In Darkness Bound by Fiondil

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Chapter 78: Leaving Vanyamar

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78: Leaving Vanyamar

The original plan was for them to wait until near the time when the markets would close and people would begin leaving the city for their homes, but shortly after the noon meal, Ingalaurë claimed he was feeling too restless to just sit around for another three hours.

"I would like to get out and start mingling with the crowds," he announced. "If people are used to seeing us, they’re not going to notice us as much and will accept us in their midst as they are leaving the city."

Valandur and Eccaldamos both frowned at the prince’s words. "I hesitate to say yes to this, Ingil, for one very good reason: once we leave this inn, we have no guards and no guarantees," the loremaster said. "I would like us to wait until the last possible minute before we try this. What if you get caught?"

"What of it?" Ingalaurë retorted. "We could easily get caught at the gates as anywhere."

"Yes, but if you leave now and you are caught while the rest of us are still here at the inn, then chances are there will be a concerted effort to find us," Eccaldamos interjected. "If we all wait until we are ready to try the gates and some of us are caught, the others will hopefully have gotten away."

"As it is, Lady Indis and her party will need to leave before the rest of us, as they must travel further. In fact, your party, Ingil, will be the last to leave, since we are not as far from the south gate as we are from the other two."

"How long will we have to wait then?" Ingalaurë asked, frowning in frustration.

"Lady Indis will leave in about three hours," Valandur said. He stood up from the table where they were finishing their lunch and went to the sideboard and, opening a drawer, pulled out a fat candle on which were painted three red lines, which were about a fingernail’s width apart from one another beginning about a third of the way down from the top. He brought the candle to the table and set it on an empty plate and lit it from the candelabrum.

"This candle has been marked, as you can see," Valandur said. "When it melts down to the first line, Lady Indis will leave with her people. Ingwion and those with him will leave when the candle melts to the second line and Ingil, you will leave with the rest when it melts down to the last line. The time between when Lady Indis leaves and Ingil leaves will be equivalent to half of one hour of the Trees."

Ingalaurë glowered at the candle and then turned to Ingwion, who had remained quiet during the discussion, and gave him a wry look. ‘Trade you," he whispered, though everyone there heard him.

"Sorry, Brother," Ingwion said sincerely. "I understand your frustration. I want nothing more than to leave this very minute, but I think Valandur’s plan is our best chance." He then turned to Valandur. "Is there any real reason why Ingil’s group and mine cannot leave at the same time? From here the two gates are almost equidistant."

"Except you will have to go almost directly north first before you can turn west in order to avoid crossing the main plaza before the palace," Valandur pointed out. "Ingil just has to head straight south from here."

"Plus the fact that people may take note of such a large number leaving this inn when it is known to be closed," Eccaldamos added. "We have to time our departures for when there are no people in the immediate area. It will be easier for four people to leave undetected than eight."

Ingalaurë sighed, obviously frustrated and feeling on edge. Elindis leaned over and gave him a kiss on his temple. "Patience, my champion," she whispered. "We will be leaving soon enough."

He gave his ammë a small smile and nodded. The parlor door opened then and Arminas walked in. "I’ve gotten your supplies out," he announced. "They should be near the well when you get there."

"And you can trust the person who took them for you?" Indis asked a bit worriedly.

Arminas nodded. "He is my cousin. We are very close and he is loyal to the High King. He will not betray us. He’s promised to keep an eye on the inn while I’m away." This last was said with obvious relief, and the others realized what a sacrifice the ellon was making, abandoning his livelihood for their sake.

"Then all we can do now is wait," Valandur said and Ingalaurë wasn’t the only one to sigh.

****

The waiting, of course, was interminable, but finally the candle burned down to the first mark and Indis, Arminas, Tulcafindil, and Marilla set off, leaving by way of the kitchen entrance to walk down the alley to the street. There was little in the way of farewells, for if all went well, they would be seeing one another again in only a couple of hours.

"We’ll wait for you at the first rise," Indis said to the others, speaking of the first set of stairs comprising the road up the mountain.

