Chapter 14: Threats of the Night

Kattica jumped back as hot breath brushed against her cheek, avoiding in her retreat the fierce lunge of the hound by inches. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest as she was thrown backwards into the tent by the awkwardness of her weight. She lay helpless on the blanketed floor, the tent flap hanging open, exposing to her the crouching pose of the dog shifting himself in anticipation and ready to lunge. He awaited her next move, and reading it, Kattica froze, glancing away in a gesture of supplication to the pack creature. The beast's hackles stood on end as it snarled brutally, poised to pounce. The terrifying look of a heartless killer filled its eyes as a low growl resonated from the depths of the animal's maw. Stifling a cry, Kattica fought her brain, furiously trying to think of a way to escape this horror. But before anything more could happen, Kattica saw from the corner of her eye the dog look up at something out of the frame of the tent entrance, and then lower its eyes. The animal suddenly cowered away with a whimper, gone from the sight of the girl. A shadow cast by the light of the moon fell onto the highlighted walls of the cloth canopy as a figure moved forward. Kattica recognized the shadow's form. Her true enemy had appeared.

Strangely the girl felt removed from herself, numb to the possibilities of what the witch had planned. She had anticipated this moment in the hours she had silently waited, and now that it was upon her, she found her courage bolstered and her anger alive. The air was electric with her anticipation as the space in the tent became inexplicably smaller. Still, Kattica would face the elder without fear. Bregus had been the source of the girl's subtle torment for many years and Katica had meekly submitted to it. Tonight would be different. Bregus had destroyed her hopes. The elder had declared a war, and it heightened Kattica's sense of morality and injustice. The old woman had wronged Kattica one time too many. The girl was now more than prepared to fight. She could match the elder in strength and wit, she was certain. Unfortunately, she underestimated the elder.

With a twisted smile, the shuv'ni hunched forward, descending into the hollow of the tent. She looked long and hard at the girl, summing up the situation before speaking. "Going somewhere?" she asked maliciously in a singsong voice.

Kattica said nothing, deciding a verbal sparring match would do little to aid her situation. She pulled herself up, gathering her goods again, and then waited.

"I think it is time that we talked," the elder said, drawing out her words, knowing well the ire quailing in Kattica's chest and reveling in it. Her smile grew wider as she saw the gleam of hostility lighting the young woman's eyes. "But before we do that, I should look at you. It is dark in here." Instantly, a fire blazed in the small stove in the corner of the tent behind the young woman, lit without means but by the elder's suggested words. Kattica jumped in surprise. The suddenness of this sorcery startled her. The elder did not utter a spell. She merely wished the fire and it appeared. This was a frightening turn. The girl began to have doubts in her abilities.

"Yes, let me see you. We would not want you to have harmed your precious baby now would we?" the old woman said, sneering as she drew her gnarly hand forward towards Kattica's round belly. The girl squirmed away from the touch, fear now sending subtle shivers down her spine.

A low chuckle emanated from within the elder's throat. "You need not do that," she chided. "You have me wrong. I am not here to do you harm. In fact, I am here to help you. I have come with some wonderful news." The witch's smile grew wider as if she was enjoying the girl's fear.

"Whatever it is, speak it and be gone," Kattica spat, mustering her courage. "I have no desire to linger in your companionship!"

Bregus laughed loudly at the words. "Rather feisty tonight, are you not? You do not like being confined, I see. We have something in common then. For I long to be freed of my confinement as well."

With a hiss Kattica snarled back, "Your words have no meaning to me, witch!" The girl's vexation was clearly evident.

Bregus' eyes narrowed and her look was no longer playful. Kattica felt herself reflexively swallow and her nostrils flared as she felt the bitter taste of bile rise in her throat.

"Do not try me child, or you shall find the keener edge of my mood unpleasant," the shuv'ni said through gritted teeth. The elder stared into the girl's soul as she coldly said, "I am merely pointing out our similarities." She eased away slightly and took a deep breath before looking away. Then she said in a softer voice, "I too am locked into something I do not desire. We are trapped, both of us. You, in a position you cannot change, and my body on a course I seemingly cannot change. And yet we both have every intention of freeing ourselves from our miseries. We are not so unalike, you see."

"The only prison I am in is the one you have made for me!" Kattica spewed out with venom, unyielding to the lightened tone of the elder's voice.

"But do you not see? I had little choice but to put you here. The horrors of my own decay force me to take drastic measures. Day by day I watch my body fade and my powers falter with it. I find that an agony to behold! It is not fair to me! It is not fair to my tribe! I am not ready to part with what I have made!" the shuv'ni said in rising pitch. Then she set her cold stare on the girl once again. A glancing smile pressed her lips. "And so for a long while now I have watched you. You are weak, and know not what you possess. You have a talent that is inordinate, yet you know not how to use it. Jealously I have seen that. I have wanted what you have," the old woman whispered roughly, her eyes fixed on the girl's as she moved forward. Her hand drifted out with a single finger trailing the air, working closer toward the girl's abdomen. Attempting to back away again, Kattica reached the wall of the tent. She could go no further as Bregus continued forward until they were knee to knee, the lone finger drifting slowly downward to rest on the girl's stomach, tracing a fine line down to her navel. The flicker of the flames shone brightly in Bregus' eyes which never left the girl's face. Kattica cringed as the cold chill of that finger touched her soul. "I wanted your life!" Bregus whispered in a hiss.

Kattica shuddered in response as the eyes of the shuv'ni grew penetratingly dark.

