52: Hunting Evil

"Palarran told us last night that the creatures we will be hunting were sighted some days ago coming out of the mountains," Nyéreser told Glorfindel the next morning as he and the other two elves were sitting at the table, breaking their fast, "but he is unsure what route they took. Any thoughts as to which direction we might take?" His expression was one of polite detachment, waiting to see what the ellon would say.

Glorfindel gave the Maia a strange look. "There is a darkness in the east," he said softly, almost as if speaking to himself.

The other two elves and the three Maiar all paused to stare at him. "You know this," Tiutalion said and it was more a statement than a question.

Glorfindel nodded. "Yesterday, when Amauriel was showing me the aldinga, there was sunlight all about shining upon the forest yet, somehow, the light seemed dimmer to the east than anywhere else and a... a shadow and a threat grew in my mind. I cannot explain it any better than that."

The Maiar exchanged glances that were unreadable to the elves. Palarran gave Glorfindel a considering look of his own before turning to his wife. "Did you sense this darkness?"

Amauriel shook her head. "All appeared normal to me," she replied. "The east looked no less bright under the sun than any other direction."

"Do you know where in the east this darkness lies?" Nyéreser asked Glorfindel.

The ellon shook his head. "Just east, sorry," he replied apologetically.

"Do not be sorry, Glorfindel," Nyéreser said. "That you could sense anything is remarkable given you have had no training in this. When you are ready we will depart."

Glorfindel nodded, and in a few short minutes he finished with breakfast and went to freshen up and retrieve his gear, meeting everyone at the foot of the treegard. Palarran gave him a warrior’s salute and wished him good hunting. Amauriel handed him a small satchel with a shy smile.

"You will probably be gone for a few days," she said, "so I put together some provisions to make the trek merrier for you."

Glorfindel smiled as he accepted the satchel. "Thank you. I take it, since you’re giving it to me, I don’t have to share with them?" He tossed his head in the general direction of the Maiar waiting for him. Their expressions were more amused than annoyed.

Amauriel giggled and gave him a wink. "Not unless you want to."

"Thank you again for your hospitality," Glorfindel replied as he slung the satchel over his shoulder. "I hope I will have an opportunity to visit again after the hunt."

"You will always be welcome, Lord Glorfindel," Palarran said.

Then they were off, heading eastward. They traveled swiftly and silently, the Maiar allowing Glorfindel to set the pace. The ellon slipped effortlessly through the trackless forest, as fleeting as a cloud-shadow under the trees. They were not expecting to reach their goal that day, yet Glorfindel moved at a faster pace than the Maiar were expecting.

"What is the rush?" Lisselindë asked him at one point.

Glorfindel gave her a brief smile, though he did not falter in his stride. "I weary of delay," he said. "I would confront these creatures sooner rather than later."

"Would you confront them weary indeed?" Tiutalion retorted. "Come. Stay your pace. I would show you something that will be to your benefit."

Glorfindel slowed to a walk, turning to follow Tiutalion who had veered off to the left, heading north. The other two Maiar followed behind them. They traveled for nearly an hour before Glorfindel found himself entering a forest glade. It was not large but it was quite lovely and appeared no different than any other forest glade Glorfindel had ever seen, except for one thing. In the glade’s center was a stone platform. It was made from a single block of granite, easily twenty feet square and about six feet thick. Steps had been carved on the side they were approaching and when they reached the top Glorfindel could see that similar steps had been carved on the other three sides.

A rather remarkable object stood in the middle of the platform. It was a globe, created from emerald and sapphire melded together. It took Glorfindel a moment to realize that the irregular shapes of the emerald pieces might represent landmasses, while the sapphire must clearly represent the seas. The globe was surrounded by rings of clear crystal. Two of them were thick and encircled the globe, one at the equator and the other at the poles. Other, thinner, rings of crystal lay within these two greater circles, bisecting one another and the larger rings at different angles.

The entire structure was upheld by four creatures that appeared dragon-like though they sported no wings and were narrower in body than the typical wyrm. Each upheld the object with a single clawed arm. Glancing at the sun’s position in the sky, Glorfindel realized that the wyrms were standing at the cardinal points of the compass, each a different color — the north wyrm was black, while the one to the east was blue; the south wyrm was red while the one to the west was green. Their composition was unknown to him, for they were not made of any stone or metal with which he was familiar. There was something almost alien about the creatures, as if they did not belong to this world at all.

Glorfindel stared at the structure in awe, for he belatedly realized that the globe in the center was spinning and some of the crystal circles were also moving, apparently in relation to the spin of the globe.

