Chapter 12
"I'll wager the sun in on the rise." Bofur called out. "Must be nearly dawn."
"We're never going to reach the mountain, are we?" Ori sounded so defeated that it broke Mariah's heart.
"Not stuck in here you're not." Bilbo said as he showed himself.
Bilbo walked down the stairs with a massive key chain in his hands. The keys made a jingly noise as he made his way over to the cells, unlocking them and freeing the group.
"Do I have to go?" Alexis asked as she reluctantly got up.
"I mean you can stay, but I'm not." Mariah said and stuck her tongue out at her big sister. "You can stay with Mr. Fabulous and his son."
"Yeah, I'd rather have that…but I guess I'll go." She rolled her eyes.
"Down here, follow me." Bilbo said as he led the company down the caves and into a wine cellar.
"No offense, Bilbo…this doesn't look like a way out…" I spoke up.
"I don't believe it, we're in the cellars." Kili whispered as we passed out and drunk elf guards, who were snoring in their sleep.
"You're supposed to be leading us out, not further in!" Bofur whispered harshly to Bilbo.
"I know what I am doing." Bilbo whispered back in his defense. He pointed at the empty wine barrels. "Everyone, climb into the barrels. Quickly!"
"Are you mad? They'll find us." Dwalin said in a disbelief voice.
"No, no. They won't. I promise you." Bilbo turned to look at the sleeping guard. "Please just get in." He pleaded when he looked at the company.
"Do as he says." Thorin ordered as he climbed into his barrel.
We all climbed into separate barrels. Fili helped Alexis in her barrel while Kili helped Mariah into hers. Mariah grinned to herself when she felt Kili's hand on her butt.
Once she was in she looked down at him. "I felt that, Mister…" Mariah said in a playful serious tone.
Kili held his hands up in defeat. "Can you blame me?" He asked and got in a barrel under Mariah's.
"What do we do now?" Bofur asked as we all poked our heads out of our barrels, looking towards Bilbo for an answer.
"Hold your breath." Bilbo answered as he pulled a lever that opened the floorboards under the company.
They all rolled off the edge of the floorboards and into the river below. Soon Bilbo joined us but was holding onto the edge of a barrel.
"Well done, Master Baggins." Thorin congratulated.
They began their journey down the river. They reached the waterfall and Mariah heard Balin shouted for them to hold on. Mariah gripped tightly onto the barrel and felt her belly get that tickle feeling when they went down the waterfall.
Once they made it down the waterfall, they spotted Legolas running towards them with his bow and arrows. Legolas shouted in Elvish.
Mariah turned and saw the Elves at the gate close the gate door. They all bundled up as they reached the closed gate.
"No!" Thorin shouted as he banged his hand against the gate door.
Mariah looked towards Kili who was a barrel over. Her expression showed worry which made Kili look up at the bridge.
Kili pushed himself out of his barrel and ran over to the lever that opened the gate door. Mariah and Fili both shouted to him, frightened as they saw Orcs and Elves surrounding the place and fighting one another.
"You know, if you die…Mariah will kill you!" Alexis shouted out at Kili.
"Really?" Mariah asked with an arch of her eyebrow.
Alexis shrugged. "I'm just warning him!"
"If he dies then I'm going to punch you." Mariah replied and looked back up at Kili.
When he was about to reach the lever, Kili was shot in the leg by an arrow. He dropped to the ground, curing out as he held his leg.
"Kili!" Mariah and Fili both shouted together again.
"Kili!" Thorin shouted as well, unable to see his nephew.
Mariah looked over at Thorin, her face showing him that Kili was in deep trouble. Finally the door opened and she looked up to see what happened.
Kili had gotten up and opened the gate door. He dropped down into his barrel and they all set off down the river. Mariah leaned over and held onto Kili's barrel.
"Kili!" She shouted out for him, trying to be heard over the rushing water of the river.
He looked over to her, weakly smiling. "Sorry that I gave you a scare, Love." He said and closed his eyes as the pain from his wound started to pulsate more.
"I'll look at it once we are on land, Kili." Mariah promised and looked over to her sister. "Are you hurt at all?"
"No. I'm okay." Alexis answered. "You?"
"I'm good." She said and held out her hand for her sister to take, so she was holding onto her sister's hand and Kili's barrel.
What happened at the gate was one of the most horrible things Mariah had witnessed. Kili was shot by an arrow. He could be bleeding out and die soon if they didn't patch him up quickly.
A/N: Woo! I updated! Sorry that it's not a long chapter... :( But at least I updated? :)