"What is this new devilment?" Boromir asked with an edge of fear in his voice. Of all the countless dark creatures sleeping throughout Middle-earth the Dwarves just had to wake this one? Gandalf caught my eye and I shook my head at him. There was nothing I could do against this monster, it might be more reluctant to come near us with me here, but it would not stay cautious for long.
"A Balrog, a demon of the ancient world. It is beyond any of you. RUN!" Gandalf yelled and darted through another archway leaving the cavern of columns behind. Boromir raced down some steps only to teeter on the edge as they suddenly stopped. Legolas reached out and pulled him back from the edge. Gandalf stumbled in after us looking much older than I had ever seen him, like the weight of the world was suddenly resting on his shoulders. Aragorn looked to Gandalf with worry and fear evident on his face.
"Lead them on Aragorn! The bridge is near!" I heard Gandalf order. A sinking feeling was beginning to take up in my stomach at those words. It almost sounded as though he was not going to be going on with us. Behind us the roaring got louder and the red glow was drawing ever nearer. I watched with wide eyes as Gandalf actually shoved Aragorn in the direction of the steep stairs. The man was looking at him in confusion, Aragorn wanted something from Gandalf that the wizard was not going to give him.
"Do as I say!" Gandalf ordered. "Swords are of no more use here." The wizard walked past the confused Ranger who followed behind him. We ran down the steps until we reached a gap that was too large to step over. Legolas was the first to leap the gap and with his Elvish agility it was not difficult for him. A glance at Gandalf showed that he had a puzzled look and more than anything that worried me. Had I not been so gravely injured earlier it would have been no consequence to create a bridge over the gap for the others to cross, but as it was my powers were all but useless at the moment.
"Gandalf!" Legolas called and beckoned for the wizard to leap the gap and he did so. Arrows were beginning to fly through the air and a few of them narrowly missed Boromir and the hobbits. I was standing next to Aragorn and moved behind him and grabbed the bow off his back and began firing at the goblins.
"Merry! Pippin!" Boromir said and grabbed both hobbits before leaping the gap as well, as he leaped the chunk of stairs he had been on crumbled away making the gap bigger. I moved with Aragorn as he picked Sam up and tossed him across the gap to Boromir. Aragorn moved to Gimli next who shook his head.
"No, the lad goes first." he said.
"Cainmar." Aragorn said. I stowed the bow on Aragorn's back again and I grabbed Gimli as I pushed off as hard as possible from the steps. I narrowly made it and had no choice but to release Gimli in order to not fall off the side. I turned to see that Legolas was holding Gimli by his beard to keep him from falling into the cavern below.
"Not the beard!" Gimli cried. I saw the steps we had been on crumble away and the gap was now too large to jump. Arrows were still flying through the air at us and I grabbed Legolas's bow from his back and started firing again. Gandalf came up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. There was a question in his hand and I cursed.
"Damnit! I do not have enough strength to make a bridge for them to cross. It is taking all my strength to keep upright!" I snapped as I fired another arrow with a little more force than was necessary. Gandalf removed his hand but did not move from behind me. Aragorn had his hand on Frodo's back to keep him steady and the arched doorway we had come through glowed red and a great roar shook the cavern. The doorway crumbled and the roof was beginning to fall. A great chunk of the roof fell and hit the stairs behind Aragorn and Frodo creating another large gap. They were now isolated from us and a quick look around showed that I was not the only one worried about this turn of events. I felt an arrow score a deep graze on the side of my breast and I cursed and staggered a little and Gandalf caught me before I could fall. I was so weak that I was unable to call the frost out to cover the arrow wound I had gotten and I felt the warm wetness of blood beginning to coat my side. I heard a loud crack and watched in horror as the column that Frodo and Aragorn were stand on began to collapse and sway. Aragorn had a death grip on the back of Frodo's clothing and was trying to keep his own balance.
"Hang on!" He yelled to the hobbit who looked just as frightened as the rest of us. "Lean forward!" He ordered before pushing the hobbit forward as the staircase leaned toward us.
"Come on!" Legolas said holding his arms open to catch them. The stairs crashed into ours and Legolas caught Aragorn while Boromir caught Frodo. The stairs fell to the side and into the cavern. I replaced the bow on Legolas's back and we ran down the remaining stairs toward the bridge. We passed through a room that was completely engulfed in flames.
"Over the bridge!" Gandalf ordered and stopped to make sure we all passed him. "Fly!" He bellowed to us. The bridge was extremely narrow and I felt Boromir's hand on my back to steady me as we ran across the bridge. On the other side we stopped and I turned around to see that Gandalf had stopped halfway across the bridge and was facing the Balrog. It was a massive black creature with large wings and a great horned head. It roared at Gandalf and flames poured from it's mouth. It walked in great long strides after us only to stop at the start of the bridge.
"You shall not pass!" Gandalf bellowed at the monster. I heard Frodo yell for Gandalf and I actually stumbled forward a step. The Balrog drew itself up to its full height and the sinking feeling I had got worse. All of us were watching in horror at the scene unfolding in front of us.
"Gandalf run!" I screamed not caring that the frost had left my throat leaving my real voice for all to hear.
"I am the Servant of the Secret Fire. Wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun!" The words of magic rippled through me and I nearly doubled over from the force of them. Gandalf's staff was glowing white as he prepared to fight off the Balrog and I wanted nothing more than to look away, but I could not. The Balrog took one great step and was now standing in front of Gandalf with its large wings stretching from wall to wall. Gandalf looked tiny in comparison especially when he was balanced so precariously on the narrowest part of the bridge. The Balrog pulled a massive sword of flame from its person and raised it high. It brought its sword down on Gandalf only for it to be deflected by the bubble of magic surrounding the wizard. The sword shattered and the Balrog roared in anger at having been denied its kill. It raised a great fiery whip and cracked it. It was so loud that all of us flinched and I cried out.
"Go back to shadow." The Balrog placed one giant hoof further on the bridge to close the narrow gap between them.
"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Gandalf bellowed and slammed his sword and staff together before slamming the end of his staff against the bridge in front of him. A mighty crack echoed throughout the cavern. The Balrog snorted as though it was amused and took another step forward, as it did the bridge collapsed underneath it and the Balrog fell into the darkness below. I let out a sigh of relief and practically sagged against the wall I was leaning against. Gandalf grunted and turned to walk away only to have the end of the Balrog's whip wrap around his ankle and drag him down. He held onto the edge of the bridge and Frodo dashed forward only to be caught by Boromir. Before I was even aware of it I was running down the stairs toward Gandalf only to be caught around the waist by Aragorn.
"No!" I heard Boromir yell as he caught Frodo.
"Gandalf!" I heard Frodo scream.
"Damnit let me go!" I yelled at Aragorn who did not release his hold on me. "I can save him!" I screamed. My voice was so thick with tears that it was disguising my voice. Gandalf locked eyes with me and Aragorn before giving us a weak smile.
"Fly you fools!" He said and let go. My scream easily drowned out Frodo's and I felt Aragorn's arms around me slacken in disbelief. Tears were running down my face in torrents and sobs wracked my body as I stared at the place where Gandalf had been.
"Aragorn!" I heard Boromir yell. Aragorn paused and then turned away dragging me with him and dodging arrows. As we ran through the last of the Mines of Moria a numbing coldness took over me and the sobs stopped. Aragorn had hauled me up on his back and I did not even protest the action, I was too numb to care.