28. The Cursed Stones
…
- At Mirkwood -
Having addressed some additional details about their foes along the way, Thranduil and Reiya entered their private intelligence quarters, and they proceeded to discuss the upcoming attack more in depth.
Reiya used one of the Blue Wizards' magic scrolls to project images showing the creatures they would be facing in battle at that time, as well as the location within the Mirkwood forest they were seemingly going to emerge at, judging from their ongoing trail.
Having assessed the intelligence shared by the queen thoroughly, Thranduil proceeded to speak.
"Very well. This should suffice for us to adequately prepare for battle with the time we have left." The king stated, looking at the images from the magic scrolls closely. "I already have a strategy in mind to better handle these creatures out in the field while preventing casualties amongst our troops as well." He pointed out as he shifted his attention back to the female monarch.
"Understood. What can I do to help?" Reiya inquired as he looked at him attentively.
"Share this intelligence with Lady Galadriel as soon as you and I are done here, and inform her of the gathering we will host with our troops so she can listen in on that part as well." Thranduil instructed. "It is also important that she links her mind with the other Elven rulers as well, so all of them can prepare for the enemy forces heading to their realms ahead of time." He explained.
Reiya nodded in agreement.
"As for me, I will summon my generals prior to that gathering in order to discuss the strategy for the upcoming battle." Thranduil stated.
"Very well. I also wish to join that one summit with my own generals in attendance so we can determine how the Xandorian platoons can best support the Mirkwood battle formations." Reiya pointed out.
"Yes, that sounds reasonable." The king agreed. "Now that we have decided on a course of action to counter the upcoming attack, what is this one task that the wizards proposed, and how would it benefit our war efforts, exactly?" Thranduil inquired, remembering the queen's comments on their way there.
"The task pertains to this." Reiya emphasized as she unfolded another of the Blue Wizards' magic scrolls on the table.
Soon after, the scroll projected an image showing a rare stone of sorts with arcane symbols engraved all over the surface.
Thranduil stood next to Reiya as he looked at the object of interest closely.
"These are commonly known as Cursed Stones. They are totems infused with dark magic intended for a wide range of malevolent purposes." Reiya pointed out. "The wizards came across one of these stones while inspecting the corpses of the creatures that attacked Imladris at the time of my hearing."
Thranduil raised an eyebrow at the statement.
"They believe Loitar might be using these totems to channel dark magic into his monsters so he can subdue them completely and enhance their abilities further whenever he pleases." Reiya pointed out.
"I see… That would help explain how those creatures were able to breach Imladris' protective barriers in the first place. Loitar must have increased their resistance to Lord Elrond's ring magic that way." Thranduil stated in a contemplative manner.
"I believe so too." Reiya corroborated. "Furthermore, now that Gandalf has joined the Blue Wizards in their mission to uncover Loitar's potential weaknesses, they were also able to test another peculiarity in those stones that came to light." She pointed out.
"What peculiarity is that?" Thranduil inquired, as he listened to the queen with a high degree of interest.
"The Cursed Stones can be powered as well." Reiya remarked. "The wizards did not share specifics on how they were able to accomplish this exactly, but it seems like they managed to momentarily power the Cursed Stone in their possession by partially decoding the symbols carved into it and replicating those on a magic scroll with a spell of their own." Reiya explained.
"I see. What happened when they performed that one spell, then?" Thranduil inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"That is the one discovery that led to their speculations in the first place." Reiya stated. "A trail of dark magic momentarily appeared on a nearby map parchment right before the energy faded from the Cursed Stone. Thus, Gandalf suspects that was a trace left behind by the creatures that attacked Imladris before they reached Lord Elrond's manor." She explained.
Thranduil's eyes widened slightly as he was making conjectures of his own.
"Hence, this is where the task proposed for us comes in." Reiya emphasized before she unfolded another scroll on the table.
Thranduil looked at it closely.
