[Child of the 7th Age]

Cami's back and face stiffened as she chastised herself for her reaction to Piosenniel's appearance.

How could she forget the lessons of Beleriand so soon? There she had seen enough blood and dead bodies to last for a lifetime. She forced herself to remember the hobbit children who had been gutted one-by-one and lain at her feet. At least these victims had been adults, each one conscious of whom they served and what they hoped to gain from it. The Elf and Man had no reason to apologize for their actions. Without clearing the river of Angthaur's spies, the crew of the Star could not hope to free the hobbits who, even now, were being tortured and murdered day-by-day.

And yet, Cami could not shake the image of Piosenniel's bloody visage. Why was it so different when you were the killer? Why should it be so much harder? And these were Men, not Orcs. Cami had to admit that running through a Man, and running through an Orc were not exactly the same thing. Better to face a dozen Orcs than look in the eyes of a man and wonder why it couldn't have been different.

[ October 23, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]