[Anguirel]

After the elimination of Azaryan, Sangalazin had approached the man who had struck the deathblow-the man of his own height and proportions, in his own armour-as the other bodyguards were occupied finding and marshalling the Corsair plunderers.

"Well, Lord Chatazrakin, how does it feel to be Master of Corsairs?"

"It feels..." the former Corsair Captain replied, raising his visor, "quite adequate, my royal brother."

"As it should be. You have come into your just desserts, and not before time. Now, we have the morning to spend in celebration and carousal! We celebrate the triumph of the Castamirioni! The revival of the eldest, purest line of Elendil! Come to my quarters, Chatazrakin. I have sweet music...and musicians sweeter still..."

Sangalazin's laugh had always been a pleasant sound, like a dancing brook, an accepting, warming, soothing, enveloping aura of cheerfulness. And ten thousand murders would not change that.

***

But the exultant Chatazrakin and indolent Sangalazin both leapt up in alarm when, a few hours later, they were awoken from their opulent beds with dire news. News that the fleet of the Eldacarioni approached. That Telumehtar was not, after all, as weak as Azaryan had supposed.

Sangalazin quickly sank into despair. In his brief sleep, he had dreamt of nothing but vast waves, rising and falling. He poured himself a goblet of a rare rum from the east, and demanded that his hookah be brought from the adjoining room.

The slave who came with it was not one he had seen before; he had a strange, ruthless beauty about him, hard liar's eyes...Sangalazin gave orders that from now on the slave, named Bahir apparently, would answer to him alone. As Rakin busied himself with preparing the escape of the Corsair vessels, Sangalazin pleased himself below deck, immersed in a slothful, hedonistic world of perfumed smoke, of refreshing wine, and willing, dark flesh.

What he did not know was that Rakin had another unpleasant surprise to deal with-the discovery of the murdered Rohirric musician's strangled cadaver...who in the meantime, with Bahir on hand, he did not miss.