"I was envious," the elder continued slowly, her voice a coarse whisper. Slowly she placed another hand on the girl's cheek. Kattica startled and whimpered slightly at the touch, no longer able to contain her fear. Bregus' face was only inches from hers and Kattica was capable of reading the hate in the elder's eyes. "You had it all. Youth, power, hope. Hope most of all! I despised you for it!"

Kattica felt tears welling up. She shook her head to free herself as real fear gripped her.

"I hated all that you would be could be if you only knew what you had. And I saw all that I could do were I given your place again. I knew that I would some day have to relinquish my hold, my rule, my power, to you. YOU an ignorant child! You cannot see it! You do not deserve it! It is mine! It has been mine! I do not wish to give you my place! I have worked too hard to achieve it!" the old woman called out with vehemence. And then her voice changed to a pitiful tone. "And yet, I am dying, slowly, quietly, as elders always do."

Bregus then sat more erect, poising herself in a show of resolute decisiveness. "But I will be different. I choose not to go! I will not forfeit everything I have earned to be acquired by you. Just because you are young! I had come to believe you had been mocking me for what I will lose and I have long hated you for it," Bregus said with a sigh, releasing the girl and resting back on her heels. "I was wrong."

Kattica blinked, struck voiceless by the surprise of Bregus' release on her. The elder shuv'ni looked straight into Kattica. "I no longer need what I was going to harvest from you." The elder's eyes glanced down to the girl's belly, then wandered back up to the younger woman's face. "You may keep it," she said with a dismissive wave.

Dumbfounded, Kattica whispered, "What are you saying?"

"I had made plans to take it. The baby. Kill you and take the child. Its heart is what I need." Then laughing at the look of disgust playing off the girl's face, Bregus explained. "Yes, I forget you do not understand black magic. Feeding upon the unborn is one ingredient in the spell I would conjure to bring myself new life," Bregus said simply with a small shrug.

In horror, Kattica's eyes grew wide as she attempted to turn herself away. She had to get away from this terrible woman! The elder obviously had desires of her, even if she had offered to let her baby live freely. Kattica's left hand clutched her belly as her right hand slipped to the pouch at her hip, concealed by her position. "You are insane!" she cried out.

Bregus gave a noncommittal sigh as she moved back, bringing up her knees, sitting comfortably in a curled position that would normally seem out of character for a woman of her age. "You need not fear, child. I will not harm you. Or your baby. Not unless I must, and as of tonight, I see no reason for which to do this. Are you not pleased? I am feeling very generous. I have found a substitute for that one," She said as she nodded toward Kattica's stomach.

"Madness! This is madness!" Kattica shouted, her fingers touching the shaft of her choori hidden within her putsi.

"No, my dear. Only desperation," the elder mocked, a frown pressing her brow. "Are you not going to ask me about the substitution or how you can repay me my graciousness?"

"I know not your evil plan, nor do I wish to be a party in it! There is no grace in the taking of a life," Kattica said with disgust.

In less than a second, Kattica felt her head yanked back and a flash of pain at her skull. Her fingers, in the surprise attack, temporarily relinquished their hold on her knife. Bregus' eyes stared hard into hers as a handful of hair was gripped by the elder. "You would be best served to thank me, fledgling, for it would take little to convince me that you do not deserve my good favor," Bregus scowled.

Gritting her teeth and staring sidelong at the shuv'ni, Kattica said, "What is it you want from me, Bregus?"

"Ah, that is better. A little courtesy would be nice, but yes, what I want is simple. I want your aid," Bregus said, relaxing her grip, and Kattica could not help but notice the gleam in the older woman's eye.

"Aid? Of what kind of assistance do you speak?" Kattica asked, her eyes growing large in her fear for the answer. Again, she traveled her hand to her side where her choori lie.

"I need you to help meas an apprentice. As you were meant to help me," Bregus said, licking her lips in anticipation.

The girl's brow furrowed with anger as she sang out her words, her hand once again touching the hilt of the knife. "I will not be a party to the dark arts, Bregus! You cannot force me!"

Bregus merely smiled, as if she anticipated this retort. "That is your choice. Very well then. Prepare yourself. My plans move forward per my original intent. You will dieas will your babyas will Mattias."

"Mattias?" Kattica repeated, caught up in this new surprise.

"Did I not tell you that Mattias would also be spared if you complied? Forgive me my oversight," the witch said in a spiteful voice. "Yes, I am afraid he too is a part in my plans though he need not be."

"What do you mean? What do you intend to do?" Kattica asked, panic rising in her throat.

"Do? Were you not listening? I intend to rule again with my youth intact and restored," Bregus said with disdain. "And as for Mattias, you can well imagine my loneliness. I do not intend to do be alone any longer. I miss my Bäla. My spell will have a lingering effect. With it, I may bring my husband back. Mattias will serve as the host for his body."

"You said Mattias would die!"

"All that is a part of his soul will die. A small setback in the process. Bäla needs a body. Mattias' will do nicely. It is unavoidable really," Bregus stated blithely.

"But he is YOUR SON!"

"And Bäla is my husband!" Bregus shouted.

"You are repulsive!" Kattica bit back.

"What does it matter to you? That I sacrifice my son so my husband can live is only a small price. Is it that he will become my lover that disgusts you? But I too will be young you see, and he so resembles my Bäla. I can put it aside. And you will be gone. What difference can it make to you?" the old woman pointed out. Then slowly, with a conniving smile, she said in a soft voice, "Of course, none of this need happen were you to help me. There is someone else besides your husband that will do for thisthe one in that group of strangers today. They called him Anborn. Think, girl: Mattias could live; you could live; and your baby could live. The three of you could nestle happily together in bliss for the rest of your living days, for only the tribute of your help."

