Part Seven
Strategy

Rings were vastly overrated things.

Of all the creatures that had ever existed throughout the ages of the earth, no one knew this better than David Saeran.  Rings were trinkets that captured the eye because their beauty was borne of precious metal and by their perceived symbolism.  Bonds were established by the exchange of rings. Titles were given and prosperity marked by the encrustation of jewels upon a simple band of gold or silver to be worn upon that most tactile of limbs, the fingers. There was a time when so much of himself was placed into a ring, a receptacle he had forged foolishly to hold the best of him.  The ring had been his crowning achievement, the final piece of an elaborate trap he had built to impose his will upon others.  Into this band of gold, he had poured every ounce of his strength, to build a conduit to all the other rings of power so that he could bend its wearers to his will.

Even now, David Saeran, who was once known as Sauron, Lord of Mordor, wondered how he could have been so stupid.

The memories that followed the destruction of the ring, known to so many, as the Master Ring or the One Ring and finally to Saeran’s own amusement, Isildur’s Bane, were vague. There was the agony of fire and the abysmal sensation of being thrown into emptiness so cold that it could be none other than the Void.  There, his memories had dimmed excepting for the terrible knowledge that there could be no way back.  His power was lesser than his former master who was able to stay cognizant during the eternity of incarceration on the fringes of all.  It was a terrible thing, Melkor had said when they were able to speak again, to find oneself trapped on the edge of all things, to look at its center and see the universe with its billions of stars and to know with utter despair that it was beyond reach.

Saeran supposed that he was fortunate that his memory was less than that of his master’s when he was reborn in the world. He was spared the horror of his imprisonment and when he was resurrected, the spell that brought him to life ensured he would do so at almost full strength of his former glory.  Power had returned to him. While it was not entirely in the fullness that he had known in better days before the destruction of ring, much was restored to his new form. It was invigorating and Saeran had remembered being astonished at the realization of how greatly he had diminished himself by pouring all his power into the confining vassal of a ring.

When he opened his eyes and saw the light of night sky for the first time in a hundred thousand years, David Saeran, once called Sauron the dark master of Mordor, swore that he would never again endanger his very existence because of a ring.

Malcolm had returned Saeran to the earth a hundred years after his own resurrection. Together they conspired to create a new kingdom, one that would be invincible, one that would be embraced by man until the very end of their existence.  This plan was all the more sweet because all that could have opposed this conspiracy of destruction were no more.    For Saeran, it was difficult to serve after being a lord himself but Saeran knew the value of patience and bid his time well.  His master was not much of a strategist. Even in the days of Middle-earth, it had been Sauron who orchestrated many of Melkor’s campaigns against the sons of Feanor.

It was Saeran who first advised Malcolm that it was prudent to deal with Olorin who had wandered the earth for four hundred years. Despite Malcolm having erased from his mind all memories of his former self, Saeran thought that they ought to contain the Maia instead of allowing him to wander about freely. Unfortunately, Malcolm had been superstitious about keeping Olorin close to his person, fearful that the Valar may be able to find their servant even after what Malcolm had done to him.  Thus, Olorin was left to become lost in the wilderness of time, until even Malcolm no longer knew where he was.  Olorin’s fate concerned Saeran greatly because Fate and Iluvutar had blessed Olorin with a remarkable resilience and it was only a matter of time before things would come to a head.

Which was precisely what transpired the year that Saeran found himself free of John Malcolm.

He had been too busy putting in place the pawns for his great plan in Europe to pay close attention to what his master was doing in New York. He knew that Olorin had surfaced again and efforts were made to retrieve the Istar.  It appeared that for once Malcolm was heeding his advice by dealing with the Maia once and for all. Unfortunately, by the time, Saeran became aware that there were elves involved; it was far too late to salvage anything from the disaster that ensued.

The moment he realized that the Eldar had returned to the world of men, it was not a tremendous deduction in logic to know that the Valar would not be far behind. Taking the appropriate measures to safeguard himself, since Olorin had no idea he was in the world, Saeran had gone to ground, ensuring that he was nowhere in their sights when the Valar came for his master. Across the world, he had heard the themes of the Great Music singing in harmony for the first time in aeons. It had shaken the walls of his sanctuary and for a time, he had been afraid. Saeran may not remember the Void but he certainly did not wish to return to it.

However when the Great Music had ended leaving only silence in its wake, Saeran sensed that Malcolm and by extension Melkor no longer existed in any manifestation, even in the Void.  

He was simply gone.

Following John Malcolm’s demise, Saeran sensed not only the absence of his master but also Olorin himself.  Using his contacts in the FBI, CIA and MI6 respectively, Saeran pieced together what had brought about Malcolm’s downfall. Saeran was content to let the rest of the world believe the destruction of Monolith was the cause of another terrorist bombing.  It was not long before Doctor Aaron Stone’s name was mentioned in the investigation and Saeran learnt Olorin’s rescuer was a New York psychiatrist, a psychiatrist who bore a striking resemblance to a nemesis as hated as the Valar.

Isildur’s heir was responsible for his master’s destruction and Saeran moved quickly to contain him, ensuring that every law enforcement agency in the world knew that he was implicated in the destruction.  Information was made readily available to investigative teams, particularly the security tapes recovered from the ruins of the Malcolm Building which revealed clearly, Doctor Stone making a rather spectacular entry into the building’s front lobby in a T-Bird laden with explosives.

Still, Saeran was not at all surprised when Olorin and Aaron Stone vanished from sight. Their disappearance convinced the former dark lord that the enemy had returned to Valinor. However, Saeran was unprepared to risk his carefully cultivated scheme and thus accelerated his plans to ensure that even if Olorin and Isildur’s heir were return to the shores of men, it would be too late.

In the year since assuming control of Malcolm Industries, Saeran had been busy. Even before Malcolm’s demise, Saeran had been setting his plans in motion, beneath the notice of his master. Telling Malcolm would only complicate things and Saeran was confident that Malcolm would not be displeased with the end result of his labors. To Malcolm, the Black Serpent group was little more than an agency of chaos utilized to spread discord throughout the globe. He knew nothing about the rings Saeran had forged, the rings which Saeran had wisely placed only the smallest fraction of power because it was all that was needed to sway the hearts of men. The targets had been chosen carefully. Each man came from a strong military background and was capable of gaining assess to a nuclear silo in each of the superpowers arsenal and each man if properly motivated, was capable of initiating a launch.

Oh they would die doing it, but to Saeran they had always been expendable.

It was an easy matter to introduce the rings into their lives. Saeran had bought and paid for both Xiang Li’s mistress and Walter Green’s new fiancée, Elizabeth. There had been no need to use Andrei Nikolaevich’s wife because the package that the Russian received from her had been tampered by a well-paid military mail courier who saw nothing threatening about slipping a ring into the box of biscuits. The moment the rings were slipped upon their fingers, they began to hear whispers in the dark.  Whispers reminded them of better days either in the past or a glorious future yet to be, that could come to pass if only they dared to seize power.   The rings would tell them how.

In the midst of all his schemes, something wholly unexpected had developed.

When she was born six years ago, Saeran had felt in on the other side of the globe.  Malcolm had told him he was being foolish to be disturbed by a child born with the soul of his old nemesis. What threat could a child be to him? Saeran could not tell exactly where the child carrying the spirit of Frodo Baggins was but he knew the exact day she was born, down to the very hour. He enlisted the aid of the Nine whom he had resurrected from their prison in shadows. It was his power that allowed them to bridge the gulf between the shadow and the real world.  Without him, they were trapped within formless bodies, incapable of anything but existing in the limbo where they could walk in the world but possessed no power to affect it.

With his return to the world, the Nine had been given shape and form, their powers were restored and while Malcolm had thought little of them, he did employ the Nazgul on occasion to deal with his enemies. However, in body and soul, they belonged to Saeran first.  He set to them the task of finding the Ringbearer and to this end they were relentless. During their pursuit, they sought the child in every corner of the world.  Meanwhile, despite her exact whereabouts remaining elusive to him, Saeran found that he could whisper in the child’s dreams. They had both been masters to the One Ring and the connection between them could not be severed by death. 

When he spoke, Saeran knew she could hear him.

As Saeran had expected, Olorin returned to the world of men and his arrival ensured that Isildur’s heir would also be present. At the instant the Ringbearer was to come into his possession, an unlikely protector had stepped onto the stage and rescued the child from beneath the reach of his Nazgul. When Saeran discovered the identity of this unexpected meddler in his affairs, he was almost inclined to laugh at the comic irony of it. It appeared that the child and her protector were not strangers.

When Richard Caldwell had first told him about Bryan Miller’s belief that he was connected to the terrorist group Black Serpent, Saeran had studied the file provided by Caldwell in order to know this new threat. The moment he had laid his eyes upon Bryan Miller, Saeran knew immediately that he was facing Denethor’s oldest son.  Boromir of Gondor was someone Saeran could have used if the One Ring had ever come into the man’s possession.    However, Boromir’s part in the War of the Ring was brief and his death served to do nothing but clear the way for Isildur’s heir to take the throne of Gondor.

Why Boromir of Gondor chose this moment to emerge in Bryan Miller was unknown to Saeran, however, it appeared that he and the child had found their way into the company of Olorin and Isildur’s heir, along with elves, and if the agony suffered by his wraiths were any indication. Certainly the arrows extracted from their shadowy bodies could be mistaken for none other.  The markings were different, a hundred thousand years had some effect upon the artistry of the Eldar but there was no doubt that they could be anything but elven.

It was almost a new fellowship, he thought ruefully.

Instead of wasting time in some fruitless effort to acquire them, Saeran chose to continue with his plans, which were, but a week away from reaching its conclusion. Eight days from now, the world was going to be faced with an entirely new way of existence. Saeran had spent the last one hundred years preparing for it and now on the eve of its birth, he was going home to the place he had spent almost as long as his existence on earth trying to find.   This time, it would not be quite so easy to destroy him.  There was no ring to sneak past his defenses to vanquish in any mountain of fire, there would be no great armies sweeping across the land. When the end came, it would be quick and decisive.

And the age of his reign would begin.

************

They had driven south, past London to a rather large estate owned by one of Tory’s clients in Westernham. It was almost dawn when they arrived at the sprawling residence surrounded by manicured gardens, fountains and a duck pond enclosed by a set of steel gates.  Tory had acquired the keys to the man’s house shortly after his incarceration. As his barrister, she was his only conduit to the outside world and his home. The government had seized the house since its owner was charged with tax fraud of almost twenty million pounds. However, until a verdict decided their fate in court, all assets relating to the crime were frozen.

The large house was deserted when they arrived as the household staff had been dismissed in light of the situation.  Fortunately, gas and electricity was still connected because the only person with the authority to change this state of affairs was behind bars.   Tory did not have any concerns about using the place for a time because she knew for a fact that it would be a good while before her client saw the inside of a courtroom.  At the moment, it was as good a place as any to regroup since the Nazgul and other agents of David Saeran had invaded her home.  More than anyone, Tory needed to come to grips with the fact that she was now a fugitive like Aaron and his companions.

After entering the house through the impressive marble foyer, the unexpected guests soon discovered the vastness of the place and it was generally agreed that it was wise not to disturb too many of the rooms and to remain close together in case of any sudden danger. Considering how they had just fled with their lives, it seemed prudent that everyone remained in close proximity to each other.  The living room where Ronald Banks, Tory’s absent client, entertained his guest was almost as big as the lower floor of Tory’s house. In a short time, the sun would begin to creep up on the twilight and everyone was exhausted. Fred had dropped off to sleep sometime during the journey and the first order of business was to put the child to sleep on one of the comfortable divans scattered about the room.

A small encampment was made in the room as Eve and Tory found blankets and pillows so that they could get some much-needed sleep.  Meanwhile Legolas and Haldir took a tour around the house to ensure that they were completely alone and that no one had observed their arrival. While Tory was certain that the mansion was vacated, it made sense to be absolutely certain that their arrival here had gone unnoticed. They needed a few hours to rest and to decide how they were going to deal with the threat that Saeran had imposed upon the world. The flight they had been undertaking in one form or another could not continue and Gandalf had declared that time was becoming short.  No doubt this perception had followed in the wake of their confrontation with the Nazgul.

“It appears one must be swollen with riches to afford a home like this,” Legolas commented as they walked through the marble hallways, with its paintings of gold gilt frames and ornate furniture.

“Acquired dishonestly I understand,” Haldir remarked as he paused to admire a Ming vase decorating a corner table. “The lady Tory has spoken that the master of this house is a criminal of some kind. I wonder why she chooses to associate with someone of such questionable character, particularly when she appears to be a woman of great conviction.”

“Eve explained this to me,” Legolas replied as they reached a set of French doors that emptied into outside grounds. “They do not decide who is innocent or guilty until the matter has been heard in a council of law. Tory is his representative when they go before this council. Each man has the right to speak for himself or have someone speak for him in such instances. It is in its way, an attempt at a just approach though I understand that there are flaws, since they do not believe in taking life as a means of punishment."

“Yet there is so much death,” Haldir commented as both men stepped out into the gardens and immediately found the fresh breath of night air rather invigorating after the toxic scent of the city.  “One only needs to look upon Boromir’s reincarnation to see that he reeks of it.”

“They have lost their way a little without us,” Legolas frowned unhappily as he looked up into the stars and was happy to see that though the constellations seemed to have drifted farther apart, essentially they remained the same. “I often question whether it was entirely wise for us to remain sequestered away in Valinor for all eternity.”

“Would you like to soil our people by returning here?” Haldir stared at him. “They have brutalized this world beyond reason in our absence.”

“I would not be so harsh,” Legolas, countered, unwilling to say that everything that men had done in this world was terrible. Amongst the rampaging urbanization, there was evidence of great accomplishments as well as great courage. “They have changed it yes, but no more than is deserved. We left the world to them after all.”

“I think we should continue to leave it to them,” Haldir declared unconvinced. “This is no longer the place for us.”

“Perhaps not,” the prince said softly. “But I fear if we remain cloistered for too long, we will grow stagnant. We have been unchanged for almost a hundred thousand years.  I wonder if that it entirely a good thing.”

“You worry too much about things that should not concern you,” Haldir pointed out. “Your difficulty is being unable to appreciate what you have. You always look to the future, look to more.  You are never satisfied with what is.”

“And you are too complacent,” Legolas returned promptly, showing that he was able to give as well as he received. “We have known each other for aeons and I still do not fathom how you think.” As he concluded his statement, he concluded the area was devoid of anyone and prepared to return to the others.

“I am perfectly aware of how you think,” Haldir returned swiftly following his lead. “If it were not for your wife and myself of course, you would collapse under the weight of your own self importance.”

“Self importance?” Legolas looked at the elf in astonishment before noting that Haldir was smiling a little. “Surely you must jest. You are the most arrogant elf I know. If there was a monument built to it, your image would be set in stone.”

“That is true,” Haldir chuckled, not at all offended. “But at least I do not hide it.”

“You know who you remind me of?” Legolas turned to him and realized at that moment that it was true and how he reacted to Haldir was more or less the same as another friend that was as cherished as Aragorn and Boromir, who would never return because he was neither elf nor man.

“Gimli?” Haldir ventured a guess.

“Yes,” Legolas said somewhat surprised that Haldir was able to make such an accurate guess, “how did you know?”

“I saw him once before he died you know,” Haldir revealed as their steps slowed a little. “It was during his final days and my lady Galadriel wished to see him before he passed so I accompanied her to your house.”

“I remember,” Legolas said softly, trying not to feel too much grief at the loss of the friend who had sailed with him to the Undying Lands, who had refused to let him waste away in mourning for those who had died in Middle-earth.  He remembered how Gimli had glowed seeing Galadriel before him, knowing that she had come to see him specifically. She was his unattainable love, whom he admired from the moment he had set eyes upon her in Lothlorien until the day he died.

It was the last spark of fire that Legolas would ever see in his eyes.

“When my lady had taken leave of him,” Haldir continued, aware of Legolas’ emotions in this regard, “the dwarf had beckoned me close and asked of me a favor.”

“A favor?” Legolas exclaimed in surprise, having never heard of this before. “He asked of you a favor?” Legolas was almost stunned into disbelief.  Haldir and Gimli were not exactly great friends and their first meeting in Lothlorien had been less than amicable.

“Yes,” Haldir nodded enjoying Legolas’ stunned expression somewhat; “he told me that he feared you would grieve him terribly and that you would miss his presence in your life because only he knew how to keep you on your toes.”

Legolas let out a short laugh and nodded, unable to deny that, “he did at that. He was the most vexing being I have ever met. Sometimes it was easier to take a bow to him then it was trying to understand his thinking but he was my friend and a more loyal companion could not be found. I miss him sometimes even more then I missed Aragorn.”

“I know,” Haldir said with surprising sympathy. “He asked me to never allow you take yourself too seriously, to on occasion vex you to no end because he knew that I was so much smarter and more sensible than you, and that I was the only one who could.”

 Legolas stared at Haldir; “he asked you that?”

“Yes,” Haldir smiled faintly. “I do not know if I have replaced him but I have enjoyed fulfilling his request.” The former march warden of Lothlorien smile broadened into a grin of mischief.

Legolas was filled with a great deal of emotion at this revelation but he was not about to show it to Haldir. It would only lessen the impact of what the elf had just told him. It was just like Gimli however, to make such a request of Haldir and he supposed that Haldir did make life interesting, though there were moments when the urge to throttle him was great. But then the urge to throttle Gimli had not been an uncommon desire in Legolas from time to time so to that end, Haldir had succeeded spectacularly in fulfilling the dwarf’s request.

“I would not be so confident of that,” Legolas snorted and continued walking. “At best you were irritating.”

“Its still good enough to penetrate your thick hide,” Haldir countered smoothly.

“You dream,” Legolas retorted before they returned to the others and resumed their debate as to who should have the remote.

************ 

“Stay still,” Aaron ordered as he examined the wound on Bryan’s shoulder.

“You bloody well try and stay still when you’ve got a bullet hole through your body,” Bryan snapped with uncharacteristic annoyance as he was forced to submit himself to the ministration of Aaron Stone’s medical skills.

“Hey, you were the one who was saying it was just a flesh wound,” Aaron reminded sarcastically, not really paying much attention to Bryan’s grumbling because he was too intent of removing the piece of lead that had become lodged in the man’s shoulder. While the gunshot wound was not as serious as it could be, Aaron was still determined to deal with the injury as quickly as possible.  He was grateful his medical bag had survived the ordeal it had taken to reach here, especially after their rather dangerous escape from Hillingdon.

“Well it looked like it at the time,” Bryan grumbled as he felt the tugging at his flesh that made his stomach lurch. Novocaine was the best that Aaron was able to provide in terms of an anaesthetic. While he felt nothing as the doctor went digging through his flesh with surgical tweezers and other sharp instruments for the bullet, the insistent tugs that generated no pain made him a little uneasy.

“You got a lot of scar tissue on you,” Aaron remarked, noticing the numerous scars on Bryan’s skin as he worked on removing the bullet.  “Do you get shot a lot?”

“Comes with the territory,” Bryan shrugged, supposing that the scars on his body, which were commonplace to him, might be a bit disconcerting to someone else.  “Been in a couple scrapes through the years, nothing too serious.”

“I think that’s about to change,” Aaron said with a sigh. “We’re going to get bloody on this one, you know that don’t you?”

Bryan nodded grimly, “I know but we can’t keep running and hiding. If it is as you say, that the world is about to be destroyed in a nuclear fireball, we have to do something.”

“That we must,” Gandalf nodded joining the conversation as Tory and Eve put Fred to sleep and was taking care of the sleeping arrangements.  “Unfortunately, we have no idea in what manner Sauron chooses to wreak havoc upon this world.”

“How strong is Sauron now?” Aaron asked as he dropped the piece of lead into small metal bowl he had for the purpose.   The sound made Bryan flinch as Aaron immediately staunched the ragged hole left behind in his flesh with a piece of surgical gauze. 

“I am uncertain,” Gandalf said honestly. “In his human guise, Melkor was a mere shadow of his strength but once his physical body was extinguished, he was very powerful indeed. I would not have been able to defeat him.”

“Sauron is more than just a Maia,” Legolas remarked, his hearing having picked up some of the conversation prior to his and Haldir’s entry into the room, “he was a sorcerer of great power.  In his human shell, he may be limited but if we should be foolish enough to kill him, we will risk releasing him from his body and I am uncertain whether or not we will be able to stop him any better than stopping Melkor.”

“He needs confinement,” Gandalf stated. “Confinement in Valinor.”

All eyes except Bryan and Tory turned to the wizard in shock. “You want to bring him back to Valinor?”

“Valinor was capable of confining Melkor, I believe the same is possible for Sauron,”

“Gandalf, that won’t be easy,” Eve declared. “Getting him across the country is dangerous. To us he’s Sauron but to everyone else, he’s David Saeran, a public figure and a very important man. Kidnap him and every law enforcement agency in England will hunting us, on land and sea.”

“Look we’ll figure that out later,” Aaron declared since it was a moot point until they actually got their hands on David Saeran and this moment in time, that seemed like a remote possibility.  “Right now, we need to stop running and do something. We need to reach him.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Bryan agreed, though the mechanics of it was going to take a good deal more planning that the simplistic statement made by Aaron, “I don’t fancy going through those Nazgul though.”

“Unfortunately, we do not have a great deal of choice in this, he will keep them close and they will die to protect him,” Legolas explained grimly.

“Unfortunately, it is unavoidable,” Gandalf returned before adding with the barest hint of a smile, “However, I am familiar with the elvish spell that makes them vulnerable to your weapons. If we must face the Nine, then you will not be completely defenseless.”

“So where would he be?” Haldir asked anyone who could understand him.

“That’s a good question,” Aaron turned to Bryan. “Do you know where Saeran is now?”

“Well when I last had any news of him, it was just after he ordered Fred’s parents killed. I’m assuming he is still at his estate in Windsor,” Bryan replied readily as Aaron completed treatment of his wound and was now wrapping a bandage around it. “He has a lot of security but I managed to get through once before, I see no reason why I can’t do it again.”

“Okay,” Aaron took a deep breath; having considered in silence what was to be done as this part of the plan was being discussed. “I say we get some sleep and if you’re feeling up to it Bryan, you, me and Legolas will go there tomorrow and check things out to make sure he’s actually there.”

“The three of you alone?” Eve looked at him in concern, not at all liking that idea.

“We’re not going to let him know we’re there,” Aaron returned automatically, understanding her fear but refusing to let it change his mind, “we’re just going to see what we’re up against. No doubt, now that he knows there are elves and wizards in the equation, he might just decide to brush up on his security. We need to know what else he has up his sleeves beyond the Nazgul and armed thugs.  John Malcolm had a monster in his basement, God only knows what Saeran might have in his.”

“A monster?” Bryan stared at him.

“Trust me,” Aaron replied shuddering at that enormous gapping mouth that still woke him up at nights some time, “if Saeran keeps the same kinds of pets as John Malcolm, I want to know about it before we become its dinner.”

“Very astute,” Bryan said impressed by Aaron’s strategic thinking as well as his sense of self- preservation. If one did not know better, Bryan would think that Aaron had some former military experience.  “I’m not too sure about the monster part but I have to agree with the doctor on the rest of it, just the three of us to start off with. The rest of you stay here and protect Fred.”

“Do not engaged Sauron any of you,” Gandalf warned before he would agree to anything. “Merely watch and learn. It is not wise to confront him prematurely. The enemy is not to be underestimated.”

No one disagreed because that much about the dark lord was evident.

************

Tory had not contributed much to the discussion regarding what was to be done with Saeran because there was very little in her opinion, she could honestly contribute.  In this strange affair she found herself embroiled, Tory felt so far out of her depth that there was still a part of her that believed all this was the product of a terrible nightmare from which she would awaken in the morning.  She knew that she ought walk away and leave Aaron to his fate, now that they had a course of action but Tory was compelled to stay.  Even Aaron had said that if she wanted to be released from their company, she was free to go.  His only advice had been to leave the country and stay out of sight until they had dealt with David Saeran.  However, Tory could no more leave Aaron, than she could leave Stuart, if he was still alive.

Instead, while the others slept, she wandered to the kitchen and was glad to find that the kitchen’s non-perishables were still in ample supply. Tory proceeded to make herself a pot of tea, enduring it without milk because she hoped it might help her sleep. Unfortunately, sitting at the large stainless steel bench in Ronald’s Banks kitchen, sleep was the farthest thing from her mind.  Instead, Tory nursed her tea and tried to think of a reason why she was still in this strange group that comprised of elves, humans and wizards. The reason came to her immediately and compelled her to stay even though she had only vague suspicions of its truth.

However, Tory was a solicitor and as a solicitor, she knew when someone was keeping the truth from her. Aaron had told her of his experiences in New York, skillfully circumventing the one event that convinced Tory that he had not told her the complete truth. She loved him for wanting to protect her but Tory simply had to know and she would not rest until she did.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

His voice startled her and Tory was so deep in her thoughts she had not even heard him approach. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Bryan walking into his room, his shirt unbuttoned because of the bandages, moving slower than usual despite his claims that the wound he sustained was minor.  Men, she thought with sarcasm. He walked up to the table and lowered himself unto a stool facing her, the weariness in his face showing.  She thought about Fred and what the former MI6 agent had been forced to deal with since the two had come into contact and sympathized at how overwhelming this must be to him. 

Legolas had explained to her, whom he believed Aaron and Eve to be in the past.  It sounded far-fetched to her but then after what Gandalf had done; she was obliged to believe it. Aaron had always kept women at arm’s length. No romantic relationship had formed between them because she instinctively knew that she was not what she was looking for, even before she married Stuart. Tory had thought that Aaron was a romantic but when she saw he and Eve together, Tory could well believe that they had been waiting all their lives for each other.  Even when things were at their worst, Tory had never seen Aaron so rapt in anyone as he was in Eve.

Bryan too had been someone in the past, someone that they knew and someone who needed redemption. It could not be an easy thing to accept especially by someone as assured about his destiny as Bryan obviously was.  Tory counted herself fortunate that there was no one in her past and who she was now, was all she had ever been. She could not imagine what it must be like to wake up one morning and find out that before this life, you had lived another and had died leaving things undone.

“I could say the same about you,” Tory pointed out as he sat down slowly, taking care of his wound as he did so. “I would think you would need it more, since you are the one who has been shot.”

“Minor wound,” Bryan replied with a little smile, “hardly anything to be concerned about.”

“Does that bravado impress anyone?”

“The girls down the pub,” he returned with a gleam of mischief in his eyes before glancing at the pot. “Is that plain tea?”

“Unfortunately yes,” Tory replied. “I hoped Ronald had some chamomile but you can’t expect too much of a man who was used to hoarding money. Would you like a cup?”

“I’d rather a pint but I think Aaron will have an almighty fit if he finds out I’ve been drinking. Aside of being king of some ancient kingdom, I think he was also a drill sergeant in a past life.”

Tory chuckled and poured him a cup before sliding it to him. “Aaron does get that way.  He’s a brilliant psychiatrist but I know for a fact he was a better medical doctor.”

“Why did he change?” Bryan asked with genuine interest.

“Probably can’t decide what’s more challenging, mental wounds or physical ones,” Tory answered as best she could because that was a question she had often wondered herself. “He’s a natural healer but he can’t seem to make up his mind which hurts are the worst, so he flip flops from one to another.”

“Its not just a woman’s prerogative to change her mind you know,” Bryan replied finding himself in the curious position of defending Aaron Stone’s life choices. “Perhaps Aaron feels the same way.  God knows when this is over and if I’m still alive, I may have to deal with the fact that my days with MI6 are done.”

“Would that upset you?” She stared at him.

“I don’t know,” Bryan responded truthfully as he sipped his tea and found that it was quite soothing even if it was a poor replacement for Guinness. “I’ve never done anything else. I wouldn’t know where to begin with a new life.”

“I’m sure you’ll land on your feet,” Tory remarked, “men like you often do.”

“Men like me?” Bryan asked, curious as to what sort she thought he was.

“You know, always in the thick of things. If you can’t find trouble, you’ll cause it. I’m certain you’d be the same even if you were a postal worker.  You’re a man of action so to speak.”

“I don’t know whether I like the sound of that,” Bryan replied, somewhat hesitant to think that he was a lighting rod for danger.

“You are what you are,” Tory smiled, feeling no repentance in her opinion about him.

“Not that you’re much different,” Bryan pointed out refusing to be the only one categorized in such a manner. “Aaron was right you know, you should get out while you can.  This thing with Saeran is going to get very dirty. It might be an idea if you are far away from here when everything goes to hell.”

“I can’t do that,” Tory shook her head, unable to even conceive the idea of running with balking. “Believe me, I wish I could but I simply can’t.”

“I don’t want to see you hurt,” Bryan said with more emotion than he intended to show. His eyes met hers briefly before he lowered his gaze, embarrassed by the display,  “if you stay with us, it will happen.”

“I can’t Bryan,” Tory said softly, feeling a little flustered by that brief contact with even if she could not agree to what he wanted. For a moment, it felt like there was more to his words than just concern.  There was something in his eyes she could not define, like that meaningful look he had given her in the stairway. It made her compelled to give him a reason for her refusal. 

“I can’t leave because I’m fairly certain that what Aaron got entangled with in New York is why Stuart was killed."

She was a smart woman, Bryan thought.  Aaron was a fool if he thought she would not reach this conclusion when enough time had been devoted to the subject. Bryan could not deny that when he had learnt of Stuart Farmer’s death shortly before the destruction of the Malcolm Building, he had suspected a connection as well. It was inevitable that she would not deduce the truth.

“I’ve been a solicitor long enough to know what doesn’t fit,” she continued to speak when it appeared he had nothing to say, “and what is a coincidence. Stuart dying so close to all these events in New York is not a coincidence.  If anything could convince Aaron to act against Malcolm Industries, it would be Stuart’s death. It has the same power over me Bryan. If they are responsible for Stuart, then I want to see them burn just as much everyone else.”

Bryan could not blame her for that. If it were someone he once loved as much as Tory had loved Stuart, then he would be braying for vengeance as well, even if that love were now in the past.  However, Bryan did not wish to see Tory ending up like Stuart Farmer because it would hurt him to know that she was dead.  He liked this woman and though they had known each other for a short time, felt as if she was the only one of her gender who knew he was a bastard and didn’t seem to mind it.

