In Darkness Bound by Fiondil

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Chapter 76: A Search for Answers

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76: A Search for Answers

Ingwion paused when he came to another corridor, pondering his options. He had not found his brother in their own suite of rooms. Indeed, they appeared to have been empty for some time, for there was a musty, closed-in smell to them and dust lay thinly on the furniture. There were only two possibilities: either Ingoldo had Ingil somewhere, or his brother was not in the palace. He had been able to ascertain the fact that Indil was missing as well and could only conclude that she and Tam were safely outside the city, at least for now.

He made his way to Valandur’s study, neatly avoiding servants and guards scurrying about. From what he overheard, Ingoldo had recovered enough to order his arrest. He hoped to avoid that fate if at all possible. Valandur appeared to have disappeared also, for his office was empty and when Ingwion went to Valandur and Findis’ apartments, there was no sign of either of them.

So where were they? Obviously, not in the palace. He had searched everywhere he could think of, especially in areas normally not visited by most people — storage areas and cellars and the like — keeping an eye out for guards guarding rooms that did not need it, thinking they might be where Ingoldo was holding his brother and others, but nowhere did he see any such sign. He frowned in concentration. If they were not in the palace, they might be hiding somewhere on the grounds. But no, that would not work. There were precious few places where anyone could hide successfully and not be found eventually. If nothing else, there would be the danger of discovery whenever someone ventured out for food and water or to use a privy.

So, if they weren’t in the palace or anywhere on its grounds, they had to have escaped, but how? And then, he remembered, and he smiled to himself in grim satisfaction.

He moved silently back the way he had come, hoping to reach the hidden room undetected and unmolested. Already he had noticed an increase in the number of guards patrolling the corridors. He had to wait interminable minutes as one patrol passed by his hiding place behind one of the arrases that lined the corridor, trying not to sneeze for the dust that floated around him where he had disturbed it. Obviously, someone was being very lax in their duties. He made a mental note to inform his ammë about it and then grinned to himself at the absurdity of the thought.

At last the patrol passed by and he quickly and quietly made his way back to the storage room, knocking on the wall in the pre-arranged signal. He did not have long to wait before the door was opened and he saw his ammë standing there, an expectant look on her face. Indis was right behind her.

"That was quick," Elindis said. "We did not expect you back so soon."

"Ingil and Valandur are nowhere to be found," he said without preamble. "I don’t think they or Findis are even in the palace."

"Where could they be?" Indis asked.

"There is one place," Ingwion said. "Come. It is no longer safe here. I will take you outside the palace."

"And go where?" Elindis asked.

"To where I suspect we’ll find Ingil and the others," Ingwion said, refusing to elaborate. "There is no time to explain, ammë. Ingoldo has patrols all over the place. We’ll be hard pressed to reach the cloister."

"The cloister!" both ellith exclaimed almost as one.

Ingwion nodded. "Something I remembered from long ago," he said. "Let us go."

He ushered them out of the room, closing the door behind them. No sense giving the location of the secret room away. They might need it again in the future. He led them back towards the stairs they had climbed earlier, down one level and then along another corridor. They walked in silence and Ingwion often stopped to listen before moving on. In a whisper he cautioned the ellith not to speak and to move as silently as possible.

"We will have to move through the servants’ corridors," he informed them. "I hope we can avoid being seen. If not, though, let me handle it."

Both ellith gave him sour looks and he feared an argument, but the reality of their situation brought them around and they nodded, though Ingwion knew that neither ellith was happy about it. As luck would have it, though, they encountered no one, for it appeared that most of the servants had retired. He wasn’t sure how people were keeping time, but he did not care. If this was a period designated for rest it meant that they only had to avoid the patrols and it was possible that even they were not as many as before. Ingoldo must be going mad wondering where they were. He knew that all exits would be guarded — all but one.

It took them several tense minutes to move past the doors of the servants’ rooms and then they were making their way down a service stair to the ground level. From there it was just a matter of minutes before they reached the cloister. Ingwion skirted the bell tower and made for the built-in stone bench on the other side.

"I remember when Atar brought me and Ingalaurë here," he whispered to the ellith. "He showed us something." He paused before the bench, trying to call up a distant memory of when he was quite young. In his mind he saw his Atto reach up to the stone-carved diamond-shaped shield with the royal device on it that graced the wall above the bench, pressing the star in the center. He recalled the sense of amazement as the wall opened in, revealing a dark passage. Copying his atar’s movement, he found the exact center of the star and pressed inward. He heard a gasp from both his ammë and aunt as the wall slowly opened along the right side of the bench.