"You would tarnish me by bringing me into this," Kattica lamented scorn piteously casting her eyes aside.

"A small sacrifice to make for the better of all."

"And what of those who suffer? Those who die? Is it small sacrifice to them?" Kattica cried out, desperate for a way to reason with the elder.

"They are strangers to us. We know nothing of them. They have no bearing on our lives," Bregus said with unflinching resolve, as if this argument had been long ago settled. Kattica shivered with the coldness of those words.

"I cannot do it," she cried, squeezing her eyes tightly and shaking her head. "I cannot kill."

Bregus snorted. "Child! You will not be doing the killing. I will!"

"But"

"I need the aid of your power to control them. You are untrained, but I could guide you. I require your assistance. Nothing else. I do not need you to kill," Bregus laughed. "In your current state, I doubt you could kill anything anyhow. More likely you would topple over in any attempt. No, the killing is mine a part of the ritual even. I will enjoy it."

"And yet I'd be tainted with their blood!" Kattica sobbed.

"Blood washes away!"

"No!"

"Enough!" Bregus shreiked, eyes flaring, her patience gone. "It is time for you to decide! Which do you choose? Help me and see your family live. Go against my wishes and die all of you! Decide!"

Kattica's face grew taut in anger, pushed to her limit. With a feral snarl, she snapped, "Or I could kill you!" Her reflexes were sharp for someone so weighted. In a flash she brought her choori forward from her pouch, waving it before Bregus' face as she swiftly advanced.

But again, Bregus was found prepared. She twisted aside, easily moving away from the blade as if anticipating it. She smiled knowingly and said with a mocking voice, "You said you could not kill."

"I would make an exception in this case," Kattica answered with menace in her voice as she lunged again at the elder woman. It would seem a hard thing to avoid in such a confined space, but Kattica had to worry that their close proximity would put the blade too close to the elder and that Bregus would pry it away if given the opportunity. Or worse, do her harm. Again Bregus parried the move.

"And yet you and your baby will die all the same. I have seen to that," Bregus said, a smile dancing in her eyes, "and Mattias will be lost to you in the pursuit."

"No!" the girl cried out in a pant.

The shuv'ni drew back, gesturing out to the camp in answer as she kept a wary eye to the knife. "You do not know how to control them. I do. You cannot sway their opinions. I can. All they will see is that you attempted to kill the puri dai. They will think mokadi has come, and they will kill you and the baby in retribution and fear before you can kill more. They will think you have become possessed and will do what they must to protect themselves," the old woman reasoned.

A sob leapt from Kattica's throat before she found the words to respond. "But at least I will have taken you with me!" she screamed in a final lunge.

The elder grabbed the girl's wrist, snarling back, "And you will have lost Mattias' affection in return!"

"No!" Kattica cried again, her eyes widening. Bregus used that instant to make an attempt to regain control. She scrabbled for the weapon, but Kattica pulled away. The elder's hand clamped over the girl's and the contest became one of strength as they wrestled with the knife. Kattica felt her heart beating a in rapid-fire pulse at her temple and chest, the sound urging her to prevail. But Bregus was stronger than she had assumed and there seemed a moment when the girl thought she might lose. Yet she willed her heart not to falter. Kattica knew she was fighting for not only her own soul, but her baby's and her husband's.

But Bregus would not be deterred. Sensing impending loss, the elder released a hand she had twisted around the girl's other wrist in the effort to win dominance and she moved it quickly to the young woman's swollen waistline. With fingers splayed, she covered the firm round stomach with much of her hand and muttered dark words as she squeezed. Kattica winced in pain and fear, immediately fighting back, her fingers grabbing now for Bregus' wrist in the attempt to pull the hand away. But naught could stop the sudden shuddering movement Kattica felt within her body. The baby was writhing about, moving in agitation within her as if attempting to flee, and the girl cried out a harsh gasp as she realized her baby was under serious distress. She struggled harder to pull the hand away, but Bregus' fingers seemed fixed. Crying out in her fears, she dropped the tentative hold she had on the knife as she attempted to use her now empty fingers to join the other hand in pulling the offender away from her womb. She called out a sob as she felt her baby flailing in an inward madness. "Stop!" she wailed. "You are killing her!"

The elder now released the grip she had on the girl's other wrist, and while Kattica's freed hand immediately went to the one at her abdomen, Bregus reached down and snatched away the knife. With the weapon in hand, she pulled away the hand that caused menace at the girl's belly, flashing the knife before Kattica's face to gain her attention and end any further fruitless struggles.

"No more games!" The elder panted, pushing Kattica away. Then schooling her anger in a practiced fashion, she straightened on bent knees, towering over the recoiling girl, and said with a fierce whisper that drew shudders down Kattica's spine, "Time is wasting. If you are to help me, we can wait no more. I need my answer now. What will it be?"

Sobbing, tears rolling down her cheeks, Kattica was helpless. The fluttering kicks of her child slowly stilled and she felt calm come back to her womb though the girl's pulse still raced. She saw no other way and mourned greatly her loss in this battle. Desperation clawed at her as her mind grasped the end of its possibilities. She had exhausted her resources and there was no way out. Grimacing in fear and resignation, she knew she had little choice. With a final gasp, she lowered her head in surrender and shame before raising it to meet the elder's eyes. She could not look there. Glancing away, she made her answer. She nodded her head in agreement, shutting her eyes in revulsion to the thought of what Bregus was asking. A whimper of disdain escaped her as she swallowed her angered cry.

