Chapter 27: A Run Worth Their Life
The company follow Gandalf, legs pumping, and arms bared along the rickety wooden bridges. A new adrenaline replaces the ice in her veins as she slices through the Goblins, keeping up well and truly with the Dwarves around her. For once she's acting as an asset. For once she may just be helping someone else survive.
But the company is still outnumbered one to one thousand. No matter how fast and hard they run and tear through the foe, more replace each one that falls. Their aim is to escape and for that, they are relying completely on Gandalf to lead them out of the mountain and not further into its cruel depths.
Edyth doesn't risk looking over her shoulder, but she can hear the horde of Goblins behind them and it feels like the entire population of this dingy place is on their tails. She follows the person in front of her which looks like Thorin, but a Goblin jumps at her from the side. She doesn't manage to strike it lethally, but it is knocked down behind her. This time, she does glance over her shoulder, only to find that their line has split.
With Dwalin leading the second pack, she puts her faith in him to reunite.
At a sharp turn, Edyth grips a metal pole on the inside of the turning point tightly. With enough momentum, her feet leave the ground and swing out. She manages to kick not one or two, but three Goblins off the side of the bridge, clearing the turn for the rest of the company. Thorin passes her, taking out the next lot of Goblins as more come from all sides. Their running stops as they fight, Dori swinging around, annihilating Goblins approaching from three sides.
Edyth takes this moment to look around for the other Dwarves. Fili is with them, as well as Balin, Dori, Oin and Thorin. And Gandalf not far ahead. Her head tips back, feet circling around, searching the faces of the Dwarves just a few levels above them. Finding the face she wants to see, Edyth's attention darts back in front of her, just in time to block an attack.
Rolling backwards, she stops in a crouch, readying herself to pounce. Once the Goblin crawls close enough, Edyth leaps forward, cutting upwards and through its stomach. The creature gurgles and splutters, falling backwards with a roll of its eyes.
"Cut the ropes!"
Numerous Goblins swing towards them on ropes from the other side of the small part of the cavern. She doesn't understand exactly what ropes to cut until Nori does so beside her. Follow suit, she cuts the rope that ties the ledge above them. It falls down, both taking down the Goblins perched on it, and stopping the ones on the ropes swinging towards them.
Gandalf ushers them onwards and Edyth's legs take her without hesitation. The sooner they make it out, the sooner she can sit down. "Quickly!" From a different ledge, the other half join them and once again the company run as a whole, Edyth right behind Thorin at the front.
They continue slashing through, clearing their path just as the Goblins keep coming. But they come to a halt as their path ends. Her worry isn't needed however as Thorin already has a plan devised. As soon as the last Dwarf steps over the threshold, Thorin cuts the rope and the edge of the bridge turns into a swinging ledge. "Jump!"
A few make it on the first go, including Edyth who is right near the front. The ledge swings back, allowing some Goblins to leap onto the platform but they are dealt with once more. The ledge returns and the rest of the company leap off. Fili cuts the rope, sending it down below and cutting the Goblins' path off.
But still yet, they are nowhere near the end. Goblins continue to jump down from above and climb along the laddering and frameworks, like a bug invested house. By now, every swing of her arm is an automatic response, but it does not stop the tire from creeping along her muscles. They are not made, nor trained for such battle.
Gandalf strikes his staff into the stone roof, a sharp blast of the same blue-hued light as before erupting as a large boulder drops down from it. "Push!" Dwalin cries. The boulder starts to tumble down the path in front of them, the dwarves huddling behind it as it clears the way. It does a mighty job, clearing everything in its path until the end of the path is reached and it tumbles off the edge.
Their pace stays strong, slashing as they run and as they round into another part of the maze of caverns, their path becomes clear. There is a single bridge linking them to the other side and for short, brief moment, Edyth lets herself believe that they have reached the end.
As they reach the middle, the Great Goblin busts through the wood from below, followed by the never-ending horde returning from both sides, completely surrounding them.
