53: Forces of Nature

Námo and Oromë reached the low set of hills that bordered the plain to the north. These were bare of anything except moss and stone, desolate under starlight. Oromë shouted, his words echoing through the hills. "All right, Aulë. We know you are here. Come on out."

When the final echo died away, silence remained. The two Ayanumuz exchanged exasperated looks and then Námo called out. "Aulë! If I have to level this entire range of hills to find you I will. Now stop sulking and show yourself."

The echoes faded and then there was a sigh that was nowhere and everywhere and Aulë stood before them, looking downcast and refusing to meet their gazes. Námo narrowed his eyes. "Look at me, brother," he commanded and such was the force of his words that even Oromë gasped involuntarily. Aulë stared at him, his eyes clouded with shame and regret.

"I’m sorry...." he started to say but Námo took him into his embrace and hugged him.

"I know you are," he said quietly. "I place no blame upon you for what happened."

"I distracted you...."

"I allowed myself to be distracted," Námo interjected, giving his fellow Ayanuz a shake. "Now, enough of this wallowing in self-pity. I didn’t let my Máyar get away with it, I’m not about to let you get away with it, either."

Aulë stole a glance at Oromë as if seeking confirmation of Námo’s words. Oromë nodded. "Manwë has called for a council of war to begin with the next First Mingling," he said. "I think you need to pull yourself together and focus on that. Námo, as you can see, is fine, or as fine as he will ever be... now that he’s wedded to Vairë." This last was said with a sly smile and Aulë chuckled. Námo just rolled his eyes but made no further comment.

"Well, in that case," Aulë replied, looking more his cheerful self, "I suppose we should get back to the encampment. We don’t want to keep Manwë waiting."

"No, we do not," Námo agreed and the three of them made their way back with Oromë and Aulë taking turns giving Námo completely useless and contradictory advice about how to be a proper spouse to Vairë. Námo remained silent, paying them no heed, having his own ideas on that score.

****

The Ayanumuz gathered around Manwë in the center of the encampment while the Máyar kept watch on the enemy fortresses. "We need to break this leaguer," Manwë said without preamble. "This siege has gone on for too long."

"Utumno and Angamando are heavily fortified," Aulë said with a sigh. "I fear that Melkor has dug deep into the earth. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that there is a passageway connecting the two strongholds. Their attacks are too coordinated. Somehow messages are being sent and received between Utumno and Angamando."

They nodded, realizing the truth of Aulë’s words.

"Is there aught that we can do, though?" Námo asked, addressing Aulë. "You said that all things made from the Matter of Atháraphelun can eventually be broken, though it may take time. Did you have an idea about that or were you simply expressing a hope?"

"A fair question," Aulë answered, stroking his golden-red beard. "I may have simply been thinking out loud at that point, but my words are true nonetheless. Utumno and Angamando are built from the bones of Atháraphelun and we all know that Atháraphelun is not eternal, so eventually they will decay and disintegrate. That is the nature of things in Eä."

"Can we use that to our advantage, though?" Manwë asked. "Melkor may believe his fortress impregnable and that flaw in his thinking may be our saving grace. We have tried brute force to destroy these strongholds and we have done nothing more than to change the face of the continent and the width of the Seas."

"Námo mentioned that the earth trembles under our feet with a power not born of natural forces," Oromë stated. "He thinks the very earth is imbued with Melkor’s essence."

Several of the Ayanumuz gave Námo surprised looks that then turned thoughtful. Manwë nodded. "I have felt that as well. Perhaps we can counteract these... unnatural forces with more natural ones."

"How do you mean?" Tulkas asked, and his face wasn’t the only one marred by confusion.

"Perhaps we should allow the earth to fight for us," Manwë answered. "I noticed that further north of this plain are glaciers. Could we not use them to break through the fastness of Utumno? Little can stand in the way of the inexorable power of all that ice."

There were several raised eyebrows at that, but then Aulë shook his head. "It would take years to bring them here," he said. "They barely move a finger’s length in a tenth of a year. I don’t see how we can force them to move faster."

"What about the Sea?" Ulmo suggested. "As you pointed out, Manwë, the face of the continent has altered radically, especially along the coast. There’s a deep inlet not far from here. We can construct a channel and bring the water inland to flood the plain and ultimately Utumno."

