Alatar came back the next morning. He didn't come in the house but I could see him talking to Pallando from my window.
Pallando immediately sent him away but he returned again that night.

Once again Pallando didn't allow him in the house. He sent him away again but he didn't tell me what they had said to each other.

Alatar continued to do this everyday. He would arrive in the morning, disappear for the whole day, and then come again at night.

He seemed to be going some place every time he came in the morning. He would head east towards the mountains and then pass by again on his way home.

That's what I assumed that he was doing but I could not be sure. All I knew was that whatever Alatar was trying to accomplish could not be good.

Everything Pallando had told me about him was constantly in my thoughts. The fact that he kidnapped elves and tortured them was enough for me to keep my distance.

Yet at the same time, I wanted to know what he was doing. Where did he go everyday? Why did he have to pass by Pallando's house to get there? What was he doing or trying to do?

As these questions as well as many others flood my mind I decide to go outside and clear my head. I heed Pallando's warning and I don't stray far from the house.

But as I'm walking near the woods I see him. Alatar is walking towards the mountains just as he always does. Yet it was far past morning, it was nearly noon, Alatar should have been at the mountains by now.

This only strengthened the curiosity burning in my mind. I was about to follow him when Pallando's words came back to me.

Stay away from Alatar.

I hesitate and watch as Alatar disapears from sight. I should go back to the house now and tell Pallando that I saw him, but somethings stops me.

I want to know what Alatar is doing. In fact I need to know what he is doing. I walk forward. It's almost as if I'm not in control of my body.

All I can do is follow Alatar through the woods and towards the mountains. But if I had stopped and turned around then, I would have saved myself from all the trouble that followed.

////

I follow Alatar far from Pallando's house. The mountains loom closer and closer as we continue on over the rough terrain.

In the distance I can see a large ravine. Water roars at the bottom and if you were to fall of the edge you would die.

Alatar keeps walking along the edge of the ravine and I follow at a distance. He can't see me but I can see him.

I watch as he approaches long stone bridge that connects the two sides of the ravine. The bridge seems unstable and I can see pieces of it crumbling off and plummeting down to the water below.

Alatar takes no notice of the poor conditions of the bridge and crosses without hesitation. I wait until he's across to follow. I carefully place one foot down on the bridge to test it.

It seems stable enough. I cross as quickly as I can and breathe a sigh of relief when I'm safely on the other side. Although I doubt that I'll be safe for long.

By now I have lost sight of Alatar and I begin to search the area for a place where he might have gone. I can barely see ten feet in front of me because of the fog. I stumble blindly forward as I search for a building, a cave, or anything of significance.

My hands come into contact with something hard, the mountain. I walk alongside it with my hand brushing against it. I hope that I'll find something in this forsaken place.

I hadn't realized that I had been leaning on the mountain so when the rock suddenly gave way and I felt myself falling onto the ground.

I grunt as my body collides with the hard, stone floor. I look up at where I fell in and can see how the fog aids in hiding this cave. I stand up and dust myself off.

A large tunnel runs in front of me and I debate on whether I should enter it or not. I sigh as I move forward. I've come too far to go back now.

////

For awhile my world is nothing but darkness. I can't see my own hand in front of my face or the walls of the tunnel beside me. I would turn around and go back but I fear that if I do I'll get lost.

I keep moving forward when suddenly a dim light appears. Immediately I head towards it, desperate to be able to see again.

Once I reach the small torch I see that the tunnel splits into two ways. Now I have to decide which way to go.

I look to the right and then the left. The question is, do I want to find Alatar or what he's working on down here?

I'm about to head down the right tunnel when a noise drifts into my ears from the left tunnel. I turn towards the noise and listen closer, it's a voice.

I take a deep breath and go down the left tunnel. The voice grows louder the further I go. I soon realize that the voice belongs to Alatar, but it is not only his voice talking, there is another.

I reach the end of the tunnel and approach a large door. It's half opened and against my better judgment I pear inside.

The room is dark and I can barely see anything except for the dull glow of a torch on the wall, and Alatar.

His back is to me amd he seems to be focusing entirely on something else. He seems to be talking to himself at first in a strange tongue.

I quietly enter the room and crouch down behind a large stone table. I pear out from my hiding place and watch with wide eyes as something appears in front of Alatar.

