General Ghâshbúrz entered the large, dimly lit pavilion and looked around quickly. There was a long table in the middle of the pavilion, and at the table sat ten figures. Nine of the participants at the meeting were shadowy figures clad in black hoods and cloaks that covered them from head to toe. Although the lighting in the pavilion was very dim, Ghâshbúrz’s orc eyes should have been able to see the faces beneath the cloaks, but there was nothing there, only shadows. The tenth figure sitting at one end of the table was different. He was dressed in black robes and wore a monstrous, spiked helmet that seemed to cover his entire face except for his unnaturally large, disfigured mouth. His teeth were rotting, long and sharp, his gums were black and his lipless mouth was distorted into a perpetual sneer.
No one spoke as Ghâshbúrz entered the tent, but he could hear loud sniffling, as if some of the participants were suffering from a bad cold. Ghâshbúrz had never met any of the figures gathered in the pavilion, but he knew who they were. Every servant of Sauron would have known. They had arrived in the military camp in the High Pass late last night riding their large, winged, pitch-black, lizard-like creatures now roaming freely outside, causing agitation among the troops that were trying their best to keep out of the way of the fell beasts.
”I am permitted to speak with the authority of our Dark Lord”, the man at the end of the table said in a twisted, demonic baritone. ”I am the Mouth of Sauron.”
The Mouth of Sauron. Sauron’s ambassador and the Lieutenant of Barad-dûr, one of the Dark Lord’s most trusted servants, very high in his favor. The Black Númenorean’s real name had been long forgotten by everyone, including the Mouth of Sauron himself. No one ever spoke about him except in hushed whispers, and it was widely believed among the orcs of Mordor that the Mouth of Sauron always knew what was said of him.
”General Ghâshbúrz. Please, take a seat.”
Ghâshbúrz sat at the other end of the table opposite to the Mouth of Sauron and looked steadily at his disfigured, decaying face. It was difficult to see it clearly in the dim light of the pavilion. He could have been an illusion but the clear sound of his distorted voice. Ghâshbúrz did not understand how the Mouth of Sauron could see anything beneath his helmet that completely covered the upper part of his face.
”I have been informed of your lack of faith concerning the ingenuity of our Dark Lord’s plan for the invasion of Rivendell”, the Mouth of Sauron said quietly. His voice was like the sound of dry parchment rustling in dry desert wind. His voice was hollow and ghostlike, and when he spoke, his thin lips drew back slowly, revealing long, sharp, brown and rotting teeth. Ghâshbúrz felt a chill go down his spine.
”I don’t doubt the ingenuity of the Dark Lord’s plan, my Lord”, Ghâshbúrz said slowly, in a measured tone of voice. ”But even a lowly general like me understands that sometimes a pawn must be sacrificed in order to achieve a greater victory.”
”And so you think of yourself as the pawn our Dark Lord intends to sacrifice for some greater goal. But tell me, General Ghâshbúrz, do you really think Sauron would send his greatest servants, his most powerful weapons – the Nine – here, just to be sacrificed in a doomed battle? Or me? Do you find it plausible, General?”
”I don’t know what to think, my Lord”, Ghâshbúrz admitted.
”Elrond. Elrond and his Ring of Sapphire are the reason why Rivendell has been able to stand unopposed for so long. It is widely accepted that as long as Elrond lives and wears the Ring of Sapphire, any attempt of invasion in Rivendell is doomed to failure. Anyone with the intention of doing harm to Rivendell or the elves there will be struck with great confusion if they even get too close to the valley. Such things have been attempted in the past.”
Ghâshbúrz listened with partial attention as the Mouth of Sauron recited the facts he already knew, waiting patiently for him to get to the point. But the Mouth of Sauron stopped talking then and just stared at Ghâshbúrz. They all stared at him from beneath their cloaks – invisible, bodiless creatures in a meeting of ghosts. And suddenly Ghâshbúrz realized where the conversation was leading. The Mouth of Sauron saw it and smiled.
”Do you understand it now, General?”
”Assassination”, Ghâshbúrz said slowly. ”You are going to take Elrond out of the picture.”
The Mouth of Sauron smiled. ”It has been one of Sauron’s greatest desires for a long time, but so far all attempts to plant an assassin that could get close to Elrond have failed for exactly the same reason why all efforts for an invasion have been deemed impossible. Nobody can get close enough to Elrond except the elves who live in Rivendell, and elves are notoriously difficult to corrupt. They have little need for gold and riches, and there is not a single elf alive today that would trust Sauron or any of his servants. But we believe we have found a way around this problem.
”For more than a year the Dark Lord has been working hard on two separate operations to drive a wedge between the realms of men and elves to prevent the formation of an alliance after Rivendell falls. Sauron and our servants in the Trollshaws have attempted to lure Gondor into sending spies in the Trollshaws. The plan is to make it look like Gondor is involved in Elrond’s assassination. The handful of elves we will allow to escape from Rivendell will flee to Lórien and other elven settlements around the Middle-Earth and spread the word of Gondor’s treachery. The elves will be furious, perhaps even attack Gondor for us. We will take advantage of the chaos and confusion to attack Gondor and Lórien. Before they know what hit them, the Middle-Earth will be under Sauron’s control.”
”But how will you put the blame of the assassination on Gondor?” Ghâshbúrz asked.
”You don’t need to know all the details of Sauron’s master plan. Suffice it to say that we believe we have been successful in luring at least one spy from Gondor into the Trollshaws. Our servants in the region will take care of the rest. There was another, similar operation at play to drive a wedge between elves and the Dúnedain of the North, but unfortunately that plan… failed.” For the first time the distorted, confident voice of the Mouth of Sauron seemed to falter.
”What happened?”
”The human factor”, the Mouth of Sauron said, smiling again. ”Again, you don’t have the need to know all the details, but we had planted a spy in one of the Dúnedain strongholds with instructions to attempt to get to Emyn Beraid, where the elves keep one of the palantíri, and draw the Dúnedain with him. The spy was never meant to succeed in the theft of the Elostirion-stone – that would have been impossible. The sole purpose of the plot was to implicate the Dúnedain’s involvement in the plan to steal the stone. But the plot was perhaps too complicated – too dependent on too many unpredictable factors. One of the… agents involved… decided to complicate matters and the plot went awry. However, the success of this operation was not essential for the overall scheme. There are very few Dúnedain left, and they don’t pose a significant threat to us, even if they do ally themselves with the elves in the war to come.”
Ghâshbúrz sat for a long moment in the silence of the pavilion, staring into the emptiness. For the first time in months he did not have a headache. He would not die after all. There would be no defeat, only victory. He would be in charge of the battle to capture Rivendell. He would be a legend for all eternity – his name would never be forgotten.
”You see, General Ghâshbúrz”, said the Mouth of Sauron, ”I had no real need to tell you any of this. I could have allowed you to lead the battle believing you were all marching for your inevitable doom, and it would have made no difference. The operation would have been successful all the same. But when Arnubên told me of your… doubts… I felt it would not do to allow the commanding general of the most important battle ever fought to go on believing he was marching towards certain death. I was concerned it might reflect poorly on the morale of the troops. Your willingness to sacrifice yourself for a greater purpose has been noted and it is appreciated. Sauron values those who are loyal and willing to put Sauron’s interests ahead of their own. I see a great future ahead of you, General.”
Ghâshbúrz did not know how to respond to that.
