Chapter 51

This chapter did not come easily to me. So I apologize in advance for its quality. However, it is vital for the plot even if I'm not happy with it. I tried to shorten it to get more to the point and I think I sacrificed some story telling.

Nori wandered past the drunken miners. People scrambled to get out of his way. Normally, he would do his best not to draw attention to himself. Tonight was different. Under his breath, Nori cursed his stupidity. The first witch should have tipped the bitches' hands. The pattern was laid bare. But he'd been distracted, watching too many possible threads. They unraveled in his hands. The threat did not truly come from the Iron Hills. The whispers and coincidences had been cleaver subterfuge. Dain had idiotic advisors. They had grown fat and lazy, thinking the Longbeards no longer their 'friendly' rivals. Dain's wife also had plans for Erebor, but she was not a short term threat. Her child was not old enough and Dain was too set and old in his ways. Nori could deal with her later and what remained of the morons that had advised Dain.

Nori wound down the dark alley. The cold night made his breath visible. He could feel the witch's eyes on him. Waiting for him to be alone, waiting for him to be venerable so she could strike. Tonight, he'd finally seen the threat. Once more the witch was operating underneath their noses and she'd been less veiled than the first. 'Durin's Beard', Nori wished he had waited longer to send the boy with the note. Thirty minutes longer, Thorin and the others would have been alerted to the entire plot. Nori cursed his impatience and stupidity once more. He would have to face the witch with a minimal amount of preparation and less backup.

This time though, he'd be damned if he allowed the assassins to get close to the Durins. Fili and, thank Mahal, Kili were out of her reach. She'd waited too long to get to the Prince. When Kili unexpectedly rode for Fili, her plans to lure the young ruler were destroyed. Thorin was in his right mind finally. Which meant Thorin was now at risk. Because as stubborn and frustrating as Nori found the dwarrow, Thorin would fight Azog, Smaug and trolls single handedly to save the lives of babes. Ironically, had he still been ill with gold lust, Thorin would have been immune.

Kili would have fallen for it. Of that, Nori had no doubt. Kili was still too young and trusting and damn it all, noble. When the witch made her demands, Kili would have complied. Because Kili understood what it felt like to be an orphan, remembered what it meant to go to be hungry, watch the adults around you starve so you could eat. If possible, Kili would be even angrier than Nori found himself now. This could have been Ori. Over and over that phrase turned over in his mind. It could have been Ori, his sweet, smart, innocent brother that he loved more than anyone else, who was in such dire danger. Instead, it was the younglings at risk, especially those of the less fortunate.

This bitch was attacking them at their weakest point, the too few children of dwarrow race. And it was all being done with the face of kindness and generosity.

But the witch had such pride and anger. She'd made a fatal mistake allowing her frustration appear. Nori had finally being paying attention in the right place. Tonight, he would send her to hell.

/

The child skirted the shadows with ease. He passed by the late leaving dwarrows without any noticing his presence. Spin skirted the remaining feast tables, crawling underneath. His hands reached out randomly, grabbing any usable scraps into a burlap bag hanging loosely about his shoulders. He paused, still hidden as adults shoved their chairs back into place. Silently, he gnawed on a pig bone that still had meaty bits left. After hearing the footsteps retreat, Spin finally made a break for the rapidly clearly hallways. From there, he dodged and skirted guards and others, none thinking to look up. In a fraction of the time it would take to walk, Spin found himself outside the giant walls of the Erebor fortress.

Now he took his time and caught his breath. It was a short walk to where the miners from the Iron Hills camped. Even closer to the small hovel he, his sister and the others called home. It was very cold this evening and he hugged himself hoping that his family was snuggled deep underneath their blankets. The twins would be wrapped in each other's arms. Suri would be next to them, cradling black haired Jagger in her own embrace. He doubted she would be asleep though. Suri never truly rested until he came home. Spin hated stealing, he preferred to work, but he just couldn't earn enough for all the food for the others and the medicine Jagger needed. Spin did his best work at night, sliding in and out of deserted rooms, mingling with the drunks in the pubs. Tonight the Lizard had given him enough coin for many months! He'd be able to stop stealing for awhile and even buy some new boots for the twins. It felt good. Everything about tonight had been amazing.

As he made his way home, Spin's mind was still lost to his meeting with the King. He had not expected to ever see the Legendary dwarrow so close, nor the fierce warrior Dwalin. The stories he'd heard about them! They filled his imagination. In the cold, hungry nights, he would retell the tale of their heroic return to Erebor. Often enough, it did the trick and the little ones would be distracted from their misery.

His task was to deliver the Lizard's note without being seen. Deliver the note and disappear, the Lizard had told him. He'd given Spin so much coin, the boy's head had spun. However, Spin had failed. He'd seen the three great dwarrows and panicked. 'Couldn't he be thrown in jail for trespassing?' But they had seen him. They were even taller and more impressive than his imagination. Balin seemed so wise. Dwalin was so terrible and impressive, surely orcs ran from his mere presence. The King, Thorin, he had no words. Spin had heard he'd been ill. Yet, the King stood in the hallway more majestic than Spin had ever imagined. He overheard the Iron Hills miners complain about the king. He'd never believed a word of it. They were the repeated words of the Hag.

