"Care for some tea? Or perhaps cheese?" Pallando asked as he scurried about the room, already preparing the tea.

"Just tea, thank you," I said, turning just in time to hit my head on a low hanging decoration. I put a hand to my head in silent pain, before observing the decoration more closely. It appeared to be made of the bones of some creature... An altogether unnerving adornment for an already strange room.

"I see you find the totem intriguing," Alatar said as he observed me. "It may interest you to know that it was made by the creature that attacked you on the road."

"What was that beast, while we're on that topic?" Nadow asked as he shifted in his chair.

"It was a Taurfaer."

"A what?" Nadow and I both said at once.

"A guardian of the forest. They are all but extinct from this world, we were fortunate to have found this one here," Pallando said excitedly.

"Impossible..." Caledorn said in a hushed voice. "There hasn't been word of a Forest Spirit for hundreds of years. Certainly not in this forsaken corner of the-" he stopped mid-sentence and looked at the two wizards. "In this untraveled part of the world," he finished.

"The fact that this is a "forsaken corner of the world" as you so aptly put it is precisely why the Forest Spirit is still here. There haven't been men or orcs or greedy dwarves to drive him out. Though now Pallando and I have brought men here, and it is only a matter of time before orcs find our sanctuary here." Alatar shook his head.

"Which begs the question: what are you two doing here? The East is in chaos, and you two sit in the jungle doing nothing." Caledorn's tone of voice was accusatory, and I was surprised that he spoke in such a way to two powerful wizards.

"It isn't that simple Caledorn..." Alatar began. "You see, we tried to carry out our mission, but the East... By the time we arrived, it was already too late. The Easterlings worship Morgoth and Sauron, and make sport of the deaths of other men in the arenas. Not to mention the Order of the Moon caught scent of us and sent who knows how many assassins after us. And we fared little better in Harad. The Haradrim attacked us on sight, thinking us spies of Gondor. We stayed for a time in Khand, believing they weren't too far gone... But they too have fallen under Mordor's shadow. So we decided to bide our time... To wait for the opportune moment. Long have we watched the stars, read the signs... We've watched the world changing around us, most of the changes for worse. But the signs told us of one who would liberate the East. We believe that Rukil is this one, and that now is our time to complete our task here."

"So... You'll aid me?" I asked, almost disbelieving. Such a stroke of luck seemed unlikely at best, but perhaps it was the case.

"Yes. In whatever way we can. We've managed to assemble an army of our own... Outcasts, criminals, raiders. But they all wish to make amends for the sins of their old lives."

"So all those warriors are yours?" Nadow asked.

"Indeed they are! They call themselves the Bleak Riders."

"Why do they name themselves after a fairy tale?"

Alatar laughed. "They don't. The fairy tale arose as a result of them. The name itself however... They were first a regiment of Khand warriors called the Bleak Riders, who deserted and fled into the jungle when Khand swore allegiance to Sauron. Pallando and I met them and together we added to their ranks, until they became what they are now."

"Interesting... So now they're from all over the world?" I asked.

"Yes. We have recruits from Rhun, Gondor, Rohan, and just about every other kingdom you can imagine... as well as some you have not even heard of! And they're yours now. Well, not entirely. They'll still be under Preliator Ryuna's command. He hails from a land far to the east of Khand, on the Endless Plain. He shall be under your command."

"This changes things significantly..." I said quietly.

"Indeed it does. With an army this size you'll easily be able to defeat your brother. And with your knack for gaining allies, I don't doubt we'll meet more on the road," Caledorn said, raising an eyebrow.

"And don't forget, you also have two of the Istari with you now," Alatar said as he began to form a fireball between his hands, molding it and shaping it absentmindedly.

I narrowed my eyes, a feeling of determination filling me. We were close... And now, with the help of my new allies our goal was within our grasp. Soon, things would change entirely, for better or worse. Though now it seemed as if the chances of success were higher than ever before. I would come into my own.

===============================

I cast a last glance at the dismal tower, glad to be leaving. Pallando too was visibly happy, and wore a smile on his wrinkled face. Alatar, on the other hand, seemed sad, though it was hard to tell as he hid is emotions well. The masked faces of Ryuna and Hatamo hid whatever thoughts they were feeling as well, and they led their soldiers behind Nadow's Death Bringers in silence.

   Hadar, who had returned to full strength under Pallando's vigilant healing, had resumed his place by my side. He flashed me a smile, clearly happy to be on the road again. His men made up the vanguard of our force and rode just behind my companions and I, though several Death-bringers also rode among them.

