[Ithaeliel]

Ender stared in utter horror at the ghastly shape before her. In appearance it was an Istar, with long black matted hair and beard and wearing a torn and tattered silvery robe. His hands were but skin and brittle bones, and his face was thin and white with sunken black eyes and an expression of grim death. In his right hand was an ebony staff, and in his left was the blackish aura Ender knew as the illusory black beast. "By Iluvatar... the living dead," she whispered to herself. "Who are you?" she stammered.

The figure laughed, and the mere sound made her blood run cold. "I am he who thou hast sought," he said in a dreadful hiss. Ender knew his voice as the one she heard that night in the cave. "And you know who this is," he continued, gesturing to the Black Beast. Ender thought she heard it whisper the word "hate."

"Ah, yes, my dear," the old man said to the beast. "We hate the ranger from Lorien, don't we? Never you worry, soon she'll never see thee again." He turned back to Ender, a scowl marking his grave features. "Thou and the rest of thy traveling friends have caused her enough trouble. I only managed to attain one of the gifts before I caught thee," he snarled.

Endereth suddenly realized what was going on. "It was you, then! Because of you, Calentoliel's tongue is gone."
"Indeed, o perceptive ranger thee. Though perceptive, thou art a fool. Thou did not manage to see thine own gift. Look to the east! I shall give thee thy last before it is forever lost to thee."
Ender turned her head toward the east as the old man commanded, and to her great surprise she found she was in a great hall. There she saw such glorious figures as the Elven-kings, Beren and Luthien... and she saw little Nessa, who sat alone in a corner, huddled in grievance, tears streaming down her face. Ender took a step forward and was suddenly passing by the great faces of the deceased kings and queens...

...deceased. They were dead, as was little Nessa. Ender gasped, realizing she was in the Halls of Mandos, where all who were not accursed came after taking leave from Middle-earth. But she was actually there. Was she not dead also? She tried to reach out for Nessa's hand, but just as she was about to clasp it, the vision disappeared. She was again trapped on a peak in the Blue Mountains. "Ah-ah-ah," said a teasing voice from behind. "We won't go so far as to allow that. Thou hast had thy chance to percieve thy gift, and now it must be taken."

She could bridge the gap between death and life. What a fool she'd been! It was the only reason she could see her spirit, the true form of the black beast, and most likely the man before her. Now it would all be lost. "NO!" she cried out, and she uttered a strange vexation that she had not known before but simply heard from inside her soul, and the black beast began to shudder, a horrible noise rising from within its ethereal form. As it shrieked and shattered into pieces, Ender heard a song flying away over the mountains toward the west. Calentoliel would soon have her song again. As for Ender, she would not be so lucky.

[ December 16, 2002: Message edited by: Ithaeliel ]