((Note: These events take place between Deceptive Plans and Bitter Patience and Friend Turned Foe, But Both Are Pawns to Time ; and are meant to help fill in the blanks and clarify the interaction between Addiela and her haunting visions in the A Dirge In Red series.))
She didn’t want to be here, not when she was so close to discovering the final piece of the puzzle that was needed for the awakening ritual. She had finally deciphered the text on the scrolls she had found within the Old Archives- one revealed the actual words to be said for the ritual and the others spoke of the ceremony procedures and the items that were needed- and Rathvald was already on his way to Imladris to retrieve the dagger that contained the power to trap souls. Now, she only needed to await his return and find some gem. Unfortunately, the writing on that scroll had battled with time, it was worn and incomplete; but if anyone knew of gems it was Calidis, and it just so happened that she had written Addie a letter requesting her presence.
Addie took in a deep breath and pulled down her hood to cover her eyes; she didn’t want to face their questions or their concerned expressions regarding her absence or her recent physical appearance. As quietly as she could, she pushed open the metal door and snaked her body through the gap. After entering and closing the door just as quietly, she glanced about the room and was somewhat surprised to see that the others were already gathered in the entrance hall around Calidis, who was seated in a small, wooden chair. Addie tilted her head to the side in curiosity and remained silent to observe.
It wasn’t long before she realized that Calidis was about to interact with the crystal that had once trapped Cyndwin within its core and had kept her there in a deep slumber for a year. Addie turned her hollow gaze to the sword, once Xanderian returned to the room with it, and her eyes were immediately drawn to that crystal. She could feel the energy pulsing from it and a wicked smile formed upon her lips as she waited to see what would become of this encounter.
Soon the room was filled was some strange sound, one Addie had not encountered before; it sounded like someone speaking in the next room, first a mumble and then it grew louder, but it remained tender like someone coaxing a reluctant child. She was confused, the voice was unlike any other she had heard before; it sounded Elvish, or something like Elvish, but it was smoother, softer, and she couldn’t understand any of the words. Not only that, those words seemed to have a color with their sound; a color that she couldn’t place or describe. These sensations sent her mind scrambling as it worked to make sense of things.
Suddenly, like lightning, the voice was no longer coming from the next room, but was behind her, beside her… in her mind? The voice was movement itself and embodied all the senses, and yet was not one thing in totality. Addie could feel the anxiety and panic wanting to take hold of her as she struggled with the overwhelming stimuli. What was this? Why couldn’t she place it? But then, familiarity as the voice spoke to her in Rohirric; this was something she could understand. She calmed her mind and listened as she brought her focus back on the crystal, which seemed to be the source of all of this.
Then, a rush of wind invaded the room and she was flooded with another cognitive onslaught; this time it tried to evoke feelings of wonder, horror, and desperation; but her mind was already numbed by another force, the one driving her to her recent studies, and she didn’t seem to be affected by this play on human emotion. However, the sensation of having died a thousand times and being born anew intrigued her and she looked to the crystal with a new sinister curiosity. Death and life, death and life… Could this relic be useful for her purpose? Perhaps the dagger was the death and this was the life? Yes, it might just be.
As her mind tried to work this out and plot on how she could obtain this crystal, a new presence was felt and she glanced to the side to see who had appeared. Gríma! Gríma Wormtongue! Complete hatred overtook her, but before she could lunge at him, the voice was heard once more and the world seemed to melt slowly away… and then reform? She now thought she understood. This was all an illusion.
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She looked around at this “new” world- a ruined city put to flame, its stone foundations crumbling and its once proud gates nothing more than twisted metal; burning holly trees; streets bustling with the chaos of clashing elves and creatures of shadow; screams of the dying. If Addie would have been in her right mind, she would have been horrified and would have rushed to put out the fires and helped those that were wounded; however, this Addiela stood still in the chaos and closed her eyes to take in a deep breath and relish in the smell of burnt destruction and death. Soon, she thought, soon all those who had ever suffered could be given a new chance at life.
