Chapter Two
Beth scrambled up the hill. The deer path was steep and narrow but her slender frame and short stature helped out in that department. For how tall her father and grandfather had both been she had taken after her mother in the height area. The ground was muddier than she had anticipated and Beth had slipped more than once since her boots did not have the best traction. It was worse going then the ever changing sand dunes that lined the Western Sea.
This section of wood was thicker and older than she remembered it being and while the brush was thick it was not too tall for her to get through. The trees smelled of damp and moss and the green leave fluttered slightly in the breeze, but their musical sound did not drown out the talking that was going on just beyond the hill. When she got to the top of the hill she hung back and hid in the bushes, her gut told her it might be unwise to just charge down into the little valley before her.
Her hiding place overlooked the whole scene. But instead of hunters or a group of boy-scouts like one who had gotten lost last summer there was a small group of strangely dressed and bearded men. Normally she might have laughed at such a description but this group looked in general very serious looking even if they looked as if they where historical actors that might have rolled around on the ground a few times. Not to mention that there were three huge and ugly sculptures that she had no idea where they had come from. There had never been anything like that in these woods. In fact the only thing that should have been in this little valley was a pile of rocks.
Beth crotched down quietly and tried to overhear what these men were saying, it might just give her an idea of what might be going on. But Beth could not be sure if she could not hear well enough or if they were speaking in another language. She decided to stay put and see if she could figure it out whichever it might be.
All in all there were thirteen people down there. The one that stood out the most was the tallest man who had a long white beard, long grey tunic and a pointy grey hat, not what she had expected to find in the woods today. There was also one of the shorter men who seemed to be the leader in his confident mannerism and his solid stance and his hand jauntily on the sword strapped to his side.
...
Thorin Oakenshield stood looking at the three trolls now frozen into stone. Only a few days into the Company's quest to retake Erebor and they had already been almost permanently stopped. To think that he almost had led his people and even his own nephews to their deaths unnerved him but Thorin was not one to show anything other than a strong figure for his men to follow.
After having gone through the troll's hole their spirits had been lifted by the food, gold and weapons they had found. This was of course the topic that everyone was talking about and Thorin could not have lied about how infatuating he found his new blade, Orcrist, to be. This heavy yet perfectly balanced grip had several peerless gems set into it and the blade itself was made of one solid piece of superbly forged metal from where it met the hilt, the curve in blade to its tapered tip was perfect. He grudgingly admitted that even for an elvish blade he could not have done any better himself.
Movement on the hill top above them quickly forced Thorin's thoughts from the makers of Orcrist. He did not move his head but his sharp eyes could see a small shape crouching down in the bushes, obviously it must be a scavenger orc that survived on the scraps the trolls left behind when they had to return to their cave. He was not about to let the beast call any others that where in the area, so Thorin waved Fíli to his side. Fíli was the more levelheaded of his sister's sons and one of the best with a bow.
"Do not look worried, but there is an orc hiding up on the hillside underneath the bushes at the base of the old yew." Thorin said without making any motion in that direction so not to show their hand.
"And you want me to take care of our little spy?" Fíli asked rhetorically as he strung his bow out of sight. "I'll take care of it, do not worry Uncle."
And before Thorin could blink Fíli had put an arrow on the string, swung around and fired into the bush. There was a cry of surprise that came from the bushes and a glint of silver when the figure scrambled away in a crash of brush and leaves.
Fíli shot forward in pursuit and called his bother to follow him as he set chase. As everyone else in the party stared at them in confusion. "Let's not let that spying orc get away Kíli!"
Thorin swore under his breath and went after his hair brained nephews, just in case they got themselves in trouble again. Dís would kill him if anything was to happen to her sons. He ignored when Gandalf called out, not really hearing whatever the old wizard had said anyways.
...
When an arrow sprouted out of the tree not five inches from Beth's face she could not help the cry that sprang out from her mouth. She jumped away on instinct and half fell half ran back down the path she had come up. When she heard several people running through the thicket behind her Beth could not run fast enough since she kept falling back down.
Leaves where stuck in her hair, mud covered her and thorns had pieced her palms but adrenalin kept Beth from feeling them. Even with adrenalin pumping through her veins Beth could hear her pursuers getting closer. As she ran Beth got her bag off her back and was trying to get out her gun box when a harsh voice called out right behind her.
Beth, unable to open the bag, swung it around instead and hit the closest man in the face. There was a loud crack when the heavy wooden box inside the bag connected with the man's jaw and down he went. Whether he was unconscious or not, Beth did not take the time to stop to find out when another man not far behind the first cried out in fury. She turned and ran but only got a few steps before she was tackled by the other pursuer.
The impact caused her bag to fly out of her grasp, and at the loss of her only weapon Beth did the only thing she could do. Knee the guy where it would hurt the most. That did the trick, and when he curled up in pain Beth took advantage of the moment and put him into the chokehold her grandfather had taught her. She almost lost her hold of the man beneath her when she heard what sounded like a wounded bear bellowing. She looked up to see a dark haired man with sword in hand barreling down the hill towards her.
...
Thorin had not been running behind Fíli and Kíli very fast, until he heard a loud crack and Kíli yell in rage. He knew instantly something had gone wrong and assumed only the worst which was an orc ambush. Drawing his sword Thorin raced towards his kin. Even if there was a horde of orcs of the other side of the hill he was not about to let his nephews die on his watch.
When he reached and then passed the top of the hill Thorin did not see a horde of orcs but he did see Fíli layout cold on the ground and Kíli being choked by a mud covered figure. Thorin Oakenshield saw red and bellowed wrathfully as he raced towards the figure on his sister's son. He lifted Orcrist with both hands and ran to kill whoever was injuring his kin, new blade or not he knew he was able to sever their head without harming a hair on Kíli's beard.
Thorin kicked the muddy thing off of Kili violently and stepped over his nephew's gasping form. Whenhe saw the figure look up at him with fear and pain filled eyes, Thorin could not help but feel some type of satisfaction at knowing his face would be the last those eyes would see before death. The blade whistled through the air as he swung to kill.
...
Beth was frozen in place as she watched the sword come down towards her in slow motion. She started to push herself away but knew in the back of her mind that it would be too little too late.