"Rather obvious, don’t you think?" Vána asked. "Melkor is sure to try to sabotage the project in some way."

"It could be used as a diversion though," Varda suggested.

"While we are doing what exactly?" Yavanna asked, her tone more puzzled than sarcastic.

Námo spoke before Varda could answer. "Bringing in reinforcements."

They all looked at him with various degrees of confusion, and in some cases, exasperation. "Care to elaborate?" Manwë asked with a wry grin.

"We’re looking in the wrong direction for help," Námo said. "Atháraphelun is more than just this world. I suggest we look up."

Almost instinctively they did and cast their minds out into space. Námo directed their attention to a particular set of coordinates and then there was a collective gasp from them all. "You’re not serious!" Tulkas demanded.

"Do you have a better idea?" Námo rejoined.

Before Tulkas could answer, Varda laughed. "I think it’s a wonderful idea." Her expression suddenly turned feral. "In fact, I think I will enjoy this immensely."

Most of the others stared at the Star-Queen in shock, but Manwë merely sighed, resigned to his spouse’s... moods, while Námo stood there nodding, his expression almost as savage as hers.

"So be it," Manwë said at the last. "Ulmo, Aulë, start digging. Varda, my love, I’d let you do the honors, but since Námo came up with the idea...."

Varda nodded. "He can pick one out and I’ll do the rest." She gave Námo a fierce grin which he returned.

Vairë stared at the two of them, shaking her head. "I think you two are having more fun than any Ayanuz should be allowed to have."

That caused several of them to snicker as the council broke up. Ulmo, Aulë and Manwë began discussing logistics while Námo and Varda were having a friendly argument over the relative merits of the various celestial objects that might serve their purpose.

****

In the end it was decided that they would use two of the asteroids that had once been the planet Námo and Vairë had created. Neither were very large as such things went, but allowing for loss of mass due to friction as they entered the atmosphere, they would still be large enough to create a sizeable crater without necessarily causing severe damage to the biosphere.

"Poetic justice if there ever was any," Irmo said to his brother when Námo told them what he and Varda had decided upon.

Námo nodded. "Vairë thinks so as well. We’re going to nudge these two rocks just a bit so that they eventually make their way in-system. It’ll take a couple of years for them to cover the distance."

"Why so long?" Irmo asked.

"We don’t want Melkor to become suspicious in case he has people keeping an eye on the skies."

"Why would he even bother?" Estë retorted, having heard the conversation while she was tending to one of the Máyar belonging to Tulkas and Vána who had suffered a minor injury during the last engagement.

"It’s better to be safe than sorry, I suppose," Námo said, "and we need to give Ulmo and Aulë time to make the channel they’re digging convincing enough to distract Melkor from our real intent."

"No reason why it can’t be used eventually to flood Utumno once we breach it," Irmo said with a shrug.

Námo nodded. "Assuming Melkor lets them get that far." The other two nodded.

****

Ulmo’s Canal, as the Máyar were calling it, began to take shape. It began further to the northwest where a great bay swept several leagues inland. Ulmo’s People began digging a deep cleft into the ground several feet from the shore of the inlet to a depth that was well below the sea bed at that point.

"We’ll create a cataract," Salmar, Ulmo’s Chief Máya, told his brethren once the plans were finalized, "which will give more force to the flood as it runs its course."

"Do you really think that Melkor is going to allow us to dig this channel all the way to his front door?" Oshosai asked skeptically even as he continued to move the hard earth away along with the other Máyar.

Salmar shrugged. "That remains to be seen. At any rate, it is what we have been commanded to do and so we will do it. Lord Ulmo said to make it look convincing." He flashed them a wicked smile. "I was thinking of lining it with marble."

That brought a laugh from them all. "While we’re at it," Oshosai said, grinning mischievously, "we should construct vessels to float on the water. I’m sure our masters would enjoy a pleasure cruise after this war is over."

That got them all laughing more loudly than before and several of the Máyar began to discuss the type of vessels that would be the best for their masters to travel on, while still others argued over whether they wouldn’t prefer some other material with which to line the canal, even going so far as to call in some of Aulë’s People for consultation. The Ayanumuz, when they heard what was being discussed just shook their heads in amusement and continued with their own plans for Melkor’s eventual downfall.