He would hate to lose her.

*************** 

Their secret occupation of the Bank’s home had still gone unnoticed when Bryan, Aaron and Legolas drove away from the residence in Westernham in the early afternoon towards Windsor. Although no one was terribly pleased that their company was being divided in this manner, it could not be denied that the plan to do conduct a little bit of reconnaissance was a good idea that should be followed through.   With Saeran almost certainly being the cause of the destruction Galadriel had witnessed in her visions, the matter of confronting Melkor’s agent was inevitability they could not escape. Aaron did not mind sacrificing his life to save the earth from a dark age but he did mind if that sacrifice was in vain. Thus, before they could think about going after Saeran, they had to know what they were up against.

They spent a good deal of the afternoon driving to Saeran’s sprawling Windsor estate, travelling through the County of Berkshire whose main occupation was farming.  Legolas in particular enjoyed the drive, taking in the sights of the lovely English countryside as they drove down the M25 motorway with West Byfleet and Chertsey providing landmarks for their journey.  The elf claimed that the lands they passed reminded him of the Shire, though he had never spent a great deal of time in the lands of the Periannath or hobbits as they were better known to the rest of Middle earth in the days after Sauron’s destruction.

“So they were not dwarves?” Aaron asked as Legolas imparted to them what he knew about hobbits.

“No, they were more like men actually,” the elf replied. “The only difference between a man and a hobbit was their size and their feet.”

“Feet?” Bryan looked over his shoulder at the backseat to meet Legolas’ gaze in question.

“Yes, they never wore shoes and had hairy feet,” he replied.  “They also had the greatest fondness for brew and smoking leaf.”

Aaron had to stifle a snort and Bryan faced front trying not to smile, much to Legolas’ confusion.  The two humans exchanged a knowing look before Bryan remarked with a lopsided grin.

“That explains the Welsh then.”

“Or Potheads,” Aaron sniggered, adding further to the elf’s bewilderment at what they found so amusing.

Shortly before noon, they turned off the main highway into Windsor Road. Ironically enough, this eventually linked to The Straight Road that brought them into the heart of Windsor. Old Windsor, the village it had replaced was a further five kilometres to the east.  Windsor was something of a market town with some light industry. However its biggest claim to fame was as a tourist destination. Home not only to the Legoland Amusement Park, it was easy reach to any number of popular attractions, the most notable being Windsor Castle. Bryan had been grateful for the number of people that visited this small community because it meant that he was able to blend in quite easily during his surveillance of David Saeran’s estate, some ten kilometres away from town.

Instead of setting out immediately for Saeran’s home, Bryan went instead to the warehouse where he had rented a garage to store his van of surveillance equipment, borrowed quite illegally from MI6. Considering that it was highly likely he would be able to return any of it, Bryan decided to put it to good use. Leaving the Ford in its place, the company continued their journey to David Saeran’s estate in the van with the intention of returning for the vehicle once they had completed their scouting mission regarding Saeran’s whereabouts. Bryan expected that Saeran would still be at his estate since men of his reputation and lifestyle did not leave the country without someone noticing it.

In the eventuality that Saeran was not at his home, Bryan had every intention of driving to London, finding Richard Caldwell and shaking the truth from him. He had not bothered to answer any of Caldwell’s efforts to contact him on his cellular phone. Bryan was certain that if Caldwell were responsible for Saeran’s men turning up at his flat, then any communication between them would be monitored. While Bryan knew just how long he could stay on the line before any digital tracing was possible, he did not wish to risk it when there was more than his life at stake. 

Despite the odd companions he had acquired, Bryan could not deny that it was nice to find that he was not completely alone in this insane affair he had stumbled into. While a part of him was still having difficulty believing that he had once been Boromir of Gondor, Aaron and the others seemed to be a decent lot who were willing to risk their lives in order to save the world. Perhaps what he needed was to be convinced, as Gandalf had convinced Tory. While he was never comfortable with anyone toying with his mind, perhaps his disbelief could be lessened if the wizard would simply show him the past he supposedly played such a vital role in.

“What is all this stuff?” Aaron asked as they found a secluded place on the edge of Saeran’s estate to park the vehicle and begin their surveillance.

“Infra-red cameras, some listening equipment being a micro-bar digital recorder, visual output for a couple of wireless cameras I installed, couple of fibre optic receivers, the standard surveillance gear,” Bryan explained.

“It is almost another language,” Legolas remarked, having understood nothing that Bryan had just said. However, judging by the screens he could see displaying the insides of Saeran’s home, he could not refute the capability of the strange devices within the vehicle.

“Standard gear?” Aaron looked at him suspiciously. “You know I used to have patients with schizophrenic delusions that they were being watched all the time. After  seeing this stuff I’m starting to wonder whether or not they were really unbalanced or did they know something I didn't?”

“Just because you are paranoid, doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you,” Bryan flashed him a cocky grin before adding with some measure of seriousness. “You may turn your nose up on all this but let me tell you, these devices as invasive as they are, stop more terrorists acts from coming to light than you will ever know.  Most of the time, we don’t let on how close the public comes to getting blown up or what lunatic is roaming the same streets. It certainly isn’t the most noble professions I can tell you but it is necessary.”

“Well it sure isn’t James Bond,” Aaron muttered as he conceded the point. 

“James Bond is a load of rubbish,” Bryan retorted with no small amount of derision. “I have yet to find myself in a situation where I was going to be killed by an elaborate trap that takes an entire twenty minutes to do the job whilst being left completely alone. Most hostiles tend to just shoot you.”

“So the laser in the Rolex is also fake?” Aaron asked with a completely straight face.

“Legolas, pass me my gun,” Bryan said with an equally neutral expression.

“If it will keep your minds upon what we are here for, certainly,” Legolas replied with a smile. “Although I can tell you that Sauron is here.”

“Are you sure?” Aaron stared at him, all traces of juvenile behaviour vanished by that one statement.

“I can sense his presence,” Legolas replied looking at the small television screen that revealed the inside of Saeran’s mansion.

“Can he sense you?” Bryan asked with concern, not wanting their position to be given away, at least not yet.

“I do not believe so,” Legolas answered honestly. “I do not sense the Nine either, only Sauron.”

“Let’s see where he is,” Bryan replied and began flipping switches on the panelling beneath the screen. Each flick of a switch corresponded with a burst of static with different views of the house being displayed. Bryan had only installed his surveillance equipment in parts of the house that was certain to be high traffic areas.

“His taste in residence has improved since Barad-dûr,” Legolas commented as he saw Sauron’s plush surroundings.

“There,” Bryan pointed out.

David Saeran was in the front foyer of his mansion, issuing instructions to his household staff.  A collection of suitcases was being ferried past him by servants and the implication that the man was quitting his present location was fairly apparent.

“I think he’s leaving,” Aaron declared, pointing out the obvious.

“We can’t lose him,” Bryan said anxiously, “I wish those bugs were still in place, we could at least hear where he was going.”

“Forget about that,” Aaron said abruptly as the image on the screen revealed that Saeran was ready to depart.  “Follow him.”

Bryan met his gaze for a moment and nodded in agreement before hurrying to the front of the van and secured himself in the seat.

Aaron watched as Saeran strode out of the foyer beyond the reach of the tiny camera.  Saeran seemed oblivious to the fact that he was being observed, though Aaron wondered whether he would be overtly concerned even if he knew they were there. Once he was out of the house, there was no need to spy at him through the van’s security cameras since, the window provided an adequate view of Saeran emerging from the front door of his house.  Though they were well hidden, the van was still close enough to see Saeran and his bodyguards, who on this occasion did not appear to be any of the Nine, waiting for the arrival of a stretched limousine that was presently pulling out of the garage at the far end of the mansion.

The car came to a halt in front of the mansion’s main entrance, its passenger clearly to be David Saeran. Saeran did not linger long once the vehicle was before him and promptly climbed inside its dark confines. A few more seconds ticked by as the luggage was loaded into the rear of the car and it appeared to Aaron that Saeran had packed quite a lot and wondered exactly how long the man intended to be away.  Had their arrival precipitated his need to run? Somehow Aaron doubted that their presence alone could cause the man to flee. After all since Saeran had been aware of their existence, it was they more reason to fear a confrontation than Malcolm Industries CEO.

The reason for his departure gave Aaron grave concern because the only reason he could imagine why Saeran would leave the capture of Fred and the rest of them to his underlings was if he was required to be elsewhere. Any urgency that could press a dark lord to abandon his plans of vengeance against old enemies was good reason for worry. 

Bryan waited until the car had pulled out of the lengthy driveway that led to the main road before he started the van’s engines and gave pursuit. Tailing was also something he was accustomed to doing and never than at this moment, had he put as much care into the effort because they had to know where Saeran was growing. Gandalf’s portents of doom, not to mention his claims that they were running out of time, demanded that they kept the dark lord in their sights for as long as possible. 

The van kept a respectable distance as the pursuit continued into the night. The darkness made it easier to remain unnoticed and if Saeran saw them, the man certainly was not concerned enough to do anything about it. However, Aaron tended to think that whilst he might be willing to leave their fate in the hands of the Nine or whomever else he had hunting for Fred and her companions, Saeran would not allow any unnecessary information regarding his whereabouts fall into their hands, particularly if he were leaving for a specific reason.

It became evidently clear that Saeran was heading towards London and Bryan’s worst suspicions were confirmed when the limousine took the road to Heathrow Airport.

Saeran was leaving the country.

Part Eight
Promises

It was almost two hours following their return from London and the mood in the Westernham home of Ronald Banks was one of anticipation.

With the exception of Bryan, Aaron and the rest of his companions were gathered around the kitchen table as the former psychiatrist apprised the others of what had transpired during the scouting expedition to Saeran’s estate in Windsor. Unfortunately, there was little to impart beyond the news that upon arriving at Saeran’s mansion property, they discovered the CEO of Malcolm Industries and former dark lord of Mordor had elected to pull up stakes and leave the country. Aaron, Legolas and Bryan had followed Saeran to Heathrow but when limousine took a turn into a restricted airfield, there was no way to maintain their pursuit without calling attention to their presence. With security at airports across the world nearly martial in the wake of September 11th, it did not seem like a wise idea to force the issue.

The mood between the three men had been dark during their return journey, mostly because they were disappointed in being unable to continue their pursuit or discern Saeran’s intended destination. They had returned to Windsor and collected the Ford before driving both vehicles back to Westernham. In the event that they were found, two means of escape were certainly better than one. Despite being unable to witness it for themselves, both Aaron and Bryan were in agreement of their belief that Saeran had fled the country. Whether or not it was because of them or for the dark purpose of setting the world ablaze in nuclear fire, neither could say. Nevertheless it was imperative that they discover his destination and quickly. Time was against them.

Upon returning to their temporary sanctuary, Bryan set to work in contacting his various sources of information regarding the destination in David Saeran’s flight plans. If they knew where he was going, they could intercept him and perhaps discern what his plans were. Gandalf could sense Saeran’s diminishing presence that seemed to correlate with the knowledge of the enemy’s transitory state. Still, Aaron was concerned with how they were going to leave the country in order to find him. The logistics of all eight of them leaving England would be difficult at best. They had to reach Saeran fast in order to thwart his plans and the only possible means of accomplishing this was by air. There was no way that any of them could attempt to board a commercial airline carrier without raising seven kinds of hell.

Whoever said getting there was half the fun, never had to do it with two elves and a wizard.

"I’m surprised," Tory declared as they sat around the dining table. She had been pleasantly when Eve had produced a tasty casserole from the meager supplies in Bank’s refrigerator and larder. "Where does a New York policewoman learn how to cook so well?"

"I’ve wondered that myself," Aaron replied offering Eve a little smile of gratitude after swallowing a bite of his meal. "I thought liberated women didn’t cook."

"No," Eve stared at him smugly, "liberated women don’t have to cook."

"I must say I do not fathom this business of liberation you often speak of Eve," Legolas remarked, wholly confounded by the subject. While Eve took great pride in her abilities which Legolas had to confess were impressive, she did seem to regard her talents as something hard won, instead of simply learnt. "Women have always had the right to do as they chose."

"It was different here for a long time," Eve explained. "Women weren’t expected to be any more than wives and mothers, to want a career, to vote or even own land was denied us until the last century. We had no right to choose what we could and could not do with our bodies and that are a race with rituals regarding females that are nothing less than barbarous and are often more than an excuse to subjugate us. However, we are gaining more ground now then thirty years ago so things are improving, slowly but surely."

"That’s why we call this the Dark Age," Aaron teased and earned two napkins being flung at him simultaneously causing Fred to giggle at the behavior of her supposedly grown up companions.

"Seriously," Tory turned to Eve after Aaron had been sufficiently cowed, much to the amusement of the others, "where did you learn to cook like this?"

"From my mom mostly," Eve volunteered. "After that, it was kind of my release valve. When you deal with murderers and criminals on a daily basis, making a soufflé can be a surprisingly relaxing hobby."

"It is a good idea," Aaron agreed with similar seriousness, being a psychiatrist, he knew the importance of releasing stress when working in a high pressure environment that was capable of exhausting a person both mentally and physically. "It’s the simple things that keep us in touch with ourselves."

"Your world is terribly cluttered," Gandalf added. "I trust it must be difficult to simply reach one’s inner peace. You’ve build yourselves an interesting world but also an exceedingly difficult one to survive in."

"We call it progress," Tory replied, "although I have to wonder sometimes."

"I’ve got it!" Bryan announced his return to their company with a triumphant exclamation.

"You know where he is?" Aaron shot the question at him immediately.

"Yes," Bryan nodded meeting his gaze with a mixture of pride and euphoria. "One of my contacts has an insider with the air traffic control authorities. David Saeran’s private jet lodged a flight plan for Craiova."

"Romania?" Aaron exclaimed with shock, familiar with the territory. "What the hell is he in doing in the middle of Carpathian Mountains?"

"I remember vaguely reading something about Malcolm Industries having some kind of operation out there but I never found out what," Bryan answered honestly. "I’d probably have more details in my files but Caldwell has all of them now."

"Where is Crai-ova?" Haldir suddenly asked.

"You can talk!" Fred declared, mirroring the surprise of the others.

"I listen," he answered the little girl with a smile. "It is time, I try to speak also," he said as he carefully pronounced the words.

"You learn quickly," Tory answered, noting he spoke with the same curious accent that Legolas possessed. "Craiova is in Europe."

"May we see a map?" Gandalf asked, his thick gray eyebrows furrowing together.

No one answered until Tory went into Ronald’s study to retrieve the Atlas she was certain she had seen on his bookshelf earlier that day. It was not long before she was spreading open the large book of glossy pages with its detailed information across the table for all to see. She thumbed through the thick pages until she found what he had asked for, a map of modern Europe, complete with geographical features. For a long moment, the elves and the wizard leaned in close as they studied the contours and lines that depicted modern Europe and Romania. Like the others, Aaron wanted to ask what it was they were seeking out but he held back until they were done. However, Fred who did not know such restraint, tugged at Bryan’s cuff.

"What are they looking for?" Fred whispered to him as she stood on her tiptoes to see what Haldir, Legolas and Gandalf were studying so closely.

"I’m not sure luv," Bryan answered distractedly, picking her up instinctively so she could have a better look, despite his attention being on the three.

"Do you see it?" Legolas broke the silence first.

"Yes," Gandalf nodded. "Time and the separation of the Undying Lands from Middle-earth has changed its shape significantly but I believe this is familiar indeed." The old man’s finger’s traced the path of the mountains on the page.

"Ephel Duath has been worn away and this here," Legolas pointed to the curve of mountains, "I am certain is Ered Lithui."

"Okay," Aaron finally interrupted certain that the discussion was important enough to warrant it, "I think I speak for everyone when I say, what are you guys talking about?"

"This place you call Craiova?" Gandalf met his gaze. "I think it rests near what we once called Mordor."

************

Though the mountains had changed through erosion and mystic forces that no scientists could even conceive of let alone explain, Saeran knew from the moment he set foot within the eastern belt of Romania, that he was home at last. The landscape had altered greatly, undergoing numerous changes in climate and the advent of the odd Ice Age but despite the disfigured shape of the mountains, there was no mistaking the texture of the place. The atmosphere seeped through the soil and reached up inside him of like a great sigh of relief. This was Mordor. This was his kingdom.

The land had been pulled and shaped to suit the stars of Ea. The continents had been drifting further apart since the departure of the Valar but when the last elf had left Middle-earth it was as if Eru had decided that Arda had finally reached its final stage of completion. The land was stretched thin to accommodate its new configuration. Lindon had become home to the Nordic races. Most of Europe was once the lands of the Reunified Kingdom with Rohan evolving into southern France and some portions of Spain. Eriador had broken off completely and subsequently formed the islands of Great Britain. Rhun had become Asia and Far Harad was now Africa.

Saeran often found it amusing to listen to the prattling of geographers and archaeologist speaking of the world in terms of continental shift and the tectonic shelf, wondering whether or not that it was worthwhile letting them see how truly wrong they were. The human race had expended the past two hundred years discarding the belief that they were sprung ready-made from paradise. Nowadays the beliefs that gods had created them were for the superstitious because such deities did not exist. Saeran wondered how it would be if they were to learn that their birthplace was not Eden but rather Hildorien and that they had been born the moment the sun had rose in the sky for the first time.

Perhaps when all of this was over, he would tell them.

He had found Mordor a hundred years ago and discovered that Mount Doom had solidified and disappeared into the ranges of the Carpathian Mountains. A harsh, unyielding land of temperate forests and some beauty though it’s sinister past had a way of nurturing those who had darkness within them. Where Barad-dur had been, Vlad the Impaler had become a national folk hero as well as one of the most infamous men in history, known for his cruelty and barbarism. Elizabeth Bathory had murdered her six hundred maidens and caused almost as many nightmares in those who survived her reign of terror as those who had died.

When Saeran had found Barad-dur, there was no trace of his fortress. Time had efficiently wiped it off the face of Arda but Saeran’s connection to his former kingdom was strong and with the resources of Malcolm Industries, was able to establish a new sanctum to carry out his plans. Despite Romania’s place behind the Iron Curtain, Saeran was capable of ensuring that he be given leave to move about freely within the country. Manipulating presidents was just as easy as manipulating monarchs, he had found and within the dark mansion he had constructed upon the unseen ruins of his former stronghold, Saeran had complete secrecy to continue his work to destroy the world of man.

Deep beneath the earth, he had enlisted the aid of some humans; the only ones who would be left alive once his plans had come to fruition. In the bowels of the earth, in cracks beneath Barad-dur that no one knew existed or any being had delved so deep since the dwarves, things stirred in the dark. Some feasted upon each other or had hibernated in waiting for a time when they might hear the call of the one who created them. Melkor had thousands of years to fill Arda with creatures so dark and fearsome that their true number cannot be accounted. In the War of the Wrath, many had fled into the deep places of the world, hiding because they believed emergence would signal their existence to the Valar.

When he had become Lord of Barad-dur, Sauron had found many of these creatures and had given them a home in his kingdom. Shelob was but one of these creatures. With his destruction, they had retreated into the darkness again, deciding that it was better to sleep in anonymity rather than risk exposure to the capricious nature of men who could be almost as relentless as the worst of them when his blood lust was properly stirred. They were still there when David Saeran returned and he had awakened them with promises that very soon, men would be gone forever.

Through the miracle of modern genetics and spells so ancient that they lived only in his memory, Saeran had continued his preparations to assume kingship over the world once he had rid it of its present occupants. His creatures were growing impatient, having been fattened with talk of feeding upon their enemies so much so that they desired the talk to become reality. The few humans whom he had allowed into this underworld kingdom had been hard at work creating for him a vital component of the new order, secure in the belief that they would be positioned highly when it arrived.

Saeran arrived at Craiova four hours after boarding his private Lear jet at the airfield in Heathrow. The journey to Craiova was relatively simple in comparison with reaching his fortress, which was in the heart of the Carpathian Mountains, in a region that was difficult to reach either by land or air. However, he did not mind the journey through the tall conifer forests and steep hilly terrain. It was almost dark when he finally arrived at his fortress mansion, a place of high walls and jagged spires whose architecture was likened to that of the buildings built by the invading Moslem Turks in some parts of Eastern Europe.

Wasting no time once he arrived at the one place on this earth he could truly call home, Saeran immediately descended the underground passage he had spent a small fortune carving through rock to reach the underground caverns beneath the mansion. There, a handful of humans worked in complete secrecy, undertaking the most vital part of his plan, a task that had been decades in the making and was near completion. Already, preliminary yields of their labor had proved favorable and as Saeran walked through the dimly lit cavern, surveying their handiwork, Doctor Irina Sadko could tell that he was pleased by their efforts.

Irina had been a geneticist working for the Soviet Union when she was stolen away by David Saeran and brought to work in Romania. They met during a party function at the Moscow State Academy of Applied Biotechnology where she had been the head researcher for the institute’s genetics division. Saeran had been one of the few foreigners allowed to conduct business in Russia during the reign of the communists and as a young, handsome capitalist; he had made a most charming first impression. Irina had been one of the youngest scientists in her field to be given her own research staff. Unfortunately, she was languishing under the weight of conventional thinkers who felt her theories on genetic research were more dangerous than useful. When she met Saeran, her position was already becoming precarious.

Their relationship had begun tentatively. He was charming and extremely confident in the power he had over the opposite sex, Irina included. She was a sultry beauty who had worked very hard to be taken seriously and even though she had come far in her field, her looks would always ensure that she would never be regarded for her scientific merits. When Saeran offered her unlimited funding, the freedom to conduct her research without supervision or answering to any authority other than himself, she had thought it was it was merely an attempt to impress her with impossible promises. While the powers that be may not think too highly of her research, Irina was confident that they would not want it in the hands of foreigners either.

When she consented to work for him, it was merely an obligatory response to appease him. She was already his lover but Irina was realistic about his grand offer being anything more than a fanciful promise. However, as she was to learn many times over the next few years, it was never wise to underestimate him. David Saeran did not make idle promises.

Through some miracle, he produced the necessary paperwork to release her from government-indentured service as well as providing her with unrestricted travel wherever she pleased. It was not long before she was in Romania, living in the fortress that Saeran had built for himself in the heart of the Carpathian Mountains and conducting research into genetics no respectable scientist would even consider. During all that time, they had been lovers and she presented her accomplishments to him the way one would present tokens of love.

By the nature of the work she conducted for him, Irina knew that David Saeran was more than what he seemed. He was only thirty when they had met but she knew he was older; she could see it in his eyes. She was aware that the work undertaken beneath the fortress was so secret that it was unknown even to Saeran’s employer John Malcolm. She had only ever met Malcolm once but whatever he was, Malcolm and Saeran were the same. There were things she knew about him, things she noticed but did not speak out loud because she loved him. For all the darkness she saw in his eyes and there was so much that it made her shiver in fear at times, she loved him. To an extent he felt something for her too because Irina was aware that he had not taken anyone else to his bed. He seemed to cherish their moments together as something forbidden he was not allowed.

"You have outdone yourself," Saeran commended as his eyes swept across the cavern and soaked in the accomplishment of almost ten years of work. "When will they be ready for removal?"

"They are ready now," Irina said proudly, unable to keep from feeling some pride in what she had created for him. "I thought keeping them in gestation will solve our containment problem for the duration. When you need them, they can be removed and prepared for deployment in a matter of hours. I followed your instructions explicitly and your own contribution to their genetic makeup ensures that they will adapt with extreme speed."

"Good idea," he nodded. "They are necessary to the cause but very difficult to control in a confined space. Their arena will come soon enough. However, I would like one batch released to boost the security of this place."

"Is there trouble David?" Irina looked at him.

"Not really," he offered her a faint smile, "some old acquaintances might decide to drop in and I want to be prepared to give them a proper reception when they arrive."

One that none of them would ever forget, he added silently.

***********

The decision to pursue David Saeran to Romania had been a foregone conclusion. There was no debating what simply had to be done. In order to stop the dark lord from reducing the world to ash, the fellowship as Gandalf had started calling their assorted group, had to face Saeran in his domain. Unfortunately, reaching him posed another set of problems. A cross-country trip would take too much time, with too many opportunities that the authorities or Saeran’s agents to intercept them. Not to mention the customs checkpoints they would have to pass from country to country. Since, neither Haldir, Legolas or Gandalf had passports of any kind; it was a nuisance they could do without.

Taking a commercial carrier would limit the risk of discovery since the number of security checkpoints would be significantly reduced, however, it would mean having to leave their weapons behind, a situation no one was entirely pleased with. Considering their enemy, it was an entirely understandable reaction. When Eve suggested a chartering a plane, Bryan had thought it was a good idea even if it posed an entirely different set of problems. However, Gandalf had latched onto the plan with enthusiasm and Bryan’s attempts to explain how difficult this would be were met with complete indifference.

The MI6 agent expected the worst when they approached an air charter company near Heathrow, less than a day after David Saeran had departed England. He was certain that the company would demand all kinds of information in order to release any craft into their custody, not to mention a good deal of cash because leasing a private jet was not at all cheap. After September 11th, the potential for any aircraft to be a turned into a weapon of destruction could no longer be ignored and no one was more painfully aware of this than the aeronautics industry. Chartering private jets was a booming trade in the post September 11th attacks with confidence in commercial carriers low. Bryan was certain that they would be lucky to even get near a plane, in the unlikely event that the company was actually willing to ignore its security protocols to begin with. He was expecting suspicion or worse yet, being given away to the authorities when he started the process of applying for the charter. Fortunately, it was at this point that Gandalf took over and what that transpired then left Bryan with his jaw agape in astonishment.

He could only stare when the old wizard proceeded to tell the very experienced agent that there was no need for such checks, after all, he was a respectable old man and his companion was a law abiding soul with no malice towards anyone. The MI6 agent was certain the man was going to balk at this but there was a tone to Gandalf’s voice that was almost soothing. Thus, he not only processed their application with a smile plastered across his face, he did not even bat an eyelid when Bryan paid in cash what would hardly amount to a deposit for the landing gear of a crop duster, let alone a jet. As Gandalf continued to speak, with Bryan descending into greater depths of amazement as well as respect, the company representative continued to respond with astonishing amicability.

When it was all said and done, they had successfully leased a rather comfortable 9-seater Westwind jet for the journey to Romania.

"How did you do that?" Bryan had asked Gandalf as they walked back to the vehicles where the others were waiting for them.

"How did I do what?" Gandalf stared at him from beneath those bushy eyebrows with pure innocence.

"You know bloody well what," Bryan declared. "By rights, he should be calling Scotland Yard to come get us for trying to steal a plane for the money I paid him. You had him eating out of your hand like you had sugar in your palm."

"I have been known in my time to be persuasive," Gandalf said with a smile, reaching into his tweed coat to produce the pipe he had acquired since returning to the modern world.

"If you were any more persuasive, I’d have to call you Obi-Wan."

Gandalf laughed shortly and replied, "I am sufficiently long lived enough to know how to bring out the best in some people."

"Oh really," Bryan looked at him skeptically, certain that there was more to it than just that. However, since coming into the company of elves, a reincarnated king, a hobbit and an elf maiden, the silver tongue of a wizard was not the most difficult thing he was called on to accept.

Still whatever spell Gandalf had used to trick the charter company agent into giving them a small jet was not something Bryan was going to rely on indefinitely. It was prudent that they got in the air as quickly as possible, before the spell or whatever Gandalf had did, wore off. If there were troubles to be encountered, Bryan would rather deal with them when the company arrived at Craiova.

Right now, the most important thing was to reach David Saeran before they lost any more time.

**********

"Legolas, we’re ready to go," Aaron stated firmly.

"Is there no other way?" Legolas asked for the hundredth time since their departure plans had been finalized, a slight shudder of anxiety crossing his handsome features as he repeated the question.

"I’m afraid not," Aaron shook his head sympathetically, appreciating the magnitude of Legolas’ anxiety. Even Haldir had taken some convincing and the only reason he had managed to bear it so stoically was because the elf despised appearing weak or hesitant, especially when Legolas was not so restrained.

"Surely, there must be another way to reach this place?" Legolas argued again, his eyes darting back and forth from Aaron to the object of his fear.

"There is," Aaron replied, "but it will take us two days to reach Craiova, where else this will get us there in less than three hours."

Legolas stiffened and dropped his gaze to the tarmac, suddenly finding his sneakers a good deal more engaging then their present conversation.

"Legolas, it’s perfectly understandable," Aaron said in his best physician’s tone. "This is an experience that my people have to get accustomed to themselves but once its done, you’ll see that there is very little to fear."

"It is unnatural," Legolas said defiantly, needing to speak louder over the voice of the spinning propellers. "We were not meant to travel this way."

"I agree," Aaron nodded in sympathy.

"Do not patronize me," Legolas barked, "I am not one of your patients."

"Of course not," Aaron returned in the same reasonable tone. "If you were my patient, I’d prescribe you a Valium so that you’d be half stoned when you got on the damn thing but since I can’t ethically force drugs down your throat, I am going to have to appeal to your reason."

"I am not a coward," Legolas stated firmly.

"I didn’t say you were," Aaron answered in a voice so serene that it would have done any elf proud.

"Is he getting in or what?" Eve’s voice shouted from the doorway of the small Westwind jet currently spewing exhaust from its spinning turbines on the tarmac of the private airfield.

"Just a minute!" Aaron shouted back at her, shooting Eve an irate look at the same before facing Legolas again and deciding that brutal honesty was his only recourse, "Legolas, we have to go. We can’t stay out in the open like this. People are going to start to notice us."

It was true. Though it was already evening with night quickly descending upon them, there were enough people on the tarmac to make Aaron uncomfortable. Only one of them had to give him away and the place would be swarming with police and God knows what else.

"I know," Legolas groaned and dragged his feet reluctantly forward. "It’s not the travel I mind so much, it is the manner in which we must do so. Moria I could endure, Caradhras even, but this menace?"

"It’s just a plane," Aaron replied sympathetically as he walked with Legolas towards the plane. The elf was staring at the aircraft as if he were a condemned man about to take the walk to the gallows. "And I have plenty of Dramamine," he added, hoping that would assure the elf despite Legolas not having the slightest idea what that was.

"I saw what happens when these things fly," Legolas said defiantly as they reached the small set of steps that leading to the door of the plane. The engines were roaring even harder as the turbines spun faster, indicating its readiness to fly. Displaced air around the craft had created a condensed gale as the two approached the steps. "Do you know when the one who commands this ‘vessel falls ill, a device made to look like a man is put in its place?"