Then it was Ingwion’s turn to leave. He kissed his ammë and Indil and took Ingalaurë aside. "Wait for the allotted time," he told his twin in a whisper that the others could not hear. "Do nothing precipitous. Remember, it will not just be you that you will be endangering, but Ammë and Indil."

Ingalaurë merely nodded and Ingwion gave him a fierce hug. "I love you, pityaháno. See you soon."

Ingalaurë gave him a sour grin. "You’re never going to let me forget that you’re the older twin, are you?"

Ingwion’s grin was more real. "Never. I need some amusements in my dreary life as the elder twin."

The put-upon expression he gave his brother evinced an involuntary chuckle from Ingalaurë and the twins hugged again before Ingwion joined Valandur, Findis and Eccaldamos, slipping out the kitchen door. Ingalaurë stood at the doorway and watched his brother and the others move down the alley to the street. He saw Ingwion motioning his companions back while he scouted the area, making sure he could not be seen, peering out onto the street. After a few minutes, Ingwion motioned the others forward and the last Ingalaurë saw of them was Eccaldamos turning around and waving. Ingalaurë sighed and closed the door and stared at the candle that had been moved into the kitchen.

"Won’t be long now," he said to Elindis, who was standing next to him. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug and a kiss.

When the candle burned down to the last mark, Indil blew it out and they all left. Tamurilon locked the door behind them, secreting the key in a cubbyhole that Arminas had shown them earlier. Then they headed for the street. Ingalaurë waved the other three back while he reconnoitered, copying Ingwion’s actions of plastering himself against one wall so he could see what was coming from the right without himself being seen, and then moving to the other wall to look left. He was about to motion everyone forward when he heard the sound of laughter coming from the direction he was facing and quickly moved to the other side of the alley and back away from the entrance. A minute later a group of people came near, stopping in front of the inn.

"Oh," Ingalaurë heard someone say, sounding disappointed. "The inn is closed. What a pity. And here I was boasting about how fine a meal Arminas puts on."

"Well, we weren’t planning on staying for a meal anyway," another said. "Come. Let’s get moving. I would like to reach Eldamas sooner rather than later. It’s a fair night for walking."

Ingalaurë frowned, trying to remember what lómë meant. It had not been a word he had ever had to use before the Trees died and he was still adjusting to that fact. At any rate, he realized that they were in luck, for they could follow this group down to the gate and perhaps the guards would assume that they were all one group. The strangers set off and Ingalaurë watched them go. As soon as the last one turned the corner, he motioned for the others and they quickly followed him.

****

Arminas sighed as he followed Indis along the main street leading to the north gate. This was definitely not going to work. "My lady," he hissed and the urgency in his voice stopped Indis in her tracks. She turned to see her companions rushing to keep up with her.

"What is it?" she demanded imperiously.

"My lady," Arminas said, motioning for them all to follow him down a side street to a small square that was thankfully unoccupied and curiously unlit. Almost as soon as the Vanyar had returned from Valmar they had begun constructing makeshift lamps to light the streets. Indeed, a whole new guild, the Calaratani, was created just for that purpose. They presently shared a space and masters with the Smiths’ Guild and they were charged with creating and setting up lamps and maintaining them. That this particular square had not a single lamp to light it was strange, but Arminas welcomed the lack of light. He gave Indis a wry look.

"My lady, forgive me, but you are dressed as an innkeeper’s wife, yet you march down the street as if you were in a royal procession. You will get us all captured if you do not disguise yourself better."

Indis blinked a couple of times and then she lowered her eyes. Arminas waited for the explosion to come. Neither he nor the other two had any status in this lady’s eyes, and they knew it, but Arminas also knew that certain truths needed to be said, however unpalatable, if they were to succeed in leaving the city. After a tense moment or two, Indis looked up.

"And I thought my brother, Ingoldo, a fool," she said with a wry tone and they could see her smile even in starlight. "You are correct, good Arminas. Come. I will walk with you and you will tell me how to act. Should we be a family out for a stroll?" She looked at the two younger members of their party who were trying not to smile at their elders.

