A Burg’s Tale: Chapter 19

I stared at the rubbing in my hands without comprehension of its meaning. “Dan… mm, Gammer,” I asked her as she looked over her shield with a frown, “this is runic, isn’t it?”

She set the large, metal circle down and rose to join me at my place by the fire. Tipping the page down, she made a soft grunting noise of agreement before releasing it. “Seems like, though I’ve no knowledge of such matters,” she replied. “That young Ranger should know. He seems to be well-traveled and clever.” She sounded pleased and even blushed slightly as she placed a hand on one cheek. “Why, if I were a younger hobbit…!”

I looked up at her with mild dismay, reminded abruptly of Lily Underhill in Staddle and her quiet fancy for one of the constables of the hamlet. “Right. I think he’d be pleased to know you consider him so… intelligent,” I told her as diplomatically as possible. For someone who comes up to his kneecaps, I suppose, I added privately. It wasn’t true, of course. I was taller than Candaith and Gammy Digweed didn’t come up to my knees, either. My hips, at most. In boots and on her toes. How she had plowed through a camp of orcs, I don’t know, but I had seen her at work on the way up Weathertop. I found her impressive, even if she assured me that she’d slowed down in her old age.

Candaith had parted from us before we slept, and upon waking, Dandelion and I had secured the camp, retrieved her horse to secure it as well, and had then set off up the winding path to the summit of Weathertop. The going hadn’t been smooth and, in fact, had taken us most of the day after discovering we’d made a wrong turn once or twice. Upon reaching the top, we had cleared it of several crebain spying for something before coming across the runic symbol on the stone. I’d made a rubbing before we’d started our way back down, thankfully finding the path as evening came and our ability to see dwindled. Candaith hadn’t returned by then.

We now sat, waiting, while thinking of what the rubbing we had taken could possibly mean.

“It’s elf or wizard business,” she finished with a firm nod of her head. “That Radagast or Gandalf! I think we would know if it were orc mischief. Especially with what Candaith said about the lightning that night.”

I hadn’t told her everything just yet regarding my mission in the Lone-lands. It hadn’t seemed critical at the time, nor did it seem so at the moment. All the same, I realized that telling her everything wouldn’t hurt; she was, after all, delusional and not prone to be believed by anyone. “Gammer,” I said slowly as I gingerly folded the page up again, “I think you should know everything that’s happened and what I’m doing running around here helping strange Rangers with wizard business.”

She crossed her arms at her chest with a hard look at me. “What trouble have you gotten yourself into? I haven’t seen you since you were a baby and now this?”

I gave her an odd look for a moment for the baby comment before clearing my throat. Just play along, I reminded myself. “It all started,” I said, “when I tried to break into an old cottage I found in the Chetwood maybe… a week back?” Only a week? I suddenly demanded. Not even a fortnight ago? Why does it feel like it’s already been months?

“Break in?” she asked me as her hands came down to her hips. Her glare stopped my story for a moment. “Young man, why are you burglarizing people’s homes?”

“Uhhh…” I waved my hands. “One thing at a time, please? Just keep up with me, Gammer.”

“Ooh, this isn’t over, Morchandir!” she growled, returning to her seat by her shield. “I did not raise your mother to raise you to be a thief! A switching! Mark me!” She hmphed in outrage and glowered at me. “Go on, then.”

I nodded with a long sigh. At least I could count on having some long conversations until Candaith returned so it wouldn’t be boring. I told her about my travels and experiences thus far. She seemingly ran the gamut of emotions from fear to anger to happiness at the tale. I found myself remembering how others like her had often loved a good story or song, even in a tavern like the Pony. It took a while, especially with her interjections and occasional questions, like, “Oh! What then?” By the time I had finished, I felt more or less relieved that she had seemingly forgotten about my earlier mention of burglary. I had, of course, left out the times I had met with other burglars regarding my profession and how I actually got enough money to buy Neeker and my gear. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt me, I decided, recalling her threat to switch me – twice, now.

“You shouldn’t be out alone doing this,” she finally told me. “You need help, Morchandir. I can help, but you need at least another one or two if you want to be successful. Perhaps you can ask the Ranger when he returns?”

I sighed softly. “I don’t think Candaith means to leave this place.” I looked around the darkness beyond our small campfire. “He protects it and seems bound to it, Gammer. I think it’s a Ranger way of life.” I rubbed my hands over the tops of my thighs. I wasn’t wearing my mask around Dandelion after she’d requested me to keep from it when we weren’t out and about. To see your handsome face, my boy, I remembered her telling me and patting my cheek.

She made a little sound. “Well, we’ll just have to find someone, then. Perhaps a Champion or a Hunter will help us whenever we get to the next settlement. I doubt Radagast will join us any more than Gandalf or the other wizards would.”

