Thorin ran around and corner and Solaris raced after him. She collided with his back as he came to stop on a ledge.
"Whoa" she whispered as she looked at the cascading piles gold coins. She stepped aside and watched Thorin's face as he took in all the gold.
"We need to find Bilbo" she said taking his arm in her hands but he refused to move. The sound of padding feet then came from behind them.
"Bilbo, you're alive!" Solaris exclaimed.
"Not for much longer" he said running over to them.
"Did you find the Arkenstone?" Thorin asked.
"The dragons coming" Bilbo panted.
"The Arkenstone" Thorin repeated. "Did you find it?"
They both stared at each other till Bilbo moved "Look, we have to get out" he said.
Bilbo made for the exit but Thorin raised his blade in-front of the hobbit.
"What are you doing?" Solaris said. He then moved so that Bilbo was at blade point and was backed into the cavern again. "Lower your blade now" Solaris hissed as she stepped in-front beside the hobbit. Thorin stared daggers into her and then something moved. They all turned and saw the great dragon loom into view. It stared at Thorin and then all the other dwarves ran in and the dragon roared and charged forward.
"You will burn!" Smaug roared.
"Run!" Thorin shouted and grabbed a hold of Solaris around the middle and jumped with her off the platform. Thorin, Solaris, Bilbo and the other dwarves skidded down a huge pile of coins and tumbled to the bottom.
"Let go of me!" Solaris said crossly to Thorin and pulled herself and Bilbo to their feet. They then ran through a small archway that took them to a room that had a table and benches in it. Behind them Thorin cried out came running into the room on fire. They helped him to strip his flaming cloak and then he stood.
"Come on" he said.
As they ran from the room and down another corridor Solaris suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of relieve. Tears came to her eyes and she stopped running.
"Why have you stopped, come on!" Dwalin said grabbing her arm roughly. She couldn't help smile as she ran. Tauriel had done it; she'd got to Kili in time and had healed him though he was still weak. Only the feeling of relieve wasn't from Kili but from Fili.
They came out of the lower corridors and climbed some stairs to a higher level. Thorin led them and shushed them every noun and again.
They came to a bridge that was unprotected from both sides and stopped so that Thorin could peer around the edges.
"We've given him the slip" Dori whispered.
"No, he's to cunning for that" Dwalin said.
"So where to now?" Bilbo asked.
"The Western Guardroom" Thorin replied. "There maybe a way out"
"It's too high, there's no chance that way" Balin said.
"It's our only chance" Thorin snapped. "We have to try"
Thorin went to move forward but Solaris grabbed his arm. "Let me go first to scout for the dragon" she said. "I am lighter footed"
Thorin's mind darted back to when they were caught in-between the stone battle and Solaris had wanted to scout ahead then.
"Alright" he nodded "Be careful"
Solaris walked passed all of them and started across the bridge. She got about halfway and beckoned the others to follow as there was no sign of the dragon. They followed as quietly as they could when a coin dropped onto the stone. The sound was as loud as thunder as it echoed of the walls. Everyone looked at Bilbo but Solaris was the only one to look up and see the belly of the great dragon passing overhead. She put her own hand over her mouth to keep from making a noise. Unaware that the dwarves, elf and hobbit were there the dragon carried on and Solaris waited for the others to catch up before she carried on leading the way.
"I've heard tell of the wonders of elvish medicine. That was privilege to witness" Oin said to Fili. Fili was watching as Tauriel wrapped Kili's leg up after having healed it.
"Lie still" she told the dwarf.
"You cannot be her" Kili whispered. "She is far away, she is far far away from me" his eyes were half closed as he looked toward the ceiling. "She walks in starlight in another world. It was just a dream"
His hand reached up and brushed her fingers. "Do you think she could have loved me?"
"Solaris will be back soon lad" Oin said wiping a damp cloth on Kili's forehead.
"It is not Solaris he speaks of" Fili said watching Tauriel carefully. He came over and sat by Kili's head. "He does love Laris but not as he loves you"
"I…" Tauriel stammered. "It was Solaris who sent for me, she sent a bird asking me for help"
"She did?" Fili asked.
