12. Further into the Darkness
…
- Somewhere in the dark -
Fernor kept observing the scenes playing out on his hornet projections as his folded arms remained unmoved.
He had been standing in the same spot for hours since Loitar ordered him to gather information on what was taking place in the outer areas of Elrond's settlement.
Fernor needed very little sleep for his body to function normally due to his innate skills and Loitar's magic enhancements. He couldn't boost his combat prowess with that one specialty in particular, but it did provide a unique advantage for surveillance assignments.
As long as he stood still, the Dark General could remain vigilant for days without the need to rest or get assistance from others to take his place.
He also controlled insects that could go undetected almost anywhere and even inflict attacks on enemies, as long as the subjects under his watch wouldn't sense their presence.
Moreover, his insects could continue capturing scenes even when he was not at the projections site, and he could rewatch the sights stored by them at any time with his magic.
Understandably, Fernor excelled at surveillance tasks, much more so than all the other Dark Generals combined. Hence, that was the reason why he was specifically selected for the assignment in question.
Just like Loitar commanded, the Dark General kept his Spy Hornets in areas outside of the house of Elrond to avoid exposure.
The only scene of interest that had taken place up until that moment was a time when Gandalf and the Blue Wizards walked out of the manor through the south gate.
Otherwise, the people entering and exiting the gates were mostly visitors, servants, nobles, messengers, and a few wardens from Elrond's watch parties.
He had not seen any of the Elven rulers outside the gates thus far, and the current location of the Krisha had yet to be confirmed since the insects arrived at the site.
Fernor was about to go to his master's headquarters to join the summit with his fellow Dark Generals. However, a scene captured by two of his Spy Hornets caught his attention right before he exited the room.
The two projections showed a squadron walking out of the manor through the north gate, and everybody in the group was wearing the Xandorian colors. They mounted their horses, which were lined up in the outdoor stables, and took a path into the forest.
The Dark General widened his eyes slightly in realization.
If that was indeed a Xandorian watch unit, then the Krisha was still at Imladris, most likely.
Additionally, the Sun-elf at the front of the squadron looked somewhat familiar. Perhaps that group in particular had battled some of his master's minions in the past.
Luck seemed to have rewarded the Dark General, as the scene in question would provide valuable insights for his master. However, his short-lived fortune quickly betrayed him when something completely unexpected happened.
The Sun-elf leading the squadron stopped his horse on the path to the forest and warily turned his gaze in the direction of one of his Spy Hornets in the area.
Fernor widened his eyes in surprise as the ellon seemed to be staring right into one of his projections.
Almost by instinct, he made several hand gestures quickly, and the hornet in the culprit's line of sight flew away.
'Was he actually able to sense my hornet at such a distance? How come?'The Dark General thought with a confused expression.
Out of precaution, Fernor kept his gaze on the other projection to see what the ellon would do next. To his relief, the squadron leader seemed to have shifted his attention to other places in his surroundings.
'Is everything alright, Lieutenant Eldrec?' One of the Xandorian soldiers inquired as he galloped to the ellon's side.
'Yes… Everything is fine. I was just making sure our coordinates were accurate.' He explained in an aloof manner.
'Understood.' The soldier responded as they resumed their gallop.
Fernor narrowed his eyes at the sight, looking visibly suspicious.
The Xandorian lieutenant was no longer following the trace of his hornet; however, he was not entirely convinced the insect had gone completely undetected by the ellon either.
'That lieutenant might cause trouble for us in the future. We will have to do something about him.'Fernor thought with a narrowed gaze.
…
Loitar was sitting in his skull-shaped chair, looking slightly unsettling.
His map of Middle-earth was still laid out on the large table as he kept assessing their stance on the rising conflict.
The Dark Generals were scattered across the room, either speaking among themselves or waiting silently for the summit to begin, as one of their peers had yet to arrive.
The door was suddenly opened, and Fernor made his way in.
Everybody in the room looked at him in wonder, including the elf-warlock himself, who rested his cheek on his right hand.
"Well, well… Looks like the elf-prodigy has finally graced us with his presence." Loitar stated in a cynical tone.
"Apologies, master. Something unexpected came up." Fernor responded in a wary manner.
"For your own sake, let's hope thatsomethingwas worth this delay." Loitar pointed out, narrowing his eyes at the Dark General.
Fernor felt slightly tensed following the elf-warlock's threatening comment; however, he kept his demeanor and continued speaking.
"I believe the issue will be worth your attention, master. Two events of notice took place at Imladris. One of them played out in my hornet projections right before I made my way here, actually." Fernor explained.
