Darkwatch on Mordor Ch. 01

Amandil moved through the forested mountainside silently. The day was less than half an hour old, the air held a midwinter chill, and the sun hadn't topped the Ephel Duath yet; some fresh eruption from Mount Doom would make full daylight several hours distant. The sounds of the skirmish had traveled far down the mountainside to his ears, and from the nature of what he heard, it seemed a squad of orcs had surprised a couple of Rangers of Gondor. There was nothing he feared here: he was young, strong, agile and swift. He could not let his comrades down, and quickened his pace.

A campsite caught his eye with five dead Orcs spread around it. They were surprised by an archer, and for a moment Amandil was puzzled: Orc arrows protruded from their chests, but no Orc archer he knew had the accuracy to kill so many from a distance so efficiently. Three had run toward the archer by the indications in the earth, and he followed them.

A clearing held the answer: two Orcs had bound a human female by her wrists to a gnarled tree. A Westron sword lay on the ground beside her, as did another Orc in battle dress, a huge blob of his black blood staining the ground. The two living Orcs were naked, their members hard and bouncing as they argued over their victim. They were kneeling down and throwing dice to see who would rape the woman first; a loud roar escaped from the loser, who threw his head back. "You always win, Slurth! Next time, I kill you first."

"Grint, you maggot, you couldn't kill a sated dung beetle. Next time I should fuck you first, just like I did last night."

"Damn you anyway, go ahead. Human cunt still best, even second time round."

The woman was fighting to get her wrists free, her muscled body smudged with dirt, her blond hair undone and flying wildly around her head, her eyes ablaze with defiance. Amandil could see why the Orcs were so interested: her bare body was strong, tall and lean, her breasts full with gigantic nipples, and yet her skin bore many scars of combat past, with two small fresh cuts seeping from her rib cage. Her face was noble, with high cheekbones, a proud nose, blue eyes, and a strong jaw. Their eyes met for an instant, he felt a tingle of recognition in his mind, and she changed her expression immediately to despair and she pleaded: "Do anything you want to me, just let me live. I'll be your slave, and pleasure you in ways you never dreamed."

Slurth gave Grint a sardonic smile and nodded. "Oh yes, you will pleasure us, bitch, and if you do it well we just may take you with us alive." He took a step forward before an arrow embedded itself deeply in his rib cage, right beside his backbone, directly into his heart. Grint started to turn and took the second arrow around his kidney, but since he now faced to the shooter, another arrow immediately buried itself in his left eye socket. He toppled immediately and the woods were quiet again.

"About time," the woman murmured as her rescuer cut her free. "We'll have to dispose of these bodies."

"I don't think so. I'll just break the aroowheads off and no one will know they were killed by our side. Orcs aren't good at solving puzzles."

She nodded in agreement and pulled the remains of her shift together, attempting to cover herself. "My dwelling is near here."

He did as he promised, turning the two fresh bodies face up, while she reclaimed her sword before putting on what was left of her clothing. A damp spot appeared on her left shoulder blade, and he made a mental note. She led him less than fifty yards to a furnished cave: her hiding place. A fire was already burning and a pot of water simmering. "I was making my morning tea when I heard the Orcs outside. They were a larger party than I thought, or I wouldn't have attacked them."

"What is your name?"

"Miriel of Ithilien"

"Amandil of the South Gondor."

"Thank you, Amandil of the South Gondor for saving my life. I think I took a pretty good cut on my back."

"Yes, you did. Let me look at it: I have some skill as a healer."

She dropped her rags and stood before him naked, turned way from him. A nasty cut over a foot long bled over her left shoulder blade, and he quickly soaked a cloth in the hot water from the pot to clean the wound. "This will be difficult to bind," he said.

"Then you'll have to stitch it shut. I can't reach it. You can sew, can't you?"

"Yes, my lady. Where is your needle and thread?"

She pointed with her right hand, and he quickly threaded a silver needle with silken thread. Pinching the skin together, he started his work and she neither flinched or cried out as he closed the ugly wound with a dozen stitches. When he finished, he fished a pouch from his pack and took a little bit of a dried green herb out while she tore a strip from the bottom of her shift. Wrapping it in another cloth, he soaked it briefly in the hot water, releasing a soothing aroma, and put it on her wound. She gasped as he applied the poultice and bound it in place around her chest. "That feels so good. What is it?"

