Starchild

by Nuredhel

She was never meant to be there, never meant to exist and yet she did. Pure chance brought her to a world in which her kind was something unheard of, something wonderful or maybe terrible at the same time. But can someone like that find a home where technology is primitive and magic still reigns?

20. Dance of death

Chapter 20: Dance of death

Cekay worked fast, and with determination. She made sure that she got everything she needed from different salesmen and she kept her ears open all the time. Pallando was unrecognizable in his new form, and he was very careful and didn't use any power at all. To everybody he would seem to be a normal human being, a trader from some far off place to the east. CeKay had spent time in the taverns and inns, she was an excellent spy and before long she knew a lot about the ruler and his routines. There was in fact going to be a feast in just a few days and it was just perfect timing.

The feast was to be a very grand one for he was to celebrate that one of his wives had given him yet another son. The daughters he got weren't mentioned ever, they were just something he could use to forge alliances and nothing more. A letter was written and sent by courier to the court, it was a very polite and almost pleading and there were many who did approach the ruler in such a manner to gain a favour or give gifts. That this one salesman had decided to gift the ruler with a very exotic dancer was hopefully something the ones in charge of the feast would notice.

Cekay had bought just the right equipment and she could only hope that her plan would be a success, everything depended upon it. A letter did arrive after just a day, it was written by the ruler's butler and stated that the humble salesman was welcome to present his gift at the feast, he would naturally have to wait outside but the ruler would grant him permission to set up shop there for sure, if the dancer was good that was. Cekay was patient, and she was ready for anything now, her new looks something she hoped would catch the interest of the ruler. She now knew that his name was Afran of Dimesh and he was ruler because his father had been before him. The people did remember the former leader with fondness, the new one not so much so. They praised him in the streets and spat at his name whence in private. Nobody likes to be forced to obey when they don't trust the one they are to obey.

When the day came the entire palace was buzzing with life and noise and nobody did notice that a rather hunched figure came there dragging a heavily veiled slave behind him. Two more men did accompany them. Pallando had hired a couple of guys to be his body guards since a man wealthy enough to give a slave away as a gift had to be wealthy enough to have guards and he also wore clothes which did indicate a very rich background. There was silks and velvet and embroideries but nothing too flashy or outrageous, it was discrete and worn and he did this on purpose. He had to look real, like a tradesman should but not like a man who has too much power and can pose a threat to the ruler's favourites. The court was large, and Cekay was aware of it. There were nobles and powerful chieftains and if the ruler did follow Sauron so would they all. Power was all they were after, and damned be the consequences. Many of them had already started to gather men to build an army and Cekay had noticed that there were many armed warriors in the city. Few of them knew much of who or what they were serving but they followed their leaders without questions for such were their nature and culture.

Cekay had managed to get some information about the feasts too, the nobles were gathered and entertained as they ate and there would be music and plenty of food and drink. The slaves working there would all be veiled and stay in the background, they were not to interfere with anything, just serve and make sure that their masters never ran out of drink of food. She and Pallando stopped by the entrance where they had been told to wait, few did notice them for there were people running around carrying food, pillows and other items needed. Even at this feast there would be discussions about tactics and politics and she knew why the wine there was so strong, it would make it easier for the leader to influence the others and make them bow to his will. Or rather, the will of Alatar.

They had to wait for a while, music could be heard, cheering too and Cekay felt eager, but not nervous at all. The door opened and a sourly looking man with a thin goatee and greasy hair showed his face. He wore some robes so filled with gold and silver threat it had to work like an armour and he had enough rings on his fingers to start a jewellery store all on his own. He squinted. "Habaddar?"

