[Child of the 7th Age]

****Harad/Umbar****
Urken excused himself from Fuinur and went to the rear of the ship. A pigeon was winging in circles high above the mast. Urken put out his arm and the pigeon gracefully came down to perch. The priest unwrapped the tiny message attached to the bird's foot. He could not totally hide the wide smile that appeared on his face.

Fuinur looked on in disbelief. What was the devious man doing now?

Then Urken came back to the king and cleared his throat, "Ahem, we've had a slight change of plans. I know how concerned you are about your vessel. We will be staying in port today. I've had a promise from a skilled shipbuilder to look at the masthead, and see if it could not be fixed within a few days. They have the most talented shipbuilders in the world in this city so perhaps there is hope. Mayor Elhorn has even agreed to underwrite the costs. We should know later today whether or not that repair is possible."

"Perhaps you and your men would want to spend the day touring the bazaars of the city. I understand they have many exotic and wonderful goods. We have driven the men hard since they left Umbar. Perhaps a brief rest is in order."

Fuinur looked at Urken strangely. For a moment, it looked as if he would begin to argue, but what could he say? He had no vessel of his own. And as he was an honorable man, he would not consider stealing that which belonged to Urken.

For this morning at least, their ship was to remain docked in the harbor. Urken seemed amazingly courteous to Fuinur, perhaps too courteous. Meanwhile, Fuinur didn't know whether he should feel like a prisoner or honored guest. He shook his head in dismay. For the moment he had little choice but to follow along, and keep his counsel to himself.

As Fuinur turned and was about to leave the vessel, he caught a glimpse of Urken. The latter was standing on the very edge of the harbor, his robes billowing outward as they caught the wind. On Urken's arm was a magnificent hawk which sat uneasily upon a great leather glove. Several times the bird bated, then settled down to wait. Slowly, Urken undid the beast's hood, and finally his jesses. He thrust his arm towards the heavens and the creature took flight.

As the hawk winged his way across the heavens, the priest cried out strange words totally unknown to Fuinur. Fuinur could only imagine that he used some ancient tongue spoken only by the masters of lore. Almost against his will, Fuinur found himself shudder. He commanded armies and men without number. This priest had only a handful of resources when compared with his own. Yet these words set a gulf between them which even Fuinur and all his wealth could not bridge. What were those words? Something of power surely. But what kind of power, for good or evil, Fuinur did not know.

[ October 20, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]