Adult-FanFiction.org : Lord of the Rings

Love's Redemption	By : mthorsta Category: -Multi-Age > Het - Male/Female Views: 7108 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings (and associated) book series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Chapter 3 - From the Ashes
  Jordan awoke with a start in an unfamiliar bed. While adjusting her eyes to the dim light, the realization slowly set in that it hadn�t been a dream. She was really here. Reaching over to the side table, she grasped a long match and lit the lantern. Soft light now illuminated the small quarters and danced on the walls. She stretched out on the bed, deciding how she would spend her day.
  After a meager meal consisting of a breakfast bar and water, she went about packing some additional food, water, and a change of clothing in a small knapsack for the day�s exploration. She wasn�t exactly sure where she was going as she stepped out of her quarters into the bluish glow of Kirel�s long corridors. Navigating the complicated maze of corridors and staircases, she made her way to the public square where the fountain stood, dry. Water had not flowed from it in many years. She sat down on its edge and closed her eyes. She still felt very strongly that there was a reason for her to be here; that something was waiting for her. A chance? A destiny? There had to be something more to this life for her. There just had to be. She remained that way for sometime, listening to the city and letting images wash over her mind like waves. One image stood out to her more than others and it was the library.
  The boats that once ferried people from the neighborhoods of Kirel and Bevin to the island of Ae�gura had not been in operation since the fall of D�ni. Some of them had sunk into the lake; the wreckage evidenced by twisted metal and rotting wood visible above the surface. Others sat at the docks, in ruin. The only way to reach the city now was linking through the Nexus.
  Slowly, she retraced her steps up the winding staircases and corridors to the linking room. She had linked several times on her last visit but it was a sensation she would never get used to. She likened it to losing consciousness, but it was more than that. It was like your very being was dissolving. The linking room was semicircular with a door on each side and a window overlooking the neighborhood. Around the periphery of the room were several linking books on wooden pedestals. In the middle of the room, also on a pedestal, sat the linking book to the Nexus. All of the linking books sat open to the linking panel which looked like no more than a picture on an otherwise blank page; but in actuality, it was a window to that particular place. The linking panel held vital information about the condition of the world it linked to. The D�ni called these different worlds �ages�. A clear picture meant the age was stable. If the picture showed static or distortion, the age was unstable and not safe to link to. One only had to place their hand on the linking panel and momentarily you would arrive at that age. She closed her eyes and placed her hand on the linking panel and then she was gone.
~~~~~
  Opening her eyes, she shuddered. She was in one piece, thankfully, and standing in the Nexus room. The Nexus was the central point from which most all linking was done. It held every known linking book on a rotating rack. Once you selected your destination on the control panel, it would bring that particular linking book to the front and open it.

  The �island� of Ae�gura was not truly an island but rather a massive stone spire in the middle of the lake. The D�ni had carved streets and staircases right out of the solid rock, sometimes even tunneling through it. They carved niches out of the rock to place buildings and dwellings stretching from the cavern floor; the Ferry Terminal, up to a dizzying height, where the Hall of the Guilds sat. The library was located at the far reaches of what was known as the �city proper�, the central portion of the city. She selected a destination furthest away from the library so she could tour the city before reaching the library. Once again, she closed her eyes and placed her hand on the linking panel. At once, she found herself standing in Tokatah Alley. After climbing a long set of stairs, she was now in what was considered the city square, which she found rather humorous because most everything in D�ni was circular or curved in design. �Stairs, stairs, stairs!� she mumbled to herself. �You�d think with the technology the D�ni possessed, they could�ve installed some elevators!� She had only seen the city through pictures until now and she stood in awe of the massive stone buildings that surrounded her. Most had sustained heavy damage. There were huge cracks in the stone walls, crumbling pillars, and broken glass. She thought the buildings should have fallen by now, but stand they did; almost in defiance. The D�ni destroyed themselves by greed and lust for power; but their creation, their legacy, would endure. Even in their broken state, they were beautiful. Using the map Dr. Watson gave her; she identified the buildings around her and oriented herself with the layout of the city. In front of the concert hall foyer off to her left, stood a large tent. It was the DRC�s staging area but it was empty. The DRC had the areas with the worst damage effectively blocked off with barriers and bright orange cones. She slipped unnoticed through the city; past the Palace, the Hall of Kings, and down the long street of shops dubbed by the DRC as �the mall�. As she approached the library, she noticed the DRC had blocked off access to the upper level entrance. One of the pillars in front had crumbled and fallen away and the stairs had large cracks in them, but the lower entrance was left unlocked. Opening the double doors to the library, she was once again struck by its beauty. Just past a small foyer was a large circular room. A wide walkway skirted around the room�s edge and the center was open to the upper and lower levels which were accessible by a grand spiral staircase. The walls curved inwards and upwards toward the ceiling which supported a large stained glass dome. The glass dome was inverted and lit from within serving as an ornate light fixture. Along the walkway were alternating bookshelves and doors. She walked around and perused the books on the shelves and tried to open the doors when she passed them by, but they were all locked. She pulled out a book from the shelf to inspect further and realized it was written in D�ni. She couldn�t read it. Putting it back in its place, she tried a few different ones, but they, too, were in D�ni. Disappointed, she descended the spiral staircase to the lowest level. There were no book shelves down here but there were several doors and she tried them all, but again, they were locked. As she walked around to the area behind the staircase, she noticed a folding table with a stack of notebooks and a few scattered papers on it. She picked up the first one on the stack noticing it had the DRC logo on the cover. She opened it and read the entry at the top of the page:
