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Books ( Lord of the Rings

The Lost Land

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By: Ianeth $
My take on the lost Numenoreans idea. OC's.
Rated: Fiction K - English - Adventure - Chapters: 5 - Words: 8,159 - Reviews: 2 - Favs: 2 - Follows: 3 - Updated: Sep 26 - Published: May 24 - id: 13594602

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Chapter 5

At first the mist and low light made it difficult to judge the size of the land ahead but it soon became clear that the cliffs rose to a tremendous height. There was barely a breath of wind to stir the sails, which
flapped occasionally in a desultory manner, so the Gwael crept forward slowly, her rudder barely responding. Despite their slow progress Lauriel was taking no chances, and sent lookouts aloft and a crewman
forward to the bow to take soundings to try and ensure they did not strike any submerged rocks close to this mysterious coast.

The lookouts remained quiet and the crewman on the sounding line continued to shout 'clear' at regular intervals. As they drew closer to the cliffs whose tops were now lost in the rosy dawn lit mist they saw that
the face was crossed diagonally by a rising line, too regular and straight to be anything but the work of men. Far above a second identical score across the sheer rock rose parallel to the first, but what they could
possibly be none could say.

To add to the strangeness of the scene Lauriel realised with a shock that not a single seabird flew from the precipice or wheeled noisily overhead, in fact all about them was entirely and unexpectedly still and
silent. The mood of the place seemed to have caught amongst the crew for they too became quiet or began to address each other in hushed tones. Amado, who stood at her side looked troubled and muttered
that he did not like this place, but Lauriel was simply curious and indicated to Adanor to take them still closer in and to follow the cliffs and see what lay around the next headland.

Silence settled on the Gwael like a blanket, and even the crewman at the bow ceased calling out, though the soft splash of the plumb hitting the water continued at regular intervals. Driven forward slowly by an
imperceptible breeze they reached the steep headland that bounded the far end of the cliff and rounded it, to reveal an almost identical cliff lined bay beyond. The steep road, for it could be nothing else
continued to descend from a great height to disappear at the far end around yet another corner. The Gwael crept slowly on, never quite becalmed and perhaps helped on her way by a favourable tide or current.

Standing at Lauriel's side Amado continued to look worried and uncomfortable, muttering prayers in his own tongue, his eyes constantly darting upwards as if to watch for some unexpected threat. In contrast
Lauriel felt nothing but a sense of awe and a strange and profound feeling of peace, unlike anything she had ever known before. Even if she had wished to speak now she would have been unable to do so, and as
she scanned the faces of the other crew around her she saw that many of them were clearly feeling the same way. They passed quietly on, rounding the next headland, the light of dawn growing stronger and
the pale orange disc of the sun now at their backs. It seemed now that contrary to their previous hopes that this place could only be an island rather than a coast, and in normal circumstances Lauriel would have
been disappointed by that realisation. But the place was so beautiful and strange that it did not trouble her. The lowest rising way was not far above them now and must surely reach the sea in the next wide bay
if that is what lay beyond the next headland.

Any rising hope that Lauriel had begun to harbour about landing on the strange island and climbing the strange winding way to its summit were dashed however once they entered the next bay. Perhaps it had
once descended all the way to the sea but now it ended just a few mast lengths overhead, the cliff beneath it scoured clean by wave and rockfall over an immeasurable length of time. They saw in wonder that it
was indeed as it had appeared to be, a mighty work of men, for it consisted of wide shallow steps beyond count, rising smoothly and regularly upwards toward the summit, wide enough for ten or twelve to have
walked abreast, and bounded by a parapet carved like the steps themselves from the living rock.

Lauriel's feelings of awe and reverence only increased for this was a work beyond anything she could have conceived. She caught Norumir's eye and he too shook his head in wonder and made as if to speak, but
the words died on his lips and the silence that lay about them remained unbroken. She began to wonder if she was dreaming, for they were able to round yet another headland at the same imperceptible speed
without having to tack, though she realised she might not have been able to call out the order to do so even if she had wished it. They were now shaded from the sun and if anything the mist was growing thicker
under the gloomy cliffs.

