Oh, it is Thursday already? Enjoy the new chapter, people!
CA Productions
Disclaimer: See first chapter.
Chapter 4 - Clockworks Turning
After the details of the celebrations were dealt with and the elves who organized the festival agreed to put its date a bit sooner to accommodate the one of the herder people, mainly because they were quite curious, Hyano made it home to the shack first and after talking to the family, she proceeded to walk over to the young ones' bed and pass out with them.
She was so worn out.
It felt like she had been running constantly for days despite her lack of energy really coming from a lack of magic. This did not bother the already sleeping children. If anything they easily snuggled up to her, likely used to her presence, considering she had been in their lives for as long as they could remember.
Rosa was awake earlier than anyone else and was standing by the table with a huge smile on her face. Her parents were still fast asleep and so she tried her best to be quiet but she was just so excited by this point she couldn't sleep, so instead she poured herself a glass of water and sat down at the table, just taking a moment to relax and calm herself.
Yesterday had been wonderful.
The herder girl spent it with the elf boy who led them through the sea to this world. He was friendly, unlike how she expected, and showed her the city, along with some of the forest before they met up with Gandalf and the enormous tree herder. She had never seen such a magical place. It was so calming, so... familiar. Like, she was supposed to live here and not in that polluted and lifeless mud patch on the sea that they called Middle-Earth. She doesn't miss it. Not one bit.
Gandalf arrived only a few hours later, having spoken to the elves and helped them take care of the cave they talked about. The entrances were all sealed except of one, which was only partially closed, just so Hyano and the statued Nazgul could pass through. He made sure to equip the usually dim cave with torches, lining the wall with them without leaving any kind of hole or small openings in the wall unlit. The wraith will surely attempt to remove them, so he prepared a bit of a surprise for him. The wizard also set the guarding schedules for the small group of elves, so they will never be unguarded, even if he had to move away. As for him, Gandalf planned to keep an eye on the happenings by sitting close to the opening on the ceiling of the cave. He wanted to share this news with the younger wizard, so slowly walked up to the bed after having located her and stopped, reached out to shake her shoulder just a little bit.
"Hyano, wake up... It is ready." He whispered, wanting to make sure that she still has enough energy to move there. After all, she said she can still go about today but her energy will be drained almost completely.
Hyano didn't react in the slightest. Anyone who didn't know better might think her dead because her body was limp to say the least.
The little girl beside her started to wake and quickly noticed this.
"Aunty Hyano? Are you okay?" She asked and shook Hyano, earning no reaction. It had been some time since Hyano had done this for others to see. Mostly because she had found out how to avoid it, however in this world -considering her situation- there had been no avoiding this. Her body just couldn't take the lack of energy.
Quickly, the White wizard reached out and put a hand to her neck, looking for a pulse while his eyes showed his concern and worry, which vanished quickly the moment he felt what he was looking for. It wasn't all that strong but it was still there. There were surely no fights, neither was she in trouble, seeing the family told him they talked before they went to bed. Which meant only one thing. The White sighed and stood straight, his hand gripping his staff tighter and drummed his fingers on it.
"We have no time to spare. She cannot take the lack of magic anymore... She needs that dark creature or she will not survive... or she will stay in this state." He told them and turned his gaze to look at the parents. "Could you please help me move her? We need to get her to the cave. After this I will tell the elves to bring the statue... This cannot wait..."
The father, Will nodded, waving for his wife to go ahead and take the children with her to see the elf about the upcoming festival. He then knelt down and lifted the small girl easily.
"Lead the way..." He said to the wizard. It was obvious that the family had a lot of love for the orange wizard and only wanted to see her well.
Rosa watched for a moment before helping her mother pick up her younger siblings and walked out with them, not wanting them to worry too much. She would follow her mother until they reached the city, then they would part ways so she could go to work.
Gandalf of course was grateful for the help and nodded with a smile at the man before gesturing towards the door.
"This way." He said and started their journey towards the cave they prepared.
The trip wasn't all that long, as their destination was located not far from the edge of the city, however it was somehow always far more peaceful and quiet, which made it the perfect location for this process. He also was glad to see one more elf about, one of the small team that worked for him, so made sure to tell him to bring the statue. It was time. He just hoped that Hyano will be alright. If her life will be in danger... he will have to step in and separate the two in different cells so she can still get magic but won't be in the wraith's reach...
