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Melkor sat on his dark throne and slowly changed his right arm from solid grey flesh to a smoky dark thundercloud which sprayed lightening towards the vast sculpted ceiling. One lightening branch fried an orc servant who stood too close leaving only a charred patch where he had stood.
Melkor shrugged.
Another orc approached, dragging a reluctant human being by the arm.
Melkor yawned. 'What is that? '
'My lord, we do not know. A strange second born filth.' Answered the orc
The orc held the man up by his shirt collar.
'Well' said melkor and his voice was deep and soft like the start of a snow avalanche in high mountains
'What are you? Why are you in my realm?'
The man was old with dark bronze skin and amber eyes. Graying black hair neatly braided that hung to his waist.
He said to the orc, ' if you will permit me.'
He gestured towards his shirt pocket.
The orc nodded and great uncle quincy pulled out some spectacles and put them on.
They were old timey like John Denver wore.
'Oh!' he said as he looked up at melkor and back at the orc.
Then he took in the myriad of fell creatures that sat in corners of the hall and licked their lips.
'Oh!' he repeated. ' A hall of bad spirits. Grandmother said this could happen sometimes.'
He reached into his pocket and found a bag of tobacco and got out a pinch then smiling gently tossed it towards Melkor who wore a bemused expression.
'There…that should do it.'
Melkor watched the pinch fall. Then asked, 'do what ? pitiful mortal creature.'
'Appease bad spirits. It's good tobacco.'
Melkor gestured and an orc ran and picked up the pinch of leaf at Melkors feet and handed it up to the dark lord.
'Hum, mild intoxicant.' It burned to ash in The dark Lord's fingers.
The old man looked around expecting the bad spirits to depart.
'You are still here.'
Melkor nodded slowly
'You are bright i'll give you that.'
Quincy reached into his coat pocket and pulled out needles of dried cedar. And a small cast iron pot.
'Can I trouble you for a match? ' he asked the dark lord.
Melkor gestured and a small dragon slithered up to great uncle quincy.
And with a puff of breath produced a little flame.
Rather reluctantly the old man lit the cedar from this strange source of fire, blew it down to embers and offered the smoke to the 4 directions and sky and earth.
Then he looked up.
Melkor was slightly smiling.
'What do you think you are doing?'
He asked the old man.
'I am getting you to leave with this holy cedar. '
Melkor shook his head.
'Try harder perhaps. I Almost feel like leaving.'
The orc laughed hoarsly.
Quincy took an eagle feather from his hat band and blew the smoke bigger and waved the feather.
'That is annoying, ' Melkor told him 'reminds me of my brother.'
'It is supposed to be annoying so you will go away. And I can go home.' Replied quincy.
'How much of that do you have?' Melkor asked.
Quincy pulled out a handful.
Melkor raised his hand and the cedar flew from quincy's fist and lit on fire there in the air.
The smoke blew everywhere then dissipated and was gone.
'Hell that's all I had.' Quincy said
'I know, ' said melkor. 'I wanted you to be done with it.'
'Yes but you are still here.'
'I live here.' Replied the dark lord
'The cedar should have shooed you away bad spirit.'
'Yes i do not shoo very well.'
Uncle quincy held up the eagle feather.
'Why are you doing that?'
'It's for protection.'
'I see.
The One obviously had a sense of humour when he created the second born.' Melkor chuckled softly.
'Why do you say that?' Asked quincy
Melkor nodded and the eagle feather went up in a flash of light and smoke.
'No reason,' said melkor.
'Many have stood where you are now.
One danced and sang before me.
One I bound to a chair so he could see the fall of his own family and do nothing to help them
One I hung by his wrist from my walls…as decoration….
And you… what shall I do with you?'
Quincy said, 'you are really a very bad spirit.why did you do these things?'
'Why should I not?' Melkor told him.
'All arda is mine.'
'Well if it is why not be kind?'
'The world irritates me.' Answered the dark lord.
Uncle quincy looked for somewhere to sit. A chair appeared beside him.
He looked at it carefully put a pinch of tobacco on the arm rest and sat down.
'Thank you. Getting older.'
'Yes, the gift of Eru to you. How do you like that?'
Quincy thought a moment. 'Oh…old age we just go back into creation and get reborn.'
Melkor's eyes sharpened.' I think I shall freeze you solid right there as an ornament for my hall.'
A small star formed and out of it stepped a little silver fox.
The fox told quincy
'How many times have I told you old man do not mix the peyote with anything else.'
Quincy told the fox, 'runner said it was OK.'
The silver fox scoffed, ' runner is not a shaman. If runner told you to jump off a cliff would you?
Use some common sense. Threw you clean out of your universe. And this one, dont meddle with him.' The fox nodded towards melkor. 'In our world he is the one who burned up the whole universe.'
'Pardon me, ' the fox told melkor. Melkor raised an eybrow.
The fox placed a paw on quincy's knee and they both vanished.
Melkor sighed. And froze the orc solid who had been holding quincy.