"Hmm… What sort of events?" Loitar asked with a raised eyebrow.
Fernor proceeded to tell his master and peers about the wizards' departure and the Xandorian watch squadron.
All the Dark Generals gathered around the map table as they listened to him.
"The Gray Wizard and the two Blues are working together, then?" Thoben, the Dark General with the highest seniority, inquired.
"It seems like it." Fernor responded.
"That's not good... The power of all those wizards combined could spur inconveniences for us. Dealing with the two Blues is quite a hassle already, and Gandalf the Gray is fairly powerful, according to Sauron's minions." Milco pointed out.
"That is true to some extent; however, there is no need to take action at this time. The wizards might create some setbacks with their formidable magic abilities. Nevertheless, they have not given us a motive to fret over just yet. Besides, the White Wizard remains absent thanks to the Dark Lord's influence. Without him, they will not be as powerful." Loitar explained in an objective manner.
"What about the Krisha, master? Fernor's hornet projections showed a Xandorian squadron going on patrol, correct? Should we assume that she is still at Imladris as we speak?" Delien inquired.
"She's there, most likely." Coru stated. "The Red Queen would never leave her people behind to fend for themselves in a strange place. She is way too honorable for that." The elleth pointed out in a mocking manner.
"She surely is." Girith corroborated with a resentful voice.
"Don't you think this is rather suspicious, though?" Aiciel inquired. "Tracking the Krisha's whereabouts has often been one of the most challenging tasks for all of us here, because she conceals her presence on a frequent basis and is always on the move.Always. And yet, she decided to stay at Imladris all of a sudden? I am not buying it." The female Dark General remarked in a skeptical manner.
"Indeed. It is unlike the Krisha to remain in one single location for more than one day. Nonetheless, all of you failed to remember a detail of great importance that should not be overlooked. Other Elven rulers are there at Imladris, as well." The elf-warlock pointed out. "I am sure they are already exerting their influence over the Red Queen somehow. Moreover, I highly doubt the idea of staying there longer was even hers to begin with." He explained while shifting some of the pieces on the map with his magic.
The Dark Generals mumbled among themselves or remained quiet as they pondered their master's remark.
"Understood, sire. Now that we have the other Elven rulers to contempt with, do you believe the Krisha will ally herself with the Lady of Light?" Moriel inquired. "A coalition of that nature would be much more problematic than that of the wizards, considering the kind of power those two possess." The female Dark General remarked in a wary manner.
"I highly doubt that." Loitar responded. "The possibility could be in the works, surely, but the other Elven rulers are not as hasty as the Red Queen resorting to such measures. On the contrary, they have been reluctant to forge any alliances since previous wars." He remarked.
"That makes sense. In any case, an alliance of that sort could still pose a risk for us regardless of its time of fruition, correct?" Duvain insisted.
"It could, but not to an unmanageable extent." The elf-warlock pointed out. "The Lady of Lórien is the most powerful light-dweller in Middle-earth, but she is fading. I do not believe she would last that long using her powers against me or my Dead Armies for that matter." He explained. "The Krisha has certainly grown into an influential queen and a very formidable warrior in her own right. However, she has not reached her full power potential yet. That could work to our advantage in the long term."
All the Dark Generals looked at Loitar in wonder.
"If the Krisha and the Lady of Light do not constitute a threat of the highest concern at this time, then who might, sire?" Nerion asked with an intrigued expression.
The elf-warlock pondered the question for a few seconds, then he proceeded to voice his thoughts.
"Prospective alliances and wizards aside, the Elvenking is the one ruler who could potentially become a thorn on my side at the time of battle." Loitar stated, looking at the map of Middle-earth on the table with a narrowed gaze.
All his top subordinates stared at him, looking visibly confused.
"Wait... Are you referring to the Elven ruler who is neither a ring-bearer nor a gifted magic user, sire?" Dagion asked in a skeptical manner.
"Yes, that would be the one." Loitar confirmed.
"Apologies for my, um…ignorancein that regard, master, but how exactly could he be a threat to us?" Dagion inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"It is quite ironic, isn't it?" Loitar stated, looking visibly annoyed by his generals' cluelessness. "The one Elven ruler who does not possess one of the Three Rings happens to be the lead commander of the biggest army of elves in this age. That same ruler is also the elf-lord with the highest combat prowess at this time." He explained. "I can handle individuals with magical abilities swiftly, and Iwillget my corpses regardless of who gets involved in the war. However, strength of arms and military strategy could still prove troublesome for my ambitions since they might force us to expend resources at an unsustainable rate. Those two aspects in particular happen to be the Elvenking's main areas of expertise."
