Властелин колец: Две башни
The Stairs of Cirith Ungol
SurelytherewastheLordoftheNineRidersreturnedtoearthtoleadhisghastlyhosttobattle?Here,yeshereindeedwasthehaggardkingwhosecoldhandhadsmittendowntheRing-bearerwithhisdeadlyknife.TheoldwoundthrobbedwithpainandagreatchillspreadtowardsFrodo’sheart.
Evenasthesethoughtspiercedhimwithdreadandheldhimboundaswithaspell,theRiderhaltedsuddenly,rightbeforetheentranceofthebridge,andbehindhimallthehoststoodstill.Therewasapause,adeadsilence.MaybeitwastheRingthatcalledtotheWraith-lord,andforamomenthewastroubled,sensingsomeotherpowerwithinhisvalley.Thiswayandthatturnedthedarkheadhelmedandcrownedwithfear,sweepingtheshadowswithitsunseeneyes.Frodowaited,likeabirdattheapproachofasnake,unabletomove.Andashewaited,hefelt,moreurgentthaneverbefore,thecommandthatheshouldputontheRing.Butgreatasthepressurewas,hefeltnoinclinationnowtoyieldtoit.HeknewthattheRingwouldonlybetrayhim,andthathehadnot,evenifheputiton,thepowertofacetheMorgul-king-notyet.Therewasnolongeranyanswertothatcommandinhisownwill,dismayedbyterrorthoughitwas,andhefeltonlythebeatinguponhimofagreatpowerfromoutside.Ittookhishand,andasFrodowatchedwithhismind,notwillingitbutinsuspense(asifhelookedonsomeoldstoryfaraway),itmovedthehandinchbyinchtowardsthechainuponhisneck.Thenhisownwillstirred;slowlyitforcedthehandback,andsetittofindanotherthing,athinglyinghiddennearhisbreast.