"Yes" Tauriel nodded. "We should dim the light so he can get some rest"
Thorin was now leading as he knew the way through these tunnels better than anyone. They came around a corner and stopped as they came across cobweb covered bodies.
"That's it then" Dwalin said "There's no way out"
They looked at the door which had been barricaded with rock.
"The last of out kin, they must have come here, hoping beyond hope"
They stood solemn for a minute as they watched the dead bodies of the dwarves.
"We could try to reach the mines" Balin suggested. "We might last a few days"
Solaris heard his whispered words and tried not to listen, there had to be a way. There was always a way. Thorin glanced over his shoulder at Solaris and then walked forward.
"No" he said "I will not die like this, cowering, clawing for breath. We make for the forges" he said turning.
"He'll see us, as sure as death" Dwalin said.
"Not if we split up" Thorin said.
"Thorin, we'll never make it" Balin said.
"Some of us might. Lead him to the forges, we kill the dragon, if this is to end in fire then we will all burn together" Thorin said.
"This way!" Thorin shouted leading the group from the Western Guardroom and back across the bridge. As they ran the sound of flapping wings sounded like a hurricane in the distance.
"Flee!" Smaug roared. "Flee, run for your lives!" he emerged out from behind a pillar. "There is nowhere to hide"
He skulked forwards towards Thorin, Bilbo and Balin. "Behind you worm!" Ori shouted as he ran forwards with Bombur and Dori. Smaug took the bait and followed them as they ran backwards and Thorin, Bilbo and Balin made the rest of the way off the bridge.
"Hey you!" Dwalin shouted.
"Here!" Nori called.
Solaris kept her mouth shut as she ran with the two dwarves out onto another bridge. As he came for them they ran and disappeared through another tunnel while Gloin and Bifur ran another way. They ran and momentarily lost sight of the others then they saw Thorin disappear downwards as he held onto a wire with a bucket attached.
"Thorin!" Dwalin and Solaris both shouted. She made to jump but he grabbed her arm. "No" Dwalin said "I promised him that I would make sure you lived"
"If he dies then what is the point of that promise" she said and pulled out his grasp.
"Be careful!" Dwalin shouted as Solaris launched herself from the platform they were on and grabbed a hold of one of the wires. She slid all the way down on the same wire as Thorin and there was a sudden jerk that made him loose his grip. Solaris grabbed onto one of his hands and clutched the wire in the other. She cried out as her arms went to full stretch, she could feel her tendons and ligaments at their limit.
"Hold on!" Dwalin shouted as he did something that counter weighted the wire they were on and pulled them back up.
"Don't let go" Solaris winced.
The whole time Smaug was surrounding them, suddenly the machine holding onto their wire snapped and Solaris and Thorin went tumbling till their feet landed on something sturdy. Thorin had his arms wrapped tightly around Solaris and she had hers around him.
"Do not open your eyes" he whispered.
Involuntarily doing the opposite she opened her eyes and looked down.
"Holy hell" Solaris screamed as she worked out that they were standing on Smaug's nose. He dragon opened his mouth and they felt the heat from his throat as the dragon got ready to spit fire at them.
"JUMP!" Thorin yelled and they leapt from the dragon's nose and grabbed onto another piece of mining equipment that was hanging down. Nori chopped another rope and the thing that Thorin and Solaris were holding onto started to move upwards. It was a flat piece of machinery that had an oval shaped bar that attached it to the wire. Thorin pulled himself up and grabbed Solaris's hands.
"Don't you let go" he said.
Underneath them Smaug opened his mouth.
"Whoa!" Solaris exclaimed as they jumped from the wire and Nori caught them, just in time to miss the fire.
"Go, go!" Thorin said pushing them away.
Anything 'The Hobbit' or 'The Lord of the Rings' related belongs to J.R.R Tolkein and Tauriel belongs to Peter Jackson.
So folks, one more chapter till we are at an end, for now.
Love Mayday xx