Disclaimer: I own nothing of Tolkien's works, however all original characters and story concepts solely belong to me. The Grigori and all documented characters associated with them belong in the public domain. Any references to the original book, The Serpent and the Peacock are copyrighted to A Selby. Any references to the world created by Joss Whedon belong to him.

Author Note: Thanks so much for the reviews. I'm sorry I couldn't reply to them properly, but FFN is being flouncy and not allowing authors to reply to reviews. But thank you thank you anyway. I make absolutely no apologies for the Buffy quote below not entirely fitting the tone of the chapter, other than it made me cackle.

ooOoo

" Xander Harris: Is she dying?
Buffy: I think she's singing.
Xander Harris: To a telephone in Hindi. Now that's entertainment. Why is she singing?
Willow Rosenberg: She's sad because her lover gave her twelve gold coins. But then the wizard cut open the bag of salt, and now the dancing minions have nowhere to put their big maple... fish thing.
Xander Harris: Uh-huh. Why is she singing?
Buffy: Her lover? I thought that was her chiropractor?
Willow Rosenberg: Because of that thing he did with her feet? No. That was personal. "

- Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Reptile Boy

ooOoo

The Hellmouth

Chapter 9 – The best laid schemes of mice and men

A large manor house some five miles from the Scottish town of Loch Mairie...

Buffy watched from a large bay window in a lounge area for the slayers which was situated on the top floor of the manor as another dark coloured SUV drove slowly up the winding drive. It was a suitable day for dark deeds and thoughts; windy and gloomy with the wind lashing at the branches of the trees. She felt a momentary pang for the sunshine of California but stamped on it immediately. California might have had lots of sun, but despite that fact it also had dark places and in many ways she felt more at ease here in rainy old Scotland than she ever had in Sunnydale or even Los Angeles. The vampire community wasn't as prevalent for a start.

Los Angeles...

She bit her lip. It was difficult to talk or even think about LA since the business with the Black Thorn that Angel and his people had got involved with. It was a typical act of Angel's, to recklessly take on the lead in something that would lead to his ultimate demise and he took some good people with him including Spike, as she had found out much later on, and yet he was responsible for stopping the end of the world on that occasion. In a way she hoped that he had been given his reward from the Powers; perhaps he was somewhere in the world as a human and happy whilst living a normal life, perhaps both he and Spike were, god knows they had earned it, but she was annoyed with him for not telling her what was going on. The Slayers could have helped and the outcome might have been vastly different.

Normal...

What in the name of anything that was holy was normal? She couldn't have answered anyone if they had asked her, but if she had a stab at it, normal would be meeting a man without any complications, like being a vampire for instance, falling in love, getting married and settling down with a couple of kids.

Settling down? Children?

She rolled her eyes. Who was she kidding? Normal wasn't meant for her or anyone around her and there was no way she would want to bring kids into a world that was constantly under some threat or other, either by the humans who lived in it and their wars or the supernatural side and their constant striving for power.

Oddly enough, the two groups weren't entirely unalike in their endeavours.

If Buffy had been having this conversation out loud instead of inside her head, she knew damn fine that everyone would look at her as if she had grown a couple of heads. This was Buffy for god's sake, Buffy of the shoes and the stylish pants and the halter tops and the slay-age. Buffy was all about either the extremely shallow or the deep darkness and violence, there was no middle path with her and that's what they would be confused about. Yet she did have deep thoughts quite often. She just never said them out loud for everyone to hear.

And here she was having some. She mentally slapped herself upside the head. Buffy and deep thoughts were probably very un-mixy things. She needed to stop and get her mind back on the job. Slaying was the one constant in her life... oh, and Giles, and of course Dawn. The rest might come and go, but those two and the slaying were always there.

"Well that makes three constants." She said aloud.

"Who's Constance?" Xander's voice sounded quite close to her ear and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"For god's sake Xander, people who creep up on a person should be punished. You could at least wear a little bell around your neck or something." She grumbled.

Xander stood for a moment, various expressions warring on his face, then he chuckled. "I didn't think it would go with the eye patch Buff."

