An Unexpected Ring

Chapter 7

Shadows in the Old Forest

Tiki always liked the Old Forest. While all of the Hobbits in the Shire spoke in grave tones about the place, warning of trees coming to life and creatures unimaginable, Tiki always regarded those as tall tales. Stories to keep children from wandering too far from their holes in the ground. And, while those tales did instill fear, they also fostered wonder among many of the Hobbit children, who sometimes asked her what she saw when skirting along its edges toward Hobbiton.

Tiki narrowed her eyes as she gazed through the dark mists of the night, tall pines and gnarled oaks towering over her and Tauriel as they followed a narrow trail toward Buckland. On a night like this, with dense fog, a chill in the air, and nary a sound to be heard, she could understand why the gentle hobbits would fear this place so much. She could see why it was an area filled with legends and scary stories told over campfires. Indeed, as she walked, she knew that perhaps those tales were not lies. Something found her and Tauriel in Bree, and it searched for Baggins in the Shire.

That very thing could still be nearby, stalking them from hidden thickets.

The most maddening part to Tiki, though, was Tauriel. She was tightlipped about what they encountered. The few times Tiki bothered to ask, Tauriel muttered something in Sindarin. While it irked Tiki to not get a clear answer, she did appreciate that Tauriel seemed as anxious to find Frodo as she did. Their haste kept Tiki from pressing harder. She did know one thing about the black rider and his foul steed: they were evil.

Right as Tiki moved around a bend in the trail, her ears perked up. She looked ahead. The trees were thinning, and the sound of rushing water reached her. The Brandywine was close.

"You should let me lead from here," Tauriel whispered, her sharp eyes flicking through the darkness, warily spying on each shadow.

Tiki frowned and moved to step forward, only for Tauriel to grasp her shoulder and pull her back.

"I mean it."

"Then explain why."

Tauriel grimaced. "Nazgul." Despite her hushed voice, the word brought an icy chill to Tiki's veins that made her shiver. "That is what stalks us. That is what searches for Frodo."

"And they are?"

"Fell servants of the Dark Lord."

Tiki's emerald eyes widened.

"I didn't want to tell you for fear that you would fly here."

"Why shouldn't I have flown here!?" Tiki whirled around, smacking Tauriel's hand from her shoulder. "I thought the last Dark Lord was dead? How-" She saw the worry in Tauriel's eyes and drew back, seething. "He never died, did he?"

"No. He slumbered. I do not think Sauron is capable of truly dying. Not in spirit, at least. I'm not sure if I can explain much about that though. It is beyond me. Your questions would be better served by King Thranduil, and he is the reason why I kept this information from you till now."

"It better be a good one."

"It is." Tauriel stepped toward Tiki, keeping her voice low. "Think about it. The wise of Middle Earth, King Thranduil, and the White Council all suspect that Sauron lives and is active again. They know he seeks weapons to use against Middle-Earth. Weapons beyond our skill to defeat. One of them was Smaug, who might be the last dragon to venture this far south. Imagine what Sauron would do, then, if he learned that Smaug was not the last and that you exist."

"If you are implying that I would assist someone known as the Dark Lord, I have news for you-"

"You would not willingly," Tauriel replied. "Even King Thranduil knows this. However, there are other ways the Dark Lord puts unfortunate souls into his service. Ways that even the Eldar could not resist. Ways learned from his master, the first Dark Lord."

Tiki scowled. "So Thranduil was trying to spy on me."

"No, he was trying to protect you." Tauriel put a hand on Tiki's shoulder again. "Please, do not be cross now. Be so later, and I will bear the brunt of it. For now, we must find your friend."

A shriek pierced the air. The shrill noise made Tiki wince as it echoed through her head. Right as she raised her hands to her ears, Tauriel rushed past her, bow unslung from her shoulder and an arrow already on the string. Tiki snarled then hurried after her. They sprinted toward the Brandywine. As they neared the river, over the roiling water, Tiki heard voices filled with panic and fear.

"This way!"

Her heart hammered in her chest.

"Hurry Frodo!"