"You thought you could escape me?!" The Goblin exclaims as Gandalf moves to the front. The Goblin swings his beast-headed staff around, slamming it into the ground and through the air. Gandalf stumbles backwards but is pushed back up by Ori and Nori. "What are you going to do now, Wizard?"
With his own staff, Gandalf strikes the point. The Wizard's staff stabs the Great Goblin's eye who whimpers in pain, grasping at his face. With the distraction, Gandalf slices through its stomach with his sword.
The Great Goblin falls to his knees, the fat of its belly spilling out. He nods slightly, almost pensive. "That'll do it." With a final blow from Gandalf to his neck, the Great Goblin collapses. But the weight of his great size sends the bridge quaking. Edyth wobbles, crouching down slightly, reaching out to grasp Bofur who is already grasping her shoulder. It creaks and groans before snapping off and the company are sent falling to whatever awaits them below.
Edyth screams, falling to her stomach and clutches a wooden platform with her entire life. Wood and other assortments of object fly past them as they break through the layers of the Goblin city, destroying what is probably years of their hard work. Serves them right. They bounce off rock and slide down slopes and at this point, she has no idea if they are going to live or die. And she is definitely not the only one questioning so.
They fall well beyond the construction of the Goblins, the front of the broken bridge slamming into a stone wall and a moment later, the other side doing the same. The friction on both sides slows their fall down considerably and it finishes with one final thump.
Edyth lies on her stomach, splayed out but her sword still in hand. A few pieces of wood knock into her but they don't add to the pain.
"Well, that could've been worse," Bofur grins. Edyth is about to agree but the words leave her mouth as a wheeze instead as a colossal weight pounds them even further into the ground. The wooden beams underneath her collapse from the weight of the Goblin.
"You've got to be joking!"
When she opens her eyes, she's face to face with Kili who's received the brunt of the weight being at the bottom of the pile. She smiles, reaching down with her empty hand. His face is screwed tight as he wiggles around but stops as her fingers touch his face. His eyes open and Edyth laughs in manic disbelief. His face is filthy, probably as her own is. "What a ride," she breathes. Kili smiles back, brushing away her finger which pokes his cheek. But the relaxed glint in his eyes evaporates, causing Edyth's own concern to grow.
"Gandalf!"
Her head snaps to the side, straining to see above her. She almost wishes she hadn't looked. Almost as many Goblins as she had seen in the city centre are slithering and crawling their way down the stone slope. The company scramble to their feet, Edyth using her elbows and heels to push her way out. Being one of the first, she helps Bofur down who brushes himself off, giving a good pat over his body.
"Still alive," he checks out loud. Edyth gives him a quick smile and nod before moving onto Ori.
"There's too many," Dwalin exclaims. "We can't fight them."
"Only one thing will save us. Daylight! Come on!"
They remove the last few Dwarves from the rubble, Edyth making one last leap to pull Fili up to his feet before the pair join with the rest of the company that are sprinting through the narrow tunnel. They take many twists and turns, Goblin cries coming closer every second. At last, the reach a tunnel with a literal light at the end of it. Sunlight.
Edyth runs harder than she has run in her life, only slowed down by the people in front of her. Gandalf steps to the side, ushering them past. The light hits her face, basking her in a warmth that feels ethereal. They've found their way out and by the sound of it, Goblins can't move into sunlight.
They don't stop running until they are well and truly away from the mouth, leaping over rocks and down the sloping ground. Edyth knows she should feel tired, but the thrill continues to energise her muscles, even through their fatigue.
She comes to a stop by the brothers' side, planting her hands on her knees. Gandalf counts them as they appear. "Nori, Dori. Bifur. Edyth. Ah, Kili and Fili. That's fifteen." The Grey Wizard looks around. "Where is Bilbo? Where is one of our Hobbits?"
And just like that, Edyth's entire world crumples inwards. The first thing she does is look around. They're small fellows, much leaner than the Dwarves and perhaps he is just standing behind one. The others look around as well, but nobody makes a sound.
"Where is our Hobbit?!"