  The story of Kedri - taken from book 42B

  Translation: Nick

  First Draft
  Reading the first couple sentences, she realized it was some sort of historical account of a D�ni king. She looked through several of the notebooks and they all appeared to be translations of stories of kings. Some, she noticed, had been translated by Zach. Grabbing a good portion of the stack, she took her knapsack off, casting it aside, and sat down on the floor. She poured over the journals one by one, reading the histories of the ancient kings; some tragic, some happy.
  Jordan noticed her back was starting to ache, so she stood up and stretched and looked at her watch. She had been here for hours; so engrossed in her reading that she hardly noticed the passage of time. She decided it was time to take a break and get some air.
  After talking a walk around the library to admire more of its architecture, she climbed back up the stairs, back out the lower level doors, and sat down on the broken steps. Resting her back against one of the stone pillars, she looked out over the cavern. The library was situated high on a rock bluff, and from here, the view overlooking the cavern was amazing. She decided she would eat lunch - well, it was dinner now - and enjoy the view before making her way back to her quarters in Kirel.
  Finally back in her room, she collapsed into the chair, exhausted. It felt like she had traveled a thousand miles and her back ached from sitting on the floor of the library for so long, but for the first time in a long time, she was happy. For the time being she did not have to face the cold, stark reality of her life on the surface, nor the self-destructive and shallow people in it, or the constant reminders of Christian everywhere she went. She was in a world frozen in time and it was a welcome respite. She changed into more comfortable clothing, retrieved her MP3 player and headphone, picked out some relaxing music, and climbed into her sleeping bag. Before the first song was even over, she was asleep.
~~~~~
  The next morning, Jordan sat down to a quick meal consisting of a breakfast bar, some dried fruit, and nuts, while she thought of where to go next. She finally decided to go explore Eder Kimo, one of several garden ages. She decided to forego the heavy subjects of D�ni history and culture and indulge in a sappy romance novel instead. She knew from the descriptions that there would be many covered areas with benches to tuck herself away in and hide from the rain as Eder Kimo was subject to frequent thunder storms. She packed her knapsack with more of the dried fruit, dried meat, some nuts and her MP3 player in case she got tired of reading, along with a blanket to sit on.
  And thus her days went. She took to exploring a different age each day. A few times she had dinner at the Great Tree pub to conserve what little food she had left. She conversed lightly with a few of the restoration engineers who happened to be there, but mostly she kept to herself. Each day that passed, her disappointment grew. The ages she visited were beautiful and peaceful; she felt relaxed and even almost at home in D�ni, but her time here was coming to an end. There had been no great revelation; no life-changing experience. She sat in the chair by the window in her quarters, staring down at the empty streets below; a tear silently sliding down her cheek. She wiped it away in anger with the back of her hand. She felt like a foolish child �What did I expect?� She thought. �Some magical transformation? A fairy godmother to grant my wish? You�re ridiculous, Jordan. It was nothing more than some grandiose illusion made up by a pathetic, desperate little girl. No. You�re doomed to live this life you have�alone.� She stayed in her quarters for most of the day, staring out the window. She didn�t feel like exploring anymore. It was over. Soon she would return to the surface and go back to her ordinary life.
  It wasn�t until late the next morning that she resolved to get out and try to shake off her melancholy mood. Besides, she was feeling restless and a bit claustrophobic in the cramped quarters she occupied. The library, she felt, would be a good place to start. That way, she could have some lunch on the library steps, take in the view one last time, and finish reading the rest of the DRC journals. With only two days remaining in her visit, it would probably be the last chance she got.
  As she entered the city square, she heard voices. Looking around to find the source, she saw that the DRC tent bustled with activity. There were folding tables set up out front and a small group of the restoration engineers huddled around one, studying some papers. The others hurried about gathering equipment and other supplies. It appeared that they were getting ready to excavate somewhere here in the city. She skirted around the edge of the city square hoping she wouldn�t be noticed, when she saw someone looking in her direction and waving. It was Zach. Hmm. I didn�t expect to see him down here. They must take shifts manning the surface. Not feeling up to a conversation, she simply waved back and continued making her way to the library.
  She spent a good portion of the afternoon there. This time, she took the journals outside and sat on the steps, eating her lunch as she read. With her outlook much improved, she put the journals back where she had found them and began the long walk back to the city square.
  She has just past the Hall of the Guilds, when she heard a loud rumbling in the distance. She looked in the direction of where it emanated from and saw a large cloud of dust rising. She hurried her pace, anxious to find out what happened. As she descended the steps of the Hall of Kings she saw a man sprinting towards her.