Aaron rolled his eyes and swore; "I told you Airplane is just a movie!"

***********

Bryan sat within the cockpit as the plane made its way eastward, flying into the night and leaving England behind. He had acquired his pilot’s license a decade ago and was never more grateful for it then at this moment. High above the clouds, with the world beneath them, it was the first time in days that he had truly been given the chance to relax. He knew that the respite was temporary and very soon, they would be walking into a great deal of trouble but for the moment, there was peace and serenity in the twilight. The elves, even after their horror at takeoff had settled down a bit, in no small part due to the efficiency of modern seatbelts. He could hear Tory and Eve chatting in the background, apparently discussing the pros and cons of the Tom Cruise – Nicole Kidman breakup.

Women.

"Hello Bryan," Fred suddenly surprised him by sneaking up behind his chair in the cockpit.

"Hello Fred," Bryan flashed the child a little smile, "come for a little look?"

"Yeah," she nodded, her dark hair bouncing.

"Well take a seat in the co-pilot’s chair," he glanced at the empty seat beside, "just don’t touch anything."

"Okay," she said obediently because she was just pleased to be around him. Although there were many people around her she trusted now, Gandalf in particular, Fred did not forget that it was Bryan who had kept her safe since mummy and daddy were taken away.

"Have you eaten?" He asked, completely unaware how paternal he was sounding and would have been horrified if it had been pointed out.

"Yes, Eve gave me chicken."

"Good," he answered and noted that she was staring at him with those big blue eyes of hers, as if she had something on her mind.

"Fred?" He asked after a moment, "is there something you want to tell me?"

"Yes," she said hesitantly and climbed out of her chair so that she could stand next to his own. "When all this is over, can I come stay with you?"

Bryan looked at her startled. "We’re a long way from that Fred," he said evasively, unable to think of a better response.

"But when everything is okay again, I can come live with you. You don’t have anyone else and I wouldn’t be a lot of trouble."

"I know that," he was stammering, wondering how on Earth he was going to explain that he had no room for a child in his life. "Don’t you have grandparents?"

"I’ve got a granny and granddad but I don’t want to stay with them, I want to say with you. I can keep you company. You won’t have to be alone then."

Bryan cracked a smile at her logic but the responsibility of a child terrified him more than any threat he had faced in his life and this included knowing David Saeran was some dark lord from an ancient past. "Fred, I..."

"Hey Fred," Aaron called peeking through the curtain separating the cockpit from the cabin, "you mind doing me a favor and keeping Gandalf company. If he starts to tell Eve one more story about the good ol’ days of Middle-earth, I think she’ll shoot him."

Fred giggled and nodded, forgetting her conversation with Bryan for the moment. "Okay, Aaron," she said pleasantly and hurried past him since children were never capable of walking anywhere.

When she left, Aaron smiled at the visible sigh of relief escaping Bryan as he slumped deeper into the pilot’s chair. "I thought you needed rescuing," he remarked as he took Fred’s vacant seat.

"I thought I was scared when one of my old girlfriends suggested we live together," Bryan replied, unable to believe how unsettled he felt after Fred’s request. "She’s just a child! I can’t look after a child. I have trouble enough looking after myself."

"It was only natural she was going to depend on you Bryan," Aaron said slipping comfortably into the role of analyst as well as friend, "you were there to protect her when her parents were killed. You took her from right under the noses of the Nazgul. I doubt she trusts anyone else as much as you right now."

"I know," Bryan admitted feeling some pride in that but it was also accompanied by this clenching fear at the pit of his stomach, "but I can’t look after her. I wouldn’t know how. Even if it was possible for me to keep her, I don’t know that I want to."

"Hey, its a big responsibility," Aaron understanding his anxiety. Bryan, who had obviously spent a great deal of time alone, could be forgiven for his reluctance. Even if the man were accustomed to taking bullets for his line of work, the responsibility of a child was a completely different matter. "I understand your hesitation but if we survive all this, you do need to stay in her life even if you don’t want to raise her. After what she’s been through, you up and leaving when it’s all said and done is going to damage her."

"Christ," Bryan sucked in his breath and wondered how he had found himself in such a situation. There was a part of him that truly wanted to keep Fred with him but there was another part, more sensible and realistic that told him that Bryan Miller had no business raising a child. For a long moment, he did not speak and the thought of what perils that awaited them when they reached their destination gave Bryan an excuse to change the subject.

"Look, when we get to Craiova, I think we should put Tory and Fred on a train out of there. They need to be as far away from us as possible. If we don’t succeed in stopping Saeran, he’ll go after them."

"I know," Aaron said agreeing completely. "If I thought she’d agree, I would ask Eve to go myself but you’re right, it is safer if Fred wasn’t with her. Although if we fail, I don’t know how far they can go. There won’t be much of anything left."

"But they won’t be in Saeran’s hands," Bryan pointed out, refusing to be daunted by their chances of surviving. "I have a brother in Africa. He’s an archaeologist and is used to travelling in some very remote places. If they can reach him, I’m certain Frank could hide them indefinitely."

"Then its’ what we’ll do," Aaron nodded, understanding far better than Bryan could believe. "I just don’t want to be the one to tell either of them."

**************

They were coming.

Saeran could feel not only the child but also Gandalf. In his fortress, in a place that was as connected to him as the flesh on his bones, his powers were at their strongest. Mordor had been what it was because it had soaked up his essence, turning all that was good and healthy in a twisted parody of itself. Now that he had returned to the cradle of his kingdom, that power even if it existed in minute traces was returned to him, enhancing the whole to even greater strength. The power gave him the ability to sense things with even greater depth and he knew without doubt that his enemies were coming to him.

Saeran sat in the dark room where he spent much time ruminating. The sunshine was something he tolerated and though the image of the carefree tycoon who enjoyed the outdoors like a teenager was a useful tool in convincing men that he was the benevolent ruler of his corporate kingdom, Saeran preferred the comforting cool of the shadows. Within the heart of his domain, built upon the ruins of Barad-dur, now Southern Transylvania, he relished the clarity that darkness gave him. He always thought better when all about him was covered in shadow and rose from his chair to walk towards the balcony.

Stepping into the twilight air, Saeran was provided with a sweeping view of the Carpathian Alps, covered in some places with snow but generally obscured by fog. His separation from the land had allowed things to grow again but it could never be a place that inspired anything but awesome admiration and a sliver of fear. These mountains were magnificent but they were also foreboding. He raised his eyes to the sky and saw a dark shadow moving through the air, wings rushing about his ears as they flapped in great number. He saw the flock moving through the sky, appearing like swarms of insects instead crows.

He found it most amusing that their gathering was called a murder of crows.

Their voices screeched unintelligibly but to Saeran, they sang a song as clear as the night they were presently swooping through like a force of nature.

"Hear me," he spoke softly, aware that his speech was something they did not hear but rather felt when he raised his hands to the air and caught their attention. The crows circled the air around him, a dark cloud of furiously beating wings above his head. He could almost feel the breeze created by their exertions and a smile crossed his lips, knowing that his power to affect the darker beasts had not diminished.

"Sweep across the land and seek out those who would harm me. Find them in whatever place they hide, show me their path with your keen sight. Let me see through your eyes and you will feed as you have never fed before. The scourge of man with his flames, his knives and his iron beasts, who stole the sky from you, will be no more. I will give you his carcass to pick clean. Find them for me and the sky will be yours again!" He exclaimed fInally. The flock of dark birds began descending high above the clouds, scattering through the darkness as they spread across that night, searching for his enemies.

When the air was still once more, Saeran returned to the shadows, aware that there was a further audience to make. The air had grown decidedly colder when he returned to the confines of his dark chamber. Even the strobe of moonlight pouring through the balcony doors could not improve the atmosphere within it. His human flesh recoiled at the cold but Saeran ignored the weakness of his body because the soul of him craved tlese things. There were some pleasures to be derived from being human but this was not one of them.

The Nine awaited their master’s orders.

"They are coming," Saeran said coolly as he paused in the middle of the room, in front of them.

"We will find them Master," the leader of the Nine spoke, his voice nothing more than a slow hiss, like a snake uncoiling for attack.

"There is no need," Saeran answered, "no doubt Gandalf will lead them here. We will provide them with our hospitality. When we discern where they are, you will watch them and make certain that they find their way here. I want them all, no one is to escape."

"Is that wise?" He who was once called the Witch King of Angmar asked.

"Your lack of social graces calls for my leniency for your impertinence," Saeran glared at him. "I do not have to account myself to you but since you must know, I think it is time we unleashed our denizens below. They have been waiting for a long time for some sport and I think it only fair that I give it to them."

"Masterfully done, my Lord," the Witch King hissed while behind him the other Nazgul shudder in fear at their master’s displeasure.

"Now," Saeran replied continuing out of his dark chamber, "I am required elsewhere. Save a matter of utmost importance, do not disturb me. I will be with Irina."

The Nine did not respond to this statement, having become accustomed to the strange ‘relationship’ that Saeran seemed to be having with Doctor Irina Sadko. Saeran left them with a smile, aware that his physical desire for the doctor confused them somewhat but then if they had been without physical form for the past aeons, they might well understand why it was necessary for him to indulge himself.

After all, there had to be some pleasures in living inside human skin.

**************

They arrived in Craiova under the cover of darkness, which served them well because Gandalf’s spell to get them through customs was less noticeable when the traffic at the airfield was slow. A heavy mist had fallen across the land upon their approach and even before the plane had set down, Aaron could not help thinking that he understood what had inspired Bram Stoker to use the Carpathian Mountains as the backdrop for his seminal vampire epic. The foreboding mountains seemed sinister in the darkness of night and the full moon that observed their arrival in Romania did not make the mood any less grim.

There was little to see of Craiova in the middle of the night as Tory rented a small van to take them to some suitable accommodations. Mountains with large tracts of forest of tall conifer trees enclosed the city. It was late in the season with most of the hotels and resorts emptying of the tourists who came for the skiing. This suited the fellowship just fine. They took up lodgings a hotel on the edge of the city whose main attraction was its apparent closeness to the woods where wild bears were apparently known to roam. After the harrowing trip on the plane, Legolas and Haldir were especially pleased to be near the woods, even if it was situated in a place that had once been Mordor.

Bryan and Aaron had not told the others of their plans regarding Tory and Fred. He did not perceive they would disagree since it was an unspoken understanding that they were not going to face the lord of Mordor with a six-year-old child in their company. More than anyone of them, it was Fred who earned Saeran’s utmost hatred and while getting her out of England seemed sensible at the time, remaining here in the heart of the enemy’s domain was unacceptable in any shape or form. Tory was the only one who could care for her because the rest of them were needed to fight Saeran. Aaron suspected that Bryan’s reasons for Tory leaving with Fred were not entirely for the child’s welfare if he was any judge of the way Bryan seemed to be looking at Stuart’s ex-wife when he thought no one was looking.

It was Bryan who volunteered to tell Tory that she had to take Fred and leave Romania. After all, if he was the chief architect of her being sent away, the least he could do was say tell her himself. Aaron did not envy him the task because he knew first hand how fiery Tory could get when properly motivated and this would no doubt send the lady into an impressive fit of anger. Fortunately, Bryan had presence of mind to wait until morning to do the deed. When they awoke the next day, Bryan was notable by his absence at the breakfast table, even though Aaron suspected where he had gone. No doubt, he had gone to make arrangements for Tory and Fred’s departure.

He returned a short time later, signaling to Aaron that all was in readiness with a slight nod, which Aaron returned in kind. Eve noted the exchange as did the elves and Gandalf but they said little until Aaron was ready to tell them what conspiracy was afoot.

"Tory," Bryan said after sitting down long enough for a cup of hot coffee, "can I have a word?"

Tory who had been sipping her tea immediately arched a brow at the request, meeting his gaze with an expression of puzzlement. When he broke away eye contact, Tory began to suspect something was wrong but she did not comment, at least not yet.

"Certainly," she said rising to her feet, conscious of the awkward silence that had fallen over the room as she left the table and followed him outside.

Bryan stepped onto the porch of the chalet they had rented on the slopes of the mountains. It provided them with a panoramic view of the Carpathians, which was actually quite lovely in the light of day. He admired the scenery briefly, wishing that he did not have to do this. However, his hesitation lasted only as long as it took him to remember that both Fred and Tory would be in mortal danger if they remained. He was lost in the snowcapped mountains until he heard her closing the door behind her.

"What is it?" She asked, hugging her arms closer to her body. Despite buying some sensible winter clothes for the cold weather, the morning air had enough bite to it to make her feel the chill.

Bryan drew in his breath, crushing the feelings of guilt inside of him because this had to be done. Fortunately, his conflicted emotions were assuaged by the knowledge that this was the only sensible course. "Malcolm Industries has some property in Motru," he began, "when we’re done getting some supplies, we’re going to make our way there."

"We’re just going to drive up to place and hope for the best?" She stared at him with more than a little trace of worry across her lovely face.

"Something like that," he shrugged evasively before meeting her eyes, "but not we, just us being everyone except you and Fred."

Her reaction was immediate and though he thought anger would be her first emotion, he was wrong. It was hurt. Her eyes showed it instantly but with as much expertise as he had used to crush her guilt, she forced away her pain and stared at him instead, with a gaze so hard it could have been granite.

"Why?" She asked softly with no trace of outrage or anger in her manner, her face a mask of composure.

"Fred can’t come with us," he answered with honestly. "You know that."

"That’s not what I ask. Why me?" She demanded. "You could ask anyone else to protect her. Why me? Why me when you know I wanted to be there. After what they did to Stuart, I have a right to be in this fight!"

"You may have the right but you can’t protect yourself against what we’re facing there!" Bryan snapped, hating to be so brutal but he had to because she needed to understand.

"I can take care of myself," Tory insisted but her lips quivered in defeat even as the words left her mouth because she knew deep down inside, he was right. She was not an elf. She had not the skill of a seasoned policewoman or a powerful wizard. She had none of the skills to defend herself if faced with the Nine or Saeran’s men. She was a liability because she could not protect herself.

"I know you can," he said refusing to let her feel any more helpless than she already did because he admired her, even if she couldn’t fight. She was strong and brave and she had taken in stride some pretty extraordinary things without buckling under the pressure, he respected that. "Tory, you are the only person that can keep Fred safe. Gandalf said you had a purpose with us. Did it ever occur to you that this might be it? If we die, you are the only one who can protect Fred because you knows what’s after her."

"You’re just saying that so I won’t feel any worse," Tory replied turning away because if she shed tears in front of him, she would simply die from the humiliation.

"I don’t want you to feel any worse," Bryan said sincerely, "I want you to live. Even if we’re all dead, I want to die knowing that you’re alive somewhere."

Tory turned back to him because those words were laced with such emotion that for an instant, she swore it was not simply about Fred. His fear was also for her but not as one of his comrades in this insanity, instead it was for more than that. Tory looked at him and saw that the reflection of understanding in his eyes that she had found him out and suddenly, it was Bryan who was retreating in this war of words.

"You’ll break her heart if you make her go," Tory pointed out.

"I know but she means more to me than I ever believed possible and I won’t let him have her, " Bryan replied before adding in an even quieter voice, "or you."

Tory swallowed, hating herself for agreeing to this, even though she knew it was the right thing to do, "you’re an impossible son of a bitch you know?"

"You’re not the first woman to tell me that," he offered her a little smile but there was too much sorrow in it.

"Good, then understand this," Tory replied crossing the space between them so that he could look into her eyes and know that she meant what she was about to say. "You may think that dying is just another part of the business, that it’s alright for you to die for queen and country. I am telling it is not. You have people who care about you, who’ll mourn you if you get yourself killed so understand that I’ll do this for you and only you, if you promise me you will try to stay alive."

Bryan did not know how to answer. He had been asked many things in his life but never had that demand been put to him so starkly or with such fire. He nodded; a little dumbfounded because once again, he had underestimated just how strong she could be by a country mile.

"Alright, I promise," he said hesitantly, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Okay," Tory said drawing a deep breath, feeling as if she had climbed one of those mountains on her hands and knees just to force that oath from him. Turning towards the door, she looked over her shoulder at him and said with a sad smile on her face, "let’s go tell Fred."

************

Fred was not at all happy to hear that she and Tory were leaving and protested bitterly all the way to the train station that would take her and Tory to Timisoara in the western border of Romania. Bryan had booked them passage under an assumed name that would take them all the way to Hungary. Fortunately, now that they were in Europe, it was possible to travel across the continent without documentation. Bryan had given Tory the names of contacts he knew that could arrange for passports when they reached Germany. Once that was done, she and Fred could fly out of Europe and reach Frank who by his last letters, was shifting through the dirt somewhere in the Olduvai Gorge of East Africa.

"I don’t want to go Bryan," Fred pleaded once again as he and Aaron saw Fred and Tory off at the train station. "I want to stay with you."

The child’s eyes were brimming with tears and as much as Bryan wanted to take away the source of her pain, he knew he had to harden his heart to her tears.

"It’s not safe Fred," Bryan explained gently, aware that this did little good because she was only a little girl and while she understood the danger her life was in, she did not understand how risky staying with them would be. He thought of what Aaron had said about how abandoning her would damage her later in life but better that she was hurt, then dead. "I promise you I’ll find you when this is done," he took her hand in his. "I’ll find you and maybe we’ll have that talk about you coming to live with me."

Her eyes brightened but only slightly, "you promise?" Her voice escaped her in a hush.

"Yeah," he offered her a lopsided smile, "I promise."

Bryan gave Fred a farewell embrace as Aaron said his farewells to Tory.

"Don’t you dare disappear for another year Aaron," Tory said firmly after she and the psychiatrist had pulled apart from their hug. "Where am I going to find this much excitement again?"

"Yeah, I am a tough act to follow," Aaron grinned cockily.

"Yes you are," she replied, trying not to become too emotional, "you take care of yourself."

"You too, Tor," Aaron said seriously and kissed her gently on the forehead before he turned his attention to Fred and picked up the little girl.

As Aaron took custody of Fred briefly, Tory turned her eyes to Bryan and for a moment, neither said anything as they stared at each other. They had known each other for less than a week and there was still much they did not know but for this moment, all that could wait.

Tory took a step forward, taking firm grip of Bryan’s jacket before pulling him towards her. Without saying anything, she captured his mouth in a passionate kiss. The instant their lips met, she felt him stiffen in surprise but his hesitation was brief and soon he was kissing her back with just as much passion. He tasted warm and familiar, almost as they had been doing this for as long as they had lived. She felt her head swim at the power of his demanding mouth and for a few seconds at least, there was nothing in the world but them and the undeniable feelings they had for each other. Feelings they could no longer ignore, even if they both too proud to admit it.

Unfortunately, a moment was all that they had and it was Tory who broke away first.

"I’m holding you to a promise as well," she reminded him as Tory stepped away from him.

"I’ll do the best I can," he answered with a slight nod.

That was enough for her and with that, Tory took Fred’s hand in hers before they turned away from the two men and started towards the train station. Aaron and Bryan lingered a few seconds more to watch them disappear into the midst of other travelers leaving the city, before they too went on their way.

None of them noticed the crow perched high on the curved arm of a nearby streetlight staring at them with blood red eyes.

Part Nine
Falling into Shadow

Despite the necessity of Fred and Tory’s departure, the breaking of their company had something of a dampening effect upon them all, especially Bryan. Even though he had promised Tory and Fred that he would be return to them in one piece, inwardly, he no longer felt as optimistic about his chances of surviving their confrontation with David Saeran. What troubled him even though he told no one of it, were the disturbing dreams that plagued his sleep whenever he had paused long enough to rest.

From the very beginning, the hardest thing to accept despite being confronted with elves, wizards, wraithlike creatures with crimson eyes who could not be killed, was the fact that he had lived a life a hundred thousand years in the past. Even though Legolas, Haldir and Gandalf claimed to have met Boromir of Gondor personally, Bryan was unable to accept the claim with little more than a grain of salt.

Unfortunately, the specter of Boromir, son of Denethor would not be denied and when Bryan closed his eyes to sleep, the fallen warrior of Gondor reminded his present incarnation of their deep connection to each other. In his dreams, Bryan would find him staring into a mirror, seeing not himself but someone older and far more worn than he ever thought he could be. There was so much sadness in the face of the stranger staring back at him; a world of sorrow was reflected in eyes Bryan knew all too well. He saw a man whose life been one of constant struggle and ultimately defeat.

Boromir never had the chance to be anything more than the one who had failed, the one who was forever marked by a ring and forgotten in time except by those who remembered his death.

There were other times when he dreamed he was on a boat, sailing into nothingness, casting a longing gaze at a nearby shore the craft simply would not turn to meet. Sometimes he even saw Frank, staring across the water, as if it were a deep chasm that neither could ever cross. Frank, who was staring at him with he same sadness, dressed in the clothes of a medieval warrior, a sword hanging at his hip with tears in his eyes. Bryan had awakened in a cold sweat, feeling Boromir’s presence against his skin like the damp shirt clinging to his body. He could deny it all he liked but the truth was apparent, even to someone as obstinate as he.

He was Boromir and like Boromir, he had this sense that he was going to die.

Until Tory had pressed her lips against his in that surprising yet passionate kiss, he had more or less accepted that death was his lot. He had lived a life with many near misses, more than the scars Aaron had noted could even begin to tell. He had fought in wars, some declared, some known only to the men who had died fighting them, he had been trapped behind enemy lines, tortured at one time by foreign agents and had come so close to dying that it was a fact of life for him. The investigation into David Saeran’s affairs had been the least dangerous assignment he had been given in years, so he thought at the time. Dying did not frighten him. If anything he had been waiting for it. Accepting he was once Boromir of Gondor simply explained why.

However, Tory’s kiss had unsettled him not because she had deigned to bestow her affections upon him but because for the first time in his life, dying was not all that acceptable. He found himself thinking that perhaps, he would like to survive, to have the things that Boromir never had that Frank so often told him he needed despite his ambivalence to the subject. Bryan started to think that perhaps it would be nice to live the quiet life with a woman who loved him, with a child who needed him. Seeing so far ahead, beyond the moment was the most terrifying thing he had ever experienced in his life and now it left him uneasy with the edge that kept him one step of his enemies, suddenly feeling as if it was diminished.

Jesus, she was going to get him killed.

They had set out to find David Saeran’s bastion in Romania in the late afternoon when supplies and some exploration into the company’s presence in the area had been made. After the fall of Ceausescu’s corrupt regime, Malcolm Industries had bought land in the southern region of Translyvania and the local communities had hoped the conglomerate was prepared to create factories and revitalize the coal industry in the region. Freedom from communist rule had done little to improve the lives of modern Romanians and it was still one of the poorest nations in Europe. Unfortunately, those hopes had never eventuated and upon the ruins of an old Magyar castle, a facility of some sort had been built though what exactly it was, Bryan had never found out for certain.

As they drove through the meandering roads through the lower range of the mountains, its snowcapped peaks and thickening forests of tall conifer trees seemed to blot out the sun as it flanked them on either side. The day took on a pallor of gray that was more than just the low-lying mist that covered their route into Translyvania. Shadows began to grow longer as the sun set over the horizon, with all trace of stars disappearing from the night sky. Even though the trip was meant to take a matter of hours, it felt longer as if they were travelling to the edge of the world. Surrounded by nothing but woods with only a path of black tar to remind them of civilization, it felt as if they had driven out of their world into some place that had been was as forgotten in time as Valinor.

"It feels like we’ve been driving forever," Eve commented as she gazed past the steering wheel at the quickly descended twilight.

"This place is eternal, much like Sauron. His evil has lingered even in his absence," Legolas replied, staring out the window, sensing nothing good in what he saw beyond the road. A heavy fog was rolling in from the woods, enclosing them on either side as if it were a trap made for them. It was difficult to see anything even with elf eyes and Legolas sensed that despite the years, the memory of Mordor was strong in this region, "I can feel its taint upon the land."

"Well it is creepy," Aaron agreed, unable to deny that the scenery outside was beginning resemble an old horror movie with its thick fog and shadowy trees encroaching upon the road. "I suppose Bram Stoker picked the Carpathians as a setting for Dracula for good reason."

"Dracula?" Haldir asked, not recognizing the word.

"It’s just a story," Aaron explained as he looked over his shoulder to the backseat of the van. "Dracula was a vampire. He was a creature that could only emerge at night and drank his victim’s blood. He could change into a bat and could be killed by a wooden stake or sunlight."

"Oh, a creature like Thuringwethil," Legolas declared.

"Excuse me?" Eve turned to him sharply. "Who?"

"She was a creature such as you have described," Gandalf answered with a smile, noting the human’s interest or rather concern, "she was one of Melkor’s chief messengers. I believe she was slain in the First Age."

"Anyone but me suddenly develop the urge to find some garlic and crucifixes?" Eve shuddered, not liking the fact that from the very safe fictionalized vampire of Bram Stoker’s book, they had progressed to a creature that had actually lived.

Aaron was about to answer when suddenly, the van swerved abruptly across the road, the wheels screeching violently against the tar as Eve turned the wheel sharply to avoid the shape she had seen running in front of the vehicle. The headlights offered her no more than a glimpse of what she had almost hit before the van crossed the bitumen and ended in the ditch at the side of the road.

"Can none of you operate these vehicles without making me ill!" Legolas snapped as he unclenched his fists from around the seat leather.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Bryan demanded after he had picked himself off the floor of the van. The Englishman had been dozing lightly when the sudden stop sent him sprawling. "Do you women know how to drive?"

"Hey!" Eve bit back angrily. "There was something in the road! I barely missed hitting it!"

"What?" Aaron snapped with just as much annoyance while rubbing his neck because the sudden stop had given him a very mild case of whiplash. He glanced at the road and saw nothing but fog floating over the road.

"I saw something," Eve insisted before turning to her travelling companions. "Is everyone okay?"

"A little disheveled but none the worse for wear," Gandalf rumbled without much annoyance.

"What did you see?" Haldir asked as Eve started to open the driver side door.

"Something," she replied, unfastening her seat belt so that she could emerge into the night.

"Eve, wait up," Aaron called out, not liking the fact that she was going out into the darkness by herself. He did not care how well she could protect herself.

However, she was already outside and was walking briskly towards the tar road once more. Aaron climbed out of the van, refusing to let her get too far ahead. With the fog so thick, she needed only to be a few metres ahead for him to lose sight of her. Behind him, he heard the van door sliding open and knew that the others were following suit. He heard her footsteps against the hard surface of the road and felt suddenly anxious that she was little more than a vague shape.

"Eve," he repeated himself, "get off the road. I can hardly see you in this soup."

"Don’t worry," she replied and he took the opportunity to close in on her voice a she spoke, "I don’t think this is a high traffic area."

"Aaron!" This time it was Legolas was crying out and there was an unmistakable urgency in his voice. "There is something here."

"What?" Aaron straightened up immediately.

"I sense it too," Haldir added with as much tension in his voice. "It is close."

"How close?" Bryan asked, reaching for the gun he was rarely without.

"Close enough," Gandalf declared raising his walking stick a little and producing a strong strobe of light from the crystal orb perched upon its end.

The light provided them with some visibility of the surrounding area but not enough to detect what it was that Eve had seen. At the moment, Aaron could only see Eve’s vague shape against the blanket of thickening fog. He was grateful that elves had better sight because it would ensure that they were not completely blind.

"I don’t like this," Bryan retorted, "we can’t see well enough to defend ourselves. We ought to get back to the van."

"I think Bryan is right," Gandalf agreed.

"Eve," Aaron was still walking, conscious of the tar beneath his feet. "Did you hear that? We need to go."

"I heard," Eve answered, standing in the approximate spot where she thought she had seen the mysterious figure she had tried to avoid, wondering perhaps she had been mistaken, that it was merely the tricks played by swirling fog. In either case, Bryan was right, it was time they left. She turned towards the sounds of Aaron’s anxious calls when suddenly; she saw two points of red through the gray mist. Eve was barely able register this when the mist parted and with a loud snarl, something big and dark launched itself at her. She tried to step back but it landed hard upon her with clawing paws that caused her to topple over.

"EVE!" Aaron heard her scream and sprinted forward. He had no more than a few steps when something slammed hard into his body, sending him sprawling. Snarls filled his ears as the first slashes were felt across his chest. The pain served to focus his thoughts, with Aaron having presence of mind to sink his fingers into the pelt of the creature and flinging it away with all the strength he could muster. The animal was strong and recovered swiftly when it hit the ground. Aaron rolled onto his hands and knees to see it running through the mist and as it closed in again, saw himself facing a large wolf with scarlet eyes and bared fangs.

It was going to pounce he realized and immediately rolled onto his back, pulling his legs in as it leaped at him. Aaron kicked hard with both legs, hearing a yelp of pain when the balls of his heels struck at the creature’s underside, digging into soft flesh as it was thrown over his head. He got to his feet and resumed his efforts to reach Eve when he heard the animal’s menacing growl once more. Aaron braced himself to deal with it when an arrow flew through the air, the point slicing through the creature’s neck with grisly finality. The beast dropped immediately to tar road and through the fog, Aaron saw Legolas’ familiar shape moving towards him.

"Thanks," Aaron said breathlessly, "we have to find Eve!"

Legolas nodded and they hurried forward, attracted by the sounds of growling around them. The fog seemed thicker, despite the illumination by Gandalf’s walking stick and by the van. Aaron wondered if Saeran had somehow conjured this. If the man was a sorcerer, it certainly was not beyond the realm of possibility.

"Eve! Where are you!" Aaron called as he continued forward.

Eve’s hands were locked around the wolf’s neck, trying to keep its dripping fangs from tearing out her throat. The animal was incredibly strong and determined with its paws clawing wildly at her to make every moment of resistance an agony. She could feel its claws tearing through the clothes and felt the fire of pain as skin broke. It was struggling hard to break her grip as Eve held her hands firmly beneath its windpipe, using all the strength she could muster to choke the life out of it. The smell of its fetid breath made her stomach heave in disgust.

