I realize it has been a while since my last chapter, but my muse is trying ever so hard to return to me. I really appreciate any review that is given to me and would like to thanks those who have reviewed. Please do not be afriad to write a critique, of what you think of it, good or bad, right now all i really have to go one is my own mind, which as most know can be misleading. thank you again.
Side note: The time period in which this takes place i realize has become rather skewed, with the little mentioning of dates that i have inideed placed within it. Sufficive to say it has been many months since the Trio left the shores of the sea of rhun, though I know it doesnt seem like that, for this ambiguity I am sorry.
When the blind was taken from Celebrin's eyes the first sight that came to his eyes was the amber of a large campfire that stood before them; shadows stood before it, hiding faces amidst silhouetted figures, all of which were smaller than the men the elf had come to know in the west, even among the wild men near Thranduil's realm- in truth a man of Numenor would seem as a giant to these cousins of men. It was then that he truly realized how small in stature the man Tal-ano, was compared to him, though in their arms and legs lay a hidden strength, one forged by years of labor, forced or not. Yet even so the eyes of the Eluwaith are seldom tricked by shadowed disguise and through the silhouette he gazed upon ancient faces, 20 in all, some were or seemed as old as Alatar and Pallando, some younger in years and some older, yet each bore upon their faces that same nobility that Cidhrali bore in her eyes. They rose when the intruders were brought forth, still bound, by their uncouth captors; Tal-ano stood before them and placed his hand over his heart as his head gently bowed with an inborn grace, though his brow and features were rough and unmoving. In the tongue which Cidhrali taught them the man spoke to the elders who had by this time sat in a half circle with the fire behind them. The other half of this circle was formed by Tal-ano's men, each with sword drawn or bow fitted tightly in hand- they stood while the elders sat upon the ground, feet crossed almost in a meditative state. Forced to their knees, Alatar and Pallando winced in pain for though they bore a strength within them a weariness still resided from their elderly forms, Celebrin was placed behind them and Cidhrali before, beside the feet of her brother. She was allowed to sit as the elders, yet her hands were still bound- by each captive a guard was also placed, with a rough stone dagger drawn. At first there was silence, for it seemed that each elder took his turn to inspect each prisoner, taking in the color and form of their garb, the story of their eyes and the weaponry that was placed before them.
Tal-ano stood beside his sister his hands held firmly behind his straightened back, his stance firm and yet yielding, like a slender tree; he stood thus in silence until one of the elders spoke, with a voice hale and wise almost in a hearthy whisper, like the crack of dying embers, which came from one end of the dark circle. The ancient man spoke in what seemed to be the common tongue among these people, with a thick accent of another similarly husky language that remained hidden behind his mind's eye, unlearned he seemed in the common tongue, yet it came to Celebrin's mind that he spoke in such a broken manner because his own native one was of different form than that which he had learned.
"Tricked are my ancient eyes…A sister do I see, bound in rope, blood against blood young Tal-anoku?"
Tal-ano's face wore certain uneasiness; as he took in the question he looked at a tall figure among the seated elders, one whose face was as one made of stone; rather than address the answer toward the ancient man he spoke to this shadowed figure, whose hair blew calmly in the night breeze,
"For my part there is no strife between us, Chief Andinawnku, yet I fear for my sister's well being…my love for her has forced my firm hand…I fear these intruders have taken her mind…and possessed her soul."
"And why would you think that?"
The question came from the voice of an ancient woman who sat behind an elder, tending the hearth it seemed, others turned to face her and hear the words she was to speak, she wore a white feather in her gray hair and carried a staff of sorts, from which hung gourds that rattled as she spoke for with her words came gentle and musical gestures made by her gnarled hands. She seemed to be the only woman at that gathered assembly and her eyes moved more than her hands and for a time they remained at a place, when she spoke her eyes went forth to Celebrin, who looked at her with his own sea-gray eyes, she smiled and continued her questioning,
"Her spirit is strong against the darkness, though she is young…"
"Have you not seen what she has done, Jzathi-ma-ala? She has brought strangers, intruders into our lands…threatened the peace of our people…it is clear she is taken by darkness."
These rash words came from one of the younger of these cheiftans, his eyes were uncommonly redish in the firelight, and his skin, though lighter and fairer than the others was flushed with an inborn fire, his lips were firm and ungiving and his voice was as harsh as the words he used each one hardened with a violent ending. The ancient woman rose with little effort from her place beside the fire and glided into the circle, it was then that Celebirn could see her greater detail, for she wore deer skins in the form of a long skirt that were decorated with many colored beads, hues that the elf had never before seen. She walked toward Cidhrali who looked into the ancient woman's eyes, worry was worn upon her face though the woman's bore the semblance of knowledge, the comfort of assurance. She turned to the other chieftan and with a firm voice, she said in a tone most befitting a queen among men, similar to Cidhrali herself, yet it bore a sense of humility as well…
"This I shall decide for myself, Chief Kwetalku …The Time has come for us to question these intruders, Tal-ano, do they speak our tongue?"
