Daughter of The Darkness

Chapter 20

The dwarves were free. The dwarves were running. They reached the base of the mountain and everyone fell about the trees gasping for breath. Gandalf did a head count. Bilbo was not there.
"Where's Bilbo?" he demanded. The company looked around. They had not seen him since they were captured by the goblins. Nori was the last to see him.

Thorin huffed "I'll tell you what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it. We will not be seeing our hobbit again!" Everyone looked around. They all knew Bilbo missed his home under the hill but they also knew he was loyal to his friends. The company stood there in silence until a familiar voice rang out.
"Nope! He isn't" It was Bilbo. Everyone turned around to look at him with such surprise in their eyes. Gandalf breathed a sigh of relief. Fili and Kili laughed.

Bilbo smiled and placed his hand in his pocket.
"I know you doubt me, I know you always have and your right I often think of Bag End. I miss my books and my armchair and my garden. You see that's were I belong, that's home, and that's why I came back because you don't have one- a home it was taken from you. And I will help you bring it back if I can. "

Thorin stood speechless and the rest of the company smiled.

A howl of wargs broke the emotion of confidence with fear. They all looked around at each other. Everyone knew what was coming, they could hear the pounding footsteps of the orcs and wargs running down the hill. They all ran off down the rest of the hill closely being followed by the howls.

A warg jumped over Bilbos head. It turned and ran straight for him. Bilbo panicked and drew his sword, pointing it at the oversized dog. The beast ran straight into the blade. It fell to the floor, Bilbo's heart pumping fast.

The company had reached the ledge. The only way to escape was to fall or to climb. So they decided to climb. All of them climbed the trees like monkeys but some were better than others. They clung to the branches as the wargs surrounded beneath them, barking and howling for their prey. There were loads of them; these were no scouts this was a hunting party.

Balin looked at Thorin with worry in his eyes.
"Elfreda, she is still up there," he said. Thorin shook his head. If she could survive a dragon she was not going to die without a fight. But he too was worried for her safety as was Fili and Gandalf.

Out of the corner of the grey wizards eye, he spotted a moth. Using his staff, he picked it up and it fluttered to his hand. He spoke to it in whispers. Then he let it go, the moth knowing what he had to do flew away off into the night.

A white Orc on a white warg steppe forward. He grinned showing sharp white teeth.
"Azog!" said Thorin. Azog sniffed the air and spoke in orcish to his hunters.
"Do you smell it?" Azog sneered " the scent of fear,"

Azog taunted Thorin about his father. Thorin closed his eyes in shock.

The wargs ran at the trees, stamping at it with their front feet. The trees quaked under their weight. One even tipped over and crashed into the next one. Like a domino the other tree collapsed into the next and the next until the last tree which hung over the cliff stood alone.

Gandalf reached for a pinecone and set it alight. He threw it to the ground and sent the wargs back a few paces. Gandalf passed more cones to the dwarves who set more alight. They threw them to the ground- they were fighting back. The wargs fled leaving the dwarves cheering and whooping. But Azog would not leave.

Thorin stood from the fallen tree. The glare in his eyes, challenged the pale Orc to fight. Thorin ran at him drawing Orcrist and holding his oaken shield. The white warg jumped knocking the dwarf over.

If an arrow had not whizzed past the prince and barely missing the Orc, Thorin would of surely been taken down where he stood. But he did not. Azog looked up and saw a figure armed with a bow shrouded by smoke.

"Do you know how many goblins I had to fight to get out? Blimey but a few orcs and wargs won't make a difference!" It was Elfreda. Her cloak was torn and a trickle of blood ran down her temple; her arm was cut and bruised in several places.

This time she directed her mockery towards Azog.
"Oh hello! You know sunlight does wonders for pale skin, might even hide your scars!"

Azog glared at her. The white warg wriggled where he stood wanting to get a taste of her blood. And with a quick kick, the beast leapt up in attack. Elfreda laughed, she was crazed by the long fight. She dumped down her bow and drew her sword. Then she too leapt into the fire.