THRALL

Hi. This is a short story I wrote a while back. It was inspired by J.R.R. Tolkein's The Silmarillion and I use some names and places from that work but the content is my own. I hope you enjoy it and I would love any feedback or constructive criticism.

THRALL

Angband. The Hells of Iron. Fortress of Morgoth the Black Foe of the World. Home. Well home now anyway ever since the Bragollach and my capture. My company was stationed on Ard-Galen within site of Thangorodrim; We were scouts, well more like watchmen, there had been no reason for us to scout for years and then suddenly one night it was like all of hell was loosed and by hell I mean Angband. Great rivers of fire came shooting at us from all directions and the night sky was choked with a gasping dust and every star was snuffed out. There was no warning, no way to prepare. My company and I were among the first taken and we were so few that we stood no chance in fighting the hordes that issued from Angband in the confusion. A few of my men tried to fight off the enemies anyway but they were quickly swept aside and slain by a relentless enemy; Those that remained of my company after the burning and the fighting were bound and gagged by burly creatures that I can only describe as abominations, their hands tore our flesh and cracked our bones or my bones at least by that time I had lost track of my men and didn’t know if they were still with me or not. I was picked up off my feet and taken I didn’t know by whom or to where but I did know that we must have been going toward the source of the great rivers of flame because of the stench and reek that was in the air mingled with the smell of burning flesh. I could hear the clang and clash of battle nearby and I took heart for then I knew that not all my brethren had been taken in the night; Suddenly I felt a dull thud on the back of my head and heard no more.

When I opened my eyes and the feeling came back into my body I wished it hadn’t; I was in so much pain my entire body ached and my head felt like it might explode at any time. I reached up and felt my face and eyes and realized that the bonds and blinder had been removed but I could still see nothing but darkness and had begun to think that whatever struck me and knocked me out had also blinded me. I sat there for a moment in pain and despair not knowing where I was or what had become of my home and family after the battle that must have ensued. I could still faintly smell the burning reek that the fires had caused. I drifted in and out of conciousness for what seemed like days and then I heard the shuffle of feet, many feet. The feet stopped seemingly right in front of me and then I could hear what sounded like the clank of chains and then the creak of a heavy wooden door. Into this place where I had been poured a red and yellow light cast by, presumably, many small fires on the other side of the door; The figure standing in the door way was blurred by the fire and my adjusting eyes that thankfully weren’t blind. All I could make out of the creature was it’s outline it was shorter than the average man and had bowed legs it carried something in it’s hand that seemed to dangle all the way to the floor and drag behind it when it moved. The creature began to speak with a high raspy voice, "Get up you filth!" It yelled; Then with a noise like a crack I realized what it was that the thing carried in it’s hand it was a whip and it bit into my chest; I felt the thickness of it as it sank into my skin and tore through the sinew of my muscles and then I heard myself scream more out of fear than pain. The whip lashed across my body again and again until I finally did what the beast had asked me to do. Once I was on my feet I knew that my legs were weak and there was no chance of running to escape, how long had I been in that room? The monster prodded me out into the hall where two more beasts only of larger size seized me by the arms and half dragged me down the hall all the way the one with the whip used it on my back and I could feel my skin tearing each time the whip made contact the pain finally got to me and I passed out before we reached our destination. I felt my face smack into solid stone and when I turned and looked up I could see the three monsters that had brought me here one of the bigger ones picked me up and threw me into a pile of what felt and smelled like dead bodies of what I didn’t know the three of them then turned and left me there in misery with the smell of rot all around me and then once again I lost conciousness.