'Who else could have killed Azog? Who else could have brought together a mere group of 13 to kill a horrible dragon?' Thorin was a grand king, and his nephew, the prince Kili was a hero as well. The prince had ran the kingdom and he wasn't even a grown up. 'They'd let him go on a quest and even met with elves. He'd fought in a war and killed a witch! He used a bow and arrows. It was all so incredible.' It was under the Prince's control that his little family found their shelter and were even given blankets and new clothes. Spin had high hopes that more would be done for the people. Then he met the King who had spoken to him, a mere child, worse even, a thief.

Thorin offered him and his family food and shelter. Spin could not believe his fate this night! How wonderful was this turn of events. "All of them", the king said in response to his question. The King he trusted and had imaged in his own mind was grander in person than Spin could believe.

His father had fallen in the Battle of Five Armies. He'd left his children in the camp that had followed the soldiers. Spin and Suri had no other living relatives. Somehow, Jagger, Kern and Baran came under his care soon thereafter. They were orphans whose caretakers just disappeared one night. Spin knew he was not all that smart, but he was very agile and fast. He was too weak and young to be a miner, so he the red head did what came naturally to him. He'd spin and weave through people and places without anyone ever realizing he'd been there. It was a game at times. How much could he grab, what shiny thing could he sneak from the noses of the others. The fun came to screeching halt when so many depending on his ability.

After months of stealing and living in the encampments of Erebor, it was the Lizard was the one who finally caught Spin. He'd caught Spin in the act of nicking some bread and cheese. Spin tried to squirm away, tried lying. The elder dwarrow had looked bored the entire time. Instead, he gave Spin some finer points of how not to be caught. He'd given the lad a bag of coins. The Lizard told him to be careful and he'd find Spin again soon.

Spin had stood in the alleyway absolutely confounded about the entire meeting. Spin's hope continued to grow that life would get better.

But she arrived.

Spin called her the Hag. She showed up one day after Prince Kili had believed to been assassinated by that damned witch. The Hag was know by other names though. To many the elderly white haired dwarrowdam appeared to be generous, caring lady. Giving away her meager items of food and clothes to the poor children had fooled most of the population.

The youth involuntarily shuttered thinking about the evil female. Spin kept his little family far away from her poisoned words. Once one of the twins, Kern had brought home bread and boiled eggs. When Spin discovered the true source was the Hag, he tossed the food out. He felt bad about making Kern cry, but he was afraid of anything that came from the evil dam.

Shuddering, he remembered the night he accidently discovered the witch.

The boy had ducked into the darkened tent evading some guards. In the dark as his eyes adjusted to a lone candle, Spin heard the scariest sounds of his entire life. The mutterings seethed with malice. The red headed youth hunkered down hidden between barrels and sacks of coal. Spin was too afraid to move, too scared to do more than breathe.

His blue eyes beheld a female dwarrow. As she continued to whisper her foul language, the dam poured blood over her head. It was in stark contrast to her perfect white skin. Beads of the blood were absorbed into her body. With sickening pops and cracks her form changed to that of an elderly dam. All the time, Spin felt a cold seep over his body that seemed to suck out his breath and warmth. Shaking, the boy thought his life would end there. The evil female would find him and kill him. Briefly his terrified mind turned to his little sister, the other boys in his care.

He barely breathed, dared not make a sound. His eyes watered, he was too frightened to blink.

Once the transformation was complete, the dwarrowdam gasped in great pain. She fell in a heap onto the dirt floor.

That's when reality burst into Spin's brain. RUN! It was all he could think of, run, and get as far away from this damned monster as he could.

The child ran. It was cold and wet and he bumped into more than one adult. But he didn't trust any of them, even when they called out either in anger or to inquire about the youngster's state.

Spin just kept his feet moving, wanting distance from what he'd seen. It was some time later before he stopped. Spin had found this tiny room in the old fortress in his first forays into the castle. No one else seemed to know of its existence. The boy fell to the floor his legs too weak to carry on and he cried for hours. He would not lead the witch to his sister, Suri or the boys. This was the only safe place he knew. Long hours passed before Spin was certain the Hag hadn't followed him. Spin returned to his scared sister and the others. They were all a mess in their fear they'd lost the only person in the world who cared and loved for them. Spin never told anyone what he had seen that night even though the images haunted his sleep.

Spin decided he couldn't risk their lives. He didn't tell them what he'd seen. The boy did not have any adult who would believe him. Nor did the youth have anyone he trusted to keep his family safe. Instead he chose to never cross paths with the hag or have anything to do with her or her "treats". When spring came, Spin would find a way to get them back to the Iron Hills. The twins had relatives there, he'd could get them a proper home. He didn't want them to go. But he was doing a dismal job of caring for them.

