towers

the voice of saruman 763
Yet he fell into the trap, and tried to deal with his victims
piece-meal, while others listened. Then I gave him a last
choice and a fair one: to renounce both Mordor and his
private schemes, and make amends by helping us in our need.
He knows our need, none better. Great service he could have
rendered. But he has chosen to withhold it, and keep the
power of Orthanc. He will not serve, only command. He lives
now in terror of the shadow of Mordor, and yet he still dreams
of riding the storm. Unhappy fool! He will be devoured, if
the power of the East stretches out its arms to Isengard. We
cannot destroy Orthanc from without, but Sauron – who
knows what he can do?’
‘And what if Sauron does not conquer? What will you do
to him?’ asked Pippin.
‘I? Nothing!’ said Gandalf. ‘I will do nothing to him. I do
not wish for mastery. What will become of him? I cannot say.
I grieve that so much that was good now festers in the tower.
Still for us things have not gone badly. Strange are the turns
of fortune! Often does hatred hurt itself ! I guess that, even if
we had entered in, we could have found few treasures in
Orthanc more precious than the thing which Wormtongue
threw down at us.’
A shrill shriek, suddenly cut off, came from an open
window high above.
‘It seems that Saruman thinks so too,’ said Gandalf. ‘Let
us leave them!’
They returned now to the ruins of the gate. Hardly had
they passed out under the arch, when, from among the
shadows of the piled stones where they had stood, Treebeard
and a dozen other Ents came striding up. Aragorn, Gimli
and Legolas gazed at them in wonder.
‘Here are three of my companions, Treebeard,’ said
Gandalf. ‘I have spoken of them, but you have not yet seen
them.’ He named them one by one.
The Old Ent looked at them long and searchingly, and
spoke to them in turn. Last he turned to Legolas. ‘So you