A Middle Earth Story: The Corsairs of Oros

Chapter Two: Treasure Bound /Part Two

The journey to Tolfalas took two short days with strong winds at their backs, pushing the White Raider at good speeds. The clear weather and steady wind allowed the crew to relax and socialize, or in some cases, hide away.

Caston was hiding away below deck, severely ill to his stomach and, for the moment, out of the way. Morien was standing at the prow and Estella stood on the poop deck watching the water crashing over itself as they cut through the sea. Dahari was tucked away up among the sails somewhere. Oros hadn't seen him for the past five hours. Qrow was... well, Oros didn't know exactly what he was doing or hoped to accomplish. He was walking along the railing of the ship with his arms held out for balance

Oros shook his head. The man had a death wish. Everyone else was in pairs or small groups. Adrahil and Brandt were surrounded by loose ropes, Adrahil looking flustered and Brandt smiling easily and patiently. Es, Drida, Livian, and Fendwall were standing in the middle of the deck listening to one of Calen's now famous stories.

The dark skinned Numenorean was a marvelous, riveting story-telling. She claimed all of her stories held a grain of truth, but some were just too fantastical to believe. Despite that, everyone seemed to enjoy listening to her. Morien especially, though it was odd, Oros noted, that he wasn't listening right now.

"Land!" Dahari shouted from somewhere above their heads. The crew stopped what they were doing. Calen stopped mid-sentence and raced to the side. Es was right on her tail. They strained to see land, but no matter how hard they tried they could only see ocean, glittering and pulsing in the noonday sun.

Dahari swiftly climbed down the ratlines and dropped the remaining ten feet to the deck. He pointed toward the bow of the ship.

"Tolfalas is just over an hour away, Capatin," he told Oros. Oros nodded.

"All hands on deck!" he ordered. "Fetch Caston will you, Qrow?"

Qrow nodded and went below deck to find Caston. The rest of the crew gathered around Oros. He waited until Caston and Qrow joined them.

"Right, in a short time we''l be enterin' Tolfalas. Nobody leaves the ship unless I tell you. I'll be takin' a small group with me to get somethin' I need an' then we're leaving again. Caston, Morien, Calen, you three are with me. The rest of you stay here an' guard the ship. There are dang'rous folk who wouldn't hesitate to take the White Raider if given the chance. An' there are plenty more who are enemies to the flag. An' above all listen to the first mate."

...

The port was nearly empty as the White Raider slid silently next to the dock. Only three other ships, all painted dark colors, rested nearby. Four dock-hands threw ropes up to the crew and tied the ship in place. Oros stepped confidently onto the dock with Morien, Caston, and Calen behind him. He handed a small coin to each of the dock-hands and swiftly marched into the heart of the town.

Everything seemed to be hundreds of years old. The buildings sagged sadly and many places were completely abandoned and crumbling, the only thing living in them were rats and the occasional cat. Crowded so closely together it was difficult to tell where one house ended and the other started.

The further in they went the darker the streets seemed, until their feet were shrouded in darkness. Phantom eyes watched them from windows, but every time they whipped around there was nothing stalking them from the dark windows, only shadow.

"Where is everyone?" Calen asked in a small voice.

"Not here," Morien said. He bit his bottom lip and glanced furtively around. Calen nodded nervously. Caston was chewing on his fingernails. Oros still strolled confidently ahead. A rat ran across Calen's feet. She strangled a screech and just barely stopped herself from toppling over. It wasn't the rat itself that had scared her, rather the sudden movement and noise. She inhaled deeply and ignored Caston's amused smirk. Morien did not look amused.