"You boys wouldn't last an hour in Erebor's ale halls," laughed Astra. Both Aldamir and Timothy held their head in their hands.

They were enjoying a late but very nice breakfast prepared by Aldamir's mother when a loud knock at the door brought groans from the two men. Aldamir's mother went to see who it was. A Guard of the Citadel asked if Aldamir could be found within. With some effort the two adventurers made it to the door.

"Aldamir son of Toldor is summoned to the Citadel to appear before the King as soon as his schedule permits," reported the man. He of course meant the King's schedule, not Aldamir's. As soon as Aldamir nodded the guardsman sped off to his next task.

"I can't appear before the King like this!" exclaimed Aldamir.

Timothy took the opposite and more accurate view. "You certainly can't refuse the summons!"

"I know, I know," mumbled Aldamir.

Astra and Timothy joined Aldamir for the relatively short walk from his home on the fifth level to the gate of the seventh. The two uninvited guests were refused entry, but seemingly by chance Elerína passed by and invited then to join her for lunch. Aldamir went to the palace while Elerína, Astra, and Timothy went back down the road to find somewhere to eat.

Aldamir waited more than an hour to see the King. It was shortly after noon when he was ushered into the throne room. The King was tired from a morning of war councils and got straight to the point.

"If I recall correctly you want to see Isengard?" asked the King.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" said Aldamir, quickly wincing at the volume of his own voice.

"I have lost three separate errand riders dispatched for that tower," continued the King. "I can either send enough troops to overcome whatever is stopping them, or I can send my message by more ... covert channels. The first option is neither sustainable nor acceptable given the current military situation. You and your friends are to travel to Isengard under other pretense and deliver written instructions to the captain of the tower."

"Yes Sir!" smiled Aldamir.

"Deliver the message first, look for Ents second!" ordered the King with a laugh.

Aldamir nodded. "As you command, Your Majesty."

Aldamir stood to leave.

"You look terrible," observed the King. "Long night?"

Aldamir blushed and knelt again. "My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty!"

"Is it a good tale?" asked the King in a more friendly tone.

"I learned not to try to match dwarven drinks with a woman raised in the Lonely Mountain's shadow," Aldamir replied.

The King laughed, remembering his many nights spent in the taverns of the North when he went by less flattering titles.

"Dismissed, Aldamir," he said. "Do not tell anyone, including your friends, of your assignment. You will be summoned again to receive the contents you must deliver to the tower."

After Aldamir's acceptance of the mission Aragorn discreetly arranged for Caranel to be recalled from Cair Andros. She was not amused. When she returned she found all her friends enjoying dinner at their favorite tavern on the first level, The Drawn Sword. Eddil was surprised but overjoyed to see her.

"You're back! You're not injured, are you dear?"

Caranel was in a foul mood. "Don't 'welcome home dear' me!" You did this somehow, didn't you?"

Eddil was completely put out. "Did what? What's wrong?"

"Out of all the rangers in the garrison, I get sent home! How did you do it?"

Eddil had no answer. He had done nothing.

"Calm down, Caranel," interrupted Aldamir.

"Don't you tell me to calm down," she glared.

Aldamir walked up to her and spoke as softly as he could. "We have another mission."

"Really?"

"Yes really," hissed Timothy, unhappy at her treatment of Eddil.

Caranel looked down. "Oh... sorry Eddil."

Now no one was in a mood for revelry, so they all retired to their lodgings. The next morning they met at Aldamir's house for breakfast, mostly on account of it being free. While they ate they received a visitor, and this time it was no common errand boy.

Four royal guards with sea-blue cloaks trimmed in gold stood at the door. Between them was Princess Amdirien in dress befitting her station.

"Is your son here, ma'am?" she asked kindly.

Aldamir's mother knelt and nodded. At a wave of the Princess's hand two of her guards took places on either side of the door while the other pair led her in. Before Aldamir and his friends could stand or kneel she spoke.

"You may sit. I believe Aldamir knows why I am here?"

"I believe so, Your Majesty," he nodded.

She took a small leather bound book with no marking on the exterior from one of her guards and handed it to him. "This must be delivered to Orthanc without delay. Do not open it. We have lost a number of couriers to the tower in the last few months. Hopefully you have more success. If you cannot reach the tower, this book must be destroyed. In my father's words, 'make sure they understand that book is worth more than their lives.'"

