[Ransom]

Barak gently set his teacup on the saucer before pulling a small paper envelope out of a sleeve. Weeks of traveling on empty roads with only silent Mara had left him fairly unprepared for the sheer amount of noise that civilization contained, and the unprecedented amount of noise that always seemed present in a tavern was causing his head to pound. He undid the simple knot that held the container closed and tapped a small amount of a white powder into his tea. Laying the envelope to one side, he stirred the brown liquid with his spoon for a few seconds before taking a sip of the liquid. His brain began to clear almost immediately. Despite the faults of Umbar, she still had the most useful drugs.

Seeing Meneldulinel’s curious expression, he quickly responded, “An herb extract from Gondor. The weather of the Shire does not agree with my southern blood.”

They talked for the better part of two hours, discussing everything from the nuances of traveling to the general culture of the Shire to the quality of the beds in the Green Dragon Inn. Barak began to fidget, wondering where in the world Mara had went. He had no doubt she could protect herself against any criminals this backwater could throw against her, but her tantrums usually lasted half an hour. His mind began to sort through the possibilities, dredging up memories about the past few years she had spent with him. Meneldulinel looked both startled and shocked as he jumped up, overturning his chair. The elf had chosen the chair facing the door, and Mara could probably sneak around in full plate armor. He turned, searching the area near the door. A loud curse and a dull thud told him that Mara had slipped behind him.

Mara was both shorter and thinner than the wood elf, but the elf’s surprise allowed the Gondorian to knock her to the floor. It was fairly clear to Barak that something within her mind had snapped. She hid at least three knives on her body at any given time, but she was making no move to draw them. As the pair rolled across the floor, scattering chairs and scaring hobbits, the knight tried to predict the movements of the two fighters. It looked extremely nasty, but the damage was probably minimal. If he could land a solid blow to Mara’s head, he could probably send her into unconsciousness. Then it would be fairly easy to slip her something to keep her calm. Until then, he did his best to separate the two.

[ March 05, 2003: Message edited by: Ransom ]

[ March 05, 2003: Message edited by: Ransom ]