Realizing that Gríma was still beside her in this place, Addie held out her hands, palms up, and called some of the flames to her. They flowed toward her and encircled her as though they were her comfort and her shield, turning a deep blood red, almost black, when they reached her. Her mouth remained closed, but a malicious sounding laugh escaped from deep within her throat; she didn’t think him to be real, but she wanted to see how far she could push this illusion, and besides it would bring her much joy to watch him burn. Without opening her eyes, she spoke to this form, as her mind busied itself with trying to sense the source of all these images. “I have dreamt of killing you a thousand times. Perhaps, we shall see if this is the place I can make that come true.”
Gríma said nothing; he only regarded her with a cruel smile as he waited for the realization to hit her, knowing what the woman was trying to do. Addie opened her eyes and a deep frown formed on her face; she could not sense the source of the power that had brought them here, in fact, this wasn’t an illusion or glamour at all. She looked around and slowly began to piece together where they must be.
She remembered seeing Calidis for that brief moment and realized that not only did she not recognize them she looked different, younger even. Were they in the past? No, neither Xanderian nor Ahmo seemed changed. Perhaps they were trapped in Calidis’ mind, in her memories? Wherever they were, it was all very real and Addie had a gut feeling that if they were to die here, they would no longer exist in their time. Her eyes widened and then turned to find Calidis, no longer focused on her revenge or the figure next to her; she needed to get to the elf, she was the catalyst and her song was crucial- she had to be protected.
As her eyes searched, they fell upon the group of orcs that were assailing the group Calidis and her mother were in and Addie grew angry; angry that she had been brought here. She refused to become some distant memory of the past, not with being so close to her goal. She stretched her hands forward and directed the flames swirling around her out from her fingertips, as though they were dark tendrils, toward this enemy. The orcs stopped attacking for a moment as they were sprayed with fire and howled in pain; however, strange red runes suddenly appeared and danced around their crudely constructed armor, extinguishing the source of their agony.
Gríma smirked at her. "Why wield darkness against the night itself? How stupid.”
Addie blinked in confusion as the runes snuffed out the flames; she hadn’t been opposed by such magic before. However, though his words were meant to taunt her, they did help her realize why. She held out her hand and whispered the familiar chant to produce a flame of her own in her palm, and watched as it quickly turned from a bright red-orange to the deep blood black. She couldn’t fight them with her magic- in her recent studies, she had been practicing on drawing the darkness from matter in an effort to corrupt her own light; it was no longer pure.
“So be it, then,” she thought as her gaze turned on the leader, “best to cut the head from the snake.” Not only did she think that this would be the way to fight those threatening Calidis, but in her mind, it was also the perfect opportunity to see what would happen to her and her magic if she drew from a direct source of pure evil. She knew it was most assuredly a risk to her own body, but her curiosity was getting the better of her. She pointed a single finger at the leader and, with one quick motion, curled it back to her as she concentrated on trying to drain his very shadow essence from him, hoping to leave him nothing more than a withered husk.
She felt a rush of hatred flow into her mind as the first fragments of shadow streamed from the orc leader and into her body. Realizing what was happening to him, he immediately stopped commanding his forces and turned to stare at her. “Tark witch,” he growled menacingly and began stomping down the street toward her in an effort to get to her before his life drained away.
Gríma smiled as he watched the dark energy flow into her."Finally, you begin to show promise. Perhaps he was not wrong about you after all. Do it, Addiela, feed on your rage, on the orc's hatred. Let it become all you are and you may be fit.”
The orc general continued to stomp down the street toward Addie as fast as his weakening body was able. Fueled by this new flood of hatred and the sudden desire for more of this power, Addie smiled sinisterly and held fast to her technique as she walked backward in time with his steps so that he couldn’t close anymore distance between them. The massive orc could feel that his end was near and glared at her with malice. “Alright, witch! Have it then! Have it all!” Deciding to end things on his own terms, he arched and pitched forward, releasing his life into her hands in a river of shadow which escaped his form and rushed toward her outstretched hand.
