0 comments/ 3843 views/ 1 favorites Darkwatch on Mordor Ch. 01 By: Nigel Debonnaire 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?" Darkwatch on Mordor Ch. 01 He shrugged. "Might as well. You need to keep track of me, especially if the Dark Lord appears." "The Dark Lord?" "Yes. Once I was careless and He almost caught me. While I'm looking in a clear basin of water, you must look for a bright dot of fiery, orange light. Say my name if you see it, and if it grows any larger than it first appears, push me away from the basin and pour out the water." "All right. How did you get this magic?" "My mother gave me the brooches, saying they were heirlooms of her family. Her family came from ancient Eregion, the Noldorim realm of Celebrimbor, and it was said the Lord himself made them." "That means you have Elvish blood as well as Numenorean. I sensed that about you; I have Elvish blood from the distant past as well. The only talents I have is an ability to sense danger and tend a home, but you seem to have more if you could learn magic from Mithrandir." He nodded. "Let's start, we need to make sure we weren't followed through the mountains." She brought a basin of water she fetched from the spring fed pool, setting it before him. He closed his eyes in meditation for several moments as the pool stopped reflecting the wan firelight of the hiding place. He opened his eyes again, and stared into the water, which showed uncertain dark forms to her eyes. From time to time he would murmur, and patterns would shift. After about a quarter hour, a small orange dot appeared in the lower right corner and she called out his name. Nodding, he kept looking and she watched anxiously as she watched it. It did nothing for several long, anxious moments before it started moving around the basin, searching, and started growing slightly. She shook his shoulders and it didn't affect him; for a moment of indecision she almost panicked before pushing the basin on the floor, where it spilled into a wide puddle. He fell back, his eyes wide open and unblinking. He needs a distraction her instinct told her, draw his attetion away from the Dark Lord, and she began beating on his chest and stomach. This did nothing, so she slapped his face and tried many other things. It was like her mind was in direct connection with his, and she knew he was struggling to get free from a powerful force. Full of malice and hunger, it seemed like a beast of prey was breathing in her ear. She had to do something to get him back, and immediately. She pulled his pants down and grabbed his cock: that got his attention. Stroking up and down, it got stiff almost immediately, but he was still unplugged from his surroundings, fighting the unknown power, although he blinked a couple of times. She rubbed it frantically and his lips moved, but he came no closer to consciousness : a stalemate for the moment. "Anything to defeat the Dark Lord," she muttered, and took his long cock into her mouth with a gulp. His breathing got stronger and more rapid; she played her tongue up and down his shaft in a desperate attempt to get his attention. Instinct from the distant past took over as she did things she'd never done before, her tongue circled the end rapidly before she pumped him deep into her throat. The malicious force was losing, pushed away by the flood of lust pulsing through his body. He groaned and moaned, his hands coming down to embrace her ears and he screamed as he filled her mouth with a fluid she'd never tasted before. It was like nothing else, and she swallowed it in surprise to find it warm her all the way down. Standing up quickly, he walked to the doorway and looked outside a moment, pulling up his trousers, before turning to face her. "Thank you," he said. "I got too cocky. The Dark Lord is distracted by something that happened up North tonight, there were echoes of an ancient curse unleashed in Khazad-dum he knew nothing about until now. I made the mistake of focusing on it as well, and that's how he found me. It was a close thing, he almost got me, but he didn't find out anything. Thanks, Miriel. The Dark Lord knows nothing about the emotions you unleashed. We are safe here." She wiped off her mouth and nodded. "What could have happened up there? Wait, what about your watch posts? That's closer." He nodded. "Nothing was there. Mount Doom is erupting again, a few scavengers are coming down to feast on Orc flesh in Ithilien, but nothing with intelligence. I'd like to set up in a couple of more places, even in Mordor itself, if we can. We'll still have to patrol the mountains on foot from time to time, but it will be a help." "Sounds good to me. You've got talent kid, I'm glad Lord Faramir sent you to me. Tonight we rest and tomorrow we continue our task." She threw more wood on the fire and they slept on a bear skin on front of the fire, keeping each other warm against the night. Darkwatch on Mordor Ch. 02 Amandil and Miriel sat in a high watchpost overlooking Mordor. It was moonless night, but the light of Mount Doom's eruptions and the fires of a thousand furnaces at work below made it necessary to hide in the shadows. They had placed two more Watching Brooches, including one at their present post. Keeping