"I never knew of this," Elindis whispered.

"Nor I," Indis said, her expression unhappy. "It seems Ingwë was keeping secrets from us."

"But not from you," Elindis said, addressing her son, giving him an accusing glare.

Ingwion shrugged. "He said it was a secret only for us ellyn." He gave them a sheepish look. "He made it sound... special."

"Hmph," Elindis said. "Well, when I catch up with him, I’ll tell him exactly what I think of him keeping such a thing from his own wife." And Ingwion had no doubt that his atar would be hearing quite an earful from his wife.

"This passage leads to the outside of the palace," he said, gesturing for them to follow him in. He hunted about for the lantern he was told would be there, but there was no sign of it. The absence of the lantern actually lifted his spirits, though, for it was the first sign that perhaps his brother had come this way. He told the two queens to wait for him and then he silently went back into the palace to hunt for a lantern. He was in luck, for he found a storage closet nearby where several lanterns and candles were stored. Grabbing one of the lanterns and stuffing a number of candles inside his tunic, he returned to the cloister and rejoined his ammë and aunt waiting impatiently for him. "I’ve never been through the tunnel myself," he told them as he lit the lantern, "but Atto said it comes out onto an alley that separates the palace from Lord Lassezel’s townhouse."

"You think Ingalaurë and Valandur left the palace this same way?" Indis asked, as she stepped inside, allowing Ingwion to push the door shut.

"I think it’s a possibility, for there should have been a lantern here but it is gone," Ingwion said. "I’m wondering though why Ingil did not attempt to free you, Ammë. I cannot imagine him knowingly deserting you."

"He may not have had any choice," Elindis said quietly. "Ingoldo moved very quickly it would seem. I almost suspect that he had long planned this, perhaps even as far back as when your atar and I went to Tirion. I only know that after the council that I held, I decided to retire and Indis joined me. It was only when we woke that we discovered the apartment locked from the outside."

"I checked my suite and Ingil’s," Ingwion said as they moved further down the tunnel. "There was no sign that it had been inhabited for a while, and when I checked Valandur and Findis’ apartments, they also seemed abandoned. Is it possible that they got wind of what Ingoldo was doing and escaped, knowing that they could not do anything to succor your release?"

"I wonder how they even knew that Ingoldo was attempting to take the palace?" Indis asked.

Ingwion shrugged. "Valandur has eyes and ears all over the place. I imagine he learned something and may even intended to alert you, Ammë, but was forestalled. Perhaps he decided it would be best to get Ingil out of Ingoldo’s reach. You say Indil and Tam had already left to visit the farms?"

"That is what I suspect," Elindis replied. "Tam thought it best that they go as soon as the council ended, for he anticipated it would take many days for them to visit all the outlying farms. The last I saw of either of them, Indil was heading for her rooms to pack and Tam was assembling a suitable escort for them."

Ingwion nodded, but made no further comment, thinking furiously. If the royal family was out of Ingoldo’s clutches, they might have a chance of rallying the people and regaining the palace, but even so, he knew people would get hurt. None of the citizens had weapons, only the guards carried spears or bows. He wasn’t sure how eager they would be to use them against their own people, though. Perhaps that was where their advantage lay: his ammë could convince them to lay down their weapons. She had the respect and love of the people; Ingoldo did not. First, though, they needed to find Valandur and Ingalaurë.

The tunnel was not straight, but bent to the right and there was a definite downward slope as they left the precipice on which the Ingaran’s palace stood. Finally, they came to a dead-end and Ingwion spent several minutes examining the wall before him, dredging up a half-remembered memory in which his atar was explaining the mechanism that would open the other end of the tunnel. He passed the lantern before him, searching for the telltale... yes... there it was, a hook on which one might hang a lantern. He placed the lantern on the hook and saw that the weight of the lantern pushed the hook down. There was an audible click and the wall swung open.

"Outside," he ordered the ellith. "I will have only seconds in which to get through once I remove the lantern from the hook."

Neither Elindis nor Indis offered any protest but did as commanded. Ingwion lifted the lantern from the hook and then stepped outside even as the wall began closing. Without bothering to wait, he gestured for the ellith to follow him down the alley towards the entrance which opened up onto a pleasant street overlooking a small park.

"Where do you take us, Ingwion?" Elindis asked.

"There’s only one place they would have gone once they left the palace," Ingwion answered. Indis gave him a puzzled look but Elindis suddenly smiled, having understood what her son was saying.

"Then lead us hence, yonya," she said.