"We understand, Your Majesty," said Aldamir with a smile, seeing the Princess was uncomfortable with the last bit.

"Good luck!" added Amdirien. "Oh and Timothy, please come back with us to the Citadel; Elerína wants to see you."

Timothy was very uncomfortable travelling with the Princess and her guard. He felt as though everyone they passed was looking at him. When they reached the Citadel Amdirien dismissed her guard and led young Timothy down the paved crest of the long promontory of rock around which the city was built. Elerína stood at its tip, as she was wont to do, observing the movings of the world.

"Don't interrupt her," whispered Amdirien in warning. "She can be very cross if you do."

"Indeed," laughed the maia, hearing her from many yards away. She stepped back from the cliff and rubbed her eyes.

"Kneel," she commanded. Timothy knelt before her and she offered him a gift. "I promised you a new stone."

As he took it from her he marvelled at the craftsmanship. It was hexagon of translucent blue crystal. A web of Mithril covered it save for the front of the largest face, where Ilmarë's symbol, an elegant 'I' surrounded by fourteen stars, appeared in glittering gold. At the top of the stone was a small ring attached to the mithril along the tip such that a chain could be fastened to it.

Elerína took his hands and closed them over the sigil. After some words in her own tongue she spoke to him in the language of men. "Bring hope to the hopeless."

"Yes, Your Grace," he replied.

"And please come back safely," she added.

"I will try!" said Timothy with a smile.

Elerína and Amdirien walked to the palace while Timothy set off for the gate out of the Citadel level. As he passed through it Thorongil stepped out of the shadows.

"Hi!" exclaimed Timothy with a jump.

Thorongil tossed Timothy a sword in its sheath. "You might need this."

"I'm not a soldier," replied Timothy, drawing the weapon enough to examine it. He tried to hide his disappointment at finding it an average Gondorian blade.

"Not yet," answered Thorongil. Timothy was unsure if this was foresight - he certainly hoped not.

Elsewhere in the city Aldamir and Astra were arguing.

"I don't need a sword!" objected Astra.

"You were nearly killed by an orc," said Aldamir sternly, "you need to learn to defend yourself!"

Astra scowled but took the blade. It was incredibly light, a short sword of Numenorean craft worth ten times Timothy's new weapon. Astra was loath to do anything she did not already excel at; the thought of learning from Aldamir and Caranel was not appealing. Nevertheless she knew Aldamir was right, so she grudgingly agreed.

The next morning the six adventurers set off for Rohan. The travellers stayed at inns most nights, though they always kept a watch. The mysterious disappearances of the King's prior messengers weighed down their merriment. They stayed with Gram in Edoras for two nights.

While relaxing at the most popular tavern in the city Astra met an adventurer from Dale. He brought them ill news.

"How's home?" asked Astra cheerfully in her native tongue.

"More dangerous every day," replied the traveller in the common speech so Astra's companions could understand. "Goblins on wolves hunt within three days ride of the Mountain. No merchant dares the journey from the Mountain to the Elven Halls without a large escort. Even the elves are worried; they don't travel the Running nearly as often."

Astra was shocked. "I haven't been gone that long! What happened?"

"Nobody knows for certain, but I say it's because the goblins have a leader again!" replied the adventurer. "And he's clever! Their raids aren't deeds of passion anymore - they have plans. And that isn't the worst of it! He works with men, the treacherous and the cowardly. Plenty of villages to the north and west of Dale now have high 'taxes,' but the money certainly isn't going to Thorin or Dale or Lake-Town. It just vanishes, and those villages don't get touched. Now it doesn't take a wizard to figure out where it's going..."

"Well that is horrible news!" exclaimed Astra.

"Since when do goblins collect taxes!" ranted the adventurer. "They can barely read!"

"Probably last under The Witch-King of Angmar, but that was ages ago," Timothy chimed in.

"Point is, the goblins are organized!" said the traveller. "Don't travel north of the Old Forest Road between the mountains and the trees without great need."

Aldamir and company set off for Isengard the next morning. They slept beside the road and kept careful watch. On the fifth day of travel they approached the former Nan Curunír, the Wizard's Vale. Timothy noted that now it was just 'Nan,' with Curunír gone. No one else was in the mood for jokes.

Only a few hours from Orthanc the travellers came upon the site of a battle, or more accurately a slaughter. Eight men in leather armor lay dead, some killed by steel, others torn apart. More than one had bite marks on his corpse.