"Kingsfoil," he replied. "An ancient herb most sages have forgotten."

"They should remember it," she smiled and fished out a fresh shift and some grey, dirty looking clothing from her clothes chest. "Why did you come here today?"

"Lord Faramir sent me. He was concerned since he had no pigeon messenger had arrived from you or Josquil in two weeks. Where is Josquil?"

"I think he's been taken. These Orcs wouldn't have come over the mountains unless they had an idea of what they were looking for. I thought they were deserters when I first saw them, but they were on my trail."

"What happened?"

"We were traveling the hidden pass in the Ephel Duath two week ago to reconnoiter the Enemies' movements, and something must have spotted us. We were ambushed and split up in hopes of escaping: there were too many for us to handle. Jonquil has been missing since then, so I think his fate is certain. Long enough for anyone to break under torture."

"Yes, I agree. We are not safe here."

"No, we're not. We have three other hiding places, but only one Josquil knew nothing about. It's close to the treeline, but almost perfectly hidden. Give me some time to recover and we'll go there after lunch. I must rest before we go."

"Yes, who knows what the blade that sliced you was poisoned with. The Kingsfoil should neutralize it, and any other evil that may seek to get in. You must rest for the poultice to work better."

"Lay with me, I'm feeling cold and need some heat."

"All right."

There was a huge bear skin on the bed, and Miriel discarded her shift as she went underneath. Amaldil got in beside her and she snuggled her hips back against him for warmth. "You are a gorgeous young man. Your face is young and yet old, your grey eyes full of hidden pain, your arms strong. You are as tall is I, and your dark hair frames your brow well. How old are you, Amandil?"

"One and twenty."

"Do you have discipline?"

"Yes, I've been a fighter for over seven years."

"That long?"

"I killed an Oliphant when I was fourteen."

"Well good, then I don't mind having your prick digging into my butt so much. But you must know we don't have a lot of time and I must sleep." She shivered and snuggled back into him in spite of his arousal.

"That's the effect of the poultice. Let it work, I won't bother you much."

"Nice way to put it," she murmured as sleep overtook her.

Near midday, she awakened and frowned. "We'll have to go, but I think you need to get rid of a distraction first. Go ahead and put your prick between my legs."

"Say again?"

"Take your penis out and put it between my thighs. This won't take long." He did as she ordered and she made a soft cocoon for his member. "Goodness, you're bigger than any man I've known before. All right, just let your feelings go." Her hand reached down and began to play with the spongy end of his cock as it stuck out between her legs. He thrusted gently and gasped as new sensations filled him. Her fingers were a bit rough, but they were clever and very soon he started brimming over in several waves.

Miriel milked him dry and gasped at the pool in her bearskin. "How long has it been since you've seen your wife?"

"I'm not married."

"How long since you've been with a woman?"

"A very long time."

"How long?"

"One and twenty years."

A low chuckle rumbled deep in her throat. "I haven't been anybody's first in more than twenty years, when my husband first took me. Very well, you're a good soldier of Gondor, and I've done as well for you as any maiden could. We need some rations before we depart."

It was an uphill climb to their new hiding place, taking three quarters of an hour. She led them, keeping a sharp eye for danger, and he did likewise, focusing on their rear. As they moved, Amandil took some small devices from his pocket and murmuring a few low words of Elvish over them, left them behind as they walked. They reached a small cave entrance only a hundred yards into the tree line; as they entered, he could tell this was Miriel's main dwelling, with plants and flowers around the furnished room, and a large plate containing a picture on the table. She lit a small lamp and pointed down a passage: "There's a pool of water down there, constantly renewed by a spring. You may drink it or bathe in it, for the water changes enough that it's always fresh. We can rest here for a day, but we won't be able to stay: the entrance isn't hidden well enough."

"I can remedy that," he said matter of factly.

"Oh? Show me how."

"Give me a few moments." She follow him out and he sat cross legged in front of the cave entrance, pulling a small icon of a tree branch wrapped with two different greens: Miriel recognized kingsfoil and lavender as the components. "See that nothing disturbs me as I do this. It's most important."