Bregus smiled fully showing her twisted and yellowed teeth in joy. She backed away, reaching out to the entrance of the tent, never moving her eyes from the girl as she gestured with her head for her to follow. A weeping Kattica trailed her. As the elder stepped out of the tent and rose to her full height she was joined by the grey owl, swooping in and circling her head. The large bird alit on Bregus' arm as Kattica stepped to her side. "Let us begin. The moon awaits," she said as she marched forth into the darkness of the woods, grabbing her kosh leaning against a tree stump as they passed.

A momentary thought to run was dashed away from Kattica's mind as the wolf hound that had threatened her suddenly reappeared. It heeled at her side, growling in warning when the girl did not move to follow. Kattica knew the dog's role was to keep her from flight. And had she somehow escaped that, the bird would attack from above. Bregus had thought this out too well. Kattica could not run. There was little choice. And so she followed, submissive, but not wholly willing. Bregus would get her way, and if only begrudgingly, Kattica would help her.

Bregus marched forward, her eyes no longer watching the girl. As they exited the camp and she plodded along through the dark paths of the wood, Kattica felt the bounce of the stone about her neck, thumping lightly with each footstep to pound against her chest, like a small drumbeat or pulse. It gave her some comfort, small though that was. Seeing she was unobserved, Kattica lifted her fingers to the amulet warmed by the skin of her chest and hidden beneath her clothing. Tears streaked her cheeks as she silently prayed to her grandmothers spirit in the World of the Dead. She knew her grandmother was neither great nor powerful as a shuv'ni in her waking life, but she had been told all things were enhanced in the great Other Lands. With quiet hope, she looked there for her keeping since none now could help her in this world. Dear Puromämus, I fear for the outcome of this. Watch over my soul and keep it safe for me. I beseech you to do what you can to help me find a way back to freedom.

****

Legolas took watch over the sleeping figures about him as his own personal rest evaded him. A mixture of the murmured sounds of his friends was intriguing as it mingled with the echoes of splashing water from the next room, but it saddened as well that he could not join them in the peace of their dreams. He was tense in this place. Long had it been since he had traveled the dark corridors of Moria, and yet elven memory was a powerful thing, and to Legolas, had he allowed his thoughts to wander there, this place could have easily come to resemble it for the feelings of earth pressing in on him. He shook the concept away, choosing instead to focus on the differences. For one thing, he was not trapped. There was plenty of fresh air and light that breathed into these caves. For another, death was not prevalent here. For that matter, never had it been. If anything, Henneth-Annûn had been a sanctuary of sorts from death. And yet he could not find comfort. There were too many thoughts that loomed in upon him here. Quietly he rose, choosing to find the solace his body longed for elsewhere.

Not only did the walls feel like they were squeezing in on him, but so too were the sounds mingling in his mind. The music of the cascade was not enough to appease him. He knew mortal ears could not hear it, but his highly tuned sense of sound picked up the distinct differences in the characters about him in repose. They each had their own space, walls built from curtains to give each person or couple their own modest privacy, but it was not enough to keep Legolas' ears from invading, whether he wanted them to or not, especially in his restless tossing and turning. At least listening to them kept him amused, even if it did not relax him. As he passed them, the sounds became ever more clear, and he smiled in spite of himself for the clear vision each produced. In the next cubicle was Gimli, muttering and sputtering between the booms of raspy snores, easily loud enough to compete with the falls in the outer room. Across the way lay Estel and Arwen, both noiseless sleepers, except for the faint whisper of breath that escaped them, their breath sounds matching one another and conjoining their patterns, just as he knew their bodies lay intertwined with each other. And further on were Faramir and Eowyn. Faramir slept hard, barely stirring and snoring on and off through the night, while Eowyn barely slept at all. Hence their dreams were a constant tumult of activity, mostly from Eowyn's side of the cot. She seemed to spend much time moving about, though Legolas could tell she was sleeping from the steadiness of her breathing. Silently laughing, he thought it made them both unusual and typical as a couple.

Silently he walked to the black curtain that divided their living quarters from the outer hall. For security, at night they kept the curtain drawn, using it to hide the light of their inner cave from reflecting out upon the window of water and this darkness was part of what was bothersome to the Elf. In the daylight hours it was safe to open the flap and allow the air through, but at night, their place could be seen were they to open it any time when an inner light prevailed. But there was no light now, and Legolas had no qualms about stepping out of this space.

He felt a greater sense of peace as he stepped out into the antechamber, though noise was ever greater here. Still, he could feel the air circulate, and his mind and body took a step toward relaxation.

The moon lit up the room, its light pouring through the curtained window of water, and Legolas realized for the first time on this trip how well it aligned with that translucent opening. In a mere few hours he calculated it would be centered in the frame of that arch. Even now, the beauty of that light gloriously bounced about him. He had to smile and he longed to see the moon fully. He decided to ascend upward to serenade the skies directly.

****

It was subtle, this sound the trees made, subtle and keen only to one who might be listening for it. But it was a warning cry all the same, echoing between them, repeating on for endless miles wherever the wind would take it. The rumor passed on like the rings of a droplet falling on the water. A foreigner travels our forest, the trees called out to anyone astute enough to hear. An owl. A dark bird. Trouble surely follows.

****

Ithil had risen from his travels beneath the horizon and cast his silvery glow across the landscape. The moon was very bright and immense in its fullness taking its position in the starry heavens, keeping company with Menelvagor, Edegil and Remmirath.* Earendil twinkled low on the horizon, off to the west, having risen and fallen early on this night, but despite his waning position, he sparkled brightly in farewell to the fair orb. In fact, all the stars seemed to marvel at the beauty of the heavenly globe as he took his place of dominance above them.