The scroll in question contained a map of Middle-earth and a triangle-like symbol with three circles on the corner points.
His sight remained on the rare pictogram on the parchment as Reiya continued making her case.
"The wizards believe that if we were to collect three of Loitar's Cursed Stones and perform the same spell that they used on this scroll, the traces of dark magic left behind by the elf-warlock and his minions will manifest all over the map." Reiya explained as she pinpointed different sections on the parchment.
Thranduil's eyes widened slightly at the notion.
"Thus, if we could pinpoint the largest concentrations of dark magic throughout the continent that way, then—"
"The location of Loitar's hideouts might be revealed on the map as well." Thranduil finished her sentence, seemingly following the same line of thought.
Reiya shifted her attention to the king for a brief moment, looking partially surprised but somewhat satisfied by how fast Thranduil was able to catch up.
"Correct. Therefore, uncovering Loitar's hideouts might in turn—"
"Pinpoint the potential areas where he might deploy his Dead Armies, I presume?" Thranduil remarked in a contemplative manner.
Reiya couldn't help but smile subtly at the king's sharp thinking.
"Exactly." She stated. "Hence, we would gain a crucial advantage in adequately preparing ourselves for the decisive battle against Loitar and his minions if we were to succeed on the task at hand." The queen concluded.
"Right." Thranduil remarked. "You've already addressed the potential benefits of such an undertaking, but what are the compromises in pursuing this endeavor? I imagine there will be several of those to weigh in on, considering the magnitude of the task itself?" The king inquired in a questioning manner.
Truthfully, Thranduil had lived long enough to know there was always a downside to any quest involving magic—a sort of catch,if they might call it that.
Reiya's semblance changed slightly, and she sighed in resignation, acknowledging the implications in the king's words.
"You're right. I did mention there were risks to this task, as well." Reiya stated in an objective manner. "For starters, the wizards are not entirely sure if the trace-revealing spell will work the way they expect it to. After all, they only tested their incantations with a single Cursed Stone infused with Loitar's magic, so everything is mere speculation up until this point." The queen explained.
"Understood. What else should we account for?" Thranduil asked.
"There is also an element of unpredictability in regards to where and how we might be able to collect the Cursed Stones in the first place, since the wizards have not yet figured out a way of how to track those." Reiya remarked. "Truthfully, they found that single stone encrusted in one of those beasts' corpses that time around, but Gandalf suspects Loitar will not risk concealing those stones in the same manner every time. Hence, the stones might be within the creatures' bodies or encrusted into them somehow. They could also be hidden somewhere nearby, or there might not be stones to collect at all, depending on the circumstances."
Thranduil narrowed his eyes slightly at the statement as he kept weighing the cons of the task at hand. Thus, he continued making questions of his own.
"Is there a particular reason why the wizards specifically advised that we pursue this endeavor?" The king asked. "I am quite aware of some of the things you can do as a Krisha, and I would do my part as well, but Lady Galadriel and Lords Elrond and Cirdan would be quite fit to take on this task themselves, given that they bear powerful magic rings, don't they?" The king argued.
"You are correct, and that is precisely the reason why the wizards believe you and I are the best bet for the task, and not them." Reiya remarked.
Thranduil raised an eyebrow at her in confusion, wondering what she had meant by that.
Thus, Reiya proceeded to clarify the statement.
"The Cursed Stones are infused with Loitar's dark magic, and that magic is imbued with Sauron's own power as well." She explained. "It is true that the Three Elven Rings are not subjected to Sauron's influence in the same manner as the other magic rings that he forged. Nonetheless, the wizards do not want to risk such a dark force becoming prevalent over the three Elven Rings or leading to any unforeseen consequences for that matter. Hence, that is why they advised that you and I take on the task, since neither my Krisha power nor your martial skillset are tied to Sauron's power in any shape or form." The queen explained. "The other Elven rulers are already aware of the risks, and they support the wizards' advice in this regard."
