Chapter 45: A Crystal Darkling

Finding the cave had taken surprisingly little effort, considering the magnitude of the crime the Sorcerer had committed, Natasha thought as she stared at the burnt landscape surrounding the cave's entrance. Fireleaf's tale was an oversimplification of what had transpired the day he had earned his name. Several acres of trees had been reduced to charcoal, a few bleak trunks stubbornly standing out against the still blackened earth gave testimony to how little care the Sorcerer had had for actually hitting his target, instead choosing to simply burn everything in sight as a display of their power. And the Sorcerer must have continued to burn the area, as a warning or perhaps a reminder, since not even a single blade of grass had returned to the land since that day.

Natasha's attention returned to the entrance as Kirigan sang softly into the night. Natasha had awoken to a deeper, louder keening from her companion, and it had taken a long while before Kirigan had calmed enough to pause in his song to tell her that one of the captured Dragons had passed onto the starpath, heading for Valinor to await the rest of his kin when they finally crossed the Sea. His eyes had been the deepest blue when he had explained, but a fire had sparked as he'd proclaimed justice would be done. Even now his eyes were almost frightening, glowing in the dark with more than just moonlight.

:The sun will be rising soon.: Natasha mused, fiddling with her pack. She'd sent Starwind back to Fireleaf's grotto hours ago, hoping that they would only be gone a couple of days. A couple of days in which she had to free Dragons; Dragons who had been overpowered, or tricked, and been captured. And then she would have to deal with the Sorcerer. And try not to die, a small voice said before she shook the thought from her mind. One thing at a time. :We should head down.:

:Yes. There will be time aplenty for mourning after we have freed my kin. Allow me to just say now, that I am extremely thankful for your aid in this quest. I know my kin did not give you much choice, what with the incessant nightmares and all, but I want you to know that I am grateful.:

:I'd have tried to help anyway.: Natasha smiled up her Dragon, patting his neck. :It's only the right thing to do, when someone calls for help.:

Kirigan shrank back to his smallest size, winding his way into his favorite perch upon her shoulders as she unslung her staff and shouldered her pack in its place. Three spells she cast: the first to light the crystal at the tip of her staff to provide light; the second to shield them from view, a rudimentary invisibility spell not nearly as perfect as that cast by the One Ring (a rough outline of the person behind it could still be seen in a kind of dull haze if one looked hard enough) but good enough to keep them, and more importantly their light, mostly undetected; and the third, a kind of tracking spell, to mark their passage through any tunnels so they would not become lost. A fortifying breath and Natasha stepped into the darkness, carefully placing each foot as she made her way under the earth.

As they descended, tunnels branched off here and there to each side. Natasha stretched her senses outward down each, looking for enemies and captives both, finding none in the upper levels. Down they went, the tunnels shrinking to only one person across, and barely dwarf-height high. But on they went, squeezing into each new passage until finally they could hear chitter-chattering and rhythmic clanging in the distance. Suddenly, a goblin shot around the corner without warning. Natasha barely had time to throw herself against the wall before it had reached her former location and sped of through a side-tunnel, disappearing around another bend. She held still, barely breathing, waiting to see if there were more to come and only relaxed, if only slightly, when no others appeared after a span that felt incredibly long, while her heart tried to beat its way out of her chest.

:Let us take it slowly from here, shall we? We'll do no good if we are caught now.: Kirigan suggested, nuzzling her cheek comfortingly.

Natasha nodded, and keeping to the wall, followed the goblin's track back the way it had come. Hours seemed to pass as they walked down the tunnel, the din getting louder with each step, but still never revealing what was causing it. A short break had allowed Natasha a chance to eat and drink before they once again set off, now following the long faded traces of Dragon-magick deeper and deeper. Finally around a bend in the tunnel, a great cavern opened up, revealing multiple stories above and below the level Natasha and Kirigan were on. At the lowest level, goblins scurried this way and that, weaving around the larger orcs who seemed to be overseeing the work there. Forges glowed red and hammers rang off crude weapons or armour, clanking down as they were thrown onto piles in carts ready to be delivered to the soldiers that would use them. Shouting could be heard from an upper level, speaking in common despite the chattering of goblin speak and orkish below.

"Hurry up, you lazy dogs! Saruman's army will be returning soon and they will need more armour and weapons for the final march on Gondor! We will be ready!"

Natasha craned her neck up to try to catch a glimpse of who was speaking, only to shrink back into the shadows upon seeing blood-red robes. Luckily, the haze of her invisibility spell had not been seen, nor her gasp heard. His shouting continued, urging his minions to work harder and faster. Suddenly a bolt of lightning shot down into the pit, striking a hapless goblin to the ground with a roar of rage from above and cursing of the uselessness of slackers. Others were upon the fallen goblin in seconds, tearing the flesh from its body to be eaten quickly before returning to work lest the Sorcerer strike down another.

