A/N: Well, this is the second attempt at writing this chapter since I lost everything I had. I think it's pretty much what I had before. Thanks everyone for your patience.
Chapter 12: Into the Dark Again
The company had been traveling in Mirkwood for a week, keeping to the clearly defined path through the forest, and so far there had been no problems other than the dark gloomy atmosphere, the stifling air, and the bugs, the last of which they discovered on their first night.
They'd been walking in single file along the path which was very narrow and wound in and out among the trees. It hadn't taken long before the light from the entrance gate, which had been for a while, like a little bright hole in the gloom disappeared, and with it, their last link to the outside world.
Occasionally a slender beam of sunlight did manage to slip in through the upper canopy of leaves far above, but this was seldom, and it soon ceased altogether.
Occasionally they caught sight of black squirrels whisking off the path and scuttling behind tree-trunks, but even they were rare. There were also strange noises in the wood as well. Grunts, scufflings, and hurryings were all around them, but what made the noises none could see. But the worst and nastiest things were the cobwebs. Cobwebs with threads extraordinarily thick, and often stretched from tree to tree. There were none stretched across their path, which all were grateful for, but just the sight of them gave more than one Dwarf the shivers, with Bilbo being the most afraid. Although he managed to calm down somewhat when he saw that neither Harry or Luna seemed to be too bothered by them.
It was not long before all of them, save Luna, grew to hate the Mirkwood as much as they had hated the Goblin tunnels. But they had no choice but to go on and on. For Bilbo though, it felt like the forest was slowly suffocating him.
They all slept as closely huddled together as they could on the path, and took 2 hour shifts to watch. But when it was Bilbo's turn he would see gleams in the darkness all round them, and sometimes eyes. Red, yellow, and occasionally ever green ones peering out at him from the darkness. They would stare at him for a short time, and then fade and disappear, only to re-appear someplace else. But it bothered him most when they would stare out at him from the branches right above him.
The first few nights they tried lighting watch-fires, but they soon gave that up as a bad joke as it brought hundreds and hundreds of eyes all round them. Worse still it brought thousands of dark-grey and black moths and other flying insects, all of the attracted to the flame. Some of these were nearly as big as your hand, and they flapped and whirred round their ears. None of them could stand that, so they gave up the fires and sat at night in complete darkness.
This routine went on, it seemed to Bilbo, for ages upon ages, and it didn't help that he was always hungry, for they were being extremely careful with their provisions. But as the days stretched into weeks, they began to get anxious. Even with the extra food Harry and Luna had packed as a reserve, they all knew it wouldn't last forever, and what the Dwarves had packed was already starting to get low.
This was the state they found themselves in when after coming down a large hill they found the path blocked by a running stream. It was flowing fast and strong, but it wasn't very wide across. And it was black, or it looked so in the gloom. It was a good job that Beorn had warned them about it too, or they would have drunk from it, whatever its color, and filled their emptied skins at its bank.
There had at one time been a wooden bridge across it, but it had long ago rotted away, and now all that was left of the bridge were broken and rotted posts on either bank. Bilbo peered out towards the far side and cried "There is a boat pulled up on the far bank!"
"How far away do you think it is?" asked Thorin, for by now everyone knew Bilbo had the sharpest eyes among them.
"Not at all far. Not more than twelve yards or so." He replied.
"Twelve yards? Thorin asked, "I would have thought it was at least thirty. But then my eyes aren't as good as they were a hundred years ago. Still, it may as well be a mile. It's too far to jump, and we can't wade across because of the enchantment.
"Can any of you throw a rope?" Bilbo asked.
"What's the good of that? Balin snapped. "The boat is sure to be tied up, even if we could get a hook onto it."
"It doesn't look like it's tied up. It looks like it was just pulled up on the bank."
They were still arguing about whether or not the boat was tied and whether or not they could throw a hooked rope onto it, when there was a loud CRACK from where Harry and Luna were standing off to the side. All of the Dwarves and Bilbo turned at once to see what made the sound, and saw that Luna was no longer there. "Where is Miss Lovegood?" asked.
Harry simply chuckled and pointed across the stream toward the spot where the boat was. Sure enough, there was Luna in the process of cutting the boat free.
"How…how did Miss…Luna get over on the other side?" Bilbo asked.
