Note: Eönwë's leave has since ended, and he's back on Middle Earth. Ilmarë is not on their camping trip anymore either, having only stayed as long as her brother was around.

Chapter 4: A Maia's Revenge-part 2

A small group of Maiar stood in a loose circle in the Máhanaxar, uneasily eyeing off the fourteen empty thrones surrounding them. Though quite a few were also eyeing off the three Maiar guards standing nearby, wearing the black robes and surcoats of Námo's people. Lómindil, Nécanyellë and Ambariel look to be carved out of stone, their posture and expressions never shifting, hands resting on their sword pummels. Almost all the Maiar who'd been out on the camping trip that day were there; Marilwë and Mairon were notably absent. Most looked confused or worried; a select few even looked fearful.

A fear that only grew the longer they had to wait, and sky-rocket the moment fourteen Valar appeared in flashes of light that had everyone blinking and shielding their eyes. When they could all see again, every one of them regarded their lord or lady in bewilderment. A few of the younger ones even looked scared, subconsciously moving closer to their elders for reassurance.

Elenfirië was one of these. She looked to be close to tears, clutching Tavaril's hand like a lifeline as she regarded her lord with worry.

"Did I do something bad? Only people who do bad things end up in the Ring of Doom."

The small Maia was standing between Tavaril and Calimandil, looking like a lost child. She might be among the oldest in terms of age, but her mental state was anything but. Without a word, Námo left his throne. Kneeling in front of her, he gently took her hands in his.

"You aren't in trouble, sweetheart. You've done nothing wrong. We're doing this here because this is the best place to talk to you without being disturbed, and with no chance of anyone we don't want overhearing what we say. And the reason you're here is because Mairon is missing. We hope some here may have information that will help us find him."

The Vala ignored the shocked and uneasy looks many of the Maiar shared. Olórin went white at the revelation. He would most likely have collapsed if Urunírë, who was standing next to him, hadn't reached out and steadied him. The Maia could do nothing but stare at Námo in horror, trying to process the fact his little brother was missing. Meanwhile Elenfirië, rather than being mollified at Námo's words, grew even more upset. Her bright blue eyes filled with tears, her lower lip beginning to quiver.

"Mairon's missing? What's happened to him? I like Mai. He plays with me, gives me cuddles, and lets me braid his hair."

Námo gently kissed her brow, wiping away the few tears that trickled down her cheeks.

"I know. And we will find him soon, I promise. Right now, I need you to be a brave girl and stay with Tavaril, and not get upset again, okay? It will help us find Mai quicker."

The Maia looked at her lord with tear-filled eyes.

"It will really help you find him?"

Námo nodded. His voice was very gentle and patience.

"Yes. By being a brave girl, you will help us."

Elenfirië sniffed, blinking hard to dispel any remaining tears. She straightened her shoulders and stiffened her lips so they were no longer quivering. Námo let her feel his approval, before gently turning her to face Tavaril.

"Go and stand with Tavaril. I have a few things I want to say to you all. But you aren't in trouble, my sweet. Now, off you go."

The Vala gently shooed his daughter into Tavaril's capable care, before returning to his throne. Námo shared an unreadable look with Manwë. Moments later, the eldest in the thoughts of Ilúvatar stood, regarding all the Maia with an unreadable expression.

"We have reasons to believe Sámotára is involved with Mairon's disappearance." More than one gasp greeted that statement, especially from those whom served Irmo or Estë, but Manwë ignored them for now. Olórin looked to be about to say something, but the look on the Vala's face had him wisely keeping his mouth shut. "But we also want to make sure none of you know anything. Therefore, we will ask you each a few questions individually, with the aim of reading your fëa."

A few looked worried at that revelation, but Manwë was not finished.

"All we will do is watch your auras when you answer our questions. They will tell us if you are telling the truth or not. We won't enter your minds, nor will we look at your thoughts. We do not need to do that to get the truth."

Námo now stood, looking grimly at the group of Maia. The fell light that radiated from his eyes caused more than one to tremble and/or look away. Surprisingly, no one fainted.

