Eli slowly blinked her eyes open, trying to adjust them to the dim light that shone into them… Wait a minute. Light? She straightened up, and heard the others talking in soft whispers all around her.
Gandalf turned to her then, and smiled. "Good morning, my dear! For morning it is again at last. I was right, you see. We are high up on the east side of Moria. Before today is over we ought to find the Great Gates and see the waters of Mirrormere lying in the Dimrill Dale before us."
Camille whooped softly with relief. "FINALLY! I've had quite enough of all this darkness! Any longer here and I'll start seeing things!"
Eli snorted suddenly, and tried to quell her laughter. Camille smirked. Eli knew that she didn't believe in ghosts or any such things, so when Camille said that she was starting to "see things", it was meant in a VERY sarcastic manner.
When everything was packed up, they started to move again. They moved forward towards the light, feeling that it would lead them outwards. However, they ended up in a large square chamber. Though the light was dim, they had been so long in the darkness that they had to blink their eyes to clear their sight.
The dust was thick beneath their feet, and their footsteps were somewhat padded as they walked forward. Camille nearly tripped over a crumpled shape that lay near the door, and muttered an annoyed curse. "Who the hell is leaving all these things lying around?! Didn't they ever learn to clean up after themselves?!"
The light seemed to be coming from a shaft high above the eastern wall, and fell directly on a table in the middle of the room: a single oblong block, about two feet high, upon which was laid a great slab of white stone.
Eli suddenly froze in her tracks. It feels so…odd. Why does it feel like there are so many dead things in here? "I don't like the feel of this place," she whispered, so that only Camille could hear. "Too many living things have been killed here…I can still feel death hanging over this place like a deep and dreadful fog…" She shuddered, and wrapped her arms around herself.
Camille looked at her with a concerned gaze. "Are you okay, Eli? You don't look too good."
Eli swallowed hard. "I don't know. It's so cold here…and I can hear voices like Gimli's, only they're crying out like they're scared and dying…" She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Get a grip, Eli! You're going to be fine. They're dead; they can't hurt you.
BOOM!!!!
Eli jerked, and turned sharply to the door. "What was that?!"
DOOM, DOOM!!!! The ground beneath their feet trembled, and it felt like Moria was becoming a gigantic drum of sorts. But who was sounding that drum, they didn't wish to know.
Aragorn, Legolas, Boromir, Eli and Camille moved towards the door through which they had come. Legolas and Aragorn looked through the crack, while Eli, Camille and Boromir busied themselves with listening. They could hear a great horn blast, followed by the answering cries of other horns, and the sound of many feet pattering in the hall.
Legolas jerked back from the door, fitting an arrow into his bow. "They are coming!"
"Trapped!" cried Gandalf. "Why did I delay?! Here we are, caught, just as Balin's folk were before us! But I was not here then, and neither were our Summoners. We shall see what-"
BOOM, DOOM!!!"
"Slam all the doors and wedge them!" shouted Aragorn. "And keep your packs on for as long as you can; we may get a chance to cut our way out yet."
Eli shook her head. This is a trap, or I'm not a ninja for nothing! "That's not a good idea! That's exactly what these guys want: to get us trapped in here like mice in a cage! Keep the east door open so we at least have an escape route!"
The rest of the Company nodded. Boromir then moved towards the west door, and put his shoulder against it in an attempt to close it.
Gandalf sprang towards them. "Wait a moment! Do not close it yet!" He drew himself to his full height, and cried in a loud voice, "Who comes hither to disturb the rest of Balin Lord of Moria?"
The sound of harsh laughter echoed back to those within the chamber, and Eli knew without a doubt that they were Orc-voices. She watched as Gandalf stepped before the narrow opening, and stuck his staff out. For a while, a brilliant flash of light shone in the hall and passageways, and then winked out. Gandalf pulled back just as several arrows came whizzing towards the spot where his head had previously been.
The Wizard's face was grim. "There are Orcs, very many of them," he said. "And some are large and evil: black Uruks from Mordor. For the moment they are hanging back, but there is something else there. A great cave-troll, I think, or more than one. There is no hope of escape that way."
"And no hope at all, if they come by the other way," Boromir muttered morosely.