:The Sorcerer appears comfortable in his home's natural defenses. He hasn't even set up wards to detect intruders.: Kirigan mused, a single fore-claw scratching idly at his chin. :Well it is clear that they are in league with Saruman, but does Saruman know of the Dragons beneath his tower? A question to ask later should we meet face to face.: he paused again, and Natasha could feel him reaching out along the passages near them. :My kin appear to be on the lowest level. Take the passage there, though it would be best to wait a moment. Some orcs are going to pass nearby in a heartbeat.:

Having barely said as much, a group of orcs ambled out of a side passage, pausing to shove at each other over some perceived insult, growling voices rising until a full fight broke out, spilling the combatants into another passageway as they grappled in the dirt. Taking her chance, Natasha dashed down the indicated tunnel, keeping as close to the wall as possible.

The lowest level proved to be rather difficult to reach. Many tunnels this deep ended in dead ends, sleeping areas, eating areas filled with orcs (Natasha had quickly turned tail on that one lest she be smelled out; she needn't have worried, the stench in the eating area was enough to block anyone's sense of smell), and many roundabouts. They'd even managed to find their way up onto a higher level, with all the twists and turns, coming into a great room filled with fine fur rugs, a great table covered in scrolls and a bed of the finest silks. A small pool of running water was in the corner and a great fire blazed in a central fire pit.

:The Sorcerer's quarters.: Kirigan supplied. :Perhaps he…yes, there is an open window over there.:

He left the safety of Natasha's hood before she could utter a word, and flew over to the window. She hurried along behind him, looking down into the pit. At first, Natasha could make no sense of what she was seeing, only seeing great splashes of color against the black of the stone floor. Red, yellow, green, blue and purple so large she could only look at one each time. Her brain finally registered that these splashes of color were indeed living things, with great heavy chains criss-crossed over their wings and encircling limbs, each breath sounding like a forge bellows.

:Come, we will go down this way.: Kirigan said, sliding out through the window and hovering in the open air. :There are some ledges you can use to climb down. I will erect steps where…:

:Who is there?: a voice came from below. The red dragon had raised its head to look up at them.

:You do not sound like the Red One. He does not use mind speech.: the yellow dragon added, his eyes a dull grey color from his time underground.

:Doesn't he? Interesting. Perhaps he has not been taught.: Kirigan replied, his own eyes glowing blue. :I am Kirigan. With Natasha from the Otherworld, I have come to save you.:

:Kirigan? But you…you must have gone to egg to escape the massacre, and the Red One's capture. the yellow dragon reached towards Kirigan, who flew closer to him to allow him to catch his scent. :Yes I remember that scent. It is Kirigan. How long were you in egg, old friend?:

:Isakara, is that you? I searched for you after the battle near Gondolin, but I could not find you, and I had to go to egg to heal my wounds. I slept for over a thousand years, until Gandalf found me and gave my egg into Natasha's keeping. Who else is here?:

: Giran, of Kalei's clutch, Neri, of Gorla's, and Tak'en, of Teli'el's clutch are all here. Anald, of Mignat's clutch took the starpath mere hours ago.: a moment of silence reigned as each paid respect to the departed.

Natasha continued to climb down into the pit, the light of her staff having revealed a series of tiny ledges to the pit floor.

:Natasha, did you say, Kirigan? Is she the human girl we managed to contact in the Dreamscape?: the green dragon turned his head to look at her, the purple dragon's eyes following her every movement.

:The same, honored elder.: Natasha said, bowing briefly and dusting off her palms, with a glance back up where they had come. :We've come to get you out of here.:

:Ha! There is no use child. You should leave before the Red One catches you as well, and drains you of your life force as he does us.: the purple dragon lamented, laying her head down again onto her forelegs to stare sullenly at the floor.

:Is that why he wants me? For my life force?: Natasha asked.

:Well it certainly isn't so you can provide him with an heir. What does an immortal need with an heir after all?: Purple sneered.

:Well, that's a relief at least. Now how do we get you out?: Natasha stepped closer to the nearest dragon.

:There is no point. Even if you could free us from these chains, the sky is too far, there is no way for your invisibility spell to cover us all, and we are too weak to cast our own. Besides the Red One would notice we are gone long before we ever reached the surface. You should leave while you can.: Purple hissed.

:Neri, don't be so pessimistic when we finally have a shred of hope. We won't know until we try.: Isakara insisted, lowering it's head down to Natasha. :Little one, you must first break the chains. There is magick making them stronger. It is so different from ours that we cannot break it.:

:Over here, there is a confluence of the Red One's magick.: Green called sleepily. :But do be careful, my Anald's body has not been cleared away yet. I'd rather you didn't step on him.:

:I'll try my best not to.: Natasha assured, working her way around Dragon-bulk and chains until she was at Green's side. The blue dragon must have been Anald, his unmoving body still warm despite the hours since his death.

Behind Green, Natasha found a great crystal glowing black, seeming to absorb all light into it. The magick emanating from it felt familiar and yet foreign all at the same time. As though she had felt it somewhere else before, that it had touched her own, if only for a moment.