"All right." She watched him as he went into a trance, swaying gently as he murmured in Elvish. Nothing stirred nearby and even Mount Doom's eruption dissipated a little, sunlight looking for them between the tree leaves. It was tough to keep her focus and not be hypnotized by his spell casting, but she did break away to look around carefully.

Suddenly, there was an impenetrable thicket in front of them, with razor sharp thorns she recognized from Mordor itself, and random movement of the grasses that hinted at a serpent's presence. The chanting concluded and he stood up, smiling. "Do you think this will do?"

"I'll say," she gulped. "I didn't realize you were a wizard."

"Not a wizard, just trained a little in magic. I know a spell that will leave illusions behind for about a week at a time, but will this kind of time and space the glamour will last for months. I can also set up a system of farseeing, with the help of some brooches I have with me, that will make watching the pass easier." He frowned for a moment as his mind caught up with him. "There's a pass near here? I thought the only passes were the Black Gate and Minas Morgul."

Miriel looked around, holding her finger to her lips. She beckoned him inside, letting him go first, and much to her amazement the hostile vegetation didn't bother her as she passed through it. "What good is this?" she asked as they re-entered the hideout.

"Other than a deterrent? If you don't know it's an illusion, it will hurt you. That's one reason I wanted you to watch me: if you're alone you can pass through safely. Any Orc or fell beast will be poisoned and die in horrible pain; it would take a magician to tell it's an illusion. I don't believe the Enemy has any magicians that good near here, but that's just a guess."

"That's what I would say as well. There's Orcs near here, some coming up the South road, and a few on the other side of the Ephel Duarth, but no magicians. They would be at the Morannon or Minas Morgul."

"And we're about half way between, right?"

"Right."

"And there's a secret pass through the Ephel Duarth near here?"

Smiling, she nodded. "Yes. I'll show it to you tomorrow. We'll need to see if the Enemy has learned of its existence. Josquil and I have been keeping watch on it, and any Orcs that discovered it by chance haven't returned to Mordor. We need to know if they're started building a road this direction and if they've sent any other Orcs over the mountain."

"So we're going in a pair patrol?"

"Yes, my child, a pair patrol. I will be on your left, your commander. I'll write Lord Faramir a message that you've made it safely and we're working together now. He needs to know Josquil is lost as well."

"Does Lord Faramir know of the hidden pass?"

"No. He is wise enough to watch this area, even if it's just the two of us. There's a chance he could get caught in an ambush and tortured, so the fewer that know about its exact location the better, unless the secret gets out."

"Can you show me entrance to the pass on this side? Is it close?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I can set up my watching brooch to keep an eye on it. You'll need to protect me as I do the spell, and we need to get it done before nightfall. If Orcs start coming over the pass in numbers tonight, we need to know and give the warning."

Miriel turned her head to the side and thought about it. "All right, makes sense. How you will keep track of it?"

"One thing at a time. You'll see, for you'll have to help me do that as well. Ready to move?"

"Yes, Amandil. Follow me."

She prepared the pigeon and released it for its flight to Faramir's hidden lair before they left. As they passed from the treeline, the ground became rocky and patches of gravel crossed their path frequently. A few glints hinted a dwarf's dream of riches could be made here, if it would ever be safe enough to mine. They traveled in silence, communicating through hand signals from time to time, until they reached a cleft in the mountain where the pass began.

He scrambled up the slope, and looked around on the ledges for a moment, until he found a place of his liking to drop a dull colored setting in an obscure place. Signaling to his partner, he sat cross legged again to start his chanting while she hid behind an outcropping to watch the pass.

The wind drifted bits and pieces of the song down to her: it was a pleasant sound that made her imagine the sea, which she'd never seen in her life. It was mid-afternoon and the sun shown down on them, making clear everything around her, although she couldn't see him on his perch high overhead. Her nerves sang with tension as she worried another patrol of Mordor Orcs would come through, but after a lifetime of waiting, the song finished and she felt a tingle through her body. Shortly he came scampering down, just as a North breeze made them cold.

"We should set up another one while there's light. Is there another place nearby?"