"There is no sound here yet," said Aragorn, who had been listening at the east door for quite a while. "The passage on this side plunges straight down a stair: it plainly does not lead back towards the hall. But it is no good flying blindly this way with the pursuit just behind. We must do something to delay the enemy first. We shall make them fear the Chamber of Mazarbul!"
Outside, Eli could hear the pounding of heavy feet in the hall outside. She drew her sword, preparing for any eventuality. In the meantime, Boromir threw himself against the door, and wedged it shut with pieces of wood and broken sword blades.
But Eli knew such a barrier wouldn't last that long. She closed her eyes, and focused her energy on the door rings. She no longer had to speak the words for the spell she needed: instantly, the door rings froze over, locked in position by solid ice. That ice spread out around the doorframe, sealing it quite effectively.
Gandalf smiled at her as he drew his own sword. "Very good, Eli! That should keep them out of this room for quite a while!"
"But not for long!" Camille yelled as the doorframe began to shudder as a mighty blow impacted on it. For a while, the ice and the wedges held it fast, but after three more mighty thumps, it flew wide open. A huge arm and shoulder, with a dark skin of greenish scales, was thrust through the gap. Then a great, flat toeless foot went in. There was a dead silence outside.
Boromir leaped forward and tried to hew the arm, but his sword rang, and glanced aside, falling from his shaken hand. The blade was notched.
Suddenly, Frodo leaped forward, Sting glowing bright blue in his hand. "The Shire!" He sprang beside Boromir, and stabbed the troll in the foot. There was a bellow, and the foot jerked back, nearly wrenching Sting from Frodo's arm. Black drops dripped from the blade and smoked on the floor.
"One for the Shire!" cried Aragorn. "The Hobbit's bite is deep! You have a good blade, Frodo son of Drogo!"
"And he's going to need it! Look out!" Eli shouted as a stream of Orcs flooded the chamber. She couldn't count how many there were, but she didn't really care. She drew out her sword with a mighty war cry, and proceeded to weave a deadly dance through the Orcs. Above her head, the arrows of Camille and Legolas whistled by, striking down Orc after Orc. Gimli hewed the legs below another that had sprung on top of Balin's tomb. Boromir and Aragorn slew many between the two of them.
Eli sighed and wiped the sweat off her brow when the first wave of Orcs fled, shrieking a horrid sound into the Mines. She had managed to kill more than ten, though she preferred not to count. She looked back, and noticed that most of them were unharmed, except for Sam who had a nick along the scalp where an Orc arrow had grazed him.
"Now is the time!" cried Gandalf. "Let us go, before the troll returns!"
Eli scrambled through the chamber, she and Camille trying to herd the Hobbits out to safety, but before they had even reached the stairs outside, a huge Orc chieftain, almost man-high, clad in black mail from head to foot, leaped into the chamber; behind him his followers clustered in the doorway.
The Hobbits let out a cry of dismay when they saw it, and the rest of the Company, upon hearing it, went back in. Boromir charged, but he was thrown back against the wall by the Orc captain's huge hide shield. The thing then dodged Aragorn's sword thrust, and threw his spear straight at Frodo. It caught the Ringbearer on the shoulder, and pinned him against the wall.
That did it. White-hot anger the likes of which she had never felt before rose in Eli as she glowered ferociously at the thing, and felt power beginning to course in her veins. A white aura flashed around her, while the kanji symbol for "Tiger" flickered to life on her brow. She glanced at Camille, and noticed that her best friend was shining with a green light. The kanji symbol for "Serpent" appeared on her forehead. It's now or never. With a cry, the two girls loosed their spells at the Orcs in a desperate attempt to prevent them from getting to the rest of the Fellowship. The powers of wind and earth combined into a blinding sandstorm that tore right through all the Orcs in the chamber, killing them all in one blow.
Eli turned to the others. "Go, go now, before the reinforcements come!" Obeying her commands, the Hobbits ran towards the east door. As he was going out, Aragorn picked Frodo up, and carried him over his shoulder. However, Gimli had to be dragged out by Legolas, for the Dwarf was still kneeling in front of Balin's tomb with his head bowed. Boromir hauled the doors closed, and Eli once more cast the ice spell for added security.
However, a sudden gasp brought her attention to Frodo. "I am alright!" the Hobbit wheezed. "I can walk. Put me down!"