"It’s called a meneldëa coron," Tiutalion answered Glorfindel’s unspoken question. "Lord Aulë created it soon after we built Valinor. That is Arda in the center."

"What is it doing here in the middle of the forest?" Glorfindel asked in confusion as he walked around the structure, admiring its beauty, trying to comprehend its purpose.

"Where we are standing is the very center of Valinor," Tiutalion said.

Glorfindel gave the Maia a surprised look. Tiutalion nodded, pointing at the globe. "See you that light pulsing in the middle of this landmass here? That is where we are."

"This is Valinor?" Glorfindel asked pointing at the landmass Tiutalion had indicated and the Maia nodded. The elf stared at the globe as it slowly spun. He recognized none of the landmasses, for what maps of Valinor he had seen showed only that central portion known as Aman and Eldamar. He tried to relate what he was seeing to what he knew. He pointed to a land mass east of Valinor.

"This is Beleriand then?" he asked. "I never saw any maps of it."

"No," Tiutalion said. "What you are seeing is Endórë as it is today." He pointed to where there was a wide expanse of blue between the two landmasses. "This is where Beleriand once was."

Glorfindel gave him a confused look. "But you said that Lord Aulë created this a long time ago. Should not Beleriand be represented?"

"Until it was destroyed in the War any who visited this place would have seen it," the Maia answered. "But it lies beneath the waves of the Great Sea, and so it is no longer there. What you see is a true representation of Arda as it is today, this very moment."

"But this is made of gemstones!" Glorfindel protested. "How can it change?"

Tiutalion smiled. "It can because the Valar will it so."

Glorfindel shuddered, suddenly feeling overwhelmed, much as he had when watching Oromë’s Maiar fighting the alatyauli. He decided to change the subject, not willing to examine the Maia’s words too closely. "You said coming here would be of benefit to me."

The Maia nodded. "Close your eyes and slow your breathing as much as possible." The ellon complied, standing perfectly still. "Can you hear it?" Tiutalion asked.

"Hear what?"

"Shhh. Be still in mind and body and listen with all your being."

Glorfindel stilled himself as far as he could, slowing his breathing until he was completely unconscious of it. He realized suddenly that all the time they had been in the clearing there had been no sound, neither of birdsong nor the usual rustlings of the forest. Then, he felt rather than heard a vibrational hum, musical in tone, that seemed to permeate the very air around him. It was faint but there, deep and joyous, wild and free, and it never ceased, ringing eternally through all of Eä.

"What is that?" he whispered in awe, still keeping his eyes closed.

"That is an echo of the music sung by the Valar when they brought Arda into existence," Tiutalion answered in a low voice. "You are hearing the very Song of Arda."

Glorfindel trembled at the thought and Tiutalion put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. The ellon opened his eyes, which were clouded with confusion. "I still don’t understand," he said. "Why did you bring me here?"

"That echo can be heard anywhere in the world if one knows what to listen for but it is loudest here in this spot," the Maia explained. "The Forest of Oromë is large and trackless. If ever you become lost, still yourself as you did just now and listen for the Song. It will guide you here. From here go directly north and you will eventually find yourself coming upon the Southern Fiefdoms of Eldamar."

Glorfindel nodded, looking about and memorizing the glade. "Seems rather odd to have this in the middle of a forest though," he said. "I would think Lord Aulë would build it out in the open."

Tiutalion smiled. "He did. Over time the forest rose around it."

The elf stared at the Maia in disbelief, trying to grasp the enormity of time it had taken for the forest to grow around the platform. Then he shook his head, deciding having a headache this early in the day would not be conducive to his general well-being.

"Shall we go on?" Tiutalion asked and Glorfindel nodded. They made their way back to where Nyéreser and Lisselindë stood by the trees waiting for them.

****

Later, that evening, Glorfindel sat by a fire, staring contemplatively into it. His thoughts wandered aimlessly from the fight with the alatyauli to the treegard of the taurevayari and his sensing of the darkness to the meneldëa coron and back again, going in circles and getting nowhere. He sighed, reaching over with a stick to stir the embers and bringing the fire back into higher flame.

"You are troubled."

He looked up to see Lord Oromë sitting across the fire from him. Of the Maiar there was no sign.

"I think too much has happened at once," Glorfindel replied with a rueful sigh. "I’m finding it difficult to take it all in."

Oromë nodded. "That is to be expected, but I am sure you will adjust. Yet, I sense there is something else, something more than trying to assimilate new ideas."

Glorfindel sighed. "So much I do not understand," he said, staring at the flames.