Buffy giggled and the sound warmed Xander. Despite her grouchiness since the arrival of the Elves and that real soldier, the one who apparently was some sort of angel, she had actually been a lot calmer and reflective inside. Xander had known her from the beginning and he could now sense her ever changing moods. The stress levels had definitely come down, albeit slowly, and Xander had a feeling that the reason for that was because of the General and the other angel type, man...thing... whatever. They sort of generated an air of well-being and calm. What were they called again? Marias? No that couldn't be right. It was definitely something like that though.

"So, what's the what Buff? Whatcha got going on in that mind of yours?" He asked brightly.

Buffy shrugged. "Oh I don't know, lots of stuff. The weather, Sunnydale, LA and Angel, evil, slaying... same old, same old. Other girls think about men and going out on dates or getting married, I think about apocalypses, weapons, battle tactics and decapitation."

Xander noticed that she didn't mention Spike in the list of thoughts and he also avoided bringing up the subject, mainly because he was never sure what to say. He hadn't and didn't approve of her relationship with the vampire. In fact he was more or less incapable of understanding her predilection for vampires as mates in the first place, although he was certainly more understanding about it these days. Spike had saved the world from the First Evil by sacrificing himself; Angel had done the same in LA. It was a shame; they deserved better than a horrible death for their efforts and he was sorry that it hit Buffy so hard, but part of him couldn't help thinking it was for the best in the long run.

Then she had met the Immortal.

Just when Xander thought it was safe to relax, the next man she took up with was a creature as dark and as ancient as any vampire. Xander had long since given up any idea that Buffy would be interested in himself as a mate, but he couldn't help thinking she might have been better off if she had been. But would he have been better off? That was another question for another time.

"Thoughts are bad." He blurted out impulsively, not liking where his thoughts were headed. "They lead to the awkward silences and then more of the badness."

Buffy turned from the window and gawked at him. "What in the world brought that on?"

He blushed. "Oh, I don't know... your thoughts led to my thoughts."

"Which led to badness?" Buffy enquired, arching her eyebrow at him and trying not to feel insulted.

"Oh look." Xander looked out of the window, desperately looking for a reason to change the subject. "More visitors and a...um...Buff, not sure what this guy is but he doesn't look completely human. Not demon either though. He's a bit like the General and Ozzy or maybe he's an Elf. Very tall with long dark hair. Come to think of it they're all very tall with long dark hair." Xander was still struggling with the notion that Elves weren't tiny little creatures with pointy hats and shoes and didn't make toys with Santa Claus in the North Pole. Next thing they'd be telling him that Snoopy was a cartoon character.

Buffy pressed her nose against the window pane. "Ooh, pretty and shiny. Lots of pretty men in the house. Faith will be in her element. Which one are you talking about...never mind." She flapped her hand at him. "I see him. Tall, broad shoulders, nice legs and long black hair, very gorgeous and probably an Elf. The height of gorgeousness in fact. Is gorgeousness a real word do you think? I wonder if he has a girlfriend, he's got to have a girlfriend. No man who looks like that would be on his own. The General is also pretty and he's married and so are both the other Elves, Kellibon and thingamabob, although the General is also one of the Powers, which is a very bad thing to my mind, but this one...oh salty goodness, as Faith would say."

Xander put his hands on her shoulders and drew her away from the window. "Steady on there Slayer, you're starting to do a good line in Willow Babble. You know what happens when you get too excited don't you? Although if he isn't human, he could be just the guy for you!"

"What did you mean by that?" Buffy looked offended. "I'm not so shallow that I only like pretty and...and not human men." She pulled out of his grasp and headed for the door.

"Was it something I said?" Xander asked pitifully. "Where are you going?"

Buffy stopped in the doorway for a moment, hands on hips. "I can't meet him looking like this." She pointed to her perfectly smart and fine black fitted trousers and peach coloured blouse. "And my hair is like a rat's nest. Did you see his hair? Shiny, perfect, long, lustrous. Do you see my hair? I can't go and meet him with ratty hair!"

Xander looked at Buffy's perfectly coiffed shiny, bouncy hair and sighed. The man had looked like an advert for L'Oreal hair products that was for sure. He raked the fingers of one hand through his own cropped hair unconsciously. "No, of course not."

