky cliffs to either side of the road. Timothy recalled having read Weathertop described similarly after Gandalf's fight with the Nazgûl.

They hauled their treasure back through Shelob's lair, and after more than a few close calls on the slick stairs down to Morgul Vale, they joined Aldamir and Astra. After a few days in Minas Morgul they procured a wagon sturdy enough to transport Astra to Minas Tirith. They were quickly brought to see Lord Aragorn, who was eager to hear their tale.