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This overwhelming darkness was too strong and it came at a pace which her physical body and mind couldn’t handle; she could feel herself being destroyed from within. Her left hand moved to clutch her aching heart while her right moved to try to ease the pain of her throbbing head. She had known the risk; no, she had only thought that she had known the risk. Her breathing became labored and her knees gave way as she crumbled to the ground; it was clear from the distant gaze in her eyes that she was no longer mentally present in this moment.
She could only see pitch black now as whispers filled her mind with the most vile thoughts one could imagine- thoughts that made her skin crawl, but strangely they were also things that seemed desirable to her. She could feel the memories of light leaving her as the shadow moved to take their place and she could hear Gríma whisper in a lisp that was almost sensual. "Yes Addiela, embrace it. He awaits your service; you will be the prize that unlocks the plains once and for all.”
Then, the massive orc, whose life she had just ended, appeared before her in this void; he leered at her and reached his hand out to grip her heart causing her to gasp out in pain. As his fingers wrapped around, the shadow started to consume the very image of her father and all the memories of him that she cherished in her heart. He squeezed tighter and, one by one, each memory slowly started to fade to darkness, to nothingness; soon he would be erased from her mind forever. Gríma cackled and boldly declared “NOW! NOW YOU BELONG TO SARUMAN OF MANY COLORS.”
Addie struggled with her warring thoughts. She could feel the pull to join the void as it tempted her to become one with it, But there was still a part of her, deep within, that knew this wasn’t right. She couldn't, could she? Saruman… Saruman was the enemy. And Gríma… he killed her father. Her Father! She couldn’t allow for the memory of him to be wiped away. She wouldn’t allow for that to happen. Never!
With this new resolve, a tiny spark stirred in her heart and a blade appeared which stabbed through the orc’s throat, causing him to release his grip on her heart. Addie blinked in surprise and craned her neck to try and see what had caused the orc’s demise. Stepping from behind the orc’s body, sword propped on his shoulder, her father now stood before her and smiled down at her. He held his hand out to her and his words washed over her like phoenix reigniting her soul. "Rise girl. Life is for living, not the dead; strike for my blood and name!”
Gathering from this strength, she yelled out toward the presence of Gríma, “I will serve none! I am my own master!” Pure fire surged from her once more, destroying the shadow that trapped her heart and mind, and set the corpse of the orc captain aflame. Addie was drifting in and out of consciousness; her strength was sapped and she was still reeling from the war she had just had with the shadow for her soul. Normally she would have protested to anyone carrying her, but in this moment, she didn’t seem to register that Xanderian had come to her side and had picked her up to carry her forward.
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She felt the ground supporting her once more as Xanderian put her down to draw her bow; and she heard her father’s voice calling to her again, “Addiela...Addiela wake up!” Things were starting to come into focus; she could hear the crowd of orcs cheering, she could see the emblazoned eye upon the troll’s forehead open wide and turn its gaze toward her, and she could hear the voice proceed from the troll’s mouth, “Addiela… I see you.” She clenched her jaw and instinctively lifted her hand to hurl a fireball toward the troll.
While the troll howled in pain, she attempted to stand. Gríma knelt beside her and whispered, "Just stay down. Spare yourself more failure.”
Addiela shook her head and was even more determined to stand, “No! You don't get to determine my actions or even speak to me. What I do, I do of my own will. Stop talking! Stop!" Defiantly she stood and watched as the troll swatted toward the sound of shattering crystal. Her gaze then turned to orcs that were watching the fight; she whispered another charm in hopes of making the earth rumble beneath them to draw the attention of the troll their way.
Gríma laughed as the troll ignored the rumbling and instead moved to pull at the massive pillars that supported the domed roof. "Well that was certainly effective. These beasts are used to upheavals, as you should be by now.”
