CHAPTER 3 : A SHADOW IN THE PARTY
"Welcome home..." He showed his face, old and withered "Father." Joden was taken back. He dropped his head as a hand lay itself on his shoulder. He turned slowly. "Who are you really?" Amelia asked. "Honestly, you carry cattle with you on your travels and let them run free? Have you no pride!?" The old man said. "You know nothing of..." Joden tried. "No, you know nothing! These people are our food! there is a reason for our race to rise again, it is meant to be!"
"What is this?" Frodo asked. "Nothing he's mad." Said Joden, drawing a sword. "And you are against yourself, yet you call me mad?" He laughed. "Try that again." "Shut up!" Joden said. The man laughed again. "Well father, until later. When you finally learned to help yourself." The man was gone so fast no one knew he left for a second.
Amelia walked in front of him, she held an expression of pure evil. "How dare you! You pretend to be a friend of Gandalf and help us get Frodo back to health! All you wanted was a meal!" Frodo stood silent, shocked and waiting. "You have no business with us no more! Let us go Frodo, we can find Gandalf on our own." "I understand your feelings..." He said slowly. "But know truth - If I were to feed from you I would have done so long ago, as I grew weary." "How do we know this was not part of your plan!? To lead us to Quarry when Gandalf is not even here! You lied but once, who's to say you won't do it again." Said Amelia as she grabbed Frodo and walked in a fast pace down the cobble street. "What is going on?" Frodo had no idea of what was happening.
But Joden gave no chase. Not to their eyes at least. "Miss Amelia, may I know what is happening?" "Joden is a liar! He didn't bring us here to help you Frodo, he brought us here to feed!" Spit was coming out of her mouth. She was talking so fast and hard that she didn't even bother to clean up her mouth. "What are you saying Amelia?" Frodo stopped just as they as they reached the gates. "Master Baggins Joden is a ..." Her voice was drowned out by a growling noise as 5 black shadows loomed over them. As they stepped into the moonlight they could see disfigured men.
Their eyes were red, skin was pale and green looking and they were baring fangs which seemed to be stained in red, from what they weren't sure but Amelia had the right idea. They jumped at the Hobbit and Witch. "Vigamortis!" Blue blasts of light pushed the creatures back. "Leave them be!" Joden stepped in front of Amelia and Frodo guarding them. They stopped as his hands gripped the end of his sword. "Father, we are hungry fresh, strong blood! They gazed at the witch running their tongues over their teeth, "I said!...Leave them alone!" Joden repeated in a low muffled growl like the one the others had done before. He swung his sword around and decapitated the creature. "You have changed father, not for the better. You will always be one of us." "I am as you are in body, but never in your greedy hearts!" The creatures slid back into the shadows.
"Your a vampire?" Asked Frodo backing away from him. Joden nodded letting out a long sigh. "You did not think to share that with us?" "I'm sorry Frodo I did not think you needed that sort of pressure with everything that is going on." Amelia's lips were persed together as she shook her head. "Come Frodo, we will be safer when we are away from here." "Do you think I am proud of what I am! If I was I would not have choosen to be on your side." "You need to prove how worthy you are and until you do I can't see you helping us along our travels."
A light started to rise upon the gravel. They looked up and saw the sun coming out. Joden pulled his hood over his head and walked away giving them a look of urgency to show how much he wanted to save the Hobbit. The streets were empty but Amelia and Frodo felt much safer. "Where are we to go now?" Amelia's eyes were gleaming as she stared into the sun light. "We are to continue on our journey Master Baggins." Frodo looked frustrated and a little more tired than he ever looked before. "May we rest first Amelia? I cannot walk another mile." She smiled at him slightly and led him over to a small INN on the brighter part of town.
In big white letters it bared the name COZY QUARRY INN. It was a big wooden cottage, with 3 chimney tops coming out of the roof. They opened the door and stepped inside. It looked very comfortable and warming. 4 large sofas were placed in front of the largest fire place. Flowers were hung around the mantels and a small white tree stood in the corner of the check-in desk. A man with a black suit on was standing behind the counter.
He was thin and tall with short black hair and green eyes. He adjusted the round speckled glasses he wore and brushed his thin stingy mustache. "Excuse me, may we have 2 rooms?" The man looked up but saw no one. He peered over the desk and stared at the 2 of them. "Ohhhhh! Hobbits, haven't seen those around in a few years." His voice was young and sort of high pitched. "I'm not a hobbit." Amelia was mistaken for those all the time. "Could have fooled me." The man said lifting up his eyebrow. Amelia clenched her fist but Frodo laid his hand on hers. "May we just have 2 rooms please." Frodo asked waiting for the man to ring them up.
He nodded and handed them 2 keys. "Have a nice rest." The man smiled, but he seemed to annoy Amelia. The 2 walked up the large curved staircase and headed to the 3rd floor. Pictures of strange people were posted on the walls. Old woman in crowns to Hobbits sitting in large arm chairs. They proceeded down the right corridor, it was dark, it had no windows. Frodo stood close to Amelia's side not liking where they were put. She stopped in front of a small portrait of a vampire smiling and baring those blood stained fangs. "This picture disturbs me." She pushed her curls behind her ear. "Let's just get to our rooms Amelia." Frodo's room was just across the hall from hers. "If you need me Master Baggins, just knock." He nodded and closed his own door as she did the same.
The room was dark and eerie. He moved to the bedside and lit a candle. The flame danced on its wick, Frodo's only company in the lonely room. "To be a ring bearer ... is to be alone." The words of Galadriel returned to him. He closed his eyes and visions of the past entered is mind. The tall trees, the dark of Moria... the fire's of Mount Doom. Of Legolas and Aragorn and Gimili ... he missed them all now.
He kept his eyes closed. It was deep underground, in a collection of hot dark tunnels. Fire seemed to crawl from every corner of every passage. And in the dark center was a chair, a great chair. All around it were those that were supposed to have been destroyed, in rusty armor, and with broken weapons at there sides. The room or the chair seemed to turn slowly. There was an iron boot, a hand ... the chair turned more flashed backs of the eye reentered his mind. Frodo was screaming and then he fell back, eyes still clamped shut, sweating and panting.