One Geek to Rule Them All

Into the Wild

"Was that the Black Riders?" Devin asked warily. The sound alone sent shivers down her spine.

"What are they?" Frodo asked. Aragorn looked at them.

"They were once men," he replied, "Great kings of Men. Then Sauron the  Deceiver gave to them nine rings of power. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question. One by one, falling into darkness." Aragorn glanced back out the window as another terrible screech was heard and watched while the Black Riders remounted their black steeds and took off into the night, leaving Bree without their quarry. "Now they are slaves to his will." He looked at the girl and the hobbits again once the wraiths were gone. "They are the Nazgûl, Ringwraiths. Neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the Ring, drawn to the power of the One. They will never stop hunting you."

Despite Aragorn's ominous warning, the hobbits and Devin soon fell asleep again and didn't wake again until they heard a cock crowing rather enthusiastically in the inn-yard. They slowly sat up and began rubbing the sleep from their eyes. Aragorn pushed back the shutters with a clang. The first grey light of day was in the room, and a cold air was coming through the open window. Everyone but Devin started when a strange continuous beeping sound was suddenly heard. Aragorn cast his sharp eyes around the room and realized it was coming from the black rectangular object that a very drowsy Kitty was now pulling out from underneath her pillow. She had set an alarm on her smart-phone before going to bed since that was just about the only thing that could get her up short of an ice cube down the back of her shirt most mornings.

"Alright, I heard you already! Shut up!" she snapped moodily at the odd device as she stabbed at the screen with her index finger, canceling it before she gave in to the urge to throw it against a wall.

"What was that?" Merry asked while the hobbits all stared at her with wide eyes. "This, my dear hobbits, is a smart-phone. A magical device that can be used to do almost anything imaginable from waking you up in the morning to playing all your favorite songs and games. You can even use it to talk to friends and family hundreds of miles away... usually. Unfortunately, there's no cell service out  here." The hobbits blinked while Devin face-palmed and shook her head. What was she doing? What happened to trying to keep a low profile until they could get home?

"So, it's magic? Are you two wizards, then?" Pippin asked.

"No, she's messing with you. It's just a piece of technology from our homeland, a type of machine. There's no magic involved," Devin explained. Besides, there's no way they could be wizards since they were all, without exception, actually Maiar sent to Middle Earth in the form of old men as a way to limit their power. But she was pretty sure the hobbits didn't know that, and they had enough to worry their curly little heads about already. As soon as they were all up and about, Aragorn led the way to the hobbits' bedroom. When they saw its state, they were glad they had taken his advice: the windows had been forced open and were swinging, and the curtains were flapping; the beds were tossed about, and the bolsters left in their places were slashed and flung upon the floor.

"Wow. They must've been pissed after realizing they'd been tricked," Kitty remarked.

Aragorn immediately went to fetch the landlord. Poor Mr. Butterbur looked sleepy and frightened. He had hardly closed his eyes all night (so he said), but he had never heard a sound.

"Never has such a thing happened in my time!" he cried, raising his hands in horror. "Guests unable to sleep in their beds, and good bolsters ruined and all! What are we coming to?"

"Dark times," Aragorn replied. "But for the present, you may be left in peace, when you have gotten rid of us. We will leave at once. Never mind about breakfast—a drink and bite standing will have to do. We shall be packed in a few minutes."