"Hmm… That makes sense, I suppose. What about our troops and most trusted subjects? Couldn't they get involved in helping us collect those stones as well?" The king asked.
"Technically, they could, but the Istari advised against that as well." Reiya pointed out. "Gandalf fears the Cursed Stones might have unwanted effects on the minds of our subjects if they were to make contact with those at any point. Therefore, the Blue Wizards suggested that we pursue the quest in secret in order to prevent that from happening." She remarked.
Thranduil pondered the wizards' warnings as he looked back at the magic scroll on the table.
It was true that neither he nor Reiya bore magic devices or special skills linked to the Dark Lord's power, but that did not mean they would be completely immune to Sauron's influence if it came down to that risk alone.
The king took a couple of seconds to weigh other things before he shifted his attention to the female monarch.
"There is one risk in particular you have yet to address, as well." He stated.
Reiya raised an eyebrow at the statement.
"What risk is that?" She inquired.
"You." Thranduil responded matter-of-factly as he folded his arms and looked at her more attentively.
Reiya's expression remained blank for a few seconds before she let out a low chuckle.
"If you are referring to my fire spells, I've already assured you that I will not harm you with those, Elvenking." Reiya responded with a taunting tone.
"Uhm. You keep saying that, and yet, you almost roasted me alive at our dinner last night." Thranduil remarked in a sardonic manner.
Reiya rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly.
She was quite aware their chaotic argument from the previous night would come into conversation at some point. Nevertheless, she was not expecting Thranduil to bring up the awkward subject at such an unfitting moment, to tell the truth.
His comment was not entirely surprising, though, knowing how much the king seemed to enjoy luring her into his sarcastic baiting.
"The fuss at our dinner last night was a rare occurrence." She argued.
"Rare?" Thranduil responded with a disbelieving expression. "That was not the first time you've flipped one of your fire spells in my face, you know? The 'rare occurrence' is starting to become a bit of a habit on your part, if you'd ask me." He remarked in a skeptical manner.
"As far as I remember, that only happened twice, and I deemed my actions necessary in those instances." Reiya pointed out matter-of-factly.
"And why did you think it was so imperative for you to go all hysterical on me, may I ask?" Thranduil stated with a raised eyebrow.
"You needed to be reminded of a few things." Reiya stated with an innocent smile of her own.
"Right." Thranduil responded with a sardonic tone.
He was quite aware there would always be an unpredictable risk factor when it came to Reiya's power. However, if she thought she could just scare him away with her needless fire show every time they had a disagreement, she was clearly mistaken.
Anyhow, he chose not to duel on their silly debate any longer, as they had more important things to focus on at that moment.
"I do not know what sort of chaos lies ahead in this war, but I've already survived you a couple of times before. I guess I can do it again." Thranduil concluded in a sarcastic manner.
Reiya folded her hands and pursed her lips at the king, hinting a slight bit of annoyance at his words. Thranduil ignored the gesture, however, as he refocused on the task at hand.
"Now, back on the topic of the Cursed Stones, are there any other risks to ponder on?" The king inquired as he put the impassive mask back on.
"I already told you everything there was to know on the matter. Ultimately, the wizards left it in our own judgment to determine what to do with the insights they shared. Thus, we should decide whether to pursue this endeavor—or not—all risks considered." Reiya explained objectively.
"Hmm… I see." Thranduil stated, as he turned his attention back to the scroll and laid his hands on the table in a contemplative manner.
Reiya stepped a bit closer to the king and placed her own hand on the table before she continued making her case.
"I personally believe this is a lead worth pursuing and could always see to the task myself if necessary. However, chances of success would improve substantially if there were not one, but two pairs of eyes on the search for those stones, if we are being reasonable." She explained while looking at him attentively.
Thranduil turned his face towards the queen as she voiced her perspective on the matter.