  �Jordan!� The man yelled and waved his arms. �Jordan!� As he got closer, she realized it was Zach. His face and clothes were streaked with dust and he was bleeding from a small cut on the side of his face.

  �Zach! What happened?�

  �You�have�to come�quickly.� Zach said between heaving breaths as he doubled over in pain, clutching his sides. �There was�an accident. Part of the wall fell�collapsed� He stood upright again, still breathing heavy. �One of our guys was�crushed under the ruble. Please�you gotta help him.�
  Together, they ran as fast as they could down the stairs, around the Palace, past the concert hall and down a narrow alley. Broken pieces of rock, splintered wood, and glass lay in a jumbled heap. While a large group of the restoration engineers were working feverishly to try and clear the rock and debris, the rest were gathering up their gear and making the necessary preparations to get the injured to the surface. Although all but one made it out, many of them had sustained injury from falling debris; mostly minor, with various abrasion or lacerations to their foreheads or arms and all were covered in dust. They had just managed to pull the guy out from the rubble when Zach and Jordan arrived. They laid him out in the street, blood pooling on the ornate tile from a deep gash on the side of his head. �Does anyone have any kind of emergency medical kit here?� She yelled as she rushed in and sank to her knees next to the injured man. She palpated his carotid artery for a pulse. Nothing. She put her ear to his mouth and nose and looked down at his chest. His chest did not rise and she neither heard nor felt any breathing. She quickly palpated his chest for broken ribs before starting CPR. There were several broken and displaced ribs but his sternum remained intact. She hoped the chest compressions wouldn�t result in a punctured lung.

  �Zach! Get me some sort of cloth or towel, anything you can find!� Pointing at the nearest man, she said, �You! Come here and support his head.� Zach came back holding a tee-shirt.

