The Hobbit | Saving Smaug {Book 2}

15 | Snooping around

{Myrna POV}

When Rigmor finally returned, I dragged her with me immediately.
"There you are!" I exclaimed, "What took you so damn long?"

She blinked a few times, confused. "I was just saying goodbye to Bilbo. For all I know he'll never return. If you don't mind, I am going to return there to keep watch on him."

"Absolutely not! You're going to listen to me and will tell me what is going on! But first, I need to show you something."

I wrapped my hand around her wrist firmly so she couldn't escape and started to walk towards the chambers which I had explored yesterday, already reaching for one of the torches to bring.

"Where do you think you're going?" a male voice sounded and I mentally groaned.

"None of your business, Legolas." I snapped, but the tall Elf positioned himself between the door and me.

"I know where you are going, and I am coming with you."

"No you don't, you creepy stalker!" 
He smirked, causing my stomach to flutter pleasantly. 
I wasn't falling in love with him, was I? I swallowed thickly, forcing an annoyed expression on my face.

"You have no choice, Myrna. Or I go, or we go both."

I looked at Rigmor, waiting for her to back me up, but she shrugged. 
"I don't mind him tagging along. What I would like though would be you releasing my arm. Your grip is extremely firm."

A sigh left my lips and I let go of her. "Fine. Let's go quickly. I take the lead."

With Legolas right behind me and Rigmor there soon after, we roamed towards the halls where we had been yesterday, entering the room which belonged to Freya. 
But bringing the torch had been for naught -  all candles around were ignited already, casting the room in a gentle light.

"Woah..." Rigmor gawked, looking around the room in awe.

"I know right." I said, walking over to Freya's desk. 
"Look, she has been writing something."

Legolas narrowed his eyes at the text. "I cannot decipher it. It's some kind of ancient language, that's for sure. It isn't Elvish."

Rigmor opened the curtain that covered the window, allowing daylight to leak into the room.
It revealed a breath-taking view over the lake down below.

"Hey, what's that?" My eye had fallen onto a small device containing a crystal and some potions poured out in smaller tubes. The bottles were still around in and in front of it was an opened journal.

"Let's check it out." Rigmor said.
Legolas began rummaging through the notes.

"Hey, Rig..." I began whilst sitting down on Freya's bed, intrigued by the bounciness of the mattress. 

"Yeah?"
"Do you think Freya has been acting odd?"

Her eyes flickered to the floor and when she didn't respond, I leaned closer to her.

"What has Freya told you?"

"Something you will never understand." a voice at the door sounded.

There, clad in crimson and gold, stood Freya, her amber eyes glittering with amusement.

"You know, Myrna, I had already figured you the nosy type. But to drag your friends into this, well, I think you need to be taught a lesson in manners. Snooping around your host's bedroom, how rude."

When Rigmor kept her gaze glued to the floor, I spoke up instead. 
"I don't know what you told Rigmor, but I am seeing right through you, you vile and wicked woman!"

First, a smile. Then, a chuckle, developing into laughter. 
My brows knit together in confusion as Freya put a hand over her mouth to calm herself down, but tears glittered at the corners of her coal-lined eyes nevertheless.

"Thank you, Myrna. I haven't laughed so heartily in years!" she said, smiling widely. After a second, she added something: 

"You see, your friend here, she fails to embrace the true potential of her powers."

Rigmor tensed, her hands balling into fists.
"Yesterday, I taught her how to bloodbend."

"Dark magic." my best friend hissed through gritted teeth. She shot Freya a wicked grin.
"You made me use dark magic without my knowledge!"

Freya held up her hands defensively. 

"I didn't do anything wrong. I just told you to move your hand. You did all the rest. Myrna, you have a special ability as well. Ask Rigmor, I explained it all to her. I mean no harm. Good luck, though."

With that, she slammed the door shut. We heard the lock click, indicating that we couldn't get out right away.

"What is my special power, Rig?" I asked her.
She sighed, rubbing her watering eyes.
"Apparently, you can bend metal, if you're focusing enough."

I blinked. Metal? What had that to do with earth? And why had I never heard of it?
"I can bend blood. She made me do it yesterday. I was terrible, I was controlling a mouse like a puppet."

Within a step, I stood at her side, wrapping my arms around her as she started sniffling.
"You don't ever have to do that again, Rigmor. Don't you worry."

"You could try to metalbend the door's lock, right?" Legolas proposed.
I sighed, shaking my head.
"You forget, Legolas, that I can not bend right now. This bloody enchanted mountain makes me unable to do so."

Suddenly, the floor under our feet trembled. 
"What could that be?!" the Elf exclaimed. 

"What do you think, Blondie?" I quizzed, rolling my eyes. "That is a dragon, one that has awoken."

Rigmor paled and ran towards the door, slamming her hands against it.
"Fuck, fuck!" she cursed, "Open the damn door! Freya!" 

When I put a hand on her shoulder to turn her around, I saw that she was crying.
"Calm down, Rig, calm down!" 

"Bilbo is in there! Smaug will kill him!"

Frantically, Rigmor reached for her waterskin, taking out the water and whipping it against the metal lock of the door forcefully. Of course, it was of no use.

"Fuck!" she exclaimed once more, moving her arm backwards in a particular exaggerated motion to lash out at the door again, but in her anger, she knocked the device with the crystal against the floor. The vials shattered, as did the crystal.

As if there was magic involved, I felt strength seep back into my veins, strength I didn't even feel was gone. "Huh?" I muttered, confused. 

Instinctively, I moved my leg to try it out. I immediately understood what was going on, looking at my friends right away.

"I can bend again! That device prevented me from doing it!"

"Then hurry!" Rigmor exclaimed. "Open the door!"

I ran forward, pressing my hands against it. 

"Focus!"

I closed my eyes. Waited a heartbeat, and another one, feeling the energy seep through my fingers. With a twitch of my fingers, I crumpled the iron.