Perish the thought. He said to himself. I just hope she doesn't go rushing in there and ask him outright if he has a girlfriend.

ooOoo

"So it's settled then. We need a group to head to the Deeper Well and another to head to wherever this blasted cave is."

Giles felt peevish. He had not had enough sleep, he looked and felt like walking death and there were Eönwë, Finrod and Osse looking as fresh as the proverbial daisies. He was only mildly mollified by the fact that both Jim Moore and Earendil looked a little worse the wear for their all-nighter research binge.

Eönwë's lips twitched, he could sense the fact that Giles was both peeved and stressed and guessed the reason. He wondered whether to suggest that Giles should perhaps go and take a nap and decided that discretion was the better part of valour.

"I believe that would be the best way to approach this. I think perhaps the Deeper Well group should be comprised of Slayers and I suggest that they need a non-slayer with them, maybe even two or three. Certainly one of us needs to go with them to ask the right questions." He turned to Osse. "I think perhaps you should go with the slayer group...maybe take Findarato or Celeborn with you. Or perhaps even Earendil. I will head the group in search of the cave myself and I'll take Giles, Jim, Xander and Willow with me. I've asked for reinforcements as well, Makalaure and Ereinion are bringing Elladan with them from Vevey, the Grigori kindly loaned us their private jet so they should be arriving soon. Maksim and the others will be remaining in Aldershot to look after Kim and the children, although Maksim has had a visitor from his old coven in eastern Europe who he is sending up here. Apparently he has some news and information which could be relevant to what we do here."

Giles hesitated slightly. He took off his glasses, peered through them and then put them back on the bridge of his nose. He used the ever present handkerchief to blow his nose.

"Er... eastern European coven?" He queried. There was a slightly worried frown on his face. "Are we talking vampire coven by any chance?"

Eönwë did smile at him this time, guessing the reason for his unease. "Yes, Kiril is the head of Maksim's old order. He came to Aldershot late the other night apparently looking for me rather urgently."

Giles stared down at his shoes for a moment and then looked up into the Herald's amused dark blue eyes. He was sure that Eönwë was more than able to read his thoughts and his concerns, but he opened his mouth and spoke them out loud anyway. "You're bringing a vampire in here among a large group of vampire slayers?"

"Kiril and his coven don't interfere with the normal human population." Eönwë said gently. "They're not like the kind of vampires that Buffy and the slayers fight. They are a great deal more refined than that."

Giles nodded slowly. "I get that, but I wonder whether the slayers will. Some of them are young and untrained. It's one of the problems we have with the newly awakened slayers. They have raw power, but without maturity, self discipline and training, they can be dangerous; feral even. That's the bad aspect of the demon essence their line is imbued with down from the First Slayer. When they are very young and untrained their control is not all it should be and we train them hard here before allowing them out on their own to patrol."

Eönwë stared at him for a good couple of minutes and only responded when Giles was starting to get flustered and hot under the collar under the scrutiny. "They will not misbehave when I or Osse are present I assure you and I will take Kiril with me when we go in search of the cave, if he is willing to do so, otherwise I will make sure he is given passage back safely to his stronghold."

This time it was Giles's turn to be amused. He had already seen how the slayers gave a lot of respect to both Maiar in the house. It wasn't that either Eönwë or Osse demanded it, it was more a case of the subtle effect of being in the presence of powerful other worldly beings. He had no doubt that both Maiar could be the iron fist in the velvet glove in any potentially explosive situation between young slayer and vampire if they had to be. For a moment he regretted the loss of his immortality, but pulled himself up immediately.

"Fair enough." He said mildly. "I have no doubt that the slayers will listen to you..."

But whatever else he might have said was abruptly interrupted by the sound of the doorbell clanging.

ooOoo

Ereinion could feel someone watching them as he got out of the SUV. There was a distinct prickling down the back of his neck and he instinctively looked around. There were people in the grounds of the large house, and like any Elf he could sense them; guards, he presumed, but it wasn't any of them who were causing his unease. He then glanced up and saw a fair haired woman looking down at him from a large window on the upper storey of the house, nose pressed against the window pane and his mouth twitched uncontrollably with laughter as he tried to work out which one of them she was looking at so intently.