Stepping out of the tunnel and onto the stone platform that rose over the cascading edge of the falls, Aragorn caught his breath as he gazed up at the moon's glowing countenance, remembering so many nights in the wild when the skies had been his only companion. No longer alone, but feeling slightly lost, it felt good to step out and recount those dark days and the solace found in a night sky. He had been in pursuit of Legolas, waking when he heard the curtain part and he knew then that the Elf stepped away from their sleeping place. He had been worried about the effect that the caves might have of the Lord of the Ithilien Elves. There was little love in Legolas' heart for submerged spaces. Aragorn's only surprise was that it had taken this long for Legolas to attempt to depart the caves. His quest was not long. He could have predicted where he would find his friend. He watched Legolas as he approached. The Elf had not taken his eyes from the stars even though Aragorn was certain he had been heard coming. Yet the stars held great power for the Eldar, and Aragorn waited, wondering if there would be any conversation between them as long as the celestial bodies sparkled above.

"You need not have followed me, Estel," the Elf finally said, breaking the silence that fell between them.

"Was I following you? I merely thought I was taking counsel with the stars," the former Ranger replied.

Legolas took his eyes away from the sky long enough to cast a glance at his friend, then turned them back upward with a smile working around the corners of his lips. He answered, "I thought you were sleeping too soundly for that. Your bride will miss you. And while you may appreciate the beauty of the night, I do not think they hold the same meaning for you as they do for me."

The King sighed, a warm smile lighting up his face. "Mayhap this is true, but I know well the comfort you find in them. I thought I might share it, especially when they are lost to you in the caves below. I came to offer words of calm if it would aid you."

"I do not need you to hold my hand."

"I offer no such thing," Aragorn said, wincing at the defensive tone of the Elf. There was much they had need to discuss. A touchy nature would not give them a good start.

As if Legolas understood this, he continued, "I know you mean well. And while I have never really recovered the dread I felt in Moria, Henneth-Annûn is not that grim place. I can survive my stay here with the companionship of my friends. Someday I am sure I will recover from that experience, though perhaps not in your lifetime," the Elf said, freeing his eyes at last and gazing fully at the King.

"Gimli will be disappointed to hear that," Aragorn joked.

"I suspect Gimli has too much invested on my behalf. He has many theories on what is need for my well-being," Legolas laughed lightly.

"And what theories might you have, Legolas?" the King asked, growing serious. It was a poignant question, one with many different answers, and he hoped Legolas might take it with a sober mood and give truthful answer whichever way he chose to interpret it.

Legolas pondered Aragorn's face long. He paused as if weighing his words, glancing down to compose what he meant to say. At last he looked up, and his gaze was penetrating and firm. "It was not sea-longing, Estel," he said, cutting to the chase and stunning the King with his frankness and certainty. This was indeed a topic that begged their converse, and one that Aragorn presumed they would talk on, but the Elf minced no words in getting to it. He could see Legolas was searching for a response from the King's face.

Aragorn swallowed hard as he considered what to say. Another long pause followed, and then came the short answer from the King. "I know," he whispered.

Legolas sighed, a look of both relief and surprise dancing over his face. "You pretended to believe it true," the Elf commented.

Aragorn nodded, rue pulling at his heart. He too sighed before answering. "At first I did believe it true. But as I observed you later this day, I saw none of the telltale signs an attack of sea-longing would have on you. I knew then something else caused your illness. But I did not want to speculate without consulting you privately first. And such opportunities for privacy have been rare on this trip."

"Yet you kept up the ruse," Legolas pointed out.

"As did you, my friend. Or at least you did not deny it. I know my reasons for keeping your illness blamed on cuivëar**. What were yours?" the Ranger said.

"I would hear your reasons first," the Elf coyly evaded.

Aragorn smiled. The verbal volleys and parries of his friend could be amusing and challenging. It had long been a part of their friendship, and he accepted it. He owed Legolas an explanation, that much was certain. "I kept up the pretense only to keep the others from panic. Out of fear for you alone, Gimli is already willing to charge in on the Romany tribe and behead any who would come in his way, without benefit of comprehension of any real crime. Too much of that has already played in their history. Needlessly."

"Do you think there was a crime?" Legolas asked, reaching to rub a spot at the back of his head.

"Do you?" Aragorn asked, returning question for question as the elf had and noticing with curiosity the oddity of the Elf fingering his hair.

"A lock of hair has been stolen from me," Legolas announced.

Aragorn immediately frowned. Warning impulses echoed through his mind as he recalled early teachings in Elrond's house. Elixirs and potions could be conjured up from hair. It was a powerful conductor for magic, and while Aragorn had not really considered the Romany witches to have skill enough to do much more than contrive some simple herbal therapies, new fear leaped through him with the knowledge that something so intimate had been taken from his friend. "You are sure?" he asked, and when Legolas nodded, his brows pressed in deeper concern. "At first, I did not consider that what occurred today could be anything but natural in occurrence, though now that I consider it was concocted by some means, I willingly admit that I am baffled by whatever motivations they might have had. Yet you were not harmed, or so it seems, and neither were we. I was willing to let it pass and that is why I did not speak of it. Yet now, I sense a looming danger. I do not like this news, Legolas."

"And what would you propose we do?"

"Postpone all. Leave immediately at daybreak. Seek out my soldiers and have them ride the Romany out of these lands," Aragorn answered with an authoritative voice, yet he shook his head as if disagreeing with his own words.

"And would you consider yourself justified in doing so, Estel?" Legolas asked, his face growing taut. Then shaking his head and looking away to the roiling river, he said, "Nay, this is wrong. As wrong as Gimli charging in without knowledge of why he feels just. Fear guides you without clear evidence to justify your motives. It would be another instance where groundless emotions were heaped onto the Romany people. I would prevent it from happening, if I could."

