Chapter 3 - Part 3

Part 3

I could only get to the gate by dawn. The gaping hole in the mountain showed to me that no matter how light it was outside it would always be night in there.

I entered. The coldness hit my bones that very second and I wanted to get out, get away from the darkness that was now suffocating me with dread and the smell of death. I went as silently as I could, disturbing nothing that might show my presence.

I head footsteps near and I hid away between rocks. The Haradrim guard passed expecting nothing as I pounced on him, muffling his cries with my hand but not killing him, I would not do that. When he was unconscious I took his dark red cloak wearing it with the hood up covering as much of me as I could, I discarded my own.

I walked with less care in my new disguise. I soon head the echoing of a town in the mountain and I kept towards it. It was deeper than I had thought that they would go but in the huge halls I could see that they hardly went any further inwards.

I was soon between the houses. People spoke in voices that were barely a whisper. I saw no happiness and there were hardly any children. I sat by a hut and looked at what it was selling. I was surprised at their knowledge of herbs and they had a wider range of spices than I had ever known. I was almost disgusted by this interest in their culture and got up again.

I felt the blood rush out of my head and I fell back to the ground. The fit cleared as I reached to my belt were the stone was. I looked through the street I was in and up some stairs to where there was no light but a tunnel of darkness.

When my vision came back to me I saw that the Haradrim had circled around me curious looks on their faces. In my small knowledge of their language I thought I said `I'm fine.' Whatever I said their faces moved from me to the figure in the distance holding a torch.

They all started to shout something in unison that I did not know. I kept listening and thought back, it had been so long since I had looked at my books.

Wolf.

The leader walked through the street and did not stop.

Wolf.

He disappeared into the darkness and soon the torchlight vanished.

Wolf.

He was the one that had wounded my sister. My vengeance was close. I started hunting for the wolf.

The men still looked at their leader going and I was able to go away without notice. I did not take a torch up the steps to avoid notice but when I was up their, I ended up wishing I had. I used my hands to guide my blind way. I soon came to a room lit with one torch. I saw that it was the wolf's residence. There were old cloths on heaps and a pile of blankets in a cold corner. For a leader he had hardly any things of value or luxury compared to the other Haradrim. I looked in another corner and I saw a pile of armour that was not Haradrim. I picked it up and dust fell off it. I recognised it as I was wearing armour to match it. The elves in the last alliance had that armour.

I was so deep in thought I saw the figure behind me a second to late and fell to the ground. My vision saw nothing but his feet and the darkness behind him.

***

I felt the pain before I opened my eyes. I breathed in and cried out hard. The guard that had been in the corner got up and hit me across my face so I shut up. I tried to pull my arms but they were fixed onto the stone above me. I wriggled in the chains but nothing would make them move.

As I tried to move my hands the rusting metal cut deeper into my skin, I watched as a stream of blood ran down from my wrist and dripped onto my face. They kept running down like tears and would not stop. I hardly slept, longing to sit down but knowing that my hands would pain even more if I tried.

I gave up all hope of leaving after the third day, I almost longed for the vision I had so many years ago when I first met Tirndur, but I still did not want him to come.

I watched space until I heared tappinf feet which I could tell by the slow pace were not the guard's. The leader, the wolf looked at me from the doorway.

“Why were you in my chamber?” He asked slowly speaking in the common tongue. “What did you want?”

I did not answer and he bent down so his face was almost touching mine. I did not want to return his stare but I could not help it. His eyes were not like any I had ever seen before, but a blurred mix of purple and green. All his face was covered apart from the eyes, his mouth covered but his speech was still clear.

I felt my blood prickle in my veins and the pain took over me, I did not know where my stone was so there was nothing to take the pain away. I cried out and moved making cuts reopen and bleed. I saw Tirndur walking into the gates, I wanted to cry out to him so that he would stop but my voice was only a soft wind that carried no sound. I saw him pause on a rock and look back, I could not move to stop him walking again into the darkness.

Once my vision returned I was sure that I would bleed to death but some cruel fate ignored my plea and left me there in that chamber. The man was now at the other side of the room with his back to me. “Please.” I hardly whispered. “Let me go.”

He looked at me again. “I will, if you kill me.” he announced an unlocked the chains. I fell to the floor and could not get up again, my legs were exhausted and my hands pained even more.

As soon as my legs gained strength I retrieved my armour. I tore off strips of the cloak and wrapped them around my wrists; the blood went through the material immediately. I leant against the walls as I looked for him. The labyrinth that the tunnels made did not help my search. It was hours until I came back to the village in the mines and the first thing I saw was the grouped soldiers in the great hall.

As I got closer people started to see me and whisper to each other, moving out of the way for me to pass. I saw my opponent and he saw me. I was still hobbling from my aching legs but I walked with as much pride as I could muster.

We faced each other, ready to attack when we heard running steps. I stood straight wandering what the noise was from knowing that the wolf could attack me with resistance.

Even before he came into the wide hall I know who it was. I called Tirndur's name as loud as I could and ordered him to go back but the running steps became louder. I called again but as I did the wolf spoke in a voice that drowned mine out “Kill him.”

