Chapter 34:

The day was ending, and I carefully watched as Bard left, for reasons that were a mystery to me.

"Now," breathed Thorin, and within a few minutes, we were invisible and silent, stalking through the streets and breaking into the weapons storage.

I watched with some concern as Thorin piled Kili's arms high with axes. He paused a moment, then muttered in a low tone, "Are you alright?"

Kili, visibily uncomfortable, gasped in reply, "I'm fine." He was forcing a look of false confidence.

I winced as I heard a clattering of weapons as Kili's leg gave out from beneath him and all of the swords and spears fell down the steps. He shot an apologetic and rueful glance at Thorin, who if at all possible, compassionately glared back at him.

I couldn't keep a silence or invisiblity over everything the dwarves touched, unfortunately. I released the spell with a sigh of relief, swaying on my feet and leaning against the wall for support as the head-rush cleared. The weight on my chest, forcing me to gasp for air, quickly lifted, and I swallowed as air rushed into my lungs.

I spun as a footsteps were apparent, my mouth already forming into a snarl as I prepared to fight. It was a bust, however, because even as I turned a sword rested at the base of my throat, and a stillness swept throughout my body.

I glanced over at Thorin to find him in a similar predicament, and a glance down at Kili showed him with a look of anguish on his face and his hands gently raised above his head a tiny bit as a sword pointed at his throat. The poor thing was, in all likelihood, feeling very guilty about giving us away.

I frowned as we were ushered to the Master's gigantic house, marching in a line. "Humans," I muttered. "So suspicious."

Kili fell into a limp beside me. I frowned at him, but he didn't notice, his face still twisted into a look of pain and discomfort. I remembered him climbing the tree to join me - he hadn't showed any signs of pain then, and at that point it had only been a few hours since he'd gotten shot.

It's getting worse as we continue, I realized. I looked up and saw Moonshadow, still in hawk-form, circling about with Rory the mouse clutched in his right foot. I almost smiled that he was listening to me, for once, but the impulse was swallowed by worry for Kili.

We stopped in front of the steps to the Master's house, and a ring of silent humans formed around us, as if waiting to watch us get thrown out.

The Master stepped forward and proceeded to question us. After a few moments, Thorin was introduced by his kin, resulting in exultation amongst the humans around us. Bard popped up and began arguing, saying that to let us go to the Mountain would mean unleashing a dragon's wrath on Laketown when we woke it up.

The Master sneered at his fears, and Thorin didn't help, standing up on the steps and proceeding to woo the people with promises of wealth and good things to come flowing to Laketown.

I crossed my arms and pursed my lips, unable to decide where to land. Obviously we needed to go to the mountain, but just as obviously, Smaug would come out and torch the town once we got to Erebor.

I frowned harder when Thorin bargained for boats to take us away. I wasn't quite ready to go, but it was too late.

This is incredibly, painfully short, but that's nothing on the next one, I think. So, yeah.