The Slave Caravan

The Trail to Pyrite-Coal

    The wagon went over a rock, I woke up with a jolt. I shook my head a bit to clear my vision a bit. I could just make out figures of dwarves. I moved my arm a bit towards my face. The chains rattled as I moved my hand towards me. I could see that I was chained up just like a prisoner. I relaxed my head on the wagon wall behind me. I closed my eyes and began to rethink about how I got here. How did I get here?

    The warm sun rays danced upon my back as I walked down the long dirt trail. I suddenly met the dirt floor. I caught myself with my hands. I looked back up to see Kili with a mischievous smile across his face. I pushed myself up into a sitting position. I shook my head at him.

"What are you doing here," I asked him as I began to get up. He took my arm and helped me up. He just shrugged his shoulders when I looked at him for an answer.

"Well, you didn't have to trip me to make your presence known," I said as I wiped the dust off of my pants.

"Sorry about that, but it seemed like you were daydreaming," he apologized as I began to walk away. He followed after me. I looked up at the sun, it was noon. I had been walking since sun up, and I didn't intend to have an intruder join me. I turned to Kili to question his motives once again.

"Kili, why did you come? I'm at least a five hour walk from out of town. Once mother finds out you've gone missing she'll have the whole town looking for you," I asked once again with facts behind it. He put an arm over me and gave a small cry of laughter. I rose my eyebrows at his laugh.

"Mother already knows I'm gone. I told her I was coming with you. Though, I didn't intend that you would be leaving that early in the morning. You didn't wake me up," he answered making it seem that I was the one to blame. I turned to him causing his arm to drift off my shoulders. I pointed my finger at him and shook it a bit.

"I would have woken you up if I knew you were coming with me! Also, Uncle did make it clear that I was the only one going to Pyrite-Coal," I replied trying to make his presence feel unwelcomed. Kili crossed his arms in a disappointed kind of way. He then uncrossed them and let his arms dangle to his sides.

"It's okay a mile before you get to Pyrite-Coal I'll leave you before Uncle even notice I was with you. Besides, it's better to travel in a pair then alone," he tried to reason with me. I rolled my eyes. Kili really didn't think this one through. He was turning 43 in a few weeks and he still wasn't that capable of figuring things out. In human years he would be counted as fifteen years of age.

"By the time we get to Pyrite-Coal it will be sun down. By that time the goblins begin to linger out of the trees. So, I suggest you turn back now and you won't get in trouble with Uncle."
Kili turned back around and began to walk backwards. I readjusted the strap on my shoulder to make the weight suitable. As I moved the strap upwards my knives rattled in my bag. I looked down at my water canteen that was resting next to my hip.

"What are you even doing that is so important, that I can't join in on," Kili questioned me as he turned back around to face the right direction of walking. I looked at him and gave half a smile. Kili had never listened during serious conversations. When Uncle was discussing the mission we were at the dinner table eating Mother's special pork chops, and when Kili was eating he wasn't fond of focusing on a serious discussion.

"If only you had paid attention to that conversation on Monday night. Since you don't know where I'm going then I will give you some mercy. Uncle is going to lead a caravan of merchants to Gruflame, and he wants me to assist him. I didn't need to be there for the negotiations yesterday, but I am needed for the festival tonight."

I turned to Kili after my brief explanation. Kili seemed a little hurt by this. He wouldn't be so hurt if he listened to why he had to stay back home.