  �This was all I could find.�

  �That�ll work.�

Someone finally brought over a trauma bag, like the ones paramedics carried, and set it on the ground near her.

  �We always have this with us. It should be of some use.� He said and hurried off again.

  Although none seemed trained as a first responder, they appeared to be prepared. �This isn�t the first time this has happened.� She thought. She had no time to assess his spine for fractures or instability. If she didn�t get his heart started again quickly, it wouldn�t matter anyway. All she could do was have someone hold his head to minimize any movement of his spine. She folded the tee-shirt up and handed it to the guy holding the injured man�s head.

  �What�s your name?� She asked him.

  �Michael.� He replied hoarsely, looking visibly shaken.

  �Okay, Michael. I need you to focus.� She commanded. �Use the shirt and put pressure on the wound to his head and whatever you do, don�t let his neck move.� She commenced CPR pausing briefly every few cycles to check for breathing and a pulse. Panic griped her. She would lose this one just like she lost her other patient. She did her best to block out her fear; to fight it, to keep on going. �Last chance.� She thought. �It�s already been too long.� The commotion, the noise; everything around her faded away and all she could hear was the thumping of her own heart. As she listened and felt for a sign of life, her gaze drifted past the man�s feet towards the pile of rubble. There was something amidst the rubble; a bright silver shimmer. What is that? It was as if time stood still. She blinked her eyes and tried to focus. She saw it again; a glint of light, like the sun reflecting off of metal. But there is no sun here! She blinked again and it was gone.
  All of the sudden she felt something warm on her ear. Was that�? She had to be sure. She stayed absolutely still and felt. She felt the warm breath on her cheek again and saw the man�s chest rising and falling ever so slightly. The world came rushing in again. She could now detect a faint pulse in the carotid artery.

  �I got pulse; he�s breathing.� She called out. She looked up and saw everyone had gathered around her and the injured man. They all breathed a sigh of relief.

  �What�s his name?� She asked quickly.

  �Victor. Victor Laxman.� Michael replied still supporting Victor�s head.

  �Victor! Can you hear me?� There was no response. �Does anyone have a flashlight?� She asked.

  �Here!� One of the engineers came running.

  Opening one eye at a time, she shined the flashlight in them and only one of the pupils reacted to the light. �Other than the large gash, he has a concussion and he�s in shock.� Jordan said, addressing the group. �There is some indication of swelling in his brain, although without some kind of diagnostic imaging, I can�t confirm this.� Jordan got a round of thank-yous from the group and while they went back to preparing for the trip to the surface, she checked Victor for other injuries. She found he had fractures of the right femur, right forearm, and possibly the left ankle, the displaced, fractured ribs she discovered earlier, and many superficial cuts and abrasions.
  Jordan continued to clean up and bandage Victor�s other wounds. Someone had found a couple of small wooden poles and a canvas tarp. Using the scissors in the trauma bag, she cut some strips from the tarp and together with the wooden poles, made a makeshift splint to immobilize his leg. While she was working on Victor, some of the engineers had fashioned a stretcher and brought it over. Carefully, they transferred Victor�s body onto the stretcher and Jordan secured his head to it with the remaining bandages from the kit, to minimize any movement. He was as ready as he would ever be for transport. Jordan stood up, looking towards the crumbled remains of the building again. Her mind kept going back to the silver shimmer she saw briefly between the rocks. Zach walked over to where Jordan was standing. She didn�t turn to look at him, but continued to stare in the direction of where she saw the strange glint of light.

  �Are you okay?� He asked.

  His words jarred her from her trance and she turned in the direction of his voice. �What? Yeah, I�m fine.� She said, a little embarrassed she hadn�t notice Zach standing in front of her.

