Adult-FanFiction.org : Lord of the Rings

In a land of shadows	By : Nuredhel Category: -Fourth Age to Modern times and beyond > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 1448 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings, it belongs to Tolkien, and i do not earn any money from this work of fiction, it is solely written for entertainment and not for profit at all.I do not own Lord of the Rings, it belongs to Tolkien,

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
Chapter fourteen: On plains of fire
Let the fire burn freely
Let your courage never fail
Remember what was given you
Remember what you might lose

The situation was completely out of control now, there were few safe places and the Istari were doing everything they could to prevent the monsters from entering the bigger cities. The Valar had finally realized that their entire realm was falling apart and had started to help out and so many were saved by the magical defenses they laid out. But the monsters kept coming and the countryside was abandoned. The death toll was already enormous and the halls of Mandos overcrowded like never before. The vala was beside himself with worry and confusion and he feared that the entire population of Aman would end up at his place if this wasn’t stopped.
The capital was well defended by both magic and weapons and it too was filled with desperate and fearful elves. Elrond had sought refuge there with his sons fiancée and his wife and now they were just praying that their sons were safe. Elrohir was in Lithui and nobody knew if he was alive or dead. The communication between the cities were broken since nobody dared to try travelling and the messages they could send by doves were small and could only contain the most crucial of information. It seemed as if the end of the world indeed had come and their only hope lay in those few sent to this strange world.

Nireariel and Thranduil tried to keep hope alive, they knew that the fortress was safe, the monsters could not get inside of it and the forest surrounding the palace had come completely alive now. Some said that they had seen trees move and nobody doubted their words. Nireariel and her son and daughter had indeed awakened the woods and created a formidable defense. Thranduil was still worried about some of the wounded elves, they were weak and needed good sustenance and much care but then again, they had nothing but time. The hunters could leave at sunrise and bring fresh meat and they had herbs and medicine enough. Celeborn was recovering rather fast, he was forced to stay in bed and complained a lot but Poicano didn’t budge, the ellon were to stay where he was until the healer felt that he was fully recovered. Galadriel was getting better too, but it went slowly and she was yet unconscious. Thranduil was afraid that her feâ was injured but they would not know this until she woke up. Now all they could do was endure and wait for a salvation they only could pray would come.
The group was still sitting at the grove, Vayana was working on Elrohir’s broken ribs and Narriar was still staring at Ravenne with awe. He could barely believe what he had witnessed but he knew that it was real. His soul mate was a true immortal and the thought made him shiver to the core. Ravenne was staring into the darkness, her gaze distant but her expression harsh. She had made herself a solemn vow now, she would not let any other risk their lives! She could survive, and she would survive. Failure was not an option, she just had to come up with the best possible plan, one that would rid this world and the others of the problem completely and fast too. Elrohir was awake now, Vayana had managed to get his ribs back into place and she had bandaged them and given him some pain medication. He was unable to fight but he could move and so they left the grove and moved on. Glorfindel was staring at Ravenne rather often, there was something peculiar within his gaze and Haldir had a strong suspicion as to what the warrior was thinking. And if Haldir knew Ravenne right he assumed that she was thinking about the exact same thing. The terrain rose towards a low pass and they reached the edge of the forest after a few hours. Narriar was still nervous, the forest was angry and not to be trusted but he knew that they would have to face far worse things. The skies were colored red and they could smell a very pungent and nasty stench of sulphur and ash. The mountain range they now had to cross was made from rock that seemed almost rotten and Erestor was mumbling to himself all the time and making notes. Gwan and Magon was the most relaxed of them now, they didn’t seem to care much about the smell but Narriar did notice that they weren’t all that comfortable after all.
The gwhyym were scurrying around and they reported the findings of many more dead monsters. The trick had been a complete success and Narriar was a bit proud of it. They spent the rest of the day getting through the pass and they made a camp for the night on top of it. They didn’t yet see what was ahead but it was apparent that the monsters had been there cause there were lots of footprints there and they had left droppings everywhere. Ravenne knew that she had to get the complete picture before she could create a plan, she felt an irritating sensation of eagerness, she wanted this whole thing over with.
The Ce’agar warriors were silent and didn’t speak much that night, they just sat there and Ravenne guessed that they were meditating. Narriar was probably asleep but she wasn’t sure and she didn’t want to disturb him, he needed his rest now. She felt well, incredibly so. She didn’t really want to think about the thing that had happened to her and she was afraid to really accept her fate but she was shocked by her physical state. There wasn’t even a scar and she felt strong and vital and ready for just about anything. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing after all. She ate and then she got up and took a look around. The others were at rest and she knew that she depended upon them to finish this. Even with her new found ability she could not hope to do this alone, she felt a surge of emotions rush through her and bit her lip. They had to find a way that didn’t mean that others had to die, she would not have any of that. It was bad enough that Elrohir had gotten injured. She saw that red light, and she was sure she could feel tremors too, the ground was shaking. It did really feel as though history was repeating itself, that they were heading into Mordor but their task was not to throw a ring into a volcano, their task was to kill. Could this queen even be killed? Of course she could, all living things can die, or that was what Ravenne had though until that very day. But she had to try, there were no other option.