"Aaron!" Eve finally cried out in desperation when her strength started to wane and blood began to fill the inside of her jacket. "

"Get off her!" Bryan shouted as he appeared through the fog, announcing his arrival by delivering a swift kick into the animal’s side. It flew off Eve with a yelp of indignation and pain, corresponding with the ribs Bryan would surely have broken when he drove the creature of the policewoman. The beast rolled onto its fours almost as soon as it landed, its eyes gleaming with rage as it took a running leap towards Bryan. Without even batting an eye, Bryan raised his gun and pulled the trigger. The quick succession of exploding gases released one bullet after another into the creature’s body and with a sharp howl of pain, it felt down dead.

Meanwhile, Gandalf was standing in the midst, chanting ancient words that was driving away the fog around them. There was scent of malice in the thickening fog around them as he raised his walking stick in his hand, imagining that it was his staff, the crystal orb glowed even brighter, forcing away the swirling mists. The fog rolled away like the receding waters of a flood. It retreated far enough to give them clear field of the car and the road. Haldir looked up at the wizard from the beast he had felled with his bow. It twitched spasmodically in its death throes as the elf rose to his feet strode towards him.

"Aaron!" Bryan called from Eve’s side. "She’s hurt."

"Eve," Aaron crossed the remaining distance between his fiancée in a few long strides. "Let me look," he said dropping to his knees.

"Its not too bad," Eve said wincing in pain, "I think its just some lacerations. Damn thing clawed at me pretty good."

Aaron did not answer as he pulled back the bloodied material of her jacket and shirt and saw the deep claw marks on her body. It was not life threatening but animal claws could be poisonous and the lacerations were deep enough to cause concern. They needed treatment immediately. "I’m getting you into the van," Aaron said sweeping her into his arms and lifting her up.

"I don’t need to be carried," she protested without much effect.

"Just shut and the let him help you," Bryan retorted, similarly concerned by the wounds himself.

"I didn’t thank you for your help," she replied, not about to be flippant with what was good advice and he did save her life. "That thing almost tore out my throat."

"Wolves are common in these parts," Bryan shrugged, never one who knew how to accept thanks very well.

"Not many have red eyes," Aaron pointed out.

"Yes," Legolas nodded, "he sent them."

"He sent them?" Bryan’s eyes widened. "He sent wolves?"

"He has many allies," Gandalf replied, "not all are men or wraiths. Some are beasts and fowl. I fear our attempt to reach him is no longer a surprise."

"If it ever was," Legolas added. "Sauron must have known that it was only a matter of time before we sought him out."

"Then we should not linger," Haldir suggested. "We need to go before he unleashes more of his beasts."

Aaron grumbled as he carried Eve to the van ahead of them all. His own wounds stung but they could wait until she was tended to. ""I suddenly miss John Malcolm very much," he grumbled, "at least he didn’t try and kill us with a fucking menagerie."

Bryan surveyed the grisly scene of dead animal carcasses and decided that this was merely a small sample of what Saeran had up his sleeve. This was just to delay them. Bryan did not like the implications of this. Saeran’s sudden departure from England and this paltry effort meant that something bigger was coming into play. He was beginning to understand what Gandalf meant by saying that time was becoming short.

It was as well that Tory and Fred were far away from here.

************

At the instant that Bryan Miller was filled with that particular thought, Tory Harding was shivering in darkness, lying on her side within the confines of a car boot. Fighting feelings of claustrophobia as her senses was limited to what she could hear and smell, she felt her heart pounding with fear as she felt the drone of the vehicle as it made its way to parts unknown. The interior of her self-imposed confinement was cold, mirroring the temperature outside the car and Tory was somewhat grateful that she was dressed warmly, though she was fighting to keep her teeth from chattering.

She wondered what on earth she was thinking. If she had any sense, she would have kept going and not looked back, no one would have begrudged her for wishing to save her life. However, she had made a promise and if she could not keep it, if she failed to protect Fred as he asked, then how could she expect Bryan to keep his oath to stay alive? She hugged her knees closer against her body, trying to get warmer and knew that she had no choice, she had to follow this course to its end even though it had not begun the way they had expected.

*****************

Tory was feeling more emotional than she would have liked when she and Fred boarded the train that would take them to away from Craiova. Although she had put up a brave face when she and Bryan had said goodbye, she felt somewhat overwhelmed by this feeling that she would see none of her friends again, not simply Bryan. She thought of better days when she, Stuart and Aaron had been a trio of adventurous kids trekking across Europe like it was some great adventure. She hated to think that if anything were to happen to him, Tory would be all that was left of that happy youth.

However, her feelings for Bryan were more complex.

Bryan felt like someone who should have been in her life but was not. Perhaps it was all this business of reincarnation that had engendered such thought but when Tory had demanded of him the promise to stay alive, it was made with the instinct that he should have been in her life though it was not always meant to be. She had hoped to ask Gandalf about this when things were a little less frantic because he seemed to know a great deal about everyone. Had she been someone in Middle earth once? Was she someone in the past meant for Boromir if he had not died? The whole thing sounded improbable but since meeting him and learning about this ancient past that was recorded nowhere in human history, she could not help believing in it a little.

"Are you okay Tory?" Fred had asked as they were waiting in the private compartment that Bryan had booked them.

Tory looked down at the little girl brushing down the golden hair of the Barbie in her hands. In the past two days, Tory had learnt it was something that she did whenever she was anxious, as if the stroking motion was soothing somehow.

"What’s her name?" Tory asked in an effort to avoid asking the question.

"Geraldine," Fred said softly, her eyes displaying the same sorrow as when they were forced to bid Bryan and Aaron goodbye

"That’s a lovely name," Tory replied with a smile, slipping her hand behind the child’s shoulder and pulling her a little closer.

"It was mummy’s name," she whispered, lips quivering slightly.

Sorry that she had brought up that particular memory, Tory quickly added, "he’ll be alright, Fred. If there’s one thing he knows how to do, its stay alive."

"Not if he thinks he’s dying to keep someone else safe," Fred pointed out with a remarkable stroke of insight.

"He promised me," Tory declared defiantly, marveling at her understanding but refusing to believe that she could be right.

"You like Bryan?" Fred stared at her inquiringly.

"A little," Tory answered with just as much sadness, once again assailed with the instinct that she was forever doomed to wait for this man who would die before they could have anything together..

"He bought Geraldine," she replied looking down at the doll once more.

The notion of Bryan going through the Barbie aisle of a department store brought a smile to Tory’s face and she felt the sudden need to excuse herself to regain her composure. Fred was frightened enough without having to see her pining over the man like some teenager. Protecting her meant not simply keeping her safe from Saeran’s men but also to ensure that the child’s mental well being was similarly nurtured.

Good lord, she was starting to sound like Aaron.

"I’m just going to the rest room for a moment, do you think you will be alright on your own for a few minutes?" Tory asked as she picked up her handbag.

"Uh huh," the child nodded, not looking up.

Tory left the compartment, glancing out the window and seeing more and more people boarding the train, signaling its eminent departure. It was mid afternoon and she wondered briefly where Bryan and the others were at this moment. As she made her way to the restrooms, the narrow passageway was filled with passengers finding their compartments. The young almost always carried backpacks while the older passengers were contented with more traditional pieces of luggage. Tory was grateful to find the rest room so that she could step out of their way in the narrow aisle.

Tory used the bathroom and stepped before the sink to wash her face with some cold water. The feeling of cool moisture against her skin was very revitalizing. She thought of her companions, wondering what darkness they were facing in their battle with David Saeran and prayed that Gandalf’s gods kept them safe. Drying her face, she made herself look appropriate, suddenly feeling the need to return to Fred because the little girl should not be left alone for too long. Fred was a very capable child but Tory had this sense that there was only so much she could take before her resilience gave way.

Tory stepped out into the aisle and made her way back to the compartment when suddenly she saw something that froze the blood in her veins. A tall man in a black suit, whose face was partially obscured by his hat and whose skin was almost pasty white was stepping into the compartment occupied by Fred. Tory almost ran forward when she heard Fred’s cry of horror that was suddenly silenced. However, Tory forced herself to remain where she was. The man whom Tory was certain were one of the Nine, had not seen her but he was not alone. Thinking quickly, she slipped into an unattended compartment and waited as she heard his footsteps coming down the passageway.

Pressing herself into a corner, she waited with the door at her side, hoping that when the enemy looked into the compartment from the aisle, he would see an empty cabin because she was just beyond his line of vision. She heard his footsteps pause at the door and her breath stilled silently in her throat. From her hiding place, she looked out the window and saw the parking lot clearly. There were two black cars, very much like the ones in England waiting for its masters to return. They would have Fred have by now and felt her heart aching at the fear the child must be enduring in the hands of these creatures.

She could not think of that right now, Tory told herself as she waited for the footsteps to resume again. A second or two had passed with Tory daring not to move or breathe as her pursuer scanned the room with his undoubtedly crimson eyes hidden beneath sunglasses. She wondered how many there were and prayed that it was not their full number. The footsteps resumed at that moment and Tory could hear it growing distant as the Nazgul continued his search at the next compartment. Once free to move, she let out a sigh of relief and considered what she ought to do.

She could not let them have her, Tory concluded first and foremost. She had promised Bryan that she would keep Fred safe and that was what she would do, no matter how seemingly beyond her it was. Taking a deep breath, a vague plan formed in her head. Tory surveyed the belongings of the absent occupant of the compartment who had yet to return. The only thing of use to her was an umbrella and she was pleased to note that it was an old fashioned one with a protruding steel tip. Stealing it, Tory opened the window and climbed through quickly. She garnered a few odd looks as upon doing so but ignored them because she had larger concerns on her mind at than their scrutiny.

Landing on the hard granite platform, she hurried through the crowd of bodies as she saw the Nazgul beginning emerging from the train. They had yet to see her and as she broke into a run through the train station, Tory intended to keep it that way. She simply had to reach their unattended vehicles first. Suddenly a burst of sound rang through the air, accompanied by screaming. Tory came to an abrupt halt and glanced over her shoulder to discover that the Nazgul had brutally shot a train guard. The man had attempted to intercede when he saw the dark suited men leaving with a child who was struggling fiercely in their grip. The Nazgul who were not about to be parted from their prey now that they had finally acquired her, were reacting with deadly force.

Tory forced herself to leave this scene of pandemonium behind and became one of many people who was running out of the station in fear of the madmen who were armed and firing. By the time she reached the parking lot, there was sufficient confusion to ensure her advance upon the Nazgul’s vehicle was relatively unnoticed. To make certain of it, Tory crouched low as she sneaked past the tinted windows to the rear of the vehicle. Keeping low to the ground, she stuck the steel tip of the umbrella beneath the lock of the boot and began to pry it open. It took a few seconds and at least two or three strong efforts before she heard the sharp click of metal giving way.

Forcing away her fear, Tory slipped quietly into the compartment and pulled the boot close, her covert entry gaining a good deal of assistance from the terrified people who were running out of the station in the midst of more gunshots. The urgency of the situation robbed Tory of the time to truly consider what she was doing as she was forced to ignore the commotion and climb into the vehicle. Pressing her head down against the carpet of the boot, she ignored the smell of oil and diesel and told herself again that she was not insane, that this was the only way to help Fred.

Minutes passed before she heard the sound of a door opening and scuffling noises of a struggle.

"Let me alone!" Tory’s heart clenched hearing Fred’s terrified wail.

"Secure....her...." a voice said with a prolonged his. His voice sent chills through Tory’s spine.

"Don’t touch me!" Fred squealed.

"Be...silent...Baggins....," the enemy warned.

"What of the other?" Another voice asked but it was no different that the first.

"She is nothing. In days it will not matter that we let her go, she will die like all the others. The master’s influence upon the humans are strong, the rings are bending them to his will even now. In days, they will launch the missiles."

***********

It did not matter that she was freezing inside the car as it made its way to an unknown destination, Tory thought as she felt her body ache from its cramped confinement. She had promised Bryan to protect Fred and she would do that, no matter what happened because her life was in jeopardy either way. Whether it was heading safely out of Romania or freezing in the boot of this car, she was going to die if Saeran was not stopped. The vision of nuclear Armageddon that Aaron had brought with him from the Undying Lands was real. It was real because Saeran had agents with access to nuclear warheads and in under a week, they would launch.

God help them all.

************

The town of Motru was most notable as a coal mining town. It was not at all a place that drew tourists. There was little in the community that was not affected by the coal, it seeped into the buildings and into the raspy breathing of every miner who dug for the ore. As the van arrived in the principality of Motru the company was greeted with the worst of Romania’s terrible poverty. The nation had recovered slowly in the wake of the Ceausescu regime but in Motru, its effects was seen plainly in the abandoned factories and the old, run down buildings that made up much of its commercial sector. Everything looked old and in bad need of replacement. The elves who had had seen the world of men in one extreme were rather disturbed by the other.

"This place reeks of despair," Legolas commented and even in the darkness, Aaron could not deny that there was no need of elven senses to tell him that. "What has happened here?"

"Everything," Bryan remarked from behind the wheel, having taken the wheel in light of Eve’s injury. "This country has been bleeding for a long time. So many regimes have come and gone, all wanting prosperity, abandoning traditional agricultural pursuits for industrialization, not to mention the corruption of the men in charge. It will take years before Romania is truly on its feet and towns like this have a bit of life in them."

"Industry is too often mistaken for progress," Gandalf said with visible distaste. "I do not think we should remain in this township. If Saeran has agents who could intercept us from a hundred miles away then I assume he will have them closer to home. We should acquire what supplies we need discreetly and continue onwards."

"He’s right," Aaron agreed. "We need to take a good look at Saeran’s place to figure out a way in. I prefer we try it during the day instead of night. Christ only knows what he’s got hidden there."

"I suspect he knows we’re coming anyway," Eve retorted flinching a little because the fresh bandages Aaron had applied to her wounds were itching a little. "I don’t think those wolves just ran out in front of anyone’s van."

"Sauron always employed beasts as his eyes and ears," Legolas explained as he stared out the window at the city, which more than any others he had seen since arriving in the world of men, resembled Minas Morgul. "The crebain of Dunland, trolls, orcs, watchers and spiders."

"Spiders?" Eve gulped visibly. "What was that about spiders?"

"You’re not afraid of a little spider are you?" Bryan looked over his shoulder with a mischievous smile, the kind sported by little boys who enjoyed terrorizing little girls. "I mean what’s to be afraid of? They’re only little things with hairy legs, crawling all over the place when you can least expect them."

"Oh the spiders I speak of are not small but large, some were bigger than men. My father’s kingdom in the Woodland Realm was home to a nest of great spiders and I spent many a day hunting them," Legolas continued to speak, unaware that Eve was turning a shade paler.

"Will you two knock it off?" Aaron barked, unable to believe their ignorance because he could see real fear in Eve’s eyes. He had not been aware of her bout of arachnophobia but supposed that there was no reason for him to know since the subject had never come up before this. "You’re frightening the woman."

"I do not think that they could survive into this day and age without your people being aware of it," Haldir added helpfully. "Indeed, we had driven them out of the Woodland Realm after the War of the Ring."

"That’s good too know," Eve said gratefully. "I don’t relish having to deal with big spiders."

"You and me both," Aaron replied encouragingly, "but I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t have something as equally frightening to send at us. The wolves were just the first act."

Unfortunately, no one could disagree.

*************

Tory’s eyes flew open in the darkness when the engines finally died.

She had fallen asleep somewhere during the journey and it disturbed her that she could not account for how long she had unconscious. The urge to escape her prison now that it was stationary was overwhelming but Tory sensed this would not be wise. Instead she remained where she was, listening closely to the sounds of a door opening and closing in quick succession. She heard scuffling and voices growing distant as they left the vehicle behind. Tory felt her palms become moist with fear, despite the fact that it was still very cold.

She did not know how long she waited there, too terrified to move because in the darkness, she had remained anonymous. However, the reality of the situation soon dawned itself upon her. She had to know where they had taken Fred. While she had stayed confined in this darkness, she was of no help to the little girl. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the umbrella and pried open the boot once more. It opened with a minimum of sound but Tory did not make a move to emerge from the boot for some minutes, in case it had drawn anyone’s attention enough to investigate.

Pushing the door open, Tory peered over the edge and found that she was inside a darkened room with many other vehicles. It did not take her long to discern that she was in a garage although this one was larger than most and the stone slabs that made up the walls appeared more like the walls of an old castle rather than any kind of structure she was familiar with. Tory looked around and was grateful to find that no one else was in sight. There were two means out of the garage, one through the passageway the cars had used to enter the building and another was through a door at the far end of the room. Assuming that the Nine would have taken Fred deeper into the structure, Tory decided that too would be her path.

Reaching it, she twisted the door open and slipped into the narrow passageway within. Tactically, it was dangerous to begin down this corridor because if anyone else were to come, there was no way she could hide. Unfortunately, she had little choice and followed the stone corridor to its end. Once there, Tory had to choose between two winding stairways, one that led through the floor to the depths of the building while the other swept upwards. After a moment of consideration, she took the steps upwards. The staircase was wound like a corkscrew and making her way up it impressed upon her how close the walls were.

She heard no sound and supposed the silence could be explained by the darkness. It had to be night because the place was almost pitch black and she was grateful when she had finally reached the top and saw this confirmed through window of the room she had emerged. To her relief, it appeared that the place was not the stygian and gothic castle belonging to some dark lord but rather the luxurious home of a corporate giant. As she stepped into the foyer, she saw that it was a place of marble floors and expensive draperies. A great staircase swept into the upper levels of the mansion, covered in red carpet and made Tory think of Buckingham for some odd reason.

Chandeliers of differing shapes and sizes hung across the ceiling and appeared to be adjusted to exude a dim illumination for the nocturnal hours. The mansion was decorated in the fashion of the great manor homes of Europe and though she was not deluded into thinking that this place was anything but dangerous, she felt herself on firmer footing in an environment that seemed to adhere to a modicum of sanity. Scanning the foyer’s length, Tory saw that there were other rooms with the nearest being one with tall doors and ornate engravings. Light emanated through the crack of the door indicating that the presence of someone inside the room.

At that instant, she heard the soft tune of a whistle accompanied by the sound footsteps growing louder from above. It did not take Tory long to discern that the those footsteps belonged to someone who was descending the sweeping staircase and she immediately withdrew into passageway leading back to the garage, allowing just enough leeway to observe the new arrival. When he moved into sight, Tory recognized him immediately. He was attired casually in the manner one would expect from the tycoon of a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate with a countenance of privileged relaxation. Stepping onto the marble floor, he strode casually towards the room with the tall doors. When he passed beneath the ambient light of the chandelier, Tory was given her first real view of David Saeran.

He was more handsome in person but there was a coldness to his features that hinted at his true nature despite his pleasing outward appearance. He seemed oblivious to her presence and Tory was never more grateful for her own ability to go unnoticed because something about him terrified her. Perhaps it was all the stories that Gandalf and the elves had told her about this man or more accurately, this dark lord that frightened her so but her instincts were compelling her to flee while she still could. Unfortunately, she could do nothing while Fred was imprisoned here.

Saeran reached the doors and pulled it open, a flood of light filling the dimly lit foyer. Tory craned her neck as far as she could without giving herself away to see what was inside. It did not take her long to be confronted with the sight of the Nine waiting for their master's audience, proudly presenting them with a prize he had awaited a hundred thousand years to receive.

Fred.

************

It was not quite dawn when the eyes of Legolas Greenleaf flew open with alertness.

He sat up immediately in the back of the van where he had taken a few hours sleep, after allowing Aaron to take over the watch when they had paused in their journey to rest. Indeed as he sat up, he could see the doctor seated before the fire, warming his hands as the rest of the company slept. The atmosphere was one of peaceful serenity and with the darkness of the wilderness surrounding them, there was little danger that easily discernible to the human eye.

Fortunately, Legolas was not human and as he saw Haldir and Gandalf began to stir, he knew that he was not the only one who was gripped with this sense of impending peril. The danger was coming at them and it was approaching fast.

"Everyone get up!" Legolas shouted tautly, his voice sounding odd when raised because the others had seldom heard him use in that manner.

Aaron jumped startled from where he was seating and turned to the elf that was wearing a grave expression on his face. "What is it?"

"There is danger," Legolas said as the others around him stirred. "It is coming upon us quickly! We must leave here now!"

"He is right," Haldir added, his voice still groggy from being so abruptly roused from his restless sleep. "My dreams were clouded with a growing threat. It is drawing nearer with each second."

"The enemy has found us," Gandalf replied. "We must leave immediately."

"Get in the car!" Bryan ordered Aaron who was still debating the situation with the elves and Gandalf. Thanks to his years in the service, he was more than accustomed to sleeping with one eye open and when Legolas had raised the alarm of danger, Bryan had no difficulty in rising to the occasion. He was already armed and sliding into the driver's seat of the van. If danger was coming, then he preferred to be on the move when it arrived.

"We're leaving," he stated as he brought the engines to life.

"Leaving?" Aaron declared as he climbed into the vehicle. "Exactly where are we going? If they're know we're here then they must know where we're going."

"It matters little if they know we are coming or not," Gandalf interjected, "the fact remains, we must maintain our course towards Sauron," Gandalf replied smoothly as the doctor pulled the door close when he was inside the van.

"How?" Eve grumbled as her eyes darted about anxiously, trying to discern from which direction the attack would come. So far she could see nothing ominous but too many trees and the thick fog that was a way of life in the Carpathian Mountains.

"We'll think of something," Aaron retorted as he buckled himself into his seat. "Right now, let's just get moving."

The drone of engines became a healthy roar when Bryan put his foot down on the accelerator and caused the van to surge forward in a burst of speed. The sudden acceleration of the vehicle proved to be fortuitous because no sooner than they were speeding away from their campsite, beams of light pierced through the fog, seeking them through the swirling clouds. The rumble of engines belonging to several cars soon followed the appearance of the strobes as the van made its way towards the road with only a few seconds elapsing before they became visible to the eye.

"There are three of them behind us!" Aaron called out as he saw their headlights closing the distance between them. The glare of lights bearing down upon them flooded the inside of the van and Aaron was forced to turn away as he saw the three sets of headlights giving chase to their flight

"Bryan, step on it!" Aaron barked as he saw the gap between the vehicles narrowing.

"What the bloody hell do you think I am doing?" Bryan snapped as he pushed harder against the accelerator. "This is a van not a Ferrari!"

The elves were holding onto their seats tightly and even the poor illumination could not hide their anxiety at the speeds they were traveling. Aaron was certain that after this he was never going to be able to coax Legolas into a car again. Everyone was bracing themselves for a bumpy ride as the van sped up just a little bit more. Unfortunately, the added velocity did not improve their chances of escape. The vehicles following them were catching up quickly with one of the stretched, dark cars pulled along side of them.

"Keep down!" Aaron shouted in warning just as he saw window being wound down on the other car and the barrel of a gun appearing through the gap. The bullets tore through the windows as everyone dropped to the floor. Overhead, glass shattered spectacularly, raining shards all over their prone forms.

Bryan veered the vehicle sharply away from the black Mercedes and succeeded in slamming hard against the car flanking the other side of the van. The sound of metal crunching like paper filled their ears as Bryan tried to escape the deadly gunfire. He looked through the side mirror and saw the third car speeding on the outside of the road, gaining rapid distance as it began to pass all of them.

They're trying to cut us off, Bryan thought to himself and shouted quickly. "Everyone, make sure your seatbelts are on!"

"Oh hell," Eve swore understandably "I don't like the sound of this!"

Aaron could not blame her and made sure that Legolas and Haldir were fastened into their seats securely. The elves had a severe distaste for the belts and preferred to endure their ordeal in the vehicle without them. Unfortunately, Aaron suspected that Bryan had something in mind that was going to make seatbelts the difference between life and death.

"We're secure!" He called out and no sooner than he had spoken, Bryan made another sharp pull on the steering wheel, slamming the vehicle into the side of the pursuing car on the left, tyres screeching across the tar along with the sound of metal smashing against metal. The full weight of the van ploughing into the Mercedes succeeded in overturning the car completely. Aaron saw the Mercedes flipped over several times across the road before coming to rest at an embankment, decidedly worse for wear.

The enemy began firing again and more bullets tore into the side of the vehicle, shattering windows that were not already destroyed by the earlier barrage. Eve immediately reached for her gun and proceeded to return fire, forcing the dark car away from the van to escape the hail of bullets coming at them. However, the chase was by no means ended. Another set of headlights behind them revealed another car had joined the chase and was closing the gap rapidly.

"We have to get off the road!" Bryan declared.

"Do what you have to!" Aaron shouted and went to the back of the van and produced his weapon. "Everyone else stay down, some of those bullets are getting through!"

It was true, even as he smashed the back window in order to lay down some fire of his own, he could see the bullet riddle door of the van. It was a minor miracle that no one had been mortally wounded. Fortunately, Eve was covering the side of the vehicle, giving Aaron one less thing to worry about as he pulled the trigger of his gun and struck the windscreen of the car behind them. The vehicle swerved sharply and Aaron thought he might have hit the driver but before it could be forced off the road, the Mercedes resumed its pursuit with even more speed.

The shuddering of the wheels against the uncertain terrain signaled the van's departure from the tar road. The vehicle heaved in protest as it attempted to navigate the uncertain terrain and Bryan struggled to see through the fog as he drove across the open countryside. He could see the others cars closing in on them and lurched forward in his seat when he felt the impact of the Mercedes against the back bumper of the van. He heard Aaron swearing as the doctor was thrown backwards by the collision.

It was difficult to see through the fog but vague outlines began to appear as they neared closer and closer to the mountains. The enemy was remaining close to them, ensuring that they were unable to make a break for the road. Both cars were flanking the van, plying them with bullets and sharp jolts that gave Bryan no choice but to keep going ahead. Unfortunately, they were very quickly running out of places to continue their escape. The mountains were looming overhead and the fog was withering away as they neared it.

"They're herding us!" Eve shouted as she recognized the tactic.

"I know that!" Bryan snapped angrily when his latest effort to escape this course they were being forced to travel, ended with the Mercedes slamming so hard against the driver’s door, he could feel the metal buckle against his body.

"They're going to drive us into the mountain!" Aaron declared.

"I do not think they plan to kill us just yet," Gandalf said knowingly.

"They're doing a good job trying to convince us," Eve replied as she reloaded her gun and continued shooting.

Bryan did not add to the discussion because he was too busy seeking out a hiding place. He had gained some measure of distance, though not very much and hoped to use that gap to lose their pursuers. It was difficult to see through the fog but fortunately, it had thinned out enough to give him some idea of what lay ahead. Suddenly his eyes caught sight of something that captured his attention immediately; a small opening at the base of the mountain range that could have been a mine at one point. The region was famous for its coal and what he saw before him appeared to be a mine that appeared abandoned for sometime. It was not much of a sanctuary, but if they remained locked in this high-speed struggle someone was going to be killed.

Bryan forced his foot against the accelerator until the metal plate was touching the floor. The engines had revved with so much power that its loud roar had drowned out all other sound. Within seconds, the confines of the cavern was rushing up to meet them. The cars behind the van had fallen back and Bryan let out a sigh of relief at the knowledge that he and his companions had eluded capture temporarily. As the darkness of the abandoned coalmine swallowed them whole, Aaron crawled to the front of the van.

"Where are we?" Aaron asked as he peered out through the windscreen at the darkness surrounding them.

"Coal mine I think," Bryan remarked as he brought the van to a gradual halt.

Bryan’s answer seemed to fit because Aaron could see disused mining equipment in the path of the headlights. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Saeran’s men had not followed them into the cave and felt a sliver of hope at the possibility that their pursuers might have lost them.

"It’s a good thing you found this place," Aaron commented, "I don't think we could have taken much more."

Bryan was about to answer when suddenly, his eyes shifted to the rear vision mirror and as his brow furrowed in concern, both men heard Eve calling out urgently.

"Aaron, Bryan, get over here!" Eve shouted.

She was climbing out of the van, staring at the opening of the cave. Through the fog, she could see the headlights of the pursuing cars but they were not moving. They had come to a halt at the mouth of the cave.

"What are they doing?" Haldir asked baffled by this behavior. If the enemy knew they were hiding here, why were they waiting to make their move?

"I believe they have something else planned," Gandalf said ominously as Legolas took a step closer forward. With the exception of Haldir, he was the only one of them with the strength of vision to get a clear view of what the enemy was doing.

"They have emerged from their vehicles," Legolas remarked upon seeing one of Saeran's men stepping forward ahead of the others when they disembarked from their vehicles. He was holding an odd device in his hand. "One of them is carrying something."

Bryan was amazed at the elf's ability to see through the distance not to mention darkness but he could not comment upon it because Legolas' statement had surfaced a very unpleasant possibility. "What does it look like?" He asked fearing the worst.

"It is almost as long as a sword," Legolas answered, "he is propping it upon his shoulder. It is made of steel and is round in its shape, like a small log. I do not think it is a gun."

"He is directing it at us I believe," Haldir observed as well..

"Oh bugger!" Bryan swore. "Everyone get to the back of the cave now!"

"What?" Aaron stared at him with wide-eyed insistence.

"DO IT!" Bryan shouted and grabbed both Aaron and Eve by the arm and started running.

The fear in his voice prompted the elves and the wizard to do so without question and no sooner than they had started running, a loud bang erupted, like the popping gasses of a thick marsh bog. The shockwave hit a split second later as the blast of stone and dust swept them off the ground like leaves blown away by a strong wind. All were thrown violently to into the dirt. The explosion was followed by another tremendous roar as the ground shook and cavern became filled with choking dust. For a few seconds, they could only lie there, covered in debris, gasping for breath as the darkness enveloped them with even greater intensity.

It was Haldir who first rose to his feet and thus it was left to him to make the discovery of their predicament.

"The entrance is sealed," he said staring at his companions gravely, "we are trapped."

Part Ten
The Instrument of Fear

For David Saeran, there were few moments in life as sweet as this.

It was no exaggeration to say that he had been awaiting this audience for almost an eternity because a hundred thousand years could be perceived as such by someone who had been anticipating this day for longer than anyone could imagine. Since his resurrection in the world of men, Saeran had seethed with vengeance at the ruination of his carefully cultivated plan in Middle-earth when he ruled as Lord of Mordor. When he thought of his efforts in persuading Celerimbor to forge the rings of power, then to consolidate the disaffected voices in Middle earth into a fighting force equal to none, only to see all it destroyed because of one hobbit, he became so enraged it was hard to think.

All because that hobbit had proved that he was stronger than even Sauron had given him credit. A hobbit whose soul was finally within his reach.

