Some Hearts

6.

Chapter 6:

I finished cleaning the new blade, stood, and gave it a couple of swings to get a feel for its weight.

"A well-balanced blade you have there, Cara, my dear." Gandalf announced coming out of the cave.

"I have not seen something like this before. It has a crystal in the base of the blade."

"Perhaps Elrond can give you some information on it."

"If not, I'm sure I can find at least something in his library."

Thorin took this moment to exit the cave and gather the dwarves. Soon, I heard something in the distance. It was rustling of trees and underbrush. It was moving quickly and forcefully toward our location.

"Thorin, Gandalf, something's coming!"

"Arm yourselves!" Thorin commanded everyone.

I ran back over to Kili and shook him awake quickly.

"Come quickly, my Prince, something is coming; draw your sword!"

We all created a circle in the opening, each dwarf holding a unique weapon. Even little Bilbo seemed to have a sword! The sound got closer. I could hear multiple thumps like feet, but not heavy enough for horses or wargs. Soon, rabbits busted into the clearing. Yes, rabbits, which meant one person. They pulled a sled behind them and on it was a second wizard! I lowered my sword with a smile.

"Thieves, Fire, Murder!" He called out distressed.

"It is Radagast! Radagast the Brown!" Gandalf announced relieved.

"What on Earth are you doing here?" Gandalf asked.

"I was looking for you Gandalf."

"Somethings wrong, terribly wrong!" In honesty, the wizard did look more disheveled than normal, if that was possible.

"Yes?"

The Brown Wizard seemed to be stuttering and stumbling for his words until Gandalf pulled an insect from his mouth. Really Rads, a stick bug? Soon, he found his words but wanted to speak with Gandalf away from the dwarves.

"Caralith, I think you should join in this conversation. Come little ranger!" Radagast encouraged me to follow them.

"The Greenwood is sick, a darkness has fallen over it. Nothing grows anymore, at least nothing good. The air is foul with decay, but worse is the webs. Spiders, Gandalf, giant ones."

"I've seen these spiders. Even fought them with the elven guard for a few seasons before I left. That is not something new Radagast." I crossed my arms.

"No my dear, these are different, larger, deadlier than your last visit to the Greenwood. These are some kind of spawn of Ungoliant or I am not a wizard! I followed their trail, they came from Dol Guldur!"

"Dol Guldur?" Gandalf repeated.

"What? The old fortress has been abandoned for an age." I raised an eyebrow. Has he been eating the colored mushrooms again?

"No Caralith, it is not. There is a necromancer, an ancient horror, drawing on dark power. I saw it, I saw him." The fear in the brown wizard's eyes was true. He encountered something of pure terror. Gandalf offered him some of his pipe to calm the poor man.

"Now, are you sure?" Radagast handed Gandalf a blade wrapped in several layers of cloth that I could feel darkness vibrating off of once it was exposed.

"That is not from the world of the living." It was a Morgul blade. I felt a shiver go down my spine. I had only heard Arathorn speak briefly of them in my training. A wound from one was usually fatal unless you got to Elrond or Galadriel, themselves in time. These blades were only carried by non-living beings, wraiths per legend.