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.