Chapter VI : The rescue
Luna couldn't believe it at first but Radagast's diversion actually seemed to work : the orcs took in pursuing him, clearing the way for them.
"Go!" Gandalf exclaimed and they all followed him as he lead them out of the safety of the forest into the big plain that stretched as far as the eye can see before them with only a few rocks and trees here and there to offer shelter.
"Stay together!"
It was almost unnecessary to say for none of them would have thought of walking away on his own as the sometimes distant and sometimes close howls of the wargs chasing Radagast made their hearts pounding violently in their chests.
They ducked behind a large boulder when they heard that the pack was coming closer again and waited for a few seconds then burst out of their hiding place again.
It seemed to last an eternity : they were constantly running and abruptly changing direction according to the distance separating them from the orcs then finding shelter behind rocks or trees whenever the pack was too close but never long enough to catch their breaths and then they went on again.
"This way!" Gandalf exclaimed after they had once again been hiding behind a rock.
"Where are you leading us?" Thorin growled, suspecting the wizard to take them to a place where by all means he did not wish to go.
The Gandalf's not answering made him even angrier but it wasn't a proper time to argue and he started running again with the others.
Trapped, they were trapped, that's all Luna could think of. They should never have left the forest, there at least they could remained unseen with a bit of luck but on this vast plain, there was no way the orcs wouldn't end up catching them and Radagast didn't seem able to draw them off for good.
What did the wizard had in mind as he lead them to what seemed to be an dead-end, she did not know, all she could hope for was that they would manage to get far enough from the pack once for all.
Shooting a quick glance at Bilbo, she saw that all colours had drained from his face and terror was filling his eyes with a feverish gleam. Only adrenaline was making him able to run along with the others but at least, it was better than having him totally unable to move.
"Ori, no!" Thorin shouted, grabbing the young dwarf scribe by the back of his coat to pull him back behind a large rock before he got himself into their pursuers' view. They waited for a few seconds then went on again but not for long : the pack was far too close this time and Luna let out a small gasp as she brusquely flattened herself against another big rock.
Although they could all feel their hearts racing and desperately needed to catch their breaths, they didn't dare make any sound as they felt a warg that had separated from the pack to climb on top of the boulder behind which they were hiding and was smelling their presence.
Thorin turned his eyes to Kili and slowly nodded. His nephew silently fitted an arrow into his bow, took in a deep breath then stepped out of his hiding place and shot the warg straight in the neck.
When the orc who had been riding it fell off his dying monture, he was greeted by Dwalin and Bifur's axes who quickly finished him off but not quickly enough to keep him quiet unfortunately and his loud agonising cries were heard hundreds of meters around, not escaping the rest of the pack that instantly left Radagast to come after them.
"Run! Move!" Gandalf shouted.
They ran again, faster than ever if that was even possible, but they didn't get the chance to go far this time, quickly they could see orcs coming from every direction.
"There they are!" Gloïn exclaimed.
"We're surrounded!" Fili cried out, unsheathing his sword and running to where the company was huddling together, ready to fight.
And so the trap closes, Luna thought, firmly grabbing her twin blades as she saw the enemies getting closer and closer all around them.
"Where is Gandalf?"
"He's abandoned us!" Dwalin exclaimed.
The young girl quickly looked around for the wizard and indeed, saw no sign of him anywhere yet she didn't believe for a second he had abandoned them like that.
"Kili, stay back!" she growled as she saw him stepping forward to take a better aim at a warg with his bow.
While at least Thorin and Fili were closer to the group, Kili and her were a bit further.
"Hold your ground!" Thorin shouted.
Ori managed to hit a warg with a rock but the beast didn't even seem to bother and kept on getting dangerously close.
Luna shot her darkest glance at an orc who was evilly grinning at her a few meters in front of her and braced herself for a fight, no matter how desperate it seemed.
At that moment, Gandalf's head snapped up from behind a rock.