Saeran stared at the whimpering child huddled in the chair the Ringwraiths had placed her, clutching her dolls with almost white knuckles and saw no physical traces of the hobbit once known as Frodo Baggins. Indeed this child probably remembered nothing of the life led in the Shire where she had once been keeper of the One Ring, a treasure Frodo Baggins would eventually destroy in the fires of Mount Doom though it did not belong to him. The destruction of the One Ring had ended Sauron’s bid for power over Middle earth and condemned the remnants of his defeated spirit to the Void. That was a slight that could not be forgiven, even a hundred thousand years after the event.

"It is my pleasure to finally meet you Fred," Saeran took a step towards her and saw her cringing further into the chair, her terror intensifying now that the dark nemesis of her dreams had shown himself at last. Her eyes were brimming with tears and her fear of him was so palpable that it was rather amusing. "May I call you Fred?"

She did not answer.

"I have wanted to meet you for the longest time Fred," Saeran extended his hand towards her and though the child shrank away, she could not escape him either. His finger brushed a strand of dark hair from her face and as he did, he took especial pride in seeing her tremble like a leaf. This would be so much more satisfying if she understood why she had earned his utter disdain but Saeran was patient, they would be spending a great deal of time together in the future. Fate had made Frodo Baggin’s reincarnation female and Saeran intended to exploit her gender to the fullest extent. He had no intention of killing her but every day of her life was going to be an expression of pain, of that there would be mistake.

"My servants have been searching for you since the day you were born," Saeran held her chin in his hand, pressing hard against the soft skin to ensure she would think twice about pulling away. Her lips were quivering because she was shaking so hard and Saeran felt tears dampen his fingertips. For this initial meeting, words were more than enough to impress upon the child the gravity of her situation.

"You know that don’t you?" He looked at her with a smile. "You heard me at night, you heard me whisper in the dark. I told you we would meet one day."

Her eyes furrowed in memory of the vile things she had heard in her sleep, the whispers in the dark of all the awful plans he had for her. She understood some of it and some was beyond her youth to comprehend but Fred suspected that she would find out if she remained his prisoner long enough.

"Bryan will come for me," she whispered softly, surprising him with the sudden verbal offering.

Perhaps the Ringbearer’s spirit was not so deeply submerged in her psyche after all, Saeran thought.

"I am certain he will," Saeran lowered himself so that she could look into his eyes and answered as if he were telling the child a bedtime story instead of making her understand that she had no hope of escaping her fate. "When he does, I’ll have him killed like I had your parents killed. You are mine Fred. You are mine until the day you die. I will kill anyone who tries to help you and then I will make you pay for involving them. I have no sympathy for you child. You have the misfortune of being someone who caused me a great deal of strife and I intend to exact the price of that injury with your despair."

"I didn’t do anything to you," she cried, unable to understand what she could have possibly done in her short life to earn this deep hatred. She thought she remembered things sometimes, things about a ring but beyond that there was nothing except this man’s voice in her dreams, his voice and his threats.

"I’m afraid you did," Saeran straightened up, staring at her coldly. "What that is exactly, you will learn over the next few years. As I said, you are mine and here you will stay until the day you pass, which I intend to be a long time from now."

Fred started to cry and Saeran could only smile because the sound of her weeping was like music to his ears. He relished it with deep satisfaction.

"Put her somewhere safe," Saeran replied turning away from the child, "when my current plans reach completion, I will turn my attention to her with the proper devotion. For now, I have no need of her."

With that, the lord of Mordor swept out of the room, taking with him the sweet victory of a child’s tears.

***********

Surveying the mouth of the cave, there was very little doubt that the entrance was completely sealed as they stared at the wall of rock before them. Saeran's men had done a thorough job of trapping them inside the abandoned mine because the air was already starting to become stale. The dust cloud had yet to settle and could be seen drifting through the air by the illumination of the headlights bouncing off the random particles. If the dust was not already bad enough, the blast had loosened particles of coal into the air and a film of dark soot was staring to settle into everything.

After the initial realization of their imprisonment in this dark cavern, the first order of business had been to investigate the possibility of escape. Unfortunately, it was now apparent that they were not leaving the mine the way they had entered. The mouth of the cave had collapsed upon itself and while there were some tools left behind, all proved grossly inadequate for digging themselves out. The headlights of the van for now provided some light but it would not be long before the batteries were drained and they would be forced to rely on what makeshift torches they could make as well as Gandalf's staff.

"This is my fault," Bryan said grimly, pushing against a bolder that was embedded firmly in its place within the blockage of the cave entrance and muttered under his breath when it would not even budge an inch.

"No its not," Aaron returned automatically, not believing it for a second. "If you hadn't driven in here, we would probably be in their hands by now and most likely be dead. This was a good call at the time."

"I suppose," Bryan frowned, hating the fact that their presence here was by design. "I should have seen it though. They were forcing us here."

"Yeah I thought it was kind of coincidental that they seemed to have a bazooka on hand," Aaron nodded, agreeing with his assertion. "They probably thought this was a good way to contain us."

"In a mine shaft?" Bryan stared at him, "it feels like more than just containment."

"Come on," Aaron gestured at him to come away from the wall since it was clear they were not going to be able to clear away the debris to leave the way they came. "We got to find another way out of here."

"I'm with you on that," the Englishman agreed and followed Aaron who was walking towards the van.

When he arrived, he saw Haldir and Legolas had discarded their modern clothing in favor of their elven attire. Since their present situation saw no need to maintain their disguise as humans and would most likely lead them into battle, it was best to be garbed in clothes most suited for the purpose. The elves had been investigating the rest of the mineshaft while Eve rested after her exertion earlier. Aaron could see that she was in pain though she would never admit it openly. He wondered how she thought he would miss it. After all, he of all people was aware of just how recent her injuries were. He himself had bore the brunt of the wolf attack but it was nowhere as serious as the lacerations Eve had endured.

"The mine is not closed," Gandalf announced when the company was together again. "It leads downwards but I sense that path will not be easy. As you have already guessed, we were trapped here for a reason."

"Don't tell me this mineshaft leads to Saeran's little chamber of horrors?" Aaron asked expecting the worse.

"There is great evil emanating from it," Legolas replied as the elf armed himself with the weapons that had been spending a good deal of time hiding since their arrival in the modern world. "Unfortunately, our alternatives are limited. We cannot remain here and that may be the only path out."

"Well we best get a move on then," Bryan replied without hesitation. "We'll take what food and water we can carry and all the weapons. Everything else is going to have to stay behind. When and if this is over and we're still in one piece we can come back for the van but right now, we should only take what we need."

"We're going to need something to see with down there," Aaron pointed out, unhappy at leaving the van behind even though there was no alternative but to do so. Having remembered the watcher that had almost feasted on him beneath the Monolith, Aaron was not exactly enthusiastic about leaving the bulk of their supplies behind.

"We don't know how much air is down there," Bryan returned, his military training coming to the surface very much now, "we start lighting torches and what little there is will be used up quickly and we'll suffocate. The battery torch will have to do."

"Do not worry," Gandalf said assuredly, "I shall be to provide all the light we will need."

With a plan of action laid out, the group began sifting through the supplies in order to take the essentials. Aaron was surprised by just how much weight Bryan was able to carry as he took it upon himself to take most of the weapons. In her condition, Eve was unable to carry very much and between Aaron and Bryan, they had managed to take every gun and all the ammunition in the van. Once they had collected their belongings for the journey, they paused long enough to take a meal before setting out for the mineshaft, with Gandalf leading the way.

The mineshaft appeared to have been deserted for quite sometime if the cobwebs and dust were any indication of its neglect. Fortunately, as they descended the narrow passageway into the earth, the air did not thin which was a good sign that a fresh supply was coming from somewhere. Gandalf seemed to be quite adept at navigating through the uneven terrain and despite the claustrophobic feel of the black, ash covered walls around them, Aaron started to think that perhaps they would see daylight again.

They walked for what seemed like hours, in a passageway that seemed to be taking them deeper and deeper into the earth. Occasionally, they would happen upon other tunnels veering away from their chosen route but the air emanating from these shafts were dank, indicating a decided lack of oxygen or ventilation for that matter. Since Gandalf's navigation had so far kept them supplied with fresh oxygen, they did not question his decision to ignore the other tunnels.

However, Aaron could tell that the elves were anxious. While he did not possess their honed senses, he was an expert interpreting behavior and elves, no matter how much they loathed to admit it, were not all that different from humans in that respect. They could sense danger and it had been a threat growing in their mind for some time now. The only reason neither Legolas and Haldir had voiced this was because the news would do little to alter their course. This was the only way out and whatever danger lingered on the edge of their consciousness would still have to be dealt with if they wanted to escape this darkness.

"This reminds of Moria," Gandalf remarked with a little hint of nostalgia in his voice.

"Moria?" Bryan asked.

"It was the realm of the dwarfs," Legolas replied as if that explained everything.

"They liked living in coal mines?" Bryan looked at him in question, unable to imagine any race willingly adopting a dismal place like this as their home.

"No," Haldir concluded. "They were natural miners. They liked mining the earth for riches and their kingdoms in the mountains were impressive, even if they were an impossible race to fathom."

"I seem to recall you fathomed one quite well," Legolas threw Haldir a look. "If memory serves, you two were very much alike."

"Not that much," Haldir said frostily, not finding comparison to a dwarf very complimentary, no matter how much of an understanding he had with Gimli.

"So what were these dwarves like?" Bryan questioned further, sensing an interesting history behind Haldir's obvious distaste for the comparison.

"Oh they were a lively people," Gandalf replied remembering Aule’s children affectionately, "they loved to do battle and aside from being exquisite craftsmen, they had quite the skill in making brew,"

"And drinking it," Legolas smiled thinking about the drunken escapades that the Fellowship had experienced during the pauses in their journey, in particular those involving Boromir, Aragorn and Gimli.

"I think I like these dwarves," Bryan remarked with a smile.

"Hey didn't you die in Moria. Gandalf?" Aaron declared, suddenly recalling that particular fact about the Fellowship's journey.

"Well yes," Gandalf said not at all disturbed by the fact, "however, I did not stay dead and that was the important thing."

"He has a habit of doing that," Aaron explained helpfully to Bryan. "I put a bullet in him a year ago and he still came back. It’s a wizard thing."

Legolas and Haldir exchanged glances and rolled their eyes in resignation at Aaron's simplistic explanation. Even though Legolas considered Gandalf his friend, he could never forget that beneath the benign exterior of the pleasant old man was a powerful Istar who was not all the human he appeared to be. He was of the Maiar and commanded more respect than it appeared humans were capable of comprehending or affording him. Fortunately, it was one of the reasons why Gandalf had such affection for the race.

"What killed you?" Bryan asked suspiciously.

"Well it did not exactly kill me but we did fight a rather pitched battle and in the end it is safe to say that we both succumbed to the injuries sustained during the conflict," Gandalf explained. "However, it was the balrog who succumbed first."

"Well at least you're not being competitive about it," Aaron teased.

"Balrog?" Bryan inquired further.

"It is a creature the size of a small building, breathed in flame and carries lashes of fire," Legolas answered. "It was one of Morgoth's creations during the First Age. Gandalf killed the last of its kind known to exist in Moria."

"You know, I'm hearing a lot about things that are supposed to have been killed and yet my spider sense is telling me that they are about as extinct as that thing underneath Malcolm's building," Eve pointed out.

"Are you still on about those bloody spiders?" Bryan gave her a look wondering how she could be so sensible and yet so typically female at times. "How can you be unafraid to wax your legs and be terrified of something that small?"

"Waxing legs?" Aaron had to weigh in.

"Have you ever tried it?" Bryan stared at him.

"No, but I'm interested to know when you have," the doctor returned with interest.

"I am not afraid," Eve barked back haughtily. "I'm just saying that a lot of things that aren't suppose to exist anymore appear to be popping up so I'm a little skeptical about the validity of what is really dead and what's not."

The two were so busy arguing that neither had noticed that the others had come to a pause until Eve ran into Aaron who was staring ahead with a grimace slashed across his face whilst rubbing the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache coming on.

"Eve," Aaron sighed, hating it when she was right, especially now. "Brace yourself."

"What?" Eve replied before facing front and finding the rest of the passageway barred to them by a thick, fibrous material that had an odd resemblance to a very large, spider's web.

***********

Tory had not been able to hear much of David Saeran’s audience with Fred but she did recognize the sound of the child’s terrified tears. Fighting the urge to burst into the room and rescue the girl from the dark lord’s clutches, Tory waited in the darkness, unobserved for the moment, grateful that she had retained her calm. Fortunately, being a barrister in the arena of the courtroom had taught her control and so she maintained her because any effort on her part to mount such a rescue would only result in getting her and Fred killed.

When Tory heard the door open, she hurried back into the corridor and saw Saeran emerging first before taking himself up the sweeping staircase to the upper part of the mansion. After his departure, she saw two of the Ringwraiths appear and Tory hurried back the way she came, retreating as far as the garage. She observed the wraiths flanking the little girl who was still clutching her doll, her face an expression of misery as they led her down the spiral staircase again. Tory prayed they had no second sight to speak of because her life and that of Fred’s depended on how long she could move about Saeran’s bastion freely. As it was, she was rather surprised that she had not been discovered already but supposed that a being dedicated to wiping the human race from the face of the earth may not be predisposed to keeping too many of them in his household, even as servants.

Tory withdrew to the garage once more, peering through the crack of its door and heard footsteps intermingled with Fred’s tears when the wraiths reached the bottom of the spiral staircase with their prisoner. As anticipated, they took the route down the other staircase she had seen earlier that disappeared through the floor to the lower levels of the mansion. Fred was not struggling to escape them but Tory suspected that this might simply be because she was too frightened to do so. As far as David Saeran was concerned, Fred was the modern day personification of his most hated enemy and was not subject to compassion despite being six years old.

Tory waited until after the wraiths had disappeared beneath the stairway when Fred’s cries had become faint like their diminishing footsteps. She did not know how long she lingered in the darkness, debating whether or not it was the right moment to begin her pursuit, until concern for Fred’s well being won over good sense. Finally, she forced herself out of the shadows and followed the route taken by the Nazgul. Tory took great pains to be silent when she made her way down the steps, feeling as if she were being lowered to the bottom of a dark well because the staircase seemed to delve very deep beneath ground level. When she paused in the middle of her descent to gaze upwards, Tory could see only a faint glimmer of light above.

It was many minutes before she finally reached the end of the staircase and found that it emptied into a network of corridors. Some were remnants of the mansion but others appeared recently constructed. Corridors constructed with huge bricks of roughly cut stone vanished into smooth concrete walls, painted over. The newer corridors came equipped with power cables, conduits and electric lights running along the ceiling at regular intervals while the older section was not. There were lights but these were against the wall and it felt as if choosing one or the other felt like stepping through time somewhat. Even the air was fresh and ventilated.

Each of the doors along these corridors came equipped with swipe card security locks. For a moment she was struck with the memory of being in the Research and Development section of one of her client’s companies. Certainly there was an antiseptic scent about the place; quite a feat when the rest of it looked like it was straight out of the Middle Ages. Instinct told her that she had stumbled upon something important but for the life of her could not see what that was. More than anything she wished Bryan were here, he would know what this place was in a second.

What goes on here? She wondered.

Tory was almost tempted to investigate but then she remembered why she had come down here in the first place and the realization that she had no idea which direction the Nazgul had taken Fred struck her with a sense of growing despair. The possibility that she might have lost the child horrified her but no sooner than the thought had crossed her mind, she heard footsteps again. Taking refuge behind one of the corners, she saw the wraiths returning to the stairway once more, Fred ominously absent. Tory took note of their direction, particularly which corridor they had emerged and waited until they were well out of sight before taking that route herself.

The corridor taken by the Nazgul was less traveled if the dust and the cobwebs were any indication. When she made her way down it, she noticed that it had adjoining passages that broke off and ran into darkness and Tory’s investigation of one of these junctures led her to what appeared to an underground cavern. It ran as far as the eye could see, though that was not very much because the lights here were nowhere as efficient as the fluorescent globes on the rest of the floor. Fortunately, she knew that the Nazgul had not taken Fred here because as she drew further away from the center of the underground complex, she began to hear faint sounds echoing down the corridor.

It was the sound of a child’s screaming.

The terrified cries prompted Tory into a run and she followed the terrified wails quickly. It was not long before lights faded from view and the air began to turn dank and musty. As she left the last light globe behind her, she noticed the paved floor giving away to dirt. Cobwebs became more frequent and she was brushing away thin ropes of dust from her path. Fred’s screams grew louder and more frantic. Despite being in almost in pitch-black darkness, Tory knew she was at least going the right way. Reaching into the handbag which she had miraculously managed to keep with her during this entire ordeal, she found the lighter she had never bothered to get rid off even though she stopped smoking more than a year ago. It provided her with some illumination as she continued onwards, determined to reach Fred because the child sounded so terribly afraid.

Why shouldn’t she be? Tory asked herself as she hurried forward, unable to run very fast because she needed the lighter to see ahead. She could hear rats squeaking in the darkness and shuddered in disgust. The little girl was alone in a dungeon. Inwardly, Tory was burning with fury and outrage at the cruelty of it. Surely Saeran could see Fred was little more than a baby, with no memory of the person she had been in the ancient past. How could he gain any satisfaction from avenging himself on a six-year-old child who had no idea what she had done to him?

The screams had degenerated into loud, gasping tears and Tory could sense that Fred was near hysterical from her confinement. The child was screaming for her mother and that seemed to tug at Tory’s heart even more. While Tory was well aware that Fred’s parents were only recently murdered, she had been surprised at how silent the little girl had been on the subject. Tory supposed Bryan’s presence had made it a little easier for Fred to bear but now she was like any six-year-old in a terrible situation, crying out for her mother, even though the woman was dead.

When Tory turned a corner at last and reached the small room the crude passageway had emptied into, she understood why Fred’s stoic manner had crumbled so. The lighter gave out at that moment but it had provided enough illumination for Tory to see it. With the exception of a circular cast iron grate on the floor, the room was empty. Tory clicked the button on her lighter again, managing to coax enough of a flame to provide her with light. The illumination did not halt Fred’s tears as Tory stepped forward and saw that the grate was locked by a crude bolting mechanism. Fortunately, there was no padlock of any kind, meaning it could be opened without the need for a key.

Tory heard Fred’s cries emanating from beneath the grate.

Tory ran forward and dropped to her knees at the edge of the grate where stone met iron, "Fred, it’s okay. It’s Tory, I’m going to get you out here!" She said quickly, trying to calm the child down.

The child did not answer and her silence was more terrifying than where Tory had found her. Deciding that Fred’s mental state could wait until Tory removed her from her nightmarish cell. The barrister fumbled for the bolt and pushed it forward and across, removing it from the metal sheath that kept it secured. She could understand why two wraiths were needed to escort Fred here because as she tried to move the cover, it required almost every ounce of her strength to pull it across the top of the pit. However, Fred’s freedom was a powerful incentive and she created enough of a gap to lower herself into it.

It was not much of a drop to the floor and climbing out would prove no problem for Tory but for Fred it would have been impossible to even touch the grate.

"Fred, I’m here," she came to the little girl.

"I want Bryan!" Fred wailed as she ran forward, wrapping her arms around Tory as she sobbed pitifully against the woman’s body.

Tory picked her up and held her tight in a warm embrace, "its alright dearest," she cooed softly in the child’s ears. "He’ll come back to us soon but I’m here now and I won’t leave you again, no matter what happens."

"You have to go away," Fred looked up tearfully, her word escaping her in stutters. "He said he would hurt you if you came to help me."

"He won’t hurt me," Tory returned firmly as she moved towards the edge of the pit and raised Fred to the top. "I won’t let him hurt either of us."

Brave words, she thought silently to herself but Fred needed to believe it. Tory could not believe the evil that would allow anyone to put a child in a place like this. For the first time, she began to truly hate David Saeran instead of merely fearing him. Once she had ensured Fred was safely out of the pit, Tory climbed out herself. It was very dark so Tory flicked her lighter again, painfully aware that the fluid was not infinite.

Fred embraced Tory again, crying a fresh set of tears at being reunited with someone who cared enough about her to come rescue her from this horror. At that moment, Fred adored Tory almost as much as Bryan. "Thank you for finding me," she said in a small voice.

"I promised Bryan I would look after you," Tory said with a smile as she started leading Fred out of the room. "He would never have forgiven me if I left you in a place like this."

In truth, it was more than just the promise to Bryan that had forced her to do this. In the last few minutes when she was struck with the horror of what Saeran had done to the child, Tory had wanted nothing more than to protect this fragile little girl who had earned so many enemies in her short life. Someone had to protect her from these monsters and even if she was wholly inadequate to the task, Tory was determined to do so nonetheless.

Tory had picked up Fred and started running up the way she came, wishing to leave this dungeon behind as fast as possible. She had no idea what she would do once they were back in the light but Tory was making this up as she went. The magnitude of their predicament was starting to unfold upon her because she had no idea where they were and how they could leave this place without drawing attention. They were almost back to the main center of the complex when suddenly, she saw a tall, sultry looking woman with cascading dark hair and hard flinty eyes standing in the middle of the corridor, with a group of men behind her. They were the same as the one who had invaded her house in England.

"I was right," the woman said clearly, "there is someone here."

That was all Tory needed to hear before she spun around, clutching Fred tightly to her and running back the way they had just come.

"Hold on to me," Tory ordered breathlessly as she saw the paved corridor give way to dirt once more. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration or rather desperation struck her and she hastened her pace, even though she could hear the men behind her giving chase.

"Where are we going?" Fred managed to ask.

Tory did not answer and skidded around the corner she knew would lead her to their only hope of evading capture. The darkness within the cavern beneath Saearan’s stronghold enveloped them whole as Tory ran into it, holding Fred tightly to her. The child’s weight in her arms was starting to wear her down but Tory was terrified of letting Fred go not when Saeran was so determined to lay his hands on her. Feeling the uneven ground of dirt beneath them, Tory saw the diminishing light of the corridor over her shoulder as she moved further into the cavern. She had been unable to see its boundaries earlier and as she scrambled into darkness, knew that the black had as much power to hinder their escape as well as hide them from their pursuers.

"I have to put you down," she whispered softly to Fred as they move deeper away from what little light there was. "Hold my hand and don’t let go," Tory instructed as she lowered Fred to the ground. The child’s fingers immediately clasped her hand tightly and Tory found that she had to wave her own in front of her so that she could navigate through the darkness. Meanwhile the voices behind them grew louder, urging Tory deeper into the cavern even though she could see nothing before her. They had to get away before those men deduced what path they had taken. She took another step forward and found herself tumbling forward.

There was not even time to scream when she went over the edge, her hand still locked around Fred’s as she took the child with her over the abyss.

**************

This was a new experience for Aaron actually.

Over the past year he had seen a gamut of emotions from Eve following their first meeting, their subsequent battles with John Malcom, their journey to Valinor and finally the life they shared together. He knew without doubt that he had always loved her and would do so until the day he died. How could he not when all he had to do was look at her and be struck with awe? Eve took his breath away by the sheer strength of her will. He had seen her face every situation with impeccable poise, not to mention courage and as a psychiatrist, it was quite something for him to be able to say with utter certainty that she was the strongest person that he knew.

So he could be forgiven for being rather shocked when he saw how she reacted to finding the enormous spider web in the path they were bound to take in order to escape the mines and reach David Saeran.

Which was not very well at all.

"Oh no, no, no, " Eve backed away from the webbing, the extremely large webbing, the webbing that was not for a little spider as Bryan had so casually put it but something big, something very big. "This is not happening. This is definitely not happening. That isn’t what I think it is," she started to rant.

"Well it is most definitely a spider’s web," Legolas remarked, baffled by the fact that Eve seemed to be confused by this. What else could it be?

Even Bryan had to wince at his timing and the MI6 agent glanced at Legolas with a look of sarcasm, "good one," he muttered.

"Eve," Aaron tried to calm her, "I’m sure its not that bad."

"Not that bad?" She stared at him. "A spider made that web! A very big spider and that’s the only way out! Explain to me how this is not bad?"

"It could be more than one," Legolas added helpfully.

"Will you please shut up!" Aaron bit back at the elf in exasperation as Eve started to turn pale.

"What did I say?" Legolas asked in elvish, a little hurt.

"What did you not?" Haldir shook his head in disbelief.

"I can’t do it Aaron," she said seriously, her panic growing worse by the second. "You ask me to fight the worst damn demon in the universe and I’ll do it with a smile if I have to but I can’t deal with spiders. I don’t like them!"

"Eve!" Aaron grabbed her hands and stared into her fearful eyes, "we don’t have time for this. I love you and I’ll be at your side every step of the way, but we have to keep moving. We don’t have a lot of time and you’re stronger than this. Courage is something you have a lot of and we’ve faced worst things."

"When?" She hissed.

"Don’t worry luv," Bryan added, actually trying to helpful since Legolas had inadvertently scared her half to death. "Spiders or not, they still don’t stand much of a chance of surviving the blast from a shotgun or an automatic. They’re not much scarier than wolves."

"As I recall, a wolf almost tore out my throat," Eve declared defiantly.

"Oh bloody hell," Bryan threw his hands up in the air. "What am I wasting time trying to make a woman understand? You know a man wouldn’t have the least bit of trouble dealing with this and here I thought you had a little bit of sense to you. Just goes to show how you women are under pressure."

Aaron looked over his shoulder and wondered if Bryan was being antagonistic or was that actually some logic behind his words because he saw Eve taking great exception to being accused of feeling this way simply because she was a woman.

"That’s not fair," Aaron came to her defense nonetheless, though somewhat carefully in case Bryan was not being a jerk. "Its not her fault because she’s a woman."

"I can handle myself just fine," Eve blustered, her indignation well and truly provoked. "I may be scared silly because of that spider or spiders but it won’t keep me from doing what I have to! Come on!" She said riding a surge of anger as she walked past them.

Aaron gave Bryan a look as Eve walked ahead to join Gandalf who was wearing a little smile on his face at the unfolding events, no doubt guessing what Bryan was about.

"Not bad," Aaron muttered as he passed the Englishmen. It was most likely that when Eve actually saw a spider her bravado would evaporate but for the moment at least, they were on the move.

"If there’s one thing I know how to do," Bryan replied with a grin, "it how piss off a woman."

"Amen to that," Aaron chuckled and hurried to catch up with Eve.

************

Unfortunately, it did appear that Legolas was right. If there were spiders about, there was definitely more than one of them. As the company delved deeper into the tunnels, they noted numerous remnants of webs, too much to be produced by just one creature. Eve was standing close to Aaron even though her gun was drawn and though he did not mention it, he saw that her knuckles were almost white from how hard she was clutching the grip. Bryan had angered her enough to make her enter the maw of her greatest fear but it could not erase it. Now that they were well into the arachnid’s realm, anger had given way to cold fear once more.

It did not help that they could hear the sounds of movement. The noises alternated between the heavy drag of a spider’s torso against the ground and the unbelievably chilling sound their numerous legs made against the dirt. Legolas and Haldir had armed their bows and the Mirkwood archer had taken flank next to Eve, in apology for frightening her out of her wits earlier.

"They are on the move," Legolas announced.

"Yes," Gandalf nodded. "They are being extremely cautious in how they engage us."

"Oh great, giant and smart," Eve shook her head in disbelief, unable to believe how she had come to be in a situation where they were being surrounded by large spiders. "They’re tracking us aren’t they?"

"More like stalking," Bryan commented. "If those webs are any indication of their size then these tunnels are too small for a concentrated attack. They’ll wait until we enter a larger chamber."

Aaron could see Eve was struggling to control her fear and took a protective step towards her. She glanced at him appreciatively as they continued down the mineshaft until it began to widen into a large chamber. The sounds that had dogged them for so the last hour or so had diminished but Aaron could see Legolas’ expression hardening as if he was sensing something they could not. Even the light from Gandalf’s walking stick could not provide illumination enough to see the entire breadth of the cavern. There were too many shadows and too many rocks to be certain that everything was what it appeared to be.

"Be still," Legolas suddenly spoke.

"Why?" Aaron asked tautly.

The elf did not speak at first, uncertain how his news would be received. Unfortunately, the revelation had to be made.

"They are all around us."

"Can you tell how many there are?" Bryan asked slowly, his finger tightening around the shotgun’s trigger in readiness to fire when the attack began.

"At least ten," Haldir’s answer was followed by a sharp intake of breath from Eve.

"We will continue forward," Gandalf instructed, taking a cautionary step forward. "I think we can risk a little more light to catch them unawares. When the moment comes, run as fast as you can. These beasts have stayed alive much longer than they should have. If anything, it is a credit to their cunning."

Eve scanned the roof of the cave and could see little in the darkness but she was certain that something was there, she could feel it. Bead of perspiration began to form against her skin even though it was freezing cold outside. She saw Gandalf trying to cross the cavern before the spiders attacked but knew inwardly that they had no chance of leaving this place without a fight. While she did not possess elven senses as such, she did have a strong sense of intuition and her instincts at this moment told her that they would be fortunate to escape with their lives.

The silence was overwhelming, like the pause between armies just before someone decided to break ranks and strike the first blow. The company continued their slow journey across the cavern, painfully aware that their progress was being observed closely. Staring into the blackness, they could see the gleam of scarlet compound eyes looking back at them, waiting for the moment to pounce. Next to her, Aaron could feel Eve’s trembling as her fear reached climax and he was certain the creatures in the dark was savoring the scent.

"Why aren’t they attacking?" Aaron hissed voicing Eve’s impatience.

"Spiders are patient Aaron," Legolas explained, his bow armed and ready. "They wait until the moment suits them. We are already in their web, they need only to move in for the kill."

"Gandalf," Bryan looked at the wizard. "Whatever you’re going to do, do it now when they’re not expecting it. If we’re going to take them, we have to do it when we’re ready, not when they are."

"You may be right," Gandalf nodded in agreement. "Be prepared to run at my word."

"You don’t have to worry about that," Eve replied hastily, trying to stop herself from trembling.

"When they come at you," Legolas quickly explained while there was still opportunity, "aim your weapons at the eyes and the mouth. That is where they are most vulnerable and that will also prevent them stinging you with venom. In the portions they are capable of dispensing, one bite will kill where you stand."

"God," Eve grimaced. "Let’s just do this!"