  He took her hand in both of his and said, �I can�t say enough about what you did for Victor. Thank you.�

  �I�m just glad I could help.� She said. �How will you get him to the hospital?�

  �We called in a favor to Jeff Zandi. There is a helicopter waiting on the surface to bring him in. Once we get to the connecting tunnel, only a few will go with Victor to the surface. The rest of us will return to Kirel. We can�t have that many people in the tunnel all at the same time.�

  �Will you come find me and let me know how he�s doing?�

  �Sure. We gotta go, the helicopter is waiting.�

   One by one, they linked out of the city as quickly as they could and Jordan was left standing alone.
~~~~~
  She stood, unmoving for some time. She felt anxious and uneasy and she wasn�t exactly sure why. Her mind kept replaying the strange occurrence she saw earlier. She had to find what it was. Once she realized she was truly alone, she walked cautiously over to the wreckage where she was certain it came from. Climbing over some of the debris, she started looking for something shiny or metal but what she saw was what looked like the splintered remains of a small wooden box wedged between the jagged rocks. Jordan was utterly confused. �How could this produce a light? I know this is where I saw it.� Whatever it was, it looked important so she dug through the rubble and freed the fragments of wood. What was once contained inside the box was now visible. It was ancient-looking leather bound book covered in dust. She tugged it out from between the broken remains and blew the dust off. It had some D�ni writing on the cover but she didn�t know what it meant. Opening the cover, she saw a linking panel. �Was this a linking book?� She thought. In the linking panel was the picture of a towering city not unlike the city of D�ni; carved out of an enormous rock face, except that it was a very pale gray, almost white in color with a massive white spire at the top and a jagged wall of rock right down the middle, dividing it in two. The book itself was much thicker than a linking book and contained hundreds of pages of D�ni text. She leafed through some of the pages, her fingers tracing over the word. It felt strange; a pulsing sensation like a low bass frequency, only inaudible to the human ear. It coursed through her fingertips as they brushed the pages, but the longer she touched the pages, the more it spread, flowing throughout her entire being. Jordan panicked and threw the book away from her. Her heart was racing. She looked around to make sure nobody was watching her and then over to the book lying harmlessly on the ground. �This is silly. It�s just a book.� Climbing back down the pile of rubble, she walked over and picked it back up and quickly stuffed it into her knapsack. As she returned to Kirel, she struggled with what she should do with the book. A part of her knew she should give it to Zach or one of the other guys on the DRC. It was probably of great importance; they might have even been searching for this very thing today, but there was another part of her that wanted to keep it secret. Once in her quarters, she hid the book; deciding to keep it secret at least for now, anyway. One thing she was sure of - she wanted to know what it said. There were only two people she knew that could read it; one was her father, the other�Zach. Jordan didn�t know if she could trust Zach. He could demand that she turn the book over to him. If she could only get Zach to tell her about the book without revealing that she actually had it in her possession�She carefully studied the inscription on the cover, ingraining it into her memory, and set out to find Zach.
  Zach was in the Great Tree pub with a handful of other engineers and the mood was pretty grim. Luckily, he sat alone. She didn�t want anyone to overhear what she planned to ask him. When Jordan walked through the doorway, Zach looked up briefly and nodded in acknowledgement.

  �Hey.� She said as she sat down.

  �Hey.� He said staring into his beer.

  �How�s Victor?�

  He finally looked up from his drink and said flatly, �He survived the trip to the hospital; he�s in critical, but stable condition.�

  �Well, I�m afraid to say, that�s more that we could have ever hoped for.�

  �I know. If it weren�t for you, he�d be�� he paused, unable to get the word out and swallowed hard, ��dead.�
  Jordan got a glass of wine and they sat in silence for a quite a while, neither one making eye contact. She stole a quick glance at Zach, finally working up the nerve to speak about the book. Slumped in his chair, his gaze was fixed upon the far wall, but there was a distance in his eyes as if he was not really seeing what was in front of him.

  �Zach, what does �Rehmahrg Teh Dovah� mean?� speaking the words slowly. He didn�t turn his head in her direction and instead just sighed; closing his eyes and scrunching up his face, as if it pained him to think.

  �Your pronunciation is a little off, but�� He said, running his hand through his hair. �Umm, loosely translated, it means �Middle Earth�.�
- 4
- 5
- 6
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

Love's Redemption