Chapter 13: Not at Home

The dwarves made down the tunnel, knowing that the only way out now was to go through the hall, below. Hopefully Smaug was not waiting for them.

"Now do be careful!" whispered Legolas, "and as quiet as you can be! We know not whether Smaug is there or not. So let us take no unnecessary risks!"

Down they went. Near the bottom, they stopped. "Stay here," Dawn said as she slipped on the ring. "I will have a look and see if Smaug is there."

She he did not need the ring for the darkness was complete. Her elvish eyesight raked the area. Smaug was not there. She then spotted a pale white glint, above her and far off in the gloom. She smiled, she was sure that was the Arkenstone.

"It's alright," Dawn said. "He is gone. Can somebody make a light?"

Thorin sent Oin and Gloin back to their bundles at the top of the tunnel.

As Dawn waited for the dwarves she made her way to the gilnt. Soon she stood upon the top of a large mound and bent down and picked up the gem she had found, the Arkenstone, the Heart of the Mountain. She had been right. She returned to the bottom just as the dwarves and Legolas entered from the tunnel.

Dawn looked at Thorin and for a moment she hesitated even telling him she had found the Arkenstone . She looked to Legolas and pulled him aside. "I found the Arkenstone," she whispered.

Legolas looked at Dawn in surprise and then nodded as he looked to the dwarves. He remembered how they had been when Dawn had returned the cup to them. He also remembered the light in Thorin's eyes when he mentioned the Arkenstone.

The dwarves were eager to explore the hall while they had the chance. Each now gripped a lighted torch.

Dawn and Legolas watched as Thorin searched. They were sure he was searching for the Arkenstone. They agreed that Dawn had been right in not revealing its existence to Thorin, at least not yet.

The dwarves found the armory and took down mail and weapons from the walls, and armed themselves. Royal indeed did Thorin look, clad in a coat of gold-plated rings, with a silver-hafted axe in a belt crusted with scarlet stones.

"Ms. Summers!" he cried. "Here is your token! Put this on!"

With that Dawn put on a coat of mail.

"Mithril," Legolas said. "That was not taken from my people. But it was made by elves. It is as strong as steel and can protect you from much."

"Thorin!" Dawn said. "What next? We are armed, but what good will armor do against Smaug? This treasure is not yet won back. We are not looking for gold yet, but for a way of escape; and we have tempted luck too long!"

"You speak the truth!" answered Thorin, recovering his wits. "Let us go! I will guide you. Not in a thousand years should I forget the ways of this palace." Then he hailed the others, and they gathered together, and holding their torches above their heads they passed through the gaping doors at the other end of the hall, not without many a backward glance of longing.

One by one they walked behind Thorin, a line of lights in the darkness that halted often, listening for any rumor of the dragon's coming.

Though all the old adornments were long moldered or destroyed, and though all was befouled and blasted with the comings and goings of the monster, Thorin knew every passage and every turn. They climbed long stairs, and turned and went down wide echoing ways, and turned again and climbed yet more stairs, and yet more stairs again.

A white glimmer could be seen coming through some opening far above, and the air smelt sweeter. Before them light came dimly through great doors, that hung twisted on their hinges and half burnt.

"This is the great chamber of Thror," said Thorin; "the hall of feasting and of council. Not far off now is the Front Gate."

They passed through the ruined chamber. As they came through yet more doors at the further end, a sound of water fell upon their ears, and the grey light grew suddenly more full.

"There is the birth of the Running River," said Thorin. "From here it hastens to the Gate. Let us follow it!"

Before them the water fell noisily outward and foamed down towards the valley. They flung their pale torches to the ground, and stood gazing out with dazzled eyes. They were come to the Front Gate, and were looking out upon Dale.

"Well!" said Dawn, "I never expected to be looking out of this door. And I never expected to be so pleased to see the sun again, and to feel the wind on my face. You know I wonder where Smaug is. He could be watching us, waiting to step out into the open."

"We must move away from here," said Dori. "I feel as if his eyes were on the back of my head."

They made their way down the mountain to an old watchtower. All the while on the lookout for Smaug.

"Here," said Balin when they reached the watchtower, "in the old days we used always to keep watchmen, and that door behind leads into a rockhewn chamber that was made here as a guardroom.

"Not much use, if we have been seen coming here," said Dori, who was always looking up towards the Mountain's peak, as if he expected to see Smaug perched there like a bird on a steeple.

"We must take our chance of that," said Thorin. "We can go no further to-day."

In the rock-chamber there would have been room for a hundred, and there was a small chamber further in, more removed from the cold outside. It was quite deserted; not even wild animals seemed to have used it in all the days of Smaug's dominion. There they laid their burdens; and some threw themselves down at once and slept, but the others sat near the outer door and discussed their plans. In all their talk they came perpetually back to one thing: where was Smaug? They looked West and there was nothing, and East there was nothing, and in the South there was no sign of the dragon, but there was a gathering of very many birds. At that they gazed and wondered; but they were no nearer understanding it, when the first cold stars came out.