Reaching Isengard and Morder

Around midnight Theoden’s company camped for the evening while Frodo, Sam, and Gollum began moving toward Mordor again. Aragorn noticed a great vapor of smoke. Eomer was sure that Saruman was preparing for their arrival; they thought it had something to do with the Isen River being dry. Gandalf assured them they would know soon enough the next day and urged them to rest.

It was about an hour after midnight when Frodo, Sam, and Gollum felt, for the third time, the fear of a Wraith being near. Gollum was completely undone certain the Wraith’s felt the presence of the Ring. Frodo had to use harsh tones and touching his sword hilt before Gollum would dare to move.

Late in the night the watchmen for Theoden’s camp sounded an alarm. A great darkness on either side of the camp approached. Gandalf urged them all to remain still and draw no weapons. Frightened, they obeyed and the darkness went by sounding like trees were on the move. At the Hornburg men also heard a great noise and dared not leave Helm’s Deep. Indeed, the next day those who had remained at the Deep awoke to a strange sight. The trees in the Deeping-coomb were gone along as were the bodies of the Orcs. A great mound piled with rocks remained. "The Death Down it was called afterwards called, and no grass would grow there" (p. 158, The Two Towers). No man dared to walk that mound. At Theoden’s camp only one other sound was heard that night: water running again through the River Isen.

Meanwhile before dawn broke Frodo, Sam, and Gollum reached the mountains and gates of Mordor. It was impenetrable. The only gate into Mordor was guarded ceaselessly. "None could pass the Teeth of Mordor and not feel their bite, unless they were summoned by Sauron, or knew the secret passwords that would open the Morannon, the black gate of his land" (p. 244, The Two Towers). The Teeth were towers built by Men of Gondor long ago when Sauron had been banished from the land but eventually fell back into the Dark Lord’s hand. Sam and Frodo were greatly dismayed.

Middle-earth timeline: Third Age, 3019, March 5th
Today's reading comes from: The Two Towers, pages 157-158; 242-245