The wizard showed the father to the cave, going through a small entrance they left. The interior seemed barren, a single hole on the ceiling provided sunlight, while the many torches placed in also illuminated the chamber, just as she asked. All other entrances were sealed with rocks. A small stream of water flowed within the cave, along with many mushrooms growing about the floor. Some moss and small critters also could be found.
The man kept quiet as he walked and once he was sure he was in the right place he stood waiting. He heard a noise coming from the entrance soon enough and some elves appeared, carrying the statue in their grips. Although Ren was not light even as a moving and spectral creature, as a statue this weight only doubled. When the wraith was brought in as well he could feel a slight change in the air. The connection was there, showing even though the two creatures were both in a way incapacitated. He moved as close as he dared and this seemed to be enough for the wizard.
She groaned as she started to wake and her forest green eyes slowly started to open, she looked up and noticed Ren. Well, the statue that he still was.
"Put me down..." She ordered and the father did as told, stepping back from her. Hyano could hardly stand at this point but she did her best "Gandalf... get everyone away and make sure no one else comes in here." She said, not wanting anyone to get hurt. Ren would kill anything that moved... Sooner or later he likely would try to kill Hyano as well. However, it was less risky with fewer people here.
The White wizard nodded, although concern was written all over his features. While everyone else left, he walked up to her slowly, stopping in front of her and reached out to put a hand on her shoulder gently, kaaping his blue gaze strictly on hers.
"Make sure you stay alive, Hyano. If you need me, just shout. There will be always someone up there at the hole. So if you won't be alone completely. If you need fruits or any other food, we can send it down on a rope. Here is water and some mushrooms, some moss..." He stopped, knowing he didn't need to continue. He was being too protective of the young wizard. She is grown now, so can take care of herself, so let his hand fall from her shoulder and sighed, his gaze never leaving hers. "Just make sure you stay alive, alright?" With this, he gave her a gentle smile and turned, using his staff to support his walk out of the cave.
Hyano smiled a little at the older wizard, then stood, waiting for the sound of the entrance being sealed completely before looking at Ren. She could sense that draw. The same feeling he caused the first time she saw him again. If anything, it was a lot stronger this time, maybe because she was more aware of it. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, then whispered.
"Here goes everything." Then she reached out a hand to touch his gauntlet. When her skin met the cold stone, she felt the rush of magic. The pure energy that exploded washed over her senses.
Just like at the first time, the stone started to crack slowly but surely, starting from the very spot she touched him. Soon enough the cracks covered the whole statue and it started to give out sounds of breaking stone as the layer below the outer shell started to come to life. If one can call that with a Nazgul. Not a moment later, the outer layer almost exploded, sending stone pieces everywhere, while at the same time the shriek of a Nazgul could be heard, the creature falling down onto his hands and knees, his shoulders shaking a little at the effort and transformation. It took a great deal of energy from him, which his dark aura quickly tried to compensate by latching itself onto hers greedily and suckling, converting her own magic to dark and directed it into the spectral body of the wraith to sustain his recovery.
The wizard flinched, using her arms to block the explosion and gasped as they were reconnected. Her body felt like it had finally been allowed to breathe after being stuck underwater for Valar knows how long. It felt fantastic, however she had to quickly shake her head and feel for something else. Their connection. If she wanted to make this work, she had to be fast about it, make this work way before he would be aware of his surroundings, before he could question anything, before he could get comfortable in their new prison. The sooner she started, the faster she would be over this. She also meant to satisfy Gandalf. Hesitation was not an option.
It took only a matter of seconds for the orange wizard to sense it and then she gritted her teeth as she forced it to make the required changes. She wasn't sure if Ren would notice... or how his body would react in the first few moments. However she did know this would likely hit him like a ton of bricks.
What she forgot is that she was not the only one who had access to their connection. While Ren was not aware of what she was doing at the moment, his dark aura noticed the slightest of changes and simply worked against her efforts to undo the changes she was trying to make to their connection. Of course this way her work was harder. The wraith had as much right and as much access to this as she had, seeing their connection was mutual. However Ren could not control it the way she could, mainly because he was not a mage and had no knowledge of such magical tricks. His aura and ring on the other hand was just enough to maintain and control this sensitive yet strong connection. So for now, her efforts were in vain.