Pallando did bow, very deeply. His new looks were perfect for he looked like someone from the ethnical group common to the east of the city and his accent was also carefully constructed to show that he was from some far away location. "Yes, yes my lord, it is me"

The man stared at the veiled slave behind the tradesman, she looked tall and subdued and he grunted. "Come, she better be as good as you claimed she is"

Habaddar nodded eagerly. "Oh she is, she is. Skilled as the best of temple dancers, lovely as a spring morning"

They entered and followed the man through the corridors, there were people everywhere and everyone was busy, the ruckus of the party was rather overwhelming. Cekay could sense Alatar, he was there and now she had to be very careful and not reveal too much. She had to create chaos, destroy his plans and change his priorities. Pallando was relatively safe since he was so diminished, and he wouldn't even be allowed into the room so he would be able to get away unnoticed. The butler stopped and Habaddar bowed again. He had attached a thin gold chain to one of Cekay's bracelets and now he did remove it. "She is ready"

The butler stared. "Remove the veils"

Cekay obeyed, she pulled the veils off with slow movements and the butler stared. She had learned what type of women men in these parts desired, not the skinny and thin ones but ladies with curves and volume. So she had created just that, a form in which she had a body most would describe as full figured. Wide hips, a firm and yet wide ass, large heavy breasts and skin like dark cream. She had changed her hair into pitch black and curly and long and her eyes were brown. She had even put on makeup and with body paint and a flimsy dancer's outfit she did really look the part. The butler did lick his lips. "You are right, she is perfection. Our great and gentle ruler will most certainly adore her"

Cekay kept her eyes to the floor and followed the butler towards the hall, she had to keep the attention of everybody there and she was sure she wouldn't have any problems doing that at all. The butler did announce that he was to present a gift for the mighty master from a humble tradesman and that there would be dance. The men there cheered and some musicians started playing a rather melodic tune with a clear rhythm. It was classic dance music in these parts and Cekay had to remember the many times she had witnessed dance in the places she had visited. In some cases it would have convinced a human being that it was a serious attempt at bringing down the house, not dance at all.

She felt the rhythm and let herself slide forth, with tiny steps. She stopped in the middle of the floor and threw her head back, with the make up her eyes looked enormous and dark and she already knew that the ruler liked busty women. She started swaying, moving her hips and arms, snaking around to the music as if she was liquid and the crowd was mesmerized by the sight. To them she was a beauty and the dance was rather risqué too, made to arouse. The ruler sat there clenching the glass he was holding in a death grip, eyes wide. Cekay had already found Alatar, he sat behind the king, a seemingly ordinary elderly chap with long beard and a boring outfit. He looked like an advisor and also like a man who really didn't want to be there. He didn't offer her a glance, instead he was keeping an eye on the men there and Cekay was glad. She danced on, and the musicians did change the rhythm every now and then to keep it interesting, She excelled in this, there was no doubt about that and nobody could take their eyes away from her.

The ruler was a man in his mid thirties, but he looked older, worn out in some way. He was rather fat and didn't seem to take very good care of himself in any manner. She saw that the servants were ready behind him with several flagons of wine and she could smell it from a distance. He was already very ill due to all the alcohol he did ingest. She released some nanites with every swirl of her skirt and swing of her arm, not many, but enough for the job to done, and discretely.

She felt that Alatar had a good grip on each and every one of the men there, he had bought some, threatened others and some had more or less volunteered. But they were all toughened people who were proud and followed a rather strict code of conduct when it came to honour. After a while the music did die down and she stopped and bowed deeply, Afran was seemingly overwhelmed by her appearance and stared at her with obvious lust. Cekay allowed a servant to lead her away from the dance floor, she had gathered the knowledge she needed now. If Alatar was to be stopped it had to be soon, before the belief that Sauron was their true leader was getting too widespread.

The servant took her to the ruler's harem where she was placed in a room and a couple of handmaids came to wash her and check her over. Cekay didn't protest to anything, she allowed them to manhandle her and she pretended to be rather dumb, just pretty. The nanites would make themselves useful long before the ruler would have time to demand her brought to him. it was a good thing that Alatar was unfamiliar with such technology.

The servants brought her some wine and food and she ate, being deliberately messy. She wanted to give the impression that she was primitive and below them all. The feast ended, she could hear it from afar and the palace fell quiet, or as quiet as it could be there. She pretended to lay down on the couch to rest, and she heard that the other women there were talking and discussing this new arrival. Few of them did express any jealousy though, more a sort of pity and she realized that nobody could hope to stay in the rulers favour for very long. He got tired of his women rather fast and abandoned them in a frightening tempo.