"I think that would be a good idea, my dear," Arminas said, holding out his arm for Indis to take. "Come along, children, your emmë is very anxious to get to the Rainbow Bridge and see the waterfall under starlight."

Marilla giggled and Tulcafindil smiled. "Coming, Atto," the ellon said and together the four made their way back to the main street. Arminas held a quiet conversation with Indis, telling her how to walk so she did not stand out from the crowd of passers-by and was pleased at how quickly the lady complied with his suggestions.

****

Ingwion stopped two squares from the west gate and looked about while the others gathered around him trying to act nonchalant. The square was nicely lit with a wrought-iron lamp at each corner. People — farmers and craftsmen mostly — were slowly making their way through the square to the gate. Ingwion idly noticed that conversations were muted and from the one or two from which he overheard snatches he gathered that people were not happy with that day’s market. Many of the wares apparently had gone unsold and people were wondering what they would do with the surplus before it all spoiled. He frowned at that, wishing his atar were there to address the question. He doubted Ingoldo would bother. For a moment, he was tempted to remain in the city and do what he could against his uncle, but then he shook his head, realizing the futility of it. It was best to leave and find the High King and let Ingwë deal with the mess.

He glanced around and saw that the crowd had thinned. He gestured for the others and they stepped away from the light spilling from a nearby lamp and into the shadows. Pulling out a flask from underneath his cloak, he uncorked it and took a good swallow and then splashed some of the contents on his tunic.

"Hey, save some for us," Valandur protested.

Ingwion just shook his head and gave them a smile. "All mine," he said, clutching the flask and weaving gently. "Ish all mine," deliberately slurring his words and giving them a wink. Then he reached back and undid part of his braid and mussed up his hair a bit. Then, without warning, he began singing at the top of his lungs even as he started to stagger away from them.

"There wash a maiden fair ’n fwee,

who never gave any flowers to me.

My heart ish breakin’ int’ two,

Oh what, oh what am I t’ do?..."

Valandur and Eccaldamos grabbed him just as he stumbled on the curb. "Whoa, Brother," Valandur said with a laugh. "You’ve had too much of good Master Nolondur’s wine, I fear."

"Very good wine," Ingwion agreed, blinking blearily as he let the two ellyn drag him along with Findis right behind them.

"Don’t overdo it," Eccaldamos whispered into Ingwion’s ear. Ingwion nodded and slumped a bit and muttered to himself as if in an alcoholic daze. He had to force himself not to smile when, as they neared the gate, Findis got into the act.

"...and what will the children think when they see their atar like this?" she said in a scolding tone. "Honestly, husband, you are a disgrace to Elvenkind."

"Dishgraysh," Ingwion echoed genially and Valandur and Eccaldamos chuckled.

"Peace, sister," Valandur said. "I’m sure the children will not think less of their atar for having a little fun."

"A little fun!" Findis exclaimed. "You call drinking half the inn’s supply of wine, dancing on the tables and flirting — flirting, mind you! — with the barmaid with his wife standing right there, fun?"

"Nice barmaid," Ingwion added with a wink to Valandur.

Some of the crowd waiting to pass through the gate chuckled at the sight of the elleth haranguing her ‘husband’ and called out their own comments.

"There’s the well just outside the gate, Mistress," one ellon called out. "You should stop there and give him some water to help sober him up."

"Water!" Findis exclaimed, clearly enjoying herself. "I’ll give him water. I’ll throw him down the bloody well."

There were gales of laughter from the crowd and Ingwion had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop from laughing himself. He raised his eyes slightly to find that they had reached the gate and was glad to see that the guards were enjoying the show as much as the rest of the crowd and merrily waved them through without giving them a glance. Once safely beyond the gate, he surreptitiously began walking so that Valandur and Eccaldamos were only pretending to drag him along, thus relieving them of the burden of his weight. Findis uttered a few more choice comments for the benefit of the crowd around them then settled into silence. They eventually reached the well which sat at a crossroad with the road that connected the west road with the road to Valmar in the south and continued northeast around the city to the road to Ilmarin. Valandur and Eccaldamos leaned him against the well, ostensibly to draw some water for him to drink. Ingwion weakly protested while the two ellyn hovered over him, thus drawing the eyes of amused passers-by to them while Findis slipped quietly away to the trees nearby.

