In Time

Chapter Sixteen

The Company moved even more silently than they had earlier on the Northern Pathway. As they came to the clearing where the battle had been fought, there was no sign of any remaining orcs. There were plenty of orc carcasses, as burying their dead was not a high priority, and the area had already taken on the foul stench of decaying, soulless evil. Thorin tried not to think about it as he surveyed the area slowly, then shook his head.

"They've gone."

"Back to Ravenhill, do you think?" Dwalin asked.

Thorin shrugged. "I have no way of knowing. Perhaps Ravenhill, perhaps back to the Misty Mountains. All I know is they are not here. Although, I highly doubt they made it as far as the Misty Mountains in only a few hours, which means Ravenhill is even less likely."

"We can split up," Balin suggested. "It looks as if they went that way," he pointed to a thick growth of underbrush, with broken and flattened branches leading away from them.

Thorin hesitated. The last time he sent Fili and Kili to scout, it ended with them all nearly dying, so he was in no hurry to repeat that mistake. He glanced first at Kili, and then Fili, and surreptitiously shook his head. He would sacrifice himself again before putting either one of them in danger. Especially since Amara—

He winced. Amara. He had no way of knowing in Kenia and Jassin had been able to save her, and if they couldn't...

Magra would never be dead enough.

"Balin's right," Fili broke through Thorin's reverie with his low statement. "We should split up and scout the area. Odds are, they've not gone far."

Dwalin offered up a long look. "I'll keep an eye on them, Thorin. Keep them safe. Nori, you, Oín, Gloín, Bofur, Bifur, and the halfling go east, and we'll go west."

Kili glared at Dwalin. "We need no keeper."

Thorin stepped up to head off the argument. He caught Kili by the nape of his neck and, as he'd done when he'd asked them to follow him from Erebor that one last time, drew his nephew in to press his forehead to Kili's. "I will take no chances on losing either you or your brother again. Understand this, Kili. I will never chance that again."

"I know, but—"

"No," Thorin shook his head, "there is no but. There will never be one. No chances. You will both grow old if I have anything to say about it. Your Tauriel waits for you and you will return to her."

"As you will to your Amara?"

Thorin smiled. He was worried sick over her, wanted only to be at her side when she opened her eyes, but she would understand why he wasn't. One thing he'd learned about her in the time he'd spent at Rivendell, she understood him. Even when he didn't understand himself.

"Yes," he said. "As I will return to Amara."

Kili returned his smile. "Then, let's rid Middle Earth of this scum for once and for all."

"Listen to Dwalin. Keep out of sight. We will see you on the other side of this wood."

As he and Kili stepped away from one another, Dwalin cleared his throat. "We should go."

They parted ways there, with Thorin and his team taking one direction, Dwalin and his taking the other. They moved as quietly as before, until Bilbo broke the silence with a whispered, "Thorin?"

"What?"

"Up ahead," he nodded, "I see smoke. Do the Rivendell elves allow people to camp in their forest?"

Bofur offered up a smile. "What do you think?"

Thorin eased the Orcrist from its scabbard. "Not a sound and no one moves until I give the word. Nori, you and Bifur go this way. Bofur, you, Oín and Gloín go that way. Bilbo, you stay with me. If any of you bump into the others, point them in this direction although," he peered up over the underbrush to see the top of Dwalin's head, "it appears they've seen the smoke as well. Go!"