[Marileangorifurnimaluim]

**** Harad/Umbar ****

Gormack filled the doorway to the guardhouse, ducking carefully. He had clipped his forehead on that doorjamb many times. The night was filled with sounds: the crickets and zicadas hummed, while the mournful call of far off night birds startled them into occasional silence. At night, ones ears were a warrior's friends as the world faded in shades of grey. He preferred not to light the torches if it wasn't required. He could see better in the dark without them.

Gormack liked nightwatch, though his wife didn't appreciate it! But she was going to have to be patient this week. While their daughter was ill he'd had to trade all of his shifts, and now it was time to pay up. He could handle a few double shifts. Gormack had left his guard duty outside the counting house, ate the second lunch his wife had packed for him, and then had come straight to work. He'd hoped to catch Gramil before he left, to give news of his daughter, but the kind tradesmaster had been enscounced in his conversation with the owner of the Lion's Den. Gormack shrugged. Later then.

Gormack saluted the current yawning guard on duty, who had few words at this hour and nothing to report.

"Dead corner tonight," the young man (not anyone Gormack knew) winked, "Sleep well."

He slid down the ladder instead of climbing, in this dark. Show off, Gormack thought.

Gormack's favorite post was here on the outskirts of the city, where you perched on the edge of civilization. Wild creatures of the night crept both on the outside of the wall, and in the wine tents of the bazaar behind him. Generally the roaming guard handled anything that stirred up in the tents below. Gormack didn't think they would run into anything they couldn't manage, so he was free to enjoy the night.

Gormack watched the departing guard, noting the man jogged not towards the city, but towards the wine tents. A guard worth his salt noticed such details. No wife then, he supposed.