Chapter 26

"…and then I heard the Company…talking about me of course, and I caught up…and, well, that was that." Bilbo finished quietly. He could feel Ember gazing at him in the darkness, and he shifted uncomfortably.

"So…you're a burglar after all, my friend," she mused with a smile.

"No, no, I found it!" Bilbo protested, and she squeezed his arm gently to let him know she was teasing.

"A magic ring that makes you invisible," she whispered. "May I…try it?" Bilbo felt a sudden wave of fear and anger at the thought of Ember asking for HIS ring. But he shook his head; that was silly. She just wanted to try it….there was no harm in her just…trying it. He slowly reached into his pocket. His hand trembling slightly, he slowly handed the ring to her. As she slipped it on her finger, two things happened. The first was that she disappeared, and Bilbo was glad that he had a firm grip on her arm or he wouldn't have known where she had gone. The second was that Ember began to scream.

Kili jerked from sleep, hearing the shrill cry of his One. "Ember!" He shouted, looking about. She was gone. All he saw was Bilbo being pulled off the path, and he grabbed his legs, holding on for dear life. Fili felt the tugging and awoke, grabbing for his brother, while still trying to hold on to Ori, who sat beside him. The Company was slowly being pulled off the path.

"Stop! We have to stay on the path!" Ori shouted. As the remaining dwarves were ripped from their sleep, all Kili could do was call out to Ember, who he couldn't see. His heart thumped in his chest. Her screams were terrified, anguished. The dwarves struggled to hold onto each other in a sort of chain, terrified of letting go. Bilbo flailed in the darkness, one arm around her waist, finally managing to grab hold of her wrist. Using his fingers for eyes, he felt his way to the round circle on her hand and yanked it off. Immediately, her screaming stopped, and desperate sobs were heard. Bilbo pulled her hard back towards the path, and Kili wrapped her in his arms. The Company sat in silence as Kili murmured in her ear. She finally quieted, with only soft sniffles breaking the silence of the night. Thorin made his way down the path, finally kneeling before Kili and Ember. The blackness of the night couldn't hide the worried expression on his face.

"What happened?" Thorin asked quietly. Kili shook his head in uncertainty.

"Was it another nightmare?" Fili asked, worry in his voice. "Bilbo, do you know?" Bilbo cringed, he knew he would have to tell everyone about the ring, and they would be angry, and try and take it from him.

"W..well, I…" he stammered. He stood up, wanting to back away slowly, when Ember reached out and grabbed him, squeezing his arm.

"Yes…a nightmare," she whispered softly. Kili frowned slightly, he sensed that this wasn't the case. This…felt different. Deciding not to push her about it now, he stroked her hair, and she sighed into his shoulder.

"Try to sleep, vol kaon," Kili said, "we are all warm enough. You need to rest." Worriedly, the dwarves sat back down, connecting themselves as before, not for heat, but trying to let their lass know that she wasn't alone. Uneasily, they fell back into restless sleep.

Ember's mind would not let her sleep. Her head pounded with thoughts and pain. As she felt Kili's breathing become deep and regular, she allowed herself to revisit what had happened. When she had placed the ring on her finger, she had felt…pain. As if her entire being had been immersed in a poison so strong that no antidote could cure it. She had seen images; of Gandalf being tortured in Dol Guldur, of Thorin sick with rage and fury, of her beloved dwarves being slaughtered in battle, and her One lying lifeless on the chest of his brother. Finally, her power had surged as a great Eye, lidless, wreathed in flame, appeared before her. It grew larger, penetrating her mind, seeking, asking where she was, willing her to give in…when Bilbo had pulled the ring from her finger. The terror, the pain, and anguish that she had witnessed nearly broke her. The only thought that kept running through her mind was that she could not…would not allow those images to come true. Gandalf, Kili, and the rest of the Company were her family. Her first family had been taken from her as an infant. No matter what, she would not lose her family again.

As the blackness of night turned to a steely grey dawn, the dwarves awoke. After a quiet breakfast, Thorin insisted they press forward. Ember felt exhausted, too worn out to focus on the path and where it was leading them, the lack of sleep and drain on her powers evident as she stumbled after the Company. She needed to speak to Bilbo, but she noticed that it was getting harder for her to concentrate. Indeed, it seemed stuffy, as if there was very little air to be had in the depth of the forest. "Air. I need air." She heard Bofur mutter.

"Aye. My head, it's spinning," Oin agreed. Ember stopped, a chill washing over her. She watched as Oin and Nori, who had been at the forefront of the Company stumbled into each other. "What's going on?"

"Keep moving! Nori, why have we stopped?" Thorin called.

"The path…it's disappeared!" Nori shouted. Ember turned around, her eyes searching the ground in fear.

"What's going on?" Dwalin growled.

"We've lost the path!" shouted Oin. They were standing in front of a steep cliff.

"Stay here!" Ember called. "Let me see if I can find it behind us!" She made to leave and Kili grabbed her arm.

