The Last Ringbearer Read online

  "'Most people' don't concern me, they can take care of themselves. So the Elves are our real enemies, rather than the Gondorians?"

  "The Gondorians are victims just as you are, we're not talking about them here. Strictly speaking, the Elves are not your enemies, either, not in the usual sense; can you call Man the enemy of deer? Certainly Man hunts deer -- so what's the big deal about that? He also guards them in royal forests, sings the majestic strength of the old buck, gets sentimental looking in does' eyes, feeds an orphaned fawn from his hand... So the current cruelty of the Elves is a temporary measure; in a sense, it's forced. When the world is static, they will for sure tread lighter; after all, the capability to Create is undoubtedly a deviation from the norm, so such people will be treated, rather than killed as they are now. Nor will the Immortals have to get their own hands dirty -- there will be plenty of human volunteers... there already are... By the way, this future Elvish world will be pretty good in its own way -- a stagnant pond is certainly less aesthetically pleasing than a stream, but it grows such wonderful water poppies..."

  "I see. So how can we prevent them from turning Middle Earth into this... swamp with beautiful water poppies?"

  "I'll explain, but I have to start at the very beginning. It's a pity that you're not a mathematician, the explanation would've been easier... just ask me right away if something is unclear, all right? Now: every inhabited World has two components; really, they are two different worlds, which have their own laws but co-exist in a single `wrapper'. They are customarily called `physical' and `magical', although those designations are somewhat arbitrary, in that the magical world is quite real and, in that sense, physical, while the physical one has certain properties which are not reducible to physics and can be considered magical. In the case of Arda these are the Middle Earth and Aman, inhabited by their sentient populations of Men and Elves. These worlds are parallel, but their inhabitants perceive the boundary between them as a temporal rather than a spatial one: every human knows that there are no wizards, dragons, or goblins now, but his grandparents have for sure seen some -- and this persists in every generation. Nor is this a figment of imagination; rather, it's a natural consequence of the two-part structure of inhabited Worlds. I could show you the appropriate mathematical models, but you won't be able to make heads or tails out of them. Are you with me so far?"

  "Yes, quite."

  "Very well. For some unknown reason (think of it as the One's strange whim), in our Arda, and only in our Arda, it is possible to have direct contact between the physical and magical worlds, allowing its inhabitants to interact in real space-time -- or, to put it simply, to shoot at each other. The existence of this interspatial `corridor' is provided by the so-called Mirror. Some time ago it had arisen in the magical world -- arisen, rather than was made -- together with the seven Seeing Stones, the palant ri, and can't exist without them, since both the Mirror and the palant ri are the product of separation of the same substance, namely the Eternal Fire..."

  "Wait, isn't a palant r a device for long-distance communication?"

  "Yes, it can be used for that. You can also drive nails with one... actually, no, that'd be inconvenient, they're round and slippery. But they'd make great fishing weights! You see, each of those magical objects has innumerable properties and uses, but in this world we don't even have names for most of them. Which is why they're used for all sorts of nonsense: palant ri for communication, the Mirror for primitive future-telling..."

  "Some primitive nonsense!"

  "I assure you, this is total nonsense compared to some of its capabilities. Besides, the Mirror portrays not the objective future of Arda, but various alternatives -- yes, alternatives -- of the individual fate of the gazer. You, being an experimental scientist, should know that any measuring device affects the state of whatever is being measured, and here the `device' is a person, with free will and everything."

  "Well, whatever you say, predicting the future is impressive."

  "You're so fixated on this prediction business," Sharya-Rana said in annoyance. "What about violating the law of causality -- does that impress you?"

  "The law of what?!"

  "Causality -- yes, the very one. All right, we'll get to the law of causality yet. So far, what you need to remember is that in general the palant ri control space and the Mirror controls time. Next: the two worlds of Arda are asymmetric in all parameters, so this `channel' between them works very selectively. For example, many magical creatures are quite at home here, but only a few mortals have ever managed to visit Aman, and for a very short time at that. These people are called wizards in Middle Earth."

  "Are the Nazg l wizards, too?"

  "Of course. To continue, this asymmetry has been balanced by a very important fact. As severely limited as the wizards' capabilities are in that neighboring world, it so happened that they nevertheless managed to obtain the Mirror and the palant ri and drag the whole lot over here, to Middle Earth. As a result, the Elves can settle in Middle Earth while Men can't settle in Aman, but control over the `channel' between the worlds remains in the hands of wizards, who are of this world. This enables contact, but disables any colonization. As you can see, the One had set up a well thought-out system."

  "Right -- the twin-key principle."

  "Precisely. The only thing He had not anticipated was that some of the wizards were so taken with Aman that they decided to mold Middle Earth in its form and image at any cost; they constitute the White Council. The others, who later formed the Order of the Nazg l, were emphatically opposed: what sane person would destroy his own world to build a bad copy of another one on its ruins? Both sides had their reasons, both sincerely wanted to make the people of Middle Earth happier..."

  "Yeah, I get it."