Then the Lizard reappeared a day ago. Looking hung over as usual. He'd found Spin listening in on his conversation tonight with a couple of the Lizard's usual drinking buddies from the Iron Hills. He'd ended his drinking with his lads and was at Spin's side before the youth could scamper away.

Spin looked more haggard than usual, thinner. Spin always gave his food trying to spare the younglings from hunger. They needed the food more. Little Jagger was always sick. The dark dwarf ling was barely 7 and the youngest of the group. He rarely talked and when he spoke it was only to Suri, Spin's sister.

Tonight though, the Lizard talked to him directly asking him all sorts of strange questions. He'd heard of the Grandmother as the majority of people called her. Spin had been asked why he was so thin, why wasn't he taking advantage of the dam's food? What had happened to the coin he'd given the boy?

He hadn't meant to let anything slip. Spin usually was so careful not to reveal anything about himself or the others to strangers. But the taller red head was so confident and he just made Spin feel safe. It was an entirely strange sensation. He knew the Lizard was a follower of the King and the Prince. Spin felt in his gut, the elder red head would hate the poisoned words the witch was spreading. Spin's instincts screamed at him. The Lizard could be someone he could tell the truth to. However, he held an image of Suri being in the evil female's clutches stopped him from revealing the total truth.

Spin told the Lizard he didn't trust the hag. But he did tell the fellow thief, because who else could the Lizard be?, about the hag's devious words. She handed out treats but always had back handed insults about the Prince or the King. Spin revealed he was scared of her and how easily the stranger had become so friendly with all the children.

The dwarrow had listened, nodding occasionally. Gently probing for more information until Spin clammed up. Then he told Spin to return to the pub in a hour. He would have a job for him and he'd pay in gold.

Tonight had been one miracle after another. Spin was counting his good fortune and thanking Mahal when the blow came. He never saw the hand of the Hag as she stuck him down from behind. The child fell still believing dreams did come true and wishes could be granted.

/

Nori knew he was being followed. This person was no amateur however, unlike previous shabby attempts.

Frowning, Nori did not believe the witch would make her move so clearly out in the open. She seemed more the meticulous planner. Maybe she did not truly know who he was. Nori discarded the notion. That would be too lucky.

Nori stopped for a second scratched his nose then suddenly double backed down another side alley way.

The figure followed startled by the sudden movement. Nori caught a good glimpse. Huge lout, scary sort. Not the type to be taken out by one nimble thief.

Nori melted into shadow.

The would be assassin rushed down the alleyway. His footsteps were still careful, quiet. He halted suddenly, realizing this place was a perfect place for an ambush. In one fluid movement he pulled his grand weapon. The dwarrow spun on his heels just in time to stop Nori's blade from slicing into his thick neck.

Metal against metal sounded in the still night. Nori took a step back well out of the angered dwarrow's reach.

Of course it would be him. "Dwalin, you smelly troll! Leave me now or risk everything!" Nori grumbled lowly. He didn't need Thorin's lap dog nipping at his heel's this night of all nights.

Dwalin barely lowered his great axe. "Idiot thief! Luring a poor child into this night. You must help me find him." As the warrior lost the boy's trail, Dwalin felt a sense of creeping anxiety fill his soul. It wasn't frustration at losing the agile thief. Nori had given him plenty of experience in that area. No, this was something different. His warrior's instinct's screamed at him. There was malice here, a hunter on the loose.

"Saving his life you great ox! Did you not read the damn note? Or is that beyond your limited skills?" Nori snapped back. He wasn't surprised Spin had lost Dwalin, the boy was almost as talented as Nori himself.

Dwalin was tired and frustrated. Kili was gone on his mad chase to find Fili. Thorin was determined to find the lads. It was still an impossible job to keep the Durins out of trouble and safe. "If you weren't a necessary evil, I'd stomp your head to the dirt this night!"

Nori rolled his blue eyes. They really did not have time for their usual routine of insults and threats. "Shut up you balding oaf. We have a witch on our heels this night. She is following my every move.

Dwalin frowned and looked around, "Where? Show her to me so that her neck shall met my steel." Finally, Dwalin could act. His blood sang with the thought.

"Great plan. Always thinking, that's you."

"Quite pissing about. Where is the bitch?"

Nori didn't stop the sigh. He began to walk back out of the alley and looked around. "I was in the process of finding her lair. It is somewhere near here. We can't just kill her this time."

Dwalin grunted, "Why in the name of Durin not?"

Nori did not hide his disgust, "Because this time they've poisoned the children. At least 15 or more and she has the antidote."

Dwalin's eyes grew huge in anxiety. He grabbed Nori's cloak and instantly pulled the thief close. "What treason is this? What doom threatens babes?" Gone was the rivalry, the natural tension between the two. Instantly , Dwalin was Nori's to command.

Nori noticed the shift and dropped his owned aggression. He shook his head in sorrow. "I'll explain the details later, but it's important you let me go on by myself. Watch me from afar. But tonight I have forced her hand. She wants my head. The witch will try to end me before I get within Erebor's walls. She must or else I have doomed the children to a painful end."

Oiy! I hope that wasn't too awful. See ya next weekend. Two tests this week.