"In any case, the decision on whether to get involved in this quest or not is still yours to make, Elvenking. Thus, what do you wish to do in such a regard?" Reiya inquired as her focus remained on him.
Thranduil looked forward as he pondered her words.
Reiya had basically told him that she intended to look for the Cursed Stones whether he would be on board or not. However, she still saw some value in him pursuing the task with her, to his surprise.
He did not particularly like the uncertain aspects of the task at hand, as well as the multiple risks involved in the unforeseen quest.
Nevertheless, having another elf-ruler keeping a close eye on things wouldn't hurt their case, and there was much to gain from such an endeavor if they were to succeed, just like Reiya had pointed out.
Thus, the king proceeded to voice his answer after careful consideration.
"Having to be on the lookout for those stones in secrecy while fighting Loitar and his minions out in the open is going to be quite the hassle. To top it all, we do not even know if the trace-revealing spell will work in the first place." Thranduil stated with a skeptical tone.
Reiya looked down at the floor in a resigned manner, following the king's statement.
"However,"
She turned her attention back to him in anticipation as he continued to speak.
"It is true that we would gain a huge strategic and tactical advantage if we were to succeed in the course. Additionally, we would only need to collect asingle Cursed Stone in order to begin testing the wizards' spell, in a manner of speaking." Thranduil stated with a calculating expression.
Reiya parted her lips slightly in surprise.
"Are you saying…?"
"Yes. That is exactly what I am saying, Red Queen." Thranduil stated, shifting his attention back to her. "The potential attainments from this endeavor do outweigh the risks, per my assessment. Thus, I also wish to join the search for those stones." The king remarked as he stood closer to the female monarch. "Count me in."
Reiya nodded to the king in acknowledgment, and a light, approving smile was drawn on her face.
"Speaking of which, there is something crucial we can take care of in the meantime pertaining to that one task." Thranduil remarked.
Reiya raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What is that?" She asked.
"Hiding this magic scroll." Thranduil emphasized as he shifted his attention back to the parchment on the table.
Reiya's expression turned to one of slight confusion before the king proceeded to make his case.
"I am not particularly versed in advanced magic, but I presume the wizards wouldn't be able to replicate the arcane sigils in question so easily, given the apparent complexity of the spell they attempted." Thranduil stated as he dragged a finger over the pictogram on the parchment. "Thus, we cannot let Loitar and his minions find this magic scroll if they were to break into my palace at any given moment, Eru forbid." He explained.
Reiya's eyes widened slightly at the king's well-founded deliberations.
Truthfully, she had not considered the implications of that magic scroll falling into the wrong hands. Moreover, she was somewhat intrigued by the fact that Thranduil had pondered those potential repercussions that far ahead.
Thus, she deemed the king's assessment accurate in that regard.
That magic scroll was just as important as the Cursed Stones for them to attempt the wizards' spell in the first place.
Following that lead, Rieya did not object to the king's idea, and she continued listening to him attentively as he proceeded to take measures.
"Given the repercussions of that dire possibility, we need to store this magic scroll somewhere safe, and I know just the place." Thranduil stated as he carefully folded the scroll and tightened it with the matching string.
Thus, the king walked to one of the side areas in the room with the scroll in hand, and he slid a false movable wall to the side, opening the way to a secret corridor of sorts.
He turned his impassive face to the female monarch after he did so.
"Follow me." The king instructed.
Reiya was a bit startled by the unforeseen sight, but she came out of her stupor rather quickly and did as the king commanded.
Hence, Thranduil closed the movable wall behind her, and they began making their way to another room.
The secret corridor in question consisted of a series of hidden passages lighted by faint luminescent plants, which led to all sorts of locations within the Woodland Realm, Reiya presumed.
She was not entirely shocked by the fact that the king had built secret passages into his realm, as it was common for royal families to ensure alternative escape and safety routes for times of need. In fact, her own royal palace contained those as well.