Camille laughed suddenly, and threw her arms around Frodo. "Frodo! I thought you were dead!"
"Not yet!" said Gandalf. "But there is no time for wonder. Off you go, all of you, down the stairs! Wait a few minutes for me at the bottom, but if I do not come soon, go on. Go quickly and choose paths leading right and downwards!"
Eli's eyes widened. Is he crazy?! He CAN'T stand up to that troll alone!! "Gandalf that's stupid! Are you on a suicide mission or something?! Camille and I will stay right here with you and fight off whatever it is you need to hold back!"
The Wizard shook his head at them. "I am afraid that you cannot stay with me, my dears. The Ringbearer needs you powers more than mine. You must stay with him; the Quest lies upon his shoulders, remember that." His voice suddenly became fierce. "Now go! Do as I say! You are needed elsewhere! Go!"
Eli cringed at the sudden harshness in Gandalf's usually calm and cheerful voice, but she did as he told her nonetheless. She and Camille ran down the stairs to where the rest of the Fellowship waited. She shook her head at the expectant faces of the Fellowship. "I'm sorry, but he wouldn't let us stay. We wanted to help him, but be wouldn't let us." She doubled over, and placed a hand to her chest. She winced, feeling her heart beating erratically as she forced her lungs to pump air. Oh damn it, damn it all! This CAN'T happen, not now!!
Aragorn's hand was on her back. "Eli, are you alright? You do not seem so well."
Eli gulped, and nodded, straightening herself as she did so. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Just a little woozy, that's all." She caught Camille looking at her, and noticed the worried gaze in her best friend's eyes. She gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head, so that not even Aragorn could see it.
Just then, Gandalf landed in their midst as he came almost flying down the steps from the door at the top. The Wizard seemed weary, like he had just done something that required a massive amount of energy. But he got up quickly, and pushed his way to the front. "Come, there is not much time! We must make our way to the Gate while our enemies are yet trapped behind us!"
Eli ran after Gandalf, pushing herself to the limit. Every step felt like it was being done with lead weights attached to her feet, and her lungs felt like they were made of concrete. I might not last that long, if this keeps up…
Suddenly, they were standing in another hall though it was much wider and bigger than the one they had first seen. The pillars were black, but they were glowing red. Eli also noticed that the heat had suddenly increased. Is there a fire somewhere here? She looked back, and noticed where the fire was coming from. A deep fissure had opened up in the floor, and every now and then flames licked at the edges of the gorge. Wisps of dark smoke rose from it and wavered in the hot air.
"If we had come by the main road down from the upper halls, we should have been trapped here," said Gandalf. "Let us hope that the fire now lies between us and pursuit. Come! There is no time to lose!"
He turned left, and the Fellowship sped across the smooth floor of the hall. The distance was greater than it looked. As they ran, they heard the beat of drums and echo of many feet. A shrill yell went up, and arrows started winging their way towards their heads. Eli groaned. We've been spotted!
"Go forward, go forward!" Gandalf shouted as he fell back slightly so that he and Eli were running side-by-side. "The Bridge is near! We shall make it, if we are swift! Do not look back!"
They arrived at the Bridge, and those ahead started to cross. It was long and narrow, but it didn't really matter, since they were much too concerned with making it to the other side.
Suddenly, a cold wave of evil hit Eli smack in the back. She winced, and knew that something very bad was near. Disobeying Gandalf's orders, she turned around, and looked.
At first she couldn't see its face, because it was like a black shadow that moved on its own accord. It was man-like in shape, but much, much bigger. As it approached the fire, the light of the flames dimmed for a moment, but after a while flared up more brightly than before. The mane of the thing kindled, and it seemed to hold a sword like a stabbing tongue of fire, and in its other hand it held a whip with many thongs. It looks like that monster from Final Fantasy VII.
She heard Legolas cry out from behind. "Ai! Ai! A Balrog! A Balrog is come!"
"Durin's Bane," muttered Gandalf as he moved closer to her. In moments, Camille was beside them, a halfhearted grin on her face. "You aren't going to face that thing alone, you know."