"No, vol kaon, wait, let's figure this out together," Kili said. She trembled as she took his hand in hers. It was all her fault. Gandalf had trusted her to keep them on the path…she had failed.

"Find it! All of you, look for the path!" Thorin cried. The Company began to wander through the forest. Hours flew by as they searched. Ember felt powerless as they all seemed to be getting drowsy, and confused. She shook her head to clear it, but was rewarded with a sharp pain behind her eyes.

"I don't remember this place before. None of this is familiar," Balin stated.

"It's got to be here somewhere," Dori muttered.

"What hour is it?" Thorin growled.

"I do not know. I don't even know what day it is," Dwalin replied.

"Is there no end to this accursed place?" Thorin said angrily. The dwarves were all muttering and rambling as they wandered about. Ember cursed herself mentally for allowing them to stray from the path. She held tightly to Kili's hand, refusing to lose him. Bilbo had stopped near a large tree, and absentmindedly plucked a spider web. The web vibrated, and the vibrations continued through various connected strands, far off into the forest. Bilbo shook his head, a wave of fear rising up inside. He glanced around at the bickering dwarves.

"We keep heading east and we will find our way through this forest!" Dwalin declared.

"Which way is east?" Bofur asked. Bilbo looked at him blankly, before looking up into the trees.

"The sun. We have to find the sun. Up there. We need to…" He trailed off, realizing that no one was listening to him. He began to climb up the tree, oblivious to the masses of spider webs around him. Ember followed him with her eyes in a daze, when a shout from Thorin distracted her.

"Enough! Quiet, all of you! We are being watched." At that moment, a creature flung itself from the darkness at Thorin. Ember screamed as she was thrown from behind to the ground. She felt a stinging pain in her side, and everything grew dark.

Bilbo's head broke through the treeline and he took a deep breath of the clean cool air. As if a spell had been broken, his head cleared. He breathed deeply again, as a flock of blue butterflies lifted into the air around him. The setting sun was beautiful, shining pink, yellow and orange streaks throughout the sky. Bilbo laughed in delight, looking off into the distance. He called down loudly to his friends below. "I-I can see a lake! And a river. And….the Lonely Mountain! We're almost there!" He grinned in happiness. Suddenly, he thought he heard a scream…then a thumping noise. He climbed down a bit, peering into the darkness below him. He stepped forward, suddenly tripping over a spider web, and fell several feet, bouncing painfully off branches. He yelped in pain, but managed to catch himself on a branch. He tried to stand, when a massive spider appeared before him. Its jaws were black, with venom dripping from them. He jumped back, only to land on an even bigger spider web. He moaned in frustration, realizing he was stuck. The spider leaped down and proceeded to wrap him up tightly. The spider began to tow him deeper into the nest. Bilbo was barely able to make out the images of the dwarves hanging upside down, also encased in webbing. His spider dropped him, coming around to stand over him. Just as it bent towards him, Bilbo managed to grasp his sword straight up from his body, through the web and into the spider. As the creature died, he flung it off the branch to the forest floor. Using his weapon, he sliced through the remainder of the webbing encasing him. He moved towards the dwarves, when he heard a sound. He glanced down to see spiders climbing up the tree. He quickly placed the Ring from his pocket on his finger disappearing from sight.

The spider approached the closest dwarf, yanking it to the ground. The dwarf kicked, but couldn't do much being wrapped up so tightly. Bilbo grabbed a piece of wood, tossing it far into the distance. The spiders rushed towards the sound, and Bilbo hurried to the covered dwarf. A solitary spider dropped down in front of the dwarf, preparing to feast. Bilbo swung his sword, slashing away a leg. The spider screamed in agony. Bilbo sliced at its fangs, before driving his sword deep into the spider's skull. He removed the Ring as he freed the dwarf, who turned out to be Bombur.

"Bilbo!" Bombur cried. "You certainly gave that spider a sting it won't forget!" Bilbo smirked, looking down at his sword.

"Sting. That's a good name." He proceeded to free the other dwarves, when the webbing suddenly gave way, and the Company crashed to the forest floor.

"Where's Bilbo?" Bofur asked.

"I'm up here!" Bilbo called, having grabbed onto a large branch.

"Ember?" Kili yelled, searching the ground. Bilbo turned around, and saw a small cocoon that he had missed.

"She's here! I will free her!" Bilbo cried. Just then, a spider jumped from underneath the branch, pinning him. Bilbo raised Sting just in time, stabbing the spider through the belly. He tossed the spider off him, as the dwarves began to fight the swarm of spiders with their various weapons. Bilbo hurried over to the small cocoon, slicing through it gently. Ember was extremely pale, a sickly grey hue to her skin. Bilbo saw in horror that she had been stung in the neck and leg by a spider. He hoped that Oin would have something to counteract the venom. He tried to lift her, but only succeeded in dragging her to the edge of the web. He yelled at the closest dwarf, which was Bofur. The dwarf dropped his weapons in time to catch Ember as Bilbo pushed her out of the tree. Bofur cradled her close, as the other dwarves surrounded him, keeping the spiders at bay. Ember opened her eyes, feeling nauseous.

