The small cell in which I'm being kept is giving me the heebie-jeebies as there's barely any space in which to turn around, let alone pace. So I just sit near the door, with my knees pulled to my chest and my hands wrapped around my legs and allow my head to rest on them. The silence, so tense and heavy-weighting upon us makes me want to start blowing things up just for the fun of it. 'We must not stay here any longer! It's been two days, dammit!' my inner monologue is cut short by the sound of nearing steps. Looking outside through the bars, I notice a strange movement in the air before Bilbo materializes in front of Thorin's cell, his smile accompanied by the jingling sound of keys. My eyes widen slightly and a smirk tugs at my lips as the Hobbit runs from cell to cell and fiddles with the keys until he unlocks the doors. When finally upon my own little prison, he gives me a beaming smile and quickly sets me free. The moment my foot steps out, I wrap my hands around Bilbo's neck and bring him in for a warm hug, filled with gratitude.
"A great pleasure to see you well and living up to your name, Bilbo, our little burglar." I whisper as I look deep into his caramel eyes, filled with childish glee mixed with worry.
"An even greater pleasure to see you alive and well, Isis," he hushes while leading me to where the others are standing. "Yet I advise you to hurry. I know how to get out of here while the elves are celebrating." he is quick to head forward, yet I catch up and put my hand on his shoulder.
"You have been lurking around, yes? Tell me where I can find the weaponry." I whisper.
"What?! We can't go up there! It's a few stories up, but it's dangerous and…" he stops and stares at me for a whole second, before shaking his head, the realisation finally catching up with him. "No, no, no! You can't go there! They'll catch you!"
"Master Baggings, I cannot leave without my belongings, and you are aware of that." I insist, all the meanwhile trying to pinpoint where my staff is through the connection I have with it.
The Hobbit gives me a sad look that makes my heart break, yet I stand my ground.
"We are wasting time!" hushes Thorin, who obviously has had enough encounters with elves for the rest of his life.
"Where Bilbo?" I press even more and can literally see the little sweat drops rolling down his face.
"Three stories up – only right turns. You'll spot it – a huge wooden door with a golden sword on it."
I just nod and squeeze his shoulder reassuringly. His worry makes me both happy and sad.
"What! Where's she going?" Thorin's hush comes out rather as a low yell, which resonates wonderfully in the vast space.
A simultaneous shush follows and I look over my shoulder towards the dwarves that just can't wait to get out of here. I can't blame them – my need for freedom at this very moment greatly exceeds any expectation I had, yet leaving behind my staff and sword is unthinkable, let alone unacceptable. So with a single nod I dash in the opposite direction, taking a few steps at a time and letting my instincts, and Bilbo's directions, lead me.
It takes some time but I finally find the weaponry. Luckily all the elves are somewhere celebrating, so there's no one guarding the doors. Lighting my way around through the vast space filled with various weapons and armours, the sight of the glow of my staff makes my heart swell with happiness. Making a run for it I grab my things alongside a few swords and dash out. Halfway down the hall the sound of nearing voices makes me halt. The loud booming echo of the horn that signalizes the prisoners have escaped makes me run, this time in the opposite direction. 'Dammit!' with each step I take I hope everyone is already out and safe; while I wander around the vast corridors, my only hope is that I'll manage to sneak out of here and held them. The sudden appearance of a window easies things significantly.
The wind blows in my face as I run as fast as possible down the path, following the Orcs and elves, and supposedly the dwarves in barrels. My ice soldiers are still safely tucked away in my pocket but as I near the hunting party currently anchored at the gate, I notice I'll need their help. With a single movement I pull three out and whisper the spell before jumping from a rock and driving my blade into one pretty hideous Orc that was aiming at Thorin. The creature falls with a howl and I quickly take up the next one, all the meanwhile keeping an eye on the dwarves.
"Kill the Orcs!" I shout at my warriors and they immediately pull out their swords.
