[piosenniel]

The elf withdrew into the shadows when she heard her name called. There were strange beings which walked the wizard boat and some of them were not what they seemed. She flattened herself behind a large post. and stood there, still as death.

'I know I just saw her,' piped a voice, coming closer. 'Come on, Child, she's just up here a ways,I'm sure.'

Rose and Child crept down the deck quietly, or as quietly as two hobbits can who are discussing a subject. They stopped to get their bearings at the place where they thought they had seen Pio. 'Maybe it was just a ghost.', whispered Rose. 'Maybe it wasn't Pio at all.'

'Hush, Rose, we must keep quiet.' admonished Child. 'We wouldn't want to wake anybody or thing.'

'Well, well, what have we here?', came the oily voice of Pallando, just to the rear of the two. He stepped into a pool of wan light and motioned the two orcs accompanying him to take hold of the hobbits. 'And if reason serves me right it is the very thieves who thought to render me harmless by throwing my staff overboard. Who were you calling to,my lovely captives?'

'No one!' shouted Rose at the wizard. 'And we're no thieves!'

'Then what do you think you were doing when you broke into my cabin and stole something of mine', he asked in a dangerous voice, his eyes holding them like a snake readying for the strike.

'We were tipping the balance to our side, the side of Light and goodness.' said Child, wrenching her arm from the grasp of the orc holding her and stepping in front of Rose.

The orc made as if to strike her down, but Pallando restrained him with a word. 'Bind their hands tightly behind them and bind their feet. Throw them both into the cargo hold. They'll be useful later in some of my experiments. But we can waste no more time on them now. We must return home, and quickly.'

Pio watched as her friends were bound and thrown down into the rank interior of the orc ship. Her hands itched to slay the orcs that touched them with their vile and rough hands. But she was one and they were two. And the object of her pursuit was now making his way to the helm.

She drew close behind him, and watched as he went up to the wheel deck and spoke with the orc at the wheel. The helmsman barked out orders to the crew near him. Adjustments were made to the sails, and the lash was laid on in a faster rhythm to the backs of the rowing orcs.

Pallando descended the stairs, and at the bottom he raised his arms in a dark invocation, calling on the spirit of Melkor and all that was evil to give him power to see his plans accomplished.

Lightning played around the main mast, and a sheet of cold, blue flame flowed over the deck of the ship.

The elf stepped from behind her post and held her knife in both hands - pommel on the left palm and tip grasped between her thumb and first two fingers of her right hand. The electric wind whipped about her; blue flame flowed over her feet. She felt nothing. Her focus narrowed to the target in front of her.

He turned toward her, in surprise, his hands just starting to focus their power at her. She drew back her arm in one liquid, swift motion and let the knife fly of its own accord.

Pallando laughed,'You cannot kill me with an earthly weapon, fool!'Then a look of disbelief spread over his features. The knife buried itself to the hilt in his black heart, like a sea-eagle striking home. And as he drew his last breath in Middle-earth, his dying eyes had a fleeting glance of an Old Man with sea-grey eyes standing just behind the elf.

[ June 21, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]