"One among them speaks it well, the older men speak it little…"
The one called Kwetalku silenced himself, he bore a face of being ill at ease as the sun rose from over the rocky hills, it was then that Celebrin and the others could see more clearly the garb that each elder wore. Each one's garb was different from the other, though many were in similar clothing to that of the guards. Ten wore the same robes as Tal-ano and his men, yet among them were different colors of brown, black, and sable blue. Their heads were adorned in different styles, and yet none wore a crown of gold or precious stone and metal, instead all wore feathers or beads in braided hair, each telling the signs of their stature. Celebrin's eyes were brought to one figure in the middle of the circle, who spoke no words as the others discussed in a hushed din of many tongues and foreign sounds. In age he was less than many there, yet he alone bore a large "crown" of feathers upon his brow, larger and more ornate than any other of these chieftains. His face was girm and he spoke to none, his glare was directed stoically at Cidrhali, who seemed to be in pain at his stare- it was clear then, who this man was and why he had chosen not to speak- it was at that moment that Celebrin feared his words, for silent is the tongue that will lead to doom.
This silent man stood, never taking his eyes from Cidhrali, nor even allowing emotion to enter his dark face, all grew silent at this motion as words, hale, wise and filled with a subdued anger came from his mouth,
"The sun rises, and soon our people will arise as well, we should not allow them to see this spectacle, for it will bring worry to their hearts…To the council hall we shall take them…and question them individually."
The time for debate had ended, all the others stood from where they sat and followed this one man, all save the woman called Jzathi-ma-ala, she merely stood as Tal-ano and his men forced the two elderly men and Celebrin to stand while Cidhrali was escorted to follow the chieftains and their train. She turned to gaze back at them, her face wore the very eyes of fear and courage, her face framed by her sable hair was wild with defiance, and a spirit, hallow, ancient and as strong as the waters of Sirion, the lost, lay within her eyes as she gazed longingly and almost apologetically at the men who stood bound because of her actions. Tal-ano turned to the three captives and spoke words to his men,
"Follow me…"
And away from the camp-site were the prisoners taken, they climbed over small rocky hills, littered with small bushes that let free small ancient fragrances as their leave were crushed beneath their feet. They walked in the rising sun and sweat beaded their brow as the heat of the new morning quickly turned from bearable to staggering in less than an hour's time. They came at last to a tall rock, almost a great hill in size save for the fact that it was made of solid red stone. Now in girth it was as large as any tower of the Numenoreans, and thus was a large feature upon the landscape, however it was a tower untouched by human hands save for the carving of the steps to its flat pinnacle, the sides were rough and unyielding and was in appearance similar to the roughness of a pine's trunk. The pinnacle was smooth to the touch, made so by centuries of wind and rain, in the midst of the wide circular surface was carved into it a hearth of sorts, a fire among the heavens, surrounded by three large and unmovable stones. Ash did not fly in the heated wind, for it had been a long time since anyone had need of fire upon that pinnacle; standing atop that ruddy stone tower one could see a vast hilly country, barren of life save near a small river that began where the mountain touched the hill country and ran through the desert to a valley where scattered primative homes stood and where people began to awaken and appear as small figures no biger than the size of a thumb. Tal-ano led the troupe up the steps to the top of that tower, and in silence they ascended that lonely tower in the midst of the barren landscape; Alatar and Pallando went first and Celebrin last, each one followed by a single guard, while the others remained upon the ground, arrows drawn and ready to shoot any who dared escape as futile as it was climbing those narrow steps of the red rock tower.
When all had climbed the steps, each prisoner was forced to sit around the campfire, their eyes facing the vast wilderness; Tal-ano nodded toward one of the guards who took the guiding rope of each prisoner and tied it to three large stones that surrounded the hearth fire, with his arms stratched behind him, hugging the stone in a backward embrace Celebrin winced, for the scars of his encounter with Khamul took a tol upon his body, as he was sure it did with Cirdhali, though both it seemed were to proud to admit any sort of defeat at such vile hands. Tal-ano knelt by Celebrin as the guard was tying his hands, he looked for a time at his face, fair seeming, and yet even now burnt little by the sun, the sickle-shaped scar blending into the browning skin. The rough hands of the man took him by the chin so that this image was better seen by his piercing mortal eyes, to which his voice spoke a silent thought that was intended, at least consciously to be hidden,
"So beautiful a face…the eyes are filled with spirits."
And for a brief moment the hard exterior of Tal-ano disappeared and his eyes were soft as Cidhrali's were when she looked at the stars, and with a cough the man stood and with a silent signal ordered a guard to stand watch, as the sun rose from the farthest reaches of the east. Celebrin then faced the rising sun and in truth it brought a certain blinding light to his eyes, and it was then he wondered, if the tales were true, was the sun flown by one of Melian's kin? And if so, why had the powers forgotten to love so sorrowful and enslaved a people… Were they the Eluwaith of this land, and of the mortal kindred?
Tal-anoku- the addition of the ku ending is meant as a dialectic one; in this case the ku ending indicates gender, it has no precidence in any human language that i am aware of other than in spanish which has the genderization of names (maria/mario). this is meant only to create a sense of difference among the tribes and their chieftains.
Andinawnku- Antinanko- eagle of the sun- Mapuche indian name
Jzathi-ma-ala -Jaci-maiala- Moon wise- tupi indian
Kwetalku- Quidal- burning torch- Mapuche indian
Eluwaith- people of Elu Thingol