Hyano sensed this but knew already it was temporary. The ring and his aura did this subconsciously. She knew exactly what she was doing. At best this might last a day, then his aura would be overloaded. She smiled as she saw him and knelt beside his exhausted form.
"Welcome to your new prison." She greeted, being blunt about the fact they weren't getting out of here anytime soon. They already knew this was a risk before they came here. The fact they were alive was surprising in itself actually, so this was a quite good deal. She knew Ren might not see it the same way.
The wraith wasn't exactly paying attention to her or what she said at first but was trying to get his bearings. The light within the room wasn't making it any easier for him either. He flinched when she spoke right beside him, having not expected a voice so close but eventually hissed and sat up, moving to sit cross-legged on the floor, his hooded head now lifting to note their location. Which -to say the least- wasn't that clear to him because of the light. He wasn't yet aware that they are in an enclosed space.
His mind was slow to start, like the last time this happened to him but this didn't mean he did not hear what she said, only that it took him a long time to process it. His hearing soon got sharper and his sight cleared somewhat but the first sense that went fully active was his sense of smell. The air was thick, slightly humid and the familiar scent of his mate made him that much more confident. What made his spectral body tense up was the other scent he could smell. Well, scents.
Elves.
The White wizard.
He could remember their stench and could smell it from miles away. His gauntleted hands gripped the dirt below him into tight fists and he let out a hiss involuntarily to warn anyone who was not an ally. The sense of danger was thick in his mind but eventually he managed to process what she said, which caused the Nazgul to tense up even more. Prison? What was she talking about? Didn't she bring him in and hide him as he told her to do it?
"What?" He asked demandingly and turned his invisible gaze towards her, now the words starting to register fully and the weight of its meaning began to sink in. Prison? What? Why? How? He stared at her for what seemed like minutes before quickly standing, although shakily and started to move about, almost tripping at times and desperately tried to look for a way out even with him being half blinded.
"Relax Ren. We aren't dead. If anything, I think we are doing well considering all our options." The orange wizard said as she watched him walk about, already knowing he wouldn't find a way out. She looked up, knowing Gandalf was likely right above them and was wondering for a moment if he was watching through an orb or just listening before turning her eyes back to the wraith. "We will just be stuck here for a while. Nothing we haven't done before." She pointed out calmly with her hands in her pockets. It was true, though. If one didn't count when Ren was locked up before they had been in a situation where they had to remain underground for a long time and until they really got their bearings it had been a borderline prison. Much more deadly if one included all the orcs.
The wraith hissed as his search was in vain, his hands moving towards and met the wall each time he reached it, finding no exit. All his nose told him he found was dirt, mud, even more dirt... Rocks. The Nazgul let out a sharp hiss when he felt his foot find no ground beneath at his next step, so ended up stumbling forward right across the stream that flowed through the cave. The water splashed loudly and sharply, making the wraith hiss in irritation at the sound but he just shook his head and stepped out of the stream onto solid ground. He did not seem to care about how wet his cloak became. His mind was concentrating on something else. He could swear he must have made one round already in their prison but could not find an exit.
No escape.
Not again...
He heard her words of course but he was too busy going around the room at least three times before finally simply letting himself fall on his behind and crossed his legs and arms, finding he lost his energy in his frantic search. He panted and looked around again with his gaze, only to shake his head in annoyance at the light that surrounded him. He was rather frustrated by now.
No! Not a prison! No prison can keep him inside!
His anger was only fueled by the stench of the elves.
-flashback-
He could still remember the sound of metal meeting metal, the dying roars of his army as they were slain right before his invisible gaze, rendering victory impossible from that point on. He built it all up... now it was washed away with the black blood of his minions. He could remember the gaze of the White wizard as he stared at him while he was taken away in chains, standing above the limp body of his second in command.
The chains.
They rattled. He could not remember what all he must have shouted, what commands he tried to rely on his troops because all the sounds he could recall was the rattling of his chains. They were sharp, irritating, it over-shouted his voice. It was the sound of the promise of his eternal imprisonment. The sound of his failure.
He failed his Lord...