Was it Maglor with his sharp clever, yet undeniably fair features? He had the best parts of both mother and father; the kind eyes of his mother Nerdanel and the dark good looks of his father Feanor. Or was it Elladan, the undeniably fair son of Elrond and a Peredhel like his father.

It never once occurred to the former High King of the Noldor in Exile, that he might have been the subject of the intense scrutiny.

They had flown from Geneva on the Grigori Enterprises private jet and landed briefly at Farnborough to refuel. From there they had flown again to a small private airfield just outside Aberdeen and picked up a hired SUV which Maglor had driven, expertly manoeuvring the narrow Scottish country roads as if he had been driving there forever...which for all Ereinion knew might have been correct, since Maglor was the only one of them who had remained in Middle-earth.

The face disappeared from the window in an agitated flurry of blonde hair and Ereinion duly turned his attention to the large and imposing polished wood doors currently being opened up in response to Maglor ringing the doorbell.

They were greeted by a young human girl with shaggy light brown hair, cut very short on one side and chin level on the other and large brown eyes currently narrowed in suspicion.

"Yeah?"

If Maglor was taken aback by the abruptness of the greeting he didn't show it. He smiled at the youngster and bowed with one hand over his heart.

"May we speak to Dr Rupert Giles or Major General Matthews if either are available? They are expecting us. I am Makalaure, this is Ereinion and our young friend over there is Elladan."

The girl's brows drew together in a scowl. "Are you Elves?" She asked suspiciously. "We heard you would be Elves. I need to see your ea..." She broke off suddenly with a high pitched squawk and was pulled back from the open door by an invisible someone.

"I can't believe you were actually going to ask them to show you their ears!" They heard a shocked whispered aside from the invisible someone which made them all laugh softly.

Her place was taken almost immediately by a friendly looking young man with pleasant features and a black eye patch over his left eye.

"Sorry guys." He said cheerfully. "Slayers... you know, they're a pretty suspicious natured bunch. Xander Harris at your service. Welcome to Slayer Central on behalf of all of us. Just leave any bags you might have in the car. I'll get a couple of the girls to bring them in. G-Man and the General are waiting for you in the library."

"G-Man?" Elladan mouthed as they followed him into the cavernous hall with its white and black tiled floor.

Ereinion and Maglor both shrugged.

ooOoo

Dawn stared at her sister critically, starting with the neat but stylish brown suede ankle boots with the four inch heels and the pale beige skinny jeans topped with a rose pink silk halter top and ending up at the hair carefully styled into an up-do and pinned at the top with a pink flower slide.

"And all this trouble you've gone to would be for...?"

Buffy flushed. "Nobody."

"I see." Dawn's lips twisted wryly and she circled around her sister to get the full effect. "Nobody. This... nobody couldn't be our gorgeous new visitors by any chance could it?"

"New visitors? There are new visitors?" Buffy blustered. "I didn't see anybody."

Dawn shook her head in mild exasperation. She knew Buffy knew about the new arrivals and Buffy knew that Dawn knew Buffy knew. Still, seeing Buffy interested in something other than slaying or training the potentials for a change was actually a good thing; a sign that she was getting back to normal after Angel and Spike and the LA disaster. "Three more Elves as it happens, as if the house wasn't upside down with the beautiful looking men to start with. They're in the library with Giles and that General person. Yonway, or whatever his name is."

Buffy gave her an anxious look and smoothed down the already smooth material of her jeans. "Too much?"

Dawn was delivered from the pitfall of answering a question that only boded ill for an acceptable answer, much to her relief.

"Hell B... lookin' good girl." Faith sashayed down the passage, the epitome of the word sultry. She walked around Buffy eyeing her up and down. "What's the occasion? I s'pose it couldn't possibly be all the hot guys here at the Nunnery could it?" Faith herself was dressed in her habitual skin tight black leathers and a low cut silky crimson tee shirt.