She was waiting, seemingly asleep and then there was some ruckus in the corridors, people running, voices calling out. She pretended not to even notice the sounds, she slept on and after a little there was a lot of running and shouting. She got up and the women there gathered, they looked nervous. Cekay was sitting there trying to look confused and some servant entered and shooed them all into the back room of the harem. Cekay pretended to know the language but just a little and she asked what was happening, with a rather quivering voice. The servant stared at her, he was a bit pale. "Our great and noble leader is dead"

The women there wailed. "Dead?"

The man nodded. "He went to bed to rest a bit and his nose started to bleed and it wouldn't stop"

The women stared at each other. "How can that kill a strong man like our master?"

The servant shuddered. "I don't know, you will learn more later. Stay here!"

He did close the door and Cekay hid her grin. The nanites had done their job in a most excellent fashion, nobody would suspect foul play. The women calmed down but were nervous, what would happen now?

After a while they were allowed back to their rooms and servants ran around, Cekay sat down on the couch and she listened. Her ears could pick up conversations from afar and she heard Alatar, he had a rather raspy shrill voice and he was angry and confused but not shocked. He had of course known that Afran had a rather frail health due to his lifestyle and with the amount he had been drinking it was no surprise there but it wasn't very welcome still. Now Alatar would have to find someone else who could rule and make sure that this region was devoted to his dark lord. Afran had sons but none old enough to rule and they were all too immature to make any decisions at all. The only solution was to choose one of Afran's nobles and he had quite a list to choose from. Some were more influential and powerful than others but the maia knew that this alone was far from enough. He had to get hold of a man who was ruthless, who saw power as the ultimate goal and had no problems being a cutthroat, even if it did involve his own family.

Cekay stayed where she was, the servants were waiting for orders and for once a woman was in control. Afran's mother was still alive and she was in charge of the harem, it was tradition and nobody did dare to push her buttons for she was a formidable lady with an iron will. Cekay could sense that she hated Alatar, he had taken her place and she wanted him gone but there was little she could do to achieve this. Cekay was rather sure of what would happen next. There were quite a few of the women there Afran had bought without asking for his mother's advice and now they were removed from the harem, one by one. Cekay was one of them, and she got to see the inside of a slave market first hand. Pallando had waited, he did buy her back for an insane amount of money and now they could only wait. Alatar had to be left with very few candidates.

Cekay had done thorough research, there were in reality just four men from the court who could be used as new rulers. All were above their first youth, rather cunning and smart and yet not too cunning. Alatar would want to be able to manipulate them and a man who is too smart and sure of himself will not be easily corrupted. They were proud and also used to control others and these were traits the maia would be after. If he was to gain followers for Sauron they ought to be useable, not idiots. Cekay and Pallando had moved to an inn near the outskirts of the city. Now Cekay looked like a young man, and Pallando could be the father and they were horse traders.

The first of the four died suddenly a week after Afran's untimely death, he choked on a piece of bread. There were several there who did witness the incident and it was no doubt that it was an accident. Alatar probably cursed the valar but there was nothing he could do about it. Cekay was sly, she had immediately seen which of the four who were the best candidate and now she started a rather slow and dangerous dance indeed. The men died, one after the other, a fall from a spooked horse, a case of death due to stroke. The last man standing was Alatar's favourite candidate and now he didn't waste any time at all but pulled the strings to make this guy his new tool. Hemrem was a man who saw himself as above and beyond everybody else, and the words Alatar spoke to him of the power Sauron offered was tempting indeed. Alatar was smart enough to present his ideas as mere suggestions, mentioned almost as footnotes. A man like Hemrem couldn't be handled with anything but the outmost finesse for he would rebel and protest if he even for a second believed that he was being coaxed into doing something. It had to come from himself. Hemrem proved to be a perfect pawn, just proud and selfish enough to be unable to see that he was being manipulated and he quickly made changed which ensured that Alatar could spread the word of Sauron rather quickly. The man had weaknesses, in fact plenty of them and Alatar made sure that his every whim was being obeyed, that his every desire fulfilled. Hemrem probably believed that the Gods had wanted him in special to lead, and Alatar allowed him to believe it too. He stoked the fire all the time and made sure that Hemrem never doubted that Sauron was the true lord and the one he ought to thank for his success.