He failed everything he stood for; he failed his last command before his silence. He wanted to please him, to make it right. If he could just free himself... he could have slain all those puny long-ears. But the metal of the chains held him, like the strongest jaws of the greatest dragon. It enclosed him into a state of helplessness, a state he was not familiar with. It only made him struggle more. The more he struggled, the angrier he became. He attempted to push against his captors and return to the battle, his metal boots digging into the blood-soaked ground as deep as he could but it was to no avail. He only ended up falling backwards when they jerked on his struggling form.
But he always stood up again to give it another try.
As the darkness fell, he felt his power rise, his mind worked sharper, his sight doubled and his nose could smell the White was far away, too far to be a challenge to him now. With a desperate attempt, the wraith decided to change his tactic. If pulling away does not work, then he will have to disable the other end. He collected the power he had left and pushed backwards towards his destination again, causing the elves who held his chains to dig their own feet into the ground and pull...
This was what he was waiting for.
Hissing, the wraith suddenly released the force he had on the chains and charged towards one of the elves. With the restraint loosened, he was able to extend his clawed hands and attack with the full force of his vengeance, putting all anger he had into it. He managed to surprise the elf and clawed him right across the face first, feeling as his soft flesh gave way against the hard metal. The scent of pure blood flooded his senses, which fueled his fury. His hand went down a couple of more times, grasping and slicing wherever he could find him and went for the next but he felt one of his hands being pulled back by the chains. The elves probably got their bearings and tried to immobilize him but he was not having any of that. With a furious hiss, he attacked the one who pulled but once he did, the other side held him fast. Soon enough, he was left with no option to attack, as both his hands and his feet were pulled apart. Shrieking in anger, the Nazgul grasped one of the chains and yanked on it, causing one of the elves to stumble forward.
But before he could make a move, they decided to take his small freedom as well.
The next thing Ren knew was that all elves suddenly moved around, the chains twisting and turning in different directions before they pulled on it, causing his hands and feet to yank into unnatural directions... and he ended up on the ground with a heavy thud.
Before he could get up, they were on him. He could not hear their words because all he heard was the rattling... and the feeling of the chains going all around his body, like a snake slinging around its prey before it suffocated it. No matter how much he struggled, how much he pulled, he could not free himself any longer. The wraith's hands and feet were tightly secured with the chains, binding them together.
Now he felt like a cattle... bound for slaughter...
His struggles were now in vain... No amount of force applied by him will free him from this predicament. All he could do was walk along as much as the chains let him, watching helplessly as the rocks and the trees went by. With every pull they made he was taken farther from his battle.
But this could not be it.
No.
He worked too hard to please his Lord, to fulfill his command as he ordered him. He prepared far better than this. Where was his second in command? Where was his mate? Where was she when he required her assistance? She must be nearby. She was just waiting for the right opportunity. He trained her well and had the confidence in her abilities.
But the more time passed and the farther he was taken... the more the poisonous stench of doubt engulfed his mind. He could not afford it in such a key situation. The troops cannot abandon their lord.
He just needed to pull time... and so he did by struggling once again.
By the time they reached the Black Gates of Mordor, the wraith has spent the last of his energy a long time ago. He was lying on the ground and was pulled by the elves like a dead carcass. He made no move and made no sound, as he could not. He lost his voice, he predicted. His hands and feet would no longer bend to his will. Although his spectral body was defeated, his mind was as awake and was as struggling as it ever has. They will not break him.
He could hear the familiar sound of stone sliding on the ground. The tone and noise... The Black Gates. He didn't know why but this calmed him somewhat. Perhaps because he remembered it as his sanctuary, the place where they could be as close to their Dark Lord as they could be, where they heard his voice the strongest, where he gave the commands the loudest. Any other meaning to this was foreign.
Ren just laid there, watching as the rocks passed him by. Then a patch of dry grass... a dead bush... Then a broken spear, struck to the ground. This woke up his senses and he lifted his hooded head to see the sight that awaited him. The earth was split, enormous holes and cliffs littered the once great flat land that stretched before the gates. There were remains of armor and weapons, abandoned flags were ripped at by the strong wind that swept the barren and dead land. There was no loud chanting of orcs... No sound of metal hitting metal as they worked on the walls and behind the gates. There was only silence that awaited him...
He could not understand...
