Take My Pain Away

Chapter 8

As they trudged through the humid heat of MIrkwood Abrâ was trying to remain focused. She did not want to stumble against anyone. Thorin was trying to lead them, but to no avail. Dwarves were wandering everywhere.

Abrâ stood at the bottom of the tree watching Bilbo climb to the top to get his bearings. She shouted up to him, "Bilbo, what do you see?" but got no response.She looked around and saw no-one. "Bilbo! Come down!" she called again, to no avail.

She was startled by the sound of something coming. Something big! She scrabbled up a tree,using her sword to slash through what appeared to be spider webs.They were the largest webs she had ever seen.

Suddenly she saw a large creature, a giant spider, hauling something wrapped in webbing up a nearby tree. The spider laid the package down and Abrâ was surprised to see a short blade pierce through the webbing and straight into the spider. 'Bilbo! That's Bilbo's sword,' she thought.

She crawled carefully across the branches to get to Bilbo. "I thought I had lost you!"she jabbered. "Oh Bilbo, thank goodness you are alright!" She hovered, feeling useless, as Bilbo escaped from the webs and scrabbled to his feet.

From there, they saw the company. All 13 of them dangling from limbs, encased in spider webs!

Abrâ turned to Bilbo and ushered him onto another branch behind the trunk of the tree. "Stay here!" she ordered. She looked back at the spiders and was trying to figure out how she would get in there when Bilbo suggested he throw something to get their attention focused elsewhere. As he tossed a stick, she slipped the ring on her finger and made her way across the branches.

She hissed at Bilbo from across the way, "Bilbo, climb down and help them out!"

Bilbo looked around,confused before he shimmied down the tree. Bodies started lowering down around him and he went to work cutting the dwarves free. Abrâ removed the ring and jumped down from the tree. The spiders did not stay away long, before they knew it they were surrounded.

Thorin took charge of the company and directed his fighters. "Abrâ, you stay there!" he shouted.

"Not bloody likely,"she shouted back, before she charged at a spider. She ran her blade into the spider's head and was immediately covered in slime. She gagged and saw a spider heading for Fili. A knife was pulled from her boot and sailed through the air, plunging deep in its side. Fili turned and finished the beast off with a knife to the head. He, too,was promptly covered in the same slime.

The dwarves ran through the forest only to come face to face with more spiders. As they took their stances Thorin saw what looked like an elf swing down the web and stab the spider in its belly. The elf slid across the ground and came to a halt with his an arrow notched, pointing straight at Thorin. Before they knew what was happening, they were surrounded.

Abrâ was separate from the company, she slipped the ring back on and observed. She followed them as they made their way to the elven kingdom and slipped in behind them.

She spent 2 days searching for a way to break the dwarves free. Finally, on the third night, the elves were celebrating the Feast of Starlight. Many casks of wine had been brought from Laketown. Abrâ found them in the basement, arrayed on a device designed to plunge them into the river in order to make their way back, empty.

Once the guards were drunk on Thranduil's best wine, she stole the keys to the cells and made her way to them. The dwarves were excited to see her and started to shout with glee, when she had to shush them. When they continued to be loud she turned to Thorin and gestured. He responded with a low,but commanding, "Be quiet!"

She ushered them to the basement, many protesting going down instead of up and hurried them into the barrels. She pulled the lever to drop the floor and quickly jumped into the closest barrel, half in and half out.

They made their way quickly down the river, until Abrâ realised that they were trapped,yet again. A large metal gate barred the way further downstream.

Orc arrows started flying through the air, killing elves. Kili jumped out of his barrel to open the gate, only to be pierced in the leg by one of the poisonous arrows. They continued down the rushing river using whatever was at hand to fight off the orcs before they lost the current.

The company hitched a ride into Laketown on Bard's barge where Thorin pledged to share the wealth of the mountain with the people of the town.