Cekay spent much time at the palace now. She had gotten a job there looking after the horses and even though she was just a lowly servant now she used her ears and eyes for all they were worth. Alatar was constantly alert, and he never relaxed. He seemed to have forgotten about his former friend and kinsman and he used his own powers to manipulate many. Cekay knew that she couldn't attack him, she had no idea of what he could do to her or her to him for that matter. Maiar were after all energy beings and he was very strong now, having stolen so much power from Pallando. So she did what she had to do, she went into the desert and there she expanded her mind and sought advice from the land in the west. Eonwe was the one who could be reached in this manner and she did manage to catch his attention. The situation did call for it, she needed help with this one. She had changed in so many ways since she arrived on this world, before she would have charged without hesitation but now she wasn't too proud to ask for help.

It took all night, but he did arrive, flying in with one of the eagles, landing in the sand behind some hills where it couldn't be spotted. He had shielded himself and she bowed her head in respect. He looked a bit surprised. "I must say I hadn't expected you to contact me again"

Cekay smiled. "I think you have seen that your lords have a plan on how to deal with Sauron, let's just say that it isn't going the way they imagined"

Eonwë sighed and lowered his head. "Oh I see, the two blue wizards right?"

Cekay nodded slowly. "Yes, Alatar has gone rouge, he works for Sauron now"

Eonwë rubbed the bridge of his nose, it was odd seeing such a powerful being using such human gestures. "I am unfortunately not surprised. He was always a little too fond of power, and way too easy to lead."

Cekay waited, it was obvious that the herald of Manwë had something more to say, he had an expression as if he had been sucking on a particularly sour lemon. "He isn't the only one I fear, I have a feeling that there is yet another among the five who has switched side"

Cekay frowned. "Who?"

Eonwë looked tired. "Curumo, better known as Saruman. He is the leader of the group and ought to be the most wise and less corruptible among them"

She stared at the tall maia, he had an expression of slight disgust on his face still. "What makes you say that?"

The maia shrugged. "He is a very elusive one, and he was given very specific orders but he has strayed away from them."

She lowered her gaze. "It could be that he simply has to deal with changes in the situation the orders didn't foresee?"

Eonwë sighed. "Could be, but I have always had a feeling that he wasn't quite honest, he has always been too proud of himself and way too stubborn. The others try to convince me that he is a very good leader and that he is just using his wisdom to avoid danger. I think they are too naïve"

Cekay felt a need to roll her eyes "As if that is something new? I believe you. But before we discuss him we have to deal with Alatar here. He is using the people of this region to build an army for Sauron, he is going to turn everybody around sooner or later"

Eonwë sighed again, his eyes were sharp as always but there was sorrow within them. "Yes, let us deal with the situation here first"

Cekay sat down on a rock and Eonwë made a gesture, the great eagle took off again and flew off, he changed his appearance right in front of her. Now he did look like a desert dweller, covered with thick robes and veils and it was all worn and dusty. He sat down too. "So, he has turned, what about Pallando?"

Cekay made a grimace. "He was captured by Alatar, and turned into something very weak and defenceless, almost like an aging human. Alatar took all his power"

Eonwë cocked his head, the eyes got even sharper. "And you set him free?"

Cekay nodded. "Yes, I had to. I couldn't leave him hanging, quite literally."

The maia bit his lower lip. "Is there any chance that Alatar will discover that he is gone?"

Cekay shrugged. "I doubt it? Unless of course he starts to suspect that somebody is working against him that is?"

Eonwë did not look happy at all. "Right, I fear that he will. There is nobody out here who is a threat to him as far as he knows right? So it has to be Pallando, if something goes wrong. "

Cekay made a new grimace, rather nasty. "Do tell me, if a maia dies, does he leave a body behind?"

Eonwë was obviously thinking. "Ah yes? It is just a shell after all and we can reshape ourselves but the body will be left behind yes, if it can no longer house our fëa?"