Then at last they passed round the last headland and the sun, now a pale orange circle in the swirling mist lay ahead of them once more, and they had come full circle. The disc of the sun continued to fade as
the mist thickened until it disappeared completely from sight, as did the mighty cliffs to starboard. Lauriel shivered in the suddenly chilly air, momentarily unable to act.

Then all at once it was as if a spell had been broken, a strong wind suddenly sprang up on their port beam. The sails began luffing violently, the Gwael shuddering as her sailcloth flapped loudly and uselessly.
Lauriel immediately realised they risked being driven onto the cliffs but she had scarcely uttered the order before the crew were springing into action and hauling on the lines to bring her sails across the wind.
Adanor hauled on the rudder and with a boom and a crack and a cacophony of straining timber and rope the Gwael lurched forward into the murk.

Lauriel held her breath for the swirling fog was so thick now that even her view of the front of the ship was no longer clear and she feared that at any moment that the dark mass off the cliffs would appear
suddenly ahead and they would be wrecked. But Ataji, holding his lodestone before him stood with Adanor checking and advising him on their course and after a while she began to breathe again, for they were
surely clear of the island now. Then at once the fog began to thin, the disc of the sun reappeared and grew in brightness and at last they found themselves out on the open sea, a great bank of fog at their stern.

In all her years at sea Lauriel had never seen anything so strange and could scarce believe she had not dreamt it.

"What was that place?" she asked her companions "for I have never seen its like or heard any tale told of it".

It was Ataji who replied, his voice unsteady and hesitant. "My Lady, I believe I know what we have seen, though I know not how it could be so. At the centre of the land we seek stood a great flat topped
mountain with five faces and five ridges that ran down to the sea far off, forming the points of a star. A road is said to have climbed to its summit and according to the old tales it was a hallowed place where
many would gather at times. We rounded a headland five times before we found ourselves back at the start and it is too much of a coincidence. I cannot conceive of how such a thing could happen but if the
whole land sank beneath the waves leaving just the tip of the mountain above them then it would be as we found. It would also explain why we did not find an island hundreds of leagues across". His voice
trailed off and he looked embarrassed.

Adanor guffawed. "That must be the best excuse for you failing to find where we sailed that I've heard from you so far. Whole lands don't just disappear under the sea".

But none of the others, shaken as they were by the strange experience, joined in his mirth and Lauriel raised a hand to quiet him. "I cannot explain what we have seen, and the whole thing was so passing
strange that I find myself unable to discount this explanation. Perhaps this was the Meneltarma of legend, or all that remains of it, if so Ataji, despite our doubts you did once again succeed in your task, and I
thank and acclaim you for it." The little navigator bowed, abashed whilst she noticed Adanor mutter an oath under his breath. "But more pressing now is the fact that we have failed to make landfall or replenish
our stores of water. We do not have nearly enough left to get us back to the Tyll Eglain, so our only hope as far as I can see is to set our course eastward towards the wide lands shown on the map. Even then, if
the distances it indicates are accurate we will still have to eke out our supplies and hope for some good fortune and rain. Are we all of the same mind? Gather the crew and I will tell them what must happen".

The crew heard the news in silence and nobody raised any objections or concerns, for the strangeness of the island had clearly affected them all. Lauriel stood watching afterwards, full of conflicting emotion as
the strange fog bank disappeared into the distance behind them. Sadness and disappointment that they had failed to find what they were looking for, but also her adventurer's excitement at what might still lay
ahead. The maps showing the eastern lands were not detailed but there was what looked to be a wide estuary more or less due east of their position. As a seafarer she knew she might expect to find a port there
should the lie of the land be favourable, and maybe others from the lost land had once settled there. Perhaps some of their descendants still lived on and sailed those shores just as her own people now did so far
to the south. Time would tell if it were so, and perhaps her mission might not have failed after all.

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