She lay down and slept for a while and when Narriar woke her up she was well rested and ready. They ate and broke camp and after having walked through the ragged terrain they got the first view of the area they were about to enter. Glorfindel mumbled a curse that probably was rather juicy and Haldir went pale, Erestor just stared and the others gasped. What lay ahead of them was hell, it was Mordor but made ten times worse. It was a volcanic wasteland, a plain where steam and smoke rose from fissures in the earth, where bubbling ponds of scolding hot mud or water were death traps and rivers of molten rock meandered through the misty landscape.
Narriar just stared and he was wide eyed and obviously frightened. “How in hell are they able to get around down there?”
Haldir pointed. “See? They have made themselves paths, they are probably safe.”
Vayana made a grimace. “Or as safe as they can be. Why are they wandering around in the first place you think?”
Narriar was studying the strange area with both fascination and fear, he made a grimace. “I think they started here, there are animals and food in the hills surrounding this hell hole, it probably was enough for them until they multiplied.”
Glorfindel nodded slowly. “I think you are right, the paths have been used for some time. So now what?”
Ravenne sighed. “The queen is out there somewhere, but I would very much like to know why she settled here? It is not exactly a cozy place.”
Erestor sent her a wry grin. “It is hot! Can’t you feel it? I know of several species of birds and reptiles that bury their eggs in the ground to keep them warm, they often use decomposing plant material to keep the temperature stabile.”
Ravenne felt a need to do a face palm, of course! “She is using the volcanic heat to incubate her eggs, we should have thought of that before!”
Narriar shrugged. “How could we? We didn’t even know that that thing had settled here, we didn’t even know of this area before.”
Gwan and Magon stared at the mist and smoke and they did not look happy at all. “There is nothing to hide behind down there!”
Narriar grinned, his eyes were far better in this half darkness than theirs. “Oh but there are, the ground is covered with rocks and cliffs. Don’t worry about that.”
The two warriors did not look too convinced and Narriar grinned at them but Ravenne could see that he was a bit worried too. Vayana sighed, “I think we’d better get used to that stench, it will follow us from now on I fear.”
Glorfindel stared at her and his eyes were narrow. “Could it be dangerous to us?”
Vayana nodded. “Yes, but remember we are elves, we can survive even the toxic air of Mordor. I think this is a bit worse than Mordor ever were but we can cope with it. If we were human we would most likely suffocate.”
Narriar grunted. “It will still be hard, and uncomfortable. I do not blame anyone if they choose to turn back.”
Nobody reacted, they just stared at him and he sent them a narrow grin and shrugged. “Ok then, let’s go, the sooner we end this the better!”
They began wandering down the paths and Ravenne saw how their suits changed color to adjust to the terrain. They all were hard to spot and she took a deep breath as they descended into the mist. It got rather hot but not unbearable so and the air was so thick it was like drinking. The stars disappeared under the veil of mist and the Ce’agar looked very nervous, the Gwhyym too. The small creatures were gathering in a single pack and they kept their mouths shut. Ravenne hadn’t thought that she would miss their constant chattering but now she did. The ground was covered with a thick layer of sand like ash and it was grey and yellow and orange and those colors were the only ones they could see besides black. It was a desolate land, devoid of life and it felt dark and heavy in her mind. Like it was trying to suck the very soul out of everyone brave or foolish enough to enter it.
They were almost down onto the plain when one of the Ce’agar scouts came hurrying, he pointed up ahead. “A group of monsters, rather large.”
Narriar bit his teeth together. “Are they on the move?”
The scout shook his head. “No, they are stationary. It looks as if they are waiting for something or someone.”
Glorfindel swore. “Then we have to find a way around them, we cannot draw attention to ourselves yet, we have to go undetected for as long as we possibly can.”
Narriar nodded. “Yes, you are right. “
He gestured to the scout. “See if there are paths out there we can use, with enough coverage to get us past those beasts.”
Vayana looked a bit nervous. “They have excellent noses, I fear that they may smell us. “
Haldir raised his eyebrows in a grimace.”With this stench in the air?”
Narriar nodded. “She is right, they are used to the scent of the land, they doesn’t notice that at all. “
Gwan took out the canisters of what he referred to as perfume. Ravenne cut a grimace, she knew what that stuff smelled like and it wasn’t pleasant at all. Gwan took great joy in spraying them all with the goo, it didn’t smell like anything organic that was true but it didn’t mean that it was nice. Ravenne sneezed. “I feel as though I smell like a freaking gas-station!”
Magon got sprayed and grinned. “Better than to smell like dinner I guess!”