"This way, you fools!" he shouted at them and the company all started to run towards him and as they reached the place where he was standing, they found a rocky slope descending to what looked like an underground cave in which they eagerly jumped.
Thorin stayed on the edge of the slope to make sure everyone was there and saw Kili and Luna still standing further, facing the orcs.
"Kili! Luna!" he shouted.
Luna snapped her head back and briefly nodded to Thorin.
"Kili, run!" she ordered.
"I"m not leaving you"
"Run you stubborn reckless dwarf!"
She grabbed a little dagger she kept on her belt and threw it at the warg that was the closest and hit it straight in the eye. As it howled in pain, she turned around and grabbed Kili's hand to start running as fast as she could to where Thorin was still standing.
The slope was so close…and yet, as she could hear the thundering sound of the warg she had hit galloping after them, followed by the others of its pack, she feared they would never make it on time.
"Run, don't look back!" she yelled at Kili.
He obeyed and tightened his grip on her hand. Luna could feel the warg' s hot breath on her neck. There they were, the slope, fifty centimetres more and…she hissed in pain as she felt the beast's teeth digging into her shoulder and with all the strengths she had left, she freed her hand from Kili's at the very last second and pushed him as hard as she could towards Thorin, hard enough to have them fall down the slope into the safety of the cave.
Not stopping her movement, she turned around and with a cry, embedded the blade she was still holding into the warg's scull just behind her, forcing him to release her. Before the wolf died though, it shook its head in pain so violently that she was sent flying into the air to land a few meters further where she lied on the ground for a few seconds, knocked out by the violence of the shock and the pain in her shoulder that was quickly spreading to her whole arm.
She didn't get much time to rest though : only a few seconds later, an orc was above her, its blade aimed at her throat. She quickly reached for her sword but it had been sent flying away in another direction. The orc gave her an evil smile then suddenly froze when he saw the white moon-shaped scar on her face and his eyes widened.
She took advantage of his short distraction to kick him off her with her feet then rolled on the ground to a safer distance and got back on her feet, trying to push the searing pain in her shoulder away. She swallowed nervously as she looked around her. The orcs were surrounding her, mounted on their abominable beasts, she had a totally useless arm and was alone now.
Down in the cave, Gandalf was counting the dwarves when Kili and Thorin came sliding down the slope in their turn.
Kili quickly got to his feet and turned around with a little smile on his lips to make a comment to Luna about how close it had been this time but his smile instantly faded when he saw she was not there.
"Luna!" he exclaimed.
Thorin looked behind as well and his face paled. He had seen that she was pushing Kili towards him at the last second but hadn't seen that she had stayed to hold the warg back.
"She is still up there! Luna!"
Kili was now really shouting and trying to find a way to climb the slope back up which quickly proved impossible.
"We need to help her!"
The others looked in a shocked silence at the entry of the cave, hoping to see the young girl slide down the slope in her turn but nothing came but the noises of the wargs.
"What happened?" Gandalf exclaimed.
The dwarf's eyes were locked on the top of the slope.
"She pushed us in…but didn't follow. There was a warg behind her, it…" he swallowed. "I think it got her"
"No!" Kili shouted, fear and anger clear in his voice. "She is up there, we need to go back!"
"That's impossible, we can't climb back up" Gandalf scolded.
Kili opened his mouth to protest again in anger. He who was never getting mad at anyone for anything, he was now shaking with rage and worry.
Before he could say a word though, they heard the sound of a horn up in the plain and they all looked up at the ouverture of the cave. It was definitely not an orc-made horn.
A body suddenly fell down the slope and landed at their feet. The dwarves briefly held their weapons towards him but it was useless, he was dead. An arrow has pierced his throat and Thorin took a look at it.
"Elves" he spat in disgust, throwing the arrow away.
Most of the dwarves frowned but Gandalf's face suddenly lit up.
