If this is to End in Fire: Hobbit Fan Fiction Skin-changer

Chapter 18- Still and Dark and Terrifying

Sipeon and Bain watched from the rooftops as the crowd parted to allow the dwarves a passage through. The talk of 200 curious tongues surrounded them and Lupine felt uneasy. Too many eyes watched her as she followed the company and stepped carefully into the boat that had been readied for their journey. She gripped her hand to the rim and straddled her legs, wishing that she could now share in her brother's love for water. Sipeon caught her eye as the thought tinged her mind, but he hardly reacted, merely flashing his pupils as any skin-changer would do.

The barge was pushed away as the sounds of trumpets played. Thorin had bade his nephew remain in the safety of the town to rest his injured leg, and Kili and Oin had joined him, so that the company seemed somewhat smaller than it had done before. Bofur too appeared far too late and Lupine's keen eye sight allowed her to see his pitiful face as they travelled away from him and up the water. Thorin would wait for no stragglers.

The boat crossed Long Lake and the Lonely Mountain loomed ever higher as they approached it. Despite the many days that the company had spent travelling, they had never crossed terrain as steep as that which faced them now, and ascending the mountain seemed less like hiking and more like climbing.

Reaching the burnt city of Dale came as a grateful rest to their incessant scrambling, though there was no sign of the wizard who had promised to meet them there. In spite of the hobbit's worry and reluctance at leaving without him, Thorin was insistent that they continue forward and the sense of belonging sucked deeper into his heart.

The sun was setting when at last, the dwarf held up the map before him and smiled.

"The last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole." he whispered to himself, running his finger across the rough stone, his hand casting a sharp shadow against the distinct, yellow light.

As each dwarf, then the hobbit and Lupine came up behind him, they watched him scramble along the wall. The platform on which they stood was not large and the height they had reached staggered the skin-changer's balance, so that she kept as far from the threatening edge as possible.

But the sun was sinking like a droplet on a window pane.

"We're losing the light. Come on!" called Thorin with increasing urgency and Dwalin began thumping his boots on the wall.

"Be quiet. I can't hear when you're walloping!" protested Nori, who had rested his ear against the rock.

"I can't find it." shouted Gloin.

"It's not here! It's not here!" cried Dori.

"Break it down!" ordered Thorin, lifting his axe to his shoulder and bringing it with a harsh clash against the wall, "Come on!" he yelled at the other dwarves. Bilbo watched with growing anxiety and Lupine turned away. All this noise was surely enough to wake a dragon, she thought.

As if letting out its final breath, the sun finally gave way to them and the rays fell away from the stone.

"We lost it..." whispered Thorin in disbelief.

"It's no good! The door is sealed! Can't be open by force. Powerful magic on it." said Balin.

"No!" protested Thorin, fumbling to unfold the map again, "Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks, and the last light of will shine upon the key-hole." His face fell with dread as he turned to the company, "That's what it says. What did we miss?" He looked to Balin, "What did we miss, Balin?"

"We've lost the light." replied the dwarf in dismay, "There's no more to be done. We had but one chance. Come away, lads. It's over."

He turned his back to the stone and stepped away. The other figures came one by one to follow him and the hobbit stared at them in horror.