****

"’Ware!"

That was from one of the sentries keeping an eye on Utumno and Angamando. Several of the Máyar working away at the canal looked up to see a sight that was quite new to them. Many of them just stood there with their mouths gaping in disbelief. Flying towards them was a dark shape, long and sinewy, its wingspan easily several hundred feet, with a tail that was nearly as long.

"What is that?" Uinen whispered.

As if in answer, the creature suddenly screamed and fire belched out of its mouth, forcing the Máyar to scatter. One or two of the slower ones were caught in the flames and their screams were terrible to hear. Immediately, several of Irmo and Estë’s People were there, bringing snow with them taken from the nearest glacier to cover the hröar of the victims. Others, including the Ayanumuz, were calling forth weapons as the creature banked suddenly to the right and swung around for another attack. In spite of its size, it moved with a deadly grace that was almost beautiful to see. No one bothered to comment on that beauty.

In spite of the lack of any flammable material in the area, fires were springing up wherever the creature’s flames struck the ground. It was almost as if the balefire could burn anything.

"Ulmo!" Manwë shouted. "We need more snow and water to douse these flames." Ulmo nodded and together the two Ayanumuz called forth their powers and soon clouds were forming, hiding both stars and the flying horror. Lightning flashed as the thunder heads grew and then a sudden torrential rain swept down upon them, rain mixed with snow and soon the fires were sizzling out.

The creature, in the meantime, was still attacking their encampment, but now hampered by the rain and snow, its effectiveness was diminished. Several of Manwë’s Máyar, led by Fionwë and Olórin, attempted to bring the creature down with spears made with crystal points, crystals of Aulë’s special making. Some of the spears hit their mark but bounced off. They did nothing save to enrage the creature even more.

"It’s plated with fire-resistant scales, I think," Aulë said, his eyes narrowing as he watched the creature bank again and then come towards them belching fire. "The wings, I deem, are its most vulnerable parts. They look to be formed of a thin membrane. Tear the wings and it will bring it down and then perhaps we can destroy it."

Manwë nodded and ordered the Máyar to aim for the wings. At once a dozen or so spears pierced the sky, most of them tearing straight through the wings. The creature screamed as it struggled to remain aloft, but the wings were so tattered that they were unable to hold it up and in seconds it crashed to the ground. The force of its fall caused the earth to tremble. Part of the canal caved in and everyone was thrown off their feet.

"It’s still alive!" Fionwë shouted and, taking up another spear, he and several other Máyar came at the creature from behind, for it was still spouting flames. The Máyar drove their spears between the plates covering its appendages, effectively pinning the creature to the ground, while Fionwë climbed its back and made his way forward along the ridge of its sinewy neck. He almost fell off once or twice but managed to catch himself in time. Finally, he reached the head, clinging with one hand to a head ridge as he drove his spear with all his might into the creature’s skull. It took several precious minutes for it to die, but it ceased to spout flame almost immediately as it flopped about. The Máyar continued to cling to their spears with grim determination until the last of its death throes ceased and all was still and silent once again.

The Ayanumuz gathered around the dead creature to examine it. "It seems our Fallen Brother has been rather busy of late," Varda commented drily. There were snorts of grim amusement all around.

Yavanna was examining it more closely than the others, her expression turning cold with fury. "He dares!"

"Easy now, love," Aulë said, placing a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Melkor is ingenious if nothing else. We’ve already seen how he is able to corrupt and manipulate what was originally beautiful into something monstrous."

"I wonder if there are any more of these," Oromë mused.

"I sincerely hope not," Manwë answered with a sigh, "but I would not doubt that there are."

"We’ll have to keep an eye out for any others," Ulmo said. "Now I will go see how my Máyar are faring. Some of them were caught in that creature’s flames." He stalked away while the others remained where they were.

Finally, Manwë turned to Varda. "Is there any way to hurry those asteroids along?"

She shook her head. "It would be too suspicious looking if they suddenly veered from their trajectory and headed straight for us. We need to keep Melkor from looking up."

Manwë nodded, well aware of the truth of Varda’s words. "We will continue as before then." He turned to the Máyar who had brought the creature down. "Take what trophies you desire and then burn the carcass."

Fionwë bowed to his lord and the other Máyar began the grim task of reducing the creature’s body to ash.