Ingwion wasted no time but led them quickly past Lord Lassezel’s townhouse and the townhouses of several other nobles and then by a circuitous route brought them back up the precipice to a square not far from the lower gardens surrounding the palace. There stood the Bowman’s Rest, a popular inn. It was dark, no lights shone from its windows and Ingwion knew that it must be very late, perhaps close to Second Mingling had the Trees been alive. If everyone was asleep....

He shook his head. Worry about it later. If worse came to worst, they would hide in the stables behind the inn until there were signs of life inside. They made their way into the courtyard fronting the inn. Ingwion motiond for Elindis and Indis to stay where they were, handing the lantern to his ammë, while he went to the door. He was just about to knock when it opened abruptly and Ingalaurë was there. Before Ingwion had time to voice his surprise, his brother grabbed him and pushed him inside. Ingwion stumbled in the darkness and felt someone grab him, hissing in his ear to make no sound. A myriad questions threatened to explode from his throat, but Ingwion bit down on his lips to keep himself from speaking. He turned about in the person’s hold to see Ingalaurë ushering in their ammë and aunt. Again, the person holding him warned him against making any noise and then pulled him along. Ingalaurë was leading the two queens.

They made their way across the common room, his guide ably avoiding tables and chairs for all that there was little light by which to see. Then they were walking down a back hall towards an open door from which a faint light emanated. As they entered, Ingwion caught a brief glimpse of a table on which stood a candelabrum, and seated at the table....

"Valandur," Ingwion whispered in surprise at the sight of the ellon. Beside him sat Findis. There were others there, too, but Ingwion had only eyes for the loremaster, who was grinning at him.

"It’s good to see you again, Ingwion," Valandur said.

"How did you know we were coming?" Ingwion asked, turning to his brother, who was bringing in a bemused Elindis and an equally bemused Indis. As soon as the two queens entered, everyone at the table rose and gave them bows and curtsies.

While everyone was greeting the queens, Ingwion took a moment to examine the room and its occupants. The room was a private parlor, one of the larger ones, he thought. Heavy dark drapes hung in front of the room’s single window, blocking the light. Besides Valandur and Findis and Ingalaurë, he saw Indil and Tamurilon there, which did not really surprise him, but what did surprise him were the others who were there: Eccaldamos, Tulcafindel and Marilla, who had been a part of his embassy to Tirion. The ellon who had escorted him turned out to be the innkeeper whom Ingwion remembered was named Arminas. He gave Ingwion a cool stare and a nod, but otherwise did not speak.

It was Valandur who actually answered Ingwion’s question as he gestured for Elindis and Indis to join him at the table. Arminas slipped out while everyone took their seats. Ingwion found himself seated next to Ingalaurë. "We heard from our spies that you had come," the loremaster said. "We feared you would be imprisoned by Ingoldo and we were making plans to free you and your amillë and aunt. Then word came to us that the queens were missing, that the palace was being torn upside down in search of them. I could only conclude that you managed to free them, and if so, you would remember, as Ingil remembered, about the hidden tunnel behind the cloister wall. I had my people keep an eye on the alley. When you three emerged, they sent word to us, and that is why Ingil was waiting at the door."

Ingwion turned to his brother who was grinning widely at him. "So you remembered as I did."

Ingalaurë nodded. "Only at the last minute. I was with Valandur when Eccaldamos alerted us to what was happening. It was he who warned us of Ingoldo’s plans to take over the palace."

Ingwion turned to his former secretary. "I always knew there was more to you than being a good clerk," he said with a smile and the ellon laughed but otherwise did not comment. Ingwion turned to Marilla and Tulcafindil. "I am glad to see you two here as well. How did you escape?"

"They happened to be with me when I got wind of what was happening, so I brought them along," Eccaldamos told him.

"We decided to escape from the palace rather than try to take on Ingoldo just then," Valandur then said.

Ingalaurë cast a chagrined look towards Elindis. "I wanted to try and rescue you, Ammë, but Valandur and Eccaldamos convinced me that it would not be possible and that the best thing was to get me out of the palace. They seem to think I’m important or something."

"You are important," Elindis said firmly, giving her second-born son a fierce hug. "Valandur was wise to get you away." Then she turned her attention to the loremaster. "How is it that you knew of this secret passage when Ingwë never told me about it?"

Valandur gave her a grin. "That’s because it was my idea when Ingwë was designing the palace. I never knew that he did not tell you and I cannot tell you why he withheld that information from you. When you see him, you’ll have to ask."

"And don’t think I won’t," Elindis said with a frustrated huff and there were a few chuckles among them at the queen’s put-out expression.