vigil, they were staying put until dawn, when the Orcs would retreat underground and they could return safely. Huddled under a blanket, their mouths and ears were next to each other, so they murmured to each other softly to stay alert and awake. He said: "Are you sure we're safe here?" "Yes. Josquil and I were watching farther down the slope two weeks ago, close to the roads. The best I can guess is one of the fell hounds caught our scent down there." "There wasn't one with the Orcs who attacked you, and I didn't see signs of one at the pool in the pass. Perhaps Josquil was able to destroy it during this flight." "Perhaps. Such a beast would have led them to me more quickly, and they wouldn't have sent it away." A huge gout of flames leapt up from Mount Doom; several fell hounds bayed at the sight from a distance, and companies of Orcs chanted as the flames rose. He held her close and said: "Tell me your story, Miriel." Miriel shook her head. "I grew up in Ithilien, before the Enemy started his great work, and when I was a maiden we had to flee across the Anduin. We huddled in the foothills between Rohan and the Great River, and in that time Brendor became my mate. There wasn't much time before fighting with the enemy crossed the River, and Brendor fell just after our daughter Mina was born. We went to Minas Tirith then, and my parents raised my daughter while I trained to take his place among the Rangers. Since then I've made my home here, on the edge of Darkness." "Do you get news of her?" "Sometimes. She married a warden of the Tower and they have two young ones. When the war is over, I'll visit them." "Was Jonquil your second mate?" "No, he wasn't. He was never attracted to women, and lived in guilt for his attraction to men. He felt strongly we needed to increase the race of Numenor, but he could never act on this ideal and it haunted him. We worked well together, but shared little time together apart from our joint patrols. His main dwelling was down near the River, and sometime soon I must go there and send his treasures to his parents in Dol Amroth. But not now, danger is too close." "Yes, the war will come soon," he said distantly. "I felt it at the edges of the Dark Lord's thoughts last night: he wants to start soon, as soon as his troops are ready. He searches for something, and hopes to find it before he strikes." A clashing of drums came from the plain below, and they could see a company of men march from North to South, playing the strident music of the Haradrim. Amandil shuddered as he heard it, and Miriel held him close. "Peace, my friend. If you're to be a watcher, you must control yourself." "Yes, I know. I'll manage, I'm determined." "I know that music's always meant danger to you, the music of ambush and slaughter. Put it aside, put it aside. It rattles me as well, but I have to think of the reason we're here. If we don't return to tell our tale, our vigil is in vain." He nodded and they settled back into watching as well. She took his hand and squeezed it, and he kept it close to him as they shivered a little. An angry crescent moon rose above Mordor, creeping over the horizon two hours before sunrise. The Haradrim marched off to the South and their music faded into the distance. Their eyes followed them, counting the number of troops, and he murmured: "No Oliphants, must be infantry. The beasts probably wouldn't survive here; the Dark Lord will probably bring them up from the South when he attacks." "Undoubtedly. Look at the camps around Barad-dur, they'll all Orc divisions. I've heard of men living for long periods of time around Lake Nurnen, but it would take a lot of organization to base them near the mountains. The amount of food and water they'd need to bring in would be enormous. Easier to put them outside the mountains." "Something we'll have to look for." Mount Doom sent another plume skyward and the foul beasts screamed their admiration. Miriel looked around and said: "By the way, are those your fingers playing with my breasts?" There was a short pause. "Whose else would they be?" She smiled. "I appreciate the attention, and my breasts haven't been fondled for decades, but we need to keep our attention on what's happening around us. We are doing the impossible by walking into Mordor, and to a man of one and twenty the idea of making love here may be appealing, but it's not a good idea. We can't take the chance of being captured: our friends in Ithilien would suffer. Focus, my child. Stay alert for the Enemy." He sighed and stopped. She snuggled a little closer to him in consolation, and the night crawled onward. An hour before daybreak, clouds from the east swallowed the crippled Moon and they heard voices below. Orc voices reverberated off the stones. "We gotta get outta here, my love. The war's comin' and we'll be marching out soon. The Eye wants the road to Osgiliath open, and we're supposed to do it." "Yeah, Worm, we gotta go. You an' me. We find a hole and stay there until the sun dies forever." The echoes of their motion faded down the pass below them, and Miriel stood up. Bending over, she whispered in his ear: "We've got to follow them. It's almost daybreak anyway, and it'll be safe enough to move. They aren't building a road