Edyth raises a hand to her mouth, her hand shaking and quivering. She's forgotten her own brother. The guilt becomes overwhelming, so much so that she holds her breath in fear of vomiting. She continues to look around through blurred eyes, her lips peeling open with a choked sob. Where had she last seen him? Even more horrifying is the realisation that the last time she actually truly remembers seeing his face is back at their camp. How long ago had they lost him? Was he able to escape the trapdoors or had he fallen through with them? She had no idea.
"Curse that Halfling," Gloin growls. "Now he's lost! I thought he was with Dori!"
An arm slinks around her shoulder, drawing her closer. Edyth stumbles into Fili, barely able to keep her knees from collapsing. The ground beneath her sways and the entire world feels light and unreal.
"Don't blame me!" Dori defends.
"And where did you last see him?" Gandalf demands.
"I think I saw him slip away when they first collared us," Nori informs them. Edyth raises her head slightly, dropping her hand away from her mouth.
"Slip away?" she repeats. If he slipped away then he came down into the tunnels with them, but there's a chance he's still alive. Still inside the mountain.
"What happened exactly? Tell me!"
Thorin stalks forward with a deep-set scowl. "I'll tell you what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it! He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door. We will not be seeing our Hobbit again."
"We can't just leave him for dead!" Edyth cries, marching forward. "That's my brother. Maybe he wants to go home and so he should by the way you've been treating him! The both of us! But that decision should not cost him his life! I-I have to go back…" Edyth shakes her head, walking backwards. "I have to find him."
"You will be walking to your death!" Thorin shouts.
Edyth shrugs her shoulders slowly. "Then so be it," she whispers. Thorin steps closer in a manner of challenge. He stares at her in a challenge to move and she stares right back in a challenge to stop her. Edyth finally breaks it, glancing over the company, landing on the brothers last. The pair are frowning, almost waiting to act.
Edyth takes another step backwards but her movements are matched by Thorin who takes another forward. He reaches forward, grasping her forearm. Thorin's eyes soften but his grip remains tight. "Edyth…" he warns slowly.
"There's no need!"
Edyth spins on her heels, stumbling backwards. From behind a tree, her brother appears looking very alive. Her hand covers her mouth again as her legs falter, her mind thanking fate over and over again. Gathering whatever strength is left, Edyth sprints forward, her arms scooping her brother into a hug he well deserves.
Edyth realises then what she could have lost. She doesn't pay him enough attention – clearly. She doesn't check in on him, talk to him.
"Bilbo Baggins," Gandalf breathes. "I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life."
Edyth releases him, still not aware of any injuries. She steps away slightly, more the gather herself than give him space. Her hands are still shaking, and her throat is clogged with vomit.
"Bilbo, we'd given you up!" Kili exclaims.
"How on earth did you get past the Goblins?" Fili wonders.
Dwalin squints his eye at the Hobbit. "How indeed?"
Bilbo laughs nervously, tucking his hands into his vest pockets. "Oh, what does it matter?" Gandalf sings. "He's back."
"It matters," Thorin growls. "I want to know. Why did you come back?" His voice softens at the end, a sign of true wonder on his behalf.
Bilbo sucks his lips. "Because she was right. Edyth." Eyes turn to her but Edyth only looks at Bilbo. "I know you doubt us. I know…I know you always have. And you're right, I often think of Bag End. I miss my books, and my armchair, and my garden. See, that's where I belong. That's home. And that's why I came backs, cause…you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you, but I will help you take it back if I can."
"The both of us will," Edyth adds, nodding to Thorin. She shakes her head, smiling to herself as she walks forward towards the king. "I don't care about what you think of me. Your opinion of me isn't why I'm here. I'm here to change the course of history. And I'll be damned if I let a stubborn Dwarf be the reason, I'm not a part of it."
Thorin isn't smiling, but nor is he scowling. He just watches her as she speaks. After a long pregnant pause, his jaw opens to respond, but instead of words filling her ears, unmistakable howls do.
Edyth's lips drop as she spins back around. "Orcs," she whispers.
"Out of the frying pan."
"And into the fire," Gandalf finishes. "Run. Run!"