Ducking and slicing at the attackers I skip to notice Kili getting out of his barrel and climbing up the steps. With the corner of my eye, seconds before it happens, I glimpse at an arrow flying his way. In the midst of the battle, with my sword raised to block an attack, dread settles in faster that I can imagine.
Before even thinking it through, a spell slips past my lips and the arrow freezes in mid-air so that when it collides with the young dwarf's chest moments later it shatters into thousands of pieces, doing no harm to Kili, apart from sending him flat on his ass. With a low chuckle I resume fighting, barely skipping past a blow.
"Hell's bells!" I hiss and kill another Orc before running down the bank of the river, following the retreating group.
More than once I catch Thorin's gaze and read worry and shock in his otherwise unreadable blue eyes. Nipping at my lip I bring two fingers to my mouth and whistle. The high-pitched noise makes my soldiers come at once, having my back covered. In a sudden spur of braveness I tone up and jump right across the river. The water freezes under my touch, creating a slide in which I swing from side to side, skipping past the dwarves and giving them random weapons I got from the weaponry. Upon reaching Thorin, I take hold of his barrel for support and extend my hand to give him a sword when the loud booming noise in the distance tells me there's a new obstacle in our way.
"A waterfall!" I shout and try to move away, only for the current to throw me back against the dwarf's barrel.
"Dammit!" I hiss and move the hair out of my face.
It's incredibly hard to freeze water when it moves with such great speed, so I let the magic disappear, making the ice slide melt away. Now, with only the barrel for support, I look around frantically for a way to get out of the stream.
"Grab tight!" it is Thorin's voice that somehow manages to outshout the booming of upcoming waterfall.
Looking his way I see him gripping the sides of the barrel for dear life, his knuckles having turned white from the pressure.
Gritting my teeth I follow his advice and tighten my grip over the wood. The fast and merciless currents rattle me around like a rag doll, and before I know it we are falling. The last thing I see before the collision, surprisingly, is Thorin's blue eyes pretty close to my face.
Waking up with the second worst headache in my life, I can't help but wonder how many times I will have to lose consciousness before we reach that mountain. Rolling to my back, with a soft groan I try to pry my eyes open and look around. Yet the dazzling light of the sun and the banging in the back of my neck make me stay put for at least a second more until the pulsation subsides. Blinking my eyes open and carefully raising on my elbows, I find myself on a rocky shore, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees. And the worst part is there's no sign of the dwarves.
"Dammit!" muttering under my breath I push myself up and look around for my staff and sword.
Thankfully they're not far away so soon I begin my searching for the party. Despite general belief, to find a dwarf in an open space like this one is not as halfway easy as it should be. My frown deepens and worry settles in as after a whole hour worth of walking around there's not even a trace of them. Eventually, seeing no other way, I summon back the soldiers I sent ahead to scout and after whispering the shrinking spell put them in the pocket of my still dripping wet vest.
Stepping on the shore, with the cold water hitting my shoes, I know the only way they must have heated is towards Laketown – the only human-inhabited place miles from here. Sighting at the thought of having to walk all the way there, I pull my staff from its place and spin it in my hand. For a second nothing happens. Then when I put my foot over the liquid mass, it immediately freezes, allowing me to step on hard surface and basically walk. Once getting the hang of it, I set a faster pace towards the general direction of the village, which I have seen only scribbled on a map.
As I'm casually striding over the frozen water, I can't help but wonder how long I have been out and how come I reached so far into the shore. Frowning at those and many more questions, I skip to notice the boat that appears out of nowhere. Only when the water under me moves unsteadily and the ice cracks do I pay attention to the change in environment.
"For the love of… You there! Man! Stop that retched boat of yours before I drop in those icy waters!" I shout at the man at the rudder, dressed in strange-looking clothes.
'Well, maybe he's dressed according to the weather… unlike me. ' Throwing a glance at my still rather wet and clingy pieces of garments, I reconsider my first impression of the fisherman who may turn out to be an easy way into Laketown.