  "Right. When the White Council and the Nazg l clashed over the future of Middle Earth, both sides quickly found natural allies. We began helping out the dynamic civilizations of Central Middle Earth -- Mordor first and foremost, and Umbar and Khand to some extent -- while the White Council relied on the traditional societies of the North and West, and the Enchanted Forests, of course. At first the Whites were completely sure of a quick victory, since they happened to possess both the Mirror and most of the palant ri when the war broke out. They have, for all intents and purposes, opened Middle Earth to Elvish expansion in order to mobilize all forces of magic against Mordor, both local and foreign. The only thing the white wizards hadn't foreseen was that our way, the way of Freedom and Knowledge, was so attractive that lots of people -- the best in Middle Earth -- came to serve as the magical shield of the Mordorian civilization. One after another they dematerialized under the blows of Western magic, but others took their place. In other words, Haladdin, your peace has been dearly bought. There is no higher price."

  "Why didn't we know any of that?"

  "Because it didn't really concern you. The only reason I mention it now is to ask you to remember that when you join the struggle, you will be fighting for them, too... But this is just sentimental icing on the cake. To make a long story short: the situation was highly unfavorable, but we have managed, at the cost of all those sacrifices, to shield the Mordorian civilization, and it had made it out of the crib. Another fifty, maybe seventy years, and you would have completed the industrial revolution, and then no one would've been able to touch you. From that point on the Elves would've dwelled quietly in their Enchanted Forests, not getting in anyone's way, while the rest of Middle Earth would've by and large gotten onto your path. And so, realizing that they were about to lose the contest, the wizards of the White Council decided on a monstrous move: to unleash a war of total destruction against Mordor, to involve the Elves directly, and to pay them with the Mirror."

  "They paid the Elves with the Mirror?!"

  "Yes. It was absolute madness; the head of the White Council himself, Saruman, a foresighted and prudent man, fought this plan to the last, and quit the Council when it was adopted after all. The Council is now headed by Gandalf, the
architect of the `final solution to the Mordorian problem.'"

  "Wait, which Saruman is that? The king of Isengard?"

  "The same. He formed a temporary alliance with us, since he understood right away what those games with the denizens of the Enchanted Forests mean to Middle Earth. He used to warn the White Council for the longest time: `Using the Elves in our struggle against Mordor is akin to burning down the house to get rid of roaches.' And that's exactly how it came out. Mordor lies in ruins, and the Mirror is in L rien, with the Elvish Queen Galadriel; soon the Elves will brush the White Council away like crumbs off the table and rule Middle Earth as they see fit. Remember I mentioned the law of causality? The main difference between the magical and our worlds is that this law doesn't hold there; or, rather, its sway is very limited. When the Elves figure out the Mirror's properties (which will be difficult even for them, since they've never encountered it before) and understand that it can control the law of causality, they will immediately and forever turn our world into a dirty backwater of Aman."

  "So, this means... there is no way out?" Haladdin asked quietly.

  "There is one. So far, there is. The only way to save Middle Earth is to completely isolate it from the magical world. To do that, Galadriel's Mirror must be destroyed."

  "Can we do it?" the doctor shook his head dubiously.

  "We -- if you mean the Nazg l -- can not. Not any more. But you, Field Medic Second Class Haladdin, can. You, and no other," unearthly cold wafted at him from Sharya-Rana's pointing arm, "are capable of shattering the very foundation of the Elves' magical power and preserving this world as it is."

  Chapter 17

  Silence fell. Stupefied, Haladdin stared at the nazg l, awaiting clarification.

  "Yes, you've heard right, doctor. You see, right now, all across Mordor, hundreds of wonderful people -- including your Sonya -- are carrying out our common task. They fight as guerillas, transport children to safe places, set up secret repositories of knowledge for the future... They risk their lives every hour in the ruins of Barad-Dur, abase themselves in occupation administration, die under torture. They do everything humanly possible, not thinking of themselves and not expecting any gratitude from anyone. But it is up to you, Haladdin -- you alone! -- to determine whether all these sacrifices will be a down payment on a victory or merely an extension of agony. I would love to relieve you of this terrible burden, but I can't. It's yours; so it comes out."

  "No, this has to be some kind of mistake!" He shook his head vigorously in protest.

  "Something got confused somewhere. You say `shatter the Elvish magic', but I don't know the first thing about magic! I have never had any talent for magic; I can't do even the simplest trick -- find a hidden object with a frame."

  "You don't even know how right you are! A complete lack of any magical ability such as yours is incredibly rare and almost impossible. You see, Nature had deprived you of a sword, but gave you a wonderful shield instead: a man who is totally incapable of magic is also totally immune to others' magic. The Elves are in such power now that they can easily wipe out any wizard, but they'll have to deal with you by the rules of the rational world, where your chances are more equal. Plus this tendency of yours towards unpredictable emotional decisions is also no walk in the park... Frankly, the chances of success are very small, but in all other alternatives there are none."

  "But please see that I can't do work that I don't understand!" He was in despair. "That I'll die is not such a big deal, but to doom the efforts of so many people? No, I can't! Besides -- you've just said that Sonya is safe and I can take her to Umbar, and now it seems like she's working for you, too? How so?"