"I...I..." Buffy gave up and pouted. "It's no fair, I wear something sexy for a change, and I might add, something I would also slay in, in fact I've worn this halter many times for slaying, and suddenly everyone's a critic. Faith wanders around looking like something out of a...a sexy biker movie all the time and nobody says a word!"

"Sexy biker movie? They make movies specially for sexy bikers?" Faith goggled at her. "Geez who knew?"

Dawn rolled her eyes at both of them. "Easy Rider was a sort of biker movie." They both stared at her in utter non-comprehension and she shrugged. Easy Rider wouldn't have been either Slayer's idea of a chick flick anyway.

"Are you ladies actually going to join us or..." Giles came out of the library and stopped dead at the sight of Buffy dressed up to the nines. He hastily removed the glasses and started to clean them as if he required clean glasses to confirm what he was seeing.

Faith rolled her eyes, took them off him and stuck them back on his nose.

"The glasses look fine Giles and no, you're not seein' things. After months of wearing the same blue jeans, sneakers and baggy tee shirts, Buff the Fashion Plate Slayer is back in operation. I ain't too sure whether that's a good or a bad thing yet." She added cheerfully and headed into the library followed by Buffy and Dawn and leaving an astonished and confused looking Giles standing in the corridor with his mouth open.

"Are you coming then?" Buffy stopped at the door and demanded imperiously at him.

"I was...I was already...oh never mind." Giles gave up and followed her into the room.

ooOoo

Three hours later...

Giles wasn't sure whether it was the commanding presence of Eönwë and Osse or not, but the arguments that he feared would, and usually did, happen when Buffy was faced with anyone who challenged her alpha status didn't happen. She was in fact remarkably compliant. So much so that Giles immediately felt suspicious and, he could see by the expression on their faces, so did Willow and Dawn. Faith was blithely unaware of anything wrong, as usual, although it might just have been relief that Buffy was not her usual antagonistic self. Xander just seemed vastly relieved that there was no major tension.

Of the three newcomers, Giles was only acquainted with Maglor and Ereinion and the first time he had met the latter face to face was when, as Annatar, he had come to the borders of Ereinion's kingdom and had requested, and subsequently been refused, entry. Instead Ereinion Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor in Exile had ridden to the border with his Herald, Elrond Earendilion, father of the young dark haired Peredhel currently seated at the library table. Annatar had still been denied entry and Giles could vaguely recall feeling immense rage which he covered with a false smile and as much charm as he could muster at the time before heading off to Eregion where Celebrimbor welcomed him as a fellow artisan. The next, and last, time they met, his... no Sauron's blow had cut Ereinion down where he stood and his body had burned with the fire of Sauron's touch.

Maglor knew who Giles had been, that was a certainty, although he didn't make any mention of it. If Ereinion realised, he gave no sign that he did and Giles relaxed a little, although he still felt very uncomfortable. He knew he would have to talk to Buffy and the others eventually, but he honestly didn't feel like it right then. Any form of confrontation between him and the Eldar who were there would have brought on the need for explanations prematurely.

"I expected more of a fight from Buffy." Eönwë's voice sounded in his ear as they took a much welcomed refreshment break.

Giles' lips twisted wryly. "Yes, well I think perhaps your commanding presence has a lot to do with it, but don't congratulate yourself too much yet... I have a feeling that the presence of one certain beautiful Elda might have had even more to do with it." He looked over towards where Buffy was standing talking sixteen to the dozen and looking more animated than he had seen her look for a long, long time to a rather bemused looking Ereinion. It was immediately clear to both Giles and Eönwë that the elf was having a hard time understanding Buffy's California girl vernacular and both mortal and Maia laughed at exactly the same time.

"Great minds think alike, my friend." Eönwë laughed softly and gripped Giles's shoulder in a companionable way.

Giles quirked an eyebrow at him. "And the remainder of that saying is "Lesser minds seldom differ!" He quipped dryly causing Eönwë's laugh to ring out loudly this time.