I snorted. “That would be too easy.” I rose and made my way toward Neeker. “I should have some rations for supper, if you would like some. I would say we could hunt, but it’s far too dark, and there are far too many orcs roaming out there who see better than we do at night to make it a good idea.”

Dandelion smiled at me and patted her greying hair back into place. “Thank you, dear. We can hunt tomorrow and pare down some of the orcs still in the area while we’re at it.”

We had a modest bite to eat before Dandelion once again ordered me to bed while she took the first watch. I slept well enough before taking my turn and letting her nap for a while, hoping that Candaith might show up at any moment. Too soon, I counseled myself. Even if he made it to a bird in half a day, the other half would still be spent with it traveling to its destination, and the translation will most likely take a while. Tomorrow, if we’re lucky. If not, we’ll find out soon enough.

The night passed without incident as I let the fire burn down to almost nothing. We couldn’t risk being seen by the orcs in their camps, which we had spotted while climbing Weathertop, nor could we risk leaving everything completely dark with so many wolves around. By the time morning had come, Candaith had not returned. Dandelion stayed behind while I went in search of a rabbit or other small game to bring back with me. I made sure that any craban I met died swiftly to counter their spying ways and finally used one of my throwing daggers to bring down a coney. Dandelion made short work of the cleaning and skinning involved while I cared for Neeker, and after I settled down for a short cat nap, I woke to find the rabbit had been roasted for eating. “It’s not much,” the Guardian told me with mild disappointment. “I did find some herbs in the area to help liven up the taste, though.”

“You know how to cook game?” I asked in surprise. “I’ve always just eaten whatever was offered to me.”

She chuckled and handed me one of the back haunches. “I spent many a year on the road, and I’m a hobbit, dear. It was life or death to have decent food while adventuring.” She settled back with her own leg and tore off some of the meat with a little sound of approval. “Good enough. Least it’s not boring,” she said around the mouthful.

We cleaned up and checked the perimeter before setting out to gather wood and kindling for the campfire, water for the horses, and whatever we could loot off the orcs we meant to remove from existence. This was how we spent our day before hunting for a boar and stocking up a few things that Candaith could use upon his return.

It was later that evening when we noticed the strange lights that had begun to crop up around Weathertop along the path to the summit. We stood facing the craggy rise as the sun went down behind us, toward Bree, peering hard at the glimmering lights as they appeared slowly but surely. “What do you think it is?” I asked Dandelion quietly.

She shifted her load of looted weapons and armor and didn’t reply, at first. Finally, she offered in a dark tone, “Orcs. It must be. All of these camps here, I’m surprised they hadn’t taken up the hill yet. It was a lookout point in the past. They can see for miles from up there, the same as we do.”

Something occurred to me at that moment. “The craban we killed up there.” My eyes narrowed behind my mask. “They were trying to find what we did, an answer to what happened with the lightning that night. But they were also helping scout the whole thing for the orcs before they claimed it.” If Frodo and Gandalf were up there, I realized, then I’m glad they’ve moved on by this point. “Can they see our campfire or us where we are?”

“With so many other fires just over the hill from us? Even if they did, it would be tiny, and they would consider it one of their own. They’re not the brightest creatures, grandson. It was hard enough to see much detail from there while we were climbing it. They won’t be much better, even at night. They don’t have eagle’s eyes.”

We shouldered our loot and returned to the camp to attach it to our mounts and add padding between the metallic portions to muffle them. She began to parcel out our earlier cooked boar meat for a small evening meal as we chatted. Faint sounds echoed off Weathertop now and then that baffled us, sounding like hammers or even muted roars of rage. The hammering, we could understand: after all, they had to put posts in the ground or sharpen wooden logs for barricades. “Fortifications,” Dandelion told me grimly as we ate our food. “They’ll be a while getting those fitted and finished. Tomorrow, if they work fast and have a slave-driver leading them.”

I took first watch after settling the horses down with water and food for the night and slept when it was Dandelion’s time to take my place. The next day wore on the same as the last, but the morning after, when Gammer Digweed and I returned from foraging for breakfast, we discovered a welcome sight. “Candaith!” I hailed him quietly as we arrived.

He broke into a relieved smile to see us. “Morchandir, Gammer Digweed, you’ve not been taken or killed. Very good! I had worried when I didn’t see you still here.”

“You said to give you two days at most,” I reminded him as I moved to clasp his forearm. “It’s only the morning of, so you’re back in plenty of time.”

Dandelion beamed up at him as she unloaded her waterskin and cheerily stated, “We supplied your camp for you a bit while you were off. I hope you don’t mind. I know you Rangers tend to wander, but I didn’t know how long you’d be here and felt you should have some time to rest before moving on without worrying about hunting and such.”