Only when the last of the crowd disappeared around the bend did the three ellyn leave the well and go in search of Findis. They heard a sharp hiss and found her behind one of the trees. Without a word, she pointed up and Ingwion saw several dark lumps nestled in its crook. Eccaldamos neatly leapt into the tree and soon was lowering the haversacks to the ground. In minutes they were seated together behind the tree. Ingwion pulled off his wet tunic and shoved it into one of the bags but did not bother to replace it with another, merely wrapping his cloak around him.

"Let’s hope we do not have to wait too long," he whispered to the others and they all nodded, each glancing southward in the hope of seeing their friends.

****

Ingalaurë felt himself getting more and more nervous the closer they came to the gate. He and the others were still following the party before them, trying to appear as if they were a part of that group without actually being so. At any minute he feared someone would look back and see them and demand to know who they were, but they were thankfully too busy talking among themselves to bother. Ingalaurë stole a glance at his ammë walking beside him. She gave him an encouraging smile and took his arm. Indil and Tamurilon walked behind them. As they drew nearer to the gate, the crowd grew a bit and Ingalaurë fervently hoped that the guards would not bother checking everyone that went through. He started to pull the hood of his cloak up to hide his face only to feel someone yank it down. Turning around, he saw Tamurilon shaking his head.

"You’ll only draw attention to yourself," the ellon said softly. "No one else has their hood up."

Belatedly Ingalaurë realized the truth of the ellon’s words and blushed. Then they were at the gate, though there was a lull as people before them were passing through, so they moved up closer to the party they’d been following. Slowly the crowd moved through the gate and Ingalaurë was glad to see that the guards were only giving people cursory glances as they let them pass. With any luck they would be soon away. He tried not to let his nervousness show as their party came abreast of the gate. He could not help but keep his head down, hoping that none of the guards would see his face.

"We’re almost through," Ingalaurë heard Tamurilon whisper encouragingly and he began to breathe more easily.

Then, disaster struck.

They were now nearly outside the city wall when Ingalaurë heard someone call out.

"Lord Tamurilon! What do you here? What...?"

Ingalaurë glanced up just then to see who had called out and to his horror saw Tulcaner, his uncle’s chief guard, staring right at him, the light of recognition in the ellon’s eyes.

"Prince Ingalaurë!" Tulcaner cried out. "It’s the prince! Seize them!"

Suddenly there was pandemonium as people tried to move out of the way of the guards now advancing upon them. Ingalaurë tried to push his way through those in front of him, pulling Elindis along, hoping to escape, but then someone seized him from behind and yanked him back.

"NO!!" he screamed as he felt his hold on his ammë loosen.

"Ingil!" Elindis cried out in terror even as Tulcaner grabbed her. Ingalaurë struggled against his captors, for there were two of them, screaming for Elindis. He never saw the club that smashed against his temple, sending him into oblivion.

****

Pityaháno: Little brother.

Lómë: Night. Originally glossed as ‘dusk, twilight’. In Valinórean usage, according to Loudham in the Notion Club Papers, lómë ‘has no evil connotations; it is a word of peace and beauty and has none of the associations of fear or groping that, say, "dark" has for us. For the evil sense I do not know the [Quenya] word.’ [Sauron Defeated, HoME IX, ‘The Notion Club Papers’] For ‘night’ in the ‘evil sense’ mórë seems to be the best candidate. Yet, lómë evidently developed darker connotations among the Exiles, for when crying auta i lómë ‘the night is passing’ before the Nirnaeth Arnediad, the Noldor used the word metaphorically to refer to the rule of Morgoth. [Note on lómë given by Helge K. Fauskanger in his Quettaparma Quenyanna (Quenya-English Wordlist) found on Ardalambion at http://folk(dot)uib(dot)no/hnohf/.

Calaratani: Plural of calaratan: Lampwright. Cf. the attested Sindarin cognate calardan.