"What makes you so sympathetic to them when it was you they held and you from whom they stole?" Aragorn asked.

"Perhaps it is that I understand their withdrawal from life anywhere but within the wild. While I was treated more as object than person to them today, I can say that it is not a new experience to me. Every time I travel into your city, I must endure the stares of Men. It is not a comfortable position to be in."

"Truly I am sorry, Legolas. I did not realize that problem persisted still." Aragorn said, feeling shame on behalf of his people.

Legolas brushed it away, "Nay, Aragorn, it is second nature to stare at an oddity for all of us. We did same ourselves today."

"How is that?" the King asked, cocking his head in query.

"When we entered the Romany camp, we too stared hard at them," Legolas said, his eyes penetrating the soul of the King and unleashing a hidden guilt Aragorn had not been aware was there.. "They were as foreign to our perceptions as I was we were to theirs. Do you not think they experience the same from others? I am certain they could feel our eyes on them just much as I could feel theirs on me. Can you not understand why they shun conventional life in city or village for one of a freer expanse roaming the lands? I find what they do far more in keeping with the life I lead than the one you do. That is why I sympathize with their plight, and why I think it would be wrong to act out in fear without justifiable cause. The Elves long endured the apprehensions of Men in this last age just as a wariness for the Secondborn became innate to my kind. I do not choose that, Estel. Doro Lanthiron is not founded on that perception. I will tolerate it no more. Without solid evidence to say more, I find the Romany have done no real wrong that I can perceive. They are a misunderstood people, and I cannot fault them that."

Aragorn mused on how his friend's wisdom had grown as a result of his leadership role in this land. The Elf was more willing to be lenient and see all sides of a conflict than he had been in their earlier days. And he was right. While Aragorn was willing to act blindly Legolas was willing to act with kindness. Yet it was difficult to quell his apprehensions. Aloud he wondered, "Do you sense any danger from them?"

"I do not know I would call it danger. I sense something, but more akin to desire and jealousy, though I cannot pinpoint its source. From the group as a whole, I felt only great curiosity, benevolence, and fear as well. All I think are understandable."

"Aye. And I felt the same," Aragorn agreed. "Yet I do not feel safe going near them again. We are safe here at Henneth-Annûn so long as we remain within as they know not where we camp. We took a risk tonight being out in the open. I think we should postpone the hunt tomorrow."

"Why? We each are headed in directions nowhere near their camp," Legolas asked.

"For your sake, as well as ours, I would take precautions," the King answered. "We do not know for what reasons the hair was taken."

Legolas frowned. "And what? Do we remain in hiding in our cave because of a nameless fear? Nay, Aragorn. I intend still to hunt in the morrow whether you do or not."

Aragorn sighed. Again the Man had overreacted. "Very well," he at last said, "But when my men report to me in a few days, I intend to send them up to that camp and kindly prod the Romany to move on."

Legolas looked torn over this, but at last acquiesced. "So long as it is without violence and it is done gently, without malice. As you have pointed out, they have done no real harm and they show great respect for this land. I would let them stay if I could."

"As would I if I did not have others to consider. I do this to protect you and your people. I know not of their intent."

"And I concede it to protect you, as I too do not know of their intent," Legolas laughed.

"A mutual agreement then," Aragorn said, clapping a hand to his friend's shoulder. "Come my friend, you look weary despite your rest today. Let us try sleep again."

The Elf caught the King's eye, then swept his eyes away, returning them to the sky. "I will sleep tonight, Estel, but not within the cave."

"After all we just said? Is that wise? Where then?" Aragorn asked in surprise.

Legolas nodded to a cluster of pines whose boughs curved over the soaring river before them. "After all we just said, aye, I do find that wise. I may keep watch over our camp and I shall be more comfortable there," he said, taking a step forward.

Aragorn smiled. Then he said something that changed the direction of their conversation entirely and the abruptness of it made Legolas laugh. "Give yourself a chance to overcome your dread of the cave, my friend. You may yet recover if Gimli keeps pressing on you to do so," the handsome King said with a smile.

Legolas smiled wryly as he mused on that thought. Then he turned and cocked his head, and gave a reply with a soft voice that nearly sang on the breeze. "And does pressing for your desire really work with an Elf?" Aragorn looked puzzled as Legolas went on, "Think you on that, Estel. Has it really fulfilled your desires on what you might want of Arwen?"

Aragorn stiffened. It was most definitely not the answer he expected and it brought back hard truths in his relationship with his wife that he had shared with no one. How does he know? But he caught himself in mid-thought as the Elf continued, "Perhaps you wish too much from her. Be patient and you will eventually get what you want when she is able to give it."

The Man blinked and Legolas placidly smiled. The comment was an unfair blow to his ego and Aragorn swiftly grew angry. But then just as rapidly, he changed his stance, realizing his trust had not been betrayed. Aragorn knew well the things an Elf could perceive were vastly different from those of Men. Arwen had revealed nothing of the couple's intimacies to Legolas Aragorn was sure, and with utmost certainty he discerned the Elven Prince was only acting on intuition. After all, despite his chagrin at being seen in the city, Legolas was an Elf who made company among Men. The Elf could not help but hear the murmurs of the people in Elessar's court if Aragorn knew what they wanted why would not Legolas. The Elf was too astute to not detect this most intimate of secrets and Aragorn felt certain he could understand the pressure placed on both the King and the Queen. Legolas was only doing his part to be a friend to them both. Aragorn shook his head. "Legolas" he started to say, but Legolas suddenly raised his head, his attention drawn away.