"Well, I guess she just got tired of listening to the lot of you arguing and just Apparated over. She'll be back in a moment or two with the boat."
"Apparated?" asked Fili, "What does that mean?"
"We can disappear from one place and re-appear in another almost instantly. We call it Apparating." Harry explained, "and before you ask, no I can't take all of you across like that. It uses a lot of power to Apparate with someone who isn't magical. Even between Luna and myself, we would only be able to get eight or nine across before we were both magically exhausted."
"So we have to use the boat then?" said Thorin.
"Yeah, but it'll be far easier this way. From the size of the boat, you'll be able to get at least three of you at a time plus some of the luggage. I'll go across and use magic to pull the boat straight across and Luna can pull it back to this side for the next trip."
-=ooo000ooo=-
It took them the better part of two hours to get all the Dwarves and their baggage across the stream. Finally it was the final trip. Bilbo being the lightest, had been paired with Bombur. Between the two of them, they weighed about the same as three regular Dwarves. The trip across went perfectly, with Harry pulling the boat across with a simple Accio, but it was when they started to get out, that the trouble started. Bilbo had gotten out without incident, but as Bombur started to climb over the side, a deer ran out of the bushes behind the company and straight at them. Everyone ducked out of the way of the horns they saw coming, and so the deer, a huge buck, missed them. But when it got to the streams edge it made a giant leap right over Bombur's head. It easily cleared the water and continued on without stopping until it was lost from sight. But when it had leaped over Bombur, the Dwarf had had one foot still in the boat and the other on the shore, and was so startled, that he instinctively pushed away from the large animal. But in doing so, he also pushed the boat away from the bank and back into the current.
For a moment he seemed to just hang in middle air, but gravity soon re-asserted itself, and with a loud splash, he tumbled over the side and into the stream.
He disappeared under the surface, but bobbed back to the surface almost at once, sputtering all the while. The other Dwarves started hunting for a rope to throw to him, but Harry pulled out his wand. "Wingardium Leviosa." He incanted softly, and Bombur rose out of the river and started to float over to the shore. But by the time Harry got him on the ground, he was already fast asleep.
"Drat the luck!" Thorin swore. "Now what are we going to do?"
There wasn't in fact, much they could do. The Dwarves tried without success to wake their fallen comrade, and Harry even tried an Enervate with the Elder Wand, but nothing worked. Bombur slept on. Though from the smile on his face, they guessed that he at least wasn't in any pain.
-=ooo000ooo=-
It was a gloomy company that night as they tried to sleep, and the gloom got worse as the days passed. Yes, they had managed to pass across the enchanted stream, but beyond it the path seemed to straggle on just as before. Yet if they had known more about the ancient forest, and the meaning of the deer that had appeared upon their path, they would have realized that they were at last approaching the eastern edge, and would soon have come to thinner trees and places where the sun would manage to break through.
But they didn't know this, and of course there was Bombur, which they didn't need to carry because Harry and Luna were taking turns floating along with them, but he was still a constant reminder of things that had gone wrong so far on the trip.
Almost four days had passed since they left the enchanted stream when they came to a part of the wood where the trees were mostly made up of beeches. At first they were inclined to be cheered by the change, because there was no undergrowth and the darkness and shadow was not as deep. There was a
greenish glow about them, and in places they could see some distance to either side of the path. But being able to see more only dashed their cheer, because it only allowed them to see endless lines of straight grey trunks that, at least to them, seemed to go on forever.
At times they heard disquieting laughter. At other times, there was singing in the distance as well. The laughter and singing was that of fair voices and not of goblins, but it sounded eerie and out of place here, and did little to comfort them.
Another three days passed, and they found their path going downwards and soon they were in a valley filled almost entirely with a mighty growth of oaks.
"Is there no end to this blasted forest?" said Thorin. "Somebody is going to have to climb a tree and see if he can get his head above the roof and have a look round."
Of course "somebody" meant Bilbo. He was the smallest and lightest of all of them, and he was they only one that could get to the topmost branches without them breaking. Poor Bilbo had never had much practice in climbing trees as a young Hobbit, but Harry levitated him up to the lowest branches so he could start his climb. "Just go slow Bilbo," Harry told him. "Better to take your time than fall."
He managed to push his way through the branches and twigs, though he got many a slap in the eye for his trouble, and he ended up greened and grimed from the old bark and more than once only just managed to catch himself in time when he slipped. But after nearly an hour of climbing, he got near the top. All the time wondering how he was going to get down again (except by falling).
