Kili awoke even before Rhavaniel reached the bottom of the tower's central pillar. Her rush to get below had sent little bits of debris raining down on him like hail.
"Kili! Kili! We can't go down the cliff! There is something down there in the city! I dropped a bell from the top of the tower, and they all have lights now, searching for it." Rhavaniel frantically informed him.
"Why would you drop a bell?" Kili asked, shocked out of a deep sleep.
"It was an accident, obviously." she explained. "I am sorry."
"Sorry? Has that become the Elf word for 'good morning'?" Kili snapped. "By Mahal, you are getting tied up tomorrow night!"
They both looked out the window, and Kili could see the movement of half a dozen small lights. They seemed to congregate below them, then become motionless.
"By the grace of Mahal, it could be my Uncle and brother down there, just waiting for me to catch up to them."
"Or?"
"Or it could be Thranduil's Guard, sent to keep us away from Erebor. That would be disappointing, but at least they would do us no harm."
"And the other possibilities?" Rhavaniel asked anxiously.
"Goblins would already be coming up the cliff. They climb like nothing you've seen before." Kili told her grimly. "It could be Orcs, but I think we would have heard them rallying for a raid. We are in a good position here. We can only watch and wait."
Kili put his arm around Rhavaniel to comfort her. "We will be fine."
(*****)
Below, in the ruins of Dale, Fili picked up a bell. He pulled a ragged piece of cloth from his pocket to muffle the sound, and handed it to Thorin. "What do we make of this?"
Thorin looked up. "I remember that tower. It housed one set of the City bells. The night is still - something must be up there."
Dwalin agreed, "Aye, but it could be just an animal."
"Or goblins."
"Or Elves, or..."
"...Orcs."
"We watch." Thorin told them. "Watch and wait. It will come to us, and we will be ready."