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The Corsairs had left the Elven vessel. Captain Luindal called for those of the crew who were not injured to go in groups of three and check that there were none of the Southrons or their allies hiding yet on the ship. The small patrols swept the Sea-Spirit from stem to stern, reporting back to the Captain, at last, that all was safe and secure.
‘There are a few of the crew with scrapes and bruises,’ one of the Elves reported. ‘Annû, though,’ chimed in his companion, ‘seems quite beat up.’ The Elf grinned, and Luindal looked at him questioningly. ‘He says we should have seen the other fellow!’ The first Elf nodded his head, but added with a note of concern. ‘He waved us off when we asked if he needed a healer to see to him. Said it was just some bruising and nothing to be done about it. Said he’d be fine.’
Luindal organized the crew to clear away the mess made on the deck when the barrels had opened and the Corsairs burst from them. They salvaged what goods they could, stacked the staves of the broken barrels below in the hold for further use, and checked the ship for any damage needing repair. ‘The Corsairs had been in such a hurry to flee that there had not been enough time for them to accomplish any real mischief,’ the crew reported.
The Captain thanked them for their thoroughness then ordered all to attend to their wounds if they had sustained any, take their meal, and rest until the next day. The Sea-Spirit would put into the bay to search beneath the water for the palantiri.
~*~
On the way to his cabin, Luindal found Rôg, crowbar still in hand. The man held it up, grinning. ‘Not only a useful tool, my dear friend,’ Rôg said, waving it in the air, ‘but a useful weapon as well for cracking the heads and knees of Corsairs.’
‘If I didn’t know you better, I would say you enjoyed that encounter,’ the Captain commented, motioning for his friend to accompany him to his quarters.
‘Not enjoyed, really,’ Rôg said, his face now more serious in its demeanor. ‘But there was a certain satisfaction in driving the scum from the ship.’ He entered the cabin as Luindal held open the door. ‘So, the plans we’ve discussed,’ he went on, shoving a few books, maps, and the odd piece of clothing from one of the more comfortable chairs in an effort to find somewhere to plop his tired body. ‘We’ll put them in motion . . . tomorrow . . .?’
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