to the hidden pass, but we've got to make sure these clowns don't find their way through by accident. Deserters have a way of going back if they think they've got something to offer." He nodded and followed her, both of them moving as quiet as shadows. It wasn't difficult to trace them, and it took some effort not to come upon them too soon. They wanted to make their ambush in a place they felt they could win quickly without a lot of noise, particularly if it happened before sunrise. "I'll set some illusions up on this path," he whispered in her ear. "That will help matters if we're followed. What do you think?" An impulse took over and he kissed her ear before he pulled away. "Focus, my friend, focus. Remember what we're here to do. Yes, I agree: if you can set up illusions to make this pass more difficult to find, the better. But won't the Dark Lord detect your magic?" "Mithrandir taught me a special way. The illusion spell works in such a way its seem like it's a dark power spell, so almost anyone beside the Dark Riders or the Dark Lord wouldn't be able to tell its source. They'll think one of their own mages did it, and not look farther. From what we've seen, the Dark Lord has enough advantage without this pass, and he means to win the war taking the routes we expect him." "Yes, I'm afraid you're right. The armies we've seen tonight are larger than ours. We need to be sure they don't come this way after all, though: the stakes are too high. We have to hope for a miracle, and work against a bad one." The sky was growing faint as they came up against the fetid spring they found Josquil's body. The Orcs were pausing, resting from their walk, their armor off and they were gnawing a rubbery strip of dubious jerky. Amandil looked at Miriel, who shook her head: they didn't have a good angle of attack and the Orcs were too alert. Miriel decided that when it became light and they ducked into a cave, they could ambush them while asleep. To her surprise, she saw Amandil nodding his head. The Orcs sat and talked. "At last we're safe, they didn't see us go. We can relax and just live." "Yeah, and savor the finer things of life." There was a pause, and the larger Orc put his arm around his companion's shoulder. "It's been too long, my wife, I think my dick's gonna blow apart. You gotta fuck me tonight." "You think you're about to pop, Worm, I got it worse. All this drill, every day and every day, is driving me crazy. This is a nice place, and I can smell some fresh man meat nearby. We can hide here forever." The Orcs kissed each other passionately, with open mouths and didn't break for several moments. "Yeah, let's fuck, even if the sun comes up." The Rangers heard a clinking and a grunt. "All right, Grizz, get started" This sent the wheels in Miriel's head spinning: if they were going to have sex right then and there, they'd be easy prey. They watched as the larger Orc started wrestling the smaller one, bearing her down and turning her around. Miriel held up her hand for her partner to wait. Amandil already had an Orc arrow nocked to his bow. The larger Orc took a glob from the pot and showed a big dollop up his wife's cunt, and followed by two more globs, working it in. His penis grew to amazing size, a foot and half long, and he stroked it, anointing it to make a slick entry. "C'mon Grizz, give it to me," Worm said. "I want it, I want your sweet meat in me." With a lunge, the larger Orc impaled the smaller one, forcing it all the way in before rocking back and forth. An impossibly large arm reached underneath the bottom Orc, gasping his partner's groin in search of her clitoris and stroking it. The sky was starting to lighten, but the Orcs were so involved with each other they paid no attention to the approaching dawn. Amandil looked at Miriel, who seemed fascinated by what was going on, but when she broke her stare she gestured for him to wait a little longer. The Orcs continued their love making, and it seemed the larger one was getting close to finishing. When he threw back his head and howled in orgasm, two arrows went into his back and he fell over in the midst of his climax, dead before he hit the ground. Amandil lept forward like a cat, knife out, and slit the smaller one's throat before the Orc could register what was happening to her. Rolling her over, it seemed her climax happened at the same time as her partner's, which clouded her mind and made her vulnerable. Neither one of them were archers, so there were no arrows to salvage. After searching their packs they rolled the two bodies down a nearby ravine. Amandil was shaking from the effort, and Miriel was lost in thought, tears trailing from her eyes. "We couldn't let them live, they could have talked about the pass. They belonged to the Enemy. They were. . .so lost, so forsaken. All they wanted was a place they could be together. They were so desperate, but we had no choice." He had no choice but sit as wait as she mourned, weeping for two lovers beyond hope. In time, she recovered and they were able to resume their return journey. As daylight blossomed around them, they stopped twice for him to set up illusions to hide the trail. Returning to her lair, she beckoned down the passage to the pool. "Go and