Even the gwhyym and the Ce’agar warriors got sprayed and they made some jokes and funny faces but the reality of the situation soon hit them. They knew that this was no laughing matter at all and Ravenne stared at the desolate landscape and knew that this would be the result if these monsters were allowed to spread further, they would leave both Aman and Earth completely devoid of anything alive. The scouts had found an alternative route and they started moving again, the plains were not as flat as they had appeared to be from above. They were indeed covered with rocks and boulders and small hills and canyons. It was a nightmare to travel there, the paths were twisting and turning and finding the right direction was hard. The light seemed to come from everywhere at once and it made it hard to find out where they were heading. Still Narriar was leading them forward at a steady pace and the gwhyym were scurrying around, finding new paths and places where they could hide if they were to encounter any enemies. Ravenne could in fact see the group of monsters which was blocking the main path, she saw that they really appeared to be waiting for someone and she had a strange feeling of incoming trouble. After a while they saw that something was moving through the fog and smoke towards the group, Ravenne and Narriar had hidden behind a boulder and they could not be seen but they did see the enemy rather well and Ravenne gasped and had to blink in disbelief. She had thought that the warriors were the biggest individuals among the monsters but she had been wrong, there were a third type and she immediately realized that this added a whole new dimension of haste to the quest. These monsters were the size of an elephant and they were obviously born and bred only to make way through barriers. Haldir was taking a quick peep at the beasts and he swore. “By Morgoth’s molars, those will break through any wall!”
Ravenne took a deep breath. “Yes, they have probably faced so much resistance they need to take the fighting to a new level.”
Narrriar stared at the nasty critters, they were extremely muscular with tiny heads and it wasn’t hard to guess that they were somewhat lacking when it came to brainpower but the humongous arms with long strong clawed fingers could probably tear even the bedrock itself apart. Ravenne thought of the palace back in New Greenwood and her heart sank within her chest. They had to put an end to this, and soon! But rushing headlong into this was the last thing they should do and so she tried to calm down and think rationally. They moved forth very carefully and Ravenne counted this new horror, she could see ten and she knew that there probably were many times more of them with the other groups of monsters. Glorfindel was a bit pale. “I don’t think even the walls of the capital can withstand something like that over time.”
Haldir shook his head and Erestor looked a bit distraught. Vayana swallowed. “We have to try, and we have to hurry! Without their leader they will probably just give up, the queen is the brain of these creatures.”
Ravenne petted her blade almost lovingly.”And I will have her head, believe me!”
Glorfindel almost growled. “Don’t become too confident young one, she could be a much tougher opponent than you imagine.”
Ravenne nodded and her eyes were ablaze. “I know, but I will kill her nonetheless.”
They moved along the paths and Ravenne tried to get a picture of how this terrain was created, it was so chaotic and unpredictable and it didn’t feel natural at all. The scouts managed to keep them away from the groups of monsters that were moving across the plain, it was obvious that they were heading somewhere and some were carrying what had to be carcasses. They were obviously heading home with their quarry and Ravenne knew that they had to follow those beasts. It wasn’t easy keeping up and remain unseen but the fact that these monsters had very poor eyesight was a great help. The temperature was rather stabile but they had to stay away from the rivers of molten rock. The lava was very thin and was moving like water and Ravenne knew that there had to be some sort of volcano nearby. They crossed a low hill and then they saw the source of the lava, it was a rift in the earth itself, several miles long and lava was flowing out of it like blood from a wound. Erestor whistled. “A fissure eruption, I have never seen one before.”
Haldir spat on the ground, he was studying the surroundings with keen eyes. “I see a problem, I guess you do too?”
Narriar nodded. “There is only one way across it, only one bridge, and it is guarded.”
Ravenne could see it, a lava bridge across the very wide fissure and several monsters stood there. There was no other way across and the fissure seemed to split the entire plain in two. Narriar looked a bit nervous. “What do we do? If we move towards the hills and cross there it will take us several days I fear.”
Ravenne sighed. “We can’t do that, for each hour that monster who is the mother of them all is allowed to live more of our own kin is slain. We cannot allow ourselves to be stopped by anything. We have to cross the bridge.”
Glorfindel stared at her, his eyes were cold and she could see that he was ready to fight. “We need a plan then.”
Ravenne nodded. “The hive cannot be too far away now, if we manage to fell these guards without anyone else noticing it we may manage to get over undetected.”
Haldir grinned. “Then we have to move fast, extremely fast. And we have to kill the guards fast too, they cannot get the time to react. “
Gwan had a grin on his face and took out a rather menacing looking gun, it looked a bit like a snipers rifle but wasn’t that long and the caliber was rather large. “This one will pierce even the armor of those beasts, believe me! Get them out in the open and I and Magon will kill them!”
Ravenne nodded and Narriar whistled, some Gwhyym came running out from behind the cracks between the rocks like mice and he spoke to them with a gentle voice. The creatures nodded eagerly and he smiled. “They will create a diversion, get in position and be ready to run like hell!”
Gwan and Magon found some spots where they were in perfect position to shoot and the rest just waited. The bridge was some hundred feet away now and they could feel the heat from the fissure. It looked like the lava was boiling and Ravenne could hardly comprehend how these creatures could stand there so relaxed, they had to be very adaptable when it came to temperature. Suddenly the path leading towards the bridge was teeming with small shrieking creatures that were dancing around like they were crazy and the beasts guarding the bridge stared and then they moved out onto the structure, eager to see what this was and if it was edible.
