Kael was somewhat curious about the Ring of Power that Saruman forged but worried that this ring might be like the One Ring, corrupting the heart or causing other problems, so he dared not touch it directly.
Without his staff and Ring of Power, Saruman was like a tiger without teeth or claws. His threat substantially diminished.
Kael wanted to finish Saruman off immediately, but Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond were clearly unwilling.
They had been comrades for thousands of years and still retained some sentiment for Saruman despite his fall and alliance with Sauron. They hoped he could repent and return to the fight against Sauron.
More importantly, Saruman was the only Maia among the five wizards who had proactively come to Middle-earth to help its free peoples resist Sauron and darkness, having made significant contributions and held great standing.
Gandalf believed they had no right to decide Saruman's fate. That judgment belonged to the Valar.
Kael did not press the issue but suggested binding Saruman heavily to prevent escape.
Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel all agreed. Even without staff and ring, Saruman remained powerful and not to be underestimated.
Elrond cast a spell to bring Saruman from the river, and then, together with Gandalf and Galadriel, they used the power of the Three Elven Rings to create a triple unbreakable magical prison, trapping Saruman inside.
During this, Saruman remained sullen and silent without struggle.
Then they prepared to take Saruman back to Isengard.
But then Galadriel's expression grew serious, her sharp gaze turning toward the east.
At the same moment, Gandalf, Elrond, and Saruman in the magical prison looked eastward.
Kael followed their gaze to see the eastern horizon covered by vast black clouds, spreading swiftly like a huge dark curtain toward them.
"Be on guard!" Gandalf drew his sword, his expression vigilant and serious.
Elrond, with his elven sword, stood protectively beside Galadriel, his gaze grave.
The black clouds spread rapidly with fierce momentum, soon reaching the opposite riverbank.
Beneath the clouds were nine black, fearsome flying beasts, slightly smaller than dragons, swirling with dark aura and emanating terrifying power that stirred unease.
At first glance, Kael thought they were dragons, but on closer look, they resembled pterosaurs with huge black wings like bat membranes.
These were powerful evil creatures bred by Sauron, the fell flying beasts of darkness.
Riding on the backs of these fell beasts were the nine Nazgûl, dressed in dark armor, their presence more dreadful, wielding Morgul blades, radiating deadly malice.
As they tried to cross the Entwash River to approach Kael and company, Galadriel raised her slender right hand, as if holding up the sky, her Ring of Water Nenya gleaming brilliantly and forming a vast translucent shield protecting all present, including Smaug and Thorondor.
Countless bolts of lightning struck the shield like sharp arrows, exploding with terrifying force.
For a moment, separated by the Entwash River, it was as if half the world was in darkness and half in daylight.
Galadriel's presence was majestic, her radiant golden and silver hair glimmering with the light of the Two Trees, her voice booming like thunder.
"Nazgûl, servants of Sauron, this is not your domain! Return to your shadowy realm!"
The Nazgûl clearly feared Galadriel but seemed confident in their numbers, hesitating to retreat and instead confronting them across the river.
The head of the Nazgûl, the Witch-king of Angmar, spoke from his hollow black helmet in a curse-like ancient dark tongue.
"We want the White Wizard. Deliver him to us."
"Never!" Gandalf snorted coldly, mounted on his flying broomstick with sword and staff in hand.
"As long as I stand, you shall not cross this river!"
The Witch-king sneered mockingly. "Grey Wizard, you cannot stop us!"
"Is that so? I want to see what evidence you have," Elrond said coldly, chanting an ancient Quenya spell.
The Entwash swelled and surged, forming a towering wall of water between them.
Kael summoned his Patronus, sending it flapping toward the Nazgûl.
The owl Patronus struck with sharp talons, its holy radiance causing the Nazgûl to momentarily falter.
But the Witch-king raised his left hand, unleashing pure dark magic that formed a massive black bat to battle Kael's Patronus.
The black bat was like a dark counterpart to Kael's Patronus, a manifestation of pure evil, opposing light with shadow.
Kael was surprised. This was a dark version of his Patronus magic, a dark guardian!
