The world was spinning before her eyes. First very slowly, then faster and faster, until dizziness and nausea had become intolerable. Then the spinning slowed down again… and the nausea subsided. She waited – afraid that the spinning might start again.
She woke up.
Her first sensation was a sharp pain in her head. Her eyes were like burning holes, gateways to flaming brain. She lied still – listening to her own heartbeat.
I’m alive, she thought. She had a faint recollection of something hitting her head, then nothing. Gradually she started to get interested in her surroundings.
She was lying on something relatively soft and warm. Her hands and feet were tied up. It was night. When her senses gradually began to function, she noticed how the surface she was on was moving rhythmically. Oars creaked and lapped the water behind her. She tried to turn her head carefully to see who was rowing the boat, but the mere attempt sent painful flashes to her brain. She could hear the wash of lake water quite near.
After a moment she noticed that she had been tied up with rope. Her hands were numb. To her satisfaction she discovered that they hadn’t taken off her boots. The rope had been wrapped crisscross around her calves. But the ligature had been done very roughly. Her hands were tied very thoroughly, though. Perhaps they had been unable to pull off her wet boots, Hellrien thought.
A noise stirred her from her thoughts. She listened. Had the rower belched or something? No – it was another kind of sound. More like a grunt or a sigh.
She tried to turn around. It was almost as if whatever she was lying on moved as well. Had the sound come from beneath her?
Only my imagination, she thought.
”Oo-ooh…”
Hellrien felt shivers of horror go down her spine. She squinted her eyes, trying to see in the faint starlight. Slowly her eyes began to adjust.
But… no, it couldn’t be! She stared until her temples started to pound. Yes – she was lying on a man, a naked man, also tied up! Another captive. And…
She felt like throwing up when she finally saw what they had done to him. This man – or what had once been a man – had been tortured, whipped and burned until he was barely recognizable as a human being. Hellrien could not understand how it was possible for him to still be alive, yet his chest kept rising and falling along faint breathing, and every once in a while a ghastly moan erupted from that disfigured, distorted face.
In a grip of horror and disgust Hellrien pushed her back against the frame of the boat – as far away from the horrific wreck of a man as she could get. She had to swallow not to throw up. When she saw the profile of his destroyed face, she swore – tears in her eyes – she would kill Ernil for this if it cost her own life a thousand times.
”Can you hear me?” Hellrien whispered quietly. She repeated her question a little louder. In the starlight she could see how he turned his head a little to the side, in her direction.
”Can you hear me?”
Was he breathing faster now? He was!
”Listen to me!” Hellrien whispered. ”Try to listen!”
Suddenly she saw two burning eyes on the mangled face. Mouth was moving slowly, painfully.
”Can you hear me?” Hellrien asked quickly. ”Who are you and how did you get in here? Try to talk, please. Try!”
A bloody chest arose. The creature was drawing in a deep breath.
”Talk!” Hellrien whispered. ”In the name of the Valar – try!”
Lips were moving faster.
Then came the sound – a laughter so gruesome it froze Hellrien still. Time and time again the man let out an insane, chilling burst of laughter.
Hellrien pushed her back against the edge of the boat again, as far as she could get. Grunts of laughter followed her. Finally the man stopped laughing, his breathing turned into groaning. Hellrien heard how that miserable wretch tried to laugh again, until finally he fell completely still…