****

When Ulmo enquired after his people, he was grieved to learn that Salmar had been one of the victims. "Will he recover?" he asked Estë.

"Yes, eventually," she answered. "I’ve put them all into healing sleep while their hröar regenerate."

"Why not allow them to disincarnate?" Ulmo asked as he gazed sorrowfully down at the charred bodies. Already there were signs of healing as the burned skin flaked off to reveal healthier skin underneath, though full regeneration would take time.

"If we did that I fear they will never want to incarnate again," Estë answered. "It’s best they come to terms with what happened to them on the physical level. It will be easier to deal with the psychological traumas that will follow."

Ulmo nodded. "Much the way Atar did with Námo."

"Exactly the same," Irmo said as he came to them. "In the end, I think the damage to their fëar will be more lasting than that done to their hröar."

"Thank you," Ulmo said with all sincerity.

Irmo smiled and gave his brother Ayanuz a hug. "It’s what we’re here for, Estë and I. Have no fear, your People will return to you whole."

Ulmo nodded. "That is all I ask. I will leave you to your charges while I go see to the damage done to the canal."

****

"We’ve been at this for more than a year now," Aulë said as the Ayanumuz gathered for another council. "How much longer do we play this game?"

"There have been fewer attacks of late, have you noticed?" Námo stated. "After that flying creature was destroyed Melkor did not send out any more troops for some time afterwards."

Manwë nodded. "I noticed that as well and the troops he did send out were fewer in number."

"Even Angamando has been silent of late," Oromë commented. "In fact we’ve seen nothing of Aulendil since he attempted to break the siege and make for Utumno and that was some tens of Minglings ago."

Aulë grunted, his expression darkening as it always did at the mention of his former servant. "Which at least told us that there is no connection between the two fortresses, otherwise there would have been no need for the sortie. I’m not sure what he thought to accomplish. He must have known it was doomed to failure from the very beginning."

Manwë shook his head. "We may never know. I would not discount the possibility that there isn’t some connection between Utumno and Angamando. It’s possible Aulendil’s ploy was diversionary to make us think there was no connection between the two strongholds."

There were nods all around. Then Manwë looked at Námo and Varda. "When?"

"Soon," Námo answered. "At the seventh rising of Menelmacar Melkor’s doom will be at hand."

Several of the Ayanumuz grinned with anticipation. Tulkas laughed. "And it cannot happen to a more deserving Ayanuz."

Some of them chuckled at their brother’s levity, but Manwë noticed that Námo was not one of them. Indeed, the Doomsman of Arda’s expression was grim beyond telling and Manwë wondered what he might be seeing at that moment. He started to ask but on reflection he decided that he really did not want to know.

****

"All right," Ulmo said several Minglings of the Lights later. "Here is where we’ve stopped digging." He was pointing to a map of the area that he had conjured before them. "That last attack on the canal was the excuse we needed to seemingly stop our endeavors. There’s only a short distance lying between the canal and Utumno’s gates. If we can direct one of the asteroids to impact at this precise angle" — he gestured before him and a string of variables in greenish-blue light flashed before them — "that will cause the wall here to collapse. My People will open up the sluice gates at the other end at the same time and the force of the flood should break into Utumno itself."

"The other asteroid will need to be a direct hit in order for this to work," Námo said as he took in the parameters Ulmo had shown them. "There needs to be a near simultaneous impact or this will not work." He gestured before him, calling up another string of variables glowing red. "At the moment both asteroids are on the other side of the black hole from us. It’s our intention to have them come in from the opposite direction of the planet’s orbit. We can adjust the angle of descent when they reach the upper atmosphere." He turned to Varda for confirmation and she nodded.

"I suggest we use the smaller of the asteroids to open the breach between Utumno and the canal while the larger one impacts Utumno directly. I think we can ensure that the two asteroids will impact within fifteen seconds of each other. Will that be simultaneous enough for you?" she asked Námo who nodded.

"Any closer," he answered, "and we run the risk of the two of them colliding in midair and we don’t want that."

"Then as soon as the asteroids reach atmosphere, I will order our Màyar to attack Angamando with a show of force that should be distracting enough that Melkor does not notice what’s above him," Manwë informed them.

