Ya'aburnee

A Dragon in the Dark

It wasn't long until she saw the light of the torches behind her, the whole group of dwarves coming quickly after her. "Olivia!" Bofur shouted when he saw her.

"Where's Thorin?" Dwalin noticed quickly.

"He went on ahead," Olivia motioned forwards as the group reached her, walking along with them, "I couldn't see, he told me to wait for the rest of you."

Balin led them through the halls, breaking into a run as they got closer, afraid of what they might find when they reached the end of the hall. There were blazes of fire up ahead, and it was clear the dragon was angry. Soon they could see Thorin and Bilbo at the end of the hallway, both looking up at something up above them in the chamber.

Some of the dwarves ran faster, Nori, Dwalin, Ori, and Dori rushing out in front, followed by Liv, Balin, Bifur, and Bombur, and Gloin, all turning to look up at the terrible beast. 

Olivia's breath was stolen away, surprised at the utter enormity of the creature. She could make out his form in the darkness, veins of glowing light showing down his chest, and a glow came from his throat as he roared, crashing forwards. Olivia gulped, suddenly very afraid, but she held her sword up, and one of the torches in the other. "You will burn!" The dragon roared.

"Run!" Both Thorin and Dwalin shouted, the group turning and rushing down the stairs, sliding just below the wall of flame that jutted out above them.

"Come on Bilbo!" Dori yelled, and Olivia lifted the hobbit by the scruff of his neck as they rushed through a doorway as the dragon breathed his flame upwards, creating a dome around himself that the people in the back barely escaped. 

Thorin let out a cry as his coat caught on fire, singeing him slightly. "Thorin!" It was an almost instinctual cry of worry that flew from Olivia's lips as he rushed into the room, rolling to try and smother the flames, throwing the coat off when that didn't work. 

He stood quickly, walking forwards. "Come on." He led the group into a run again, through the hallways. The only light now came from the dragon behind them and Olivia's torch, the rest of the torches being abandoned. Eventually, with enough distance between them and the dragon, they slowed, quieting their footsteps. "Olivia, douse your torch. You will give us away."

"She won't be able to see!" Balin countered.

"If she doesn't douse the torch we will all be spotted and killed," Thorin replied.

"But..."

It was Olivia who cut Balin off. "No, he's right, this time. But I will need someone to guide me." She decided she would rather not be able to see how far down the cavern stretched below the walkways anyways.

"Bilbo," Thorin nodded in the direction of the halfling, then to Olivia, and Bilbo nodded, rushing over as Olivia let her torch drop to the ground behind her. Before it fizzled out, she saw that he looked slightly nervous.

"I trust you," She whispered to the hobbit. "I know you will not let me fall." She took a steadying breath, taking the small hand of the hobbit as he led her through the darkness. It really felt as if she were being led by a child, though she knew, now, that Bilbo would do everything in his power to keep her safe. 

She heard nothing, for a time, till she heard Thorin shush the company from close ahead, and Bilbo slowed, Olivia slowing as well. In the dark she could feel the presence of her companions close around her, and faintly hear their breaths and shuffling footfalls. Eventually, they came to a stop.

"We've given him the slip," She recognized Dori's voice, even at a whisper.

"No, he's too cunning for that," She heard Dwalin say shortly after.

"So where to now?" Bilbo asked in a hushed whisper from beside her.

"The western guardroom," Thorin replied. "There may be a way out."

"It's too high," She heard Balin whisper from behind her. "There's no chance that way."

"It's our only chance," Thorin whispered from in front of her. "We have to try."

"We're moving forwards again," Bilbo whispered to her before he began leading her forwards, creeping slowly, slowly across the stone. She held her breath, knowing that, being human, her footfalls were louder than that of the dwarves, although not by much, because she was so light-footed.

"Come on," She heard Thorin's soft whisper from ahead as they moved. She could feel the air moving a great deal more, and she knew from the feel of it, and from the way Bilbo's grip had tightened on her hand that there were no longer walls protecting them from plummeting into the depths.

She tried to calm her racing thoughts and heart, forcing her breath to stay quiet, although the thought of the fall not far to either side made her nervous. There was a clink, suddenly, from in front of her, the whole company halting.

She became aware too, before the dwarves, of a soft glow slipping around them. She looked up, the glowing chest of the dragon careening above, casting a light golden glow on the faces of her companions, and in that moment she had the irresistible urge to look down, barely containing a frightened whimper as she saw the golden light illuminate the seemingly bottomless pit below.

As she forced herself to look forwards, she saw Thorin beckon silently for the company to move on, as the glow faded and the dragon passed. She was enshrouded again in darkness, Bilbo pulling her forwards, slowly, and with every step she nervously listened, praying she wouldn't step on a loose stone and make a noise.

Soon, they broke into a run, Bilbo somehow successfully leading Olivia without her tripping. It took her a minute to trust him, but she ran alongside him freely now, as if she could still see, it becoming easier and easier to trust the longer she ran. "Stay close," Thorin was no longer whispering, but he still kept his voice low as he gave orders.

They rounded a corner, and the company slowed quickly to a halt. "What is it?" Olivia asked after an uncomfortable silence. No one answered her.

"That's it then," She heard Dwalin say solemnly. "There's no way out."

"What..." Olivia's eyebrows shot up when she realized. Oh. She inched closer to Bilbo, not knowing where the corpses lay making her somehow more nervous than the height had before.

"The last of our kin..." Balin said sadly, and Olivia bowed her head in respect, although she could not see. "They must have come here... Hoping beyond hope." Olivia swore for a moment she could hear screams, quiet, but clear, as if echoes from the past within the room. "We could try to reach the mines," Balin suggested, though his tone was flat, defeated. "We might last a few days."

"No," She heard Thorin step forwards, raising her head at the sound of his voice. "I will not die like this. Cowering. Clawing for breath." It sounded so like him, and not like him at all. He was proud, and she knew he cowered at nothing, or at least pretended not to. But it was so unlike him as well. There was a hint of an insult in it, thrown at the people whose bodies lay in the room. His people. And that was not like him at all. He was perhaps more proud of his people than anything. She heard him swiftly turn. "We make for the forges."

"He'll see us, sure as death," Dwalin told him.

"Not if we split up," Thorin replied.

"Thorin," Balin reasoned, "We'll never make it."

"Some of us might. Lead him to the forges. We kill the dragon. If this is to end in fire, then we will all burn together." Olivia felt the hair raise on her arms, and although she felt nervous, she felt alive, adrenaline coursing through her veins. She had never felt this, before a battle before, but there was a fire kindled in her soul as she gripped her sword tighter, a confident look crossing her face. "Olivia," Thorin said, "Relight a torch. He is going to see us anyways. You, Balin, and Bilbo will come with me. Ori, Dori, Bombur. You are another group. Dwalin, Nori, a third group, and Bifur and Gloin, you are the last group. Let's go."