Chapter 12: The Silent Lake
Finding an abandoned dwarf kingdom was just as hard as one would imagine.
At least Erebor and its solitary bulk, Toven thought, would have been hard to miss. But here, any one of the peaks of the Misty Mountains could be home to Moria. Gandalf had mentioned something about a stream, but so far they hadn't found so much as a puddle.
They were still weary from their battle with Caradhras, and it seemed to Toven that the sun was taking its sweet time traveling toward the horizon.
He wasn't even having the worst of it. Toven glanced back at Merry and Pippin, who had been straggling at the back of the group for a while now. He paused and waited for them to catch up.
"How are you two holding up?" he asked as he fell into step beside them.
"Been better," Merry said, and Pippin wearily nodded his agreement. The most recent leg of their journey had taken the cheer out of both of them, though Quinn usually managed to get them to perk up. At the moment, she was near the front of the line, talking to Aragorn and Gimli.
"If I'm being honest," Pippin said, "I was rather hoping we'd turn back after that avalanche."
"You mean go back to Rivendell?" Toven asked, and Pippin nodded.
He sighed and turned back around. He'd had his doubts when he'd heard that the two hobbits meant to accompany Frodo on the quest. But this was hardly the moment for an, "I told you so."
"I know it's been hard these past few days," Toven said. "And you're both brave to press on with us."
"Do you think we have any hope of making it?" Pippin asked. "I didn't think it would be so difficult so early on."
"I don't measure things in hope. I don't want to depend on some outside force to see this task done. We're the ones who will have to see it through, and the only way we can do that is by pushing forward."
Merry shielded his eyes so he could look up at the looming peaks of the mountains. "It seems we've been doing a lot of pushing lately."
"That we have." Toven let out a small sigh. "I remember the first time I went hunting. I must have been about thirteen."
"Thirteen?" Pippin's eyes widened. "That's quite young to go hunting."
"Humans age differently, Pip," Merry said.
Toven nodded. "I was young, but I was with four other experienced Rangers. There was a terrible storm the first night, and I got separated from the others. At first I was determined, excited even, and I wanted to see what I could catch by myself. I managed a couple of fish first, built a fire to cook them…but that second night, I heard wolves howling."
"What did you do?" Pippin asked.
"I ran." He let out a short laugh. "I was an idiot. I completely exhausted myself trying to get away from them. I snapped my bow falling down a hill in the dark. I was convinced they were going to smell the blood from my scratches, and all I had was my knife, so I broke off a tree branch and fashioned a spear out of it. I waited, and eventually one of the wolves found me. I thrust my spear at it, and the thing immediately broke in half."
"How did you manage to fight it off?" Merry asked.
"I didn't. The other Rangers found me and chased off the wolf, then brought me back to camp. They all had a good laugh at my expense." He lowered his gaze, old bitterness flickering in his chest. Back then, he'd been so obsessed with the idea that he had something to prove.
"That must have been terrifying," Merry said.
"It was. That night felt like a fucking eternity. But I survived it, and I've survived more dangerous things since then." He glanced at them. "I don't know if you're able to take any encouragement from that, but…"
"I hope we don't run into any wolves," Pippin said, sticking his hands into his pockets.
Toven snorted a laugh. "If we do, you have several experienced warriors to protect you. And a few, uh, Gondorian drills under your belt."
Both hobbits chuckled at that.
At the front of the group, Gimli called out to the rest of them. They made their way to the top of the hill where he was standing.
Just beyond was an empty stream bed, filled with red and brown stone and the barest trickle of water, and to one side were the aged remains of a path.
"This is the Sirannon," Gandalf said. "The stream will lead us to the gates of Moria."
"Not much of a stream, is it?" Sam muttered as they descended the hill to follow the path.
Toven frowned at the dry rock. He'd never known a mountain stream to dry up like that before. "Perhaps they dammed it at its source."
"Why does that not surprise me?" Legolas murmured.
Toven glanced at him, unsure if he'd been the only one to hear the elf's comment. "And what is that supposed to mean?"
Legolas regarded him coolly. "Dwarves have little regard for the ways of nature. Even a dwarf himself would admit as much."
"Yes, but you meant something else by it." Toven held his gaze.
"Isn't there some sort of feud between elves and dwarves?" Merry asked as he and Pippin inserted themselves between them two of them. "What's that all about?"
"Perhaps you should explain it to them," Toven said to Legolas. "Since you seem to have some opinions on the matter."
Legolas's eyes narrowed a fraction. "I have seen in my lifetime that dwarves are uncaring of nature, and that their ever-growing desire for wealth often leads to their own demise."
Toven's jaw twitched, but he held back his anger. "And I suppose your people have never once benefitted from the riches you scorn the dwarves for producing."
"I've met a dwarf before," Pippin offered. "Thorin seems like a very nice fellow."
"We are about to enter a dwarf kingdom," Toven said, keeping his eyes on Legolas. "And it may still be their domain. I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself."