Cekay cursed. "Damnations, okay, I have to get a body then, to replace him. That shouldn't be too hard, I can create something pretty convincing pretty fast"

Eonwë smiled, he was impressed, she could sense it. "Then do it, before we do anything at all"

Cekay mumbled to herself, she hadn't expected to create a corpse but whatever, it was needed. "We need to get into the city first, I know the way and I can get there unseen"

Eonwë looked at her with something akin to admiration. "I still say you are a deity, whatever you say you are"

They walked on, to everybody else they looked like two ordinary citizens and Cekay had brought some rope so she looked like a person looking for a runaway horse or something like that. Eonwë followed straight behind, he was grinning. "I haven't really done anything useful for a very long time"

She grinned back. "Then it is about time"

They found the inn where Cekay and Pallando was staying and the messenger was rather shocked by Pallando's appearance and his obviously diminished state. He was barely any stronger than a mere mortal and his powers almost non existent. Cekay had to leave to fix the little problem with the missing body, she hurried through the streets and went into camouflage mode near the palace. Sneaking back inn was easy now, she knew the way and the cell was just as dark and abandoned as before. Nobody had been there. She used the very dust to create a very believable corpse, emaciated and bone dry like a mummy, complete with cobwebs and all. It was a ghastly sight and almost funny too, why not go all the way when she could? If anybody went down there to check on the prisoner they would get the shock of a lifetime for sure.

She told the two of the mummy she had created and Pallando had to laugh. "I doubt that he goes down there in person, he would send someone for sure"

Eonwë was obviously thinking hard. "He did drain you of your powers? How did he do that?"

Pallando seemed to shrink a bit, from sheer embarrassment. "Trickery, what do you think? I trusted him, even when I thought he had started to act in an odd manner I didn't even for a moment believe that he would throw away his oaths and his service to the valar."

Cekay sat down on the bed, she had created a sort of pocket around them so nobody could hear what they were saying, If somebody decided to eaves drop upon them all they would hear would be a heated discussion about the price of some bales of supposedly bad wool and a horse which had turned out to be lame. "What trickery did he use?"

Pallando looked almost apologetic. "You know of the feud within the royal house of the Noldor elves? And the great but oh so mad Fëanor?"

Cekay nodded. "Yes, of course?"

Pallando looked down. "That elf was a genius in more ways than one and he made lamps you see, that never went out. They were made from some sort of crystal, like his silmarilli but not as gorgeous or as powerful"

Eonwë looked upon the other maia with shock. "Did he bring a feanorian lamp to Ennorath?!"

Pallando shook his head. "No, he bought one. Probably one left behind after the war of wrath, there was all sorts of artefacts on the market, believe me. It could have been part of goods pillaged from Ost in Edhil or something, but the fact is, he got it and I didn't think anything about it. It gave light right, and it was pretty and also very pricey. People thought it was magical after all"

Eonwë was intense. "Tell me, what did he do?"

Pallando took a deep breath. "He broke the lamp, took out the crystal and used it to suck the very strength out of me. I didn't have time to do anything, one moment I was standing there reading a scroll and the next I was on the floor, weak as a new born foal"

Eonwë swore. "I was afraid of something like that, Eru be damned for having created something so devious"

Cekay understood, she understood very well. Crystals can harbour a lot of energy and information and Alatar had to have come up with a way to use that to his benefit. She doubted that Fëanor ever thought about the possibility of his lamps being turned into weapons but it was real, there was no doubt about it. Eonwë swallowed. "So, what do we do?"

Cekay crossed her legs. "Right, he has used the power he took from Pallando to strengthen himself, and he is very ambitious now. He has gained control of the local tribes and is well on his way to convert everybody into his worship of Sauron"

Eonwë made a grimace again, "Ach, Mairon, he was never one I liked, too slick, too eager to please and way way too vain"

Cekay had to grin. "I see, but we have to be smart now, and I think we have to think the same way as Alatar did. He won't expect the same trick used against him"

Eonwë cocked his head and looked rather peculiar that way, he did remind Cekay of a curious hawk somehow. "Do we have the means to do that?"