"What do you not understand?" the Vala enquired.

"Why?"

Oromë quirked an eyebrow. "You’ll have to be a bit more specific than that."

"Sorry," the ellon said. "I guess I’m not clear even to myself. I meant, why is this happening to me? What is the purpose of all that has happened?"

"You think that everything that has happened to you has a purpose behind it?" Oromë asked.

"I would like to think so," Glorfindel replied softly. "I would like to think that even the darkest moments of my life, both my lives, have a meaning to them, a reason for them happening at all."

"Your feelings are not unique to yourself, Glorfindel," Oromë responded with a kind smile. "All of us like to believe that."

Glorfindel gave the Vala a considering look. "Even the Valar?"

"Of course," the Lord of Forests and the Hunt answered. "You little realize the depth of pain we Valar suffered in our wars with Melkor in the uncounted ages of the past ere Arda was ever brought into existence. We suffered much and sometimes we wondered if it was worth it."

"And was it?"

Oromë’s smile broadened and he nodded. "You are here, are you not? You and all the other Children made it so."

"We’ve given you nothing but grief," Glorfindel protested, giving the Vala a jaundiced look.

Oromë actually chuckled. "Goes with the territory. Yet, as much as you have grieved us, you have even more so given us joy and that is what we treasure most. That is what you must do as well, learn to be joyful even in the midst of the sorrows and confusions of your life, for that is what will sustain you in your darkest hours."

Glorfindel snorted. "Joy. I’m not sure I even know what that word means or even how to find it."

"You do not find it," Oromë replied solemnly, "it finds you. Actually, you already have it, you just don’t know it yet."

The elf stared at the Vala for a long moment, then shook his head and sighed, looking back into the fire. "I wish I understood."

Oromë gave him a sympathetic smile though Glorfindel did not see it. "You will, I promise you. In the meantime, concentrate on your hunt. At the moment, that is the most important thing."

"Will you be there?" Glorfindel asked, looking up, but the Vala was no longer there. He sighed again and made ready for sleep, unconcerned about any danger, for the Maiar had assured him that they would keep watch.

****

They set off towards the southeast the next morning at Glorfindel’s suggestion. "It seems as if the threat is in that direction," he told the Maiar.

"Clearwater Glade," Nyéreser said. When Glorfindel gave him a quizzical look, he smiled. "It’s a large clearing almost directly southeast of us, hard against the mountains. It is a favorite grazing area for the forest denizens for there is a small lake there and the grasses are succulent."

Glorfindel nodded, then gave the Maiar a considering look. "You knew where they were all this time."

There was no anger in his tone, but they sensed that he was not pleased. "We thought to see if you could detect anything from the treegard," Nyéreser said. "We wished to ascertain your range. We frankly did not expect you to sense anything from that distance."

"What would you have done had I chosen some other direction?" Glorfindel then asked, sounding more amused now.

"We would have put it to a vote," Tiutalion said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Three against one; we would have come east regardless."

Glorfindel laughed. "You are a manipulative lot, aren’t you?"

"We do our best," Nyéreser quipped and Glorfindel laughed even harder.

"Well, let us go to Clearwater Glade then," the ellon said once he was calmer. "We have some hunting to do."

****

They reached the glade some hours after noon as Anar was beginning her slow descent into the west, approaching it from the northwest. Shadows were lengthening across the meadow and several animals were already drinking from the lake along the far eastern side. It was one of the largest glades Glorfindel had ever seen, perhaps a couple of miles wide in any direction. The lake, situated further to the south, was indeed small, more like a large pond, but even from where he was crouched behind the trees he could see the sparkling clarity of the waters fed, he supposed, from a mountain stream, for in the far distance he could see a waterfall that issued from the mountains which were still a two-day trek away.

"Do you sense them?" Lisselindë asked him in a whisper. Now that they were there she took over this part of Glorfindel’s training while Nyéreser and Tiutalion stood by on guard.

Glorfindel nodded and pointed. "Almost directly south but I cannot tell if they are on this side of the lake or not."

"You heard the Song of Arda," Lisselindë said and Glorfindel nodded. "Well, all of Arda resonates with that Song, but in different tones or colors, you might say. You have seen the Valar in their natural forms as lights of many hues." Again Glorfindel nodded. "Well, each of those hues which we call aurae is unique to a particular Vala. No other has exactly the same aura. The same is true for the Maiar. That is how we identify ourselves to one another in our natural state. The same is true, to a lesser extent, for the mirroanwi, for all creatures in fact, including the evil creatures we hunt today."

"How do I detect these... aurae?" Glorfindel asked. "How do I know the difference between one creature and another?"

