And then the door hit the floor, completely.
Havoc unleashed. The exact second the wave of heavy armored orcs step through, her vision turned red. She slightly lowered her upper body while her eyes remained fixed on the orcs, like a beast ready to jump over her prey. With a single movement, Leanna turned the sword in her hand placing the blade backwards, and charged forward.
The first cut of her blade slashed open an orc´s neck almost completely, Leanna had no time to think about how her body seemed to know exactly what it was doing, and it was far beyond any ability her tutor had trained her for but hell she was absolutely thankful for it. There was no useless step as she turned and beheaded another enemy, her senses warned danger and she took a step away from an orc´s axe trajectory and cut the offending arm off. Another blade was claiming her head, yet she turned letting the orc pass through, cut the tendons on his thigh making it kneel on the floor with a scream, slashed his neck and before the strength completely left the creature´s body she stepped on its shoulder and throw herself forward stabbing her blade through the chest of the next one.
More orcs charged in, there was no end to their numbers. Her free hand seemed to miss something with every move her body made, so she managed to get a short sword from one of the bodies. It was heavier and not as well balanced as the one on her right. She tested both blades instantly in an orcs neck and the head previously attached to it rolled of swiftly. Yet no matter how many were killed others occupied their place, the Fellowship was outnumbered.
Strangely, her senses were quite aware of the others positions in the battlefield, even the half-lings had joined the fight but little could they do. She decided to go to them as they seemed to be in the most peril. For a moment she felt as if the number of assailants had diminished yet it was a fleet moment as a shadow covered her frame. Leanna looked up. Wat she saw was a cave troll, smashing his way through the remnants of the doorway, a huge mace in one hand. The chains, hanging from his wrists to a pair of orcs.
"Bloody hell" she hissed with clear hatred and disgust.
Order of the day, bring it down to its knees, or so she intended. Sam was too close, and the second an arrow landed on the troll´s shoulder it turned towards the hobbit.
"Sam! Move out!" she screamed.
But the hobbit was motionless, paralyzed by fear.
She ran towards the half-ling, pushing him away the second the troll raised his foot in the air, ready to step on her and crush her like a bug. Then the troll fell back- Aragon and Boromir were pulling on its chains. The troll twisted its arm and sent Boromir flying across the room.
"Boromir!"
Leanna managed to get Sam further away and looked at the man, he wasn´t moving.
"Stay in the back of the room now! All of you!" she ordered to the half-lings and rushed towards Boromir.
An orc stood above him, ready to strike You are dead. She thought, gaze fixed in the monster who seemed paralyzed. It turned to her as if sensing the killing intent yet it was useless, both her blades went though it´s throat, to the back of it's head. She withdrew her weapons and turned around to find herself being stared by Boromir with a mixture of disbelief and gratitude. Leanna gave him a little smirk in response.
What followed was a frenzy of blood, more and more orcs were coming in waves, Leanna saw herself restricted from moving across the place as she had to prioritize defending herself, moreover she was quite aware that her stamina would not last forever.
A screech from the Ring got her attention, was barely a second, yet it was enough for one of the creatures to land a cut on her left arm. Anger ran feral through her mind, and she fought back almost in a trance.
The troll whipped its chains at the elf now. It swung its chains above Legolas's head, but he dodged the blow successfully, and the chain wrapped itself around a pillar behind him. He used it to climb the troll, and as he stood on its shoulder, he managed to shoot the troll in the back of its head. He then jumped off before the beast stumbled. But it did not fall.
Leanna felt strength leaving her left arm, most likely due to blood loss from the wound, even so, stopping there meant death. So, the woman ignored the increasing pain and assessed the situation while still defending herself. The troll had turned on Frodo, and Aragorn was trying to save him.
Leanna finally freed herself from her enemies and forced her aching legs to move towards them.
The troll hit Aragorn, and throw him across the room before anyone could do something about it. She kept moving towards Frodo, knowing that she wouldn´t make it in time.
"Frodo!" The beast had stabbed him in the chest.
Leanna rushed to the troll, as did Legolas, she cut the tendons on its ankles and the creature went down as Legolas had given it the final blow. They stood next to the body as the orcs fled the room. They were all clear now, not one of the wretched creatures alive to see. She bit her lip holding back tears, and went immediately to Frodo.
''Oh no!'' Aragorn cried in despair. He rolled Frodo's body over, but Frodo groaned, gasping for breath.
Relief cursed through her body, the exhaustion from the battle seemed to finally take a toll on her and she fell to her knees.
