[Lyra Greenleaf]

Essenia leant against the wall, her face perfectly calm. These men, who were coming to help win lands and honour for Umbar, were fools. But then all men were to one extent or another.

One had mentioned marriage and a thick tendril of icy-cold fear had clutched at Essenia’s heart, the most emotion she had felt for a long time. He was just the sort of man who would associate with Taine, stupid and rich. His clothes were well made of rich fabrics. His companion who just stood and glowered seemed vaguely sensible, but no doubt on further inspection he would show the same weakness. The insolent one had dared to speak of women as a liability in war, when in fact it was men who let emotion rule them and men who were weak. Essenia dismissed all men from her mind. They were beneath her notice.

She had never felt the call of the Eye herself, although she practised the dark religion it meant little to her beyond a way to make Umbar great. One day they would take over the land of Gondor. They had had success against them a number of times, but then some weak fool of a man lost all that the corsairs had so carefully built up. It almost made Essenia angry, but in her heart she knew that the day would come when all the world would be part of Harad and then they would no longer need the Eye.

North was the way of rich pickings and true glory, but south would do for now. If they were ever to leave this accursed place, that was. Essenia felt the atmosphere soak into her bones as if from a detached point of view. More and more this happened, when her body let her down by feeling emotion, Essenia held herself distant and coldly watched until it faded. It was undoubtedly the best way to live.

[ June 16, 2003: Message edited by: Lyra Greenleaf ]