No sooner than the words had left her mouth, a flash of brilliant white light suddenly flooded the cavern so intensely that for a moment, none of them could see. The sharp glare had even worse effect upon the dark bodies surrounding them as the creatures retreated at the overload to their visual receptors.

"RUN!" Gandalf shouted and sprinted forward, taking advantage of the enemy’s momentary disorientation.

The spiders’ distraction was temporary and they reacted with surprising speed once their prey was on the move. Despite their huge black bodies, their legs moved with incredible speed, scampering forward to converge upon the quarry attempting to flee the cavern. The spiders that had been suspended on the ceiling above as Eve suspected began to lower themselves into the killing zone, their gossamer thin webs perfectly taut as they descended.

Eve saw her worst nightmare unfolding when the brilliant glare of Gandalf’s staff had subsided enough to let her see the spiders converging upon her. For a moment, all she wanted to do was run and hide. Certainly, a scream left her mouth when she saw them coming. All sensible thought left her mind as she stood there in the middle of the cave, unable to keep moving because the spiders had craftily blocked both exits. She jumped startled as she heard Bryan opening fire, sending a shotgun blast at the spider coming at him. He had taken Legolas’ advice and aimed the barrel at the spider’s head. The blast caused it to screech in pain and something slick and black splattered across the ground as it fell down dead.

"Eve, watch out!" She heard Aaron shouted and turned around in time to see him tackle her to the ground as a spider came out of the darkness with terrifying speed and pounced. Eve let out a frightened cry as she saw it sail over their head, landing only a few feet away from them both. Eve scrambled away as it crawled forward towards them. Aaron rolled onto his knees and fired into the creature’s open maw. The bullets struck one compound eye and caused it to explode, spraying thick, viscous fluid that made her so sick, she was barely able to contain her urge to gag. However, it was still coming. Aaron prepared to fire again but the spider closed the distance between itself and the doctor with incredible speed, screeching loudly as its mandibles widened in anticipation of tasting flesh. Before Aaron could take aim, the spider was already upon him.

Oh God, she thought frantically, Aaron!

"NO!" She ran forward and kicked hard, her boot landing firmly in the creature’s other eye. It retreated momentarily in pain but it was all that Eve needed. Without even thinking, Eve fired two shots at it and made them count. The first bullet tore through the spider’s remaining eye and the other entered through its gullet. Its screech became a gurgle of pain but it landed heavily against the ground, unmoving. She stared at briefly as its legs spasm jerkily, reminding her of its smaller cousins after a good dose of insecticide. The familiar churning of disgust assailed her but she forced it away because Aaron was right.

She was stronger than this.

"Thanks," Aaron looked at her; inordinately proud that she had managed to fight back her terror and confront her fear when he needed her most.

"Well I suppose you could call this aggressive therapy," she said breathlessly offering a hand to help him up when suddenly his expression hardened and he yanked her forward, causing her to fall on the ground beside him.

Aaron emptied half a clip into the spider that would have ripped open Eve’s back with one of its leg if he had not acted when he had. The sound rocked the cavern as the barrage tore through the insect’s thorax and hideous skull. It did not matter that he aimed because he had released enough bullets to ensure that one of them met its mark. The spider’s advance halted with a splatter of black blood across them both, making Aaron flinch in disgust as the slick fluid made contact with his skin.

"Are you alright?" Aaron looked at Eve who was recovering from the shock of almost meeting her end.

"Yeah," she nodded as she stared at him with a dazed expression. "I didn’t expect you to return the favor so soon."

"Well I am a psychiatrist after all," he remarked as he got up hastily to his feet. "What good am I if I can’t come to my patient’s rescue?"

Eve would have kissed him but this was hardly the time for it and they were nowhere out of danger. Seeking out their companions, Eve marveled briefly at the expertise of Legolas as he shot arrow after arrow at the spiders surging towards him, whether they came from the ground or from the ceiling. When he had claimed to hunt these things for sport, she had only half believed him but there was no doubt in her mind of it now. He might be awful pretty for an elf, she thought with a little smile but he was one hell of an archer and these spiders were no match for him. There was almost an expression of exultation on Legolas’ face as every arrow that left his bow met its mark with ruthless efficiency. If she did not know better, she would say that he had missed this little past time.

Legolas did not take their situation lightly and as he was faced with spiders coming at him from all directions, he knew that it would be too easy for confidence in his ability to get him killed but he could not deny it. Elbereth, he had missed those days when he would hunt the beasts of Mirkwood, when Sauron’s bastion at Dol Guldur had attracted evil to the woods of Eryn Lasgalen.

He saw a spider attempting to lower itself upon him and quickly stepped out from under it, arming his bow with two arrows and firing them simultaneously across its torso. As expected, both arrows sank deep into the dark body and stole whatever agility to keep the beast aloft. Legolas stepped back, as it impacted hard against the ground only a few paces away from where he stood. He saw its blood spilling from its wounds and ended its misery with another well-placed arrow.

Surveying the efforts of his companions, his brow knotted in alarm when he saw Haldir fending off two of the creatures at once. Galadriel’s loyal servant was in need of help and Legolas found himself running past the carcasses he had produced in order to aid the march warden. Haldir had dispatched one of the spiders but did not have time enough to deal with the other. Before Legolas could arm his bow to fire, he saw the beast lash out at Haldir, its powerfully sharp leg tearing through flesh. Haldir let out a cry of pain as a gash of blood appeared over his chest.

"HALDIR!" Legolas shouted in a mixture of horror and rage.

Haldir had fallen when the spider attacked and saw it closing the distance, with its mandibles snapping in preparation of tasting his blood. Reaching for his knife, Haldir plunged the blade deep into the creature’s eye, causing it to rear its head in pain at the white-hot agony that had blinded it. It slashed its leg at its victim and Haldir barely rolled out of the way to avoid the injury to his own which would have be truly debilitating if it were allowed. He anticipated another attack when suddenly, the beast flipped over onto its back in agony, its legs kicking air as two arrows protruded from its neck.

Legolas hurried to Haldir and offered him a hand, "you are hurt."

"Not as badly as it might appear," Haldir replied as he allowed Legolas to pull him to his feet, his eyes grazing the wound across his chest with distaste.

"I could not allow you to be killed," Legolas said with clear relief on his face as well as sincere concern. "Who would vex me otherwise?"

"So you admit it," Haldir groaned in pain as he examined himself.

"Only because you are injured," Legolas grinned.

"Hey!" Bryan suddenly interrupted as he ran past, "if you two ladies have finished the hugs and kisses, you think you might give me a hand here?"

The human capped this statement off by whirling around sharply and discharging two blasts from his gun at an advancing spider. The powerful roar of the weapon was followed by the sickening sound of flesh exploding as the beast’s approach ended abruptly. He had barely a moment to savor his victory when he saw something moving in the corner of his eye. Bryan turned around just in time to see a spider leaping at him. The MI6 agent dropped back and rolled across the ground as it lunged, firing when the beast flew over his head. Its howl of pain prompted him to discharge the weapon again, this time sending a spray of shotgun pellets tearing through the spider’s underside. It landed metres from him, writing in pain and unable to move. Pivoting on one knee, Bryan swung towards it and took another careful aim to blow its head off.

Their effort to reach the exit before the spiders had converged was more or less a moot point as more and more carcasses began to pile around the company of elves and men. The combination of bullets and arrows were making short work of the creatures suffering heavily under the assault. Even Eve had overcome her fear and was defending herself admirably, though Legolas noticed Aaron remained close by her side in case she faltered.

Gandalf was using his magic to defend himself, sending the creatures attacking him flying into walls or flung through the air as if they were their smaller counterparts. Legolas doubted that any of the spiders ever had a chance to come close to harming the Maia who had dealt with far viler things in his time. The creatures themselves were showing some sense of fear because Legolas could see them beginning to retreat, their dark bodies scurrying away through the even darker shadows to escape with their lives.

"You were right," Haldir remarked as Bryan fired at a retreating spider, causing it to screech in pain as the bullet’s tore through its abdomen, "he has Boromir’s charm."

Part Eleven
Gestation

Tory was having a very bizarre dream.

She standing on a balcony somewhere, overlooking a city that resembled very much the images Gandalf had inadvertently put in her head when he was trying to make her believe Aaron’s incredible story about Middle earth and elves in general. It reminded her a little of the older cities in Europe. Certainly, the tall spires and the domed buildings that lay beneath them had great resemblance to the cities of Prague and Brussels. She was looking down at the vista from a great height because the building she was in seemed to be the apex in an expanding series of terraces. Above her, the full moon offered her no answers and produced more questions.

Tory was dressed in clothes that seemed to fit the ancient past and was surprised by how comfortable they were to wear, despite the preconceived notion that women in such periods suffered intolerably because of impractical clothing. Glancing at her reflection in the glass door behind her, Tory was startled by how she appeared in the sweeping gown with her red hair, flowing over her shoulders like she was the heroine of some terrible Harlequin romance novel. If anything convinced her that she was dreaming, it was this surreal vision of herself.

Staring into the room behind the window, she noted that there was something of a feast taking place if the description of such events were accurate. The occasion whatever it was appeared to be something of a celebration. The formal part of the evening had apparently lapsed because guests were moving freely about, mingling with each other. Tory stared in fascination at the faces assembled at the long wooden tables as servants tending to the needs of the nobles present, ran back and forth across the room which was obviously part of a castle. In some ways, this felt like an even more potent dream than what she had experienced at Gandalf’s hands and she wondered why the dreamscape had brought her here.

“Do you tire of the noise as well?” She heard a masculine voice behind her and turned around startled. However, his sudden appearance did not stun her as much as her first glimpse of him.

Tory found herself staring at Bryan, no she corrected herself almost immediately, not Bryan, but rather Boromir. He did not look that much older than his modern day incarnation although with the longer hair and beard, it was easy to led to that misconception. The differences between them, though subtle were marked to someone who knew how to look for it. Unlike Bryan, this man's eyes were weary. She had a sense that he had spent the better part of a lifetime waging one battle or another and it was starting to take its toll upon him. It saddened her greatly to know that this was only the beginning of his deconstruction.

Tory suppressed a smile as she looked at him in the garb of a medieval nobleman and could not deny that it suited him somewhat. She wondered if her dreams had brought her here because of the suspicion that they would have been in each other’s lives if not for Boromir’s untimely death. Whatever the reason, she could not deny that seeing him felt good, even in this place of unreality, even though he was Boromir instead of Bryan.

"Something like that," she remarked unable to think of anything else to say. It certainly could not be the truth. In this day and age a story like hers would probably have her burnt at the stake for witchcraft but then again, this was the time of elves and wizards so perhaps it would not be so incredible after all.

"I would have preferred to leave Minas Tirith without this fanfare," he frowned turning back to the vista of the city beneath them. "My father makes too much of this journey of mine to consult with the elves."

"You're going to see the elves?" Tory asked, wishing she had learnt a little more about this quest where he had lost his life.

"Yes," he nodded. "I have questions only they can answer and I pray it is to the benefit of Gondor because the Nameless One grows bolder each day. He has already assailed the Osgiliath, it will only be a matter of time before he turns his eyes towards the White City."

"You mean Sauron," Tory stated.

"I would not think a lady of your breeding would know of such things," he stared at her with mild surprise.

"You cannot overcome your fear if you don't have a name for it," she remarked, noting his raised brow at the statement.

"That is a good point my lady," he replied with a hint of admiration in his eyes and appeared to be paying more attention to her now that she had sparked his interest. "I have never heard it put in quite that manner but there is wisdom in what you say."

"Thank you," she said graciously as he studied her with the same penetrating gaze that Bryan had employed whenever he wished to unnerve her. Bastard.

"If my lady does not object, I would like to call on you when I pass through Anorien after my quest is ended. I should like to see you again," the question escaped him rather meekly and Tory suspected that despite the persona of the warrior hardened by years of battle, there was a part of him that yearned for more than just his lot as Steward. She doubted that he had ever been in love or had the opportunity to do so because the weight of responsibility had made it a luxury he could not have until Gondor was safe.

She wanted to say yes, that she would like it very much but Tory knew that there was no return for him, no future for either of them, even if this were not a dream. His destiny was sealed a hundred thousand years before she was born. The woman she had been in that life would go on to marry and have children, but she would do it with someone else, with this moment cherished forever in her heart as a monument to what might have been.

The sorrow of it was more than Tory could bear and she felt a surge of remorse for Boromir of Gondor. It was like a deep well of grief tugging at her, reminding her that he was not really gone and that he waited for her back in the world of the living. Still, the need to stay with this man and talk was powerful indeed. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be because already she could feel the pull of the waking world grow more insistent.

She was not even afforded the chance to say goodbye….

“Tory, wake up,” she heard Fred’s insistent voice drawing her out of the dream state with its urgency.

Her head throbbed as awareness flooded her psyche and the dream which had been so warm and comforting a moment ago, began to diminish in substance until all she was left with was this intense yearning she could not shirk off even in reaching consciousness. Despite this momentary uneasiness, her mind was quick to grasp that the voice rousing her from her limbo state had some measure of urgency to it.

Where was Fred? The name echoed so loudly in her mind that it snapped her to clarity in less time than it took to open her eyes. Where was Fred? Was she safe? The vague memory of falling returned to Tory as she sat up shakily, aware of the tugging at her arm but had yet to equate it with her panicked question. She remembered hitting her head as she tumbled off some unseen precipice but after that, everything melted into darkness.

“Fred?” Tory answered, finally registering that the hand on her arm was the child in almost as much state of anxiety as she was over her welfare. In truth, Tory's injury was slight even though Aaron might argue that falling unconscious was never to be taken lightly after a fall. However, the pain was dull and aside from that, she seemed to have suffered no further ill effects.

“Fred, are you alright?” She asked groggily as rubbed the back of her head tenderly. She could barely see the girl because the place was in pitch-black darkness. The only reason she knew Fred was there at all was because she could see the faint silhouette of the little girl next to her.

“I’m okay, are you hurt?” Fred asked worriedly.

"Not enough to worry about," Tory said reassuringly before noticing something very odd about where they were.

She had not taken stock of it before because she was too focused on Fred's welfare and the dull throbbing on the back of her skull. However, now that coherence had returned to her mind in more or less full measure, it was dawning on her the strange consistency of their surrounding environment.

For starters, it was warm.

Considering that this was Eastern Europe in the cold part of the year, it was unseasonably warm. She could feel beads of sweat began to form under her turtleneck sweater and it was not a dry heat that was customary for this part of the world in summer. It was a moist, damp heat. It should be impossible especially in this climate but there was no denying it, the air was humid and it clung to her skin uncomfortably. The temperature was almost equatorial, ranging somewhere she estimated between 30 to 40 degrees Celsius. She thought of how she had been freezing in the car earlier that night only to find herself here, perspiring in what felt like a greenhouse.

"Its hot," Fred mirrored her observation.

"Yes," Tory started to stand when something else became apparent. The ground was warm.

At least she thought it was ground. As her palms pressed against it, expecting to feel dirt she was further unnerved by the sense that what she felt was not all rock or soil but something else all together. She thought of the stress ball a colleague had jokingly given her as a gift. It was ball of viscous fluid sealed with latex and when she squeezed it, it became distorted out of shape. The ground she and Fred were presently standing on felt like this. A thin membrane of something separated them from the noisome fluid below it. When she pushed down, she could feel the displacement of liquid and the effect produced a ripple beneath them, like a waterbed.

Except not many waterbeds she knew were warm and were kept in caves.

"Fred," Tory said quietly, a horrific suspicion beginning to loom in her mind. "Feel around, my handbag should be here somewhere."

"Okay," Fred answered obediently and Tory began searching for her handbag in their immediate vicinity, both their hands waving through the darkness trying to find it.

It could not have fallen far, she thought to herself as she ran her hands over the ground, noticing that it was very irregular. She herself had been sitting on something that was jutting out from beneath the membrane, something that was definitely not fluid. As her hand slid over it, her lack of vision did not hinder her ability to discern what it was. Tory almost screamed in fright but restrained herself and her horror because such a reaction would only terrify Fred even more. Trembling hard, she forgot all about her handbag as she reached for it again and shaped her palm around its contours gingerly.

It was someone's knee, someone's live knee.

"I found it!" Fred's exclamation made Tory jump with fright.

Tory composed herself and turned towards the girl who produced her handbag out of the darkness. Tory immediately began rifling through its contents, finding a notebook and her lighter in quick succession. Holding the notebook by its spine, Tory immediately set alight the pages in order to save the diminishing fluid of the lighter and gain some light. The pages caught fire immediately and flooded the area with much needed illumination. The amber glow spread out across the darkness, brightening the walls of the cavern and creating shadows everywhere.

Tory almost wished it had not because what lay before them was exactly what she had feared only worse.

The cavern itself was large but her discovery revealed that the ground was covered in the sealed gelatinous material almost to its boundaries. The sheath on the ground was thick and gray, covered with a thin layer of moisture. Tory looked up and saw that the humidity had covered the ceiling with condensation and droplets of water fell to the earth sporadically. Fred seemed to shrink nearer to her and Tory slid an arm around the girl's shoulder, needing to feel Fred to know that she was safe. At this moment, Tory did not even trust her eyes.

She was suddenly struck by the image of that terrible scene in Aliens, when Sigourney Weaver and her young charge had stumbled into the alien's nest. Unfortunately, Tory found the similarities between their present predicament and Ripley's aliens to be terrifying similar. Although it was not Geiger's alien that lay beneath the membrane she and Fred were presently gawking at with growing dread, the danger was no different. She remembered the conversation in England, where Aaron had stated that Saeran could not hope to overwhelm the world of men even in the wake of a nuclear war without an army. He was right, mercenaries loved their own skin too much to sit by and watch their master.

She had to give David Saeran his due despite the horror of what she was seeing. He had needed an army but instead of buying one that could possibly turn on him after his nuclear assault upon the earth, he had chosen to create one. She stared at her feet and saw that beneath the gray membrane, so close it was almost leaving indentations in the soft material, was a face. It was a face she had recognized when Gandalf had infused her mind with the memories of Middle earth.

"What are they?" Fred asked in a hushed voice.

"Uruk Hai," Tory replied, the words tumbling out of her mouth without her even questioning how she knew it. "They're Uruk Hai."

"What are we going to do?" Fred returned quickly, her eyes like sapphire orbs as she stared at the field of flesh before her.

"We're getting out of here," Tory whispered, frightened that if she spoke louder, she might wake them.

She could tell that they were moving by the ripples against the membrane. Oblivious to everything in their stasis, Tory wondered how many there were as she surveyed the cavern. There could be hundreds and the thought made her skin crawl as well as fire her determination to leave this place immediately. Searching through the boundaries of the cavern, Tory saw an opening at the far end that was braced by wood and steel. A mineshaft? She thought to herself. Hope flared in her if that were true. It could lead away from Saeran's mansion and this nightmare that she and Fred now found themselves. She had only a few seconds of light left because the note book was burning close to her fingers, however, she was gratified by the fact that she had some idea of which direction they were headed.

Beneath Tory's feet, the Uruk Hai sensed the movement.

Left alone in their state of gestation, their senses were dull. They could sense little beyond the slow moving fluid that surrounded them. They knew that they were many but the beat of each other's hearts slowed by stasis was difficult to hear in their liquid environment. Until the proper stimuli was introduced, they would languish in this state like flies in amber. They had no sense of self other than they were and until it came upon them, had no idea what they needed to escape this limbo that had been their world.

The pounding heartbeat that sliced through their lethargic senses, provoking a mixture of heightened awareness as well as pure simple joy in reveling in senses seldom used were as loud as drums. It did not take them long to focus on the source. Two heartbeats, beating strong and fast, reached out to them like a siren's song, awakening their dormant senses. Though they were eons of years apart in evolution, the orc races had began as elves and though the years had ensured that they were now a separate species in their own right, some characteristics of the First Born remained. In particular, sharp hearing and heightened instincts.

This hearing told them something was near, something very much alive. Their instincts told them what it was.

Prey.

Tory was forced to discard the remnants of the notebook when she was no longer able to hold it. The flames spread quickly to the thick binding, which fortunately took a longer time to burn, and provided them with further illumination in their journey out of the cavern. Fred remained close to her as they crossed the gestation chamber, trying not to become overwhelmed by the shape of bodies they could see through the thin film of organic material encasing the creatures within. The temperature seemed to have risen as her turtleneck became so wet with moisture that it clung to her back. Looking down, she could see Fred's cheeks flushed red with heat.

They were almost to the edge when suddenly she heard a sound. It was not very loud but Tory knew instantly what it was.

"Fred run!" Tory ordered as the membrane began to rip. She looked over her shoulder and saw the fading embers of the notebook as the pages turned into live cinders. The fire had burned through the membrane and the creature beneath it plunged a powerful fist through the fissure, emboldened by the tear in the sheath. The membrane split apart like latex. The last thing Tory saw before the light gave up completely was the splatter of gelatinous fluid through the air as the first of the Uruk Hai broke through.

"RUN!" She ordered Fred who did not need to hear that command again after seeing the same thing.

The little girl sprinted forward as the membrane began to twist and heave all over the place. Tory knew what was coming. The creatures were waking up. Whether or not it was because of the small fire she had started or the fact that she and Fred were simply present, they were nevertheless tearing through their organic cages. She knew by sight what they were but beyond the logical belief they ought to be nowhere near when these creatures awoke, Tory knew nothing else about the Uruk Hai. She could no longer see Fred in front of her as the darkness started to overwhelm her and as she ran forward, felt the ground become more and more unstable.

They were all starting to wake up.

Suddenly, something wrapped itself around her foot and pulled. The strength of that grip was more than enough to bring Tory down hard. She landed painfully against what she was certain was a shoulder and immediately felt it moving beneath her either objecting to the collision or awakening also. She could not see what had halted her but Tory did not wait to find out. Lashing out a foot, she stuck the fist around her ankle and immediately felt it recoil. Scrambling to her feet, she prepared to run again and this time a whole arm reached out from beneath her and grabbed her coat. Tory pulled away frantically, feeling the fabric tear as she freed herself of it.

She took another step forward and felt the air becoming rancid from escaping gasses of the collective cocoon now that it was tearing everywhere. The stench was foul and stomach turning. She remembered being at a murder scene once and being forced to endure the stink of a decomposing corpse. This was too similar. She wondered how many of them were being freed and was gripped with the sudden fear that she had heard nothing from Fred.

"Fred!" Tory shouted. She hated being unable to see anything, not Fred or the creatures reaching for her.

"Tory!" Fred's voice cried out across the darkness. The child was frightened but not in distress, which relieved the woman greatly.

"Where are you?" Tory called out as she felt another hand clawing at her back. Shoving it away, she continued forward, her steps becoming even more ungainly because each time she put her foot forward, she was uncertain whether or not there would be ground to support her. Surely she must have reached the dirt by now? She thought frantically.

"I'm here!" Fred's voice reached for her giving her direction to follow. "I'm on the ground Tory!"

Which meant she was safe, albeit temporarily.

"You stay there!" Tory ordered and struggled her way through the growing number of Uruk Hai awakening in the darkness. "I'm coming to you! Keep talking Fred! Keep telling me where you are!"

"I'm on the dirt Tory!" Fred repeated, "I'm not on the funny ground anymore!"

Tory used Fred's frantic words as a beacon. Her own fear was rising with more and more efforts were made to halt her progress. Fred kept shouting, the little girl becoming her only light in the darkness. Tory sank her nails into the hand that grasped at her thigh, certain she had drawn blood by the howl of pain that the injury created. She could feel fluid against her skin, could feel it soaking into her clothes. She could hear them howling as they made their emergence and wondered briefly how many other caverns like this there really were. She thought of the rooms upstairs, the clean anti-septic corridors that reeked of disinfectant and wondered if this was what Saeran was doing up there, creating his own private army using modern science and ancient magic. She thought that if they stopped her from leaving this place, she would die here.

"Tory!" Fred called out again and Tory breathed a sigh of relief because the child sounded very close, almost in front of her. However, her elation at escaping the creatures was short lived when the heel of her boot pierced the ground beneath her and gave way with a wet, sickening tear. Tory barely uttered a scream when she plunged through into the gelatinous slime.

************

When David Saeran heard that there had been an unexpected visitor to his bastion, he was less than impressed. The Nine had captured the Ringbearer without having the slightest inkling that they had acquired a stowaway during their return journey. Now that same stowaway, a barrister from London no less was roaming freely beneath his domain, having rescued the Ringbearer from the tidy cell he had prepared especially for the child. The leader of the Nine had offered to seek out this intruder but when Irina Sadko had declared that she had seen Victoria Harding escaping into one of the gestation chambers for his army of Uruk Hai, Saeran decided upon another course of action.

The Uruk Hai would no doubt take care of the problem once they felt the presence of life around them. With their superior hearing and their naturally aggressive manner, they would be exceedingly dangerous even if they were newborns. The disorientation of their emergence would last only briefly before baser instincts took hold and they found Miss Harding a very tasty morsel indeed. However, what did concern him was the fact that he had no intention of having his vengeance against the Ringbearer end so prematurely. He had no intention of allowing Frodo Baggins' incarnation and easy a death yet and so he dispatched the Nine to retrieve her with the assistance of some of the Uruks that Irina had brought out of gestation. The creatures were eager for a fight and tasting woman flesh was a good way to blood his newborn minions.

"What about the others?" Irina asked, more than aware that her lover was having some uninvited guests. The security cameras they had affixed in the tunnels inhabited by the spiders had revealed that not even the formidable arachnids were capable of slowing down the persistent group. "They've driven off the spiders and are making good speed towards the main complex."

"Once the trained Nine have retrieved the child, they can deal with Olorin and his rabble. There are more than two hundred Uruks in that chamber awaking as we speak, unarmed or not, they can provide sufficient distraction to my enemies to ensure that keep out of my affairs."

"Is that all you want to do?" Irina said uncertainly as she regarded him in the dark room at the top of the mansion overlooking the balcony. It was still the middle of the night but she knew that this was his favorite time. Saeran preferred the dark and often kept late hours. He expected the same of the humans working for him here and during the years of their service to him, they had become accustomed to that particular eccentricity. "Keep them distracted?"

"More or less," Saeran said as he sat on the chair that she knew to be his throne. Though he had not referred to it as such, everyone who saw him upon it considered it nothing less. Carved from dark obsidian, with ornate and somewhat gothic engraving on the polished ebony surface, the chair came with a tall, straight back, not to mention it was situated on a raised platform. Everyone permitted an audience with the dark lord had to look up to seem him. Irina could not deny that it suited him and was of the belief he had every right to position himself that way in the presence of lesser beings.

He was after all, a god.

"You aren't concern that they might be a danger to you after?" She asked with genuine concern and crossed the space between them to join him at the steps of his self styled throne. As always, she lowered herself to sit at his feet like an obedient pet next to a loved master.

Saeran considered that and made a silent decision. Everything was in readiness and there was no reason why he could not bring forward his plans a little. Certainly, Saeran would enjoy seeing Olorin's face when the servant of Manwe discovered that his failure. The pawns were in place and the mastery of the rings upon them was now absolute.

"They will have other matters to concern themselves with," Saeran said enigmatically. "Far be it form me to ignore a sensible course, I think it is necessary to bring forward my plans. That will give the humans something else to concern themselves with and I doubt the elves will wish to remain here once we've turned the world into a nuclear wasteland. I suspect that only Olorin will be stubborn enough to continue his efforts to reach me but he will be at a considerable disadvantages by that that point."

"That relieves me," she replied meeting his gaze wit affection.

Saeran regarded her affectionately and brushed a strand of dark hair from her face with his fingertips. He wondered why he indulged himself with Irina sometimes. It certainly did him no good and at times proved to be quite distracting. His consciousness was older than the shape of the world but he was rather surprised that she was capable of engendering some semblance of feeling within him. Being Melkor's servant had driven away the softer emotions inside of him but this human shell he wore craved her touch and often. Nor could he deny that she had been a loyal and devoted servant, one who had sworn body and soul to him.

"Good," he gazed at her with a smile, "very soon you will sit at my side as more than just the creator of my menagerie, you will be my consort."

"Like a queen?" She teased.

"I rule with no one," he returned with a predatory gleam in his eye, full of warning.

Irina took no offence. She could not expect to be considered his equal when he was a god and she a mere mortal. She had not the arrogance to think herself as anything but his creature.

"I was sent word today from your European office," Irina replied, wisely changing the subject. "Apparently one of John Malcolm's secret operations has reached a major breakthrough."

"I thought I terminated most of his operations," Saeran answered with annoyance. When the Valar had dealt with John Malcolm for him, Saeran had taken the opportunity to purge the company of all Malcolm's unfinished projects. His former master was never good at choosing his battles thus his efforts tended to be scattered. The man was incapable of producing a scheme with any sort of finesse or complexity. When Saeran had assumed control of Malcolm Industries, Saeran had found himself putting an end to many of them because he needed to consolidate his resources for the grand scheme that was hours away from completion.

"Well the expedition team has been in a very remote location for the last eighteen months so I doubt they would have time to issue the proper paperwork for us to be aware enough of them to halt the funding," Irina explained, having become his associate as well as his lover since Malcolm's demise.

This caught Saeran's interest somewhat, "which one?"

"Project Maedhros," she replied not recognizing the name.

Saeran stared at her for a moment before shaking his head in disgust; "he was always obsessed with jewels."

************

They walked for hours and it was starting to feel as if they would never find a way out of the network of mineshafts they had been forced to traverse since being sealed into the cavern by Saeran’s men. The elves in particular were starting to feel the effects of the confined spaces. Aaron was aware that elves were somewhat claustrophobic and though they had so far managed to contain the uneasiness of their situation, he could see they were eager to find a way out of this dark labyrinth of rock.

Fortunately, following their encounter with the spiders, their journey through the caves had continued without incident. The interlude was welcomed especially for Eve who was recovering from her confrontation with her worst nightmare. For Aaron, it had been something of a revelation because he had never seen her afraid of anything and knowing that she sometimes felt vulnerable, made him feel as if he could contribute something to her life, just as she contributed something to his.

With Gandalf leading the way, they navigated the network of tunnels with good speed, despite Eve and Haldir's injury. Both were eager to keep moving, disliking the fact that their injuries would hinder the group's need to reach the surface. The wizard seemed to know where he was going which was just as well. To Aaron, the mineshafts looked all the same and he was still certain that there was more down here than just spiders.

