Chapter 6: Out of the Frying Pan Into the Fire

Dawn slowed down. She didn't know where she was. She had hoped the dwarves and Gandalf had been nearby. She searched long and hard and had almost turned around to head back for the goblin tunnels to find out if the dwarves and Gandalf were still in there when finally she heard voices.

She stopped and listened and then smiled as she spotted Balin acting as lookout. Then she heard Gandalf arguing with the dwarves. They were discussing all that had happened to them in the tunnels, and wondering and debating what they were to do now. The dwarves were grumbling, and Gandalf was saying that they could not possibly go on with their journey leaving Dawn in the hands of the goblins, without trying to find out if she was alive or dead, and without trying to rescue her.

"After all she is my friend," said Gandalf, "and not a bad lass. I feel responsible for her, especially after promising her I would help he to return home. I wish to goodness you had not lost her."

"She has been more trouble than use so far," said one of the dwarves. "If we have got to go back now into those abominable tunnels to look for him, then drat him, I say."

Gandalf answered angrily: "I brought her, and I don't bring things that are of no use. Either you help me to look for her, or I go and leave you here to get out of the mess as best you can yourselves. If we can only find her again, you will thank me before all is over."

"No need," Dawn said as she removed the ring.

Every single dwarf jumped! Then they shouted with surprise and delight. Gandalf was as astonished as any of them, but probably more pleased than all the others. He called to Balin and told him what he thought of a lookout man who let people walk right into them like that without warning.

They then asked Dawn how she had gotten out of there. She told them about meeting Gollum and the riddles and Gollum leading her to the exit. She left out the detail about the ring, why she didn't reveal its existence to them she was not sure.

The dwarves looked at her with quite a new respect. And then they noticed something. Gandalf too had noticed it as well.

"What?" Dawn asked.

"I believe my dear," Gandalf said. "It is time to tell them what Elrond revealed to you."

"Why?" Dawn asked.

Gandalf motioned toward her ears and hair and Dawn reached up to touch her ear. It was pointed instead of rounded just like the elves they had met in Rivendell, just like her father's. Then she drew a strand of hair in front of her eyes and saw that it was blonde.

Dawn nodded. "I am Ariel, daughter of Elrond."

The dwarves looked at Dawn in shock.

"It seems your father was correct." Gandalf said. "With time your elvish features would appear and appear they have."

They then went on traveling down a rough path. Soon they found themselves at the top of a wide steep slope of fallen stones, the remains of a landslide. When they began to go down this, rubbish and small pebbles rolled away from their feet. Before long the whole slope above them and below them seemed on the move, and they were sliding away, huddled all together.

It was the trees at the bottom that saved them. They slid into the edge of a climbing wood of pines. Some caught hold of the trunks and swung themselves into lower branches, some (like Dawn) got behind a tree to shelter from the onslaught of the rocks. Soon the danger was over, the slide had stopped.

"Well! that has got us on a bit," said Gandalf; "and even goblins tracking us will have a job to come down here quietly."

"I daresay," grumbled Bombur; "but they won't find it difficult to send stones bouncing down on our heads."

"Nonsense! We are going to turn aside here out of the path of the slide. We must be quick! Look at the light!" Gandalf said.

The sun had long gone behind the mountains. They limped along as fast as they were able down the gentle slopes.

After what seemed ages they came suddenly to an opening where no trees grew. The moon was up and was shining into the clearing. All of a sudden they heard a howl away downhill, a long shuddering howl. It was answered by another away to the right and a good deal nearer to them; then by another not far away to the left. It was wolves howling at the moon, wolves gathering together!

"Up the trees quick!" cried Gandalf; and they ran to the trees at the edge of the glade.

Dawn was on Gandalf's heels as she climbed up behind him.

Just at that moment the wolves trotted howling into the clearing. All of a sudden there were hundreds of eyes looking at them.

"Those are not ordinary wolves," Dawn whispered to Gandalf.

"No my dear," Gandalf said. "Those are Wargs."

For a time they were safe.

The glade in the ring of trees was evidently a meeting-place of the wolves. More and more kept coming in. They Wargs set guards at each and every tree the dwarves, Gandalf and Dawn were in. All the rest (hundreds and hundreds it seemed) went and sat in a great circle in the glade; and in the middle of the circle was a great grey wolf. He spoke to them in the dreadful language of the Wargs.

"You understand them?" Dawn asked when she noticed that Gandalf was watching the leader.

"Yes," Gandalf said as he listened. "They came to meet the goblins. And of course we know why they are likely late."

Dawn nodded. "Because the head goblin back in the mountain is dead."

"Yes," Gandalf said. "They are also talking about men that live in the area. Men that have cut down trees to build homes. They don't dare attack them by themselves. The Goblins were to help with these men. They also wonder who we are since we have found their meeting place."

"Let me guess," Dawn said. "They have no intention of leaving till we tire and come down or the goblins arrive."

"Correct," Gandalf said. "We have to get out of these trees. But the problem is how."

Then an idea occurred to Gandalf as he gathered a huge pine-cone and set it alight with blue fire, and threw it whizzing down among the circle of the wolves. It struck one on the back, and immediately his shaggy coat caught fire, and he was leaping to and fro yelping horribly. Dawn smiled and started collecting more pine cones and was handing them to Gandalf as he lit each one and threw them. A specially large one hit the chief wolf on the nose, and he leaped in the air ten feet, and then rushed round and round the circle biting and snapping even at the other wolves in his anger and fright.

The dwarves shouted and cheered, which was short lived as the wolves ran into the woods and trees began to catch fire.

Then suddenly goblins came running up yelling. They thought a battle was going on; but they soon learned what had really happened. Some of them actually sat down and laughed. Others waved their spears and clashed the shafts against their shields. Goblins are not afraid of fire, and they soon had a plan which seemed to them most amusing.

Some got all the wolves together in a pack. Some stacked fern and brushwood round the tree-trunks. Others rushed round and stamped and beat, and beat and stamped, until nearly all the flames were put out—but they did not put out the fire nearest to the trees where the dwarves were. That fire they fed with leaves and dead branches and bracken. Soon they had a ring of smoke and flame all round the dwarves, a ring which they kept from spreading outwards; but it closed slowly in, till the running fire was licking the fuel piled under the trees.

Gandalf climbed to the top of the as Dawn followed.

Just at that moment the Lord of the Eagles swept down from above, seized Gandalf in his talons, and was gone. Another eagle swept down and carried Dawn away as well.

Dawn closed her eyes as she and the eagle flew. After being up on the tower and jumping off of it. She had a distaste for heights. And before she knew it, the flight ended as she was set down next to Gandalf.

Gandalf and the eagle-lord appeared to know one another slightly, and even to be on friendly terms. Dawn listened to the eagle-lord and Gandalf talk as they discussed plans for carrying them far away and setting them down well on their journey across the plains below.

The Lord of the Eagles would not take them anywhere near where men lived. "They would shoot at us with their great bows of yew," he said, "for they would think we were after their sheep. And at other times they would be right. No! we are glad to cheat the goblins of their sport, and glad to repay our thanks to you and the daughter of Elrond," Dawn looked down at the amulet around her neck and then up at the eagle-lord. He knew who Elrond was? "But we will not risk ourselves for dwarves in the southward plains."

"Very well," said Gandalf. "Take us where and as far as you will! We are already deeply obliged to you. But in the meantime we are famished with hunger."

"That can perhaps be mended," said the Lord of the Eagles.

They ate their fill of rabbits, hares, and a small sheep. And that night Dawn dreamt. Of returning home …