The guards ran to him arrows, spears and swords all against him. He hardly had enough time to draw his sword when the first arrow hit him and the first men reached him. I ran to help him, but I knew as soon as I had had that vision so many years ago that he would die and I would not be able to save him.

“Stop.” The voice filled the hall so all went silent hearing the short echo. I did not stop; nothing would ever stop me running now to Tirndur. The silence and stillness ached in my heart as the tears in my eyes blurred my vision.

I kneeled by Tirndurs side, his broken body was slashed and cut in so many places that no part of his clothes was dry. I wanted so much for him to live, but no matter what I could do then, with all the medicine or magic in the world could stop this.

“Lantathae.” His whispered. “Lantathae.”

“I'm here.” I said through the tears.

“I love you, Lantathae.”

“I know. I love you too, more than anything.” I choked.

“That first day we met, you remember?”

“Yes.”

“I kissed you because when I saw you in the forest I knew I loved you.”

I could not speak, he raised his hand and touched my face, leaving a line of blood where he touched. I bent down and kissed him softly, the last time, I looked at him and he smiled at me through the pain and tears in his eyes until he went limp and his eyes lost their focus. I gently ran my hand down his face to close his eyes, I longed to feel the same peace that showed on his face.

I stood up slowly and walked past the people, men, women and children all watched me. I walked despite the tears, despite my legs and wrists. I wanted to die there and then but not before the man in front of me. I looked at him coldly and raised my hand to his face. I ripped off the cloth that hid his face from me and gapped at what I saw even though I already knew that it was him.

Is hair had become dirty and greasy, his eyes had changed because of the evil that had possessed him and the light hardly let me see anything but it was Lómdraug that looked back at me.

“I know that it is not you that is in control of your body, Lómdraug. I know you can hear me, I will save you.” I spoke in such a weak voice that I hardly believed myself.

“I would like to see you try.” Said the dark wolf that was in my old friend's body. “You're too late to help him, you should have come years ago.”

“I can save him and I know I will.” I took up me spear that I had dropped on the floor when I started to run to Tirndur. I prayed for Gil-galad and Tirndur to give me the strength I needed now.

I attached first hand then he did. The fight rang out with echoing clashes that filled the void that we fought in. the people surrounding us said nothing as they watched with open eyes at the fight. I would not die here, I would not beg for mercy I knew that I just had to give Lómdraug the time he needed to become the master of his mind again. I saw the battle that he had with himself in every attack the wolf made.

The dark wolf broke through my defence and the blade sliced through my arm. I let go of the spear and fell to the ground as blood gushed out of the deep wound. I got out of the way of his attacks but I could not fight with one arm. I stood up but the blade sliced through my skin again and I could not bear the pain of but wounds in my arm. I ran at him, the blade ran through my side but I kept pushing at him until he fell. I stepped hard on the hand that held the staff and I could see the pain on his face. I kicked the staff away from him and placed my foot on his neck pressing hard so he gagged and coughed.

I did not move my foot, the feelings anger and pain making me want to kill him overwhelmed me. “Lantathae.” I looked down again, the anger and pain left me instantly and I lifted my foot off. Brown eyes looked up at me.

I started to walk away but I fell to the ground with the pain after a few steps. The wound at my side had gone right through and I knew that I would die. I let the thought of death taking me into a sleep that I hoped I wound not wake from.

***

To my disappointment and joy I woke. The lack of light and the cold dampness of the air made me know I was still in the mines. I got up, ignoring the pain yelling at me to stay in the soft bed, my body still aching from the torture it had been through. I leaned against the walls and walked into the street. I saw that all the houses were busy and there were carts filled with belongings being pushed away from the village. I leant in the doorway until people noticed me. They came up to me and spoke quickly so I did not know what they were saying.

“They say that they are very thankful that you defeated the wolf and will now go back to the east where they belong, you have given them the chance to go back into the daylight.” Lómdraug came through the crowd but I could barely look at him.

“But their hearts will still have that evil.” I said turning my back on them. I took my belongings and started the long walk to the gate. Refusing the offers for lifts I leant on Gil-galad's spear and kept going. I knew that Lómdraug followed me not too far behind.

The light of the afternoon sun warmed my heart and filled my heart with such joy and love that I could no longer feel the pain. I sat on a rock soaking the warm rays, discarding the torn cloak. My head was cleared by the fresh air that blew as gently as feathers.

“Lantathae,” Lómdraug said from behind me. “You know I love you, you know that evil was not me.”

“No.” I said my eyes already stinging with tears. “You may love me, but that evil. It was a part of you, a part that is still there inside you, I have given you a chance to live without it, let it go so that no one will be hurt.”

“That's not right…”

“Yes it is, you became weak, you let it take over you, you let it shoot my sister, and you let it kill…” I could not say any more. I stood up and faced him. “Farwell, Lómdraug, you were my best friend. Forgive me if I never want to see you again.”

I looked up at the sky and forgot all around me, what had happened to me, everything. I became the child I had been and found my competition. I knew, as always, that I could never beat it but as always I tried.

I started running, into the woods where I was myself, running away from the shadow of my past and towards the bight sun, hoping that I could get to Caras Gladhon before the sun set.









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