Cekay sighed. "I can create something which may lure him inn, but we cannot hesitate and we cannot allow him even a second of respite, he has to go down and do it in one go. Can you do that?"

Eonwë nodded. "Yes, I think so, if I get a chance to prepare first"

Pallando made a grimace. "You were stronger than he is, but now…I am not so sure anymore?"

Eonwë nodded. "That just confirms it, we cannot hesitate, not even for a second, Cekay, can you truly make something able to draw him out?"

She closed her eyes, searched through her memory banks. "Yes, I think I have just the right thing, just give me some hours"

Pallando's eyes got huge. "That fast?"

Cekay grinned. "No point in hesitating now is it? "

She got up. "I need to go shopping, there are a few things I need first"

Eonwë shrugged. "Alright, we'll be waiting here then"

Cekay threw a cloak around herself and changed her appearance again, now she did look like a young nomad from some of the local tribes. She got some money and walked into the streets. There was one thing she needed now and she was sure to find it rather fast. There were salesmen everywhere and she used her eyes and found what she wanted rather fast. Then she changed again so she looked like some wealthy foreigner and bought some other objects which were way more pricey. She returned to the inn and made her way to the basement, what she was about to do was tricky at best and demanded that she focused completely. She had bought some lumps of coal and several gems of good quality and colour.

She placed the gems tightly together, then she put the coal all around them and focused. She put her hands around the whole heap of rocks and now she was glad this was a culture which wasn't technologically advanced for the heat she had to create now would have made every sensor imaginable go haywire on a ship. She moulded the gems together into one massive one, then she forced the coal to become its purest form possible, pure diamond. When she was done the ground underneath her was glowing and an acrid smell of burned soil. Her creation was glowing still, it would need some time to cool down but already now one could see that it was something rather special. The diamond had formed a shield around the other gems and it made the gem glow from within with a light which was amazing. The whole thing was of course radioactive as fuck but that didn't matter. It wouldn't be exposed to ordinary people for that long.

She waited for a while, then she used her nanites to shape it, now it was exquisite, and if a gem expert had seen it he or she would have been beside themselves with awe. To a person unaware this thing could easily have been a silmarill and she grinned as she picked it up. It was oozing with power, a power so strong there was no way Alatar didn't pick it up. She walked upstairs and Eonwë and Pallando were ready, together they left the inn and walked off into the desert. The gem was glowing and Eonwë stared at it with narrow eyes. "I would say that this thing is prettier than almost anything else I have seen. But it doesn't beat the silmarilli, not by far"

Cekay nodded. "Isnt meant to be, it is made to be a prison."

Pallando frowned. "Really?"

Cekay bared her teeth. "Yes, just you wait and see"

Alatar had of course noticed the sudden burst of power, it felt odd, alien and vague but it was there and for a second he did fear that it was Pallando that somehow had managed to escape. He sent a servant down to the dungeons to check and the man returned somewhat pale and said that the prisoner had perished, quite a while ago judging by the state of the corpse. Alatar was a bit surprised, but then again, he had drained the other maia thoroughly and that the hroa gave out wasn't really that much of a shock, he would probably tell Mandos everything when he arrived there but who cared? The valar didn't bother with middle earth after all. No, he was safe, but what was this strange magic he sensed? It was tempting, and he decided that he needed to go and check it out.

He left the palace and cursed the fact that he was bound to a hroa, it wasn't anything he could avoid now. He walked off and after a long time he felt that he was getting closer. There was something there, something very magical indeed. The mighty usually have one specific weakness, they are arrogant. In his mind there were nothing he needed to fear and he walked forth with great confidence. The magic came from a small cave and he was so utterly focused on what he felt that he didn't hesitate. There was a sort of altar placed there and on it…Alatar had never seen the silmarilli, he had however imagined that they would look somewhat like this. There was a figure kneeling in front of the altar, covered with cloaks. He saw that it had to be a woman, probably from the local tribes since they covered up completely. There was a sort of nett covering the eyes and he almost snorted. Of course such primitive beings would worship a gem like that, what did they understand of the world? He used his power to throw her aside like a ragdoll and didn't even look at her afterwards.