  "Don't worry about Sonya, she's splendid. I saw her in Barad-Dur back then. The city burned for several days straight, the Men of the West couldn't even enter it, and there were numerous people in the basements -- the children, the wounded... She was searching for people under the ruins and did totally impossible things sometimes. You must know she has this gift of absolute fearlessness; she can be afraid for someone else, but never for herself. By the way, have you noticed that women have this gift incomparably more often than men? Understand this: nothing can happen to a person who is not afraid; it is not for naught that her medical squad considers her a living talisman. This is real ancient magic, not some cheap spell, please trust a professional. She is now in one of our hideouts in the Ash Mountains -- thirty-six children and Mama Sonya. That place is as safe as can be."

  "Thank you."

  "Not at all, she's in her rightful place. Listen, Haladdin, I think I've scared you too much with all this talk. Don't look so downcast! Please summon your healthy cynicism and look at this business as a purely scientific, theoretical challenge. A mental exercise, you know -- putting together a puzzle."

  "You should know," Haladdin responded gloomily, "that a scientist won't lift a finger until he's certain that he has all pieces of the puzzle and that it actually has a solution. Searching a dark room for a black cat that's not even there is not for us, that's philosophers' business."

  "I can reassure you that there definitely is a cat in our dark room, the problem is how to catch it. Here, then, is the puzzle. Given: a large magical crystal, code name `Mirror,' located smack in the middle of the Enchanted Forest, in L rien, at Elf Queen Galadriel's. Problem: to destroy said crystal. Care to give it a try?"

  "Parameters of this crystal?" Haladdin joined the game without much desire.

  "Ask away!"

  "Eh... Well, to begin with: shape, size, weight?"

  "It is shaped like a lens. Dimensions: one-and-a-half yards in diameter and a foot thick. Weight: about a thousand pounds, not for one man to lift. Besides, it mostly likely has a metal setting."

  "All right... Mechanical strength?"

  "Absolute, just like that of the palant ri."

  "What do you mean -- `absolute'?"

  "I mean literally absolute -- impossible to break."

  "Whoa! Then how?.."

  "This information," the nazg l's voice was suddenly metallic and officer-like, "is already in your possession, so please work your memory."

  Damn, just what I need... get lost, willya? Wait, what was that he'd said about the Mirror and the palant ri?

  "The Mirror and the palant ri arose as product of separation of the Eternal Fire, so the same Fire would destroy them, right?"

  "Bravo, Haladdin! Precisely so, and in no other manner."

  "Wait a second, where am I supposed to obtain this Eternal Fire?"

  "The entire Orodruin is at your service."

  "Are you kidding? Where's Orodruin and where's L rien?" Sharya-Rana spread his hands: "This is precisely your riddle." Haladdin shook his head. "Yeah, no joke... So: one, sneak into the Elvish capital; two, charm their queen; three, steal a thousand-pound medallion; four, drag it to Orodruin... all right, I won't count lugging it up to the crater as a separate task... and I have how long to do all that?"

  "Three months," the nazg l said drily. "A hundred days, to be precise. If you're not done by the first of August, you can wind up the operation -- it won't help anyone any more." To appease his conscience, Haladdin had actually tried solving the riddle, wracking his mind for two or three minutes -- no way, no how! -- and finally asked in relief: "All right, Sharya- Rana, I give up. What's your solution?"

  "I don't have one," the other replied calmly, turned what used to be a face towards the stars and muttered with a strange sadness: "How time flies... less than an hour left..."

  "What do you mean, you don't have one?" Haladdin finally managed to get out. "Didn't you say that there is a solution?"

  "True, there is, but I don't know what it is. Even if I knew, I would not have been able to divulge it to you, as that would immediately doom the entire enterprise. The rules of this game stipulate that you have to travel this road all by yourself. This doesn't mean that you have to go it alone; you're free to accept any technical help from other people at your discretion, but all the decisions have to be y
ours alone. As for myself, I stand ready to provide any information that can be useful in your mission, but no concrete hints; consider me a sort of an Encyclopedia of Arda, but bear in mind that you have less than an hour."

  "Any information?" Curiosity overcame all his other feelings.

  "Any non-magical information," the nazg l corrected. "Anything your heart desires: mithril technology, Elvish dynasties, the Ring of Power, Mordor's sleeper agents in Minas Tirith and Umbar -- ask away, Haladdin."

  "Wait a minute -- you said `non-magical' and just mentioned the Ring of Power! How so?"

  "Listen," Sharya-Rana remarked in some annoyance, looking at the sky again, "you only have about fifty minutes. Honestly, that stupid business involved no magic and has no bearing on your mission!"

  "That's a concrete hint!"

  "Touch No! All right, if you can spare the time -- listen. It's up to you now to decide what's important and what isn't."

  He regretted his curiosity, as he understood that those memories were rather unpleasant to Sharya-Rana. But the nazg l had already begun his tale, and once again it seemed to Haladdin that the darkness under the cowl hid a ghostly sarcastic grin.