[maikafanawen]

Devon's head was throbbing when he woke and his tongue felt the coarse fabric of the gag in his mouth. His hands were bound behind him and around the back of a chair. His feet were done likewise to the front legs. He slightly opened one eye to peek at his surroundings.

"The first to wake," an unpleasantly familiar voice said. The ambassador's son opened both eyes wide and gaped up into the face of Captain Doran. He would have spit had the gag not been in his mouth. "Might as well douse them all," the corsair said, gesturing to two men standing to the side of the room which Devon guessed was some sort office or library in the pirate's townhouse.

The taller, sinewy man wearing a sleek black beard streaked with gray dumped the remains of a tumbler of water on Calnan's head and again onto Callath's and Adeline's faces. The three woke, trying to spurt water through their canvas restraints. Doran laughed roughly and leaned back against a table, his arms folded in front of him.

"Un-gag young Master Thrann for me," the captain demanded of the tall man who stood behind Devon. His scarred hands definitely did not attempt any sort of gentleness while he worked. The young man pulled away more than once before the gag was gone and his lip bled from where his teeth had bit down after Jurex has wrenched the canvas from his mouth.

Doran was still smiling with an amused sort of humor that made Devon wonder what he wanted with them.

"Captain Doran," the dark-haired captive began. "I don't know what you want with us but I can assure you that we are disinclined to offer any assistance whatsoever under any sort of torture that would aid your treacherous cause." The captain's expression grew serious and he folded his arms across his chest.

"I see," he said, seeming to contemplate earnestly what Devon had told him. "Well in that case, you shouldn't mind the proposition I've for you." The ambassador's son raised an eyebrow and listened as Doran talked.

"You're a threat to me, Thrann. It's not beneficial at all to me to have someone who knows my plans--or some of them. So after much deliberation, I've thought of a way to solve our problems fairly."

"Pirates are never fair!" Devon blurted angrily. Doran stood with a start and towered over the young man, so that their breath mingled.

"Don't impugn my honor boy!" he yelled. But Devon was surprised to find it a half-hearted effort. Clearly Doran was more focused on whatever he had in mind. Too excited to worry about yelling at Young Thrann.

"What will happen," he continued, "is that I will give you one week to collect as many ships, captains, crewmembers, weapons etcetera that you are able to." He paused and grinned, simply alive with his own cleverness. Such that it was beginning to make Devon nervous and quick glances to his left and right showed him that his friends were also very apprehensive. "Clorac will be with you," he said gesturing to the sinewy man who had woken Calnan, "to make sure that you're not doing anything I wouldn't like such as sending messages off to anyone in Gondor or the like. Everything must come from Umbar, no shipping in from the north. Too risky. After a week is over, Clorac will return to me and let me know if you have met my limits. If you have acquired at least one ship that can carry at least 50 crew members (and holding them), plus one captain (officers are optional) and two mates, then I expect to meet you on the ocean for open combat. Oh yes, and at least twenty six-pound catapults. There we will settle the fate of Umbar. And since I stand by the Code, I will do all that is in my power to leave you and your friends alive at the end." He grinned wickedly, and spread his hands apart. "Of course, I can't make any guarantees." Devon was gritting his teeth and practically snarled at the corsair.

"However, Clorac will not be the only one keeping an eye on you. If you do anything suspiciously unfair, I will be notified and I'll just keep you locked up until my work is complete. Hopefully it will not come to this.

"Once the sea-battle is over, and if I win, you will return to Gondor and let them know that I have, by rights, claimed Umbar for my own. My armada will be standing by to see that no adversaries come to challenge me. The Code is practically legal and though Elessar is a strong man -- he would be unwise to challenge us at a very stable position on this island. My people, if mindset to it, can use this isle to its greatest advantage and it will be quite impossible for it to be retaken.

"If in the unlikely event that you should win. I will take my armada away from Umbar and leave the city in the capable hands of your father. I will vow never to attempt usurpation on the city again and be gone forever." Devon looked skeptically at the captain. He wasn't sure how truthful that was, but in his mind, the young man was all ready working on a plan of counteraction.

"One more thing," the captain added. "I'll be keeping Adeline here with me, just to make sure you don't break any of my rules." The ambassador's son's jaw dropped and he looked incredulously at Doran, any plans of secrecy or deception flying from his mind. Adeline.

"For one who talks about being fair, I don't see where you get off making all the rules!" The captain fixed Devon with a considering look before shrugging and pulling away the folds of his coat to reveal two cutlasses.

"I figure that as long as I have the weapons--I make the rules. Sort of puts me in charge as it were." He smirked and Devon looked at Calnan and Callath, gagged, but their faces showed shock and both fought against the restraints to protest.

"That about does it I think," the captain finished up. "In the morning you'll be sent about your ways and Corac will make sure you follow the rules. I'll see you in week for some good sport." Then, gesturing to the two men behind him, the four were plunged back into darkness, unable even to contemplate what the pirate captain had said.

"Hmm," he said as an afterthought, "I think I'll write it all down. I wonder if any of that survived your jog, Jurex." Then, he took a seat at his desk with pen and parchment as the two henchmen dragged the youths from the room.

"What of Adeline sir?" Corac asked.

"Oh yes, set her up in the guest room why don't you. And see to it she is given no means of escape whatsoever. Now go, I've got to remember what I said..." And Corac left with Adeline tied to her chair in tow, leaving the scratching of quill tip on parchment behind him in Doran's office.