Addie disregarded the mockery, she could sense that the dome was cracking and that the roof was about to collapse; however, she also knew that there was nothing she could do about it- she wasn’t trained enough in earth lore to secure the stone. Therefore, she focused her chants upon the stone pillars the troll had in his grip, and used her inner fire to heat them to a burning temperature, hoping to make him let go. Another failure with the fire; Addie knew that the beast’s hands had to be burning and yet, he continued to pull.
It was clear to her now that this building was going to be brought down and to stay under its stone roof was sure death. If the troll wanted to create a tomb for himself so be it, but she would not fall here. She could, however, make sure that none of the orcs escaped. She darted past the troll until she stood outside of the dome and then turned to face the doorway which provided the only exit. Gríma ran in step with her, but quickly stopped as she turned and hissed out, “What are you doing? The way is clear; let the others take care of themselves!”
Again, she paid no mind to his prodding and closed her eyes to concentrate in order to summon the strength needed to draw forth fire once more. She watched and waited until the others had safely fled and then lifted her hands to call forth a wall of flame to block the path of the orcs that were also trying to escape their impending death. She could see their panic as they realized they were trapped and she heard their cries ring out as whole structure gave way and collapsed into momentary silence.
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It only took a moment for Ahmo and Xanderian to determine the direction that Calidis most likely fled and the group began to hurry that way. Addie trailed after them and pulled the fire wall along with her down the path to keep any enemies from approaching the group from behind.
Gríma shook his head at the sight, "A waste of power.”
“You would know waste, I suppose, you waste of breath and life,” Addie retorted, but her mind was on other things. She wondered if this was what it was like for Cyndwin when the crystal held her in its grasp. Did time pass the same here as it did in their world or would they also lose a year in their time? And who would free them? Cyndwin had to be rescued by Xanderin, someone on the outside. Hopefully Rathvald would return soon, but would he realize that they were being held in the crystal? Was that even what was happening?
Lost in her thoughts, Addie had not realized that a host of enemies had appeared to their left. She continued to look ahead toward the Forge Hall and her attention was captured by a new sensation; mixed feelings of revulsion, horror and curiosity washed over her. Another voice, one she had never heard before and one only she could hear, called to her from the forge; it was smooth yet hideous, like a hypnotic serpent. “Capable child of a weakened bough, you have much within you untapped. Have you the courage to truly see or will you simply look and make the same mistakes as your father?”
Addie’s eyes narrowed as she listened to the words. In her vulnerable mental state, already slightly tilted toward the darkness, they fell on her ears like honey and she was more than tempted to take a taste. Without a word to the others, she moved toward the forge, drawn in by the force there that she knew, deep within, would be best to flee.
Gríma was delighted. He walked next to her and whispered in her ear. “Excellent! You are an able pupil in the end. Embrace the power, the grandeur. Leave the little people behind and rule them from the shadows just as I do. You are so much better then they.”
Addie rolled her eyes and his words almost gave her pause to turn from her intended path; she could not stand the thought of doing anything this worm would consider worthy of approval. However, the pull from whatever force resided in that Guildhall was much stronger than her hate. She continued in that direction, taking no real notice that the rest of the group had already taken to battle.
The world around her grew dim and silent once more as she mindlessly proceeded toward the source of the voice. Flashes of violence filled her mind as she neared this great force and she was granted the feeling of power, of control. For a moment she relished in the darkness that surged through her veins and she began to think that perhaps this was what she was always meant for, that this power was what she deserved.
She took in a deep breath, breathing in the scent of death and blood… Lifeblood! That realization caused her heart to twinge in horror and the last memory of her father- his cold, lifeless form- flashed before her eyes. She blinked back into reality only to see that hem of her robe was drenched in the blood of the bodies she had stepped over. Had she killed them? Surely not! She didn’t remember doing so. She looked around for the others and spotted them on the field of battle- they looked to be in great danger.
That deceptively honey-sweet voice called to her once more. “Do not falter. You are so close to all you deserve, daughter of Rohan.”