wash yourself, get clean. I'll check the traps and see what game we have. We are safe for a while, and can rest." He went down the passage, stripping off his gear and shivered as he entered the cold water. Homemade soap was on a ledge next to the pool, and he scrubbed himself vigorously. Sinking into the refreshing pool, he let the emotions of the killing slide from him: the Orcs had to die, but their desperation affected him and he could tell it affected her as well. It was similar to the feelings he caught from the Dark Lord: anxiety and fear, doubt and despair. Looking into a lost soul was looking down a well that sought to pull you in: it would be so easy to go over the edge. Getting out of the pool, he returned to the main room to find it empty. A cloth hung by the passage door and he used it to dry himself; clean clothes hung in a dresser and he donned them, finding their fit perfect. She returned with two skinned rabbits and a smile several moments later, cutting them up for the pot and adding roots and herbs. "You look better clean," she said. "Find everything all right?" "Oh yes. Anything unusual in the woods?" "It's quiet, like the ill will is focused elsewhere." "That's my reading. The Dark Lord is focused North, and his creatures are resting as his gaze isn't on them." Sitting down by a crack in the wall that served as a window, she took a large platter with a sand image on it into her lap, the sun shining off her unbound, luxurious blond hair. She wore a green blouse that exposed much of her chest and a blue skirt that wrapped around her waist several times. There was a container of colored sand, formed in a graceful pattern that invoked mystery and other emotions. Sighing, she picked up a small silver container with a delicate spigot and rubbed it with a matching stylus. A trickle of fine, red sand came down on the pattern, creating a sharp new line. "What's that?" he asked. "A mandala. It's a hobby of mine, careful drawing with fine sand, something to remind me of beauty and my part in creation. I love working on these patterns with the wild flowers around me. Eru has created a wonderful world full of good things for us to live in, even here next to Mordor. We need to cultivate grace and beauty around us to make our home at the edge of Darkness if we aren't going to get sucked in." He nodded and watched her. Her hands were nimble, and the image looked as if an artist painted it on canvas rather than drawn it in sand. "What do you do when you're done with it?' "Oh, I'll spend a couple days just looking at it, imprinting the pattern in my memory. Then I have a ritual to disassemble it: all beauty is fleeting and I have no place to keep it long. I bring in flowers as well, but they fade and die. Savoring beauty while it lasts is life giving." As she said this, her eyes sparkled. Outside the sun shone brightly, hinting at the Spring still two months distant. He sat and watched her create awesome beauty, and after a while found his voice humming with an old riding song from his distant home. A connection was made: just like the ambush on the trail, he could tell what she was thinking, see her surface emotions. The song got a little louder because he could tell she wanted to hear it, and soon the words were on his lips. A glow developed, starting with her and moving out to embrace him. "You sing beautifully, Amandil. Do you know any other songs?" "Yes, many. I play the harp as well, but it's back in Minas Tirith. Couldn't risk playing it here." "Sing me another song." A spring song came to mind, and his tenor voice lilted in praise of blooming flowers and green leaves appearing on the trees. Song after song moved through him and he lost himself in his singing; she smiled and worked on her pattern. Together they spent the afternoon in beauty and peace. At sunset, they ate and he got his basin to look around. Miriel watched him as he surveyed the pass, and no orange dot appeared to threaten him. "We're all right," he said when he emerged from his trance. "No sign of movement our direction: I think our work was enough. The Dark Lord still looks North." "Good, then we have a rare night's peace. In a week, we should take the pass again to look closer for signs of the Enemy, but this is wonderful." He smiled and looked at her, reaching out to touch her face. "My lady, you are beautiful." Her face turned to accept his hand's embrace. A candle fired to life at her thought, and the light made her glow. The magnetism was irresistible, and his lips came forward to meet hers After a long kiss, she looked deep into his eyes. "I am too old for you, soldier. You are one and twenty; in the spring I will see my fourth decade." "It doesn't matter, Miriel. You are beautiful and you have my heart. When I look at you, the pain of my past draws away. We are of the race of Numenor: youth will last longer for us than most men and women." He leaned forward to kiss her again, pulling her close and she surrendered to his embrace. "I could make my home on the edge of Darkness with you." She shook her head, but said nothing. They pulled off each other's blouses, and kissed again, bare chest to bare chest. He turned his attention to her breasts: the nipples were incredibly huge, wider