"Rumor has it that King Thranduil never got involved in the wars of others, sire. I had assumed he wouldn't be a problem for us with that in mind?" Milco inquired.
"Yes, that is correct; or at least, that is howit was supposed to be. I was hoping he wouldn't take a stance in our war against the Sun-elves and Middle-earth as a whole. However, the Elvenking has been pursuing a bit of an unforeseen path since his involvement in the Battle of the Five Armies. He has been engaging with the outside world more than what is customary for him." Loitar explained. "Thus, he remains a wild card up until now for that reason. I have no way of predicting what he will do in the course of this war." He remarked.
The Dark Generals contemplated their mentor's words as they were deliberating schemes of their own.
Loitar's thoughts on the Lord of Mirkwood have come as a surprise to all of them, and they were already thinking of ways to best deal with the new obstacle in their wake.
"Bear this in mind before you fill your heads with any foolish ideas. None of you stands a chance against the Elvenking's prolific swordsmanship as you are now. You have special magic skills that you can rely on, of course; but donotunderestimate the Lord of the Woodland Realm if you cross paths with him. Is that understood?" Loitar warned in an ominous manner.
"Yes, master." The Dark Generals acknowledged their mentor's warning, except for one particular peer who had yet to speak his mind since the summit began.
'Right… As if the Elvenking were that good. We'll see about that.'Gorag thought, chuckling discreetly at the warning.
"How are we to proceed then, sire? Should we stop focusing on eliminating the Krisha and target the Elvenking instead?" Thoben asked.
"No. Eliminating the Krisha should still remain one of your top priorities. Despite her losses, she has been defying me for years while successfully keeping the Xandorian realm concealed from our forces. It was because of her that the other Elven rulers were able to learn about our existence in the first place, despite my efforts to prevent that from happening.She needs to go." Loitar emphasized with a menacing voice and narrowed gaze.
The Dark Generals nodded in understanding before the elf-warlock continued to speak.
"I could take her down myself as she is now, but I cannot make my presence known until the final battle for reasons you are already familiar with. The fact that neither of you have succeeded at killing her does not help the cause either. Perhaps a miracle will take place and one of you will get the job done,once and for all." He remarked with a sardonic tone.
The Dark Generals remained quiet for a brief moment.
Some of them had yet to face the Red Queen on the battlefield. However, the few that had already confronted her in the past looked at the floor with a frustrated expression, as they recalled their previous encounters against her.
They had been close to capturing or eliminating the Krisha on several occasions, but she always found a way to escape, survive, or beat them somehow.
The Lady of Fire had become quite proficient with her powers in recent years, and her combat skills were nothing less than impressive.
Many of them hated to admit it openly, but she was good at both fightingandevading them, which often disrupted their plans.
The Dark Generals would never forget their defeats against the Red Queen, since it had costed them greatly. Every time their task to eliminate the Krisha resulted in failure, Loitar would always inflict a severe punishment upon them. That was one of the main reasons why they despised her greatly and couldn't wait for the opportunity to take her down definitively.
Duvain cleared his throat, trying to ease the tension in the room, before he proceeded to speak.
"What about the Elvenking, master? Are we to take any measures against him at all?" He asked.
"I will tell you what to do about him when the time comes. I should know what course of action he will pursue throughout this war before we make any moves of our own." The elf-warlock explained.
"Understood, sire." Duvain responded.
"Well then… Are any other details of importance worth noting?" Loitar asked the group.
Fernor took a deep breath as he braced himself for what was coming.
The unexpected setback with the Xandorian lieutenant would certainly be seen as an error on his part, but he knew the consequences would be even direr if he withheld the truth from his master.
Knowing he couldn't do anything to improve his circumstances, the Dark General spoke.
"There is something else, master…" Fernor stated. "I'm afraid my surveillance task might have been compromised all together. The Sun-elf leading the Xandorian squadron at Imladris looked in the direction of one of my Spy Hornets before they ventured into the forest. I suspect he sensed something." He explained.
"Wait… He did what?" Nerion asked with a startled expression.
As far as he remembered, none of their enemies had ever sensed Fernor's hornets in such a manner before, not even the Krisha herself.
A threatening frown distorted Loitar's features, and the other Dark Generals spoke in whispers. Their master was visibly enraged.
"Seriously, Fernor?"
Everybody looked at Gorag, as that was the very first time he had spoken at the summit.