"Alright then, I suggest we move on" he said in a lighter tone.
"What? But…Luna…" Kili started.
"There is nothing we can do for her now but if she is alright, which I don't doubt she is, she is now safe with the elves who probably just attacked the orc pack. This cave is the entrance to a path that will take us to Rivendell where I am confident we will find her" the wizard told him.
Kili didn't answer but didn't move either as the others started making their way into the narrow path at the bottom of the cave.
"Come" Fili told him as they were the last two standing where they had arrived.
"What if she…what if the elves were too late?"
Fili sighted and put his hand on his brother's shoulder.
"The squirrel warrior is tougher than it looks" he simply answered, not able to find any more reassuring words as himself wasn't entirely convinced.
Luna had a bow strapped on her back that she quickly drew and fitted an arrow into it, aiming at the orc in front of her and trying to ignore the pain in her arm.
"Stay where you are or this arrow will fly" she warned, feeling the warm blood running down her skin beneath her clothes.
That made the orcs laugh.
"Before we kill you, what is your name?" the one in front of her asked.
She sharpened her eyes, she knew that wasn't an innocent question asked just for the pleasure of taking their time before killing her. She had noticed how the orc had looked in shock at the scar on her cheek a few moments ago, it wasn't a hazard. The orcs had assumed she was dead with her father and brother. The pack that had been sent to kill them that night had then been hunted down so fiercely that none had survived. The others probably just thought the dwarves had killed them to claim their revenge over the murders of Laïn and his children, and that was not entirely false, but the main reason had also been so that they wouldn't report their masters that Luna had survived.
She couldn't fully remember it yet but she knew that she had spent days, maybe even weeks running away from them in the forest before arriving in front of her friends' house. The pack had followed her too close to the dwarves' and after she woke up, she had learned that none of her pursuers had survived.
"Why? Do you keep a list of the people you kill?"
"Only those as pretty as you"
That made her want to throw up and she fired her arrow that embedded itself straight in the orc's heart. All the others leapt for her at the same time and she expected to die but suddenly, the sound of a horn had them all stop where they were. Snapping her head back, Luna saw a group of riders arriving at great speed and soon, arrows started flying towards the pack.
The wargs started running here and there and Luna took advantage of the rush that had suddenly occurred to dive to where her twin blades had landed and jumped to her feet just on time to slay an orc that had followed her despite the riders coming for them.
Another warg jumped towards her, baring its teeth but was killed by an arrow in the middle of its jump and landed dead on the ground.
"Elves", Luna muttered, watching as the group of riders started chasing the orcs that were still alive and trying to get away.
She turned her glaze to the rock beneath which the rocky slope was hidden but as she stepped towards it, decided to join her companions before the elves could question her presence here, a horse barred her way.
She looked up to see a tall elf sitting on it. He was pointing an arrow at her but lowered his weapon when their eyes met.
"Who are you?" he murmured.
She was saved from answering when the other elves started gathering around her as well and one of them suddenly broke their rank. He was nobly dressed and Luna instantly guessed his identity.
"Lord Elrond" she said in a voice as neutral as she could.
It could only be him, there was only one elven lord living around here, in the valley of Imladris, and although she had never personally met him, she had learned a great deal about him from her father who had instructed his children about all the important people of Middle-Earth, dwarves or not, and when it came to Elrond, Laïn had always shown respect and even kindness for as strange as it had always appeared, the two lords had been very good friends when Thror ruled under the mountain.
"You know me yet I don't recall meeting you" the elf said.
"My father used to speak of you a lot"
"Who is your father?"
She looked up at him and his eyes widened.
"Luna?" he asked.
She nodded. He kneeled in front of her and put a hand on her valid shoulder.
"I have been told you died with your father and brother in an orc attack"
"Yes, but I escaped."
"Did Laïn…?"
She shook her head.
"It is a pleasure to know that his line is not extinct yet and to meet you. What are you doing in these parts?"
