Once the meal was done, and the table cleared of food and dishes, Veritas brought out the maps they had of the interior of the Isle. Khelek spread his hand across the land and indicated that one of the problems they had not been able to solve was that although they knew the hobbits were to be somewhere on the Isle, they were unsure where they might be hidden.
'Do you know as yet who captures the hobbits and imprisons them here?' asked the elf, leaning over the map.
'No.' replied Veritas. 'We only have the two riddles supplied by the dragon.' She repeated them for the benefit of the elf, who rubbed his chin in thought, and looked once again at the map.
'I think we can assume that whoever first brought them to the island must have been someone who could work in complete confidence that they would not be found by others. That tells me it was probably someone high up in the court, and probably the King himself who had a hand in this. It cannot have been too soon before the fall that they were placed there, since a longer period of time might have insured that others would uncover their presence.' He moved his slender finger to the mountain at the center of the Isle. 'This is one of the places where the King could have hidden a large number of captives. Meneltarma is directly under his supervision. Now I doubt he herded them to the top of the mountain, since both the populace and the Eagles have access to it, and there is really nowhere to hide a large group.' He tapped at the base of the mountain, where the River Siril flowed out from beneath it. 'But here is where he could have put them - beneath the mountain, in the caves that lie just north here of Noirinan, the valley of the tombs of the Kings.'
'Can we take our ship up the river?' asked Veritas, looking at the area.
'Yes, your ship might travel up the river, but it would cause a lot of notice. Especially since you fly the banner of Eärendil - which I might suggest you take down while you are here. I would say we should take my ship up the river. The folk are still accustomed to seeing the elven swan-ships sailing the waters. And it is a smaller craft and much more maneuverable than yours.'
'That sounds like a wise plan.' said Mithadan. 'There is also another reason we should take your craft.' He turned to Kali and Daisy. 'We cannot afford to have you seen by anyone here. So you must stay on the ship, as must Angara. The enmity between the men of Beleriand and dragons will not have vanished in these long years since the battles with Morgoth.' He looked then at Khelek and at Veritas. 'We will also need one of you to stay with the ship and be ready to sail swiftly should the need arise.'
'It's best I stay then.' said Veritas.'Daisy and I can keep the ship in readiness while Angara keeps watch. Kali, Daisy will teach you some of the navigational skills that she has learned, so that you might take over as needed.'
'I also think that once they've gone, you should pull the ship a little farther out to sea to remain unnoticed.' said Ancalimon. I, too, will not be going with you into Númenor. My brief purpose has been served to have you meet with Tulë. Once you are off the ship and it has pulled out farther from land, I need to return quickly to our starting point. There are still some things that I need to share with the captive hobbits in Dorthonion. The Lonely Star can then come back here immediately without me.'
'How long do you think we will be on the Isle?' asked Khelek, calculating what he might need to bring.
'Not long.' replied Tulë. 'Perhaps today and most of tomorrow. We should have seen enough of the territory by then for you to feel comfortable in devising a plan.'
'And what will you do once we are done gathering information and return to the Lonely Star?' asked Mithadan. 'Will you be waiting for us when we return in the future for the rescue?'
The elf fixed him with his sea-grey eyes. 'No, I will not be waiting. I intend to come with you to see this to its end.'
Mithadan sat back in his chair considering the elf's answer. 'Well, then, let's gather what we need and get on our way.'
[ August 17, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]
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Eldest, that’s what I am . . . I knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside.
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