"And if he opens his own gates to attack us from the rear," Aulë stated, "so much the better for us."

"How much longer?" Nessa asked.

"Menelmacar will rise soon," Varda said. "The next time after that will be the time."

****

At the next rising of Menelmacar, Manwë ordered the Máyar to attack Angamando, which they did with great enthusiasm, knowing that the end of the long siege was nearly in sight. As predicted, no sooner did the Máyar attack than the gates of Utumno opened and out poured Melkor’s troops, woefully decimated over the long years, but no less deadly. Oddly enough to the Ayanumuz’s way of thinking, none of the fire-demons appeared.

"He’s probably holding them back until the end," Manwë said. "Hopefully, they will prove ineffective against us at this late stage."

"As long as he doesn’t send another of those fire-belching flying creatures, I’ll be happy," Varda retorted.

"Here they come," Námo said, looking up and the others followed suit. Twin sparks of fire came hurtling down from the heavens right on schedule. "Hmm... the angle of the smaller asteroid is off by three seconds of arc."

"Too late to adjust it now," Varda said. "We’ll just have to hope that it’s not enough of a deviation to ruin all our plans."

They watched as Oromë directed some of the Máyar to engage the troops pouring out of Utumno while the rest continued their assault on the gates of Angamando. Several of Ulmo’s People were waiting at the inlet, ready to break open the sluice gates that had been constructed early on. Then they turned their eyes on the twin harbingers of doom fast approaching. At the last possible moment, Manwë signaled and Oromë blew the Valaróma even as Ulmo blew upon the Ulumúri. At once the Máyar battling with the Utumno troops broke off and instantly went incorporeal, thinking themselves away, even as all the Máyar before the gates of Angamando did as well. Then the Ayanumuz did the same, leaving Melkor’s troops standing there with befuddled looks, uncertain what to do next. A strange sound reached them and they instinctively glanced up. None of them had time to even scream before death reached them.

Unfortunately, the slight deviation of arc in the angle of descent for the first asteroid meant that the wall separating the canal from the gates of Utumno did not collapse as fully as planned. Nonetheless the Máyar opened up the sluice gates and the Sea poured into the narrow channel, rushing in a flood towards the other end. Even as the waters reached the wall and pounded against it, causing it to collapse somewhat, the second asteroid came screaming in, plunging directly into Utumno, an incandescent ball of fire that shook the earth to its very foundations.

Fissures opened up and the waters in the canal streamed forth in other directions so they proved less effective than they had hoped but one such fissure ran nearly to the gates of Angamando, effectively blocking it.

"That should keep Aulendil occupied for a time," Aulë muttered in satisfaction even as he turned his attention back to the destruction wrought by the two asteroids. The plain all around them was buckled and broken and Utumno itself was unroofed, its gates hanging open at odd angles. Fires blazed everywhere and there were quakes that wracked the ground. To the north and east the mountains erupted into volcanoes and pyroclastic ash fell like rain all around.

Manwë turned to Oromë. "Go and make sure the Children are safe."

"What about Melkor?" Oromë asked, not willing to leave the scene just yet.

"He’s not going anywhere," Manwë said with finality. "Go. Appear before the Children and assure them that all is well."

Oromë thought himself away. The others, still unclad, continued to watch the destruction unfold around them. "Now we wait," Manwë said and the others nodded, content to abide until the forces of nature that had been brought to bear had calmed enough for them to risk becoming corporeal once again.

****

Note on Time: The War against Melkor took nine Valian years (approximately 86 solar years) of which five Valian years (47.9 solar years) were spent before the gates of Utumno [VY4592-99]. It was another Valian year before Melkor was finally captured and brought to Aman to stand trial. One hundred thirty-four solar years passed between the Third Council of Manwë and the trial of Melkor.

Note on Dragons: In the Silmarillion, it is said that two hundred years after the Dagor Aglareb, Glaurung, the first of the Urulóki, or fire-drakes of the North, issued forth from Angband [Chapter 13, ‘The Return of the Noldor’]. However, there is nothing in canon that says that Melkor could not have created a prototype at an earlier age and then resumed creating dragons once he returned to Middle-earth at the beginning of the First Age. Glaurung may have been the first of Morgoth’s Dragons encountered by the Elves, but not necessarily the first dragon ever created.