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Chapter Ten - The Truth Comes Out

The dwarves on the split had been safely rescued and the fire put out. Maura and Bilbo had been freed from the sacks that imprisoned them. The dwarves gathered up their weapons that the trolls had pilled off to the side. Thorin had his sword in hand and wandered over to the wizard, but not before he glanced at the woman who was looking over the hobbit to make sure he wasn't hurt. 

"Where did you go to, if I may ask?" Thorin asked as he approached the wizard, curious to what had brought him back after their disagreement from earlier.

"To look ahead." The wizard simply stated, not divulging anything to his whereabouts. 

" What brought you back?" The dwarf tried this time, wondering if he would get more of an answer this time. 

"Looking behind." Thorin didn't press the matter further, but nodded in thanks for coming back when he did. If he hadn't shown they would have mostly likely been in the bellies of the three trolls by now. "Nasty business. Still, they're all in one piece."

"No thanks to your burglar." Thorin stated in an unimpressive manner. 

"He had the nous to play for time. Even his aunt Maura. If it weren't for her quick thinking to knock the trolls out with her sleeping enchantment for the time she had; you'd all be in the trolls bellies right now. None of the rest of you thought of that." The wizard added. Thorin gave the old man a slight glare but was not admitting to anything of the woman's involvement in trying to help them out of their predicament. He had ordered her to stay at camp and she failed to obey it. Dwarves were known to be very protective of woman, due to their low population of females; most of them had been lost when the fire-drake from the north came and wreak havoc on them years ago. " They must have come down from the Eteenmoors." The wizard continued when the dwarf continued to remain quiet. But one question still remained. Why were these trolls so far from home?

"Since when do mountain trolls venture this far south?" Thorin pressed.

"Not for an age. Not since a darker power ruled these lands." Gandalf uttered as the wind started to pick up. The two of them shared a look and the king knew he could risk wasting anymore time. "They could not have moved in daylight."

"There must be a cave nearby." Thorin pointed out. The leader headed over to the rest of the company and order them to search the area for anything dark that would be perfect for trolls to hid in during the day. The dwarves got to work right away, searching the woods. Maura and Bilbo paired up and looked around. It didn't take long before everyone heard Dwalin call out that he had found something.

"Over here!" The warrior dwarf shouted. Thorin nodded for the others to follow. Maura and Bilbo were close behind until they caught wind of the stench that was coming from a dark cave and the woman stopped, not able to go any further. She wasn't the only one. Bilbo wasn't about to go into the scary dark hole. The only ones to go in their were the Wizard, Thorin, Dwalin, Bofur, Gloin and Nori. The healer walked over to the young halfling and saw the scrap on his arm.

"Bilbo, your hurt." Maura stated, with concern as she took his arm gently in hers to examine his cut. 

"I'm alright, Aunt Maura; really it's just a scratch." Bilbo assured the woman. 

"I still should put some stuff on it. I don't want it to get infected." Maura explained as she removed her satchel from her back and managed to find some of her supplies still dry, despite the fact that Oin had rummaged threw her things and left it open for the rain to damage it. The healer began to put some sort of ointment on the open wound. The hobbit slightly flinched at the burning sensation but he soon relaxed and the stinging was no more. Once the woman was finished, she began bandaging the wound to keep it from getting any further infection. " There." She finally said.