"What beast leaves bites like that?" asked Astra, who thought she could identify any predator by such marks. No one had an answer, but all five thought they looked disturbingly small - small and human.

They all drew their weapons and walked slowly towards the ruins of the ring of Isengard. Every minute felt like an hour, but they met no enemy upon the road. They reached the perimeter guard and showed him the book they carried. He let them pass.

They felt a bit safer once they entered the ruins of the ring of Isengard, filled with the most beautiful green trees they had ever seen. Surely, they thought, no evil could last long within the gardens of the Ents.

They reached the stairs of the Tower of Orthanc, the height of which awed the five travellers. Aldamir actually lived nearly as high above the plains of Pelennor as Orthanc towered above the bowl of Isengard, but it was far different to see the single black stone tower than the sloping Minas Anor. Upon a balcony overlooking the door stood an old man.

"Password!" he shouted.

None of the adventurers had a password. Aldamir held up the book they brought. The old man scurried away from the balcony and two minutes later the door to the tower opened. Beside the old man stood several guards in white cloaks.

The old man took the book from Aldamir and read the first page. "It's about time!" he grumbled, apparently convinced of its authenticity.

"Can we come in?" asked Caranel. "It has been a long journey."

The old man nodded and left the door open. He disappeared quickly up a staircase with the book. The tower guards were more welcoming, especially to Caranel once they learned she was a King's Ranger. They led the five adventurers into a room with many chairs, two of which were occupied.

Thorongil and a woman in a black cloak sat around a table with several books all opened to particular pages. At first they thought it was Elerína, but when she turned to face them they saw it was someone new. She wore tight fitting black and scarlet silk. Thorongil was dressed in the garb of a Gondorian messenger, and they rightly guessed he had been sent as bait for whoever had taken to attacking the King's riders.

"You made it!" Thorongil laughed. "I trust you didn't have any trouble."

"Not really," answered Aldamir. "Who is your friend?"

"One of my associates," replied Thorongil tersely. "She may give her name of she wishes."

"I'm Gwethien," said the woman cheerfully. Her voice was soft and soothing.

"Did you have anything to do with the bodies a few hours south of here?" asked Eddil.

"We did," replied Thorongil. "They attacked us and tried to steal the book we carried."

"I don't suppose you know anything about... bites on those bodies?" asked Timothy, who had a suspicion 'Gwethien' might be more than she appeared.

"Bite marks?" repeated Thorongil as if confused. "None that we saw. It must have been after they were killed."

Timothy thought Thorongil sounded honest, so the matter was dropped despite knowing that Gwethien meant 'Daughter of Shadow' and that Thorongil's associates would possibly be maiar. Thorongil had more talent for deception than anyone gave him credit for, on account of his tendency to hack, slash, and burn his way out of problems.

In reality Gwethien was of course Thuringwethil, who had returned with Prince Eldarion from the East. She was one of the greatest Vampires, maiar servants of Morgoth who had transcended the usual limitations of servants of evil - such as an inability heal physical injury or recover lost power quickly - by draining the children of Illuvatar of their life's blood in a most literal manner. She had gone with Thorongil to draw out whoever was attacking Aragorn's riders. They had succeeded with little effort - Thorongil stopping at the popular taverns along their route and telling anyone who asked that he was a messenger headed for Orthanc. Gwethien had shadowed him in the form of a small bat.

They had been attacked by eight experienced bandits along the road and easily killed all but their leader. Gwethien, to her great joy, killed four to Thorongil's three before Thorongil immobilized their leader with a knife thrown into his knee. The outlaw had hoped to buy his life with valuable information, but Thorongil saw no reason to barter for what he could take from the murderer by force. He left him to Gwethien, who first interrogated him in her most terrifying, monstrous form, and then killed him with a bite to his throat. After enjoying a long drink she returned to the form of an ordinary woman and the two maiar proceeded to Orthanc, about a day ahead of Aldamir and his friends. Thorongil was not one to leave loose ends, and the bandit had seen Thuringwethil use her powers in combat.

The five adventurers spent the night in Orthanc along with Thorongil and Gwethien. The next day, while the two maiar poured through Saruman's notes on the orcs of the mountains for any sign of Ingacarca, Aldamir and his friends set out to try to find a tree-herder.