All right, so I lied =D I got another chapter up!! YAY!!! Hehe, I like this chapter, though it's a bit repetative. ^^;;; There's this thing… I believe they call it creativity… I'm lacking. =P Sorry, sorry, I apologize.

~Hoshiko

The Mage of Mirkwood

The Old Forest Road had been so under used now that it was hardly distinguishable from the rest of the forest. Weeds grew in it, and young dead trees hid its old trail. Only those with the keenest eyes could see it, and even then it was difficult. Because of this Relnik stayed in the lead, everyone else following close behind.

'We will reach the other side in five days. Keep eyes out for things that move, for I do not wholly trust these borders any longer.' Brendalin said, and everyone nodded, constantly searching their surroundings.

They traveled through the dark trees for the next two days, making sure to stay quiet and look out for creatures. Froin's axe was always in hand, ready for anything, though Relnik seemed rather relaxed. As they made camp the second night Relnik looked around the area. When he was convinced they were safe, he jumped lightly from the tree, and before Teredon, who was currently checking his sword over.

'You cannot be frightened like the Dwarf-lass, for there is nothing out there. I have not seen or heard anything but the creaking of old trees.' He said, and Teredon did not spare him a glance. He, instead stood, and started to wield the metal weapon in his hand.

'I have heard stories, Relnik, and I desire none of them to be proven true. Froin could be very right in fearing this forest, I suggest we keep on our guard and take no chances.' He said, and Relnik shook his head. They were all too quick to suspect danger; he had seen nothing for many days.

Brom stirred the cony soup with care, making sure none of the broth spilled. He had been just as wary of the forest as Froin had been, and his eyes darted at every dark tree that was surrounding him every once in a while. When he was satisfied that nothing was going to attack them his eyes fell on Ondril.

He was sitting on a rock near the fire, staring into the forest, eyes glazed over. Slowly the stone was starting to take its toll, like the ring had once done. He slept less and ate less, talked less, and yet insisted that nothing was wrong. Brom knew, though, he could remember what the ring had done to his friend. He wasn't fooled, and Ondril knew he wasn't, but Ondril would not let him worry.

They ate in silence, and went to bed in silence, Froin offering, again, to keep watch. Dweller shook her head, though, and stood.

'Froin you have been keeping watch for the past four nights. If you don't sleep you'll become ill. I'll do it.' she said, but Froin stood also.

'I feel better if I do, I don't need to sleep as much as men do.' She argued. Dweller only sighed and sat down again, seeing the young dwarf would not be moved. So, Froin kept watch along with Dweller, and as Dweller knew, Froin was constantly dozing. Every time she jerked out of it, Dweller would shake her head, and look out into the forest.

'I told you. You need sleep, now, go to rest, I'll get one of the hobbits to take your place.' She said, but still Froin shook her head.

'No, I will not allow you to wake them. Just let me be, I'm fine.' She said, and Dweller shook her head again. Froin settled herself back down, and in a few minutes were snoring rather loudly. Dweller rolled her eyes and let Froin sleep.

Ondril rolled and jerked in his sleep. After a moment he awoke, sitting straight up, hand clutching the stone in his pocket. He took it out hastily, and looked at it. The black was swirled with a dark gray and Ondril could see them, like clouds in black night. He stopped breathing heavily, and clutched it in his hand, looking up.

When he did so he cried out, for he could see something moving around above them. The cry awoke everyone, Froin faster than the others, and they looked around confused. Froin and Relnik's weapons were ready in hand.

'What's happened?' Brendalin asked quickly, going over to Ondril.

'There's something in the trees, they were right about us, and when I screamed they fled!' Ondril gasped, and Param and Terry's eyes immediately went to the trees.

'What was it, my dear Hobbit?'

'I am not certain, I could not see very well.' Ondril said, and Froin snorted.

'Spiders, orcs, who knows in these borders!' she said, and Relnik was about to differ when something caught his eye.

In the distance he could see things rushing through the trees, none all too graceful, but swift none the less.

'Orcs!' he cried, and the others looked in that direction. They could hear the deep drum of the creatures now, and hear the battle cries in their black language.

'Run!' Brendalin cried, and they all picked up their belongings, put out the fire, and started running in the other direction. They sprinted the best they could through the trees, and after a long while they were forced to stop, for before them there was no way to run. The path was closed by, what looked like giant spider webs.

'What's this, then?' Param asked, plucking at one of the strings. It refused to break though, and before the group drop six gigantic spiders, large enough to ride. They backed up slowly, and the spiders advanced upon them, eyes glistening with hunger. Behind them they could hear the sounds of the orcs coming, ready for battle.

'We must fight!' Dweller cried, and a spark came into Froin's eyes. She had been waiting for this, and she nodded vigorously.

'Let us fight! They want a battle and they will get one!' she cried, before jumping at one of the spiders and slicing it's legs off. Relnik helped with the spiders until he was needed with the orcs and Brom also helped with them.

When the orcs did come, everyone fought with their best skills. After a while, when the hobbits had finally remembered their hand's old skills, Param wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked around.

'We're not doing too bad!' he said, and put his sword into the stomach of an orc behind him. The battle raged on for what seemed like, a long while. No matter how hard everyone fought, there seemed to be more orcs to fight.