"What is it?" the Ranger asked, watching the Elf's eyes pierce the darkness of the forest.

The Elf Prince shook his head. "It is nothing. The trees were merely calling out, warning of an owl flying beneath them. They did not recognize the creature as one of their own and thought it to be a menace. But it is nothing. Something common in the wood. The wood still heals. There is worry of anything new." Then turning to face the King, he smiled. He looked tired. He said, "If you have nothing else for me, I will say good night."

Aragorn shook his head, deciding against pressing the Elf further on his knowledge of his and Arwen's personal affairs or anything else that might have presented itself in given time. He smiled and bowed his head, "Good night then, Legolas. Rest well, my friend. And stay away from that camp tomorrow."

"I promise you nothing of our make could pull us there. We will give it plenty of girth, as should you."

"So it shall be," the King nodded and Legolas backed away into the calm of the night air. In an instant, he disappeared into the brush near the trees as Aragorn tried to follow with his eyes. Then he shook his head as he stepped back to the cave entrance muttering, "Elven wisdom!" In the branches above he heard the musical laugh of his friend. It was enough to ply a grin to Aragorn's face as he descended the stairs, making his way back to the arms of his wife.

****

She could not help herself for the pure ecstasy she felt.

It was black magic, and yet it felt so very right. Kattica was sure she had never felt anything like this before. It soared through her body, setting every nerve afire, gooseflesh rising on her arms. Forgetting the fact that it was the dead of night and that the setting moon was all they had to guide their way, the girl could not recall being more aware, more awake, more vital, more alive. Each time they stopped, she grew excited, knowing that she would feel that incredible rush coursing through her veins again. She hated herself for liking this sensation so much. Yet it was always the same in the thrill it gave her. Bregus would hand her the kosh, and then step back to walk the path of a circle around where the girl stood. Kattica knew she was the pinnacle of that magic, the core of the circle, and each time she felt herself come alive with its ecstatic power. The sensation was unbelievable, riding over her mind in some orgasmic surge. And each time it rent her in such a way that Bregus would have to shake her awake, reviving her again to reality.

She saw the old witch's lips twist into a wicked smile as the girl's slow corruption was witnessed. Kattica did not care. This night could go on forever as far as she was concerned, so addictive did she find the taste of the darkness.

She knew this was not her, that this was not the person she had always been, had always trusted herself to be. But she also knew she had little choice. If she did not cooperate, her family was lost, and that was a fear greater than any she had of the dark. She allowed it to happen. She became complacent, malleable to the whim of the evil, and she was amazed at how freely it came to her. She enjoyed it. No. Even worse. She yearned for it.

At first, she had not known what to expect, frightened and quivering as Bregus showed her the rhythm to tap with the kosh while the elder completed the circle, calling out to the spirits of the earth. Like a subtle thunder, Kattica could feel the ground tremble beneath her feet, as if it were answering Bregus' call. She swayed as the gentle beat was thrummed out, uncertain where the source of the motion lay, within her or without. And after several minutes of calling those spirits into play, when Bregus was certain her incantation had taken hold, she gave the signal to Kattica to set the magic in place. With a mighty thrust, kattica followed her instructions, lifting and thrusting the base of the stick into the ground. The kosh gave way, instantly piercing the earth as if the girl had skewered the skin of a fruit. It was like there was no ground beneath her, except that she stood firmly in place. But that was not all. It was the feeling that came over her as the earth gave beneath her that was her undoing. The power of that motion was laden with a strength that nearly knocked the girl over. That simple move launched her into her descent, and Kattica knew a part of her was gone. She had been unprepared for the feeling, but even knowing might not have helped her. It washed over her in an electric wave, starting at her toes and rising in rapid fire to her calves, thighs, groin, chest, arms, neck and finally her head, pulling a numb warmth through her. The feeling was marvelously joyous, exciting and intoxicating all at once. The impact sent her spine in arc, her head rearing up to catch the awesome light of the stars. In her mind, it all came together, the beauty of the feeling riding over her conjoined with the darkness of the night sky, and in that, the endless bursts of light that shimmered in the heavens. All of it was a point of union for her, a place where her mind merged with the magical spell, and she could feel it was she that moved the earth beneath her feet. It was she who molded the degree and depth of the trap. A guttural moan rose to her lips as she felt the flush wrap over her skin in the spasm of waves on her soul. And then she dropped her head, spent by the physical side of the spell while her mind reeled in the multiple messages being sent to her as she attempted to embrace it. She did embrace it. Never, never had she known how great her power could be, and knowing now, she longed to find it again and again, to live within it.

Pulled away from the spot, Kattica found herself following Bregus over the fields and through the woods, stopping repeatedly as their route took an arc a few miles wide. They stopped in clearings or wide paths to perform the magic, only tens of feet to hundred of feet away from where they had done it before. It mattered not how frequent, for Kattica watched with rapt attention to the elder, waiting with fervent impatience for the signal that they perform the spell again. Like an emerging addict, she longed for an opportunity to repeat the cycle, hoping for that euphoric sensation that would send her to the heavens all over again. But unlike an addict, the feeling did not wane with each ministration. If anything, it grew stronger, and by evenings end, Kattica was so much enmeshed with the powers, she could barely remembered what she had been like without them. Vaguely she wondered if she could ever go back to what she had been, had she even wanted it.

Jealously she held onto the feeling, watching with an unabated hunger, hoping that Bregus would not want to alter the cycle, making Kattica switch places so the elder could take her turn and have her chance at the dark's delicious enticement. But it didn't happen, and though gleeful for her good fortune, the girl wondered about that. It was later that she discerned that all of this was a part of her own training. Bregus was teaching Kattica the allure of dark magic, snaring her in her own web.