Three hobbits burst from a small treeline across the river. All three she recognized. At the lead was Peregrine Took, his normally jovial, kind face marred with terror. Right behind him sprinted Merry Brandybuck, who looked equally afraid. Trailing not far behind them was Samwise Gamgee, pots and pans on his back crashing like cymbals as he ran. All three scrambled onto a small dock. They untied a rope, and the dock began to float across the river.

"Frodo!" Samwise bellowed.

A final hobbit shot from the treeline. Tiki's breath caught in her throat. She knew Frodo when she saw him.

Right behind him, gaining ground fast, galloped a rider in black. Its sword was drawn, raised high. The ferry floated a little further from the bank. Frodo ran faster.

"Jump, Frodo!"

He wasn't going to make it.

Tauriel's bow sang. Instead of hitting the black rider, her arrow buried into the head of the rider's mount. The horse cried out once, took a few more gallops, then was hit with another arrow between its eyes. It fell without a sound, but the rider shrieked as it was tossed from the saddle, causing Tiki to stumble and cover her ears.

That sound!

She saw the rider jump to their feet. Frodo moved to jump. It reached for him.

Tiki growled, conjured fire, and launched it at the rider. It slammed into the rider's flank, igniting its black robes. Brilliant, golden flames danced as the rider flailed and shrieked. Frodo leaped through the air, just barely landing on the ferry. Merry pushed it with a pole toward the other bank, where she and Tauriel waited.

When the ferry landed, Sam, Merry, and Peregrin hesitated, but Frodo surged toward Tiki, quickly hitting her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

Tiki enveloped him in an embrace, then knelt down and stared into his terrified eyes.

"Are you alright? What happened?"

Frodo struggled to catch his breath. "I don't know. I-" he gasped, "we need to get to Bree. Gandalf said he would be waiting for us at the Prancing Pony."

The other hobbits finally crept from the ferry. Tauriel gave them a small bow of her head as she lowered her bow. Although, her gaze stayed wary. Tiki, meanwhile, frowned at Frodo's news.

"Bree?" She glanced at Tauriel.

The wood elf shook her head. "The Nazgul have already been there. They'll expect the hobbits to flee for the nearest town."

As if to answer her words, a moan drifted on the wind. Tiki looked across the bank. Several black riders spurred their horses along the bank, racing north.

"They'll be going to the nearest crossing," Tauriel breathed.

"Twenty miles to that," Merry gulped. "It'll take them time."

"Time we don't have," Tauriel answered. "We need rest. They do not. We must go into the forest."

"The Old Forest!?" Pippin exclaimed.

"I'd say the Old Forest is far more appealing, but where will we go from there?" Sam asked. To Tiki, he appeared less afraid than the other hobbits and more enamored with Tauriel.

Tiki thought for a moment. Where would they go? They couldn't wait in the Old Forest. The Nazgul, whatever they were, would certainly find them. They couldn't go to Bree. One of their number had already visited the town and knew that Tiki and Tauriel had passed through. Why were they hunting Frodo in the first place? Why did they want Baggins?

Questions for later, when we are safe.

"Rivendell," Tiki breathed. She looked at Tauriel. "I know for a fact that those things won't dare tread into Elrond's house."

"I hope you are right," Tauriel replied, "but that does sound like our best option."

"Rivendell?" Sam gasped. "But… that's so far!"

"Then we better hurry. Come!"

Of all the places to get lost, the Old Forest was not the one Tiki expected. She was a manakete, a dragon in human form. She did not need a sense of direction. Her normal senses were more than enough. Her hearing was sharper than a fox's. Her eyes could see better than the night eye of a feline. Her sense of smell; dogs would turn green with envy if they could understand her. All three allowed her to easily discern the direction she was going.

However, in the dark shadows of the Old Forest, where gnarled roots and low-hanging branches disguised the trail and mists curled through the air, Tiki found herself unable to find her way.

She shook her head. Focus! She needed to concentrate. Yet for all her efforts, she couldn't seem to gather her wits. Her vision seemed to blur in and out. The shadows would deepen and then lighten. Her limbs were feeling heavy as her heart thudded in her chest. She swallowed, her mind drifting from leading the way to the black riders stalking their path. Why did they cause her so much fear? How could they? Very few creatures she had ever met caused her to lose heart, but the black rider in Bree managed to make her falter, even if it was only for a moment.