When the boat stops moving I take a closer look at the male – he seems in his middle thirties, with a few premature white strands in his hair; his eyes are something between emerald green and deep oak brown. His clothes, just like from afar, appear rather primitive yet definitely warmer than mine – the furs for sure are offering greater protection from the icy air and the thick mist compared to my thin layers of cotton. And if it wasn't for the deep frown that graces his rather handsome face, the man in front of me doesn't seem threatening at all.
"Who are you?" his deep voice booms louder than I'd have expected.
"Isis. And yours truly, if I may?" tilting my head in greeting, I try to be as less threatening as possible.
"Bard." his curt reply makes me wonder if everyone in this part of the world has gotten so accustomed to the weather that it has soaked under their skin and made them just as deprived of warmth.
The man looks at me with a certain degree of distrust, not that I blame him for it, before nodding towards my feet. Looking down, I see nothing wrong.
"Is there a problem with my footing?" I arch an eyebrow his way.
"Yes. It stands over frozen water." he ascertains in a rather disapproving manner, as if that's offending him in some way.
"Is it forbidden to walk over frozen water in this end of the world?" I can't help the smile that tugs at my lips as the ridiculous question rolls out of my tongue.
With a delight I notice the frown on his face melting away and a small smile appears before he chuckles and shakes his head.
"Nah. It's just a rare sight."
Not so subtly his eyes travel up and down my body, studying my not only strange, but quite impractical clothes, before noticing the staff in my right hand. By the sight of it, his eyes lose their spark and he's once again gloomy and filled with suspicion.
"By the look in your eyes, I'm not the only rare sight to come across you recently."
Noting the strange flicker of change gracing his features I know I hit the right spot. Both worry and happiness swirl in me at the thought that maybe he has seen the dwarves.
"Indeed. I came across a bunch of dwarves and a hobbit a few day ago." he nods back towards the shore I came from.
"A few days ago?" my voice reaches a pretty nasty high-pitched tone as the realisation hits me. "I have been lying on that rocky shore for days!?"
The man just raises an eyebrow my way, obviously not understanding what I'm making such a scene about. Shaking my head, I once again smile at the boatman appealingly.
"Would you be so kind to tell me how to reach Laketown?"
For a second his cold and calculating gaze clashes with mine until eventually he nods towards where he came from.
"And how long will it take me to reach it?"
"Depends on your walking. An hour or so." he shrugs and I can't help but admire the way he seems to be embracing the weirdness around him so light-heartedly – nothing can touch him; not even a petit female in wet clothes walking on water as if it's her birth right.
A small smile finds its way on my face and I nod at the man.
"You have been generously helpful, Master Bard, for which I will be eternally grateful."
With that I turn on my heel and tap on the surface of the water, making it turn into ice immediately. The path that appears is wide enough so that three can walk with no problem and thick to hold the weight of ten well-fed men. Without looking back, I grip my staff and run forward, my steps emitting a soft patting motion before the blotches of ice melt away.
Upon reaching the outskirts of Laketown, I can't help but feel sorry for the people living here – the place is a bunch of floating houses that loom over the small canals and threaten to crumble down any moment. It has that sad and depressed aura suffocating it and depriving its residents from the smallest sparks of joy. The few living souls I manage to spot all give me a strange, frightened and distrustful looks before quickly skirting away, hiding the children. 'As if I'm the witch from their scary bedtime stories, the child thief. Who has that much free time to dwell and steal the naughty ones?' I mentally scoff before my sudden laughter at the irony makes the few still lingering out in the coldness of the day give me strange looks. Quickly hiding away my staff and pulling the hood lower over my head, I enter deeper into the village, hoping that I'll figure out a way to find the dwarves before night falls. If they are still here, that is.
As I'm walking down one pretty narrow path a sudden tug in the back of my mind startles me, almost making me tumble over into the dirty water and get wet all over again. Looking around, with my hands over the small blades holstered around my upper thighs, I try to spot whatever may be causing my instincts to react. For a few seconds nothing happens. The only disturbance of the eerie silence is the racket coming from the inn I passed by not so long ago. As I am about to brush away what happened as mere tiredness the feeling appears again, this time more prominent and persisting; familiarity and alluringness dripping from it.
