[Mithadan]

Mithadan crept to the first door, keeping his knife raised as he went. The door was ajar and a flickering light could be seen within. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door an inch more. It swung without a creak, and the widened crack revealed a sailor sitting at a desk facing away from the door. Opening the portal a bit more, Mithadan slipped inside and shifted his grip on his knife. Two quick steps brought him directly behind the Man and with a single fluid movement, Mithadan covered the sailors mouth with one hand and cut his throat with the blade. The doomed sailor surged up against Mithadan's grip, then slowly settled back into the chair. Mithadan wiped his blade on the sailor's shirt and returned to the door.

He saw Piosenniel pause at the second door, then quickly enter. A muffled excalmation issued from that cabin followed by footsteps and a clash of steel. Mithadan drew his second long knife and, without hesitation, rushed forward and opened the second door on the left. The cabin was dark, but the moon's light through the porthole was eclipsed by a shadow as someone rose from his bed and fumbled for a weapon. Mithadan charged the sailor knocking him back on the bed and sank a blade into his chest. His left hand found the mariner's face and the second blade plunged into his victim's throat. The Man thrashed about for a moment, a horrible gurgle issuing from his mouth, then fell back with a final bubbling wheeze.

Breathing heavily, and not least from distaste for attacking a defenseless opponent, Mithadan pulled his knives free and returned to the door. He leapt into the hall ready to strike again, only to find Piosenniel before him.

"Mine are dead," she said simply. "Mine also," rasped the Man as he turned and looked forward along the dark hall. "Search the cargo area," she said. "I'll...prepare the bodies."

Taking a lantern from the cabin of Pio's second victim, he went forward, passing a small but vacant galley, and climbed down into the cramped cargo deck, which proved to be full of ballast, a few barrels and nothing else. He returned to the crews' quarters and found that Pio had quickly bound two of the bodies with rope and was tying a third. Mithadan entered each of the cabins in turn, taking a few weapons and, as an afterthought, a uniform which appeared to be nearly his size. Then he returned to Pio's side.

She had taken a cloth and was applying pressure to her injured shoulder. "Let me see," he said with concern. She lifted the bloody cloth to reveal a shallow and clean slash about three inches in length. "Sit," he said. He ran back to the galley and, finding several clean cloths, he dipped one in a barrel of fresh water and returned. He quickly cleaned the wound, ignoring her protestations, then bound it tightly.

"What shall we do with...these?" he asked, indicating the four still bleeding bodies lying on the deck. "We'll carry them above," she replied. "Levanto will help us conceal them."

"Whenever you are ready," said Mithadan. "Not yet," replied Piosenniel. She returned to the second cabin on the right. It was a bit larger than the others and the desk there held a small stack of papers. These she rifled through quickly. Then she froze, with one in her hand. She read it aloud, "Due to a shortage of guards and funds, the prisoners held in the tombs below Meneltarma will be slain on the morning of 23 Cermie. Proceed to the Main Entrance of the prison by 6:00 am that morning and assist the guards there as may be needed. Gorthaur."

[ October 22, 2002: Message edited by: Mithadan ]