"You already know the answer to that, Glorfindel," Lisselindë said. "Think about what you experienced yesterday."

"The darkness," the ellon replied after a moment. "I felt the darkness."

"Exactly," Lisselindë said. "It is a stain on the landscape, is it not?" Glorfindel nodded yet again. "That is what you must concentrate on. Close your eyes and still yourself as you did at the meneldëa coron and tell me what you sense."

Glorfindel complied and for several long moments he was silent and unmoving. He heard the faint throbbing of the Song, an infinitesimal vibration upon his skin. He let his senses roam outward, concentrating his attention to the south. He could ‘hear’ the waters of the lake singing joyfully and he smiled unconsciously. Then the smile fled as he sensed something discordant, something not right.

"It lies just to the west of us," he whispered. "The darkness is settled along the northwestern shore."

"Can you tell how many of the creatures there are?" Lisselindë asked.

Glorfindel furrowed his brow, concentrating further, trying to distinguish between different shades of darkness, but it was all the same to him. He shook his head. "Sorry," he said, opening his eyes and frowning.

If the Maia was disappointed she did not show it. "That’s fine, Glorfindel. It takes practice. It is enough for now that you can at least pinpoint the direction more clearly. That’s the most important thing. I will tell you now, so you are prepared, that twelve creatures were counted, including females and cubs. We will be facing an entire pack."

Glorfindel nodded, shifting his stance a bit. "When do we attack?"

It was Nyéreser who answered. "When they do."

Glorfindel gave him a puzzled look and the Maia nodded. "They are waiting for the herds to come to drink at sunset," Nyéreser explained. "We will attack then when they will be less on guard, for they will be concentrating on hunting themselves. Come. Let us move closer to our prey."

The four of them moved silently along the eaves of the woods until they were closer to the creatures. They appeared somewhat like the wargs Glorfindel had seen in Beleriand but these seemed more bear-like in appearance with their thick bodies and shaggy fur. They were tall, nearly as tall as Glorfindel’s horse, their fur coal black, and when one of them turned its head he could see its eyes held an intelligence that not even wargs possessed.

"There is something wrong here," Glorfindel said suddenly. "I count only five of the creatures, two females and their cubs."

The Maiar gazed out across the glade. "He’s right," Tiutalion said. "Where are..." He never got a chance to finish his question, for suddenly, there was a snarling cough and then something leapt at them from behind.

"’Ware!" Lisselindë cried even as she brought her spear up in defense against the creature attacking them. The other two Maiar were also quick to respond as several more shapes rushed towards them from out of the underbrush and then chaos ensued. Glorfindel was slower to react, but still managed to leap out of the way of one of the creatures charging him, drawing out his sword in one fluid movement. Then with a yell, he fell upon the warg-like creature before it had a chance to turn on him, clinging to the monster’s back for dear life. His intention was to slit its throat and he actually succeeded but in its death throes it knocked him hard against a tree and he fell to the ground, his sword landing just out of reach.

Shaking his head to clear it, he looked up in time to see another of the monsters looming over him, its muzzle slavering, a clawed forefoot already in the process of slashing at him. He managed to roll away so he was saved from being eviscerated but a burning sensation rippled down his back and left leg. He screamed, nearly blacking out from the pain, but he forced himself to stay conscious, grabbing his sword with his left hand and swinging around to skewer the creature in the heart before it had a chance to finish him off.

Rolling on his back as he had sent more waves of searing pain through him and he had just enough presence of mind to pull the sword out of the creature’s chest before it fell on him, the weight of its body forcing the air out of his lungs and plunging him into darkness.

****

Meneldëa Coron: ‘Heavenly Globe’, what we would call an armillary sphere (also called a celestial globe or astrolabe). The name is ultimately from Latin armilla ‘circle, bracelet’. Armillary spheres are generally skeleton celestial globes, though some, like this one, have an actual representation of the earth at its center. They are an early astronomical device made of fixed and moveable rings representing circles of the celestial sphere such as the ecliptic, the celestial equator, the meridian, as well as the equinoctial and solstitial colures. Armillary spheres were used in China as early as the third century before the Common Era as both a teaching instrument and an observational tool.

A beautiful photo of the armillary sphere designed by the Chinese astronomer Guo Shoujing (1231-1316), which is located at the Ancient Observatory in Beijing, and which I used as the basis for the armillary sphere that Glorfindel is shown, can be seen at the following link: http://hua(dot)umf(dot)maine(dot)edu/China/astronomy/tianpage/0025Armilla9252w(dot)html