[Alkanoonion]

******Harad/Umbar******

Seth was not happy. Not only had his master and best friend been hurt in the botched attack on the Corsair ship, but also their only ally had been sent packing with his tail between his legs.

Seth did not understand Urkens motives in sending Herumir home. What would they do without Herumir? He was still needed by his allies.
True Herumir was a drunk with a bad taste for ugly women, but he was a genius when it came to trade and land war. Even if his genius did not extend to matters of sea, his input so far had been invaluable.
What was Urkin thinking? Was removing Herumir part of some strategy contrived to benefit himself, or to just disadvantage his master?

Seth knew his lords mind. Not only would Fuinur be wrathful when he learned of the battles result, he would worry himself over the current situation. With the injuries he gained on the ship, he needed lots of rest to completely recover. However the immediate conditions would worry his friend. They would prevent Fuinur recovering properly. Besides, dealing with a sick or injured king was difficult enough (Irritating was a word Seth would use. Fuinur had always been one to whine), without said king being in a rage.

Hoping he was not overstepping his authority, Seth sent for his local contact in Pelargir, a man called Kurdin. Kurdin was the best spy in the area and as he had strong ties with Harad he could be relied on. The agreed meeting place was a little bar in the back streets of Pelargir. The bar, named the Belrogs Wings, while being in a little used part of the city was still unusually active.

Seth was seated in a dark corner sipping his drink, when a short somewhat stocky man strolled over to the bar. Seth was lucky to spot the entry of the man he had been awaiting. Lucky for the man was only 5 foot 3 in height and with the bar being both crowded and smoky, his diminutive figure receded into the background. A useful trait if you are a spy. Seeing Seth he walked over and settled him-self into a chair that looked as if it would break at any moment. As he motioned a serving girl, Seth examined the man more closely. The man had a non-descript face of light olive skin, short black hair and an unkempt goatee. His grey eyes, with their jovial crows feet were his most striking and only notable feature. It was a type of face that was easy trusted but equally forgettable, another important aspect for spying.

The man looked around. With a visual sweep around the room, he seemed to observe every aspect of it, making a mental note of all who lingered within.
More relaxed now, he ordered a glass of vintage Dorwinion wine, a most potent wine that did not come cheep.
“Living well I see Kurdin. Business must be going well. ” Said Seth. Kurdin laughed and sat back while he slapped his stomach.
“I have been known as a gourmand in the past, and I do enjoy fine wine every now and then”,
“Fine wine indeed” interrupted said Seth “that one bottle alone would have cost a years wages”.
“Yes it is a little pricey. I just cannot seem to stomach the local vintages. They give me wind”
“Well that fine. But I did not send for you to hear all about your bodily Functions. Thank you very much!
“What I want from you, is for you to send word to Herumir.”
“Herumir?, Why? He is on his way back to Harad on Urken's orders”.
“ Yes I know. That is why I want you to stop him. I have the feeling that we may need him later. It would be too late to send for him later as he maybe all the way back to Harad.
“Tell him to make his way with our troops, in secret to Minas Anor. Tell him it is imperative that they remain secreted; find shelter during the day and travel only at night. See if they can steel another boat if they have to but we will need him once we reach Minas Anor”.
With this message Kurdin immediately set out along with a goodly amount of Seth’s money to locate Herumir’s party.

Feeling his money-sack lighter, Seth decided to stop at the Healing house to see how Fuinur was doing.

At the house of healing, Seth checked that his friend was still doing well. He was still sleeping. The wound in Fuinur's thigh had been cleaned and stitched up. The wound had then been bandaged. Such wounds needed to be treated carefully as they would often go putrid from a poisoning of the blood. After examining the wound for him-self, he had always treated his masters wounds in battel, Seth felt more comfortable about his masters state of health. Seth settled into a chair beside his master, and soon drifted off to sleep.
Seth was awoken with a hand on the back of his head. Looking up Seth saw that Fuinur was wake and looking confused.

“How did I get here”?
“Urken and the Mayor Elhorn organised for you to be bought to this house of healing in the port of Pelargir”
“What has happened to my ship and men”?
Seth explained what had happened while Fuinur was unconscious.

Fuinur was furious when he learned that the ship had been destroyed and he swore that the foolish captain was lucky that he was dead and lost at sea because if he were still around Fuinur would have done worse things then kill him. The fool had not even aimed the catapults like he was instructed.

Seth then went on to tell Fuinur that Herumir and his men had been sent back to Harad at the instructions of Urken, but not to worry as he had sent a man to stop them. The dragon was glad that Seth had acted in his stead.

With the king once again mobile the remaining men and supplies were loaded onto the remaining ship.

As expected, Urken had chastised the king for his lack of caution in the handling of the ship, which they desperately needed for the journey to Minas Anor. Fuinur grudgingly accepted the criticism but reminded the priest that he was a warrior not a sailer.