With that, he shifted his pack on his shoulders and walked forward to join the front of the group.
It took them the rest of the day to reach the base of the mountains. A trickle of water ran from the top of what had probably been a large waterfall. Gimli pointed out a set of stairs that would lead them to the top, and they began climbing.
Quinn reached the top and stopped short. A few feet in front of her was a small lake, its surface smooth and dark.
"At least this one's not frozen," she said, stepping aside to make room for the others.
"There's a path round this way," Gimli said, leading them along a narrow strip of rock around the lake and to the cliff face on the other side. He was full of what could have been excitement or nervousness—Quinn couldn't really tell which. They hadn't really discussed what they might find inside Moria.
It was the dark by the time they reached the other side of the lake. The water was dark and still, though Quinn caught a couple of ripples that could have been fish.
She turned back to the cliff face, which looked like nothing more than a wall of rock. "So, how do we get in?"
"Dwarf doors are invisible when closed," Gimli said, tapping the rock with his axe.
"Yes, Gimli, their own masters cannot find them if their secrets are forgotten," Gandalf said.
Toven appeared at her shoulder. "I thought Erebor had a hidden door. Wasn't that how Thorin entered during the quest?"
Quinn shrugged. "I was dying from poison that day, so I missed all of that."
Gandalf seemed to have found something in the rock, and he reached out to touch it. "Ithildin. It mirrors only starlight and moonlight." He glanced at Quinn. "It's made of a similar metal to your blade."
"Huh." She tapped the hilt of her sword.
The moon came out from behind the clouds, shedding silvery light onto the wall. A glowing pattern appeared in the shape of a doorway, with two trees on either side and a row of text above.
"That's incredible," Toven breathed.
Gandalf raised his staff to the glowing writing. "It reads, The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter."
"What do you suppose that means?" Merry asked.
"Oh, it's quite simple. If you are a friend, then you speak the password, and the doors will open." He pointed his staff at the door. "Annon Edhellen, edro hi ammen!"
They waited for about thirty seconds, but the doors stayed shut.
Gandalf raised his hands. "Fennas Nogothrim, lasto beth lammen!"
They waited in silence again.
"Nothing's happening," Pippin pointed out.
Gandalf stepped forward and tested the doors with his hands. "I once knew every spell in all the tongues of elves, men, and orcs…"
"What are you going to do, then?"
"Knock your head against these doors, Peregrin Took! And if that does not shatter them, and I am allowed a little peace from foolish questions," Gandalf took a calming breath, "I will try to find the opening words."
He went back to muttering Elvish at the doors, and Pippin turned away, looking slightly dejected. The others spread out to find a comfortable place to wait.
Quinn walked up to Gandalf and cracked her knuckles. "So, is there a character limit on this thing?"
He paused but didn't turn towards her.
"I'm no hacker or anything, but you could try 'password.' Or '12345678.'"
Gandalf sighed. "The longer you expend your efforts trying to help me, the longer it will take for us to get inside."
"But—"
He took his staff and pushed her away from the door.
"Dick." Quinn brushed herself off and went to go find Merry and Pippin.
They were sitting by the edge of the water. She took a seat next to them, wincing as a couple stones poked her in the ass.
"I don't think Gandalf likes me very much," Pippin said.
"Oh, join the club." She held out her fist, and he bumped it with his own. "Don't worry about it. He just gets grouchy sometimes."
Pippin smiled at that. "Thanks, Quinn."
Nearby, Aragorn and Sam finished taking the rest of their belongings from the pony, and Quinn watched it trot back the way they'd come.
Merry was taking inventory of the stones on the bank. "None of these are the right shape for skipping."
"That's okay. My friends and I used to play this game with regular rocks, where we tried to see who could make the biggest splash. Once I dislocated my shoulder trying to throw a chunk of concrete into the water."
"And how are we supposed to know who wins?" Merry asked.
"Let's find out." She picked up a rock about the size of her palm, and Merry and Pippin followed suit. All three of them chucked their rocks into the water. "That's a point for me."
"Is not!" Merry said. "Who made you the judge, anyway?"
"And you're bigger than us," Pippin said.
Quinn held her hands up. "I mean, if you guys want to call it quits now, then I guess I win…"
"I don't think so." Pippin lifted another rock and cocked his arm back, but Aragorn caught his wrist.
"Do not disturb the water."
Quinn paused in picking up her own stone and looked back at him. He wasn't really the wet blanket type, unless there was a risk of danger. "What's going on?"
"There is something lurking in the water." He pointed to a spot farther out on the lake, where the water was gently rippling.
"Well, you know how much I hate things that lurk." Quinn tossed her stone back onto the bank. She wasn't sure if it was an alligator or what, but she hoped Gandalf would be able to get them inside before it decided to make one of them its dinner.
"I wonder if he's ever going to get that door open." Merry leaned back and folded his hands across his stomach. "Speak friend and enter. That's not much to go on, is it?"