''He's alive!'' Sam exclaimed with happiness.
''I'm alright, I'm not hurt,'' Frodo uttered as he propped himself up.
''You should be dead!'' exclaimed Aragorn. ''That spear would have skewered a wild boar!''
''I think there's more to this Hobbit than meets the eye,'' said Gandalf.
Frodo reached for his shirt, and pulling it open he revealed his Mithril shirt he was wearing below. It glimmered beautifully.
Leanna sat on the floor, swords laying at her sides, finally being aware of the warm blood coming from her wound, it was worse than she had thought at first but what really startled her were the silver light markings now covering her forearms and hands. In an instant Legolas kneeled at her side, swiftly wrapping the wound with a clean cloth, paying little mind to the silvery halo.
''Mithril!'' exclaimed Gimli. ''You are full of surprises, Master Baggins!''
Legolas eyes were fixed on hers, filled with worry and something quite similar to pride, she was left breathless. And the noise started again, from every direction, more Orcs were on the way. Leanna grabbed the elvish sword on her right hand and got to her feet in a quick motion, her left arm was starting to feel quite numb at the moment.
''To the Bridge of Khazad-dûm!'' Gandalf ordered.
And so, they ran.
They ran, out the chamber and into the lower halls of the underground fortress, all the time being closely followed by Orcs. Leanna felt her lungs, and legs, and muscles, all of her body scream in pain and exhaustion but they could not stop for they were running for their lives. Even so, when they reached a huge hall of pillars, the goblin creatures started to appear from everywhere like swam, crawling to them, surrounding them completely. Leanna heard Gimli yell in anger and despair, but the fair was almost tangible around them.
"Bloody hell" she cursed between teeth.
And then, a fiery light appeared at the end of the hall and a thunderous rumble was felt. The orcs suddenly seemed terrified and ran away in frantic escape. The marks on her skin were then almost burning and glowed more intensely. One thing was clear to the woman, whatever in hell had scared off the Orcs… Morrigan guards us,I don´t even want to think about it. And just as she thought about it something else came into her mind this place, there´s something in it, old and tainted.
Leanna looked at Gandalf, he seemed scared, shaken, disturbed, hesitant to open his mouth. She hissed in pain when the pain on her skin increased, and a voice whispered inside her mind.
This is his test, young one, not yours. He must face his kin.
"A Balrog" the wizard said "A demon of the ancient world"
The creature growled, still crawling around the corner of the vast hall, a part of her, an obviously irrational one wanted to fight the beast, Gandalf seemed to read her mind for he quickly ordered:
"This foe is beyond any of you… Run!"
So they did, as fast as they could, down, and down. They tripped and leaped, frantic for an escape route. Down led them a flight of stairs, and then a missing segment, one she did not saw and for a second Leanna felt herself fall to a very unpleasant death had it not being for Legolas pulling her back in the nick of time.
''Lead them on, Aragorn! The bridge is near!'' Gandalf said between Balrog's roars in the back. ''Do as I say! Swords are no more use here!''
The stairs were narrow and had no handrail making a fall to the fiery abyss down there almost certain. A few steps ahead were another gap in the stairs. Legolas was the first to jump, leaving in utter shame to every Olympic athlete Leanna had ever seen. Gandalf was next, and had no problem to save the distance. Then was her turn, and at the moment she was about to jump felt a stinging pain in her neck where an arrow had thankfully just barely grazed. More whistled in the air around her, striking the stairs which they stood on. Legolas shot back immediately. Leanna didn´t look back to check if he had hit something. She took only a moment to look at him as he motioned for her to jump and held out his hands. Don´t think.
She jumped, and closed her eyes midair, daring to open them only when she felt the elf´s arms wrapped around her, so she wouldn´t fall back. They stepped back to make room for the others, Legolas quickly inspected the scratch on her neck and then the blood soaked vendanges on her forearm, blood was dripping down her hand to the stone floor and at the sight of this his face covered with worry. Her mind was starting to get groggy and her vision to blur she had to held his arm for balance.
Boromir took Merry and Pippin in his arms and jumped; and as he did, the stairs on which he was standing tumbled off. Now there was an even bigger gap for Aragorn, Gimli, Sam and Frodo to jump across. The newcomers went to the woman, now as pale and cold as snow, the man said something to her yet Leanna didn´t really understood a word only felt when the elf handed her over to the halflings.
Legolas had re-assumed shooting back at the ledge, the whistles of arrows around them didn´t stopped even with the Balrog behind their necks. Aragorn threw Sam across, and Boromir caught him. Just as he was about to pick up Gimli, he protested.