Magon and Gwan had been archers back in the days, and they had been well trained in the use of modern weapons too. Each shot would have to count and Ravenne was impressed, they just heard a short series of shots that sounded almost like one but all the monsters on the bridge fell with a single bullet wound to their head. Ravenne knew that these bullets were the worst kind, they wound expand and create terrible damage and she didn’t like it a bit but this time they could not think about honor. They all ran, there were no groups nearby and Ravenne could feel that it was hard to even breathe because of the heat. The gwhyym ran too and Ravenne could feel that the heat made the soles of her boots sticky. The Ce’agar ran across the bridge and the expressions on their faces told her that they did indeed feel the heat too. They only wore thin leather boots and Narriar was among the first to cross, he kicked a few of the dead bodies and Haldir and Glorfindel tipped them over the edge and into the lava. They quickly ran for cover and the scouts went ahead again, checking the surroundings. Gwan and Magon reloaded their weapons and Elrohir patted his sword, he was a bit pale and Ravenne knew that his broken ribs still bothered him. It had to be very painful since this place was so hot and the air so thick and heavy to breathe. They had to move slowly now, there were more monsters around and the terrain was even more ragged than before. What had appeared to be a plain was in fact a mace of hills and valleys and the paths were not at all that good. They sometimes just disappeared and the monsters were marching around to gather in certain places where they just disappeared into thin air. Gwan stared at the phenomenon, a group of at last a hundred monsters had just disappeared and he had an expression on his face that was telling everybody that he had a plan, and that it was potentially dangerous. Ravenne tilted her head. “Yes?”
Gwan took something from his backpack, it was some sort of grenade. “I wonder what would happen if I tossed this after them, just as they disappear?”
Haldir grinned, a very vicious grin. “Try it, there is another group assembling up ahead.”
Gwan nodded and Ravenne made a grimace. “Don’t let yourself be seen!”
Gwan just sent her a swift grin. “Don’t worry, I am not some elfling!”
Narriar was hunching down and he looked worried. “If the hive is close by I am sure it is heavily guarded.”
Ravenne sighed. “I am sure of that too, so we have to drive the guards away, create a diversion of some kind. To enter the hive will be my job, I have to finish this!”
Narriar stared at her. “Alone? No way Ravenne, I will follow you and you know you cannot stop me!”
She stared him straight in the eye and then she sighed, she would not be able to make him change his mind and in some way it felt reassuring to know that she had him guarding her back. “Very well then, but no other. The fewer we are the greater our chances. “
Gwan had managed to throw one grenade into a group of monsters just as they disappeared and he came running back, scurrying between the rocks, he was grinning widely from one ear to the other. “I bet they got the surprise of a lifetime!”
Ravenne just grinned, this was good for their morale, but it didn’t really matter when it came to stopping the enemy, a few dead monsters didn’t make much difference in the end.
The area was vast, much greater than they had imagined and they had to rest again before they could move forth. Ravenne had lost track of time and it felt terrible to know that many could be dying right at this moment. They stayed in a small cave for a couple of hours and when they left again after a meal it was very clear for everyone that this was it. They could not rest again until they had managed to stop the monsters, once and for all. Ravenne felt a weird mix of anticipation and fear, she had no idea of what she would encounter now, she could only hope that she was strong enough to do what she had to do.
They did not follow the paths any longer, it was too dangerous, instead they found their way among the cracks and crevices and boulders and it went slowly but they weren’t detected although they sometimes were so close to the monsters that they almost could reach out and touch them. Ravenne was glad she had been showered in that dreadful perfume and that the suit she wore offered excellent camouflage. The creatures looked even worse alive then they had dead and there were too many assembled for them to be able to get away from a fight alive. She was unable to count them but there had to be at least several thousands and they saw more and more as they moved ahead. They had started to see what had to be rising hills and mountains on the other side of the plains when they finally saw the hive and the sight left them all speechless. It was something they just were unable to describe because they had never seen anything like that before.
Ravenne sighed and closed her eyes, it was a monstrosity, an abomination. The sight so gruesome it made her skin crawl and she heard the others mutter prayers and curses. Erestor got one of the binoculars Gwan had brought and studied the structure with an expression of disgust. The whole thing looked like some huge cliff protruding from the earth but it looked half melted and spikes and strange rocks were protruding from it everywhere. It was black, black as pitch and the starlight made it shine and glitter, it was a terrible beauty mixed with horror and Ravenne could not tear her eyes away from it. Erestor swore and lowered the binoculars. “I know what that is, it is the vessel that brought that monster to this place, it is the egg the queen was hatched from!”
Ravenne turned her head. “Are you kidding me?”
He shook his head. “Nope!”
He pointed at the structure. “Look beyond it!”
They stared and saw a strange flat plain covered with a weird honeycomb pattern, there were monsters everywhere and they appeared to be working. “Those are the incubators, they have dug into the ground and the eggs are lain into them. We have to destroy all the spawn, completely!”
Ravenne sighed. “And how do we do that, do we have to?”