Focus Tiki! Protect Frodo. Get him to Rivendell.

But why? What was this all about? Why were the black riders after him?

The hobbits trailed close behind her, huddled together, their terrified gazes swiveling to every dark nook and cranny around them. At the rear, Tauriel remained silent, her bow still in hand, and one hand free to grasp an arrow at a moment's notice. All of them stopped when Tiki's steps faltered.

"Aunt Tiki?" Frodo whispered, drawing closer.

Tiki sniffed. She could smell moss, thick and damp. It hid all other scents from her, causing her eyes to narrow. Tauriel crept past the hobbits to her side. She started saying something in elvish then paused and corrected herself.

"Do you know the way?"

"Do you?" Tiki asked in reply, voice hushed. "I seem to… my senses are off for some reason." She reached into her pouch, one hand running along the long fissure in her dragonstone. "Can you lead?"

There was a ringing in her ears. She could still hear the shrieks from those monsters in Bree and by the Brandywine. They echoed through her skull, causing a shiver to run up her spine. She spun, wondering if, perhaps, they were near. That they traversed the twenty miles like wraiths floating in the air. Her heart thumped in her chest. She looked down at Frodo and saw his lips move, but she could not hear the words. The world sounded numb. Hollow even.

Then the world was sideways. Weariness slammed into her. The hand in her pouch tightened around her dragonstone. The warm buzz of draconic power that usually accompanied such a touch was absent, replaced by static that faded in and out like a dying cry.

Tauriel was at her side, shaking her shoulder to no avail. Tiki's eyes glazed, and then they closed.

Tiki on a mountain pass. Snow-capped the peaks around her. Large icicles clung to sheer cliff faces, dangling like spears. Her feet crunched on slick gravel. Then, she paused and looked up.

The Temple of Naga stood before her. She had been here before many times. It was once a sacred place in Archanea. A place where pilgrims would come and leave offerings and prayers for the Divine Dragon. However, the time when it was a hub of religious pilgrimage had long passed. The Temple stood in ruins, a shadow of the resplendence it once held. The roof was gone, and the stone walls were crumbling. All that remained within was the Dragon's Table; the altar through which someone like Tiki could commune with the Divine Dragon.

She slowly moved toward the altar, only now becoming aware that her movements were not her own. There, she found a curious sight. The Temple was not abandoned. A group of teenagers sat huddled around a small fire, shivering as they fought off the cold. They didn't eat or drink. Fear hung over them like a dense fog. Their gazes shifted from the small flames to the temple doors. They were waiting for something. Watching for the arrival of something terrible. Like a beast caught in a hunter's trap, waiting for the hunter to arrive and finish the job.

"On your feet," a sharp voice commanded.

One of the younger teenagers jerked her head up. She had blue hair tied up in pigtails and wore the armor of a Pegasus Knight. "S-Sev, can't you see we need a break!"

"And you think the enemy will give us a break?" The red-haired girl who snapped at them growled. "Get up. We need to be ready to move."

"Severa…" A third voice interjected. This one belonged to a blue-haired princess. Tiki recognized her immediately. However, she was older now, and no longer the rambunctious little girl she once knew. Lucina Lowell had turned slender as a reed and beautiful, even as she looked exhausted. She placed a hand on Severa's shoulder. "Let them rest for a moment. I still have some work to do and-"

The doors to the Temple were thrown open. Lucina's calm demeanor evaporated as she wrenched Falchion free and then placed herself between the door and the others. Shock filled her eyes.

"Morgan?"

A small figure limped into the temple hall. Her movements grew slower with every second. When they did, Tiki heard a familiar voice. One that caused her sorrow, anger, and frustration.

"I'm so sorry, my daughter. But you must awaken, and you must remain strong."

And chapter! Back with a new one, and this was a fun little one to write. It appears the Nazgul's shrill shrieking hurts her ears quite a bit. And we get a little peek at something that occured in her old home. Should be interesting to discover more. Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed it. Have a nice day!