"It's no use thinking about lying my children; we will find out. If you are innocent, then you have nothing to fear. This won't hurt, and it will be over with quickly. Astarion. You go first."

Olórin was livid.

"As if attacking my little brother wasn't enough, now they've blatantly kidnapped him? Who are they even? I can't believe you still don't have a clue who is behind this!"

Manwë sighed. Olórin continued raging, storming around the room with a black expression that rivalled Námo's favourite colour. The King of the Valar had been trying to calm his Maia down ever since their little Inquiry had ended, with no success. Olórin was currently giving Námo a run for his money in the furious department, Manwë thought wryly. He didn't think he'd ever seen one of his Maia so riled up.

Not that he blamed Olórin. Manwë himself was not pleased with what had occurred. While they hadn't named anyone but Sámotára as being involved during the Inquiry, Manwë had learnt much more from Roimewen. Nehtartúra was dangerous right now; Manwë was very aware Mairon may never fully recover from what Oromë's Maia planned to do to him. They needed to be found, and the plan halted, as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, Manwë was at a loss how he was supposed to do those things.

And Olórin's behaviour was not helping.

"Olórin, for goodness sake, calm down. Being furious isn't going to bring your brother back any sooner. If you want to help, then you can try and remember every little detail about what happened out there over the last few days. As it happens, we actually do know the mastermind behind this. But are having trouble finding him."

Olórin stopped pacing, regarding Manwë with determination and unconcealed rage.

"Then why don't you do something about it! My lord." He added belatedly, realising he'd effectively just yelled at Manwë. The Vala, however, was not offended.

"We are trying. It's more complicated then you realise. Especially because we have reason to believe some of the elves are involved, along with Sámotára and one of Aulë's Maiar. We think this is a revenge plot hatched by someone who has nursed a grudge, and intense hatred of Morgoth and all he did, for many yéni."

Olórin had stopped pacing, and was now staring at his lord in shock.

"But-but Mairon is not responsible for what He did! Or for what He made Mai do! You've done an admirable job of keeping exactly what did happen a secret from me, but I know Mairon was at least coerced into doing many things he didn't want to. His behaviour when he first arrived here gives it away. While I didn't see him until much later, I know he was abused by Him."

Olórin gave Manwë a challenging look that smouldered with anger. Despite the murderous look, the anger wasn't directed at Manwë, but at the situation in general.

And at the ones who dared to take Mairon in the first place. Right now, Olórin's anger really was enough to give even Námo's rage a run for its money. The Vala, at least, had to maintain some outer vestige of calm about the situation. No matter how furious he personally felt.

Olórin had no such inhibitions.

"And the fact you're all so determined to keep the truth from me…he is my brother. I deserve to know what happened to him!"

Manwë gave his Maia a warning look that pulled him up short. Suddenly paling under his lord's regard, Olórin swallowed nervously. However, he held his ground, not about to either back down or apologise. He was fed up with being kept in the dark. He wasn't a child, and it was high time the Valar stopped treating him like one…

"Mairon himself doesn't want you to know what he went through."

Olórin blinked, looking at his lord in open-mouthed shock.

"What?"

Manwë nodded to himself. He looked grim.

"You do not need to know what happened, which is why we've never told you. And Mairon has made peace with his past, as much as he's able to anyways. He wants to put all that behind him, and focus on the second chance we have given him."

Olórin was now opening and closing his mouth like one of Ulmo's fish. It was a while before he managed to speak.

"Oh."

Manwë nodded.

"Indeed."

The earlier anger was completely gone. Now, the Maia just looked tired and heartsick. Collapsing onto a nearby bench, Olórin stared mournfully at his hands, not really seeing them.

"I- I am sorry, my lord –"

Manwë knelt in front of him, placing a gentle hand on his lap.

"You are forgiven, Olórin. Know we are doing everything in our power to find Mairon. And then some. Unfortunately, this was far from a spur-of-the-moment decision. Those behind this planned it out in detail, including how best to avoid us. We will find them. Don't fear. But I need you to be patient. Having Námo fighting me to send those responsible to Mandos for eternity the moment they are found is bad enough."

