They had made good time today. The sun was just beginning to touch the horizon, but they were already safe inside Esteldin. It was hard to believe they were actually on their way. True, the real journey would begin sometime tomorrow. There was certainly an increase in goblins, orcs, and other foul creatures here – as everywhere else. But at least here, the rangers knew of them, and could point out a way around them. Once they really reached Angmar, their knowledge ceased. Nobody chose to go there.
Leothross shook his head. Why again were they foolish enough to think that they could? Rather, why did he think that he had to? A familiar twinge of regret flared up at the thought of those that were following him on this hair-brained journey. Not that he wasn’t thankful for the company; the journey here had been rather enjoyable because of them.
Two of them, Acurith and Zargodon, he knew could handle themselves in a fight. Acurith though, there is something… oddly familiar about her. He stopped as soon as he thought the words. What should be familiar? She was a strange woman – and really nothing like him, nothing tangible, for sure. She had a certain military bearing, and she talked about Angmar with a peculiar awareness; she clearly had fought in some war against whatever evil was there. But none of that should be familiar. It was something else. In any case, he was glad that she had joined them. Her knowledge of the land would prove invaluable. It already had! He thought, remembering the gathering of the company merely two days earlier.
Leothross leaned slightly against the neck of his sorrel horse, stroking its nose with his palm. The faithful steed had carried him everywhere, but never loaded like this. An assortment of camping items: a bed roll, an extra cloak, cooking utensils, and sundry were strapped to the back in a somewhat orderly fashion. It seems to be balanced enough. Now… where are the rest. He knew he had arrived early, they were not to meet till mid-morning. But he was anxious to get the group together. Four of them – Zargodon, Eruthaiwen, Maryim, and… Right, himself.
He went over his packing job again – tightening, re-arranging, and shifting, hopefully for the last time. Finally, he saw three familiar figures winding their way on horseback through the Bree-folk milling about. As they reached him, he called out, “Hail Eruthaiwen, Zargodon, and Acurith!”
Zargodon sat astride an old steed, and somehow seemed older himself, even more elvish – if that was possible.
Leothross turned to Acurith, “You are coming as well?”
Acurith replied, glancing at the Elf with a playful smile, “Yes, apparently. The esteemed Lord Zargodon can be quite persuasive! Besides, I couldn’t let you get slaughtered in Angmar all by yourselves. I want to play as well!”
Zargodon shook his head, “Yes, indeed. You can’t expect us to take all the glory from your able blade, now can we?”
Eruthaiwen smiled at her. “I am glad you are joining us,” she said, then turning to Leothross, asked, “Where is Mariym?”
He glanced up at the sun again, then back around at the waking town. They were gathered right inside the West Gate of Bree-town as they had planned. She wouldn’t miss it. She’ll be here... Aloud he said with certainty, “She should be here any minute now, Eruthaiwen.”
No sooner had he spoken the words than a young girl, a bow and spear on her back came scurrying in the gate. She leaned over, hands on her knees panting, “Whew. That’s a long run…”
“Ah ha! Right on time. Mariym!”
Mariym straightened up, brightening at the sight of Leothross. She spoke between her gulps of air, “Leo! Hi. Sorry. There was this tournament! But the archers… kept missing…” She then waved to the rest of the group, greeting them rather loudly, “hi! I’m Mariym!”
Leothross could not help but laugh, and returned, “What? You weren’t shooting? But, I must introduce you. These are fellow Knights who will be joining us: Eruthaiwen and Zargodon on my right, and Acurith on my left.”
Acurith inclined her head slightly, and greeted her with a dry smile, but the two elves greeted her warmly. Zargodon spoke with a smile, “Ah, the other member of the party has joined us. I have heard a lot about you, Mariym.”
Mariym looked at each of them with wide eyes, and a bit of astonishment, “Wow! Where did you find these people!?”
Leothross chuckled, “I think it would be more accurate to say they found me.”
Zargodon cleared his throat, and said, a smile forming on his lips, “From all over, my lady. The Knights Of Eriador find their way to the order from afar.”