'I knew we should not have come here!' Froin cried, and sliced at an opposing spider, taking off most of its legs. Another one jumped on her from behind, and as it was about to sting her two arrows were shot into its eyes, making it reel back in pain. She looked behind her as it twitched and died, seeing Relnik there, shooting off more orcs.

'Yes, now stop bragging and help me cut these webs!' he said, and she nodded, running over and doing so. When she sliced at them with her axe, though, it just bounced off, and the axe flew out of her hand into a near by tree. Relnik rolled his eyes and gave her one of his long-knives. She looked at it for a second, and started tearing the webs away with the finer tool than her own. He shot a path to her axe, and retrieved it for her, going back, and putting it in her sheath.

'You can thank me later.' He said, and she snorted.

'You can do the same.' She said, and he laughed. After cutting for a while he shook his head, and let out an exasperated sigh.

'This is getting unreasonable!' he said, and motioned for her to step back. 'Fight them off behind my back and I'll make this go much faster.' He said, and she nodded, doing so. While she took the orcs away he shot at a large group of cords, making many of them snap apart. The cords themselves hit many orcs when they were flung back, knocking them out or killing them. He did it many times again, and when most of the path in front of them was cleared he went back to the battle he had left.

Most of the orcs had been slain now, and he helped to kill the last few. Some of them used a bow, and kept shooting at the hobbits, and though some hit, none penetrated their skin. The others looked on in disbelief, and when Relnik had shot the last few everyone looked at the four small figures, panting.

'I'm curious to know how you all can not be hurt by any arrow, for I know that Orc arrows are not a dull item.' Relnik said, and Param looked down at his body, one arrow was hanging from his shirt, and he pulled it out hastily.

'Yes, well, you see we…' he said, and Brendalin smiled.

'I believe our young hobbits have a secret to share.' He said, and Param and Terry looked down in shame.

'We took some chain mail from the weapon shed the night before we left…' Param explained, and Terry jumped in.

'Yes, we thought it might be useful…' he said, and saw the look on the other's faces. 'But don't blame Ondril and Brom, we gave it to them, they didn't know that we stole it.' he said, and Brendalin, surprisingly laughed.

'You are smart, young ones, smarter than you let on.' He said, but his face immediately went to the way they had just come. They could hear the sounds of orcs coming behind them again. He pointed his staff in the opposite direction and started running.

'Go! We cannot stay!' he said, and they started running again. It did not take long for the orcs to catch up to them, and they were soon surrounded. It did not last long, though, because through the trees there was a long, piercing shriek. It made the orcs freeze, and eventually start to scatter. It sounded like an over-grown bird of prey calling at it's finding of its meal, and it made the hearts of all jump.

'What is it now?' Terry asked, obviously frightened out of his mind.

'Is it-' Brom started, and Brendalin looked into the dark forest.

'It is. An Ondor, just as Froin had warned us. It is another demon, in close relation to the Balrog. It breathes fire and can wield powerful magic as a weapon. We are in more danger now than ever, FLY!!' He cried, and they started running in the opposite direction again. After a while they came upon another cobweb blocking the path, and everyone immediately started hacking away at it. Relnik made more cuts than anyone, and even though his tools could cut they found it too thick.

'We'll never do this in time!' Teredon cried, and he was right, for behind them he could hear the cracking of trees and could see the coal-red eyes of the thing they had been fearing. After a moment the head of it could be seen clearly through the darkness, and everyone turned in fear.

'Stay back!' Brendalin said, and took out both his sword and staff. His sword, Domespell*, glowed green from the magic in his hands, and his staff did the same. He faced the Ondor now, with a stern face, and looked it in the eyes. It's reaction was to bring itself to it's full height, standing on it's hind legs. It did have the body of, what looked like, a man and the legs of a stallion. Its eyes glowed like red coals in a hot fire, and it let out it's call again, fire spitting from it's mouth. It brought darkness along with it, making it seem larger than thought possible. This did not stop Brendalin, though, and he called up to the great beast.

'You will go no more further!' he cried, and Ondril shook his head.

'Gandalf, not again!' he cried, for he knew what he was going to do.

'I am servant of the secret fire, wielder of the flame of arnor. I am the weilder of the gray magic, none can match my power. You will not go further, fire mage of Morgoth!' he cried, and in front of them it seemed all power went to him, and a bright light enveloped him. The Ondor only cried again, and his eyes grew a brighter red. 'You will not go further, go back to the shadows! You will not go further!' he cried as loudly as he could and he aimed both his staff and sword at the great beast, a beam of light coming out of the end of it. It hit the Ondor, and the Ondor covered its face, a great gash showing up on its arm. It cried out in pain, and put it's hands in the air, a great fireball appearing in them both. Once it became large enough, the beast threw it out of its hands and it hit the wizard's sword. Though Brendalin buckled under the blow he still stood, and he again gathered, it seemed, all things to him. The light about his grew as the darkness about the beast grew, and at the same time they both wielded their magic at each other. The two attacks hit and in a bright flash they both disappeared.

The others watched in horror at the fight, and when the two disappeared they stood, dumb founded.

'Brendalin!!' Ondril cried in horror as the wizard was no where to be found. Arrows again started to shoot in the air past their heads and Dweller ordered them to run, taking the position of leader.