:Probably from when the Red One placed the tracking spell on you.: Kirigan answered, breaking off from his conversation with Isakara.

:Tracking spell?! Then he knows you are here. You are doomed.: Neri near wailed.

:Hush, Neri. I'm sure Kirigan wouldn't have risked Natasha if he hadn't removed the spell.: Green nudged Natasha's side, inhaling gently. :I do not smell his magick on her any longer, as would you had you taken the time.:

:Galadriel and I removed the spell from her before coming here. The last he knew of her location was in Lothlorien, Giran.:

:Galadriel? How is she? It was many years even before my capture since I had seen her.: Giran asked.

:Could we perhaps focus more on getting free than on catching up?: Yellow interrupted. :There will be plenty of time for catching up once we are out of this bloody cave.:

:I agree with Tak'en. As much as I would like to hear about what has happened in the last few millennia, I would like to feel the sun on my scales much more.: Isakara interjected.

:Kirigan, there is a crystal here that seems to be absorbing magick. I'm not sure what would happen if I simply broke the crystal.:

:Let me see.: Kirigan was next to Natasha in two flaps of his wings. :Hmm, the crystal seems to be a simple storage crystal. To neutralize it, an equal amount of opposite energy should suffice. If not, smashing it is always an option.:

:And what would be opposite?: Giran asked, his eyes now fully open, and seemingly more awake.

:Well, assuming that the Red One is powering the spell on these chains with some of his stolen power, it would stand to reason that the opposite of stolen is freely given.: Tak'en mused. :But if it were that easy, then why did it not work when we tried to free ourselves before?:

:Maybe you need to have the same kind of magick as his?: Natasha asked. :My magick seems to be rather similar to his. I could maybe break it with your power, but I don't know how to…:

:It's rather simple actually, you simply lower your defenses to allow us into your mind. Then you cast your magick into the crystal and disrupt it's energy balance. This should then cause the crystal to destabilize and disintegrate harmlessly, thus allowing us to remove the chains by ourselves. Providing there are no other crystals about.:

:Are there any others?: Natasha asked, readying herself.

:There do not seem to be others. Let us deal with this one first and then we will see.: Kirigan landed on her shoulder, lending her his strength through their bond.

Through the bond, Natasha could feel the other dragons pouring power into them both, and she reached for the crystal. A steady stream of golden energy flowed from her hands and into the crystal, surrounding it and then sinking into it, but aside from that there seemed to be no change in the magick within. Sweat began to form on her forehead, sliding down to drip off the tip of her nose. After what seemed like hours, though in reality only a few minutes, the crystal began to change color, golden light replacing the swirling black bit by little bit. Black and gold fought for supremacy, swirling and mixing, getting the upper hand only to lose it again. Distantly, Natasha thought she heard a roar of rage, though it could have been the blood rushing past her ears. Looking back to the crystal, gold seemed to have gained the lead but the Dragons giving their magick to her had been drained of life force for hundreds of years, and were not at their strongest and soon their power began to wane. Natasha's reserves were getting dry, even with Kirigan assisting her when finally the crystal burst with gold light, and shattered into a million tiny, sparkling pieces.

Everyone held their breath, then, one by one the captive Dragons shrugged off their chains, their wings stretching out and flapping with vigor in their newfound freedom. With the loss of the crystal, much of their life force had been returned to them, and they shouted for joy. Natasha wept freely seeing their jubilation, forgetting all about the need for stealth. She didn't forget for long as a great rushing sound filled the cave followed by cries of anguish and fear. All in the pit snapped to alert, heads cocked trying to determine the cause of the sound. Cold, wet seeped into Natasha's booted, startling her and she looked down. Water was rising through the dirt floor below them and was spilling over through the window above and down the walls, already it was ankle deep.

"The cave is flooding!" she exclaimed.

Another rush of water raised the water level to her chest in moments, and she had to grab on to Tak'en's horns in order to not be swept under. He raised his head, allowing her to sit on his brow, as the Dragons discussed among them how best to get out. They were too far underground to break through the ceiling in time, even with their magick restored to them it would take time for them to reach full strength. The tunnels would soon be flooded, the only way was to leave the way they had come and hope against hope that there was a way out nearby, perhaps in the large central cavern. Did it reach to the sky? Possibly, Kirigan had not had a chance to look when they had passed through.

"HOW ARE YOU FREE?!" a voice shouted from the window above. "I WILL DES…YOU!" Natasha's gaze met the Red Sorcerer's and she watched his face pale as the Dragons lined up behind Tak'en. "I WILL TAKE YOUR POWER AND RE-BIND THEM!"

He reached out his hand and his power arced across the pit. It caught her in the chest, but instead of creating a link as intended, it sent her flying back into the rising waters. The former captives surged forward, churning the water, making it impossible for Natasha to reach the surface for air. She was helpless as the water swept her this way and that, fighting as hard as she could to try to get to the surface.

:Natasha!: She heard Kirigan scream into her mind, but then her head exploded in pain and the world went black.