She hesitated for a brief moment, wondering whether it was wise to tell him about Thorin and the others but then decided that if her father had trusted this elf and counted him amongst his friends, she could do the same and told him how she was traveling with the company of dwarves plus a hobbit and a wizard and how they had been running from the orcs in the plain before finding the cave where she hadn't had the time to hide. She only omitted the reason of their quest for now, judging that she was not the one he should hear it from.
"Then it was no hasard they found the cave, Gandalf lead you all there to take a safer way to Rivendell. Come, they will follow the hidden pass and arrive soon, we will meet them there."
"My lord Elrond, the lady is hurt"
Elrond's eyes flashed to her injury on her shoulder.
"I'm fine" she lied. "It can wait until we reach Rivendell"
The elven lord nodded then stood up and exchanged a few words in elvish with the elf that had first stopped her.
"Haleth will ride with you" he turned towards her again then walked off to his own horse and started leading his riders back to Imladris.
The elf he had spoken with dismounted from his horse.
"Do you mind, my lady?" he courteously asked.
She shook her head and he gently picked her up to sit her on the horse then sat behind her, taking the reins with one hand and putting his other arm around her waist to hold her.
"I am not a lady" she couldn't help clarifying.
He looked down at her with surprise as they followed the others and smiled.
"How shall I call you then?" he asked.
She raised her brows in surprise. She hadn't excepted him to call her anything at all.
"Just Luna", she answered.
"Well it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance then, Luna."
"The pleasure is mine…" she found herself answering and let her phrase in suspens, not able to recall the name Elrond had called the elf.
"Haleth" he finished for her with another smile.
Either they rode very fast or the trip was very short because before she even realised they had left the plain, Luna found herself surrendered by mountains again, in one of the most beautiful valleys she had ever seen.
The little group quickly made their way on narrow bridges leading to lord Elrond's home, Rivendell, and as they neared it, she quickly saw the company of dwarves huddling together on a large plateforme when they saw the riders arriving.
They closed their ranks and tightened their grips on their weapons as the elves started circling them and Luna rolled her eyes when she saw they so defiant.
"Lord Elrond!" Gandalf exclaimed when he saw his friend arriving as well.
The elf dismounted and warmly embraced the wizard as they exchanged a few words in elvish.
"Strange for orcs to come so close to our borders. Something or someone might have drawn them near" he finished his phrase in the common tongue.
"Ah, that may have been us" Gandalf innocently admitted.
Elrond turned to the dwarves and Thorin stepped forward, eyeing him cautiously.
"Welcome Thorin, son of Thraïn" he greeted.
"I do not believe we have met"
"You have your grandfather's bearings. I knew Thror when he ruled under the mountain."
"Indeed? He made no mention of you"
To Luna's relief, Elrond did not seem upset by the dwarf's coldness, instead it almost seemed to amuse him.
It's only at that moment that Kili who had been the only one not staring at the elf but instead searching for a sign of Luna that he finally found her, sitting on one of the last arriving horses with an elf.
"Luna!" he cried out, rushing towards her.
The dwarves snapped their heads in her direction as well, relief and big smiles on their faces.
"We found her where she left you, near the hidden pass" Elrond announced. "I thought you might want to have her back"
Despite everything, Thorin gave him a small nod of remerciement.
Haleth dismounted then carefully lifted the young girl to put her down and Kili couldn't stop himself from hugging her tightly, only releasing her when she let out a small gasp of pain.
"You are hurt!"
"Hush, I'm okay"
The dwarves had turned again to Elrond who pronounced a few words in elvish.
"What is he saying? Is he offering us insult?" Gloin exclaimed, raising his axe.
"No, master dwarf, he is offering you food!" Gandalf exclaimed, obviously irritated.
The dwarves looked at each other for a few seconds, exchanged a few words then turned towards Elrond again.
"Well then…lead on"
