Chapter 8

Aragorn and Gimli stood on the other side of the (locked) chain-link fence. Aragorn knew he could leap over, but Gimli? Legolas paced worriedly, having already crossed the fence. Gimli spoke up.

"Toss me."

Aragorn looked at him incredulously. Then wondered why he hadn't thought of this before.

"Toss me!" Gimli demanded, eyeing the enraged throng of orcs that were barely fifty yards away.

Aragorn heaved him up and prepared to throw.

"Hold on! Wait! I-" Gimli protested, looking like he wished to change his mind.

"Don't worry Gimli! I'll catch you!" Legolas shouted enthusiastically. Before Gimli could argue Aragorn hefted him over the fence. Legolas caught the dwarf neatly in his arms and quickly set him on his feet.

"You know there are times when I wish I was small as you." Legolas said smiling down at his friend. "You have to admit it is quite convenient."

Gimli glowered. Aragorn landed between the two of them before Gimli could think of something clever to say to Legolas.

"Gandalf!" Aragorn called out.

"Here Aragorn!" Gandalf walked out from behind the tower followed by the the girls, the hobbits, and Boromir who sported a minor wound to his shoulder, but was otherwise unharmed.

"What do you think, Gandalf?" Aragorn asked. The old wizard stroked his beard in thought.

"We must get a better idea of what is going on. What those creatures of Saruman are doing here, where are they coming from...How do we send them back..."

"Well they certainly aren't going anywhere!" Boromir shouted, unsure what else to say.

"Well obviously, no. But we need to see where they are coming from exactly. I did get a look from the window, but definitely not as long as I would have liked." He looked up at the water tower. "Legolas, how about you and Olivia climb up there and get a better look."

"What?!" Olivia protested. "I am not climbing all the way up there! I mean, I'm not afraid of heights usually but that's suicide!"

"You'll do just fine." Gandalf motioned toward the rickety tower and Olivia trudged after Legolas.

Don't look down don't look down don't look down. Olivia took a deep breath and grabbed the next rung. She let out the breath and repeated the process. Breath, grab, breath, grab. Then she looked down.

"Eeekk!" She grabbed the ladder and held on tight, staring at the wall in front of her. "I had a dream like this once. Only in the dream I fell in and drowned. Somehow." She took a breath and grabbed the next rung.

"Are you alright?" She heard a yell from below, but refused to look.

"NO!" She responded. "I'M TERRIFIED! THANK YOU VERY MUCH GANDALF!"

"You're welcome." Came back Gandalf's response. She heard a clang and looked up. Legolas had reached the top, which she saw wasn't actually that far away. Just one more rung. She slowly and carefully climbed up on top of the tower and took a deep breath. Wow, everything is so tiny. The orcs looked like ants, ants that were appearing out of a glowing cloud thing. She looked up and saw a huge dark cloud. She looked back down, but the glow cloud was gone. There was a shriek from below and she saw the cloud directly below her. Everyone on the ground was fighting like mad. And of course I didn't bring my bow. Legolas was sending arrows down like, well, like Legolas. She slowly made her way to the edge and looked down. Bad idea. She clung to the flat surface and tore her eyes away from the tiny battle. Instead of down, she looked forward to the place where they first saw the hoard. Then she saw it. Behind the log backstop at the end of the range was a small thicket. A deep purple streak suspended in mid air, like a scar, or a... a rift!

"Legolas! Look!"

He glanced up momentarily, his eyes widen. "Am man theled?" (For what purpose?)

"It's a rift! That's where they were coming from!" she gasped, "And it might be your way out! Legolas!"

"Yes?"

"We need do get down!"

"What?"

"We must get down! I have to tell Gandalf!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"Bedithon minui." (I will go first.) Legolas started down the ladder into the fray, and Olivia followed. The glow cloud had become a thick, purplish, glowing fog. As she climbed down into the fog, her eyes began to water.

"Gandalf!" she cried, hearing him shouting from somewhere nearby. She also heard Lily yelling some polysyllabic Shakespearean pirate-themed insult at the orc she was chasing. She headed towards Gandalf's voice, but was cut off by a repulsive orc wielding a long, blackened, toothy, meat cleaver. She reached for her arrows but, of course, they were with her bow, which she had unceremoniously dumped on Lily before her climb. The orc snarled and prepared to strike, leaning forward menacingly. Suddenly a blade protruded from its torso, and it gurgled and fell to the ground. Aragorn jerked his sword from the corpse, looking up at Olivia with tears streaming from his eyes.

"Aragorn! Are you alright!?" He rubs his bleary eyes with his sleeve.

"It's this fog. It stings like smoke. You called for Gandalf?"

"Yes! I have to tell him something!"

"This way." He lead her a short distance around the structure, killing orcs at every opportunity. They found Gandalf taking a breather, sword in hand, with the orcs standing well back. The hobbits clustered behind him, exhausted. She ran to him.

"Gandalf! I think I found where they came from!"

"What now?" she quickly described what she'd seen. And her idea.

"You say there is a gateway? We cannot delay. Legolas! Gimli! Boromir! Lily!"

Boromir stumbled into sight just before Legolas and Gimli did.

"This fowl reek surely will be the death of us!" Boromir moaned. Legolas trotted a pace or two behind, bow at the ready, as Gimli trudged along next to him.

"You know laddie, I think you might be right for once."

"Olivia has seen the door through which we must pass if we hope to return to our world. We make for it at once." Gandalf ordered.

"Wait." Frodo glanced about wearily. "Where's Lily?"

"Lily?" Olivia turns pale,

"LILY!"