Erestor was rolling his eyes. “I may not be the wisest among elves but I do know one thing, if you do leave unfinished business it will come back to haunt you. What if one of those eggs hatch into a new queen?”
Narriar nodded. “Wisdom spoken my friend, truly. We have to kill them all but how?”
Magon and Elrohir were busy studying the terrain with the night vision goggles they had brought, they whispered to each other and Elrohir turned around. “There is a way, an easy way. Well, not easy but manageable. The light from that hill behind the incubator field has to be a lava lake, we have brought explosives haven’t we?”
Haldir grinned. “You plan to release the lava?”
Elrohir had a glimpse of sheer madness in his eyes. “Yes, we will let them burn!”
Ravenne took the googles, stared at the fields. “How the hell do you plan on getting over there without being stopped?”
Elrohir looked very determined. “How smart are those gwhyym?”
Narriar stared at him with narrow eyes. “As smart as we are I guess, why?”
Elrohir grimaced, his ribs were hurting but he bowed down and drew in the ash. “The hive is guarded but so is the incubators, I guess that they will defend the eggs and spawn with their lives right? I think we can send some gwhyym over to attack some incubators, they will draw the attention towards themselves and then flee. If someone else creates a diversion somewhere else at the right time it should be possible for a couple of us to sneak through and place the explosives.”
Haldir grunted. “That is a risk to take, but it could work. We have to kill the spawn!”
Narriar sighed and turned around, he got the leader of the Gwhyym to come to him and sat there for a long time, talking to the small creature. The Gwhyym looked very determined and it had a proud expression upon its ugly face.
Narriar turned around again, he smiled but the smile was a sad one. “He will do it, they will do whatever they can to create enough chaos for us to slip through. These Gwhyym came knowing that they probably wouldn’t return, they are doing it for their people.”
Glorfindel bowed his head. “They are brave, tell him that. I respect their choices, and the sacrifice they are about to make.”
Elrohir sent them all a wry grin. “Know what? They are so tiny compared with these creatures that I think they can be rather successful, it is hard to hit something that small and fast and we have all seen that these beasts are strong but not all that fast. “
Ravenne stared at the Gwhyym, they were staring back with tiny beady eyes and she could almost smell their determination. They had weapons and weren’t helpless at all. In fact they were rather strong since they were so many.
The group crept forward very slowly and very patiently, they had to get as close as they could before they could start doing anything and Ravenne felt her heart beating fast and hard in her chest. She stared at the hive, it was so unnatural, so alien. She had no idea of what it was made of but it looked almost like some kind of metal. Gwan and Magon were kneeling down next to her. “Ravenne, since you and Narriar are going after the queen herself you need to carry a lot of equipment, that thing over there has to be gone!”
Gwan laid several grenades into a backpack, then some packages of what had to be some sort of explosive. “We will split the explosives in two, you’ll get half of it. I and Magon will blow up the hill back there if it is possible, and hopefully release the lava lake. “
Erestor was cocking his head. “That egg thing is very large, and it is stuck deep into the ground, I wonder if it had pierced the very crust here?”
Elrohir nodded. “That is likely, then it is reaching the lava underneath this plain. A bomb at the bottom of it should do the trick”
Ravenne cringed. “I guess you are right, but a real blast here can unleash hell, for real!”
Haldir grinned, his eyes were shining. “Yes, but it is a risk we have to be willing to take. We may unleash a new volcano but if these monsters die it is just perfect.”
Narriar bit his lip. “Ravenne has to do that part of the job, I don’t know what the heck you are talking about. “
Gwan lifted one of the packages, it had a timing device attached to it. “Just drop them somewhere they won’t be seen and set the timer like you would an ordinary clock, it is easy. We won’t release the lava until you both are out of there.”
Ravenne made a grimace. “Oh yes, easy as pie!”
The palace was rather quiet, they had been attacked every night but the monsters hadn’t managed to cause any damage and it was rather obvious that they were getting frustrated. The elves who had chosen to stay within the forest told that the trees were actively fighting these intruders now, they had seen that some monsters had been tossed into rivers and lakes and they drowned since they didn’t float very well at all. The forest floor seemed to open up and devour the carcasses and it was some sort of poetic justice to the whole thing, the dead monsters became nutrients that would feed the forest for years to come.
Nireariel was more relaxed now that her beloved was home again and she regained her strength fast, she had not yet told anyone of the happy news and she found it a bit hard to even think about it. She had no idea of how her family would react. She had noticed that Meldariel and Oropher had kept to themselves for a while, they hadn’t joined the rest of the family for dinner or meetings and she had a strong suspicion that this had something to do with why Meldariel had looked so shocked and sad for several days. Nireariel was sitting by a fireplace with a book when her father in law entered the room, Thranduil was also sitting there reading and Oropher smiled and sighed, he sat down. He gave Thranduil a grin that was both filled with mirth and sadness. “I am telling you ion nin, do never keep secrets from your wife, by Mandos how it can backfire!”
Thranduil looked a bit confused and Oropher sighed and closed his eyes. “Cunarin finally gathered his courage and told her the truth, she didn’t take it well”
Thranduil gasped. “Oh valar, that explains why she has acted so…moody for the last days.”