Cekay had covered up completely, she wasn't magical so Alatar wouldn't feel anything out of the ordinary when she was around. Eonwë and Pallando had been shielded by her, they were covered with a layer of nanites and it made them look like a part of the cave wall. Cekay didn't move, she was pretending to have been knocked out and Alatar walked up to the altar and grasped the gem. Which was just what she had hoped that he would do. The gem had been given some rather special abilities when she forged it, the maia grasped onto it and found that he couldn't let go. His hands were as glued to the thing and the heat from it did hurt his hands. Alatar wasn't used to pain, to him it was an alien concept and he struggled.

Eonwë slid forth from the wall and now he didn't bother with hiding his true self, he was glowing, as radiant as a star and Alatar saw him and squeaked. He couldn't break free from the gem and Eonwë carried a sword and looked absolutely murderous. Alatar screamed a spell but it had no effect? The gem was sucking, and pulling and he didn't understand. It felt as if it was drawing him inn. Cekay got up, she released a cloud of nanites and they went to work on the maia. The gem couldn't pull him inn when he was a physical being, but his fëa? That was another thing altogether and Alatar started to dissolve before their very eyes. The body was rapidly being transformed to bloody mist and he screamed. He didn't understand, what being has such powers? He tried to call for his dark master but if Sauron heard he probably didn't care. The spells he did utter fell dead to the ground and Cekay allowed Pallando to step forth, he was grinning. The power Alatar had stolen was returned to him and he started to glow again, his maia self restored.

Pallando's power and fëa was sucked into the gem and now it turned black and opaque. It was glowing within still, an almost ominous glow of dark red. Eonwë stared at Cekay. "Is it safe?"

She nodded. "It is, it has become his prison now, only Manwë can free him and I doubt that he will. You can tell your master that Alatar became utterly corrupted, he ought to be tossed into the void, as did Melkor"

Eonwë grasped the gem and made a grimace. "It is still pretty"

Cekay shook her head. "Not when you know what it is harbouring"

Pallando was smiling. "I am myself again, thank you!"

Cekay smiled back. "You are most welcome."

Eonwë focused and called for the great eagle. "So, what now?"

Cekay shrugged. "I have to undo the damage Alatar did, many do worship Sauron now, I have to make them change their priorities, and I want to eradicate as much of his influence as possible. I would have loved to have a go at him but I fear that he may be too cunning"

Eonwë nodded. "Wait, I am sure that there will be a moment in time when he is weakened, and vulnerable"

Cekay tilted her head. "Yes, I am counting on it. It will come, sooner or later"

Pallando took a deep breath. "I will stay here, I haven't abandoned my oaths, I will help Cekay fight Sauron's followers"

Eonwë took a deep breath. "Good, but considering what you have been through the others would welcome you back home?"

Pallando smiled widely, he looked a million times better. "I know, but I have gotten a taste for it now you know, the subtleties and subterfuge."

Eonwë laughed. "As long as you don't become as devious as the dark one."

A great shadow could be seen, the eagle went down to land and Eonwë turned to Cekay. "I wish you luck sister, you are our eyes and ears here and I wish I could praise you and your courage back in Aman but unfortunately…"

She waved a hand. "Believe me, I don't really care. I am happy to do my part. Farewell, and have a safe flight"

The eagle stared at her with an expression which said it all. It was almost a bit offended that she would ever doubt its ability to keep his passenger safe.

Eonwë climbed on board and the eagle took off with a shriek and Pallando stared after the bird until it was impossible to see it. He turned to Cekay. "It was good seeing him again, but I know my job is here, Aman may be peaceful but I wouldn't do much good there. So, what is next?"

Cekay grinned, her eyes were shining. "Now we return to the city and make the life of the new ruler a living hell, he'll regret he ever accepted being Sauron's boot licker"

Pallando laughed out loud. "Yes, exactly. He won't be worth much without Alatar's guidance for sure"

Cekay straightened her collar. "Nope, he'll get a new advisor you see, one who will make sure that his decisions from now on will ensure that he'll fall out of favour with Sauron, for ever!"

Pallando nodded. He was rather sure that Cekay would keep her word, it would be interesting, yes, very interesting in deed.