For awhile they had talked, the conversation providing them with ample distraction from the danger they ultimately faced. However, as the trek progressed, the company began to retreat into their own thoughts and ruminations, allowing a pall of silence to fall over them. Even Gandalf, who had been commenting about everything had not spoken in awhile and though it might seem ominous, Aaron suspecting everyone was reflecting on their own thoughts. Aaron however, hastened his pace so that he could come up along side Bryan because something had been on his mind since Craiova. The lack of opportunity had forced him to remain silent and bide his time while he decided whether or not it was his place to speak.

“Hey Bryan,” Aaron announced himself as he took up flank next to the tall man. “Can we talk?"

“Sure,” Bryan gave him a sidelong glance having suspected this conversation was due for quite some time now and saw no reason to delay it now that the moment had come.

Aaron took a deep breath, trying to word himself carefully. This was a delicate matter and even though he was never at a loss for words when it came to his patients, it was another thing entirely to do for oneself. “I know it’s none of my business and you can tell me to butt out. I mean I will understand even if I probably won’t,” Aaron warned him with a little smile.

“Fair enough,” Bryan retorted, starting to become accustomed to the doctor’s odd sense of humor.

“Look you’re an okay guy,” Aaron said first off. “Reincarnation aside, you’ve saved our necks more times than I can think and we wouldn’t be any kind of shape to deal with Saeran if it wasn’t for you. You’ve saved Eve’s life and I’ll never be able to thank you enough for that but Tory means a lot to me as well. I don’t love her the way I love Eve but my feelings for her are just as strong. I don’t want to see her hurt. I saw what happened between you two at the station and I can't say that I'm upset but you're not exactly the kind of guy that sticks around and I don't think you should start up with Tory if you don't intend to be there when this is all over."

“You’re right,” Bryan looked him the eye and replied, “it is none of your business."

Aaron was about to respond to the contrary when Bryan cut him off by continuing to speak.

"But in deference to the fact you care a great deal for her and that I’m not exactly the ideal suitor, I’ll say this much. I care about her and I won’t hurt her. I don't as a rule 'star up' with women if I can avoid it. In my line of work, its an unnecessary distraction so if it makes you feel any better, I intend to see my feelings for Tory through to the end, whatever that may be. However, you of all people should know that it doesn’t always work out, even if you do care about each other a lot.”

“I know,” Aaron had to concede that and certain that Bryan's confession was sincere, “its just that she loved Stuart even though they were divorced and it was bad enough when he was killed. I don't want her to lose someone she loves again.”

“I wouldn't intentionally put her through that,” Bryan answered honestly, remembering how much he hated seeing the wives of fallen comrades at funerals, weeping for their dead husbands. He had sworn once that he would never put any woman through that and he meant it. However he was unwilling to go into further detail expressing the extent of his emotions about Tory any more than he had already done. There was a lifetime of walls built around his feelings and he had guarded them too fiercely to ever allow anyone see just how deeply or passionately he felt things. “I’m not promising it will be all moonlight and roses between us but I won’t hurt her. You can have my word on that.”

“That’s good enough,” Aaron replied willing to accept that because he sensed Bryan was not one to give his word lightly.

He was about to say more when suddenly, he noted Bryan’s gaze becoming hard and focussed. Following his line of sight, Aaron saw that he was staring at the elves. Both Legolas and Haldir had come to a stop. Legolas’ face showed a mask of concentration as if he were trying to discern something in the darkness.

“What is it?” Aaron asked first.

“I hear something,” Legolas said striding forward past Gandalf, “up ahead.”

“What?” Bryan’s inquiry corresponded with the MI6 agent reaching for his gun.

“I am uncertain,” Legolas confessed, “it is still some distance ahead.”

“The rest of you,” Aaron looked at Gandalf, Eve and Haldir, “stay here for a moment. Bryan, Legolas and me will check this out.”

“But…” Eve started to protest.

“Just hang back okay?” Aaron replied. “If we get into trouble we’re going to need you to get us out of it.”

“We will wait,” Gandalf answered in understanding because Aaron's instructions were based on sound reasoning, “be careful.”

Aaron nodded in acknowledgement before he followed Legolas and Bryan up the passage, a flashlight being their only means of light. Of course Legolas could see better in the dark despite the elves’ natural dislike of caves but Aaron and Bryan relied heavily upon it. With the beam illuminating their way, Legolas closed in on the sound quickly. It was still muffled and incoherent but distance was making it more audible.

“Someone is screaming,” Legolas announced after a moment.

“Screaming?” Bryan looked at him.

“Yes,” he nodded. “It is still some distance ahead.”

Despite being uncertain whether or not they wanted to find what had caused the screaming, the trio continued ahead through the dark and winding mind shaft. The dank air had suddenly become fetid and the temperature seemed to be increasing. All three were dressed for the cold Romanian weather but after delving deeper into the passage, found the effects of the heat affecting them acutely.

“How can it be getting warmer in here?” Aaron asked not expecting an answer.

“I do not know,” Legolas said wiping the perspiration from his brow and trying not to become queasy from the awful stench. There were times when he wished elves were not blessed with a superior sense of smell. “Despite the smell turning my stomach, I find the stench oddly familiar.”

Aaron looked at him, “I don’t like the sound of that."

“Quiet,” Bryan hissed because the screaming was becoming audible to human ears and he was listening closely, trying to decide if investigating it's source would only bring them into more danger. “Listen….”

Both Aaron and Legolas felt silent and Aaron strained to listened as they continued forward, the tone became sharper and clearer until he was able to identify it. It was definitely screaming but the words were still incoherent to him.

Unfortunately for Bryan, the words were unnecessary because he knew the voice. Bryan stiffened in shock when he heard that distant ear-piercing scream because he recognized it instantly. Even in the dim light of the passage, Aaron could see his expression changing. His face became ashen. A gamut of emotions crossed his features in a split second.

Disbelief. Acceptance. Panic.

“It can’t be,” Bryan muttered still in a state of astonishment. “It can’t bloody well be!”

“What are you talking about?” Aaron demanded as he saw Bryan burst into a full sprint, leaving them behind as he tore down the tunnel like his life depended on it.

“Bryan! What the fuck is it?” Aaron shouted angrily as the man drew further away from them.

“FRED!” Bryan shouted back without stopping, "it's Fred! She’s down here!”

***********

Tory tried to scream but there were hands reaching for her through the darkness. Thick, viscous fluid swirled turgidly around her following her fall through the membrane. She felt her stomach heave at the feel of the cold gelatinous substance against her skin as it seeped past her clothes. Unfortunately, she was not alone in this hell and though she was unaware of it, her unceremonious entry into their gestation membrane was a siren song that had them clamoring towards her. The Uruks were disorientated and confused from their sudden awakening and in such straits acted violently. She felt a powerful arm slip around her neck, trying to drag her below.

She struggled hard, hearing Fred screaming after her in terror, unable to answer because the creature was forcing the air out of her throat. She struggled to break free but he was so strong that she barely got his arm to move as she dug her nails into his flesh. The pain only made him shake her about like a doll and made it difficult to remain on her feet. The fluid she had fallen into was not deep. In truth it was no more than waist high but the touch of it against her skin made it crawl with disgust but it was nothing compared to the fact that newborn Uruk Hai was mauling her to death.

She felt others clawing at her but an angry snarl told Tory that she was becoming a source of dispute as her captor wrenched her away from the grasp of the others. She had no wish to be the exclusive property of any one of these creatures especially when the arm lock around her throat had not slackened. It was becoming harder and harder to breathe and if it kept shaking her each time she struggled, it was going to break her neck. Unfortunately, its grip upon her was vise like and unrelenting. With only one way left to her, Tory sank her teeth into its arm and bit down until she broke skin.

The Uruk screamed in pain and shoved her away roughly. Tory almost gagged at the taste of its blood not to mention the resinous substance he was covered with. Breaking free from him, she scrambled away but the darkness and the struggle had confused her sense of direction for she had no idea which direction to go. She could hear more of them coming towards her, closing in on her and knew that if they converged upon her again, they would most likely tear her apart.

“FRED!” Tory cried out desperately, “where are you?”

“I’m here!” Fred shouted frantically, having driven into silence when she could no longer hear Tory, “I’m here Tory!”

Tory let out a relief gasp and started towards the direction of the child’s voice. She had to reach Fred! She had to get away from these creatures. Hearing them all around her and being unable to see except in dark silhouettes had heightened Tory’s terror beyond her ability to think sensibly. She felt fingers reaching for her and slapped it away instinctively, ignoring the others that raked across her back. She was covered in slime, which to a certain extent was useful, because she was too slippery for them to get a firm hold off. However, this would not last and as she heard Fred causing a commotion so that she could find her way to the little girl waited, Tory knew that eventually the Uruks would turn their attention to Fred.

Suddenly, she felt her foot hit what appeared to be rock and Tory gasped loudly at the discovery that she had finally reached Fred. She started to climb out and felt Fred’s small hands trying to help her up.

“Come on Tory,” Fred said urgently, as Tory struggled to climb over the ledge. The entire cavern began to fill with snarling noises and Tory knew that the rest of the Uruk Hai had finally awakened. If the memories Gandalf had planted in her head were at all accurate, the Uruks were well adapted for the darkness and could most likely see them with far greater clarity then she could see them. She could hear them swirling through the mire, closing in on her.

“Fred, get away from here!" Tory shouted, suddenly forgetting herself because she could not let them reach the child. She had promised Bryan. "Try and find your way to the mine shaft!”

“No,” Fred shook her head in the darkness. “I want you to come with me!”

“Fred, please!” Tory exclaimed as she pulled herself up the edge but the slime on her hands and her body was making this exceedingly difficult. “I’ll be right behind you!”

No sooner than the words had left her mouth, something sank it teeth into her shoulder and dragged her away from the edge, away from Fred’s ineffective efforts to pull her up. Tory let out a short scream as she felt warm blood running down her shoulder, feeling the rising tide of fluid around her. The Uruk was dragging her beneath the surface, his teeth still in her shoulder. The last of her courage gave way at that moment and in her terror, she did not see the flickering beam of a flash light piercing through the mineshaft she had seen earlier. A desperate scream escaped her, filled with terror and defeat.

*************

Bryan entered the cavern with Legolas and Aaron close behind. He paused a moment when he heard Fred screaming Tory’s name after a gut-wrenching scream filled the cavern and him with dread at the same time. The beam of light from the torch found Fred and as the child turned to him startled, her eyes widened like that of a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car. Her tiny face showed intense relief and she ran towards him, forgetting momentarily that she was trying to help Tory. However, the lapse was temporary.

“Bryan!” She squealed before she even reached him, “Tory’s in trouble!”

Bryan swept his gaze to the writhing bodies near the edge where Fred had been standing and called out because he could not see Tory.

“Tory!” He shouted.

“BRYAN!” A desperate scream ran through the dark. "HELP ME!"

Without thinking, he jumped into the vicious fluid as Aaron and Legolas reached the edge. Aaron aimed the torch in the direction of that frightened scream. Meanwhile Legolas had armed his bow immediately and was searching the darkness for Tory and Bryan.

“I see her!” Legolas called out when he saw Tory's terrified expression among the grotesque faces surrounding her. “Bryan, she is right in front of you!”

The beam of the flashlight illuminated the space before him and he saw Tory trying desperately to fight off the beast whose teeth were digging into her flesh. Others were clawing at her and Bryan reacted instantly, turning his gun upon the creatures and firing. The first shot echoed through the cavern so loudly it almost sounded like a clap of thunder. A few of the creatures surrounding Tory had retreated at the noise while the unfortunate recipient of the shotgun blast sunk into the fluid, a stain of crimson expanding around him as he disappeared. Legolas’ arrows were soon striking others that attempted to converge upon Tory. Aaron wanted to join the rescue effort but considering the darkness inside the cavern, he was reluctant to fire his weapon and thus decided that he was better served the torch so Bryan could see.

Bryan closed the distance between himself and Tory, slamming the butt of his rifle into a creature that attempted to waylay him one efficient swing. He ignored the sound of crunching bone because he could see Tory being dragged under by her attacker. Unfortunately, Bryan could not fire at this range without harming her and as her eyes met his in nothing less than absolute terror, the MI6 agent felt himself suffused with rage. He moved faster and arrived just as her battle to stay afloat began to waver and the noisome fluid was rising around her neck. The creature had released her shoulder and was putting its effort in submerging her when Bryan reached them.

Wasting no time, Bryan jammed the barrel of the shotgun into its face and pulled the trigger. The blast that erupted turned its face into a mass of ruined flesh and blew out the back of its skull. It released Tory immediately and she broke away instantly, coughing loud and wincing in pain. There was blood and fluid running down her shoulder as she tried to compose herself. She was not quite hysterical but the ordeal had taken its toll upon her as the tears ran down her cheeks.

“Come on,” Bryan took her by the arm and started pulling her towards the edge. He wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her because she was badly frightened but they were not out of trouble yet.

Tory nodded, shocked by his timely appearance but intensely relieved at the same time. However, pain and fright had shaken her to the core and Tory was content to let him lead her out of this nightmarish place. With Legolas covering their retreat with his precisely shot arrows and Bryan shooting anyone who attempted to stop them with his gun, they reached the edge she had almost climbed over before the Uruk had stopped her. Her shoulder strung with pain and she knew that the warmth she felt was not merely the disgusting byre of the Uruks' emergence. She was bleeding and her shoulder felt as if it was on fire.

Upon reaching the edge, Bryan placed his hands on her waist and hoisted her to the top. Tory scrambled onto the stone ledge, never so grateful to feel dirt under her nails in her entire life. Bryan climbed out after her as Aaron helped her the rest of the way.

“What the hell are those things?” Aaron demanded as he saw Tory trembling so badly, he feared that her mind had snapped under the terrible trauma she had just endured.

“I think they are Uruk Hai,” Legolas said with a hint of astonishment in voice.

“What?” Bryan managed to ask as he felt Fred’s arms wrap around him in a joyful embrace.

“Orcs,” Legolas replied. “They were dark servants of Sauron during the all the ages of his reign and that of Morgoth upon the earth. I assumed that they had faded away with the passing of Middle earth.”

“Tory, are you alright?” Aaron asked not really listening. “Come on Red,” he said insistently. “Talk to me, give me a sign here.”

Tory was breathing hard, frightened out of her mind but the stupor of fear that had gripped her was passing because she was no longer alone. She and Fred were no longer alone. She heard Aaron’s voice but knew that it was Bryan’s eyes that were boring a hole through her skin with his intent gaze. The little girl ran into Tory, hugging her warmly in gratitude for her continued survival. Fred's touch was a better tonic than Aaron's word because she was soon hugging the child back.

“We have to go,” she whispered as she held Fred tight, “they’re waking up.”

“She is right,” Legolas agreed immediately, “let us be away from here now. These Uruks are young but they thirst for blood nonetheless. This cavern is large and it appears that Sauron has grown many of them. This is the army he will used to cover this world in darkness. You were right about that Aaron, he would not risk using humans for what lies ahead.”

“Can you walk?” Aaron asked her.

“Yes,” she nodded rising quickly to her feet, the imperative to escape cutting through her fear. “I’m damn well walking out of here,” she answered, her strength returning to her somewhat as she stood up, glancing briefly at Bryan, who said nothing.

They hurried out of the cavern, with Bryan carrying Fred in his arms as they put suitable distance between the newborn Uruks and themselves. Making their way through the passage leading away from the birthing chamber, they did not stop until they arrived at an adjoining cavern. Legolas took watch at the mouth of the smaller cave, ensuring that they weren’t followed while Aaron tended to Tory’s wound. Bryan had set Fred down in order to see how she was. Fred appeared well enough but Tory, Tory concerned him greatly.

“What happened?” Bryan asked as soon as the opportunity presented itself. “What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here?” She stared at him wondering if he had any idea what she and Fred had been through since they had gone their separate ways. “The next time you reach the brilliant deduction that it is safer for us to separate, spare us! Less than an hour after you left us at the train depot, the Nine came aboard and took Fred! If I hadn't stowed away in the boot of their car, I would have lost her! You didn’t see where he kept her Bryan!”

Bryan did not know what to say. He could see that both of them had been through an ordeal but he was certain that having them leave was the safest course of action. “I did what I thought was best.”

“Well don’t!” She hissed.

“Tory don’t be mad,” Fred quickly interjected. “Bryan didn’t mean to hurt us.”

Tory looked down at the child, Fred’s pleading blue eyes assuaging her anger somewhat. Tory knew that she was behaving like this because she had been frightened out of her wits and needed someone upon whom she could vent her anger. However, it should not be Bryan. He had saved her life and she had seen the fear in his eyes when he saw that she was in trouble.

“I’m not mad,” she took a step closer towards him, her frown turning into a resigned sigh.

Bryan wondered if he ought to retreat because she was glaring at him like a woman who had an extremely bad day and needed something to hit in order to make herself better. Since he could not deny that she was right, that separating had been an inordinately bad idea, Bryan supposed he deserved his medicine. In truth, he was so happy to see her alive and well that he would have endured anything. However, instead of throwing a fist in his face, which he felt he somewhat deserved, she wrapped her arms abruptly around his neck and pulled him to her in a passionate kiss.

When she kissed him, Bryan could feel it all the way to his toes. Once again the powerful memory of that remarkable kiss surfaced in his mind and he wondered how she was capable of reducing him to a lovesick schoolboy. At her most fiery, she tasted wonderful and she devoured his lips with the passion of one who was extraordinarily grateful to be alive. He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, reveling in the feel of her body against him and equally thankful that she was alive and that he had not lost her before there could be anything between them.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized softly, “I shouldn’t have sent you away.”

“You thought you were doing the right thing,” she answered when their lips had parted.

“I won’t make that mistake again,” he said sincerely.

“Too right."

Legolas who had been watching the passageway to ensure the Uruks had not followed, raised a brow at the intimacies between Bryan and Tory and came up quietly alongside of Aaron and stared tartly at the psychiatrist.

"Obviously," he looked at Aaron with accusation, "I have been missing something."

Part Twelve
Shifting Pawns

The night was cold but when Major Andrei Nikolaevich woke up in the middle of it, his sheets were clinging to his body. Beyond the walls of his assigned quarters, the wind was blowing a gale and he remembered vaguely hearing a weather reported that cited the temperature being somewhere in the vicinity of –25 degrees Celsius. He hardly noticed it as he sat there on his mattress, trying to grasp at the dream diminishing quickly in his memory. Turning his gaze at the old clock his father had given him years before, Andrei could hear every stroke of time that passed through the old mechanism.

It was little after three o'clock and he could not sleep. Unfortunately, this was not an unusual state of affairs for him of late. His sleep for the past week had been uncomfortable to say the least and every morning when he awoke, he felt as if he had not slept at all. He moved through the days restlessly, his body drained and his skin feeling sallow. Even the officers under his command had been unable to ignore the dark circles under his eyes or the irritability he never had difficulty concealing until now. Andrei knew that part of it had to do with his growing dissatisfaction with the posting and his exile here because those fools in Moscow thought taking a hard line against the West was the same as being a communist.

He had been a member of the party during its existence. He was career military, what else could he be? It was expected of any officer seeking a high-ranking position in the military. Having the party's backing meant being able to excel without being in the eye of the political office who kept watch over everyone. Despite his political affiliations, he had always considered himself a soldier first, a party member second. It was not easy to walk the line between both, to remain poise upon a knife’s edge to ensure that he would never be perceived as a threat to either side.

When the communist regime came to an end, he thought that he could at last breathe a sigh of relief, thinking he was free of this burden. Unfortunately, the new order it seemed had deemed him a communist nonetheless because he did not think that bowing to western excesses was the best thing for the fledgling nation. What did they know anyway? He asked himself as he sat motionless on his bed, allowing these dark thoughts to race freely through his mind, allowing them to gain momentum with the speed of a locomotive. Why should he rein in his troubled thoughts when no one could hear them or know of their existence?

He had every right to think that Russia had lost her way because he was living proof of its deconstruction. He remembered how it was when the country was run by ruthless men with great ambition and how that had made the country great - not the pale shadow of itself it had become since the new regime came into being. They thought they could shunt him aside in this wilderness, deluding themselves with the belief that he was powerless to affect their decadence from this forgotten edge of the world. They were fools. He had power, a great deal of it as a matter of fact, and it was they who had put it in his hands.

With what he had access to, he could show them all what real power was. Power. Ambition. Patriotism. In one bold stroke, he could show them how great Russia could truly be. All the motherland needed was someone strong enough to make the sacrifice. Someone who would not be afraid to spill blood, the way Stalin had spilled blood to make Russia great. Oh the people now called him a mass-murderer and even his contemporaries walked in fear of being the next to step under the falling blade. However, they could not deny feeling a begrudging respect for the man because he had been unafraid to stain his hands and taken Russia from the wooden yoke to the atom bomb in a space of twenty-five years.

It swept over him like a Muse’s whisper, the sudden realization that he was a man strong and brave enough to take the final step, the step so many others like him had viewed with such foreboding. Once, even he was filled with doubts but when the music of understanding filled his ears, they evaporated because he knew something they did not. To save the land, one had to make her people weep for it, to lament for all it had and could have been. Tears had to come from seeing it in utter ruin to love it as they had never loved before. A man once said that one had to be cruel to be kind and he knew how to be very cruel indeed.

Andrei stared at his shaking hands, all hint of doubt gone forever from his thoughts. His epiphany left him trembling like a leaf but he noticed nothing.

Not even the ring burning on his finger.

**************

In the catacombs beneath David Saeran’s castle, Gandalf could feel the ominous clouds of darkness beginning to taint the air. Something shifted, like an object nudged unexpectedly in the dark. For a blind man, it threw everything into chaos for the lay of the room so carefully memorized. For a man could see, it changed the view of things entirely. Great storms often announced themselves with the coming of a gentle breeze and in this windless darkness that he and his companions were presently traversing, Gandalf could feel it in the wind.

The time he thought they had was no more. Sauron’s human personality had changed the shape of the game and now it was not merely about reaching, it was reaching him before he destroyed the walls. Days had become hours and Gandalf could feel the impending doom fray the edges of his consciousness. In Valinor, his masters’ could feel it as well. They had wanted the humans to deal with this situation but were now starting to question whether or not they were not partially culpable for what was happening.

When he had set out here from Valinor with Aaron and Eve in tow, Gandalf had known that he was crossing the sea to save more than just men from utter annihilation. For more than a hundred thousand years, the Valar had remained on their island in their dimensional pocket away from the rest of Ea, nurturing their elven charges. Man had always been Illuvutar’s project and so it was perfectly acceptable that they interfered not in the lives of men. Where man went upon his death had been a mystery the Valar did not understand until Aaron Stone returned with Legolas Greenleaf and answered the age-old question that men did have a sort of immortality even if he lived relatively short lives.

However, Melkor’s return to the world and the necessity of the Valar’s direct involvement in dealing with him had awakened a disturbing thought in the hearts of all the deities, in particular Manwe. For years, the lord of the Valar had listened to Olorin about the tales of men, about their great spirit and courage, all of which was compressed into a lifespan no longer than the flicker of a candle. He wondered that perhaps the Valar had been remiss in their dealings with man. Man had survived and thrived in his environment but there was inherent loneliness in them that made their great achievements hollow. Manwe began to wonder whether it was possible to keep a protective eye upon man without actually interfering in Iluvutar’s plans.

Aaron’s arrival in Valinor had proved that man had a place in the Undying Lands even if it was not to lead an immortal life. The Valar enjoyed watching the humans, though Gandalf had never told Aaron any of this and they began to realize that the race of man had also evolved and was constantly evolving while the elves remained the same, like statues that never change.

The elves themselves had begun to suspect that they were growing stagnant, though most were too proud to admit it. There was such a thing as a living death and the elves were beginning to feel as if they were trapped in amber, frozen forever at one place in time while enviously, they saw through Aaron’s eyes, man evolving and daring to reach for the heavens even if he knew he would never reach it before the end of his lifetime but it was the trying that made it so worthwhile.

The elves no longer strove to accomplish anything and that concerned Manwe as much as man’s need for starlight.

Change was coming that neither the humans or the elves in Gandalf’s company but none of that would ever come to pass if Sauron succeeded in wiping men from the face of the Earth. The isolation that Manwe was reconsidering for the elves of Valinor would be forever if Sauron breathed the world of men in flame and drove to extinction those who did not die in the burning. It appeared that for this new ‘Fellowship’ time had run out.

The company had met each other and had taken a respite in one of the many caverns in the place. It was decided that it was sensible to take an alternate route from their main path to avoid, momentarily, the awakening Uruks until some injuries were tended to. They had been traveling for hours and needed to rest if they were to face the enemy. Gandalf had exerted some of his power to keep their presence from their pursuers a secret for some hours so that his companions could rest and have their wounds redressed. Nevertheless, Legolas and Haldir kept watch because they could sense the danger looming, even if the veil of Gandalf’s powers separated it.

After a few hours of sleep, the company prepared to resume their journey once more because time was of the essence. Unfortunately until this moment, they were not aware of just how little of it they truly had.

"We have a matter of hours," Gandalf announced.

The declaration captured the attention of everyone present, even Aaron who was busily applying fresh bandages to the wound left by the Uruk’s upon Tory’s shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Bryan looked up from where he was surreptitiously glancing in Tory’s direction whilst pretending to pay an inordinate amount of attention to his gun. Despite himself, his self-image was still too proud to admit that he wanted to stay by her side like a concerned boyfriend. Even the sound of the word inside his mind made him wince with indignity.

"Saeran has brought forward his plan," Gandalf answered automatically in the same calm tone, even though all eyes were fixed firmly on him now. "He does not intend to risk us endangering it so he is moving his pawns into place."

"How long?" Aaron demanded ask.

"Hours," Gandalf repeated himself, "I cannot be more certain than that."

"Oh, God," Tory suddenly exclaimed, her lips turning into an ‘o’ of horror. With everything that had happened since she rescued Fred from that terrible cell, it had completely slipped her mind. "How could I have forgotten? With everything that was going on, I forgot! How could I do that?"

"Hey, take it easy," Aaron said quickly, wishing her to hold still while he was trying to apply dressing to her wound. "What is it you forgot?"

"When I was in the car," Tory said thinking of those terrible hours trapped inside the boot of the Nine’s vehicle, waiting for them to arrive at their destination, listening to them speak of what Saeran had intended. "I heard them talking, the Nine."

"You heard the Nine speak in secret?" Legolas said with a small measure of admiration for this woman who had somehow managed to sneak past the Nine with her skin still intact.

"What did they say, luv?" Bryan asked, starting to get a very bad feeling if the anxiety in her eyes was any indication.

"I couldn’t understand a great deal of it," Tory explained, shuddering a little as she remembered the chilling sound of their voices, "but what I did hear frightened me silly."

"You should have been here with the spiders," Eve muttered under her breath, understanding extreme fear very well lately.

"Spiders?" Tory stared at Eve, cringing visibly, "what kind of spiders?"

"Really big spiders," Eve returned, widening her arms to show Tory the scale. "I mean big as in the size of a cow…"

"Eve!" Aaron interrupted. "Honey, you think we could have this conversation a little later?"

Eve looked at Aaron sheepishly and apologized, "Sorry."

"Now, you were saying?" Gandalf asked Tory now that Aaron had subtly brought them back to the subject on hand.

"The wraith talked about the humans and rings they were wearing," Tory continued, brushing thoughts of large arachnids to the back of her mind for now. "He says that they were in three corners of the globe, all with access to nuclear missiles and that, through the rings, his master was influencing them to launch."

"Jesus," Aaron muttered softly.

"Missiles?" Haldir looked at the humans with question. "What are missiles?"

"They’re explosive devices," Bryan tried to explain but he honestly did not have the words to make a complete novice understand what a nuclear missile was.

"Are they speaking of what was used to breach the walls at Helm’s Deep?" Legolas asked Gandalf, remembering how the black powder of Saruman had breached the impenetrable fortress Hornburg. It was the most destructive power they had ever witnessed and yet Legolas suspected it paled in comparison to what these humans had devised.

"Yes," Gandalf nodded somberly. "Now imagine that explosion being able to encompass an entire city in single instant."

"You made such a weapon?" Haldir’s disgust was unconcealed.

The humans looked decidedly uncomfortable and Haldir guessed immediately why. "You have made more than one."

"We have hundreds of them," Bryan said guiltily, never more ashamed at being human than at that moment when he was required to justify their reasons for having weapons of mass destruction. "It was used twice and that was enough to frighten us into never using it since. It is a weapon of last resort and these days, there are safer weapons with less damning results but there is no easy way to dispose of it so the weapons remain where they are, unused in silos, collecting dust."

"Until one day a dark lord comes along who knows the right buttons to push and there you have it, instant thermonuclear Armageddon, no waiting required," Eve said sourly.

"Three corners of the globe," Aaron mused out loud. "You don’t think he means the superpowers do you?" He stared at Bryan.

Bryan stiffened at the thought mostly because it was a very astute observation indeed. In fact, the more it mulled around in his head, the more it seemed to make sense. After all, if Saeran wanted to initiate complete nuclear annihilation, who would have the most nuclear missiles to facilitate such a plan? Between the three of them, the superpowers had enough warheads to destroy the world a dozen times over.

"It would have to be," he nodded, "China, Russia and America have silos everywhere, he’d only have to be influence the right man in any of these installations and he’d have his war."

"Can’t we warn them?" Tory asked. "I mean surely they would want to know if three of their personnel have gone rogue."

"With the only proof we have being the fact that we know Saeran is an ancient dark lord who can influence the mind with magic rings, it’s not bloody likely," Bryan retorted. "The men who are given access to these weapons have come under the tightest scrutiny. Half yearly psychological evaluations, period banking audits, personal affiliations, nothing gets missed. If we accuse these men of being suspect, we have to provide incontrovertible proof."

"Unfortunately, it will be too late by then," Eve frowned.

"We have no choice but to reach him," Gandalf stated. "That is our only course."

"But we cannot kill him," Haldir reminded. "Destroy the body and he will still exist. Disembodied perhaps but still retaining enough power to ensure that his plans are carried out."

"And he would do so," Legolas said bitterly, "out of sheer spite."

