Heart of a Warrior ➝ The Hobbit ✓

Part Seventeen

PART SEVENTEEN ~

Alissa and Fili made swift progress through the trees, barely stopping for a rest as they were both eager to see for themselves the fate that had befallen Kili.

They soon came to the edge of the forest and stepped out of the trees. The keen wind hit them hard, and they struggled against it as they trudged up the hill. It stung Alissa's face and bit though her thin clothing, making her shiver violently. She never knew how much the trees had shielded them from the cold.

Just as they neared the top of the hill, Alissa felt a sudden wave of dizziness overcome her and she staggered forward before dropping to the ground, breathing heavily. She suddenly clutched at her stomach as lances of pain shot through her body.

"Alissa!" Fili cried. "What's wrong?!"

The girl shook her head, gasping for breath, unable to utter a sound. Her face suddenly turned pale and sweat coated her forehead. "I... I don't... know," she gasped in a raspy voice. Fili looked around in panic, unsure of what to do.

"Can you walk?" he demanded, desperation edging into his voice.

Alissa shrugged and tried to rise, but she fell back down, doubling over in pain.

Fili's eyes widened as the girl suddenly collapsed, her body falling motionless to the ground. He slid his arms around her waist and under her legs and lifted her from the damp grass. Hoping to god his brother was still in his hiding place, he continued the journey up the hill, against the sharp wind.

He stumbled into the cave, grateful to get out of the frosty air. He quickly made his way to one of the tight corners of the shelter. It was obvious Kili had moved on, as all his belongings were nowhere to be found. There were the remains of a small fire, but nothing more.

The dwarf hastily laid Alissa's unconscious figure on the ground and drew back her top, gasping in surprise as he revealed the damage done to her stomach. The bandage was soaked with a dark substance, almost a sickly brown. The Fire Warg must have released some poison when it struck Alissa down.

Her breathing was shallow and her head was clammy with sweat, her skin a sickly pallor. The cave was dark and it was hard to see completely in the limited light that filtered in from the entrance.

Fili unwrapped the bandage and took out his water skin. He had to clean the wound, otherwise it may make it worse. As the dwarf splashed icy water on the girl's abdomen, he mentally kicked himself for not thinking sooner. When he had first dressed the wound back at Asendur, he had noticed that the injury looked slightly strange, almost turning a dark purple on the outline of the cut, but he had taken no notice. Now, there was a veiny purple line running along the outline of the scar, and a musty smelling substance was oozing from the cut, but Fili quickly washed it away.

Alissa muttered something and her head twitched slightly as her face contorted in pain. She groaned and Fili hurriedly wiped it dry. He delved into his pack and felt around for some a clean bandage. Instead he came upon a small container sitting at the bottom of the leather sack. He frowned and pulled the object out, curious to see what it was.

His face lit up in recognition at the small flask containing the fiery red liquid he had offered Alissa when he first met the human. An idea suddenly struck him as he remembered Thorin's words when he had handed him the bottle. "Use it only when you need to; when strength of mind and body have failed you, and desperation seizes you."

With once last glance at Alissa's pained face, he let three drops fall into the wound, hoping it would do more good than bad. Alissa let out a cry, wincing as the liquid seeped deep into the wound.

There was nothing else the dwarf could do for the girl, so he wrapped a fresh bandage around her stomach and sat back, waiting patiently for his companion to wake up.