Oropher nodded slowly. “Yes, he wanted her to know the truth, in case it was the last chance he got to tell her. He could perhaps have chosen a better timing but heck, I understand him.”
Nireariel was frowning, she didn’t understand this at all. “What are you talking about?”
Oropher smiled and shrugged. “My firstborn, Cunarin.”
Nireariel pressed her lips together. “What about him? He is insufferably arrogant and cocky and acts like everybody else is way below him.”
Oropher sighed. “True, he is really something, but the reason is not what you think. I have known his secret for many years and I swore not to tell Meldariel about it, he wanted to tell her himself, at least he found the balls to do it but he did indeed take his time”
Nireariel looked very confused at this point and Thranduil had a most peculiar expression upon his face, he looked as if he was trying to stop himself from laughing. “Then what?! What are you talking about?”
Oropher sighed. “My dear, I am sure you have noticed that Cunarin sometimes are accompanied by the very fair and pretty looking young Caladem?”
Nireariel frowned again, then she opened her mouth and closed it again with huge eyes. “Oh, damn, he really is…? I kind of suspected that…?”
Oropher nodded solemnly. “Quite gay yes, but that isn’t the thing that made my wife so upset, she has had her suspicions for ages to be honest. She was just waiting for him to come forth with the truth about his preference. The thing that upset her was the story of how and why he died. He got himself killed in order to meet his lover again in the halls of Mandos.”
Nireariel had to close her eyes in disbelief. “Oh Valar, then I understand why she has been acting up, is she calming down or is she still fuming?”
Oropher let out a deep sight. “She is still rather upset yes, but she has forgiven him, with that being said I am not so sure that she will let him know of that fact for the next couple of centuries though. If she has suffered he is to suffer too. “
Thranduil shook his head and opened his book once more. “Well, at least the secret is out, he doesn’t have to act so darn arrogant any more, we all know he is soft at the bottom”
Oropher laughed. “Yes, but he will still try to intimidate everyone by acting up, it is just the way he is. Not even the monsters clawing at our doors will change that.”
Thranduil bit his teeth together. “I just hope that we will see the end of the menace soon, I pray that those sent to Lithui will make it. If not even this stronghold won’t keep the beasts out forever. I am sad to say it but it is the truth. “
Nireariel stared at the flames in the fireplace, she of course knew this very well, but she had hope and she had faith in her daughter. She knew that Ravenne never would hesitate doing what was required to save her loved ones, she was not like the other elves and she had powers that could mean the difference between victory and defeat. The question was if Ravenne was willing to go that far, to use a power that would make her rather feared among all others. Nireariel had used her curse just once, to save Legolas from a poisonous centipede bite. She had given death the life of her would be assassin in exchange for the life of the prince and although she never had regretted it even once she knew that it had changed her. Such power was not to be wielded by any other than the Gods and she just hoped that she never would have to use it again.
The darkness was falling outside of the walls and the doors had been shut again, the place sealed off from the outside world and they all felt a bit like bunnies hiding within their burrows. They could wait for salvation and that was all, nothing they did could stop the monsters and Nireariel had noticed that the calm atmosphere within the palace had become somewhat dark and filled with silent resignation. There was no point in raging against destiny, what would be would be and there was no way to avoid it. The wounded elves were all on the mend now and even Galadriel had woken up and was gathering strength, Celeborn was with her all of the time and Nireariel was quite moved by the love she could sense between the two of them, she just hoped that there would be a future for them all, that this madness would end and things return to normal.
That night a couple of villages to the north were completely obliterated, the settlements had strong walls but they were pulled down and all the inhabitants massacred. On earth the attacks were far worse now, there were more food to be found there and not even the Istari could hide the grim truth any longer. The monsters were seen and the elves wisely went into hiding, they no longer dared getting involved in this. Their presence should remain a secret anyhow and the humans had to deal with this the only way they knew how to. With an overwhelming use of force and power. The modern weapons were rather efficient towards the beasts, at least against the workers. Armor piercing bullets and powerful rifles were enough to stop the monsters and when they added machine guns and grenades into the mix the armed forced did wipe out entire groups of monsters in just a matter of minutes. But that didn’t make the problem go away or diminish, the monsters kept coming. They had no fear for their own life, they weren’t even self-aware. All they could do was to follow the orders they had been given and so they kept trying to attack everything from shopping malls to churches and farms, everywhere where huge groups of humans or animals were gathered.
The governments were busy working with strategies to stop the beasts and they had discovered that the monsters somehow came from somewhere else and returned to that place when they had filled their bellies. The next step was logical if you are human, to send some sort of bomb back with the monsters. The elves of the colonies had spies also within the governments, they didn’t like this idea even a bit. The monsters would perhaps be stopped but not all of them and what of Lithui and it’s inhabitants? They worked with an emergency plan now, if the humans really tried that trick they would have to evacuate many from Lithui and that fast too. They could just hope that the group that they had sent would be able to stop the beasts and that soon.
