тнє нєαℓєя[тнσяιи σαкєиѕнιєℓ∂]

Chapter Sixteen - Into The Fire

Once the dust had begun to settle, light returned to the cavern. A figure had emerged into the light, carrying a staff and wore a pointy hat on top of his head. The healer had been protected by the two brothers from being covered in the debris that had flown through the area. The dwarves and goblins all let out sighs as they slowly sat up to look around to see who had been responsible for this happening. "Take up arms" Gandalf's voice spoke. "Fight. Fight!" the wizard charged with his sword pointed in front of him. The dwarves started yelling battle cries as they shoved debris and goblins off of them. Gandalf stroke down every goblin that came at him.

"He wields the Foehammer! The Beater!" The goblin King cried out. " Bright as daylight!" The dwarves ran for their weapons that were still scattered in a pile from when the goblin's had taken from the company earlier when they had been brought before their master and began to toss each weapon to the dwarf it belonged to. Fili and Kili pulled the healer to her feet, both of the cutting down any goblin that came at her. They would kill all the dwarves but spare her for their own pleasures.

At least six goblins came at Fili and Kili; forcing them away from the woman, leaving her unprotected and another goblin took his chance and grabbed her by the arms and the two of them struggled. The goblin king stood up from his spot he had a fallen in from the blast and held his staff and began to charge towards his minion and Maura. Thorin had just finished beheading one of the goblins when he turned around at the sound of the healers shrieks and saw her on the ground struggling underneath two goblins.

"Thorin!" Bofur shouted, pointing at the hideous beast that was about slam his mace right into Maura. Thorin swung Orcrist with perfect timing and sliced the kings arm, but he pulled away before Thorin could sever it completely off and the giant goblin stumbled backwards over the edge. Both Dwalin and Thorin yanked the goblins off of the woman and the dwarf king grabbed the woman by the arm and got her back on her feet and could feel her panting breath.

"Follow me." Gandalf shouted as he stood by another wooden bridge.

"Go!" Thorin yelled at Maura as he pushed her in the direction of the wizard.

"Quick!" The wizard bellowed, seeing at least a hundred more goblins coming their way from the many tunnels around them. The company wasted no time sticking around and began to climb across the bridge at great speed, Thorin leading the way. "Run!" Maura and the dwarves had been running for what felt like a long time. The healer glanced behind her to see the goblins had finally caught up to them and were coming from every direction possible.

"Faster!" Dwalin roared, seeing more showing up, more then what they could all fight at once. The company decided they would take two different paths, forcing the goblins to split up going different ways to cut the dwarves off, before they found a way out of this treacherous place.

The healer ended up following the bridge that Fili took, while Kili went down the other. Of course neither one of them would have given her choice otherwise. Both Fili and Kili knew she didn't know how to fight and both brothers had developed a soft spot for this woman. She reminded them both a lot of their mother and felt horrible for the way their uncle had been treating her since she left with them.

They were quickly approaching another bridge, which didn't have all the wooden planks on it, some only had half a plank and Maura had to think twice where she put her feet so she wouldn't fall through to her death. Each dwarf was quite skilled in their weapon handling; some more then the others. Thorin led the one group of dwarves that Maura was with and plowed down every goblin that was within slicing distances of Orcrist.

"Cut the ropes!" Thorin commanded, seeing more coming right towards them. Thorin and few others sliced the ropes that held together another part of the bridge and it fell over, preventing the goblins for going any further - for now. Once they saw more coming they were back running and got around the corner to see that half of the bridge was no longer there and that they would have to jump to the lower level, where the others were. It was Maura's turn to jump and she was a little more hesitant about it then she realized.