"About two miles in there's a small valley with a pool of water. The water's poison to us, but Orcs could use it. We'll have to be very careful, and leave the trail if we can when we draw close."

"Good. Let's go."

The trail wandered back and forth as it went through the mountain. All was still, all was quiet. As they approached the fetid spring, he could smell the awful water, and she signaled them to leave the track and make their way along the ledges above. The sun was touching the spot with its last rays as them came upon a grisly sight: Josquil was hanging on a stake beside the pool and a cold campfire was next to it.

They stayed put for several moments, making sure the place was clear before they descended. "This fire is two days old," she said. "The Orcs were only here one night. Josquil bled out, probably through the stake up his ass, but there aren't a lot of wounds on him. There's a nasty arrow sticking out of his back."

"He died of this right away, just before he made good his escape. They probably didn't get to question him, so the pass is probably still a secret, but we'll have to check that out. The Orcs are clever enough to look for a partner, maybe this is where they got back together after they gave up looking for you in the hills. They followed their noses through the pass, and that's where they found you."

She nodded gravely. "I was surprised to see them, and three of them were relieving themselves when I shot the first five from afar. I didn't have enough arrows, and could only cut one down with my sword as they rushed me. Slurth and Grint made it through to bear me down."

They stood for a long moment in the deepening shadows. "We need to take him down," she continued. "Give him a proper rest."

"I think there's a crevasse that's going to be covered by a rock slide over here. We need to get back quickly, and he's too heavy for me to carry easily. Let's put him in here, trigger the slide and get away before full dark arrives."

"Done." It was tough getting him off the pole: finally Amandil chopped it down with a hatchet in his pack and they put the whole awful totem in the pit. Miriel triggered the slide from a safe distance, and after Amandil found another place for a watching brooch: she kept watch as he did the incantation to activate it. They hurried as they left and arrived back at their hideout just as the sun set on the western horizon. Pausing for a moment, they paused and murmured the words remembering their homeland now under the Sundering Sea.

There was a rabbit in a nearby trap Miriel set up earlier, and they had a rabbit stew with herbs and roots for their evening meal. "How goes it in Minas Tirith?" she asked.

"Still watching and waiting. Lord Denethor grows restless in Lord Boromir's absence: it's been six months since he left and no word of his whereabouts. The Enemy is silent: something happened up North and the reports of the Dark Riders abroad have ceased. My family tells me the Haradrim are raiding the mouths of the Anduin again, many have fled to Minas Tirith and farther west. The Rohirrim are fighting a new power of the West: there is news the Master of Orthanc has defected to the Enemy."

"Dire news, indeed. What of Lord Faramir?"

"He watches and waits. At times he can ambush the Enemy's servants in Ithilien. The defense of Osgiliath worries him, but he cannot convince his father to withdraw and concentrate our forces. The Rangers are probing to learn more about the Enemy's intentions are."

She sighed heavily, and looked at him strangely. "You seem older than one and twenty years. Tell me your story."

"I was raised in the South Gondor, on a horse ranch near Harad. We always fought the Southern raiders, and at times none of them returned from our country. One day while I was riding with my friends, they sent a large force to destroy our holdings. My friends and I ambushed them, and I had a very fast horse that brought me up behind an Oliphant, so fast I was able to hamstring it and bring it down. We cut down the crew, but they were too many others so we withdrew, and when I got home, our house was burned and my parents dead.

"For a time we lived as outlaws, us orphans, striking at our conquerors, but we were ambushed one day and barely escaped. I received a poisoned wound, and at great risk my friends brought me to Minas Tirith, where I was healed ."

"Did you find the King after all? They say in the King's hands there is healing."

"No, it was the wizard, Mithrandir, who cleansed the evil from my wound. When I recovered, he spent time with me and taught me some of the ways of magic and healing."

"What can you do?"

"I can do illusions, as you've seen, some far seeing, as you will see, and healing. There's wasn't time for combat magic, but he said: 'Amandil, you can do great good with the simple skills I've taught you. Great events are about to unfold, but you can do your part. It is through people just as you that great evil is overcome, by ordinary people doing good."

She took a sip of her tea and thought. "Profound, I never thought of it that way. Are you going to do your farseeing now?"