Nevertheless, she was still somewhat surprised by the fact that Thranduil had revealed one of the Mirkwood secret passages toher—a queen from a foreign Elven realm he had barely interacted with—as that knowledge was supposed to remain within the royal family of the host realm and their most trusted subjects in rare instances.
Anyhow, the fact went to show how serious Thranduil was about hiding the magic scroll in a secure location.
Soon after, the two monarchs arrived at a concealed room that contained two scroll shelves at the side walls, windows that allowed for some ventilation, ceiling light torches that lighted up the room substantially, and a small table at the bottom end.
The scroll shelves reached the height of Reiya's shoulders, and they contained dozens of parchments inside.
Hence, she assumed Thranduil had deemed the parchments stored in there highly important or way too dangerous for them to be kept in the open, just like the wizards' magic scroll.
The king stored the parchment in question in one of the empty scroll shelves, then he shifted his attention back to her.
"The corridors and quarters in this area are linked to the conjurations of the Enchanted River, which is the large magic stream of water surrounding my lands, as you know." The king pointed out. "Hence, those driven by dark forces or judged as enemies of the Mirkwood crown by that magic will either fall into a deep sleep or become disoriented if they step into this place—just like they would if they'd fallen into the river itself." He explained.
"Intriguing…" Reiya stated as she looked around the room. "That sounds a bit unsettling, but highly useful for dealing with unwanted trespassers, I suppose." She remarked.
"Yes." Thranduil corroborated. "The magic is not infallible by any means, but it should suffice as an additional layer of protection to keep the scroll well concealed." The king pointed out. "The next step would be collecting one of Loitar's Cursed Stones—if we do manage to get one, that is—and attempting the trace-revealing spell in this room as well."
Reiya nodded in agreement.
"Very well. We are set on that one quest, then." Thranduil remarked. "Are you ready to discuss the strategy for the upcoming attack with our generals? Or do you wish to take a brief break before that?" The king asked.
"I am not in need of a break this time around, so we can proceed with the strategy summit right away if you deem it appropriate." Reiya responded.
"Good. Let's go summon our generals, then." Thranduil instructed.
Reiya nodded to the king once again, and thus, the two proceeded to exit the conceal room.
The queen pondered her thoughts as they were making their way back to the main headquarters.
Truthfully, she and Thranduil often pursued different tactical approaches, and the king was particularly slow when it came to taking preventive measures against the enemy, as she had learned.
Nevertheless, she was unexpectedly surprised by the way Thranduil was handling his leadership role in the presence of an immediate threat so far.
Up until that moment, he had been visibly prompt in taking action, quite efficient with his problem-solving approaches, and cautious enough in his decision-making.
Moreover, the king had agreed to join her in the search of the Cursed Stones as well, which was perhaps the most unexpected development of the day, knowing how narrow-minded Thranduil could be at times.
In any case, she would never voice those thoughts out loud in the king's presence, of course. After all, she did not wish to fuel his inflated ego more than needed.
Furthermore, she couldn't let herself be fooled by those initial impressions, as the major test for the acting Field Commander laid in the battlefield.
Hopefully, all of them would outlive the upcoming attack in order to see a new day and reassess their progress.
…
A/N: Going a bit deeper into the magic lore for this story!
I followed the same Tolkienesque line of thought, in that everybody knows the Wizards in Middle-earth are quite powerful, but nobody really knows how their powers actually work and/or how they are able to do some of the things that they can do (lol). This is often referred to as 'soft magic' amongst (actual) Fantasy writers.
However, Tolkien did provide us with a well-defined/'hard' magic system when he describes the One Ring and the principles of its power.
Following that lead, I have been leaning towards using more concrete/hard magic systems in this story to provide clarity on some of the characters' powers/abilities, as well as other related quests.
On a different note, the interactions between Thranduil and Reiya are starting to develop in new directions 3
Next chapter we go into the battlefield!