"Out of all the tasks you've undertaken,this is the oneyou had to fail at? The one assignment putting us all at risk of being discovered by the rest of the Elven rulers?" The Dark General pointed out with a tone of spite, as he looked at his peer.
"You might be better off keeping your mouthshut, Gorag." Fernor responded in a heated manner. "As far as we are concerned, you do not hold any expertise in matters of surveillance, so stop your whining unless you have something worth contributing." He remarked.
"Oh, I do have something worth contributing. I just pointed to the fact that you ruined our cover in enemy territory, as well as our chances for utmost secrecy!" Gorag blurted out.
Fernor suddenly unsheathed his blade and pointed it in the direction of his peer. "I swear I will make you bite the dust one day." He stated in a menacing manner.
Gorag unsheathed his own sword and pointed it back at him. "I'd love to see you try." He remarked with a devious smile.
Dagion rolled his eyes at Gorag's childish behavior and shook his head in disapproval.
"Stop your petty grievances already, you two. We got enough hurdles as it is." Nerion stated in an aloof manner, looking at his two peers in disbelief.
"Nobody asked you to intrude, Nerion." Gorag responded, shifting his attention towards the other Dark General, while his sword was still pointed at Fernor.
"Silence!" Loitar commanded in a strident voice that resonated all over his hidden fortress like a thunderstorm.
The Dark Generals suddenly went quiet as a slight chill ran through their spines.
"Fernor and Gorag, sheath your swords right this instant, or I will slice your throats myself!" Loitar ordered with an enraged expression while glaring at the two Dark Generals.
Both of them looked at the elf-warlock and did as their master commanded without questioning.
Loitar then walked towards Gorag in an intimidating manner and stood right in front of him.
"Listen to me carefully, Gorag. You are not to reprehend any of your peers in my presence, or you will face my wrath otherwise. I will not have you spurring nonsensical arguments in our summits, so keep your attitude in check and know your place!" Loitar raised his voice considerably as he was lecturing his underling.
Gorag rolled his eyes slightly, but he sighed in resignation and looked at the floor in a submissive manner. "Understood, master. My apologies." The Dark General bowed his head to him.
"As for the setback in question... Luckily foryou, Fernor, the information of value that you have provided for us on this summit outweighs the potential repercussions of your misstep, so you will be spared this time." Loitar stated, looking at the other Dark General in a more tempered manner.
Th elf-warlock walked back to his chair, and Fernor took a deep breath in relief as he awaited his master's commands.
"Do you have any idea who that ellon was? The sun-elf that sensed your hornet, I mean?" Loitar asked.
"I believe I do, master. He is a lieutenant in the Xandorian forces who has joined the units battling your minions in the past, I presume. He goes by the name of Eldrec amongst his comrades." Fernor pointed out. "I took the same precautions as usual by keeping my Spy Hornets at a far enough distance, but that ellon has developed an extraordinary sense of awareness over the last century, it seems. I suspect that is the reason he was able to detect the hornet in the first place." He explained.
"Hm… Understood. Share the projections disclosing the face of that lieutenant with the rest of your peers. If any of you meet the culprit at any point,kill him." Loitar ordered with a menacing look.
"Yes, master." All the Dark Generals responded.
"What course of action should I pursue with my surveillance task, sire? Should I retrieve my Spy Hornets from Imladris now that our chance for complete secrecy hangs in the balance?" Fernor inquired.
"No." Loitar responded. "Keep your Spy Hornets at that location. If any of the elves on site retaliate somehow, just give them a fight to taunt them. A confrontation of that sort will not hinder our plans in the long term." He explained. "If your hornets get taken down, send some of your smaller insects to replace them. I am aware that their projections will not be as sharp as the ones from the hornets, but they should suffice at the moment." He explained.
"Understood, master." Fernor responded.
"Remain on call for any further instructions as usual. You are all dismissed." The elf-warlock instructed.
All the Dark Generals bowed to Loitar in acknowledgement, and they exited their master's headquarters to go on about their schemes.
...
A/N: As light shines brighter, shadows grow darker. Evil never sleeps!
Loitar and his elite servants making their moves and playing by their own rules! Some of the Dark Generals' personalities starting to show as well.
The dynamic between these corrupted elves is quite different from those on the other side of the board, as you can see.
Did anything (or anyone in this group) capture your attention?
Thranduil and Reiya will be the main focus of this story, of course, but this is probably the only chapter dedicated entirely to the enemy from this epic, so consider it one in a million, haha.