Fire and Smoke by Marta

Notes

This story is based on (and takes its title from) a dark moment in the history of Númenor:

Thereafter the fire and smoke went up without ceasing; for the power of Sauron daily increased, and in that temple, with spilling of blood and torment and great wickedness, men made sacrifice to Melkor that he should release them from Death. And most often from among the Faithful they chose their victims; yet never openly on the charge that they would not worship Melkor, the Giver of Freedom, rather was cause sought against them that they hated the King and were his rebels. (“The Akallabêth,” The Silmarillion)

Beyond that, it is inspired by two of my other Númenor-centric works. Most obviously, it is the backstory for the second and third drabbles in my series Of Númenor That Was. Gimilbêth and Sakalzôr are original characters from that series. More generally, I have based the sense of fear in this piece on my vignette Factions.

Christians may recognize Sakalzôr’s “For thine is the kingdom” quote as coming from the Lord’s Prayer, specifically the version said by Catholics and Anglicans. I am not attempting to criticize Christianity or any other religion, but more to highlight how religion could be abused, and probably was under Sauron’s dominion. The fact that Númenorean theology (which I have only hinted at here, by referring to Morgoth as the First) is a corruption of canonical “truth” is irrelevant; Gimilbêth’s and Sakalzôr’s situation would be just as repugnant if the theology was different. I have used Christian phrasing simply because it's what I grew up with, and I want to present Sauron's dark religion as what is "normal" for Sakalzôr.

Beta by Anna Wing, Annmarwalk, and Dawn Felagund. Thanks, ladies!