Warrior's Heart

Chapter Twenty-Three

When she opened her eyes, it took Arielle a moment to remember where she was, and why she was moving. Thorin's arm tightened about her as he murmured, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." She rubbed one eye and yawned. "Where are we, roughly?"

His fingers splayed across her belly. "I haven't a clue. Partway between Mirkwood and home is my best guess."

She offered him a long look over her shoulder. "That helps me not at all, dwarf."

"I know, but it's the best I can do." He lifted his hand from her belly to point ahead into the growing gloom. "I'm hoping there is an inn somewhere up the road."

"This is a different road from the last time?"

Kili's horse fell into step alongside theirs. "It is. We started down the other road, but could hear the call of wargs in the distance."

"And where there are wargs, there are Orcs," she said with a soft sigh. She truly hoped they could avoid any and all confrontations with any Orcs. Her nausea returned throughout the day, a low hum of queasiness she fought to ignore, and despite having slept for who knows how long against Thorin, she was still just so very tired. She feared that not only would she be of little help, but that she might instead prove to be a liability. And terrible things happened because of that.

"Exactly." Thorin eased that arm about her once more. "So, I would rather prefer we not have to sleep outside tonight."

She craned her neck to peer up through the trees at the twilight sky. Pink streaked into blue which in turn streaked into indigo, and stars already began to dot the growing darkness. The only thing around them as far as she could see were trees and more trees as the path wound down and around through the unfamiliar woods. "You've not been here before?"

"It is unfamiliar to us, although I was hoping it might not be to you."

"I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you," she told him, "but I don't know these woods, either."

In the distance, there came a mournful, throaty wail. She didn't recognize it, but it plucked along her spine and instinctively, she inched closer to Thorin. As the others looked at one another, she murmured, "Wargs?"

"Wargs."

"Perhaps we should go back," she whispered as the cries grew louder.

"We would never make it," Thorin murmured back.

"So, we stumble right into the middle of an Orc pack?"

"Cross your fingers that we do nothing of the sort."

She glanced back at the others behind them. Each dwarf had the same wary expression and she didn't miss the subtle motion as each reached for their weapon of choice. Her bow and quiver of arrows was carefully tied to the pack at the edge of the saddle, but there was no way she'd be able to be subtle about retrieving it.

"Pass me my weapon, please," she whispered.

"What? No. We are still far enough away that they may pass us by."

"Thorin, trust me." She reached down to gently prize his hand away from her. "You need let go."

"I don't think so, princess."

"Let me go ahead and look."

"Are you mad?"

She leveled a long look at him over her shoulder. "I can get up there—" she gestured to the treetops—"and go from branch to branch to get a good look without being seen. None of you can do that. So, let me down."