The Sunset Princess

The Nameless Terror

The yammering of the orcs grew louder by the moment, and it echoed jarringly off the walls. Their footsteps accompanied it, ominously close.

Something was behind them, too, covered in impenetrable shadow. It made my heart almost seize up for fear. I thought of our last hours outside Moria, of telling Aragorn that something terrible lay here. 

There was no time to think.

We ran, out of the wrecked doors of the chamber, down a thin, steep flight of stairs, into a wider area. The darkness was not so dense in this part of the mines, and the others were bathed in an eerie pale light. However, two were missing. Looking around, eyes wide, I leapt back up the stairs, heedless of Aragorn's hissed "don't!"

I heard a fierce growl, and another, familiar shout. A moment later, when I burst back into the chamber, I ground to a halt. Gimli was bowed beside Balin's destroyed tomb and behind him Legolas stood, heaving him away. "Natho nin!" He shot back, and I ran towards them, as the orcs burst through the doors. (S: help me!)

When I reached them, however, Legolas had pulled Gimli to his feet and he dragged him, with a stream of angry curses, from the chamber. We ran down the stairs, the dwarf ahead, at the heels of the others, and sprinted across the next hall, catching up easily.

I slowed a second, unwisely looking behind. The clanking of armour could be heard among the screeching hoards, and there were more by the second. My mouth was dry. Legolas reached out to grab my arm, pulling me on.

The drum beats, which we had heard in the chamber where Balin took his long rest, had started again. 

The orcs were coming from all sides. I forced down a gasp, looking up to see them streaming from the high ceiling and down the pillars like maggots onto a corpse.

We flew across the stone, urging the hobbits in our midst on faster, but, inevitably, we found ourselves surrounded. I skidded to a halt as the wall of orcs closed in, turning this way and that, desperate to think my way out as I always did. However, the orcs were absolute, a tidal wave which was closing in.

I stepped closer to Legolas again and we shared a lingering look. What I would have given for just one more moment of light. He reached out his right hand and squeezed my left tightly, briefly. We stood shoulder to shoulder, weapons raised and ready. The orcs circled us, squabbling between themselves on who stood in front. We'll take out the first rows, I thought desperately, at least the first.

The orcs stilled, and for a moment, there was silence. I took in a breath, prepared to go down fighting.

A strange roar filled the room. I stilled. Suddenly, I did not want to look around. Though I knew not why, some sense told me that, whatever had made that low, heat-filled roar, I did not want to see it.

The hall behind us filled with a red glow, and almost at once the orcs were gone, scampering up the pillars and out of sight with high-pitched screeches. Whatever it was, they were afraid too.

My hands were shaking.

Legolas and I turned, and the others behind us. Mithrandir was gazing down the hall towards the source of the light and noise, his tired eyes wide.

The roar sounded again, like stone grinding on stone. Legolas' bow was raised, but he dropped it slowly to his side as the red light moved closer to us. My heart was pounding as if it wanted to escape my chest.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked Mithrandir, leaning to speak in his ear.

Mithrandir did not answer immediately. He closed his eyes, clutching at his staff and bowing his head. I felt the dread in my stomach increase tenfold at the look on our leader's face. He opened his eyes slowly and looked up again, at the red light slowly making its way towards us.