The Nazgul's hooded head turned from one direction to the other as he was dragged along, only to tilt it to the side when they passed the Black Gates when finally, the aftermath of the battle here was revealed to him. The great tower of Barad-dûr, once stood tall and was the beacon to all the servants of the Dark Lord... was in ruins. Or what remained of the ruins. The strong walls of the tower lay scattered, defeated on the ground. The flaming and bleeding eye of their Lord was nowhere to be found.
The lack of the eye and the lack of the tower only confused the Nazgul further. He was still searching for both with his slightly blurred vision. His mind was unable to connect the rubble on the ground to the missing tower. It always awaited him, after all. The sight of his Lord's presence was eternal. His mind told him it was. So where was it now? maybe they are at the wrong location after all. Yes... that must be it.
His sight-seeing was cut short as suddenly many pairs of hands grasped his spectral body and hauled him up from his position on the ground. It made him hiss in irritation, annoyed that his train of thoughts had been broken. He needed to make sense of this all but they did not let him. At the sight of elves, Ren began to struggle again. The rattling. That damned rattling of chains was loud as he was moved; it was ear-piercing once there were cuffs clasped onto his still bound wrists. Before he could move to bite down on the offending hands, they moved away. More were clasped on his legs and finally a bigger one onto his neck. This made the wraith shake his head wildly and struggled against the offending grips. He tried pulling on the new cuffs but they were secured to the broken walls of the once great tower. The chains with which he was brought in were tightened around him and soon their other ends were hammered down onto the ground with the help of thick long nails.
He struggled. He really tried but could not move an inch. In his anger, the only thing he could do was form his hands into fists, which were bound to his body tightly by the chains.
He was immobilized.
By the time he got his bearings, the elves were gone from his sight and he was alone.
Alone with the persistent rattling of chains.
-end flashback-
"What happened?" Ren demanded once his mind returned to ponder about the present. Recalling memories like this was not something he did often if anytime at all. He preferred to not recall it again as it flooded him with frustration. Neither did it help his current situation. Instead, he might as well find out what transpired, having not been there and not heard what was being said, how they were handled and couldn't defend himself either. Ren knew he should not have trusted her with this... Here he was, making the mistake of letting her go through with her plot, only to find himself in this predicament. He will forge the plans himself from now on... He wondered what the plans of these creatures are with them. They surely don't plan on keeping them here forever... And... they needed to put them in here... So there must be an exit... He just can't see it because of these blasted lights!
Hyano continued to watch him. She thought it over for a moment. What could she say? Tell him about the talk she had with Gandalf and how she brought up this very idea? The wraith would kill her in a frenzy of rage.
"Everything went... fairly well. Gandalf values me. That is probably the only reason we aren't dead right now. He found out what was going on the moment we touched the shore. It took him about two days to work out what to do with us. This was his solution. I doubt we will be here forever. Maybe a week or two at most." She replied. She was being honest, just leaving out certain details. Not like he hadn't done the same to her before. However it felt so strange. She never felt like she had to do this. In fact, she still didn't but at the same time she knew she did. This was going to be a long stay.
"A week or two?" Ren asked, turning his hooded head towards her and tilted his head to the side at these words. "And then what? What will happen? I doubt he would just... let us leave all of a sudden." He said, suspecting there is more to this than what she shared with him just now. The White surely wouldn't let one of his kind go and corrupt this world. He surely had a plan. A plan his mate failed to share with him just yet. He hissed as he felt the dance of the light on his spectral body and hunched his shoulders, trying to get away from the offending firelight. But it wasn't easy, considering the room was full with torches as it seemed. He couldn't truly see the source of the light but the dance of shadows told him clearly that fire was burning in the room. Not tolerating it any longer, the wraith soon stood up and neared the walls, trying to find a shadowed spot, standing next to the wall and going along it, testing the darkness here and there.
Hyano watched him, seeing where he would probably end up. Despite the torches there was one spot that had a little shadow. Not enough to really make him comfortable but it was better than the rest of the room.
"This world is in majority all elves. They aren't as hostile as the ones of old but I doubt we will be allowed to live any longer than two weeks. They aren't used to darkness. Many are scared by it. Gandalf was wise enough to try and keep us where we are hidden among only few of the elves but that won't last. So again... we have about two weeks." She replied before sitting cross legged. This time she wasn't lying and she knew Gandalf heard her. There was another risk to their lives that she and Gandalf had not bothered to talk about because they already knew it was there. If this issue was not resolved fast enough the elves would step in. No matter what Gandalf said.