“You’re a boon companion,” Candaith assured her warmly as he sat once again, making her blush slightly. He sighed and stretched out his legs near the banked fire. “The walk isn’t a long one, but the hills make it exhausting when done in quick succession, there and back again.”

I pulled the rubbing from one of my pockets, unfolded it, and looked at it once again in the growing light of day. Candaith noticed me doing so. “Ah, you have found something?”

“A rock rubbing from the summit,” I replied, offering it to him. “The craban we had to kill all the way up tell me someone else wanted to know about the lightning, too.”

“Let me see this rock-rubbing you have made,” he commented as he brought it up and examined it closely. He turned it one way and then another before making a little grunt of frustration. Don’t you dare say it, I warned him silently. “The runes are common, but I do not know what they signify,” he said anyway.

“You mean we went all the way up there to fetch down proof for no reason?” I asked drily. “Shocking. I could never have seen this one coming.” I threw my hands up and turned away in disgust.

Dandelion glowered at me. “Dear, you need to be mindful of your tone,” she growled at me. “The Ranger can’t know everything, especially if it’s wizard’s mischief.”

Candaith waved off her words. “I don’t blame him, Gammer Digweed. It could have been anything up there, and I do have great knowledge of certain things. This, however, isn’t one of them.” He turned to me, then, as Dandelion sighed. “I am afraid this does not tell me much of the lightning, Morchandir, but it tells me something of the source. Likely the same person responsible for sending you to me.”

“Saeradan?” I retorted peevishly, crossing my arms at my chest.

Candaith smirked. “I did walk into that ambush, didn’t I? No, the one who sent you to him, first.” He shook his head. “I have news of Radagast, but I must ask you once again for assistance here.”

I rolled my eyes behind the mask I had yet to remove. “Of course.” Why must everything come with a price when it shouldn’t? I wondered. How much have I done for him here just to know where Radagast has gone, and he wants me to do yet another deed before he’ll tell me?

I found the Ranger staring openly before I felt the first blow on my upper thighs from behind. It felt very like the roots in the Old Forest. I jumped and turned with a hiss only to find Dandelion there with a supple branch, one meant to be dried for starting kindling, in one hand. “What did I tell you, Morchandir?” she stated firmly with fire in her eyes. “Behave yourself! That is not the attitude to offer him when he’s been doing all that he can for us!” Each phrase found itself punctuated with another swat from the switch so that I had to try to avoid it. She moved with me, too.

“Crazy… bloody…. hobbit…. Stop!” I demanded in frustration as she chased me around and spanked me.

“Burglary, disrespect! I’ll not have it!” she declared. It was only when Candaith motioned at her that she finally stopped switching me. Harrumphing, she sat back down with a glare sent my way that promised she would do it again if she needed to.

I surreptitiously rubbed at my bottom and legs as I eyed her warily. Candaith continued speaking. “Err. If I may continue?” He looked between us to make sure before doing so. “The letter you recovered from Bleakrift speaks of the Orcs’ true goals: taking control of Amon Sûl under cover of night and moving in a large group, establishing small units along the paths from that larger force.”

My attention shifted back to him. “They’ve already done that much.” Waving a hand toward the behemoth rising above us, I said, “Yesterday evening and during the night we could hear sounds of hammering and such. Even a roar of some form, or what sounded like one, now and then. The lights came first, though.” Good Eru, Dandelion had an arm on her. “We had thought they were simply taking up residence there, but now…”

Candaith nodded at us. “We cannot stand against the force when they are assembled, but we can once they are splintered. They wish to establish a base that will allow them a vantage over the entirety of the Lone-lands.”

Dandelion nodded with thinned lips. “That’s as much as I thought. I did say as much, didn’t I, Morchandir?”

Candaith’s words cut me off from replying. “We must foil their plans.” He sounded firm in his decision. “I don’t know what foul mischief this heralds, but we must break them for the good of the Lone-lands.”

I sighed and dropped my arms to my sides. “It’s what I’m here for,” I acknowledged in defeat. “If this helps with the troubles that the Pilgrim claimed were east of here, then there’s nothing more for it.”

The Ranger motioned at the campfire. “Sit and rest. We’ll need our strength, but we’ll also need to go under cover of darkness to help retain our element of surprise. The three of us can hopefully scale Amon Sûl and defeat Rigûl, their leader, before he can carry out his master’s will!”

I took my seat, if gingerly, at the barely-living fireside while Dandelion rose to parcel out more of the boar that we had brought back and cooked. My confused expression at receiving food, rather than being punished by going without like a naughty child, received no answer from her. Probably because it may be one of your last meals, and she wants you to have a full stomach when they stab you, I chided myself internally. Don’t question it. Just eat and stop being so irritable.