[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Tasa woke suddenly to gentle sounds of water splashing lightly very near to her ears and to the cloying smell of dampened old wood. She recognized the feel of a watercraft without a second thought and the lap of lake water against her fingertips confirmed it.

She opened her eyes quickly, seeing nothing at first... the fire of their torch had gasped and sputtered to an irrevocable end in the onslaught of the water creature. She felt warmth on either side of her; Malris stood over her, pragmatic as he was of old, his legs keeping his unconscious companion stationary even as he concentrated their weight to the center of the raft for balance. He grasped the long pole with both hands, Cirlach sheathed.

It was with that observation that Tasa recoiled, her eyes clenched as tightly shut as her fists, and her body tensed. The point of the sheathed blade dangled near to her heart in a manner she could not help but find alarming and the feel of it, even inches away bored into her.

"Malris..." Through gritted teeth Tasareni forced the words, her voice shivering with the struggle. "It calls... Cirlach... Cirlach calls to... iron... Malris, the chains... I can hear the chains... they threaten to bind me... Malris make it stop, please make it stop..."

With tremendous effort she forced her body into submission, reaching up and grasping her companion's leg.

"Malris... please..."