In the end he poked his head up above the forest canopy, and was nearly blinded by the light. He could hear the dwarves shouting up at him from below, but he couldn't answer, just hold on for dear life and blink. The sun was shining brilliantly, and it was a long time before he could bear it. But when he could, all he could see around him was a sea of dark green, the leaves swaying slightly in the breeze that passed above the trees. Also, there were thousands and thousands of butterflies. And while this story teller is no expert in butterflies, I expect they were a kind of 'Purple Emperor,' a butterfly that loves the tops of oak trees. But these 'Emperor's' were jet black rather than purple.
He looked at the 'Black Emperors' for a long time while he enjoyed the feel of the breeze in his hair and on his face, but the cries of the dwarves, who were by now nearly having fits of impatience, reminded him of real reason he was up there. But no matter which direction he looked, he could see no end to the trees in any direction. His heart had been lightened by the sight of the sun and the feel of the wind, but now it sank back into his toes.
Now as I told you before, they weren't far from the Eastern edge of the forest, and if Bilbo had realized it, the tree that he had climbed was standing near the bottom of a wide valley, so all the trees that were around him seemed to swell up all round like the edges like he was at the bottom of a large bowl. But, he didn't see this, and he climbed down full of despair. He got to the bottom again, scratched, hot, and miserable.
"The forest goes on for ever in all directions!" he told them after having a sip of water.
"What is the use of sending a Hobbit!" they cried, as if it was his fault. They did not care in the slightest about the butterflies, and only got angrier when he told them about the sun and the beautiful breeze he saw and felt.
The Dwarves, grumbling, went back to their camp, leaving the Hobbit at the base of the tree he climbed. "Don't worry about it Bilbo." Harry told him softly and putting a hand on his shoulder. "They're not mad at you. Well, not really."
"No." Luna added. "They're only mad that they're to big and heavy to climb up and feel the sun themselves."
-=ooo000ooo=-
That night, the company was quiet as they ate. The food Harry and Luna brought was getting low. They figured they had enough to last them another week if they were careful, but the water would only hold out for three days at the most before they were forced to drink the foul tasting water he and Luna could make with magic.
The only scrap of comfort that night came unexpectedly from Bombur. He woke up.
He couldn't figure out where he was, or why he felt so hungry. He had forgotten everything that had happened since the morning they left Hobbiton so long ago, and they had a great deal of difficulty in getting him to believe their tale of all the many adventures they had had since.
Later that night, Kili who's turn it was to watch, came and roused them
all, saying: "There's a regular blaze of light not far away. There must be hundreds of torches and fires, and they all seemed to pop up suddenly as if by magic. There's also more singing and music." He told them.
But they could do nothing about it in the dark of the forest. And after lying and listening for a while, they all managed to drift off to sleep.
-=ooo000ooo=-
The next day dawned just like all those before, dark and gloomy, and the company set off along their seemingly endless part once again. But more than one of them began to notice that the path, which had hitherto been completely clear of underbrush, began to become overgrown in places, and they found it getting increasingly harder to keep to it. Finally though, it came to an abrupt end, and no matter how much they searched, they couldn't find where it continued. They were stuck.
In the end, they all decided to go back along the path until they found a clear spot and make their camp for the night. It was getting late in the day, and maybe things would look better in the morning.
-=ooo000ooo=-
Later on when they began to think about what happened that night, they all realized that had it not been for the Hobbit, they all likely would have been dead.
Bilbo had propped himself up against a tree for the night, and soon fell asleep thinking of his far-distant hobbit-hole with its fully stocked pantries. He was dreaming of bacon, eggs and toast with mounds of butter when he felt something touch him.
There was a kind of strong sticky string against his left hand, and when he tried to move and get up, he found that his legs were already wrapped in the same stuff, and so fell over. It was then that he saw the spider who had been busy tying him up while he slept. In the dark, he could only see the things eyes, but he could feel its giant hairy legs as it struggled to wind its threads round him, and he did what anyone would expect someone in his place to do: He left out a shriek that would have woken the dead!
Well, the shriek didn't wake the dead, but it did wake the company.
"Lumos Maxima!" Harry shouted after pulling his wand, causing it to light up like a beacon flare, not caring about the flies and moths it might bring.