I can't tell what it is but something has appeared on or in it. A black mass that has no definite shape and moves around like smoke.

A shiver creeps down my spine as the darkness suddenly speaks.
"Well? Have you completed your task yet?"
The voice demands. I have never heard a voice like that before, it makes my blood run cold.

"Actually, I have."
Alatar replies coolly.
"The one you seek is exactly where and who I said he was. Yet in your rashness and impatience you failed in getting rid of him sooner."

The darkness roars in anger and I shrink back behind the stone table. When I have the courage to look back again Alatar is calmly standing his ground.

"If you had listened to me before you would have been rid of him long before he became a threat."

"The one you speak of cannot possibly be the one!"
The voice shouts.
"He is young and weak, it must be the other one."

"Even after all I've done you still doubt me."
Alatar shakes his head in mock disapointment.
"Wasn't I the one who told you about "the lights" that would come to destroy you? Or the one who found the she elf who would bear the first one?"

I watch in amazement as the darkness fades and is replaced by a figure of a beautiful elleth. Her hair is the color of gold and her eyes are a bright blue. I wonder who she is and what Alatar and the darkness want with her.

"You failed to kill her before she could bear her first child."
Alatar said as the image changed to a different elf, this one was a tall, blond ellon who unlike the elleth, was moving.

He was walking through a forest with several other elves. I couldn't hear what he was saying but from the looks of things he was giving orders to what appeared to be soldiers.

"Are you certain that he is not the one?"
The darkness says as it begins to encircle the ellon.
"He is far stronger than the other and his people look to him for hope."

"Do not let his strength and skill in combat blind you."
Alatar says as the image of the elf fades.
"You and I both know that he is not the one. I thought that you had finally realized that a long time ago."

"I want to be sure that no mistakes are made.
The darkness snaps.
"If we take the wrong one then-"
"I can assure you that he is the right one."

Another image begins to appear this time of a far younger elf than the one I saw before. This one bears a close resemblence to the ellon I just saw. The only difference is that he appears younger, much younger.

He is walking barefoot under the trees. His eyes are bright and if I could hear him I would probably hear him singing. Strangely he reminds me of someone but I can't think of who.

Then it hits me, Anna. The young elf reminds me of Anna. In fact, he looks as though he is only a few years older than she is.

"This one is the one you seek."
Alatar says as the darkness surrounds the elf just as it had around the other one.
"He has been trained to fight but he is unexperienced in combat. He is also young and innocent, untouched by the shadow."

The image of the elf fades and the darkness is all that's left.
"If you still want to take him you must do it soon."
Alatar pauses for a moment and adds,
"Of course, you did fail to capture him when he was only a helpless elfling."

An image suddenly appears of the elleth I saw earlier running through a forest with a elfling in her arms. I watch in horror as she and her child become surrounded by orcs.

The child is ripped from her arms and carried away while the orcs kill her. Seeing the elfling's terrified face reminds me of Rilien and Anna, when I couldn't save them.

Watching the elleth die reminds me of Elwin's death. The orc carrying the child suddenly falls dead with an arrow sticking out of the back of its head. The ellon from before appears along with several other. They kill the rest of the orcs while the tall ellon gathers the elfing in his arms.

They must be brothers.
I figure.
The image fades and I can hear the darkness growling in anger.
"I am aware of what happened before and I will not make the same mistake again."

"Indeed you won't."
Alatar said calmly.
"Your mistake last time was that you didn't get him alone. If you are to successfully capture him you must get him when he is by himself."

"Can you drive him away from his people and into the forest?"
The darkness asked.
Alatar nodded.
"I will make sure that he arrives in the right place at the right time. Will your orcs be ready?"

"They will be."
"Then we have no more to discuss."
"Do not fail me Alatar. Or I swear that I will kill you myself."
"You have my word that he will be in the hands of your orcs in less than two days."
"Good. I will leave you to your work."

The darkness vanished leaving nothing in the room but me and Alatar. I think that I've seen and heard enough. I need to get back to Pallando and tell him what I discovered.

But as I creep out of my hiding place Alatar turns around, and his dark eyes lock onto mine.

I panic and race towards the door only to find that in its place only solid rock remains. I turn around and see Alatar coming towards me.

I'm trapped.