The response was a displeased hiss as he heard her last comment. Ren would first kill himself somehow than let them destroy him. At this, he simply trashed the search for a shady spot and instead looked for an exit, touching the walls, the rocks that sealed the cavers, then stepped into the stream that flowed at a portion of the cave. He hissed at the sudden strange sensation and withdrew his leg before resuming his search.
There must be a way... There was always a way...
This cannot happen to him again!
-flashback-
Time was irrelevant to creatures like him.
He did not count days, neither weeks, months or years. Instead, he split his own cycle according to his power. He would struggle for one part and call for his troops while in the other he would just dangle on the chains, listening to the endless rattling, waiting for his power to replenish. That would be one cycle.
No matter how much he pulled, how he flexed his body or trashed around like a rabid troll... the chains held him tight. After the numerous cycles that passed they were as firm as the day the elves left it. There was no result of his battle... but as a Nazgul, he did not know defeat. His mind kept telling him to struggle and fight, to yank on his restraints because the reward and the goal was what truly counted. His Lord's wishes shall be fulfilled. His last command has to be answered.
No mere chains would stop him.
Yet here he was, letting the chains carry his weight as he just let his limp body gather what energy it could. There was no sense of comfort for beings like him but it took some getting used to in order to be able to mediate in such a position. In these times, with nothing else to do but wait, the wraith could do only one thing.
Stare.
Stare ahead and watch as the wind blew the loose dirt around, forming shapes of different kinds in front of his invisible gaze. He would just dangle there and watch as the dirt piles were reorganized from one place to another, while listening to the chains rattling in the wind. How one pile would be big and the resulting one in its new place would be much smaller. It made him wonder where the rest of the dirt went. Did the wind blow it farther away? Or maybe the small dirt that remained in the original spot had such an impact on it? How would they feel like if he grabbed it? Would it be loose? Would it feel like sand? Could he build shapes with those? If he made the dirt wet, would it be that mud that he hated so much? What about the wind? He could not feel it from his position as the walls blocked it from reaching him. Would it blow him away? It looked strong. The dirt was not a worthy opponent for it...
There were so many questions running through his mind and he felt impatient, frustrated even when he received no answers to them. Hyano made him develop a habit of getting what he wanted in a moment's notice. She had answers to each of his questions. Every each one of them. Now he had much more than he asked her all this time... Where was she when he needed her to answer them? Why wasn't she coming? She was supposed to reach him by now, he was sure. He will give her until his next cycle. If she delays, he will make her regret it.
They had so much to do still...
While he was staring at times like these, Ren liked planning too. He rethought their tactics in Moria and had a lot of ideas about where to go from there. He had some faint schemes on how to get rid of the White. But they meant nothing if he could not share them with anyone. They only made sense if someone listened to them and fulfilled them for him. But there was no one... Every moment he still braced himself for the sound of the orc blacksmith's hammers striking the unruly metal to bend it to their will. Or maybe for an angry roar of a troll which was hauling rocks and equipments for the walls.
He didn't understand where these sounds went.
Or where everyone and everything went.
At the end of it all, he did not care about it the slightest. These questions, thoughts and plans would be forgotten by him once he regained his strength.
His greatest goal was right in front of his invisible gaze.
It was right there...
If... If he could just reach out for it...
-end flashback-
"How did they get us inside?" The Nazgul asked suddenly. "We can go out the same way. Use your magic! You have plenty after this. There is light. Too much of them..." He reminded her of the torches and the annoying sunlight that seeped into the cave from above, which meant she could power herself using that. Wait... Sunlight? The wraith stopped all of a sudden and looked up, hissing-shrieking as the sunlight got into his hood but at least it was confirmed. This place has no roof! This was a familiar situation. "Climb!" He shouted, stubbornly looking up again. They can climb out! "Like at Moria..."
"If I could get out so easily don't you think I would have?" Hyano pointed out to him. "Gandalf is a White. I'm an orange. He not only outranks me but out-powers me. This place is sealed against my magic. As for the roof... You are free to try if you like but I would not suggest it." She said and moved to the wall of the cave, knowing full well that Ren would try despite her warnings and did not want to be in the way when the rocks and he both come down. She would use her magic to catch the wraith of course but that didn't mean much if she got hit by a boulder.
