AN: Here's April's update! I was hoping that I'd be able to get it out in April, but that, unfortunately, didn't happen. It's a little bit shorter than usual, but I needed one that way because the past few chapters have been a little long.
daughterofthechief: Thank you for reviewing - I hope this wait wasn't too long! I appreciate your kind words :)
Iduna: I can't tell you how happy reading your review made me :D Thank you so much!
Goddessofwarriorcats: Moria really got me the first time I watched the movies. That is a pretty bright side :) Thank you!
Lydwina Marie: Thank you so much!
Scylla's revenge: Thank you! I'm glad my pacing isn't too fast/slow. Aww, thank you so much! It really means a lot. I hope the wait wasn't too long on this one...
Chapter 12
A bead of sweat dripped down my face as I ran along with the others.
It had only been yesterday. Gandalf had only been taken from us yesterday. I was still caught up in the memory of him falling, calling for us to run, to leave him behind. The scene played over and over in my mind, my stomach plummeting as I watched him let go of the ledge again and again. I gritted my teeth and tried to shove the image away.
Reaching my hand up to rub my jaw, I winced at the tension there. I'd taken to clenching my teeth during such thoughts, and it was really starting to hurt.
As for Rose, she walked along in an odd silence. She'd never really talked much, but she was at least expressive. Now, she didn't really fidget or stir or anything. Other than that, she didn't appear to be too fazed by the wizard's absence. Well, she'd also taken to wandering off whenever we stopped to eat or sleep. I wasn't sure what she was doing when she was by herself, and she didn't offer any details when she'd return, but I was reluctant to push her.
Aragorn had told us to put aside our grief for the time being, saying that the time for that was later. At the moment, it seemed a little insensitive, but he claimed that the area wasn't safe and stressed that we really needed to run. The others seemed to do this with relative ease, but once again, I was trying. Honestly, I was trying as hard as I could to keep myself together, and outwardly I was pretty sure I was doing a decent job of it, but on the inside, it felt like someone had cracked me open, leaving me a little raw and unsteady.
Up in the front, Aragorn picked up his pace, charging for the line of trees up in front of us. That was another thing that had changed – Aragorn was leading us now. At first, his taking command confused me, but then I remembered a previously puzzling exchange I'd overheard Aragorn have with Gandalf back in the mines. Now, it all made sense. Gandalf hadn't expected to survive the Balrog and had been forced to call on the man to take over.
There was a slight twist in my gut.
Once we breached the approaching tree line, our collective pace slowed. I let out a heavy sigh, trying to distract myself by focusing on the physical status of my legs. They were still a little sore, but at least they weren't wobbling around anymore. They'd been rubbery after all the running in Moria—
Biting my lip, I shut down the thought and turned my attention to the scenery.
Forcing myself to take it in, my eyes roamed over the tall trees around us. Some wisps of fog clung to the ground. While I shifted my gaze to frown at some wildflowers, an odd feeling swept over me. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I knew it didn't have to do with a certain wizard.
As if he'd been tuned in to my musings, Gimli turned and gestured to Sam and Frodo. "Stay close, young hobbits." Resting one of his hands on Frodo's shoulder, he whispered, "They say that a great sorceress lives in these woods." His other hand resting on the hilt of his axe, Gimli went on, his voice lowering with every word, "An elf-witch of terrible power."
Rose half-heartedly smirked from her position beside me. Turning ever so slightly, I raised an eyebrow. Shrugging, she mouthed, "She can't be that scary." Something about it seemed a little off, but I simply shrugged, deciding not to say anything in response. My stomach churned.
"All who look upon her," Gimli breathed, still warning the hobbits, "fall under her spell and are never seen again." A chill shot up my spine, but I tried not to let worry me too much. Maybe it wouldn't work if I closed my eyes? I kind of felt like it didn't work like that, but it still didn't count as eye contact. If she was as great as he claimed, then that small loophole wouldn't work. And what was all this about never seeing people again? Typically, people said stuff like that to scare others. Here in this world, though, it wouldn't surprise me if it were the truth. Despite my best efforts, a knot of uncertainty twisted in my chest.
Letting out a breath, I pushed down on those feelings once more. If only Gandalf were here because he would probably know what to do in this sort of situation. He'd also probably have some knowledge about this sorceress. My chest tightened a little bit more, but I sucked in a breath and swallowed the feelings that threatened to bubble up. Now was not the time for an emotional breakdown.
With a sharp breath, Gimli smirked. "Well, here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox."
If closing one's eyes probably wouldn't work against her, then I was pretty sure that having determination wouldn't overpower her either.
Rose quickly grabbed my arm, pulling me out of my daze. When I turned to look at her, she didn't return my gaze and stiffened. An arrow had materialized out of nowhere and was pointed directly at her, aiming for the spot between her eyes. A shadowed being with light hair stared down the arrow at her.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw another arrow aimed at my forehead. While I was sorely tempted to put my hands up in surrender and maybe let out a small yelp of terror, the steel grip on my wrist prevented me from indulging in that.
From where I was standing, I could barely see Legolas aiming an arrow of his own back at the figures ambushing us. For a second, it shocked me that he had managed to draw his bow so quickly when I hadn't even noticed their approach, but then again, I was dense and oblivious as a human female.
A cool voice dripping with a hint of sass filled the tense silence. "The dwarf breathes so loudly we could have shot him in the dark." My heart raced upon hearing the words, and I turned my head to the side slightly to see who had spoken. While the voice had sounded light like Legolas's, it was definitely masculine. He also seemed to be the one in charge.
Rose's grip on my arm tightened in response to my movement, but I resisted the very strong urge to shake her off.
From what I could tell, he even acted kind of like Legolas but was more poised — if that was even possible. He had fair – nearly platinum – hair, but his face yielded nothing. As I continued to stare at him, noting more and more similarities between him and the only elf in our company, I started to feel as though he was an elf, too. If that was the case, then that gave more plausibility to Gimli's words about an elven enchantress. The thought didn't sit well with me.
Aragorn dipped his head to the leader, murmuring words that I didn't understand. As he spoke, he looked between us, held immobile due to our proximity to death, and that unwavering face. From his tone, Aragorn sounded a little bit desperate. With another pinch of fear, I felt more worry masking my judgment. Was Aragorn just pleading for help, or was he also afraid?
While Aragorn waited for the ambush leader answer, Gimli called up, "Aragorn, these woods are perilous. We should go back."
With little hesitation, the poised figure fixed his eyes on Gimli. For a scary second, I feared that he was going to give the order to shoot, but instead, he murmured, "You have entered the realm of the Lady of the Wood. You cannot go back." His gaze swept over the rest of us, and when I met his eyes, I suppressed the urge to shiver under the weight of his stare. His face still emotionless, he sharply commanded, "Come. She is waiting."
My blood froze. Who was this "she?" Was it the sorceress Gimli had been talking about?
I didn't have much time to think about it further as the poised elf promptly turned and started walking away. Left with no choice but to follow him, I tried to control my breathing, hoping that I wasn't going to disappear in this forest like the legends claimed.