''Nobody tosses a dwarf!''
''Gimli!''
''Yaaahhh!'' the stubborn dwarf cried out before he leaped towards. He almost fell into the chasm, Legolas acted quickly - he caught Gimli by his long beard and pulled him up. ''Not the beard!'' he cried out.
The Balrog was approaching, and as he did more stairs tumbled off making the gap even wider. Stone structures around the mine started collapsing. A huge rock fell from the ceiling and smashed through the stairs behind Aragorn and Frodo, creating another gap behind them. The stairs they stood on began to wobble back and forth. Aragorn and Frodo shifted their weight forward, tipping the stairs across the divide and slamming them onto the stairs where the others were. Legolas and Gandalf opened their arms wide before Aragorn and Frodo made their leaps, safely getting them to other side.
Legolas held Leanna´s hand, and they re-assumed the run. The world seemed to be falling around them as the stone structures were collapsing one after another. The bridge was finally near.
''Over the bridge! Fly!'' were Gandalf's words once more but he did not follow as they fled. He stayed behind and stood still; not running away, not hiding, simply standing and facing the danger. Leanna turned back, her breaths heavy, she looked for the wizard´s figure but something else astonished her. A wall of fire appeared before him. Their bodies froze in fear where they stood, and then they were all facing back, looking at Gandalf. A great form of black shadow loomed through the flames. Its eyes were of white fire, and it had great ash-black horns curling around its bull-like head. It was a sight straight from hell itself. The demon opened its maw, with rippling heat pouring out with a rumble.
She did not know what Gandalf was doing, but soon he turned around and made another run. They ran as fast as they could once more; Legolas´ hand not letting go hers even for a second do not look back she could feel his claim through their touch keep running I will not let go. They could hear its footsteps, and the fire burning not far behind. It was hot, the air felt scorching against her skin. The bridge soon came into sight. It was a narrow bridge of stone, and it appeared in the fiery light as the path to salvation. They quickly crossed it and kept moving. Yet Gandalf had stopped mid-way across the bridge and faced the demon once more.
He is going to face it she realized with horror.
''Gandalf!'' the hobbits called, but the wizard did not turn to them. Instead he shouted
''You cannot pass!'' and did not move one bit as he faced the creature. ''I am the servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor,'' he said, ''The dark fire will not avail you! Flame of Udûn!''
The Balrog finally made his strike on Gandalf, but the wizard successfully parried the blow with his blade, shattering Balrog's fiery sword. Still the Balrog managed to shatter whatever magic he was doing to guard himself - the wizard now stood unprotected, unshielded. Her hand tightened in the elf´s grip. It was a matter of life or death now, they all knew it.
If only she could do something This is his test, young one, not yours, he must face his kin. The strange voice said in her head.
''Go back to the Shadow!'' Gandalf ordered the beast. But the Balrog stepped onto the bridge fearlessly. It now had a fiery whip in its hand.
And it was flaming. Gandalf raised his sword and his staff into the air and shouted at the demon once more: ''YOU SHALL NOT PASS!''
He drove his staff into the bridge, causing a bright flash of blue light to appear. Flaring its nostrils, the Balrog stepped forward onto the bridge yet again. The bridge collapsed from under it and broke right before Gandalf's staff. The demon plunged backward into the chasm, still wielding its glowing whip.
Gandalf leaned on his staff as he watched the Balrog fall, completely exhausted. Something was wrong, something felt wrong the marks on her skin were still hurting fiery as if saying the danger hadn´t ended. Gandalf turned to follow them.
"Gandalf!" she shouted in horror but it was too late.
The flaming whip lashed up from the depths of the abyss, it wrapped itself around the wizard's ankle, and pulled him over the edge. He clung onto the bridge but struggled to keep his grip.
''Fly, you fools!'' he said before he let go. He had let go. And he had fallen.
The light of the Balrog glimmered far below. The hobbits screamed.
''We have to move,'' Legolas said as he pulled her to follow up the stairs.
She walked, but couldn´t see any more than shadows and flashes, her senses were dolled, he was her only guide. The halflings were crying, or so it seemed to her. Eventually the temperature dropped, and now felt icy against her skin, her whole body trembled because of cold. They had probably made it out. She tried to say something, she was certain she did, but all of the sudden there was only darkness.
Author note: Hi. Thank you for reading to this point. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. And also to all of you who have followed and put Through fire and darkness in your favorites list, thank you so much it really encourages me to know that you are reading. 'Till next time bye bye