She focused on Zargodon as he had begun to speak, her eyes still wide, “Oh…”
“Yes,” he continued, shaking his head light-heartedly, “I am sure this might come as some shock to you to find two of the Eldar here in the lands of Men. To be honest, we would not be here was it not for the need of our people to form more fast bonds. The threats of Angmar, the East, and even more reports arriving daily from up North, has left us with little to no choice but to create more cooperation between our folk.” He spoke with the foresight only an elf could, and, in such a situation, perhaps only an elf could appreciate. Eruthaiwen nodded in agreement, but Acurith was clearly growing impatient. Noticing this, he stopped himself, “Sorry, you have to excuse me. Leothross, Mariym, this is no time to discuss matters of the Order.” Mariym scratched the back of her head at the tangent, but says to Leothross, “I like them!”
Leothross looked around at the company with a smile, “As do I! Anyway, now that we are all here” –all. He had to stop and smile at that one. He did not think that he would be saying that about this trip. “Eruthaiwen and I have done some research and preparation, and I think she was going to share a little?”
Eruthaiwen, her eyes widening, rummaged through a bag to find a piece of parchment, “Oh! Yes, ah, let me see. I was unsure quite what you were looking for, but what I have is here. Well, it seems the ancient fortresses, once abandoned after the flight of the Witch-King, when… After the fall of Fornost, are not so abandoned any more. While some of the peoples that remained there are not militant, some of the hill tribes, there are those Angmarim who are. Accounts in recent years put them at Carn Dum. Other tales tell of a barrier that prevents men from passing too far east, though its nature is unknown.”
They had all listened carefully to the exposition. Acurith muttered, “There are worse things than men of Angmar there…”
“There are other tales, rumors more like, of other things, darker things, but I cannot say anything definitively on that.”
Acurith spoke up at this, “Let me give you a hint: Orcs, Wraiths, fell spirits of Morgoth and the like. Condemned spirits of the Rhudaruim soldiers haunt the place.”
“Wait, I forgot those. Oh, I cannot believe I forgot that…” she rummaged through her bag again, picking through pieces of parchment of various sizes.
The names that Acurith rattled off sent a chill through Leothross, the names were far too familiar – though only through the pages of history, so far. He turned to her, “Those are foul things indeed. If you can add, please do. We need as much fore-knowledge of the land as we can.”
She continued, with a strange smirk, “I have a … professional interest in the distribution of Angmar’s military forces.”
Her strange comment confused Leothross, but if she had a working knowledge of the land, so much the better. They talked for some time longer, going over the path they were likely to take, and other logistics. Finally, they were ready. Zargodon rode beside Eruthaiwen, and reassured her in Sindarin. “We will be safe. I’m sure Leothross has been over this a thousand times before. He doesn’t strike me as man that will jump in without first going over his plans,” he looked back at Leothross, “are you?”
Leothross smiled, and replied, testing his Sindarin knowledge. He was slow finding the words, but they seemed to roll off his tongue naturally. “No, certainly not. It has been many weeks in planning.”
They rode out the West Gate, following the Great Road for only a short while before turning to the North. Their first stop: Trestlebridge.
Owing to the late start, the day was nigh spent by the time they made it to Trestlebridge. It was not a long ride, at least not for a single rider traveling light. But for a group loaded for a journey, it took them a few hours. Leothross had been through there several times in the past months. The others clearly had not. They could not keep their eyes from the charred remains of several buildings on the North side that had fallen in an orc attack. The town had had much trouble from the orcs lately.
The group dismounted, letting their horses drink from the fountain in the center of town. Eruthaiwen walked over to one of the villagers who appeared to be wounded and began to tend to it, murmuring something as she did. Acurith looks around at the damage, and says, half out-loud, “It wasn’t like this when I last left this place.” Leothross walked up beside her and said sadly, “They have had a lot of trouble with the orcs… possibly darker things.”
“Hmm. Yes, orcs no doubt. I can feel the stench of black fire in the air.”
“They were caught off guard by it. They are, well some of them, calling it black magic.”
She smirked, oddly again, “A gift from Sharku while he was still loyal to the Dark Lord. Some might call it magic, I guess.”
“You know what it is then?”
“Some sort of powder. It’s highly flammable. But I know nothing else; the recipe to create it is known only by Sharku himself.”
He sighed slowly, and murmured, “That is powerful stuff…”
“It is...”
They decided to spend the night there. It was certainly better than spending a night out in the open. Besides, they could make it to Esteldin the next day, and be well poised to enter Angmar.
Angmar, Leothross thought, we are really doing this.