than his palm, and the nubs became rock hard with his touch. His tongue sought out her softness, running all around the edge her brown pillows, visiting the supple goodness of the center, sucking as much of the breast into his mouth as he could. Her reactions were an open book to him: she was floating on a cloud of happiness and wished it wouldn't stop. They rolled over and she pulled down his trousers. Her hands caressed his manhood, running gently up and down his shaft, circling the tender orbs below. A drop of wetness appeared and she licked it off at once. Suddenly, his thoughts were open to her, and she sensed he wouldn't last long. He sense her intention and lay on his back ready for her. Sitting back on her legs, she unwrapped her skirt, rolling to get it off and knelt above him, naked. Guided by instinct, his cock stood straight up and didn't need much guidance as she lowered herself onto him. She gasped as he penetrated her: a fullness she never felt before. He looked through his mind's eyes and discovered they were in a higher level of communication beyond words. A desire passed through her mind and they rolled over while still conjoined, and he took his position to thrust deeply into her, feeling her joyful response. Pacing himself, they lay together for a long time, moving as one as he penetrated her. Soon it was time for his climax, and she rolled her hips to encourage him. Their pumping went faster and faster until they arrived at the high point of their loving together, holding each other tightly as their nectars combined. Daylight was waning as they lay together on the bearskin in front of the fire. A look was all they needed to stand together and walk out to see the sunlight. Standing together hand in hand, naked and confident, they watched the sun as it went down over the horizon, forming the words of the Commemoration of the Lost Land in their minds. Coming back in, he put some more wood on the fire. A fragrant branch sent a delicious perfume in the air, and they held each other on the bear skin. "I never knew this could happen," he said. "What, finding love like this?" "Yes, and. . ." "Being able to read my thoughts. When was the first time?" "During the ambush before dawn, when destroyed those Orcs fucking each other." "I suspected as much. When you fought off the Dark Lord last night, I knew you were in a battle for your life, but when I was playing with your dick today, it hit me full force A few things go into that: Elvish blood, a sensitivity to magic, desire for each other. Can you just read my mind's surface, or does it go deeper?" "Just the surface when emotions are high, like love or fear. It freaked me out, but it helped when I was seducing you. Every other time I tried, I had no idea what the girl was thinking, and did the wrong things at the wrong time." She kissed him and held him close. They didn't need to talk, being able to read each other's minds, and spent the time until they feel asleep sharing their memories, experiences and fears. They awakened together before dawn, and he settled at his basin to check his watch areas. "There's another pair of Orcs at the spring. One looks like a magician. He hasn't found my watch brooches, but he undid my illusions. They look like they're settling down in a nearby cave for the day. Used a spell to light a fire, taking a burning branch into the cave, I see which one. Looks like he's setting up wards. The other one looks malnourished, undersized, maybe a juvenile." "You sure there's only two?" Her face was set in a frown, her brow furrowed in worry. "Yeah, no group is following them. This one is probably acting on a hunch, doesn't want to share credit. A junior mage trying to work his way up. Doesn't know I'm watching him, so his magic is probably all battle magic." Darkwatch on Mordor Ch. 02 "Are the disciplines that different?" "Yes, like speaking another language. Ideas?" Miriel thought for a long minute, and poured herself a cup of tea. "A trap of some sort, something that will surprise them. I've got some Elvish rope, that will hurt them worse than thorns. We do what we did to those two yesterday, ambush them, hide between the trap and their return and attack from behind." "Distance this time, I think. Let's shoot them down and don't let them get close. They're probably better at hand to hand combat and I don't think they'll take time out for sex." She giggled. "I know where to set the trap, there's an obvious place on the trail and just beyond it another. We put an illusion on the main point and our non-magical trap just beyond it. There's a couple good shooting perches just to the East of it, and after they cover the first section, we can set a trap behind them in case they get away." "Good. Let's get ready, love." They dressed in browns again to blend in with the mountainous terrain. She gathered the rope and other things she needed while he prepared an illusion. It was mid morning before they reached their objective and set their snares. Moving to the spring, they found it just as Amandil saw in his basin: a shimmering light showed where the Orcs were sleeping through the daylight. Miriel pointed out where she wanted to set the second ambush, and an upper trail that would take