Now Kattica understood the reasoning that had pulled Bregus over. Now she could comprehend how the elder could willfully maneuver others to bend to her whims. There was a beauty in it the girl had not seen before. And along with it came a tantalizing longing that reached her heart. It rocked her, the immensity of it. She did not know how she had survived without it.

As the sky began to lighten in the horizon before them, the owl alit on the branches and made her last call. Bregus turned up, listening to its words as it spoke only to her and muttered, "We must cease. Dawn is coming and we are needed back at our camp."

Kattica felt saddened that there was no more they could do. "Will it be enough?" she asked.

Bregus smiled, pleased with how far her apprentice had come in one night. "It will have to be. There is no more time left here. Let us hope that we have set enough traps to capture and hold those we want. Or in this case, those we do not want."

The girl swayed and the old woman grabbed her under her arm to keep her upright. "Perhaps I allowed you too much playtime. You may feel aftereffects for some time. Have no worry. You will acclimate to it."

Kattica's head spun, as if she were drunk. Her focus was hazy, and she did not notice the elder had swung her arm over her shoulder and was helping her place her steps before her. Through her intoxicated haze Kattica's thoughts went back to their task. There was so much she wanted to know. "How will we know if what we did worked?"

Bregus laughed. "We are hardly done with everything that must be done today. You are weary now, but that will not last. Soon you will be eager to start anew, and then you will see just how far the dark powers can bend the wills of Men."

And though she was weary, Kattica felt a new surge of joy. There was more they would do, more power to experience! She felt a sudden surge of enthusiasm and eagerness to follow Bregus. There was more! She could taste it. She wanted it! Her steps came quicker as new feeling came to her for the old woman. Amazed at herself, she realized she felt a sort of gratitude toward Bregus for showing her this path. A small smile crept up on her face, and she let her fatigue wash over her as her head lolled into the elder's shoulder. Strangely, she felt happy.

Then suddenly she panicked as guilt rode back into her mind. Kattica felt the kicking of the child in her womb and it instantly brought her back to herself. Stirred and alive, she could feel the flailing of the body within hers, pushing her, as if trying to awaken her, as if trying to remind her of where her true self lay. How long the baby had been moving about like this she was uncertain, but dully she realized that it could have been occurring all night. Only now with the breaking of day did she notice. And she did not like to think that her child was reviled by the experience she had just had. With a moment's thought, she realized she felt guilt for it all. But she could not break it. Not knowing what she now knew.

And yet there was the baby to consider, and Kattica's heart lurched. What if this night of enchantment had harmed the baby? She stopped dead in her tracks as she felt terror over what she may have wrought. As if waking in alarm from a nightmare she cried, "NO!"

"What is it?" Bregus asked, only vaguely interested in what frightened the girl.

"Has it hurt her? Have I harmed her?" Kattica asked with panic-stricken eyes.

"Who? Your child?" Bregus asked with scorn, and then she laughed. Scoffing the elder said, "No, she is not harmed. What has happened did not effect anything of her, only you. And for that it was your heart and your mind that have been altered. The child is safe. It did not touch her." Then muttered words spilled from Bregus' mouth and Kattica realized she it was a revitalizing spell the shuv'ni spoke. Almost instantly the girl found her energy returned and she realized she could walk on her own without aid. The old woman released her, and Kattica took her place following.

Kattica audibly sighed her relief, allowing herself now to be led back to their camp without hesitancy. Then feeling more coherent and realizing that she had more questions she would have answered she said, "How do you know they will come this way?"

Bregus did not stop, and Kattica had to twist her head to bring her ears to hear the voice ahead of her. "I do not know for certain. It is a guess. A nag of something in Mattias and Szandor's minds. But I think if we work together, we can drive them in this direction. And then we will trap the others"

"The others?" Kattica asked.

"The ones who will help me to live again. I will explain more to you later when I need you," Bregus answered mysteriously as if that effectively supplied the end to the girl's question. "You will help me. That is all you need to know. Now stop asking me questions and let your mind enjoy all that you have accomplished in your apprenticeship this night."

Kattica's brow furrowed. "Am I doing the right thing, do you think?" the girl asked openly, forgetting herself for the moment and to whom she spoke. She fingered the pendant at her neck as she thought about the baby within her.

"Of course, girl! Besides, you have not forgotten your choices have you?"

Kattica frowned as her lucid state began to wane. Of course she had not forgotten. There was no choice. That vexed her. She would have liked for this decision to have been her own. But then again she knew were she not coerced, she would not have taken this path. This very enchanting path. Her hand on the pendant dropped to her side. Dully she asked, a fleeting question that pressed on her thoughts, "What will the others say or think when they see I am no longer mokadi?"

"Say? Think? They say or think nothing without my control. They will say nothing and no longer recall such a thing occurred. My reach goes very far," Bregus said with a sneering voice and a laugh.

But Kattica was only half-listening now, though she grunted in response. The truth was her mind had begun to drift back. She was experiencing it all again, an aftereffect she mused. However her steps were not slogged as the counterspell of Bregus' carried her forward. Vacantly she walked as a smile waxed over her face. Within her she held back feeling excitement for what was to come, for that moment was far off in the future and this memory of her recent past was very vividly laced with an excitement all its own.

* My resource for astrological bodies in the night sky of Tolkien's world came from http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/md_astro.html.

**cuivëar is a term I made up and used in my last two stories, "Cry of the Gull" and "Torn Between Two Worlds". It literally means "awakening of the sea" and it was the closest I could come to describing Sea-Longing as an affliction to the Elves.