We kept walking along, Shannon and Legolas talking quietly, Molly leading the pony I had forgotten to mention about until now, and Gandalf arguing softly with Aragorn.

I trudged along, silently. Everything seemed to be going allright until -

Legolas stopped abruptly and fitted an arrow to his bow in the blink of an eye. "Listen!" he hissed, and we all halted.

Over to the left, someone (or something) was coming, crashing through the bushes, snapping twigs, fighting through the undergrowth.

I drew Sting and was releaved to see it wasn't glowing blue. Shannon copied Legolas and put an arrow to her bow, while Gandalf gripped his staff.

With a snap, the intruder emerged from the trees. It was a girl - about my age, I guessed. She was wearing sandals, khaki shorts, a blue t-shirt, and a baseball cap with the number three on it. She hefted her back pack, adjusted her earphones, and pushed her glasses up on her nose.

Smiling and making a huge "W" with her thumbs and first two fingers, the girl screamed - "WEEZER!"

We all stared, astonished. I was the first to find my voice. "W-what?"

"WEEZER!"

"WHAT?" everyone in the company said, in unision.

The girl pushed at her glasses. "You mean this isn't the Hartford Civic Center?"

"No," I said, confused out of my mind.

The girl shrugged. "WEEZER!" she yelled, making the "W", then turned crashed back through the trees.

Everything was quiet for a long time.

"I," Aragorn said, putting his sword back in his scabbard. "Am not even going to ask."

"But I will," said Legolas. "What was THAT?"

Gandalf shook his head. "I believe that was someone from your world, Meg. It seems that when I weakened the barriers to bring you through, others came as well..." Gandalf looked grave. "Do you have any enemies back there?"

I chuckled. "Compaired to Sa-" Shannon kicked me. "Compared to you-know-who, no way."

"Come then." We all got back into line and continued on our way.

The sunlight started to fade, and the forest became spookier and spookier. The trees were tall and dark around the uneven path, and the leaves rustled beneath my feet.

Then the sun set completely, and the ring felt suddenly cold - much colder than it ever had.

"Who are you?" someone whispered.

"What?" I said, looking around.

"Where are you?" The voice was hissing and cold, and I felt goosebumps all up and down my skin.

I turned to Shannon. "Did you hear that?"

Shannon looked at me funny. "Hear what?"

"That voice," I said. "It's like..."

"I will find you..." the voice said, and died away.

"Meg, are you okay?" Shannon asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." I shook my head and kept walking.

It's a good thing the night was dark. It's a good thing we were all walking in single file. But most of all, it's a good thing I was wearing a high collared shirt - because it meant that none of us saw the ring glow white, then red, then flash black.



"We'll make camp here for the night," Aragorn said, looking around a clearing underneath a big, old, tree.

We didn't make a fire, but I was content with an apple and a few slices of bread. Molly tossed me a blanket from the pony, and I was quite comfortable lying on the ground. I rolled up my cloak for a pillow and settled in between two tree roots.

Shannon lay down on one side of me and was asleep in an instant, but I stayed awake, staring at the moonlight. Around me, I could hear my friends whispering, then dropping off to sleep.

A twig snapped behind me and I sat bolt upright, gasping softly. Legolas, who was keeping watch, turned around and our eyes met.

"Go to sleep," he said, smiling. "I'll be awake, I promise."

Shannon chose that exact moment to snore, and I giggled. Legolas smiled at her, then turned back to me. "I'll be watching, don't worry," he said.

I nodded and lay back down, trying to calm myself. It was probably just a stupid middle-earth squirell, or something, I tried to tell myself.

Wrong. But I wouldn't find that out until later.



When I woke, the first drops of rain were starting to patter down on the trees above us. But by late afternoon, it was pouring rain. I pulled my cloak over my head and whiped sopping hair out of my eyes, trying to stay warm.

It was impossible to know when the sun set behind those clouds, but I think I could take a guess at it - because all of the sudden the ring went deathly cold against my skin.

I gasped and stopped, causing Shannon to bang into the back of me.

"What's wrong?" she asked, but her voice sounded far away.

I shook my head and the feeling faded. "Nothing, nothing, I just stubbed my toe."

The rain came pouring down even harder then, and lightening forked the sky. I jumped and the pony reared as thunder clapped above us. Wind whistled through the trees, making them reach out and snatch at us all.

"We'll camp here!" Aragorn shouted against the wind, "Until the storm passes!"

I found the biggest tree I could and huddled against it. Aragorn and Legolas wrestled with the pony while everyone else clumped together, passing out some rather wet apples.

I wasn't hungry, so I stayed where I was, folding my arms against my chest and shivering. Then I heard a noise and turned.

"Ohgod- hel-!" my cry, already weak against the storm, was cut off by a pair of strong hands. I recognized the dark cloak from before as I wrestled with the stranger. I kick at his shins, but he drew the knife from before and stabbed it into my side.

I grunted as it hit the Mithril-coat, knocking the wind out of me.

*Whizzz-shik* The stranger screamed as one of Shannon's arrows dug into his back. With a cry of rage he darted into the night, lost in the wild dancing of the trees.