Gandalf keenly noticed the rings worn by the Nazgûl and said. "They wear Rings of Power!"
Only then did they realize why the Nazgûl had grown so formidable. It was due to the Rings of Power they bore.
These rings were the nine made by Celebrimbor for men, crafted by Celebrimbor under Sauron's deceiving guidance.
Though the Elven rings remained untainted, the nine and seven rings for men and dwarves were corrupted by Sauron's evil power.
The nine kings who wore the Rings of Men became the Nazgûl after falling under Sauron's sway.
Later, as Sauron fully controlled their souls, he reclaimed the rings. Now they were worn again by the Nazgûl.
Though the nine rings' power was less than that of the Elven rings, it still was formidable.
Wearing the rings exponentially increased the Nazgûl's strength.
Suddenly, an evil mental will burst from a space bag near Elrond. Elrond grimaced and threw the bag away.
This bag was once a gift from Kael, for convenience in carrying things.
The bag seemed to be broken from within and immediately tore apart, spilling its contents, including Saruman's palantír.
The palantír rolled before them, inside its crystal orb glowing a massive red vertical eye shining with corrupting evil will. It was Sauron!
Everyone tensed and stepped back warily.
"So we meet again, elves and wizards!" Sauron's eye swept over them, pausing on Kael. His voice was far more dangerous and insidious than Saruman's spell-song.
"Opposing me? What gain is there? Elves, your age is ending, soon replaced by men. The Golden Wood of Lórien will wither, and Rivendell will decline. The elves will fade from this land, forgotten. Is that what you want?
I do not need your cooperation. Elves, you only need to watch, and thus your age will endure forever, your realms safeguarded, and your radiance restored!"
Sauron tempted Galadriel and Elrond, but their resolve was firm. They were unmoved by his words.
Galadriel fixed her gaze on Sauron's eye in the palantír, her aura icy and unyielding.
"Sauron, servant of Morgoth, your honeyed words are nothing but poison. No one can fool us!"
Stepping forward, she radiated sacred light. Her golden and silver hair shimmered with the light of the Two Trees, her eyes starry as she met Sauron eye to eye across the crystal.
Sauron's gaze was blinded by Galadriel's holy light. Unwilling, he faded from the palantír.
Galadriel's light dimmed, and she shook with fatigue. The battle across distance had taken a toll.
"Lady!" Elrond asked with concern.
Galadriel smiled and shook her head to reassure him.
Resolute, she raised the palantír and sealed it with her power to prevent Sauron's reappearance.
Just then, the ground trembled suddenly.
Before anyone could react, a huge maw full of giant teeth burst from beneath their feet, lunging at them.
A giant earthworm!
And an enormous one at that.
Kael's expression changed as he Apparated several times, taking Galadriel and Elrond with him to evade.
Gandalf soared upward on his broom, avoiding the earthworm's strike.
Smaug and Thorondor reacted swiftly and flew upward.
Only Saruman, unable to flee, fell into the earthworm's mouth.
The worm swallowed Saruman whole and disappeared underground, leaving only a massive abyssal hole.
Seeing the gaping hole, Kael and the others grew somber.
They knew Sauron had played a diversion, using the Nazgûl in the sky to split their attention, then personally appearing in the palantír to intimidate them.
But all the while, the earthworm silently approached and whisked Saruman away.
Of course, Kael's group would not believe Saruman dead just because he was swallowed.
After all, Sauron sent the Nazgûl and the earthworm all that way not just to kill Saruman.
They wanted to save him.
Though they wanted to pursue, the depths were the earthworm's domain. Caves might already have collapsed, making pursuit extremely difficult.
They could only watch helplessly as Saruman disappeared underground.
Meanwhile, the Nazgûl on the winged beasts finished their mission, then turned eastward toward Mordor.
Kael and the others saw this and did not pursue. It was futile.
As long as Sauron lived, these Nazgûl would revive no matter how many times they were killed.
The black clouds in the sky dispersed as the Nazgûl left, and the land was bathed in light once more.