Just as she expected, the Nazgul didn't listen to her -as usual- and went up to the nearest wall, touching the rocks there to see if they are firmly stuck or not. He needed to change positions a few times but eventually thought he found the right path. He used his gauntlets and boots to get a firm hold and started climbing. Many times did his hands slip when the rocks under them gave out but he always managed to find a new one that actually held better. He climbed exactly until halfway when the rocks under his legs gave out, then attempted to find a new hold but even those just slipped from the loose wall. So, eventually, he ended up sliding down while he desperately tried to find a new hold. He cursed in Black Speech before trying again and again, stubbornly keeping up but he didn't manage to do as he desired. In the end, he just huffed, hissed at the wall and went up to the nearest corner, sat down facing it with his back to Hyano and crossed his arms and legs, murmuring to himself, pouting in his own way.
The wizard watched, making a point not to laugh, even though everything in her really wanted to. He was just too hilarious trying countless times to get out the same way. However, the fact of the matter was Ren wasn't going anywhere. Not anytime soon anyway. When he finally admitted defeat, like a child of course, the wizard could not help a light snicker. She had been good so far but he honestly had it coming with that stunt. She finally walked up and sat behind him with her back to his, putting her hands in her pockets again.
"Just relax, Ren. It is hardly that bad in comparison to what could have happened. If nothing else, we can make a bolt for it when they come to get us in two weeks." She pointed out, trying to calm him down. If only a little. She closed her eyes and sighed, letting the magic flow through her more freely now. The closer she was to Ren, the stronger this connection was, the more power they both received. If anything, then this should ease his frustration somewhat.
First, Ren didn't answer but stubbornly ignored what she said, hissing at the corner which was actually directed to her, still frustrated because of their situation. Make a bolt for it in two weeks? They could be out now if she did what he told her! How much energy does it take to blow away the rocks from the sealed exit? Not much, especially if he was nearby to help her with the flow of magic... But she either didn't hear what he said or simply ignored it... Which briefly made him question if she truly wanted to get out... Only briefly, of course. He still pressed himself to trust her. There was nobody else to trust, after all. One servant was still better than none. It gave him a better chance at getting out.
"In two weeks they will be waiting by the door, prepared to take us down if we try to fight. We have to get out soon when they don't expect it..." He told her, now turning his hooded head towards her, unknown to her, glaring. "You can gather energy and magic with all this light. Then blow away the rocks from the exit. And we are out."
"You don't seem to understand why I can't. If you haven't noticed those doors are too big for elves to put there. They are Gandalf's work. He has us sealed here, which means he also has magic-counters on the doors. Even if I manage to blow them out, Gandalf is right outside, ready to blow us right back in. As for the amount of energy I have currently... I passed out before they brought me here. I am not at full strength yet, even with the added light. I won't be for a good day." Hyano replied, being honest about the facts. Again, she wasn't lying. If Gandalf was smart that was in fact how things were going to go down. As for her energy, even with Ren there and the added magic of this world the fact was she was at almost nothing almost a second ago. She wasn't going to be at full strength for a little bit.
The wraith hissed at the reply, then picked up a nearby rock and threw it at the wall he was facing in frustration, which in return rewarded him with a nice amount of dirt that fell on impact from the loose wall. This only served to anger the Nazgul further, so stood up and started walking about again, trying to calm himself while also looking for a more shady spot to meditate at. He tried many different spots but none were dark enough for his complete relaxation, so had to settle for a less lit little gap where he sat down facing the wall and huddled closer to it, hunching his shoulders, trying to hide from the light of the torches with a deep hiss.
"Then start gathering magic. We will work to get out the next few days..." He said, set on escaping this hell hole where he was put while he was defenseless. He would be damned if he sat here all day for the next few weeks, waiting for his destruction. He will escape. One way or another he will get out of here...
Hyano sighed, then again moved so she was sitting behind him, in a way providing his back shade, knowing that would at least give him some amount of security.
"As you wish, Ren." She replied and closed her eyes, taking in the light and also continuing to work on their connection, although mildly now, trying to suppress the power of his ring. It would be a slow process. It would have to be in order to keep it from being too well noticed.
End of the chapter. Hope you liked it!
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