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littlemanpoet · 10-30-2004, 09:02 AM

They made good time while Amroth's party attempted to heal and regroup, still wandering around the field of battle. Tharonwe did not try to pry into any of their minds. It was unnecessary. The merlocks who had died would feed those who still lived, for days, even weeks - for the merlocks did not care how decayed their food was. It turned Tharonwe's stomach to think of it, and he had endured the disgusting practices of his former servants because they were that which was ready to hand.

Now he had one servant, a human, clearly out of his element, though he tried admirably. Surely the swamp was out of his element, but Tharonwe was thinking of something more all-encompassing. There were images and thoughts lurking in Raefindan's, that is Roy's memory, that were frankly bewildering. There were bright colored carts on wheels that needed no horse, as if they had minds of their own to move here and there; except that humans controlled them from the inside, and they moved as fast as the clouds. Such a device would be quite handy. More so would be the shiny eagle-sized birds these humans made for themselves, that somehow needed no bird to tow them through the sky. And they flew as fast as the Eagles.

There must be something in this Roy's vast storehouse of memory that Tharowne could turn to his purpose, without having to build a huge fortress in which to house the iron furnaces and human-made trolls with arms and grabbers that obeyed the least command of these humans.

And there was something shouting out its absence in Roy's memory.

"Raefindan, there are no Elves where and when you come from."

"They have all gone into the West, I guess."

"No, that cannot be, for as humans of your time and place have learned the west is just one more place in Arda, and the seas have been bent and the Elves sale away from the planes of Arda altogether."

"That way is no longer known among us."

"But not all Elves go that way, and some never shall. I never shall. I care not for it. Where, then, are the Elves?"

"They are no more."

Tharonwe stopped. Could it be true? Could it be that he had no future?

"That cannot be. There must be something you do not know." Tharonwe marched even faster, forcing Roy to stumble to keep up, his feet getting muddy and cold: the water in the swamp was close to turning to ice.

10-30-2004, 09:02 AM	#551
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	Tharonwe They made good time while Amroth's party attempted to heal and regroup, still wandering around the field of battle. Tharonwe did not try to pry into any of their minds. It was unnecessary. The merlocks who had died would feed those who still lived, for days, even weeks - for the merlocks did not care how decayed their food was. It turned Tharonwe's stomach to think of it, and he had endured the disgusting practices of his former servants because they were that which was ready to hand. Now he had one servant, a human, clearly out of his element, though he tried admirably. Surely the swamp was out of his element, but Tharonwe was thinking of something more all-encompassing. There were images and thoughts lurking in Raefindan's, that is Roy's memory, that were frankly bewildering. There were bright colored carts on wheels that needed no horse, as if they had minds of their own to move here and there; except that humans controlled them from the inside, and they moved as fast as the clouds. Such a device would be quite handy. More so would be the shiny eagle-sized birds these humans made for themselves, that somehow needed no bird to tow them through the sky. And they flew as fast as the Eagles. There must be something in this Roy's vast storehouse of memory that Tharowne could turn to his purpose, without having to build a huge fortress in which to house the iron furnaces and human-made trolls with arms and grabbers that obeyed the least command of these humans. And there was something shouting out its absence in Roy's memory. "Raefindan, there are no Elves where and when you come from." "They have all gone into the West, I guess." "No, that cannot be, for as humans of your time and place have learned the west is just one more place in Arda, and the seas have been bent and the Elves sale away from the planes of Arda altogether." "That way is no longer known among us." "But not all Elves go that way, and some never shall. I never shall. I care not for it. Where, then, are the Elves?" "They are no more." Tharonwe stopped. Could it be true? Could it be that he had no future? "That cannot be. There must be something you do not know." Tharonwe marched even faster, forcing Roy to stumble to keep up, his feet getting muddy and cold: the water in the swamp was close to turning to ice.