When I woke the pile of dead flesh I had been sleeping on was gone and I was on the cold hard stone. Fires were stoked everywhere and the smell of burnt flesh was in the dank air and I was surrounded by those creatures they huddled around the fires and waited for their turn to pull a piece of burnt flesh out of the fire and eat it as if they hadn’t eaten in weeks. I felt my insides churning at the sight of this and I vomited on the floor; The noise of my retching caused a chorus of howls from the monsters and a few of them came toward me. "After all that you must be hungry; Oh look at that you’ve gone and left your food on the floor. Here let me give you a hand." With that the beast reached into a fire nearby and pulled out a piece of manflesh and then using it’s other hand it grabbed my jaw and squeezed until I thought it would break; Once it had forced my mouth open it forced the flesh into my mouth and tried to make me chew it before it slammed me back down to the floor and laughing it turned and walked away. Some of the others that had come over to watch the show then picked me up and carried me away into some other chamber where more fires were being stoked and things were screaming as if they were being slowly killed. The creatures slammed me down on a table that had a strap for each arm and leg and they began to strap me in so tightly that blood trickled out from underneath the straps. As much as I didn’t want to admit it the manflesh had sustained me and I had become more aware and my vision had returned fully. Looking up and down I saw that the straps holding me down came together and formed one rope and the rope had been tied onto the end of a chain and the chain was connected to some kind of wheel and it was like that with my arm and leg straps. The wheels had pegs around the edges of them and those pegs fit inside the links of the chain and if the wheel was to be turned the chain would be fed through under the wheel until it was tight. Suddenly I saw that two of the monsters were standing over me one at each wheel and they had sick grins on their faces showing their sharp blood-stained teeth. The two beasts slowly began to turn the wheels and I could feel my bonds becoming tighter and tighter and I let out one little whimper of pain from the bonds tightness and the beasts began to cackle with laughter and delight. The wheels kept turning and the bonds tightened and the chains were becoming taut once the chains were taut and my limbs were no longer resting on the table but raised slightly above it one of the monsters said "Now your pain will begin; maggot." Then the two turning the wheels with effort turned them a little further and my extremities were pulled tight and the wheels were turned a little further and I could feel the bonds stretching my body all the way down into my stomach my muscles and tendons were screaming. A little further and my left shoulder popped out of it’s socket quickly followed by my right and I screamed like I never have before which only made my captors want more out of me. A little further and I could feel my ribs begin to pop and the bonds cut deeper into my wrists and ankles. The wheels were turned further one last time and the ropes snapped and my body was allowed to drop back into a resting position. I could hear the laughs of those monsters and I found myself wondering what had become of my men and family again and then I heard the cries of what sounded like elves nearby; One tear fell from my face and I passed out.

When I came to I was in what looked like a tunnel lined with various people and races that seemed to be mining for what I didn’t know and then I was hit in the back by the same beast that had whipped me when I woke up in this pit. "Hello again, filth." it said and it threw a shovel at me. "Dig!" When I picked up the shovel I saw that the beast still carried his whip. I fell in line with the other miners and began to dig and the monster went along the lines and beat the miners with his whip; Some of them didn’t even seem to feel it anymore they had been here so long that their backs were callused and scarred. When the creature got to me he whipped me again and again and knowing that some of my strength had returned since my torment I turned while the beast was in mid swing and the whip wrapped around the handle of my shovel and I pulled the creature close drew back my head and smashed it into the monster’s nose completely shattering it. The beast released the whip and fell to the ground yelping; I took the vile thing’s whip and swung it at it’s neck wrapping it around tight. I could hear the creature gasping for breath and his eyes were wide in disbelief; While still holding the monster with the whip I took my shovel and slammed it into the thing’s head again and again and when I looked at it’s broken and bloody face I saw a tear run down it’s cheek and then with the blade of my shovel I took off the creature’s head with one swipe and watched it fall to the floor along with it’s former body. I dropped the whip and shovel and I could hear the beasts that were coming to kill me and when they came into sight I held out my arms and stood still; They ran towards me and the one at the head reaching me first drove it’s scimitar into my stomach and I dropped to my knees and then laid flat. The last thing I heard were the cheers of my fellow thralls; I had been released from my torment.