Olórin looked at Manwë in shock, words escaping him yet again. The Vala gave a grim smile at his expression.

"He will lose, by the way. And he knows it. But, that doesn't stop him. My younger brother is very determined when he sets his mind to something. Do you trust me, my son?"

Olórin looked at his lord in surprise.

"You are my lord. Why wouldn't I trust you?"

Manwë did not answer that question. Rather, he asked one of his own.

"Then will you trust me when I say we are doing everything in our power to find Mairon right now? He will be found, Olórin. That, I can promise you. I need you to trust me for the rest of it. Can you do that, my son?"

Olórin sighed. Now he was over his initial anger, he felt drained of all emotions except worry. Looking up at Manwë, who was waiting patiently, the Maia gave a weary nod.

"I will try, my lord. I – am afraid I cannot promise more than that right now."

Manwë hugged him.

"For now, that will do. Thank you."

Meanwhile, in the privacy of the inner garden of Mandos, three Maiar were discussing recent events. Urunírë, Tavaril and Marilwë were trying to figure out what on earth could have happened to Mairon. Marilwë had gotten over the worst of her shock by this point. Having her special bond with Mairon abruptly severed like that had left her reeling for some time, and she still felt off-kilter. However, that wasn't about to stop her. None of them were about to let things alone; not when it was their little brother who'd been kidnapped. So far, they'd had no success, but were not about to give up. Urunírë suddenly broke off from their fruitless discussion, looking around them as a realisation hit.

"Hang on a sec, where is Marta? Has anyone seen her since before Mairon disappeared? Was she with him?"

Tavaril frowned as she thought back.

"I though he left her sleeping at the camp when we decided to play hide-and-go-find. Though, come to think of it, she wasn't there when we broke camp."

Marilwë spoke up.

"She wasn't with Mairon when he left me. I know that for a fact."

Urunírë looked troubled.

"I didn't even think to look around the camp for her when we went back. But the question remains. Where is she?"

"My guess would be with Mairon."

All three jumped as Lómindil appeared out of nowhere, as he was wont to do. Tavaril muttered a few choice words under her breath, which made Lómindil's mouth twitch upwards. However, he quickly became serious again, regarding them gravely.

"I'm also wondering were Marta is. I've been asking around, and it turns out no one has seen her since before Mairon disappeared. Even though we did leave her at camp, she wasn't there when we went back." The raven-haired Maia regarded the other three with a troubled look. "That cat is smart. I wouldn't be surprised if she realised something was wrong before we did. Where she is, however, I've no idea. My best guess would be either with Mairon, or tracking him. She is a predator species, after all."

The other three looked at him in surprise and consideration. Urunírë spoke first.

"Do you really think she could have done that?"

Lómindil shrugged.

"It's just a suggestion. Though I wouldn't put anything past her. She does seem to have a sixth sense for figuring out where people are.."

Tavaril's lips twitched.

"She certainly has a sense of knowing where Lord Námo is at any given time."

Lómindil nodded.

"Exactly. What's to say she can't do the same with Mairon? Especially given how protective she is of him."

All the Maia looked thoughtful. Marilwë spoke first.

"Have you told Lord Námo this?"

Lómindil nodded.

"Yes, and he agrees with me it's very likely. However," The raven-haired Maia sighed, collapsing wearily onto a bench, being careful not to sit on the sheath housing his sword. "He still has no idea where to look for her. The Valar have combed every inch of the area around where we were playing, and haven't found any trace of either Mairon, Marta, or Sámotára. It's almost like they all disappeared into thin air."

Lómindil looked at the other three with determination.

"Which is slightly impossible with the way Mairon is bound. While we can think him places, he can't stay incorporeal for too long. So, the question remains, where are they? Do any of you have any ideas about where we could look?"

A/N Thank you for all the feedback! I've been really encouraged with the overwhelming support for this idea. Now, it would just be nice if my plot bunnies would stop writing random Clint Barton-centric drabbles and actually focus on completing Part Four of this...