Prologue

And the dwarfs horrified exclamations with
The Fellowships laughter faded... into
The winds.

But the winds also carried another sound...

A shriek rang out over the swamp, An armored hand spread wide, and eight large beasts thudded to the ground, sinking slightly into the muck. "... We depart..." The wraiths moved forward, selecting the Fellbeast they had themselves trained, in some cases bred. The creature's eyes showed nothing, their rancid breath cloudy in the early morning air. "...Khamul..." The Easterling turned, his eyes aglow. Ji Indur held his ground. "I am the better flier... I shall take him..." Khamuls eyes spat fire, but he handed the king to his fellow wraith. "...Drop him... ... and you will wish you had fallen as well..." The Easterling strode to his mount and gave it a sharp cuff; it shrieked and leapt into the air. "Indur..." The wraith looked down, The witch kings eyes were cold, distracted by an inner battle. "Have they agreed..."
"...They have, we fly for Mt. Doom... you are pleased..." The king nodded, allowing the other to place him ahead on the saddle. "...In our rings... there is just enough of him... it has sustained us..." The beast hissed as it was spurred, leaping to the winds, catching the breeze in its wings. "Should they be merged..." Ji Indur nodded, never had he been as much a sorcerer as the Witch king, but anyone who had studied the craft understood summoning, you needed something to call a spirit back, to call back a servant of Morgoth... you needed a part of that, a piece of flesh, a lingering essence... in their rings... his essence still lingered, melted down into one... The Wraith turned his beasts head to Mordor, joining the others. It was not without peril, they could lose everything... they would fade if they failed... but should they succeed...

"...He had told me... long ago... that we had his presence with us... wherever we go... this, I see now..."
"Unite your rings! And you will reach me! No matter where I should lye..."

"...Years it will take... we will summon back only his spirit... but summon him back... and from the depths of Mt. Doom... the ring must rise... so it was forged, did he not bind it to him with a cry..." It Is Mine! As long as it is here so shall I be! And as long as I dwell here, so shall It!! "... They are the same... one without the other... now, both are gone..."

"...But bring one back..."