"We can’t kill him," Aaron mused and left the others to their discussion while he considered the problem in his head. They could not kill Saeran. The body was inconsequential but the mind, the mind was powerful indeed. Despite Gandalf’s desire to make haste to reach Saeran, Aaron could sense some hesitation in the Istar’s manner. He had not spoken of it but Aaron knew his patients well, even ones who were Maiar. There was doubt in Gandalf’s heart, a tiny kernel of it amidst an almost awe inspiring courage but it was there nonetheless.

Gandalf was not certain he could match Saeran if it came down to a fight between them.

And in such a fight, Gandalf could not afford to lose or they would all pay the price for his failure. They could not afford to gamble on Gandalf coming through this as the victor, not when the stakes were so high. They had to think of another way. Aaron wondered if there was any point to this when the situation was so untenable? They could not kill the demon without unleashing him upon the world and they could not let him live for the very same reason, all because his mind would still remain intact if they did either. If it were only possible to contain it somehow…

The thought drifted away from its random beginnings and left deeper threads in Aaron’s mind with each second it gained momentum. Suddenly, what seemed like musings began to take shape and Aaron was rather startled to realize that he had something of a plan. He turned around and saw the others discussing the situation when he caught Bryan’s gaze. Wanting to speak to the MI6 agent alone, Aaron gestured at him wordlessly to join him in a private conversation. Bryan stepped away from the others inconspicuously and joined the doctor who had drifted to the other side of the cavern, under the guise of looking over their supplies.

"Something on your mind?" Bryan asked quietly when he reached Aaron.

"I think I know how to stop Saeran," Aaron stated.

Bryan stared at him in surprise and wondered at the need for secrecy from the others. The elves would probably hear them anyway but Bryan suspected what Aaron needed to discuss with him would make little sense to them unless he explained it.

"Go on," he urged the doctor to continue.

Aaron revealed his plan to Bryan who took the idea with some measure shock, mostly because he did not think Aaron was capable of such ruthlessness but could not deny that it was a good plan, albeit a rather risky one particularly to himself. The execution of it would fall almost entirely on Bryan’s shoulders and while Bryan was not afraid to make the attempt, he hoped Aaron was absolutely certain that this would work.

"What do you think?" Aaron asked after it was all said and done. "Can you do it?"

"I can do it," Bryan replied without hesitation. If nothing else, he knew that much for certain.

"The timing has to be exact," Aaron insisted. "Any more than eight to ten minutes and the threshold will be crossed. If that happens, it will all hit the fan."

"It’s already hit the fan," Bryan retorted. "But I can manage the timing. It will like catching a tiger by the tail but I can pull it off."

"We’ll keep him busy as much as we can," Aaron added, "and if it becomes too much for you…"

"I’ll still hang on because we don’t stop him, it won’t matter anyway whether it’s too much for me because we’ll all be dead."

"Are you always so cheerfully optimistic?" Aaron looked at him.

"It’s sodding better than walking around expecting you’re going to live when you’re up to your neck in shi…."

"Okay," Aaron cut him off before he could finish that statement, "I get the point. You know I finally understand it when Tory says that you can take the boy out of Yorkshire but not the Yorkshire out of the boy."

"Bugger off," Bryan retorted.

***********

Aaron’s plan once revealed to the others engendered a mixed reaction. Haldir did not quite understand the full extent of it but was satisfied that its execution would render Saeran harmless. Legolas who had seen the effects before, knew that what Aaron intended could conceivably work. Gandalf regarded the whole thing with reluctance, mostly because what Bryan needed to do was extremely dangerous and it was not something the Istar would have the human attempt. Unfortunately, Aaron was right. This was the only way. Eve knew Bryan was capable of accomplishing it while Tory and Fred were worried for his life. Still, it was the only means of ending the dark lord’s reign in the modern world as well as disconnecting him to the men who were his instruments of destruction.

They resumed their journey towards the heart of Saeran’s mansion which they now knew was within reach because of Tory and Fred’s experiences. Gandalf was confident he could lead them to the mansion without having to traverse the cavern where Tory and Fred had encountered the emerging Uruks. Bryan grateful because he had no wish to have Fred traverse such lethal ground again. In truth, he wished the child could be sent away but he had done that once before and it had almost resulted in getting both her and Tory killed. As much as he hated conceding the point, Bryan knew that the safest place she could be right now, was next to him.

The network of tunnels beneath Saeran’s mansion were not all natural formations, some appeared excavated with drilling and mining equipment. When Gandalf lead them down a tunnel that bore all the marks of a man made construct, Aaron was certain that they would be lead to the Saeran’s domain. He suspected that this maze was not merely to hide whatever creatures he had lurking in the darkness here but also as a means of confusing an enemy should they attempt what breach Saeran’s fortress.

Legolas and Haldir detected it first as only elves could when something terrible was approaching them.

Their heightened awareness sensed it like a cloud bringing the shade after a bright and sunny day. Its arrival was silent but impossible to ignore. The Nine produced their own kind of aura, unlike any other being, dead or alive in the world. As creatures that existed with one foot in the realm of shadow, they had the distinction of exuding a presence that could not be mimicked or hidden. Legolas had sensed them for quite some time now but the search through the labyrinthine caverns and Gandalf’s own powers had kept them at bay. Now that they were on the move, there was no stopping the confrontation.

The Nine were coming.

Ironically enough, it made sense that they should be intercepted here. The cavern or rather the chamber, since Legolas was certain that it was not a natural formation, was wide. Evidence of the mining that must have undertaken in order to clear the space was apparent in the boulders and piles of dirt scattered about. A distinct smell of ash hung in the air and Legolas suspected the coal ore that was once mined here was the source of it. The cavern tapered at the other end, emptying into a darkness he could not see past. It disturbed him because it seemed protected by something he could not discern, like a wall he could not see past.

"Gandalf," Legolas called to the wizard quietly, "what lies beyond that?"

Gandalf’s expression hardened, "I am uncertain," the wizard confessed. "When I first took the road here, I sensed no danger from it but now as we approach, it feels as if there is a veil before my eyes, not unlike the veil I descended over the Nine when we sought rest."

"We cannot tell if the way is safe," Haldir got to the point immediately.

"We cannot go back the way we came," Gandalf pointed out. He had led them here because there was nowhere else to go. It was this way into Saeran’s domain or not all.

"What’s going on?" Aaron asked.

"I cannot sense what is at the end of this passage," Legolas explained, "neither can Gandalf."

"Why not?" Bryan interjected quickly disliking this pause because they had no time for it. "You’ve been able to lead us this far. What’s changed?"

"I think it is Sauron’s sorcery at work," Gandalf explains. "He is hiding what lies beyond this cavern. In fact I think this chamber we are in was fashioned to lead us into the next."

"It could be a way out," Eve suggested, remembering how being in John Malcolm’s Monolith had unnerved her and wondered if Gandalf and the elves were experiencing a similar version of it.

"It could be," Aaron agreed, "but it might not either."

Suddenly, Legolas stiffened and Aaron saw a shadow fall over the elf’s blue eyes. Haldir reacted in almost the same way while Gandalf’s expression suddenly became stone.

"We need to prepare ourselves," he announced, "I feel their approach."

"The Nine?" Aaron looked at him for confirmation.

The elf nodded somberly.

Fred shuddered visibly, shrinking somewhat against Tory as the announcement was made. The barrister slid her arm protectively around the little girl as everyone around them prepared for a fight. Bryan came to them, wanting to ensure their safety before the fighting began. There was every reason to believe that the Nine would not be alone since the creatures had help when they were ambushed at Tory’s house.

"Give me a gun," Tory demanded as Bryan ushered her to a collection of large stones, no doubt a relic of the blasting that must have been undertaken when Saeran was expanding the network of tunnels beneath his domicile.

Bryan handed her Eve’s police issue 38’ which was in the canvas bag he had been carrying for most of their trek in the darkness without question. The lady herself preferred her semi-automatic Beretta, which was a great deal more serviceable than the revolver with its six bullets.

"Do you know how to use a gun?" He asked her uncertainly as she took the thing in her hand and examined it.

"No," she shook her head, "just make it work so that I can shoot those bastards if they come anywhere near us," she said tautly.

Bryan did not like the idea of Tory handling any kind of weapon without knowing how to use it and tried to give her a quick lesson, particularly in what a ‘safety’ was. However, time was short and the hope that she would not have to use the weapon was a futile one because the Nine were coming and unless they took the path that was Gandalf and Legolas viewed with such caution. Their present location was hardly the place for a firefight and a confrontation with the Nine here would only mean further delay to their mission to reach Saeran. With what they were facing if Saeran was not stopped, the choice became remarkably easy.

"We should take our chances that way," Bryan suggested gazing at the darkness that put the elves and the wizard so ill at ease.

"Are you sure?" Aaron met his gaze; having in the last few minutes wrestled with the same question and had come more or less to the same conclusion. He was glad he was not the only one.

"Yeah,’ Bryan nodded. "The Nine weren’t alone when they came after us in London and I doubt they’ll be alone now. If we stay, we could be outnumbered and whether or not our weapons are elven blessed, I prefer better odds."

"He’s right," Eve agreed meeting Gandalf’s eyes, "Saeran’s best bet right now is to delay us as long as he can. He probably knows that we’re heading straight for him. It’s the only reason I can see why he’s suddenly brought forward his plans. He’s not taking the chance we might get to him. So I say let’s not play into his hands by keeping us here. Maybe there’s something worse down that way but something worse may be exactly what he’s using to guard the entrance into his mansion."

"Worse is exactly what I fear," Gandalf remarked. "There are many nameless things in this world, some who are more terrible than anything you can possibly imagine. Unfortunately, as much as I loathe having any of you confront such evil, our time grows short and we must indeed keep moving. I sensed a way out of this darkness before we arrived here, I still believe I am right but if we are to escape, we must first face whatever it is that Sauron has lying in wait for us."

"Alright," Bryan looked at his companions now that the decision was made, "let’s get to it then."

************

How could she do this to him?

He sat in his car after leaving Elizabeth’s, tears running down his face as he remembered in terrible detail everything that he had heard when he stood outside her bedroom door, after arriving unexpectedly with roses and wine, hoping to give her a romantic surprise. He was the only one who was surprised unfortunately because it appeared Elizabeth had company. Elizabeth had furnished him with keys to her apartment some months ago and Walter had been coming and going at his own discretion. In truth, it was as if they were already married because their routine together had become so comfortable. It had pleased him to no end thinking that they would not have to suffer all the awkwardness of cohabitation once the wedding was over.

Today he had entered the apartment and found her in the bedroom, in deep conversation with someone who remained anonymous through the telephone. He had opened his mouth to announce himself when suddenly, this English teacher from North Dakota, began to speak in Chinese. Walter, who had spent some years in overseas assignments in the Orient, was fluent enough in the language, which in this case was perfect Mandarin, to understand everything she was saying. He listened with growing horror and despair, as the words impacted upon his psyche like blows from a hammer.

"Yes, it is safe to talk."

"No, I still haven’t got access to the information at the base."

"He will trust me after the wedding."

"I am no more happier by this than the People’s Army. I don’t care how much I’m being paid, you don’t have to sleep with him."

He listened in stunned silence and drifted out of the apartment without giving away his presence. He reached the car across the street without being aware of anything but this growing black pit of pain that was widening inside his heart. As a man in his position, he was aware that enemy agents could attempt to infiltrate his live. It was the nature of the arm’s race, even if its prominence had slipped from notice in recent years and most of the general public believed that there was no longer any competition between the superpowers. However, Green had thought himself able of spot an imposter or at the very least, be expert enough to notice a plant in his life.

How could she do this to him? Didn’t she know he loved her? Was everything she had said to him, about the lives they would share together, the children they would have, was it all a lie? He knew the answer to that even as his ravaged heart brayed the question. Of course it was, his inner voice said cynically. She a Chinese agent, bought and paid for to be whore to you so that you would give her access to everything at the base. Think of it, a few months more and she would have been his wife, she could come and go as she pleased, especially since she had convinced him that base housing was the best way to go. He had thought her sensible, in truth she was playing him.

The Chinese, he snorted disgustingly. They haven’t changed since Nam`. Always lurking in the background, giving aid and support to the Cong even though they had no claim to the country. Providing the enemy with arms, trying to keep their names out of it, lacking the decency to come out and voice their opposition, unlike the Russians. He hated them. He hated them and their ways. He hated them for using him and for making him love Elizabeth and most of all he hated the disgust in her voice when she said she was the one who was sleeping with him.

He wished them dead. All of them. They shouldn’t be able to do this to people. Shouldn’t be able to tear out a man’s heart for the sake of information. They had no right. People like that had no right to anything, no right to breathe the air as everyone else. He wanted to hurt them, wanted to make them know this pain and this shame. He wanted Elizabeth to burn in agony for what she did to him even though killing was too good for her.

Killing was too good for her.

She needed to know that she could not play with people’s emotions, that there were consequences for her actions, no matter who her masters were. Suddenly it hit him that he had the perfect way to show Elizabeth what she had done to him, a way to show the world, not just the fucking Chinese but everyone.

He stared at the gold ring on his finger, the one she had given to him as an engagement present, feeling it burn into his skin, a mockery to all that she had professed to feel for him and knew exactly how he would make her pay. Those Chinese wanted to know about American missiles? He would give them a closer look than they possible imagined.

With love, from Elizabeth

***********

The nameless thing that Gandalf spoke of stirred languidly in the dark.

It awoke to feed occasionally, when it sensed life’s heart beating within its hearing. Its blood stilled by hibernation would sense the pulsing beat of another and used it as the impetus to emerge from its slumber. It did not know how much time had passed. It would not have cared even if it was capable of measuring it in any way it could find comprehensible. All it knew of time was that it had always been and would continue to be. Its passing was marked by the feeding and for the space of its life, it had fed upon many. There had been a time when the feeding was good, when the dark was everywhere. In those days, it became dizzy with the taste of fresh kill.

Then the sun had shone for the first time and it was driven to escape the burning rays of light that sizzled the skin and sent it deep into the earth. There it had remained, shrouding itself on a cloak of darkness no force could penetrate, feeding on those who had stumbled in to its web of darkness,. Scrounging a meager existence and always cursed with this intense hunger because the new world belonged to the children of the sun and they had no desire for the shadows. It remained confined to the underworld, seeking sustenance where it could find it, until desperation had driven it to the evil in this place. In these caverns, it had found good feeding because someone above knew of its existence.

Someone who ensured that there would always be food waiting.

************

The cavern was pitch black with a darkness so overwhelming it appeared that they were walking in painting where the canvas was black. Only Gandalf’s staff and the electric torches provided any light and the illumination it cast looked as it were cutting through something thick and impenetrable. Ahead of them, they could see little beyond the radiation of light and the boundaries of this cavern remained elusive. They knew it was vast because their voices echoed throughout the chamber as if they were speaking from the bottom of a well.

"There is a fell stench about this place," Legolas remarked.

"No kidding," Eve agreed without needing elven senses. The deep sense of foreboding that the elves were surely feeling was impacting upon her as well.

"I can see nothing," Haldir replied as they moved through the darkness, their eyes clinging to the light that illuminated their path. The darkness felt almost tangible, like a physical presence as potent as air or water against the skin. It was not simply that the light was not bright enough but rather that it seemed to swallow the light. The torches were barely able to keep the black at bay and even the glow from Gandalf’s staff was having difficult radiating beyond the immediate vicinity.

"None of us can," Aaron remarked, trying not to get spooked but the truth was, he was feeling his fear escalate. Something about this felt very, very bad and he was starting to wonder whether or not they ought to have taken their chances with the Nine.

"Everyone stay close together," Bryan warned. "Tory, Fred, stay close to Gandalf."

"You be mad if you think either of us would go wandering about in this," Tory retorted, instinctively clutching Fred’s hand a little tighter.

"Speak in whispers," Gandalf ordered suddenly. "We are not alone and I pray we can leave this place before we awaken what lives here."

"What lives here?" Bryan’s hissed back.

Gandalf did not answer. The Istar was feeling the same tightness across the chest that he felt when facing the Balrog of Moria. True, the beast was dangerous indeed but Gandalf was sensing that whatever lived here was ancient. It was ancient when the first Balrog emerged from Angband. This was a denizen of the past before the awakening of the elves at the Mere of Cuivienen. No doubt, in its time it would have fed upon many of the Eldar and like Ungoliant was capable of eating the light in order to snare its prey.

Legolas’ eyes were wide open, forcing his superior elven eyesight to penetrate the darkness to know with what manner of life they were sharing the same air. Unfortunately, his eyes could not pierce the black before him. Suddenly, he felt something like a small breeze blow across his face, a hint of cool against the skin followed by the hot breath of something fetid and rotten, something very big. His heart clenched in his chest and he raised his bow to shoot but there was nothing to attack.

"Something exhaled it breath upon me," Legolas announced with a taut voice.

"What do you mean?" Eve demanded, "where?" The anxiety in her voice was growing.

A sound was heard in the darkness, something scraping against the ground, its bulk pulling across the dirt with a low, rumble that sent a shiver of fear through everyone. Aaron remembered the watcher beneath John Malcolm’s building and wondered if this was the same kind of creature.

"It is a watcher?" Aaron asked.

"What’s a watcher?" Bryan immediately returned.

"Big, tentacles, lots and lots of teeth," Aaron gave him the more concise description possible.

"Bloody marvelous," came Bryan’s muttered response.

The sound repeated itself, until eight sets of eyes were searching through the darkness for it. Their weapons were drawn but there was nothing to shoot at, nothing they could see in the black wall of night surrounding them.

A great swoosh of air was heard and there was a cry of pain. Legolas’ voice sailed into the air as if he were being borne up by a great force.

"Legolas!" Aaron shouted as he heard Legolas’ cry for help become distant.

Legolas could not see what had caught him but he felt its teeth around his waist and knew that the beast was merely in the process of picking him up despite the breaking of skin. It had not even gotten to business of masticating its meal but when it did, Legolas knew he was dead. Keeping a cool head despite the situation he found himself in and feeling large sharp teeth pressing into his body with enough pressure to draw blood, Legolas forced himself to remain calm. Breathing hard as someone in his situation could be forgiven for doing so, his fingers trembled slightly as he took aim at the flesh he could feel. He crushed ruthlessly his terror, because he needed to be focussed to release an arrow accurately.

He had no idea where it struck but the arrow unleashed had the desired effect of forcing the creature to roar in pain, opening its jaws wide enough for Legolas to escape its grip. He fell from a considerable height and landed hard a few second later, feeling ribs crack at the impact. A soft groan of pain escaped the elven archer as he doubled up in agony. However, he could allow himself no more than a moment before he was forced to gather his wits about him to make his escape. The creature’s roar of pain had become one of anger and as Legolas scrambled to his feet to run, he could hear its approach.

"Legolas, stay down!" Eve shouted in warning as Bryan opened fire.

They could not see the creature very well even with torches but its movement had given them somewhere to aim the light. Standing over Legolas, they could the tree trunk thickness of a long neck culminating into an eyeless head that resembled a Venus flytrap with serrated teeth of massive size. Its body was half emerged from a gaping fissure in the ground and yet its size still required that it had to lower its head to keep from bumping the roof of the cavern.

With the scant illumination that they were able to produce, Bryan, Eve and Haldir were able to see enough of the creature to attack. A murderous hail composing of bullets and arrows were soon tearing through the beast’s neck, forcing another roar of both pain and rage throughout the cavern as all three focused their attack in a focussed effort. The noise was so loud that it could be felt in the ground and cavern.

Meanwhile Aaron scrambled under the deadly barrage to pull Legolas to safety. The elf was on his knees, trying to move but the compression to his ribcage necessary to crouch low was nothing short of agonizing and his movements were slow. Legolas could also feel the blood saturating his clothes from the creature’s teeth marks upon his skin and knew he would experience far worse if he did not move out of its way.

"How you doing?" Aaron asked as the human slid Legolas’ arm around his shoulder in order to help him move.

"Why is it you humans ask the most inappropriate questions?" Legolas grunted as Aaron began dragging him away. "I have almost become the meal of some nameless horror and been dropped from its mouth like uneaten leavings and why might I ask must they be always be nameless? I know the first thought in my mind after seeing such a beast would be to put a name what it was I was running from…"

"You must be hurt," Aaron looked at him, "you’re rambling."

"Elves do not ramble," Legolas retorted. "We soliloquize."

Aaron started to respond was suddenly Legolas went still again. Through gunfire and the bellowing noise of the creature as it battled the humans and elves with their projectile weapons, Legolas could feel something coming towards them.

"GET DOWN!" He shouted and pulled Aaron to the dirt just as another sudden gust of wind blew over them.

Gandalf saw the thick trunk of the beast in the fringes of the light from his staff and knew that he had to act. Removing Glamdring from its sheath, the ancient sword glowed in the darkness less brightly than it should. Gandalf stepped forward into the battle after ensuring that Tory and Fred were safely out of harm’s way before going to the aid of his companions. The beast that they were fighting was unknown even in the time of Middle earth. It had been born during the chaos before the Valar’s arrival into Ea because Melkor had gone first to spread evil across Arda in its infacncy.

Legolas and Aaron saw the long neck for the barest fraction of a second after it had made its attempt to take one of them. It moved like a whiplash, impossibly fast for something that size and left behind the stench of fetid breath.

"Jesus Christ!" Aaron shouted. "What the hell was that?"

"I think it has two heads," Legolas replied.

"It has more," Gandalf retorted and walked past them, striding boldly towards the beast, a column of glowing steel in his hand as Glamdring lit the way almost as brightly as his staff.

The wizard came to a pause in between Bryan and Eve who had not ceased their deadly barrage and had been spending the last few minutes avoiding the beast’s efforts to cease their attack with its snapping jaws.

"Glad to see you join the party," Bryan remarked anxiously as he reloaded his weapon. The long neck of unbroken skin was now bleeding in several places, wounded by bullets and arrows collectively.

Gandalf said nothing and saw the creature heave in protest at the light from his staff and understood something about their opponent in that moment. The light frightened it. As much as it could consume the light, it was also afraid of it. The creature seemed to sense him as well because the pause in gunfire allowed Gandalf to hear its retreat, as if it was aware that what it faced was no longer potential food but rather a threat to its survival.

*"Ego deleb dagnir od Morgoth! Drega nan iaur nûr en ardhon ad egor matha ir naeg ned calad!’

The creature seemed to understand the words spoken in elvish and bellowed so loudly that it was near deafening. The warning however went unheeded and one of its heads lunged at Bryan. The MI6 agent jumped out of the way, barely escaping those terrible jaws clamping around his torso and rolled onto his knee to blast away when the creature made another attempt. The shotgun pellets sprayed across the beast’s formidable skull, extracting a howl of pain from that shook the cavern with its rage. He saw another long shape approaching Eve and was on his feet before he knew what was happening.

"Watch out Eve!" Bryan shouted and tackled the young woman to the ground just as the jaws of the creature’s snapped close. It lingered over their heads for a second, its foul breath washing over them with heat. Covering her body with his own, Bryan raised his weapon to fire when an arrow struck the thing in the mouth and forced the creature to rear its head up in pain. Another followed in rapid succession, until it had pulled away into the darkness.

"Are you both alright?" Haldir asked in concern upon hurrying forward, his eyes watching the beast instead it came at them again.

"We’re fine," Bryan answered with a nod.

"That’s nice to hear," Eve declared before adding tersely, "now get off me."

Bryan response was cut off by a sudden burst of bright light flooding the cavern with such blinding intensity that for a moment, no one could see anything. It spread out like flare of white, shunting aside the darkness like the rising of the sun after a long and arduous night. Every corner of the cavern was filled with its powerful radiance, until they could see the cavern in its entirety and the exit that they had sought was now in plain view. They also caught their first glimpse of the monster they were battling in all its awesome power.

It was very big, so much bigger than they had imagined. The darkness had hidden its bulk well but it was easily bigger than the watcher that had plagued Aaron for so many nights since the doctor’s encounter with it. The creature before them had three heads with necks as long as an ancient saurian with mouthfuls of large, sharp teeth. It had no eyes that could be seen but in darkness such as these, receptors needing light to function seemed to be a useless characteristic. Gandalf’s staff was shinning so brightly that they could not look at the wizard for more than a second when he faced the creature.

The light was making it writhe in agony, it attempted to retreat into the cool of darkness but Gandalf’s spell was powerful indeed and the refuge of darkness was nowhere to be found in the cave. The wizard ran forward, bringing the strobe of burning light closer to the beast though it was already recoiling from the illumination throughout the cavern. The proximity drove it further into the ground, driven there by the light as well as arrows and bullets. Bryan, Eve, Haldir and Aaron had concentrated their efforts as Gandalf approached the thing. Shooting at its flaying heads to ensure that the way was clear for the Istar to act.

It was already starting to retreat into the fissure but Gandalf was not about to let this thing disappear into the depths where it would remain for another eon before emerging to plague the world again. When he was close enough, Gandalf swung the blade borne by Turgon, the elven King of Gondolin, wielded in the battles of Nirnaeth Arnoediad and of Gondolin before its ultimate fall. The blade was older than history and had spilled much blood in its time. It was more than capable of slicing through the thick neck of the retreating creature, tearing through flesh and bone without pause as a howl of agony shook the air. Black blood sprayed in all directions as the severed neck slammed into the dirt.

The creature was bleeding profusely, spraying dark blood as it attempted to escape into the depths once more. Gandalf was not about to let it do so and quickly swung the blade again as two of its remaining necks began to descend. Another agonized screech was heard amidst the gunfire and arrows as the second head impacted against the ground, sending cloud of dust in the air as well as splatters of blood. A crimson pool began to expand across the dirt as Gandalf moved quickly to deliver another blow, appearing not as a frail old man but someone immensely powerful that left his companions in awe. Glamdring swung once more and in a final bellow of rage and pain, the creature was at last felled, it remaining head joining the others in a grisly pile.

For a few seconds after its death, no one could speak.

The air was filled with the stench of blood and dust in the wake of the carnage. The creature’s blood flowed across the dirt in thick, viscous pools. The darkness that had been so overwhelming had thinned somewhat and the light emanating from Gandalf’s staff had receded to manageable levels. Seconds tumbled by and no one could form words as they stared at the creature’s dismembered remains, grateful that they had survived though none save Legolas had ever seen Gandalf wield his power so potently. Haldir had known of Olorin’s strength but like the humans had never seen it employed so effectively.

"Well now I’ve seen everything," Bryan broke the silence first. "Giant spiders, elves, wizards, dark lords and whatever this bloody thing is. My memoirs are going to be worth a fortune."

"I had no idea you were such a bad ass Gandalf," Eve cracked a smile and Gandalf was well aware that humans sometimes diffused their extreme fear with humor, "remind me never to make you mad."

"Creatures formed before the rising of the sun have an aversion to light," Gandalf replied, his attention fixed on Legolas who Aaron was tending to. "They may be bigger but they are no different than orcs."

"I’m glad you are on our side," Aaron said offering the old man a little smile.

"How are you old friend?" Gandalf asked Legolas with concern.

"I’ll live," Legolas replied with a smile. "I have had worse."

"Can you walk?" Aaron asked. "I’d rather be out of here with some decent light before I try to fix you up."

"I have come this far," Legolas replied as he gestured for Aaron to help him to his feet, "I will not let injury hinder me now."

"Spoken like an elf with more courage than sense," Haldir replied good naturedly, secretly grateful that Legolas had not been hurt any worse than he had.

"That would be me," the elf grinned though it was not long before he was flinching in pain again.

"Well let’s keep moving," Bryan spoke up after he brought Tory and Fred out of their hiding place. Both had taken cover at Gandalf’s instruction, with Tory protecting Fred while the rest of the company fought the creature. "It won’t take the Nine very long to work out their beastie didn’t get us."

"Yes," Gandalf nodded. "We must forge onward. The enemy’s pawns are being shifted into place…"

**********

Unaware that this exact scenario had been played out across the globe in North Dakota in almost precise detail, Xiang Li looked at the transcript of his mistress’ telephone calls from her Shanghai apartment. He did not know why he had suddenly suspected she might be false. The thought had gripped him shortly after she had asked to come visit him in Luoning . It was a request she had never made of him before and he found it odd. After all, the effectiveness of the Luoning facility was its remote location and he doubted than Ming’s sudden desire to see him in such a wilderness had to do with her love for him.

After all, their affair was not one of the heart. He kept her in the manner she was accustomed to and she provided him with warm distraction whenever he was not on duty. There was no need to cloud the issue with strong emotions. Xiang was a career man and his ambitions would be best within reach if he did not have to worry about a family. A family required time and effort, resources he preferred to devote to his career. Ming understood this and had never asked for more then that. In the three years of their association, she had never felt the need to see where he worked though he must confess he did speak of it to her. However, Xiang had been confident she understood nothing that he told her.

Until now.

The transcripts left no doubt as to why Ming whispered sweet pleasures into his ears while taunting his flesh with her talents. Everything she had said to him was a lie, a carrot to dangle before him so that he would reveal everything he knew about the Luoning facility. She had greedily absorbed every iota of information and presented it to her superiors, no doubt for a hefty fee. A Chinese woman who had proved herself to not only a traitor to her country but also a spy for the Americans, had used him.

He sat in his office, clutching the piece of paper in his hands so tightly that it was starting to tear. There would be no hiding it. The intelligence officer who had acquired the information for him discreetly would be duty bound to report his discovery. Any chance that Xiang had of climbing the ranks was now destroyed. He would be lucky if he was not court-martialed himself for being foolish enough to succumb to the talents of a whore and a spy.

His military career was over.

Americans, Xiang thought with bitterness. Always needing to prove that they were better than anyone else. Sanctimoniously dictating to the rest of the world who could and could not have a nuclear arsenal when it was they who had been the only race to ever deploy the accursed weapons against another nation. The blood of Nagasaki and Hiroshima were on their hands and yet they presumed to tell the rest of the world how to manage their nuclear weapons sensibly? The hypocrisy of it burned into Xiang like fire.

They had ruined his life because of their games. Ming would deny everything if she did not already guess that he was suspicious. No doubt by the time he came for his revenge, she would be long gone. Running no doubt to her American masters in some extravagant place like Los Angeles or New York. Well, she was not going to escape. He was going to show her that there was no place on this earth she could run he would not find her. He would show her and the American dogs that had ruined him that he was very capable of vengeance even now. If he was damned, then so be it but Xiang was not going alone.

He would take Ming and the Americans with him.

*Be off, abominable bane of Morgoth! Flee to the deep of the world or feel the pain of light.

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