One That Got Away

Chapter 21

"I already apologized twice," snapped Thorin, pacing angrily in the front room. David glared at him, as he had been for the past half hour. "I have a temper, and I'm working on it."

"Well work fast or we're going to have a problem," David growled.

"David," Andy said gently. "We've had our fights too."

"But I never said I wished I hadn't met you," David said aggressively and Thorin snarled at him.

"Watch it," Pythia said, taping up another box. "Twins where's my lamp?" she had had the twins packing boxes with her all morning. She maintained they wouldn't need anything for a while now, but refused to explain it.

"But she'll be fine right? She can take care of herself?" Kili said seriously and David exchanged a look with Andy.

"Normally yeah. She'd go, blow off some steam walking around town, land us a few gigs while she's in business mode, then go buy a new book or two, and read for a few hours somewhere up high and out of sight," David said, running a hand through his buzz cut.

"She loves sitting on the backs of the gargoyles at St. Catherine's. She says they remind her of wargs," Andy said with a small smile. "Or she'll sit on top of the bell tower and listen to the bells. She always loved hearing the choirs practise...back when there were choirs..." Heavy silence. The sound of a tape roll being pulled made them all jump.

"Stop being so glum," Pythia snapped.

"Anyway, she should be fine. But," David said shooting Thorin an accusatory look. "This may be heavier. Once, I told her she was...I told her she was insane to believe she ever entered a book, back before Mom left the house and she took off. She was gone for hours and hours and came home wasted with all those tattoos and her hair dyed. She told me I could kiss hers and busted my lip."

"That was the second time-"

"She was in the ward," the Twins informed Kili and Thorin.

"I never approved of that place," Pythia said angrily and stood up rubbing her wrists. "She's not insane. None of us are." She cocked her head to the side as if listening. A bell sounded somewhere far off. They were all quiet as twelve bells rang sonorously and then silence. "Now we can start to worry," Pythia mumbled and ruffled her hair. "I'm alerting the Rings," she said heading for the study.

"Mom, is that really necessary?" David said in shock.

"My daughter is out there heart broken and scared, probably drunk off her ass! If the Rings can find her and bring her home, then I'll take that chance," Pythia snapped and started from the room. She stopped, slumped a bit, one hand on the door frame and turned back. "Not that I blame you Thorin. I understand how hard it is to get through everything when you're young. Just...be patient with her." And with that she left the room. With their mother out of sight, Ben and Tom slumped down, abandoning packing in favor of relaxing on the ground.

"Rings?" Kili asked. Andy sighed.

"They're like a gang. They're street people. Live on the street die on the street. They'll do almost anything for the right price and for the right people. I'm...I'm retired from the Rings, and they owe me. Big." She looked at her knees.

"So they can find Mara?" Thorin asked in a voice that might have been begging.

"Faster than us," Andy said.

"Anyone up for a snowball fight?" Ben asked casually.

"Not the time," David growled.

"There's no snow," Kili pointed out.

"It's been snowing for the past hour," Tom said pointing and all eyes flew to the window where several inches of snow sat on the ledge. Kili paled and cleared his throat.

"You...you don't think-"

"No. Certainly not," Thorin said quickly and looked away, frowning in worry. Where were Mara and Fili? Ben suddenly let loose a guttural yell that Tom echoed a moment later. The two of them froze up, shoulders rigid and shaking. Their eyes ghosted over white like fog and Ben clutched for Tom's hand.

"It's now," he gasped. "No!" And as soon as it happened it ended, the Twins slumping and shaking in fear. Andy ran to their side, quickly checking their pulse as david lurched up and gaped at his brothers.

"Are they alright?" Kili asked in a panic.

"They're never like this," Andy said in distress as Tom came to, blinking.

"Bad," he said weakly.

"Tom, what-is everything-"

"Fili," Ben said, sitting up and shaking. "It's now."

"What the f-"

"Mara just called," Pythia said charging into the room and tugging on her jacket. "She and Fili are at the old house," she said, gesturing and everyone scrambled to grab shoes and coats. Tom and Ben seemed half drunk and seemed terrified. Andy pushed them down onto the bean bags.

"What were they doing there?" Kili said as he struggled with lacing his shoes.

"Near as I can figure Mara kept her key and took Fili there when the bars all closed. Apparently the house wasn't empty," she said as David stumbled down the stairs.

"Hobo's?"

"A gang. They came in a little while after those two and they got in a fight. Words were spoken and a jaw was cracked. She was babbling so either they broke her leg or they broke open a keg. Either way we need to be there now," she said opening the door as the snow swirled into the entryway.

"Why, what's happened?" Andy said, wrapping a scarf around Kili's shoulders.

"Fili's been shot."