Quinn leaned back on her elbows and snickered. "Wouldn't it be funny if the password was just 'friend?'''
Merry perked up and turned to Gandalf. "What's the dwarvish word for friend?"
"Bâha," Gandalf said, but the doors didn't budge.
"What about elvish?" Frodo asked.
"Mellon."
The stone let out a cracking noise, and the doors swung outwards.
Quinn's mouth fell open, and she turned and slapped both palms against Merry's. "You're a genius!" She leapt up and high-fived Frodo too. "And you're a genius!"
The rest of the group stood, and they all filed through the door. It was completely dark inside, the moonlight only shining a few feet through the door. The air was musty, as though it had been trapped there for a long time, and there was something else that smelled almost rotten.
Gandalf lit the top of his staff, creating a small aura of light in the room. They'd ended up in an entrance hall, and the vague outline of a set of stairs were visible up ahead.
Quinn felt something crunch beneath her boot. "What the…" She looked down.
There was a skeleton under her feet, dressed in the rusty remains of a mail shirt and a bent helmet.
"Oh, fuck." She stumbled back, nearly bumping into Boromir.
Gandalf turned, letting his staff illuminate the room further, and she realized there were skeletons littered all about the room, some of them pierced with arrows.
Legolas snatched up one of the arrows and inspected it. "Goblins."
Gimli staggered further into the room, surveying the carnage. "Bastards!"
Letting out a stream of curses, Quinn moved to a corpse-free section of the floor. These dwarves had been dead for a long time. Did that mean her friends—
"We should never have come here," Boromir said, putting a hand on his sword.
They began backing away, searching the darkness for any attackers.
Frodo cried out from the back of the group, and Quinn turned to see the other three hobbits running after him, towards the bank. Something was pulling him into the water.
"Get off him!" Sam drew his sword and hacked at whatever the thing was, while Merry and Pippin took Frodo's arms and pulled him away from the lake.
Quinn ran towards them, and looked down at the severed piece of a tentacle lying on the rocks. "You've got to be kidding me…"
Several more tentacles burst from the water and pushed Sam, Merry, and Pippin away. One of them struck Quinn in the chest, throwing her backwards against the door. Frodo screamed as another tentacle dragged him into the air.
Quinn pushed herself to her feet and rushed into the water, along with Aragorn, Boromir, and Gimli. She held her sword aloft, charging it with moonlight, and swung it downward. A beam of light arced out, severing two tentacles.
Another appendage slammed into her, knocking her onto her back. A slimy weight settled over her chest, keeping her trapped beneath the water.
Jokes on you, you fucking Cthulhu knock-off. I can't drown. Quinn drew back her sword and stabbed it through the side of the tentacle. She pushed her blade to the side as the tentacle retracted, cutting the rest of it in half lengthwise.
She pushed herself up, spitting out a mouthful of slimy lake water. Boromir and Aragorn were in the center of the writhing mass of tentacles, fighting towards where Frodo was still dangling.
A larger shape had emerged from the water—the body of the monster. It was partially submerged, but Quinn could see a large jaw lined with hooked teeth.
"Oh, hell no." She ran forwards, leaping onto a tentacle and using its momentum to push herself upwards. She raised her sword midair and brought it down in a powerful blow. A curved beam of light flashed through the air, cutting off four tentacles and leaving a steaming line where it made contact with the water.
Frodo fell from the air as the tentacle holding him was severed, and Boromir caught him.
"Into the mines!" Aragorn shouted. "Go!"
The others ran for the doorway. Legolas fired two arrows into the body of the monster, and it let out a guttural roar.
Quinn took a couple steps back and twirled her sword, charging it up with another ray of light. "You wanna fucking go?" She sliced off another tentacle as it lunged towards her.
"Quinn!" Toven shouted. "Come on!"
"A little busy here!"
The monster's body was growing closer. If she could get past the tentacles, she'd have a good chance of stabbing the monster through its brain.
She spun, cutting off another tentacle, then staggered as someone took hold of the back of her breastplate. She glanced behind her to see Toven hauling her towards the doorway.
"The hell are you doing?"
"Saving your life!" he snapped.
The monster was looming above them now, its tentacles attaching to the stone around the doorway. Quinn turned around, grabbing Toven's arm, and the two of them sprinted the rest of the way into the cave.
Several chunks of stone fell under the monster's grip, completely blocking the doorway. They stumbled back, over bone and rubble, as the entrance hall fell into total darkness.
Credit to the Dwarrow Scholar for the Khuzdul.
adkfdghsdjf my pro-dwarf sentiments might be shining through a little here. Not trying to paint Legolas as a racist or anything, but he does have some prejudices he'll end up questioning later in the story. And the same goes for Gimli.
In the book, Merry was the one to help out with the riddle on the door, but Frodo did it in the movie, so I gave them both credit. And a little credit goes to Quinn, for the single stroke of genius she will have in this story.