The news of the new sort of monster spread fast on earth, after all, they had all sorts of modern equipment and a small group of elves from the colonies had managed to get by some weapons. They immediately left for Valmar and promised to help out with the defense of the city. The colonies didn’t have access to huge amounts of modern weapons, if they started buying such things they would arise suspicion and they had never had cause to buy them either. The things they did have were brought there over several years, sometimes having a lot of time on your hands were a clear advantage. There was no need to hurry but now it was and the colonies were starting to receive refugees from Aman. They could not take too many, just a couple of hundred and having to turn down desperate pleas for help was heart wrenching and hard. But there just weren’t enough room for everybody and the refugees were not used to earth and could risk blowing their cover by accident. Many were thinking about the group over at Lithui and crossing their fingers, they had to make it, they just had to!
The plan was getting ready now, The Gwhyym would scatter and try to catch the attention of the monsters as well as they could while Gwan and Magon would head for the lava lake and the rest of the group of Ce’agar elves and Aman elves would try to add to the chaos. Narriar and Ravenne was to enter the hive and Ravenne had a strange taste in the back of her mouth and she knew that is was fear. She was terrified to tell the truth and she saw the many hundreds of monsters that were scurrying around and she could not believe that they would manage to get inside of the structure undetected. Narriar was frightened too but he was also very determined, he could not fail now, for the sake of his people. They had to wait until everybody got into position and Ravenne smiled at Elrohir and Vayana who would be hiding in a small cave underneath some huge boulders, Vayana was no warrior and Elrohir was hurt, but he would make sure that they would know what was happening through their ear pieces. He was going to do his job and she had no reason to doubt that he would do it very well. Erestor had agreed on joining the Ce’agar warriors who were to help the Gwhyym create chaos and they had all been given some good weapons, including the fluid from the plants back at the camp. Ravenne also had a few and she wanted to use them, just to see if it did work the way she hoped that it would. There was a constant noise coming from the hive and the monsters. A terrible sound of utter chaos and yet there was some sort of organization to it. The creatures seemed to know where to go, they had purpose and a plan and Ravenne stared at the hive in confusion. It had to be some sort of control going on, she knew that ant hills were controlled with pheromones but these beasts were surely not controlled thus? Could it be some sort of telepathy? That could possibly spell trouble, elves were vulnerable for telepathic attacks and she feared that this queen could be far more resourceful than they had imagined. This was no mere beast, this thing had to be intelligent. But it did not know her, it did not know her secrets and she would not let the thing find them neither. The safest way to deal with an enemy is by letting the enemy underestimate you completely and Ravenne had a plan already. She remembered the state she had been in during her wild years, the lack of thought, of reason. She had been naught but an animal acting by instinct, it was the perfect defense against anyone who probably thought very highly of oneself. Let that queen think she was a mere beast, no smarter than her minions. Ravenne had more layers to her that that, she was no blunt knife but a well balanced sword.
The gwhyym were getting into position, they were communicating by using some very high pitched squeals that were inaudible to anyone but themselves and Narriar stared at Ravenne, she could see the love in his eyes and the silent acceptance of their choice. He grasped her hand, held it tightly. “If this is the end of it know that you have made me more whole than I ever imagined I’d ever could be. I will watch over you forever from the world of spirits if I face death today.”
She bent over, kissed him gently. “You won’t, I won’t let you. Death is my slave remember? Tonight I will use what destiny has given me.”
His eyes were shining, he kissed her back. “I fear what I might see, but I know that watching you set free will be a sight to behold, one to remember for eternity.”
Ravenne growled, she could already feel how her feral self was returning to her, how the huntress slowly emerged from the depths of her soul, hungry relentless and fierce. She was becoming this unthinking wild thing again, the predator which never would hesitate, never doubt its own actions. If the queen was trying to subdue her with magic her soul would be bait, the other half of her would finish the job. “Do not fear Meleth, I will not let them hurt you. Fight well!”
He leaned his forehead against her. “Fight well my lioness”
The gwhyym were ready, Ravenne kept her eye on the entrance to the hive, a wide ragged opening along the bottom of the structure. She had one of the UV flashlights in her belt together with some bearspray and other remedies. She would use them if she needed to, Narriar had just his sword and two long slender knives which resembled the ones the Avari and Silvan elves of old Mirkwood used to wield. She was sure that he could do some serious damage with them. She took a deep breath, prepared herself for the plunge. She and Narriar were fast, their speed was their best card right now, they had to just sprint and hope that they weren’t stopped on the way.
Gwan and Magon were ready too and Haldir and Glorfindel lay behind some rocks and were to protect their backs. Gwan and Magon had their rifles ready, they could probably shoot their way and the other two ellyn wielded swords and could probably do some damage too.
The start was not as obvious as one could anticipate, it was rather slow and Ravenne first saw that some of the beasts were starting to walk around as if they didn’t see where they were going. Narriar was staring and he whispered something. Ravenne turned her head.. “What?”
He pointed towards the monsters that were rather corny looking now. “The Gwhyym have some magic in them, I have never seen it, until now. They can blind others somehow, I think it has something to do with their ability to shape metals.”