   "You've risen up a mighty army Rukil," Caledorn said as he observed the long, trailing line of warriors behind us.

   "Indeed you have," Hadar added with a laugh. "I thought such a force was impossible to gather!"

   "We will need more than this if we are to reach journey's end with the strength to fight Rhun's armies," Nadow said.

   "Perhaps we will find allies in Khand, though we will only be traveling through there for a short time," I explained.

   "Where to then?" Hadar asked.

   "We will enter Rhun itself from there. Though we must first cross the Sorrowing Sea before we reach the desert plains of Morgothrone."

   "And how do we plan to do that? We have nearly a thousand men and their mounts, it would take an entire fleet," Caledorn interjected, skepticism in his voice.

   "I know not. I admit, I hadn't thought much beyond getting through Harad," I said. It was true; Beyond here I had no set plan, no proper path to follow. And the addition of so many men, while it would help us in the battle to come, would make traveling more difficult.

   "Perhaps we can go around the Sea?" Nadow asked.

   "It's possible, but we'd have to go nearly three hundred leagues out of the way, through the Red Mountains."

   "Also known as the Orocarni Mountains," Alatar said as he came up beside us. "There are few paths through them, and they are narrow and filled with dangers unknown. It would be nigh impossible to travel through with an army."

  "Is there no way through them at all?" Caledorn asked.

   "There is one way. But it isn't a path so much as a deep canyon carved into the heart of the mountains," I said. "They say an unnamed evil dwells there, for no living man has ever returned who has set foot in the canyon."

   "There is indeed something living in those canyons," Alatar said. "Perhaps a dragon, or some spawn of Morgoth. We should not take that way unless we have no other choice."

   "Aye," Hadar agreed. "But we may find passage across the sea in the city of Runakesh."

   "Runakesh??" I exclaimed. "Runakesh is a den of thieves and the scum of mankind, no good folk dwell there."

   "No... But I know some people there, could call in a few favors perhaps." Hadar stretched and adjusted himself in his saddle.

   "That would be preferable to facing a dragon or worse in the mountains. I second Hadar's idea," Alatar said.

   "We can at least try. If it fails the mountain pass will still be an option," Caledorn agreed with a nod.

   "Nadow?" I asked, looking at the scarred warrior for his opinion.

   "I will follow whatever decision you make, as will my men," he said.

   "Very well. We'll make for the port, and if that fails we shall travel through the Red Mountains." I was unsure that this was the best decision, but in reality it was the only logical one. Going to the port first would add around fifty leagues to the journey if our search was in vain there and we had to travel through the Red Mountains instead. But if we did find a fleet, it would cut our journey in half. And I was also sure Hadar would be as good as his word, though how he knew any pirates was beyond me, and best left that way.

"A wise choice, prince," Alatar said with a nod. "Heeding the council of your friends and confidants is a sign of a good leader. You have strengthened my assurance that I have made the right decision in trusting you." He bowed slightly, then slowed down to meet up with Pallando, who was a short distance back in the cavalcade.

"I won't let you down," Hadar said. "Thank you for trusting me."

I turned my head and smiled at him. "Out of all the men here, I've known you the longest. I've fought by your side in battle and you've more than proven your loyalty. And more than that, you've proven your friendship."

Hadar grinned. "You're beginning to sound like a king, making long-winded speeches like that!"

I laughed and Hadar soon joined in, the jungle echoing with our laughter.

We soon came to the edge of the jungle, where the trees abruptly stopped growing. Before us was a vast expanse, where the bright blue sky was clear and the sun shone unhindered onto the sea of blue-green grass below. It looked almost like an ocean, the wind blowing across the grass and creating verdant waves across the plain.

I took a final look back at the jungle behind us, and I thought I could see the tall, thin shape of the Taurfaer looking through the trees at us, its eyes glowing white as it observed us.

Pallando too seemed to see it, and raised a hand in farewell. Many of the Bleak Riders followed suit, and soon we all held our hands raised in silent farewell to the creature. It let out a loud, almost mournful call, and to my surprise it raised its hand as well. A moment later it turned, and with a last look over its shoulder, disappeared into the dense underbrush.

I would most likely never see the jungle again, and while I hated it while I was there it seemed almost sad to leave it. But I had a task ahead, one that was far more important. I cast my gaze forward, and observed the path ahead with steady eyes.

"Where are we now?" Nadow asked, his head turning to and fro to take in our surroundings."

Alatar made a sweeping motion with his hands. "My friend... Welcome to Khand."