He saw Bilbo trying to beat off the giant spider with his hands, and was about to go and help him when he saw the others. There were at least forty of the giant spiders, and they had them surrounded. "Luna, use the killing curse if you can. There's too many of them to use anything weaker!"
She tried, but couldn't get it to work. So she switched to Reducto's. This worked, and Harry saw that it seemed to work better that the AK because these spiders, while big, weren't as tough as the Acromantulas that lived in the Forbidden Forrest back home. The spell caused the spiders to explode, with black blood, spider guts, and hairy legs flying in every direction, and it didn't take long before everyone was covered in the disgusting stuff.
Bilbo however, was in the fight of his life. He had managed to get his right hand down to the hilt of his small sword and pull it out. The spider jumped back when he did this, which gave time to cut his legs loose. After that it was his turn to attack. The spider had never faced things that carried such hidden stings at their sides, or it would beat a hastier retreat. But Bilbo came at it before it could disappear and struck it with his sword right in the eyes. The spider went mad and started leaping and dancing around and flinging it's legs in horrible jerks, until he killed it with a final stroke. He then swooned on his feet and fell down. Remembering nothing for a long while.
-=ooo000ooo=-
He came to his senses later to find Harry and Luna kneeling down next to him. "Are you alright Bilbo?" Harry asked him.
"I…I think so." Bilbo stammered, his head still foggy. "What happened to the spider that I was fighting?"
"Look for your self Mr. Baggins." Harry replied, pointing to the dead spider that was lying three feet from him.
Bilbo turned to look at the dead spider. With a shudder he asked "I killed it? You didn't help?"
"Nope. I was going to but we were distracted by the rest of them. We figure there was at least forty of the foul things."
"I really killed it…by myself?" he asked again disbelievingly.
"All by yourself. But if you need any proof, just look at your sword."
Bilbo glanced down at the Elf made blade and saw that it was stained black with the spiders blood. Somehow the killing of the giant spider, all alone by himself in the dark and without the help of either the Dwarves or the two wizards, made a great difference to Mr. Baggins. A difference that would remain with him to the end of his days. Slowly he got up and then picking up his sword. Wiping the blade clean on the grass, he then held it up it front of him saying "I will give you a name," he said reverently, "and I shall call you Sting."
-=ooo000ooo=-
Once she saw that Bilbo was alright, Luna had gone back to the Dwarves to see if anyone needed any help. She found them cutting five of their party free from the bonds the spiders had wrapped them up in. All five had been completely wrapped up in silk, but when they were finally freed and didn't move, she knew something was seriously wrong. Like Harry, she had learned some battlefield healing spells. Enough to keep someone alive long enough to get them to a proper healer. She cast a diagnostic spell on them, and was horrified at what she saw. "HARRY! She yelled.
Harry ran over to her. "What's wrong Luna?"
"They've been poisoned. It's the spider venom. I think it's dissolving their insides to liquid just like a small spider does to a fly." She told him quickly.
"Shit!" Harry swore. "Do you know anything that can counteract the venom Luna?" he asked her.
"Nothing we have here. But we have to try something. From what I can tell, they have maybe a hour at most."
Harry thought about the Acromantulas back home, and how Ron had been bitten by one the year before. "Put them in stasis. It's not a cure, but it will buy us time to get help."
Speaking for the first time, Thorin asked "Help? From where?"
"From the Elves in the forest. They're the only ones who might know how to help them."
This got the expected response from Thorin that Harry expected, but he cut him off before the Dwarf started. "Look, it's either that, or they're dead. So choose quickly."
"Very well." He said finally. But how will you find them? We don't know where we are or where they are."
"Prongs will find them." Harry said simply, and then concentrating deeply, he waved his wand and the ghostly stag shot out of his wand and silently ran off into the forest.
Thorin jumped when the stag shot out of Harry's wand. He hadn't seen it when he had used it to send Luna a message back when they had the encounter with the trolls. "WHAT…WHAT IN THE GODS WAS THAT?" he stammered.
"That was Prongs. I used him to send a message to the Elves. I told them what happened, and asked them for help." He then turned back to Luna. "How are they Luna?"
"I've got them under the stasis charm Harry, but it'll only give them another 12 hours at the most."
"It'll have to do." he replied grimly. "Hopefully the Elves will get here before their time runs out."