Mira stared up in awe. Gandalf had illuminated the ceiling of a gigantic hall with pillars higher than the tallest tree. Never, in all her life had she seen something like this.
"There´s an eyeopener, no mistake." Mumbled Sam.
Suddenly Gimli stopped dead.
"NO!" He shouted and ran into a chamber, which Mira had not noticed at first. As they followed she understood the dwarf´s distress. Inside was a grave. Mira bowed her head and stepped forward to comfort the dwarf but Boromir stopped her, gently shaking his head.
"Here lies Balin son of Fundin, lord of Moria. So he is dead." Gandalf translated the runes on the stone for them. Then he took off his hat and gave it together with his staff to Pippin. On the floor lay a few more dwarven sceletons scattered around, one of them clutching an old book. The wizard bent down and carefully freed it.
"We cannot linger!" Legolas said urgently. Mira had noticed that he was quite tense for a while now. Most likely the darkness was getting to him, elves were creatures of the light after all.
Gandalf ignored him and began to read aloud. Mira shivered. Apparently, Balin and his dwarves had met a terrible end in this very room. Boromir put his hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing it.
Pippin in the meanwhile had begun to wander around the chamber. A skeleton at the edge of a well piqued his interest, so he put the wizard´s things aside and tried to turn the arrow protruding from the dwarf´s chest. With a loud crash, the corpse tumbled down in the abyss, dragging a chain behind it.
"Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!"
BOOM
BOOM
"Drums in the deep…" Mira mumbled.
Boromir went to look out the door, but was forced to pull his head back immediately. Arrows were stuck in the wood where he had been mere seconds ago.
"They have a cave troll!" He said calmly.
Quickly Aragorn, Legolas and Boromir barred the door, while Gimli jumped on top of the grave and roared angrily.
"Mira! Get in the back and protect the hobbits!"
She did as she was told, anxiously drawing her sword and standing in front of the hobbits.
CRASH
The orcs had reached the doors and were tackling it with axes. Legolas and Aragorn began shooting arrows trough the holes that were opening in the wood. Soon the doors broke and the orcs swarmed in.
With a battlecry the men began to fight. Legolas continued shooting arrows while Gandalf stayed close to Mira and the hobbits, building a second line of defense.
All too soon that line too was broken and the woman was sucked into battle. Everything turned into a blur of hacking and stabbing and the single thought of staying alive. She was awoken from her trancelike state as Sam cried out in rage.
"FRODO!"
The cave troll had managed to corner the hobbit. It took a huge swing with its spear an impaled Frodo.
"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" Mira screamed.
Without thinking, she charged at the troll, wildly slashing the orcs around her. Merry and Pippin followed her lead, jumping on the trolls back, while the others mercilessly slaughtered their enemies. Merry got thrown off, his cousin clinging on for dear life. Gimli attacked the troll´s leg with full force. The huge creature threw its head back and roared in pain. Legolas, smelling his opportunity to shine, shot an arrow in its throat. Finally, the troll keeled over and died.
Aragorn crawled over to where Frodo lay face down on the ground. Sam sniffled quietly, so Mira hugged him to her side in comfort. Boromir stood staring at Frodo, a strange expression on his face, but the moment soon passed and he went to comfort Mira, as if remembering her existence had pulled him out of his trance.
Cautiously, Aragorn turned Frodo over. The hobbit coughed violently.
"You´re alive!" Mira exclaimed, relieved.
"I´m fine. I´m not injured." Frodo coughed.
"How can you be fine? That stab would have skewered a wild boar!"
Instead of answering, the hobbit merely pulled his shirt down, revealing a shimmering tunic of mithril.
"This hobbit is full of surprises!"
"Tell us that sooner! You worried us!"
"We have to leave! It is not save here!"
They did not get far. Soon, they were once again surrounded by orcs.
"Damn it!" Mira cursed under her breath.
Suddenly a red light appeared at the end of the hall and the orcs began to run away.
"What the..!"
"Ho ho ho!" Gimli laughed. Obviously he had not noticed the new danger.
"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked.
Mira was too scared to care. When the others started running, Aragorn had pull her along the first couple of steps. Soon they reached a steep staircase leading down to a narrow bridge. There was a huge gap in the stairs, which Legolas jumped without hesitation. Then he turned back and Mira was sure that if he actually was a dog, he would be wagging his tail. Gandalf was the next to jump, then Boromir with Merry and Pippin in his arms, breaking another few stairs off in the process. He too, turned around as soon as he had landed.
"Mira! Jump!"
Swallowing her fear, the woman did as she was told and landed safely in the Gondorian´s arms. Aragorn threw Sam over the gap and with some difficulty, due to another couple of stairs breaking off, the remaining three crossed the gap. Not without some pulling of the dwarf´s beard though.
One after the other, they carefully crossed the bridge but as only Gandalf remained upon it, the Balrog caught up with them. The wizard stopped and turned around.
"You cannot pass!" He shouted.
Suddenly, Mira felt something hit her right shoulder and she knew no more.