Ingalaurë turned to his brother. "How did you remember about the passage?"

"I probably wouldn’t have, except that I’d already been thinking of hidden places. When I freed Ammë and Aunt Indis, I took them to our secret hideaway, which I have since learned wasn’t that much of a secret." He gave his ammë a sour look. Elindis smiled back, looking a bit smug. "Anyway, when I figured out you were gone, I tried to think of how you might have managed to leave the palace undetected and I guess that’s when I remembered the passage behind the cloister wall."

Just then, Arminas came back in carrying an overloaded tray of food and drink and Tulcafindil rose and helped him with it. A quiet word from the innkeeper sent the ellon scurrying off and in a matter of minutes he returned with another tray. No one spoke as the food and drinks were distributed. Finally, though, Elindis spoke up, asking the question that was at the forefront of Ingwion’s mind as well.

"What do you know of Ingwë? Where is my husband?"

There were looks of chagrin all around and Valandur sighed. "We have heard nothing of the High King. We know he stopped at Valmar to consult with Lord Manwë. Lady Indis can vouch for that, but that is all we know. I have been unable to even discover if Ingwë ever left the city or if he is still there."

"How did you and Tam come to be here, Indil?" Ingwion asked his sister. "I thought you were both safely outside the city."

"We were," Indil answered, "but Valandur managed to get word to us and we returned. There’s no reason for us to be examining the farms at this point, is there?" She gave them a sour look.

"The farms can keep," Elindis said firmly. "We need to find a way to take back the palace. Ingoldo cannot hope to remain in power. He does not have the goodwill of the people."

"He may have something else, though," Valandur said. All eyes turned to him and he nodded grimly. "He may have Ingwë."

A heavy silence hung over them and Ingwion felt sick, and he suddenly lost his appetite. Pushing away his trencher he scowled. "We need to find Atar. We need him here."

"Where would you look?" Ingalaurë asked.

"Valmar," Ingwion replied. "It’s the last place anyone saw him. If I can get outside the city...."

"Why you?" Ingalaurë demanded. "Why not me?"

"We’re getting ahead of ourselves," Valandur interrupted before Ingwion could voice a retort. "First, let’s pool our knowledge so we have a better idea of what is going on. Ingwion, I would like you to begin by telling us all that happened in Tirion after Ingwë left."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Indil asked, clearly puzzled.

"We need a very clear understanding of what is happening around us," Valandur replied. "I especially want to know about Fëanáro. If Ingoldo is in sympathy with the eldest son of Finwë, as your atar and I have long suspected, he might try to win Fëanáro’s support against Ingwë."

Ingwion shook his head. "You do not need to fear that," Ingwion said with a scowl. He then went on to describe everything that had happened after Ingwë left Tirion. He told of his and Findaráto’s visit to Alqualondë and their discussions with Olwë, though he made no mention of Olwen or his feelings for her. He then described what they found when they returned to Tirion. There were exclamations of shock and surprise when he told how Ñolofinwë and Arafinwë had decided to follow Fëanáro on his mad quest. He went on to tell them about Findaráto and how he, Ingwion, had managed to get word to Amarië and everything that happened afterwards.

"There were rumors about that," Valandur said with a thin smile. "Intarion and Lirulin disappeared and no one knew to where. Ingoldo was rather upset to find his son missing, which I thought odd at the time, because he’s never cared about Intarion one way or the other until now."

"Well, the important thing is that Fëanáro is no longer here," Elindis said. "Therefore, Ingoldo is unlikely to find any support from the Noldor, especially from Anairë and Eärwen."

"And he’s certainly not going to find support from Olwë," Indis chimed in. "My brother is on his own in this."

"And that is what I needed to hear," Valandur said with a nod. "So now we must decide on our next move."

"Our next move is to get the royal family out of Vanyamar," Eccaldamos said, giving Valandur a knowing look. "As long as any of them are in the city, there is the danger of them being taken. Ingoldo may not have the love of the people, but if he has the royal family, he has a bargaining chip."

"You mean, we would be hostages," Ingwion said.

Eccaldamos nodded. A solemn silence settled over them as they thought about the implications of the ellon’s words.

"So, our first task is to get all of you out of here," Valandur said.

"And then what?" Ingalaurë asked. "Where do we go?"

"Ilmarin," Valandur answered. "If you can reach Ilmarin, you will be safe."

"The Valar are not there, though," Ingwion pointed out. "I think they are still in Valmar."

"It makes no difference," Valandur answered. "Get to Ilmarin and claim sanctuary. Even if there is only one Maia in attendance, it will be enough. You will be safe from Ingoldo."