I sank to my knees and loosed the knife from where it was caught in my shirt. Shannon ran and knelt beside me as I tossed the knife away, disgusted.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

I threw my arms around her neck. "Oh, my god, Shannon, thank you!"

"Aw, it was nothing," she said, hugging me back. "Anytime. But who WAS that masked man?"

Turning to look back into the forest, I gulped. "I have no idea."




The next day was cold, but at least it was dry. Several times I thought I heard a twig snap, or footsteps on the road behind us, but Shannon and Legolas were just as quick - and when we turned, there was nothing.

Then the sun set, and once again the ring was suddenly icy against my skin. I clentched my teeth until the feeling passed. Taking a deep breath, I quickened by pace to catch up.

That night we camped underneath a low, overhanging cliff - the beginings of what would later turn out to be the Misty Mountains. I sighed and settled down, trying to shake off the feeling of growing dread.

"I'll take first watch," Aragorn said, tying the pony to a low branch.

Legolas and Gandalf nodded, and the elf came to sit next to Shannon. He said something in elfish to her, and Shannon chuckled. I was a little bit jealous - I didn't know she knew his language. Shannon murmured something back, and then put her head on his shoulder. He sighed and closed his eyes.

I leaned over and started singing, very quietly. "Whaa-whaa-WAAA...let's get it on..."

Shannon's eyes flew up. "Meg?" she hissed.

"Yes?"

"Shut. Up."

"Shutting!" I said cheerfully, and turned back the other way.



The next day was pretty uneventful, except for the ring turning cold at sunset. I had no idea what it meant, but I didn't say anything. I didn't want the others to think I was wimping out...

On the fourth day of our journey, in addition to the ring turning icy, I had another visit from the stranger. I was lying down, on the verge of sleeping, when I heard footsteps behind me. I snatched up Sting and kicked out at Shannon. "Do you hear that?" I asked. She sat upright and scrabbled for her bow.

"Yeah," she said, putting an arrow on the string. In the moonlight, we could barely make out a dark figure against the trees. He stared at us for a while, then turned away into the night.

My heart beating in my mouth, I turned to Shannon. "That is beyond freaky."

"Agreed."

Neither of us slept much that night.



Dragging my feet along on the fifth day, I realized how nervous night-fall was making me. As soon as the sun began to set, I started to shiver and rub my arms, waiting anxiously until the ring flashed cold, then died away. It seemed like every night it got just a little colder...


And that night I had a nightmare.

Now we've all had nightmares where we're falling out of trees or running from a tiger or getting to math class only to realize there's a test on chapters 1-87.

But those are nothing compared to what I was dreaming now.

I dreamt it was dark, dark except for a single white hand in front of me. The hand was shriveled and cold, and it stroked my cheek with a laugh. I gagged and tried to turn my head away from the clammy touch and the smell of rotting flesh, but I couldn't move.

Somebody laughed, and I felt cold sweat break out on my forehead. "Who are you?" a hissing voice asked. "Who are you?"

*I am nobody!* I thought, as hard as I could. *NOBODY!*

The voice laughed and the hand inched down my neck. I stiffened as it reached down my shirt, groping for the ring...




With a jolt I sat bolt upright, panting and feeling the tears stream down my face. The camp was quiet, and I pulled my blanket up to my neck, trying to calm down.

A nightmare - that's all. I told myself.

But I didn't feel like sleeping again. Pulling my cloak around myself, I huddled up next to the flickering flames of our dying campfire.

"Hey,"

I looked up - it was Peter. "Mind if I sit?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"Are you okay?" he asked, hankering down next to me.

I clentched my teeth. "A nightmare," I said, shivering. "I had a nightmare, that's all."

Peter put his arm around me and we sat like that for a while.

"You know," Peter said, looking up at the sky. "I think it's really cool that you're taking the ring - no, beyond cool. I thought about what you said up in the tower that day - and I realized what you meant. You're not taking the ring for yourself, are you? You're taking it for everyone else. That's what makes you so unbelievable."

I blushed. "That's sweet. But I don't know ... I don't know if I can do this." I looked at Peter, who was staring me straight in the face. I gulped. "But I know I can't do this alone."

Peter frowned, and I blushed again. "What?" I said.

Peter put his other arm around my waist and kissed me, suddenly. I gasped, startled, then closed my eyes. "I'll be here for you," Peter whispered, then kissed me again.

(And he's not a bad kisser, either.)



Peter and I had sat with our backs to a tree, and I must've fallen asleep because I woke up with my head on his shoulder.

"Whaa-whaa-WAAA!" sang a voice in my ear. "Let's get it -"

"Shannon?" I snapped, frowning.

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"Shutting!" Chuckling evilly, Shannon crawled away.

Peter blushed and stood, then gave me a hand up.

As we set out that day, I realized that I could see the Misty Mountains, not to far away from here. The trees thinned, the path grew steepier and rockier, and the sun began to sink in the sky.

I shivered, my heart beating a little faster, then clentched my teeth as the ring grew cold. I groaned softly, under my breath.

Shannon poked me in the back. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," I snapped, pulling my cloak around my shoulders. "I'm tramping through a dark forest in the middle of Middle Earth on my way to certain doom carrying a magical inplement of death on a chain 'round me neck. What could be better?"

"I was just asking..."