Hummingbird Heartbeat

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The next day when everyone woke up there was muffled snickers and then Kili burst into laughter and Maranda sat up so fast she was blind for a full thirty seconds. Her wings were spread out in alarm, ready to take off. She jumped with a shriek when someone touched her wing. It felt like fire, good fire, but fire. She span in the air, hands clenched in fists coated in blue light as Thorin glared. There was a feather sticking out of his hair. There was laughter until a dark look from the King caused silence. Everyone started packing up and Maranda let the Strength dissolve from her hands.

"Sleep well?" Kili said in one of her ears.

"Had too. She must have been really warm," Fili whispered from the other side.

"Right next to Uncle."

"All safe."

"And warm."

"And happy." She smashed their heads together and they grumbled as she stomped past, wings buzzing angrily. Bilbo smiled pityingly at her. She huffed and grabbed her bag.

"It's like I'm the only mature one," she mumbled to him and he shrugged.

"What does it matter. They just think you're-ow!" he dropped his sword and gripped his hand. Maranda grabbed his wrist and stared at the thin line of red on his palm. "Ow, bebother. I knew Gandalf shouldn't have given me that sword," mumbled the Hobbit. Maranda touched one end of the slice and her eyes sparkled with green light. With a sound like a river, the cut sealed shut and there was a small pulse of green light from his hand. Bilbo gaped at the girl as she grinned widely.

"Magic rocks," she breathed and he nodded.

"Let's move!" Thorin called and they set out once more. They started up the mountain side, struggling up rocks and and through sparse grass. They eventually reached the peak of the closest one and Kili collapsed, panting. Maranda was digging through her bag, wings tucked tight against her back. The wind was threatening to drag her away every moment she loosened them. She dragged out the cloak from Bree and tied it on, tugging it around her arms, her wings now hidden from the elements. She was shivering.

"Who's stupid idea was it to put Erebor so far from the Shire?" she mumbled as they set out again.

"Pretty sure that's Mahal," Fili murmured as they moved across the peaks.

"Isn't he Aule?" Maranda asked as she tripped on a bit of grass.

"Aule? Yavana's husband?" Bilbo asked curiously, using his walking stick to pull himself up the mountain.

"Yes," Kili responded to both questions as he helped Ori up a rock. Maranda grinned.

"To think that the Lady of growing things and the Lord of rock would be lovers. Kind of tells a lot about soul mates," she grinned.

"Opposites attract," Bilbo said pulling himself over a stone.

"And then drive one another crazy," Maranda added.

"Hurry up!" Thorin called to the group. They made good time and they stopped for lunch not long after. But after another day in the Mountains, people's tempers were growing short and when storm clouds gathered in the sky Maranda risked using her wings to fly up to Thorin. His mood lifted when he saw her, but what she said next only made him more upset.

"Thorin. We need to stop. Like now," she said stepping in front of him.

"We still have daylight," he said calmly and she frowned at him.

"What we have is storm clouds gathering over there and if we get caught up in that storm we might as well dance around with our sword in the air." He blinked at her. "Metal attracts lightning, but that's not important. We should stop."