"Valandur is correct," Elindis said. "Little though I like the idea of deserting our people at this time, we need to reach Ilmarin. Word then can be sent to the Valar. They will aid us, I am sure."

Ingwion shook his head. "Maybe, maybe not. They have other things occupying their attention, else they wouldn’t have sent Atar and me to Tirion to stop Fëanáro; they would have done it themselves."

"Well, we’re getting ahead of ourselves again," Valandur said. "Let’s just concentrate on getting all of you out of here and safely in Ilmarin."

"Then what?" Indil asked.

"Then I go in search of Ingwë," Valandur said.

"And why you and not us?" Ingwion demanded, pointing to Ingalaurë to include him in the question.

"You would be safer...."

"I am not going to cower behind the Elder King’s throne while others risk themselves," Ingwion declared hotly.

"Same goes for me," Ingalaurë chimed in with a determined look. "He is, after all, our Atar, not yours."

"If you’re going, then so am I," Indil stated.

"In that case, I’ll just ask Arminas here to throw together a picnic for us and we can all have a jolly good time," Valandur exclaimed, giving them a disgusted look.

Most everyone stared at Valandur in shock. Ingwion had never seen this side of the loremaster before. He noticed, though, that Eccaldamos was attempting to hide a grin and even his ammë did not seem overly upset. He cast a rueful look at his twin who just sat there staring at Valandur as if he’d never seen him before. Ingwion forced himself not to laugh at his brother’s nonplused expression.

"We can worry about who will be doing what later," Indis suddenly remarked, her tone very much like Ingwë’s, which brought them all up short. "The important thing is to get away from here and to a safer place."

"How, though?" Ingalaurë asked. "By now every gate is guarded and while people are allowed to enter and leave the city, I have no doubt that everyone is examined very carefully, especially anyone trying to leave. We’d be recognized if we try to leave by any of the gates."

"Unless you go in disguise," Marilla suggested shyly. She ducked her head in embarrassment when all eyes turned to her.

Ingwion gave her an approving smile and a wink when she happened to glance up. "A disguise might work," he said. "The guards are going to be looking for highborn people dressed accordingly. They’re not going to be looking too closely at farmers and artisans and the like."

"Do you seriously think anyone would expect us to just walk right up to the gate in all our finery and sneak past the guards?" Indil asked with a sneer.

Ingwion blushed but held his ground. "No. They probably are not that stupid, but remember, we’re not all of us recognizable. The captain of the south gate didn’t know who I was. It was only because I recognized one of the other guards who could vouch for me that I was allowed to enter."

"Ingwion has a point," Valandur said. "With the proper disguises and if we time our escape when traffic in and out of the city is the heaviest, we may be able to pull it off. The only other alternative is to lower you by rope over the wall and with the walls manned, the possibility of capture is greater than if we assayed the gate."

"Then find us appropriate disguises," Elindis commanded. "Determine when would be the best time to leave and we’ll go from there."

There were nods all around, but Indis spoke up. "I do have one question." She turned to Ingwion. "How did you know to come here?"

Ingwion gave his aunt a wide grin. "Atar likes to mingle with the common people every once in a while, escape from the confines of the palace and his duties, and spend a couple of hours wandering the city in disguise. Valandur goes with him and they always end up here at this inn for a couple of pints and to listen to the gossip. I just figured this would be the most logical place to look. If no one was here, I would have tried Lord Nolondur’s house. I know he has no love for Ingoldo, so he would have gladly offered us refuge if necessary."

"Isn’t it dangerous, though, our being here?" she asked. "The other patrons...."

"I have temporarily closed the inn for... um... repairs," Arminas said with a knowing smile. "Even my usual staff is not here. There is just me. My wife and children are conveniently visiting her sister who lives in Eldamas."

Indis appeared satisfied with the explanation. Valandur then spoke with Arminas and Eccaldamos about disguises. Tulcafindil and Marilla offered to go out into the city and see if they could learn anything about what was happening in the palace. Arminas offered the queens rooms for their use, which they accepted gratefully and everyone else retired as well. Ingwion found himself alone with his twin in the room they would be sharing. He wanted desperately to speak with him, to catch up on each other’s news, but the excitement of the last several hours and the long trip from Tirion were finally taking their toll. Ingalaurë seemed to sense this and it was he who suggested they get some sleep.

"We can talk later, Brother," he said solicitously. "Right now we should get some rest. There’s no telling when we will next have a chance to sleep."

Ingwion could not argue with that and in minutes they were both lying side-by-side in the large bed and were soon fast asleep.