Enjoy!

As they wandered around, they found more and more Wargs skeletons and half-decayed bodies. Mari cringed, gagging at the stench. Max absentmindedly pulled the Ring out of his pocket, fiddling with it as he walked around. He tripped over a large bone, the Ring flying out of his hands, and towards a chasm.

"NO!" he cried. Mari saw, and sprang towards it, half going over the edge, and fumbling before catching the Ring between her fingers.

"Whew," she sighed, then felt herself slipping. "AHH!" She was certain she was going to go over, when she felt arms wrap around her legs.

"Max?" she gasped.

"You're all right, lass," Ferdinand's voice said, sounding strained. "I've got you!" He started sliding backwards, pulling her back onto solid ground. She sat panting, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"Thanks," she said, fingering the Ring. "Such a simple band of gold can make so much trouble. How I wish we could just chuck you away and end it there."

"Why not put it on a chain?" Ferdinand asked. Mari's eyes lit up, as she unclasped a necklace that was around her neck. She slipped off the round ruby-colours glass stone, and put the Ring on, handing it to Max, and placing the stone in her pocket.

"I'm not wearing that," Max complained. "It's girl jewellery." Mari shrugged, putting it around her own neck instead.

"Suit yourself."

"Just don't get any ideas," Max warned her.

"Hey, I put the stupid thing on once, and I don't want to do it again."

"You wore it?!" Ferdinand exclaimed.

"Yes…" Mari replied, sounding uncertain.

"What on earth could have possessed you to do that?!"

"I had to prove to Max it was the One Ring," Mari answered. "What harm could come of one time?"

"It will have power over you, urging you to wear it. Soon it will become an obsession, and you will turn into one of them!"

"You mean the Ring Wraiths?" Max asked. Mari bit her lip as Ferd nodded. "That won't happen to my sister."

"You never know…"

"Oh, please don't talk about it!" Mari cried, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"Mom told you to cut your hair last week," Max said in an 'I-told-you-so' kind of way. Mari glared, and pulled her hair back into a long braid.

"Totally irrelevant," she said.

Finally they came out of the Mines, and into the cold morning air; it was barely dawn.

"It felt like we were in there for hours!" Max complained.

"We were," Ferdinand said.

"No wonder I'm so tired."

"Are we… allowed to rest?" Mari asked, a yawn interrupting her sentence. "Even if it's just for a minute?" Ferdinand looked doubtful, but the tired eyes of the children helped him make up his mind.

"All right," he agreed. "For a few minutes." Mari curled up on the soft grass under a tree, wrapping her cloak around her, and was soon asleep. Max sat down against the tree, pulling out his iPhone and getting back to Angry Birds. Ferdinand walked a few paces away, sat down; his cloak wrapped around his shoulders, and watched for danger.

Mari woke with a start at a shrill cry nearby. It sounded like it was right next to her! She was lying on her side, and the sound came from behind; she was afraid to turn around.

"Max?" she whispered, hoping he was there.

"FOR THE LOVE OF-" Max yelled.

"SHHH!" She heard Ferdinand hiss. "Your sister is asleep!"

"Not anymore!" Mari exclaimed, rolling over and staring at the two. "What happened?"

"Nothin'," Ferdinand said.

"Oh, yes, something happened!" Max snapped, standing at the tree and banging his fist against it. Mari winced at each hit.

"Stop it before you cause yourself some damage!" Ferdinand exclaimed, grabbing his wrist.

"Max," Mari said, standing and walking over to him.

"What?" Max snapped, turning to face her, and pulling his wrist free from Ferdinand's grip.
"What happened?"

"See for yourself." He tossed his iPhone at her, and Mari caught it. She turned it on, but the screen remained blank.

"You broke it?"

"No," Max said, upset. "The battery died!"

"So you screamed as though you were being eaten alive by Wargs, scared me half to death, and possibly alerted anyone close, friend or adversary?"

"Yes, yes, yes," Max nodded. Mari, who was slowly becoming more and more angry, glared at him – not a good look on her; her nose wrinkles up, and her ears turn red.

"Pardon me for interrupting this sibling quarrel," Ferdinand said humbly. "But what's a battery, why did it die, and does it need a proper burial?" Mari stopped glaring, and stared at Ferdinand like he grew a second head – likewise for Max. Ferdinand felt confused. "Because, I've got my spade here and…" Then the children looked at each, and burst out laughing. Poor Ferdinand felt uncomfortable, like he had said something wrong and just stood there awkwardly.

"What?" he asked, staring at the two.

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