Gandalf was about to protest, but Eli had already made a move. She stepped forward towards the Balrog, ignoring the sickening wave of heat and wickedness that rolled off it. "You shall go no further, creature of the Shadows! Once long ago, Middle-Earth was not tainted by the existence of your kind, and I shall do all I can to erase you from the face of this world!" She raised her arms high as a wind picked up. "I am one of the Summoners of the Four Great Spirits of Middle-Earth! You cannot defy my power!"
The Balrog roared, and she was hit square in the face with its mighty breath. She felt weakened all of a sudden, but she ignored it. Drawing up all the power that lay within her, she focused her energy for one massive spell, a spell that could surely kill the Balrog…
Her eyes flew wide open, glimmering like golden stars. "You shall go no further! I summon you, Seiryuu, Dragon Spirit of the East!! Cast down now this creature of Darkness, that goodness may reign forevermore!"
A cry sounded to her overhead. She looked up, and watched as a mighty dragon, with scales of blue and talons of silver descended from above, and placed itself between her and the Balrog. For a while, the demon seemed to quail before the mightiness of Seiryuu, but quickly recovered itself. There was a flash as the two beings clashed, and Eli prayed that Seiryuu would be victorious.
But it was not to be. When the flash dissipated, she was dismayed to see that the Balrog was still standing. Seiryuu was nowhere to be seen. She felt her knees giving way beneath her, but she fought it.
Gandalf pushed her back. "Get back from here now! I shall handle this!"
"No!" Camille screamed as she and Eli hung onto each other. "We aren't going to leave you Gandalf!"
But the Wizard paid no heed to them. He faced the Balrog, his staff held out before him, the crystal glowing brightly. "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass!"
The Balrog hesitated, and Gandalf took this chance. He shouted a spell, and stabbed his staff onto the bridge. The stone crumbled, and the Balrog fell down into the deep pit, and vanished. However, its whip of many thongs still swirled into the air, and grabbed hold of Gandalf's foot. With a shout, Gandalf slipped, and managed to save himself from falling totally by grabbing onto the rock ledge.
"GANDALF!!!!!" Eli and Camille screamed at once. They ran over, sliding at the last minute, and grabbing each of Gandalf's hands in their own.
Eli smiled down at the Gray Wizard. "Hang on Gandalf, we're going to pull you up."
Gandalf shook his head. "No my dear, you must let me go! There is no time; the Orcs will be upon you if you tarry longer!"
"But we can't LEAVE you here!" Camille screamed back. "We NEED you, Gandalf!"
Gandalf stared at the two of them with his piercing eyes. "But the Fellowship needs YOU, my dears. Eli, your courage and your insight will be sorely missed, if you were to die here now. And besides, you must fulfill the promise you made to Elrohir and Elladan. You must live for them, Elisabeth. You vowed that you would return to them, did you not?
"And you, Camille, the Fellowship needs your sensitivity and concern for them." Gandalf smiled at her then. "And though you may not know it now, Legolas needs you the most. Without you he would fade into darkness. You are his light, child. You are to him as Earendil star is to the Elves. You are his sun and his moon, and if you were to disappear, he would have no reason to live."
The girls were both stunned. Gandalf, taking advantage of their surprise, shook himself from their grasp, and fell down into the darkness.
"GANDALF!!!!" Eli shrieked, and was ready to follow him down into the chasm, but Aragorn pulled her back.
"There is nothing you can do now, Eli! We must obey his last command! Let us fly!" cried the Ranger as he pulled her across the bridge. In the meantime, Legolas was almost dragging a still stunned Camille away from the bridge. They were led up a flight of steps, and across the huge halls until at last they broke through to the Dimrill Gate. But they did not stop running until they were out of arrow-shot of Moria. They stopped in the Dimrill Dale, the drumbeats of Moria fading away at last.
And in the warm sunshine and light of day, Eli fell to her knees, and wept.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This chapter started out pretty good, but got kind of crappy towards the end. I know, I know, I shouldn't have let the girls interfere and let the story take its course, but I just couldn't let Gandalf go like that without giving a LITTLE light of hope somehow! Anyway, on to the next chapter! With Gandalf gone, the responsibility is laid onto Aragorn's shoulders, and he decides to lead them into Lothlorien. The girls seem to be okay, but Eli doesn't seem quite the same. Could it be the grief of losing Gandalf weighed down on her more heavily than it did on the others? Or is something else wrong? Find out more later on. Namarie!!!