8. Lurking Shadows
…
- Somewhere in the dark -
Rooms were mildly lit across twisted corridors as gloomy interiors blended with the shadows. Sounds from boiling liquids and moving objects resonated throughout obscure spaces while monsters growled in the background.
One room, in particular, was livelier than the others, as a group of individuals were conniving on the inside.
A map of Middle-earth with several pieces and glowing icons was laid out on a large table while a tall figure watched over it with a calculating expression.
He had been an elf devoted to healing the injured and helping those in need once, but long passed were the days when he had believed the world could ever be a better place. Life had taught him to quit those childish dreams that ultimately brought nothing but despair.
Sauron was now his lord commander, and the darkness, his vision. The countless deaths were serving a greater purpose, and the corpses left behind would never perish.
Gray skin, empty black eyes, arcane symbols engraved on his face, long black hair reaching his waist, a long hooded robe with shades of purple and spikes covering his body, a skull-shaped brooch hanging on his chest, and black rubber boots with sharp metal pieces on his feet. His appearance told a story—one of vicious malice and endless corruption.
Loitar kept his gaze on the map laid on the table as he proceeded to speak with his top subordinates standing behind him.
"My reconnaissance spell was released when the Camalans launched their attack on the Krisha. However, I was able to eavesdrop on their hearing for the most part, and my message for the Elven rulers was successfully relayed." The elf-warlock pointed out.
He then turned around to look at everybody in the room.
"I shall bring death to all of those that dare defy me, and war will be unleashed on all the beings that do not abide by the will of Sauron. The Elven realms of Middle-earth will be the first to fall." Loitar remarked in a deep, menacing voice.
The other elves nodded at their master's statement in both admiration and fright.
Loitar's elite servants had quarrels with one another on an occasional basis; however, they were always united in two distinctive things—belief in their master's cause and fear of their master's wrath.
They would always obey their mentor to the death, no matter what, even if the elf-warlock himself was the one inflicting death upon them.
"Step forth, my Dark Generals." Loitar commanded in a strident voice.
All the elves in the group formed a single line from side to side in the room.
They were wearing ornate purple tunics and layers, a brooch of the same shape as their master's, and boots with metal pieces. Just like Loitar, all of them had long black hair styled in different ways, inky black eyes, gray skin, and markings engraved on their faces.
The elf-warlock addressed all of them by their names so he could get their full attention.
"Sons of discord; Thoben, Dagion, Milco, Fernor, Dúvain, Gorag, Nerion." The ellyn in the group bowed to their master as they awaited their orders.
"Daughters of despair; Aiciel, Delien, Coru, Girith, Moriel." The ellith followed suit and saluted Loitar in the same manner as their male peers.
"The decisive battle against the relentless dwellers of the light will soon unfold." Loitar remarked with a deep, threatening voice. "Nevertheless, we should gather further knowledge on the Elven rulers' schemes so we can better strategize against them." He explained in an objective manner.
"Fernor."
"Yes, master?"
One of the ellyn in the group responded with a raspy voice as he stepped forward from the Dark Generals' formation.
"Your surveillance skills are second to none amongst my servants." Loitar stated, looking at the ellon. "Send your Spy Hornets to Imladris, but place them somewhere at a distance from the house of Elrond to avoid discovery." He instructed.
Fernor nodded.
"The Lord of Rivendell will strengthen the magic defenses protecting his lands following the Camalans' attack, most likely. Thus, our aim is to know what is taking place on the outer areas surrounding his settlement, rather than the inside." The elf-warlock explained. "Keep watch at all times and gather any information that might be useful to advance our plans, Fernor. I expect a report each day as we continue reassessing our strategies for the war. Is that understood?" Loitar remarked.
"Yes, master. I will perform the task accordingly." Fernor responded. He placed two fingers over his shoulder in acknowledgement, then stepped back into the Dark Generals' formation line.
"As for the rest of you, be ready for duty in case your skills are required at any given moment." Loitar instructed. "I remind you that mistakes are punishable if they are deemed incorrigible." The elf-warlock remarked in a warning tone as he directed a deadly gaze towards his elite subordinates.
The Dark Generals remained silent while they pondered their master's words in wonder and fear.
"You are dismissed, for now." Loitar stated, shifting his attention back to the map of Middle-earth on the table.
The Dark Generals broke formation and walked out of the room either in complete silence or mumbling amongst themselves.
Fernor proceeded to fulfill his orders immediately, as requested. He distanced himself from the group and walked towards one of his quarters.
The room was filled with caged insects that had a slight purple glow in their eyes.
'Six should be about enough... More could raise suspicion.' The Dark General thought as he made his way into the room.
He opened one of the cages that was stored inside, and six unnaturally large hornets flied out. They placed themselves in front of the ellon, flapping their wings at an abnormal speed.
Fernor made a series of hand gestures, and the hornets were reduced to their natural size.
"You already know the coordinates. Go!" He commanded.
The insects flied out through one of the open windows and vanished in the dark of night.
Fernor then performed another series of hand gestures, and six illusion-like projections appeared before him, showing the sights captured by each of his Spy Hornets as they made their way to Imladris.
'Very well. Let us find out what those Elven rulers are up to.' The Dark General thought.
Fernor folded his arms and remained focused on the six projections, knowing that he would stand there for hours at a time.
…
Once he was done inspecting the map, Loitar walked to a chamber in the underground levels of his hidden fortress to continue one of his experiments.
He stood in front of a table that had a pile of dead ravens placed over an arcane symbol of sorts. The table also had jars and test tubes that contained several substances and strange organic matters.
Taking a deep breath, the elf-warlock placed his hand over the dead ravens and closed his eyes for a brief moment. A few seconds after, the arcane symbol lit up, and a purple glow emanated from the ravens' eyes as they were being reanimated somehow.
Once they were fully raised, the ravens took flight and hovered over the elf-warlock's frame in a synchronized manner. Their eyes kept radiating the bizarre color like a stranger's stare in the gloom of night.
Loitar's gaze was remote, as his ambitions were laid forth in his mind.
Everything was coming to fruition thus far. The Dead Armies were growing, his spells were evolving, and soon, the main purpose of his summoning experiments would be accomplished.
…
A/N: The scheming begins!
Loitar and his followers making their first official appearance on this one. Some of the Dark Generals are going to cause a whole lot of trouble along the way!
All the antagonist elves' names are linked to negative constructs (nothing to do with their personalities, though).
I included the meanings below, just for reference!:
Main antagonist / Elf-warlock:
Loitar ("Poisoner")
Male Dark Generals:
Thoben ("Rotten"), Dagion ("Slayer"), Milco ("Greedy"), Fernor ("Dead"), Dúvain ("Shadow"), Gorag ("Terror"), Nerion ("Dreadful").
Female Dark Generals:
Aiciel ("Dire"), Delien ("Horror"), Coru ("Cunning"), Girith ("Shuddering"), Moriel ("Darkness").