Melkor had, for once, sat quietly in the corner of the room and watched the display. He was, of course, not acquainted with Ereinion Gil-galad, but he was aware that the former High King had lost his life at the hands of Sauron who was now Rupert Giles. It vaguely amused him that both of them were subtly avoiding each other during the meeting. Giles wore a faint flush on his cheeks every time he looked at Ereinion and Ereinion just looked very uncomfortable. It amused Melkor vastly to imagine the last time those two met face to face on a battlefield known as Dagorlad, a vast plain just before the gates of Mordor where Sauron had his stronghold and where the decisive and bloody battle in the War of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men was fought.

"Methinks the smile on your face does not bode well for anyone Moringotto." Finrod's quiet voice intruded into Melkor's thoughts.

Melkor pouted...or at least as near to a pout as Feanor's firm, but beautifully sculpted lips could manage. "I never did like that name."

"There were many things that my Uncle did which I did not agree with, but in that, he named you aptly." Finrod's reply was matter of fact, but with an underlying grimness. "You were Moringotto then and you are the same now, no matter whose face you wear."

Melkor shrugged. "I needed the form of someone who is dead or had died in order to present myself. Would you have preferred that I take that of your grandfather, King Finwe's form instead? Or perhaps that of Nolofinwe or Turucano? Or maybe I could have thoroughly upset the apple cart and taken on a likeness of Maitimo, who I believe is now reborn?"

Finrod glared at him. "I would prefer you to be honest and use your own." he snapped.

For the first time Melkor's malice seemed to falter. "I cannot." He whispered.

Finrod who had turned his back and been about to walk away snapped around to face the Dark, fallen Vala. "What?"

"I cannot take my own form; that which I possessed since being sent by Atto into Arda with the others. It is forbidden me."

Finrod was utterly astounded to see the regret in Melkor's eyes. "What form do you take in the Void?" he asked curiously.

Again Melkor shrugged. "I am formless in the Void, but on those very few occasions that I interact with others, such as the demons and creatures who reside there, I take on Elven form or sometimes the form of mortal man. They rarely make contact with me though. Although my powers are stripped from me as one of the Ainur, my fellow Valar could not strip away the darkness that surrounds me and others fear it greatly...and so they should. They fear me and leave me alone."

Finrod felt a frisson of pity for the first time. Despite his attempt at being laissez faire about not being allowed to take his habitual form, it obviously upset Melkor, possibly more than anything else. It also showed Melkor's true and very lonely existence in a dark and lonely place as the monster even other monsters feared.

"I am sorry." He said rather helplessly.

Melkor looked up and looked at him. "Thank you for that at least." he said quietly, no trace of his usual sneering arrogance in his tone. The form of Feanor shimmered for a moment and blurred, then settled down into the simple form of an dark auburn haired elf with deep green eyes similar to Maedhros, but with entirely different, softer lines to the face and a much more slender build. "Is this better?" he asked.

Finrod started back. "Yes...but who..."

"Who is he, whose form I have taken?"

Finrod nodded.

"Oddly enough, this was an Elda who I had no hand in destroying, or at least not directly." Melkor's tone was wry. "When I still had bodily form, I came across him in one of my many secret sorties out of Thangorodrim. He had been captured and ... used very badly by some of my Orcs and did not know who I was. How could he since he was of the Avari who fled from me and would not travel to Valinor when Orome came to lead the Elves into a better place? He begged me to kill him, to end his misery, but for some reason his wild beauty spoke to me and instead I cut him down and healed his injuries." He put his hand out sharply as Finrod opened his mouth, obviously to ask why. "Do not ask me why I did it. Even now I do not know. I saw to him as he healed and eventually we took our leave of each other. He thanked me, however his reprieve was short-lived as he was killed not long after. I felt him die for some reason. When you spoke to me earlier of feeling disturbed at me using the face of your uncle, his face came to mind."

Finrod looked critically at the new form. "I think it's a better look for you and perhaps since you helped him, he would not object. It is quite possible that he has been reborn from the Halls of Waiting you know."

"I hope so." Melkor turned away and faced the blaze in the fireplace.