The monsters were roaring in confusion and more and more of them appeared to go blind, they were waltzing around like steamrollers without a driver and they knocked each other over and the chaos spread. Then suddenly there were Gwhyym everywhere or so it seemed since they were so terribly fast and Ravenne gasped when she realized what they were doing, they just had to touch the beasts and then everything they wore of metal fused together to become a real obstacle, most of them had at least some pieces of armor or weapons and it hindered their movements.
Gwan and Magon went into action, they were making a run for it, with Haldir and Glorfindel behind them and the Gwhyym were attacking the incubator field too. They were using their weapons for all they were worth and Ravenne noticed that they had found yet another weakness they could exploit. The monsters weren’t wearing any shoes or anything even resembling footwear and the blades were not big but terrifyingly sharp. The Gwhyym warriors just cut the Achilles tendon of the beasts and left them unable to walk or move. The beasts were roaring in anger and pain and didn’t understand anything. The Ce’agar warriors were firing arrows at the monsters gathering in front of the hive and the beasts reacted as they had anticipated, by following them. The arrows didn’t kill that many, they just hurt and made the monsters angry and Ravenne took a deep breath, she focused on the task ahead, only on that.
Magon and Gwan were firing in short precise bursts, they didn’t have a lot of ammunition and could not waste it but Ravenne had been right. The attack on the incubators was what the beasts reacted to first and foremost. That some workers and warriors got killed was nothing, the spawn on the other hand had to be protected. And so the monsters were hurrying towards the huge area and that was exactly what Ravenne and the others had hoped for. The gwhyym were cutting away at the sacks that were protecting the spawn and it was soon clear that the creatures were extremely fragile, they were nowhere as tough as the adult ones. The contact with the air itself seemed to be able to kill them and the gwhyym warriors were so very fast. They didn’t allow themselves to get caught even though the monsters were swinging swords and hammers at them with terrifying force.
The gwhyym were well organized, they would gather and start mock attacks on the beasts, then they would retreat and disperse and leave the beasts standing there in utter bewilderment. The Ce’agar warriors had moved to the east of the hive, now they let arrows rain down over the incubators and they killed quite a lot of spawn that way before they too retreated and allowed the beasts to follow them further into the ragged rocky terrain. Ravenne and Narriar had been waiting, but now they could wait no longer. Ravenne was up on her feet and she ran as a cheetah towards the entrance. Some Gwhyym were running with her and Narriar and she understood that the small creatures intended to help her, she could not deny them that and was in fact grateful they were there. The monsters who still occupied the area in front of the entrance had been blinded and Ravenne dodged them with ease, she ran lightly without making any noise and so did Narriar.
From now on they were on their own and she could see that the entrance was just a rift in the skin of this strange hive. She ran with Narriar at her side and she was scared and in awe of the size of the structure but she didn’t allow that to unnerve her. She rushed inside and she could immediately see that they hadn’t seen all the types of monsters yet. There were of course egg chambers where the newly laid eggs were tended to and that required yet another type of creature. These were nothing like the workers or the warriors, they had no armor and their bodies were soft and almost transparent. They were moving slowly and they had two sets of thick and very flexible arms with suckers at the end. These were just the biological equivalent of a machine, they had barely instincts but they did notice that something was there that didn’t belong.
Ravenne growled and pulled deathseeker, the blade was more than sharp enough to cut through these beasts. Narriar was already at it, he was cutting the strange beasts in two with huge fleeting movements and Ravenne tried to get an idea of how this place was arranged. The queen had to be in the middle of the structure and she saw that there were countless corridors everywhere, some too small for the workers to cross through and she saw that the gwhyym that had followed them were hard at work already. They were sealing off the corridors and she knew she had been right in her assumptions, the hive was indeed made from some sort of metal.
Narriar was cutting his way through the crowd of egg watchers and Ravenne followed right behind him, her blade was just as good as his and she enjoyed this a lot. The whole hive was unbearably hot but she didn’t even notice it, she had to do her job and do it well. She found some sort of shaft that leaded down into the darkness and she hoped that it was leading into the very bowels of this place, she dropped one of the bombs into it after having set the timer for half an hour. She just prayed that it was enough. She was rounding a corner when something grasped her and threw her violently into a wall but it was nothing physical, this was a power of a whole different type and she knew that the fight just had gotten a whole lot harder. “Usurper, assassin. I will feast on your blood!”
The voice was confident, strong. Ravenne moaned in pain, her head was throbbing and Narriar was gasping on the floor, clutching his head. She had to break the hold this monster had on her right away and Ravenne forgot all about being an elf, a creature of light. She embraced her dark side wholeheartedly and let her own mind trace the voice back to its origin where she allowed all her fury to become like a dagger, stabbing back at the mind of her attacker. She heard a piercing shriek and then she was released and fell onto the floor, feeling dizzy.
Narriar was back on his feet, cutting down a few of the strange monsters just to awake himself. “What happened?”
Ravenne bared her teeth in anticipation of a real challenge. “That was her royal majesty welcoming us to her castle!”
- 13
- 14
- 15
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

In a land of shadows