The Dragon (Book Five in the Aerlinniel's Secret Series)

Chapter 4: Barrels Down the River

Bilbo POV

I come up gasping for air.

"Well done, Lady Aerlinniel." Thorin says to Aerlinniel. "Come on, let's go."

The dwarves paddle with their hands as the river pulls the barrels along. The Elves are rushing along passages in the Woodland Realm. We come out into the sunlight.

"Hold on!" Thorin yells. I look and see a waterfall.

The barrels plunge through the rapids, then go quickly down the river.

I hear a loud horn sounding and when we turn a corner, I see a guard post that is built above the river. There are heavily armored elves standing guard and one of them pulls a lever, causing a heavy metal gate to block the river. We all come to a stop at the gate, unable to go further.

"No!" Shouts Thorin.

The barrels pile into each other. The Elven guards draw their swords, but one is suddenly shot in the back with a black arrow and I jump. Then a Orc appears. I am terrified. Several growling orcs swarm over the guard post, killing the Elves. More of orcs run in from the bushes.

"Watch out! Those are orcs!" Bofur warns.

"Gorid! Zib! Goridug! (Slay them all!)" One of the orcs shouts. I wonder what he said.

The orcs begin throwing themselves at us; I manage to kill one with Sting, and Dwalin elbows another in the face. I see Kili get out of his barrel and run up the stairs towards the lever. He is unarmed, so he has to duck as an orc swings at him.

"Kili!" Dwalin yells his name.

Dwalin, managed to grab a sword from one of the elves or orcs, and he throws it to Kili, who then fights his way to the top of the stairs. As Kili fights an orc, another one leaps up from behind him, and raises its spear to stab him. Fili throws a dagger and kills the orc, which allows Kili to fight the other orc and kill it.

Kili reaches for the lever, but right as he is about to pull it, he gets shot in the leg with an arrow. Kili stands still for a moment.

"Kili!" Fili shouts, concerned.

Kili groans in pain and strains to pull the lever, but he falls over on his back.

"Kili." Thorin says, looking shocked.

An orc leaps over to kill Kili, but an arrow suddenly flies into its head. I look over and see an Elf running through the bushes. She shoots another orc, then kills more with her knife.

"Gor'-ash! Gor golginul! (Kill her! Kill the She-Elf!)" The same Orc from before yells.

Several orcs rush at her and more Elves appear from the bushes and shoot them down. As the Elves fight the orcs, Kili manages to grab the lever and pull it, opening the gate and letting us through. Kili then falls on his back again in pain. Some of the dwarves and Mallory and Imryll fall down another waterfall and float down the river.

"Khozdayin obguryash! Abgurid! (After them!)" The Orc shouts.

"Kili!" Fili shouts to him. Trying to get him to come before the river takes us all through.

Kili manages to slide himself off the ledge and into his empty barrel. As he lands in it, the arrow in his leg breaks off on the edge of the barrel. The remaining dwarves, Aerlinniel, and I plunge over the waterfall and continue going down the river, the orcs follow us on land.

The dwarves try to paddle and steer with their hands, but it does not work. The river is running too fast. As they come to a narrow part of the river, orcs on either side begin shooting arrows at us.