Birdie, cloaked and hooded, rode one of the skiffs out onto the waves, slowly approaching the landing craft of the Men of Gorthaur. Cami and Rose were hidden under a skin laying in the bow.
Under any other circumstances, there would be no way that Bird could have controlled the light skiff in the choppy, chaotic waves of the shallows. She noticed that even the strong men in the landing boat were having a hard time making progress. But her own skiff was being supported and guided from below by tens of Hobbrim, who had their long, strong fingers clinging to ropes attached to the hull. To anyone observing the boat's progress, it would look as if it were guided by the magic of Ancalimon.
"No one is going to believe I'm a Numenorean. I'm too short!" muttered Birdie to her hidden passengers.
"Just think tall!...and regal" Cami whispered back. "You're the only one who can pull it off, Birdie. They're certainly not going to believe that I'm one!"
"Get ready. We're close." Bird whispered. She threw back her hood and stood up in the stern of the skiff, raising her arms to wave at the landing boat before her.
The Men in the boat looked up in amazement as they saw a small boat bearing down on them, containing a lone woman whose hair and cloak whipped in the wind of the storm. Her and the boat seemed to glide across the waves guided by some unknown force. A high, thin voice called to them from across the waves.
"Help me! Help me! I am lost!"
The skiff bore down upon the Men, who back-stroked to keep their own boat in place. One man, obviously the leader, stood up in the boat, his hand on his sword, and called back to the fast approaching woman. "Lady, where do you come from, and what is it you seek?"
The small skiff touched the side of the landing boat, as the woman stooped and picked up two clay pots. Raising them high, she cried. "I come from your nightmares, and I seek the Halls of Mandos!"
And with that, Bird broke the two pots against the side of the Men's boat. Oil and hot coals mingled, and the boat of the landing party was quickly consumed in flames. At the same time, an army of small, scaled figures rose from the waters, dipping thin arrows into the surrounding waters. The arrowheads blazed up, and were sent whizzing into the air around the crafts.
The last thing the Men on the landing craft saw was the small figure of the woman growing and changing into a a massive, black and silver dragon, and the last thing they heard was the dragon screaming "Cami! Rose! Bail out now! The boat's on fire!"
Bird rose into the air on Dragon wings, and turned her attention to the second black-flagged vessel waiting off-shore.
[ September 24, 2002: Message edited by: Birdland ]
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