The Wanderer

Chapter Eighteen

As we ran across the bridge, screeches filled the air. Bats, thousands of bats, flew around Ravenhill, their high-pitched screams piercing the night air. Orc forces from Gundabad had arrived.

"We need to get up there," I shouted over the noise of the bats.

Legolas took my words a little too seriously. As another bat flew low over us, he grabbed onto its legs and clung on as it flew over to Ravenhill.

"Show off," I grumbled, but followed his lead. My hands slipped slightly as I grabbed on, making me realize that they were covered in blood, my own, and orcs. But I was able to hang on as the giant bat flew higher and higher. I tried not to look down, but when the bat suddenly jerked downward, I looked at the ground hundreds of feet below and experienced a spell of dizziness. Squeezing my eyes shut, I gripped the giant bat tighter. I was not a fan of heights.

Legolas's bat led us through a space between two towers, and as we flew through it, I spotted more and more orcs flooding the ruins. Bolg and his forces had most definitely come and they were all armed to the teeth. Oh, I dearly hope that Bilbo is alright.

My gaze switched back to Legolas and I saw that he had somehow managed to flip upside down and hang on to the bat by his feet. It both amazed and annoyed me that he could do that while I could barely hold on for dear life.

As we neared a shorter tower, I watched Legolas get out his bow, shoot his bat in the brains, then gracefully land on the top of the tower as the bat went down. I wasn't nearly so gracefully as I landed next to him, then took out my bow and arrow and shoot the bat. Of course, my arrow didn't pierce anything important, just enough pain to stop it's flight and cause it to crash to the ground.

I looked down to the frozen waterfall beneath the tower. Suddenly, a figure was thrown on the ice forcefully as orcs ran to surround them. It was Thorin, fighting Azog and a few dozen orcs as well. It seemed that the dwarf king had bitten off too much to chew.

Legolas and I assisted him, shooting arrows from on top of the tower that pierced the filthy orcs. Legolas's, of course, went down with one arrow, but none of my shots were nearly as accurate. I really needed to work on my bowmanship.

With our arrows keeping away the other orcs, Thorin was able to concentrate on the few orcs that managed to survive the onslaught. Soon, I was out of arrows; I knew I should have grabbed more.

The tower unexpectedly began to shake. I steadied myself as I looked for the cause. Some troll with maces for both hands and feet kept hitting the tower, causing it's foundations to crumble. Before I could deal with that problem, I heard a sharp cry from the otherside of the waterfall.

I jerked up to see Tauriel, weaponless, lying on the foot of some stairs, and the giant orc that Legolas and I had fought in Esgaroth standing over her, weapon drawn and ready to strike. Legolas spotted it too and began to reach for another arrow, only to realize that he was out as well. Unexpectedly, Legolas threw down his bow and took out Orcist.

"What are you going to do with that? They're all the wa-" I didn't get to finish my statement as Legolas jumped off the side of the tower, flying down to pierce his sword into the trolls head.

"Legolas! What in Middle Earth are you doing?" I shouted at him, but he didn't answer. Using his blade in the troll's skull as a steering wheel, Legolas forced the troll to crash head first into the already unstable tower.

"Wait, no, don't do tha-" My words ended with a scream, because, for the second time that week, the tower came falling down with me still in it. I scrambled to climb on the side of the tower so as not to be crushed between rock and stone.