them from one place to the other quickly. When they got to their ambush point, she whispered in his ear: "This is pretty obvious, but take down the magician first. The trap should make them stop to get some shots off even if the little one isn't caught." He kissed her cheek in agreement and she blushed a little. A survey of the area nearby revealed no other Orcs lurking off the trail, and quick look into Mordor revealed no other movement toward the pass. Amandil had prepared tokens for fresh illusions once this threat was neutralized, and Miriel set up a deadfall in case they got past the spring going back to Mordor. As day lengthened, they took their places, high above the trap, widely spaced and differing heights. Each had a full quiver of Orc arrows. The glow from the East illuminated their target zone enough, and Miriel realized that like her, Amandil had inherited Elvish night vision. She offered a prayer to Elbereth their ambush would be quick and easy. Two hours after sunset, there was noise on the trail. They made less sound that Orcs normally would, but absolute stealth was beyond them. They heard a harsh incantation that dispelled one of the illusions a half mile away. The dissipation of the spell was like breaking glass, and heavy steps trudged onward. Just short of the target illusion, they stopped, and the larger one said: "What do you see, Maggot?" "I see another thorn bush, just like before. Funny place for it to grow." "Where do you think the trail goes?" "To the left." Cruel laughter reverberated over the rocks. "I'll say this for our adversary, he's good at one spell. The direction distortions could use a little work, but the thorn bushes are a work of art. Shame to undo them, almost. This path leads somewhere special, and I'll bet there's gold at the end of it." He intoned a few words in the Black Speech and the illusion was gone. "Onward Maggot." The second step found the trigger, and Maggot flew upward, caught by a snare from a bush ten feet above them. The Magician looked ahead and took a step before an arrow sprouted from the base of his skull, followed by another in his ribcage that pierced his heart. Maggot bounced off the rocks a couple of times and he saw as he was bobbing in midair with his leader laying cold on the trail. To his credit, the little one didn't cry out or whimper: his short sword was knocked from his hand as the snare took him, and his attempt to draw a dagger resulted in a comic rattle as it fell from his hand. Amandil sensed Miriam descending the slope and followed her at a distance, an arrow ready. "Ah, my lady, I'm so glad to see you. For a minute, I thought my friends did this. Thank the Black Hand I'm not going to get skinned alive. Is there anything I'd say so you'll let me live?" "No," Miriam said curtly, drawing her sword. "Ah well. A quick, clean death. What more can Orc want?" "What more indeed," she replied as she slit his throat. They searched the magician's body and found a purse with several gold pieces, as well as some objects he used in spell casting. Two rings left his fingers as well, and one tingled at the touch. "Can you use any of these things?" she asked as her lover approached. "No, I don't think so. Different kind of magic, could get in trouble if I tried. Mithrandir was very clear about only using elements I harvested and prepared myself. The rings we should send to Faramir; it could attract attention and draw something Evil our direction." "I agree. The rings we send to Faramir, what of the rest?" "Burn it. Their clothes will go up nicely and their hair will insure the job gets done. The magic tokens will feed the blaze as well, but it shouldn't go too high. We're too far away from Mordor for a watcher to see it from there." "Good. Do it." They piled the bodies and their effects into a pile, adding some coarse dry branches from bushes nearby. As he started the fire with flint and stone, she went back to the spring to see if there was any movement behind them. The path was clear and looking back, she saw no sign of a fire, even though she heard some faint distant thumping. Running back, she worried he was hurt, afraid of what may have gone wrong when the magical items caught fire. A hand covered her face and she was grabbed from behind. For an instant she was afraid until she felt a familiar presence in her mind. Amandil had hidden and ambushed her as she went by. "Just a little practice, my love. I know, you could have killed me, I won't do it again. Don't worry, I got out of harm's way when the magic exploded." The fire was burning merrily, and they stayed, holding each other as the blaze consumed Orc flesh and clothing. The magic caused it to burn quickly and soon they were looking at black remains smoldering faintly in the starlight. Their journey home was uneventful, and a bowl of stew made a fine breakfast Sitting in the growing daylight, he asked her: "I didn't think this would happen. We had a close call." "Yes, and no," she said, bending over her sand mandala. "Yes, the magician would have betrayed the secret. But he made himself an easy target. He assumed he could take care of anything that opposed him, and didn't imagine how an attack in the mountains may have happened. He only brought