"KILI!" Fili yelled for his brother, as a spider had managed to grab his leg, pulling him off into the distance. Ember struggled weakly against Bofur, sending a small burst of fire towards the fleeing creature, but hit a tree instead. More spiders jumped down on threads of silk in front of the dwarves, hissing at them. Thorin raised his sword, when he paused, looking into the trees. A blond figure raced through the treetops towards them, swinging down a spider's silken thread, landing on it and killing it with an arrow. He slid to the forest floor, slicing at the spider closest to Thorin, before kneeling with an arrow knocked in his bow, pointed at Thorin. Several other elves appeared from the darkness, arrows drawn towards the dwarves.

"Do not think I won't kill you, dwarf. It would be my pleasure." The blond Elf glared firmly into Thorin's eyes.

"Help!" Kili yelled from a distance.

"Kili!" His brother moved to go after him, but an elf pointed his bow at him. Ember broke free of Bofur, ducking from the elves, racing towards Kili's voice. As she reached a clearing, she saw Kili struggling with the spider. She released a weak burst of flame at the creature, before a pain in her shoulder knocked her down. Suddenly, a female Elf slashed her way through three spiders on the opposite side of the clearing. She threw her dagger at the spider above Kili, killing it. Kili tossed it off, racing towards Ember.

"Don't move, dwarf!" The female Elf glared at him. Kili grabbed Ember in his arms, spying an arrow sticking out from her shoulder. Fury rose in Kili, but Ember locked eyes with him, and he calmed against his will. She whimpered as he snapped the end off of the arrow, leaving a small tip. His eyes took in the reddened sting on her neck, and his worry increased. The female Elf shoved him roughly, gesturing for him to head back towards the others. Lifting Ember in his arms, he headed back to the Company.

The elves began to search the dwarves. Fili sighed as every single dagger he had was removed, including two in a secret hidden pocket. He turned his head, relieved to see his brother returning with Ember, followed by a beautiful redheaded Elf. "Gyrth in yngyl bain?" The blond Elf asked.

"Ennorner gwanod in yngyl na nyryn. Engain nar," the redhead replied. She glanced at Fili, and stopped suddenly. Her emerald eyes searched his ocean blue ones, before pushing Kili towards them. An elf handed the blonde, who was obviously the leader, Thorin's sword, Orcrist, and he inspected it intently.

"Echannen I vegil hen vin Gondolin. Magannen nan Gelydh," he muttered, looking at Thorin. "Where did you get this?"

"It was given to me," Thorin replied. The Elf snorted.

"Not only a thief, but a liar as well."

"Tanya faarea, Legolas," Ember spoke up quietly, wincing in pain. She motioned for Kili to put her down, and he did so gently, holding her about the waist as she limped towards the blonde elf. He stared at her in disbelief.

"Yuula…man cerig hí?" Legolas asked in surprise.

"Leithio vin, gin iallon," Ember asked, feeling faint. Legolas hesitated, and she tried to focus her eyes on the Elf, but she was too dizzy. Kili held on to her tightly, and Legolas narrowed his eyes at Kili's arm about her waist.

"U-iston, Yuula. Gwedho din," Legolas answered. Ember dropped her head in defeat. As an elf went to bind her, she cried out in pain, and Kili punched the elf. The elves yelled in anger, but Legolas held up his hand. He noticed the arrow shaft sticking out of her shoulder and frowned. "Te harn. " He reached towards her, and Kili growled. Legolas smirked, raising an eyebrow at the dwarf.

"Don't touch her!" Kili hissed angrily. Legolas frowned angrily.

"She cannot walk, lle amada!" the elf replied with a glare.

"I will carry her!" Kili stated in defiance. Legolas stared long and hard at Kili, then at Ember, who was swaying on her feet. He nodded silently. Kili picked up Ember, who rested her head against Kili, allowing herself to drift into unconsciousness.

"Any tricks, dwarf, and it will not matter that you carry my cousin. You will be dead before you hit the ground." The dwarves turned to each other in shock. Cousin? As they were herded away into the forest, Bofur turned to Thorin.

"Thorin…where's Bilbo?" he whispered quietly.

Gyrth in yngyl bain? - Are the spiders dead?

Ennorner gwanod in yngyl na nyryn. Engain nar. -Yes, but more will come. They're growing bolder

Echannen I vegil hen vin Gondolin. Magannen nan Gelydh. (This is an ancient Elvish Blade. Forged by my kin.)

Tanya faarea -that's enough

Yuula…man cerig hí -Ember what are you doing here?

Leithio vin, Gin iallon -Release us, I beg of you

U-iston, Yuula. Gwedho din -I don't think so, Ember. Tie them up

Te harn -She's hurt

lle amada - you fool

Okay...so it has been hard to write this chapter, not sure if i am truly happy with it, but it would be nice to get some reviews, let me know what you think. Cousin? Hmm...