She was torn; that voice was pulling her. Perhaps if she did choose that path she would have the power needed for her purpose. No! It wasn’t right… Was it? The right thing was to help the others for now and get out of here; that much she did know. Addie clutched her head and tried to still all the warring voices within as she turned to run toward her friends. She stopped and looked at the assembled army; they did not seem to be attempting an attack, they were still and watching the four-on-one fight between their chieftain- a massive orc whose armor was adorned in all types of severed heads which he wore like talismans- and this group of humans and elves. She knew that if the leader were to fall, all chaos would break loose. She had to formulate some kind of plan, and soon.
Just then, the leader bellowed and all the heads began speaking at once in Black Speech, summoning forth a crackle of dark magic that electrified the air. Addie couldn’t help but scream as she felt the sudden searing energy from the darkness that was swirling about them. She fixed her eyes on the chieftain and it didn’t take her long to identify the technique that she had been using recently; she knew that the orc was drawing in all of this energy to him. She could not let this stand; it would destroy them all!
Reaching her arms into the air, she concentrated with all her willpower and began her own chant to draw the darkness towards herself instead. If a sacrifice was needed for the good of all, she was willing to become it. She hoped that her body would hold out long enough for the others to end the orc.
The chant in Black Speech faltered due to her interference, but still continued- though it was much weaker now- and the darkness flowed towards her like water running downhill. Gríma screamed out, “What are you doing, dog of Rohan? You will die! Are you willing to sacrifice all when you are so close to your goal? STOP!!!”
For a moment, his words caused her to second guess her actions. She was beginning to sense the blighted darkness poisoning the life in her mortal blood; like searing acid, she could feel it quickly coursing through her veins from her fingertips down her arms as it made its way toward her heart. This was much worse than before; this evil was stronger than that of the other orc. It was hard for her to take a breath, she felt smothered by this force, and her arms begin to shake as she struggled to hold them up against the darkness that was corrupting her very flesh and bone. She faltered in her chanting, but she knew that she had to keep going -she must, or all will be lost.
At least if she were to die here she would be with her father again and that thought strengthened her resolve. She managed to smirk toward Grima, though her gaze remained straightforward on her task, and she spoke with determination. "I strike for my father and his name, worm. You should have killed me too when you had the chance." With that, she mustered what strength she had left and continued the work of interrupting the orc’s spell.
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She didn’t see what happened next on the battlefield; as her heart filled with shadow, she fell back toward the ground, motionless. She could see that the sky was clear now, but the sun burned her eyes. She was unaware of what had become of her body- her hands were withered and her skin was pale and blue- but she knew that death felt near; she could hear it in her raspy breath and she could no longer feel her heart beating. The world started to fade to gray as her transformation into the realm of the wraith began.
Everything around her felt hopeless, nothing was left but despair. This was not the death she had imagined. Where was her father? Where was the hall that so many had spoken of? Those questions no longer mattered, only despair and hatred remained- hatred for life, for light, for hope.
As her mind started to dissolve, a hand was placed on her shoulder and an elf appeared before her. He was tall, handsome and pale, and his eyes were noble and filled with wisdom and mercy. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her to her feet, pulling her spirit back into the realm of the living. "Nay, Addiela, the shadow does not suit you. And what is one more doom to me now? This blight shall be mine and not yours, but I ask you… When your fate seems most dire and you weep in fear and frustration, remember Aegrod, a craftsman of some note, with kindness and protect my child when you meet her.”
The wind picked up and the memory they were all caught up in swirled and then dissipated. Addie gasped as she opened her eyes and her hand quickly moved to her heart to feel for its beating. She sat up to looked around; they were all back in the entry hall of the House of Three Graces. She could tell by the expressions on the other’s faces that they had all experienced this battle; it wasn't just a dream. Without saying a word to any, she stood and opened to door to leave. If that was death, she now had an even greater reason to bring her father back. She needed to find more information on that gem.
