[Child of the 7th Age]

Cami's jaw dropped as she stared at the letter in front of her. It seemed to be genuine enough. It was written in exquisitely tiny runes, with Idril's signature appended at the end.

She'd had one hint the day before that something might be wrong. She'd asked Piosenniel something about the public celebration they'd planned to honor her nuptials. The Elf had turned away grumbling there might not be enough time to do that and still get everything else wrapped up. Time indeed! This sounded more like a case of extremely cold feet.

Cami didn't know what to think about this letter. A small piece of her felt some sympathy for Pio and her uncertainties. But the greater part wanted to go in and shake the Elf until her teeth rattled.

Cami found this whole idea hard to fathom. In the last day, she'd turned down a marriage proposal and decided that she might be eternally bound to a man she could not even be with. Now her friend had the audacity to complain that she would just as soon not go through with the public affirmation, and indeed was sorry she'd ever returned to the Star, or met the Man. And, as far as the children went, the little ones were not even mentioned. The hobbit could forgive many things, but not this. She began to boil over with anger.

Cami glanced over at Gamba who was finally asleep, curled up with the children by his side. Even Rose was no longer awake. Cami hated to leave them after all that had happened that day, but she saw no choice. She scribbled out a note that they should not worry in case she did not return by the morning.

Throwing her cloak over her shoulders, she began her search for Bird all up and down the ship. Bird, however, was nowhere to be found. One time she saw Mithadan pacing back and forth in the corridor. Cami went and hid in a nearby closet until the Man disappeared. He was the last person she wanted to see at this moment.

She left a message tacked up on Bird's cabin door in case the shapechanger returned. A frantic search for Angara turned up nothing, until she remembered that the wyrm was spending the night on the isle as the new guardian of Meneltarma. There was nothing left to do but to crank down the small row boat.

With fierce determination, she rowed the short distance over to the Elven ship which was sitting in shallow waters just a little towards the east. She climbed the side ladder up onto the deck, and immediately marched to Idril's cabin, banging loudly on the door.

[ November 18, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]