one companion when he might have brought a platoon. The only reason for the magic in his mind was to hide riches, and he acted on that assumption, never thinking there would be another reason for a hidden trail, or a guardian not of his own kind." The young man hummed to himself a little. "I think I need to practice my diversion spell a little. I might be missing a note or two of the incantation. Now I think of it, the melody went a little higher than I've been doing it. Next time, it'll be harder to detect." Finishing a line, she held it up for him to see. "Look, my love. Beauty at the edge of Darkness. Fleeting, to be sure, but a sign of hope." After holding it up for a few moments, she put it down again to admire it. "We will win this War." He shook his head. "But the enemy is building his forces. . ." "Shush, he will lose. You've seen it yourself. The Dark Lord is his own worst enemy, he reacts in fear and never imagines anyone would think differently than he does. He gathers knowledge, more knowledge than anyone can assimilate, but he doesn't understand how to use it. He rules his minions through fear and intimidation, so they do nothing more than ordered, take no initiative to further the cause. His whole nation will share his personal blindness. Even if Minas Tirith should fall, the Dark Lord will not rule forever: he will not even rule for long. He will be his own downfall, that is certain. Good always conquers Evil. Our children will know the peace beyond the Dark Lord's kingdom." "Our children. I like how that sounds." His mouth stopped working, but speech wasn't needed; she likewise didn't say a word as she arose from her chair and he welcomed her into his arms. He undid her dress and slid it down, then removed her shift. A quick glance at her shoulder blade reveal her wound had healed quickly, and he could remove his stitches any time. She nodded and gave him a small pair of scissors from her sewing kit. Several snips and a pull freed the thread from her flesh, and she turned to embrace him, naked. He knelt before her and kissed her nipples, taking more and more of her huge teats into his mouth, sucking harder and harder as she encouraged him telepathically. His hand reached between her legs, which parted to admit his fingers to fondle her sex. She stood him up and undressed him, stroking his muscles and kissing his neck. Her hand reached down and grasped his shaft, moving up and down to encourage him to full stiffness. An image crossed his mind, and she looked at him quizzically before nodding in agreement. Going to her larder, she brought forth some butter and put the bowl in his hand before turning to go on all fours. He took the fresh butter and put a dollop on her rectum, gently working it in with his finger,. Several scoops went in, and after bathing his shaft in the soft spread, he lined it up. Penetration made her gasp as his cock slid easily into her asshole, and he reached around with his other hand to play with her slit, teasing her clitoris. Starting slowly, he felt her emotions and knew she liked the intruder moving in and out of her. He reached up with his free hand to take her breast in his hand; her free hand reached up to grasp the other. They picked up the tempo, pumping furiously as she began to gasp and tears started trickling down her face. He couldn't believe the feeling, and knew she would reach her climax before he did. She lost her balance when that happened, causing him to slip out, his butter coated prick bobbing in unfulfilled longing. It took several moments for her to recover and regain her senses while he knelt over her, his rod still demanding attention. When she recovered and knew his need, she turned and started stroking him. Looking up at him over her, feeling the passion build within him, and knowing what he liked, she took the head of his cock in her mouth and started sucking hard. It wasn't half a minute before his seed came forth, overflowing her mouth and running down her jaw to her chest, dripping down over her gigantic nipples. It was when she had drained every drop she released him, and they went hand in hand down to the pool to bathe. Playfully, the scrubbed each other, giggling it the fresh, cool water, coming back hand in hand: wet, naked and giggling. They stood in the sunlight as the first children of Earth, their arms wrapped around each other, relishing the energy of divine creation as it flowed through their being. After Amandil reset his illusions, no other creature found the secret pass through the Ephel Duath. As the days grew darker, they had to stay in their cave more and more as legions of fell creatures wandered into Ithilien from North and South. They kept watch and sent Lord Faramir their reports until the War started. The War of the Ring passed them by, and the fall of the Barad-dur didn't destroy their high mountain love nest. They went to the King Elessar's wedding even though she was heavy with child, and renewed their loyalty to Prince Faramir as he began his rule of Ithilien. In the time of peace, they tended their part of Ithilien with their children and their children's children, remembering the Dark Days and their Home on the edge of Darkness as gladly as any later joy they shared.