LOTR: Shire Dragons - Pippin Took FF

Chapter 24

Merry woke with his face pressed against the cold, wet ground, and he couldn't see a thing. He was surrounded by the pitch black, and all he could hear was a feint dripping sound to the left of him. Shuddering slightly, Merry went to sit up, but immediatly put his hand to his head as a shooting pain flashed through his temples. After carefully lifting himself up slightly, Merry began to feel his way around, his fingertips running carefully across the damp rock beneath him. The seconds dragged past in the dark, before Merry remembered why he was there.

"Mallyra? Lothiri?" he called out, hoping to get some form of response from the emptiness. A rock to the left of him shifted, making Merry freeze to the spot. Before he could back away, there was a spark of light and then the welcoming flame of a torch. Merry blinked as his eyes ajusted to the light, squinting to get a look at the person behind the flame. To his delight, he saw the thin, elongated figure of the she elf, her sliver hair flickering gold in the glow of the light. 

"Thank goodness it's you," Merry breathed, as Lothiri helped him to his feet. "Where are we? and Where's Mallyra?" he asked, placing his hand to his head. Lothiri looked down awkwardly at Merry,

"I'm not sure where we are, Merry.. but I'm certain Mallyra can't have landed very far away from where we did." she answered, shining her torchlight against the walls of the cave like structure into which they had fallen. It appeared as if they had fallen through a gap in the tunnel which Elurka had created for herself, and landed in a small network of even smaller smooth walled corridors. To their delight, the two soon noticed that there were more torches placed along the walls, and within a few minutes, they had tamed the darkness into the far end of the corridor.

With the corridor lit up, it didn't take Lothiri long to use her exceptional eyesight to locate the other hobbit. Mallyra was just beginning to regain consciousness when they found her curled against what looked to be a pillar, with only a few minor cuts and bruises. As Merry pulled Mallyra to her feet, Lothiri drew a sharp breath. As the hobbit was lifted from her spot, a symbol which had been carved into the pillar became visible. Merry watched the elf closely, while also trying to keep Mallyra on her feet. Lothiri then began to search around the cavern frantically, muttering something to herself, and was in no way trying to help heal her companions.

"Lothiri!" Merry barked, immediately drawing the attention of both the elf and Mallyra. "What in middle earth are you looking for?!" he asked, a new found tone of authority creeping into his voice. Lohiri looked down at the two hobbits in front of her, both clearly puzzled by her odd behaviour. After sighing loudly, Lothiri looked across at the far end of the corridor.

"I just.. it's hard to explain, Merry. We've landed in a place which I had long since forgotten about. It holds bitter memories for me, as it is the place where I became myself as I am today. I fear that if we wander too far.." she didn't have time to finish her sentence before Mallyra quietly butted in.

"We have no other way of getting out of here, Lothiri. We must press on." She urged, looking up sympathetically at the she elf. Over the last few months, Mallyra and Lothiri had developed some form of friendship, unlike that she had with anyone else. The elf understood her fears, as she provided cheerful and welcome company for the otherwise lonesome elf. However, Mallyra had also watched the elf change. Lothiri was not the same elf she had been when they had first met. She now showed emotions, concern and worst of all, fear. Now, in a corridor deep below the surface, Lothiri seemed to be the most terrified she had ever been, and this fact alone produced an icy sickness in Mallyra's stomach.

The silence was shattered by Merry clearing his throat, before untightening his bag straps and removing a map from a small pocket. "We're somewhere under here," he said quietly, pointing to a range of mountains on the map. "And if I'm not mistaken, there was a small stream of water running downwards from here. The water must be coming from somewhere, and I suggest that if we wish to get the surface, we must go the opposite way to which it is running." he continued, watching as both Mallyra and Lothiri agreed in unison. With that settled, Merry placed the map back into his bag and began to confidently walk down the corridor ahead. Following him directly were Mallyra and then behind her, Lothiri.