"Everything is being turned on its head." muttered Finrod as he turned away to join the others who were now discussing the arms they would need for each expedition. Truly, people were full of surprises these days.

ooOoo

The Elves watched in fascination as Willow cast her location spell, first over the map in the north and then to find the location of the Deeper Well in a more generalised map of the earth. The colour of the revolving crystal reflected on the witch's pixie face and large green eyes in a kaleidoscope of colours. She spoke strange words softly, half under her breath and for one tiny heartbeat the roots of her red hair darkened and then lightened again. Finally it hovered over a part of the map, still spinning swiftly and then slowly until it came to a complete stop. Willow placed a finger at that point in order to mark it with a small cross in red pen.

"Gotcha." She said gleefully and then opened the other map in order to do the same. The Elves let out a collective breath that they hadn't even known they were holding in.

For Giles, the Watchers and the Slayers who were present, this wasn't a strange sight. All of them had seen Willow cast the location spell many times before and for many varying reasons, but it was a source of fascination for the Elves and Earendil. The only two, three if you counted Melkor, who didn't seem fascinated and in fact looked a little concerned, were Eönwë and Osse. Spells were part of the dark side of the Slayers and Witches strength and because both Maia were utterly pure in heart and deed, it sat ill with them to involve themselves in any part of it.

Melkor growled under his breath as he recognised the influence from beings that were God-like, and yet not Gods, but were both Pagan and uncivilised... the witch's power was indeed strong and had its foundations deep in the earth. At heart she was a child of Yavanna, but her abilities also stank of the influence of such Pagan deities as Osiris and Set. This was not a good thing.

Both Eönwë and Osse registered Melkor's disapproval and glanced at each other, but each acknowledged that there was no time to go into this with him, even if the Dark Vala was prepared to speak to them about it. They also had two important expeditions to take care of.

Willow stabbed her finger victoriously on the part of the map which held the location of the Deeper Well. "There ya go." She said with a note of triumph. "The Deeper Well is there, but we'd better go with a few people...it's well guarded."

Before Eönwë could make any comment the library door opened and one of the young slayers stood hesitantly in the doorway.

"There's a weird looking guy at the front door." She announced. "He stinks of vamp, but he don't look anything like any vamp I've ever seen. Want me to let him in or do I get to stake him?"

ooOoo

Moringotto... The Quenya form of Morgoth. The name Morgoth is Sindarin (one of Tolkien's invented languages) and means "Black Foe of the World" The name of Morgoth was given to Melkor by Feanor.

Maitimo... The Quenya form of Maedhros who was the eldest son of Feanor

Thangorodrim... Melkor's (Morgoth) name for part of his stronghold in Angband in the north of Beleriand

Nolofinwe... Fingolfin's name in Quenya. Fingolfin was a son of King Finwe and his second wife Indis. He married Anaire who bore him two sons, Fingon (Quenya name is Findekano) and Turgon (Quenya name is Turucano). She also bore him a daughter Aredhel.

The Avari... Avari (singular Avar) is a Quenya word meaning 'Refusers' or 'Recusants'. When the Vala Oromë found the Elves who had awakened in Cuiviénen, he asked them to come with him to Valinor. All the Elves of the First Clan (Vanyar) and many of the Elves of the Second and Third Clans (Noldor and Teleri) were persuaded to follow Oromë into the West on a Great Journey. The remainder of the Elves of the Second and Third Clans remained suspicious of the Lords of the West, seeing them only in their wrath, or they simply refused to depart from their own lands. They were after known in Quenya by the name Avari because they refused the summons. Later, they spread throughout the wide lands of Middle-earth.

Makalaure... The Quenya form of Maglor, second son of Feanor and brother to Maedhros (Maitimo).

Yavanna Kementári … (Quenya Tengwar; Yavanna - "Giver of Fruits"; Kementári -"Queen of the Earth") was a Valar and was responsible for the growth of all the fruits and growing things of the world of Arda. She was also called Palúrien and was the wife of Aulë. She resided in the Pastures of Yavanna, in the south of Valinor.

Osiris... also Usiris; the Egyptian language name is variously transliterated Asar, Asari, Aser, Ausar, Ausir, Wesir, Usir, Usire or Ausare) is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead.

Set... (also spelled Seth, Setesh, Sutekh, Setekh or Suty) was in Ancient Egyptian religion, a god of the desert, storms, and foreigners. In later myths he was also the god of darkness, and chaos.