My kindred, not content with any common enemies that lessen and destroy us, were set on reducing the great multitude of despicable Men into far less numbers, and deliver a powerful blow to our Enemy by purging the land of their tribe, settled so close to the borders of the Horse-Men’s lands; and by this bloodshed, show that we stood on the same side, and meant them no ill will. It was decided that one of the Dun-Men would be spared, to become our bartering tool to the Horse-Men. The trail of our Lord Anglachelm has gone cold, and so desperate we are become to find him, we thought to ask Men for help. It seems nothing is too low for us.
Lord Veryacano announced this assault to us, and led the ablest soldiers away with him, ordering me to stay behind. I begged the Lady Danel to wait with me a short distance away, and wondered if the Horse-Men were a better sort of Men than those I had seen, and thought, perhaps they esteem Elves, and we would be given fair consideration, and I hoped that we would not be forced to kill them. We waited until the sounds of metal clashing upon metal stopped, and the screaming ceased. Coming up into the encampment, I saw the bleeding bodies of Men scattered around, but thankfully, none of our soldiers was injured. As Lord Veryacano planned, all were killed but one, our prisoner to the Horse-Men, our gift of bloody tribute. We dragged this unlucky man down the dusty road, and soon we found that bringing him with us in such a way, without binds around his limbs and a gag in his mouth, was a mistake.
This man was near-crazed with grief from the loss of his people, and he was very crafty, which is a dangerous trait in Men. Every so often, he would cry out and spit curses upon us; and I thought this lone survivor may have been wounded when he dropped to the ground, and seemed unable to walk. The Lords Veryacano and Ancalasse came up to see what was causing the delay, and I said his legs were feeble; but then he suddenly bolted away like the mad dog he is, much to our surprise. Lord Estarfin leaping after him, caught him by the scruff of his neck, and held him until the rest of us caught up. Lord Veryacano gave me a very hard look, and asked me if I still thought the man’s legs feeble. I suppose I should not have been so easily deceived, but I laid hold on this opportunity, and instructed the man not to struggle, and so make matters worse for himself. Yet I do not think he cared at all, and would hearken to no advice, for he no longer valued his own life.
Saying nothing more to me on the matter, Lord Veryacano led us to the fort of the Horse-Men to deliver up the prisoner. Soon their dour-faced leader Grimbold appeared; at his sides were several broad-chested men of similarly tall stature, with tow-colored hair, dressed in leathers and, showing us many strange gestures, and rolling their eyes horribly, I thought they were raving mad. There was one very fierce man, who brandished his weapon, as if he would fight us, but he rode away on his horse, seeming to have been sent off by his lord for his temper. At the gate of the crude fortress we stood for a long while, as these strangers whispered hurriedly amongst each other, giving us dark looks. Very discourteously we were treated, but that is to be expected, when a host of armed, mysterious people show up unaccountably on one’s doorstep! It was a foolish way to parley, and had I been consulted, I would have advised against it - but I, Ambassador of the House of Vanimar, appointed by Lord Anglachelm himself, was not. So their archers stood at the ready, aiming for our throats as we each muttered doubtfully amongst ourselves, and all the while our prisoner was struggling with his anguish; in his crude speech he called us murderers, monsters. Then he grew even more unruly, flinging dirt and spitting in Lord Estarfin’s face, and making a desperate yell, he struck out at Lord Ancalasse with a small hidden knife, but only made a light cut on his cheek for all his blustering anger; and then the prisoner in his distress turned the blade upon himself. Before he could cut his own throat, it was knocked out of his hands. Now the Lord Ancalasse was mightily angry, and borrowing the use of Lady Danel's staff, struck the prisoner such a great blow on the head, that I thought the man was killed, and he surely would have died of this wound, had not Lord Ancalasse relented, and permitted Laurelindo to treat the prisoner.
The Horse-Men are a very warlike people, ever faithful to their King, and are become such mortal enemies to the savage Dun-Men, that they never give any quarter; but when they took our prisoner from us, they tied him to a post, and blindfolded his eyes. Then they threatened to take honey, and pour it all over the hair of their tamed captive, and taking up a red-hot spear, said they would flay off the skin while the wretch was still alive. Yet they could never bring themselves to carry out this barbarity during our short stay with them, and instead hinted that they would be releasing the prisoner! We did advise these foolish Men against it, for showing mercy to the wild Dun-Men brought nothing but mischief: a knifing of Lord Veryacano’s leg, and more bloodshed by us, in recompense for this injury. And, as the man was so intent on seeking death, I thought he should find it sooner, rather than later. But alas, no one heeds my counsel.
These men are said to be the best Horse-Masters in the world, and love horses better than Men, or Elves. I believe it. Yet they have proved themselves true, if not courteous hosts, and were a help to us, giving us what cheap provisions they could spare in fair trade for our pack horse. What they could not spare we took, right from under their very noses! I was charged with distracting our guard, whilst Lord Ancalasse took what we needed – later I learned that it was only a little wood that we stole, of paltry value – still, I do not think Lord Veryacano would have approved of it, had he known.
Although it is not terribly cold, thinking of how we are to clamber over the ice-peaked Hithaeglir makes me shiver, and so I have got but little rest.