"The flute!" I mumble and with heart filled with hope follow the tug until I come upon a two-storey house that looks just like every other I have been passing by the whole afternoon – as if it had been there long before mankind, with its second floor looming over the water in a rather worrying manner.
Suddenly bells start ringing in the back of my mind, making me look around at the sudden feeling of someone or something watching me. Yet the streets are deserted; there are even no cats in sight. 'No cats in sight…' the ascertainment sounds rather familiar, yet I can't place my finger from where exactly. With a low sigh, blaming those strange feelings on both exhaustion and the bad hit I received on the head after falling a few waterfalls down, I once again near the house, ignoring the needles poking the back of my head, as if someone's boring a hole through my scull.
There's light coming from the second floor that implies there's somebody home. Cautiously climbing up the stairs and trying not to make them creak under my weigh, I place my hand on the door once I reach the platform. The effect is immediate – a tingly sensation runs from the tips of my fingers and three small runes appear over the wood. The symbols forming the word for ice in the Old language look like they were engraved into the door by the finest masters of woodcarving, leaving the impression of always having been there. Sudden yelps and rumbling echoes from inside, signalising that the residents have noticed the changes on their side as well. Hushed voices, two females and a few male ones follow as there seems to be an argument regarding if they should do something or not. To ease their situation, I knock on the door softly, silencing the quarrel.
After a few seconds the door cracks open and the youthful face of a girl appears. She looks around 16 with her copper-coloured hair braided and pulled back. At first she appears slightly scared but after she takes notice that I'm a female as well, a challenging and brave flame appears in her amber eyes, making me smile.
"Good evening. I'm sorry to intrude at your home at this hour of night, but I fear you have something that's mine."
She gulps rather nervously, but stands her ground. That's until another girl, this time around the age of 7, throws the door open and her huge green eyes stare up at me with badly hidden glee.
"Are you really a witch?" is the first thing that spills from her mouth.
"Tilda!" the older one snaps and quickly grabs the youngling by the hand, successfully pushing her back into the safety of the house.
Another set of steps quickly nears and a familiar face finally appears. Fili's blonde head makes me want to pull him into a fierce hug before strangling him for leaving me behind.
"Isis! I'm so glad to see you!"
I smile his way and nod my head, feeling relief wash over me at the thought that I finally caught up with the party. Yet before I have the chance to express my happiness, I notice the worried expression on the young dwarf's face and the way his eyes dart back towards the room.
"What's wrong?"
"It's Kili. He got hit by an arrow, that was poisonous."
Without further ado, I'm allowed to enter. Immediately stopping by the wounded man's bed, the first things I notice are the pale, almost transparent colour of his skin, the yellowish circles under his eyes and his heavy breathing. Getting rid of my cape, I toss it to the side and begin to examine the infected wound. True to the older brother's words, the arrow's tip must have been dipped in some kind of poison as the hole from where the blade was pulled out has acquired a rather worrying shade of purple.
Unfortunately, apart from allowing his body to cool down a little bit and make the pain subside, there's nothing else I can do for the young dwarf. The two girls – Sigrid and Tilda, constantly keep on throwing sideway glances at me, not sure whether or not to trust me. The pressure in the room is reaching dangerously high levels when the door burst open, only to be closed with a soft click, a young boy stepping into the warmth of the room.
"Bain! Where's Da?" Sigrid quickly runs to his side and helps him take off his coat, all the meanwhile filling him in on what has happened while he was absent.
"This is our brother, Bain." little Tilda chirps and wraps her slender arms around her big brother's waist, making him flinch, obviously not accustomed to the gesture.
"It's a pleasure, young Mater Bain. I'm Isis." throwing a smile his way I notice the small blush that colours his cheeks moments later.
The boy's cautious smile makes mine widen and I gently tilt my head, in a manner common for those, who do not wish to be perceived as a threat.
"Tell him." little Tilda squeals excitedly, her eyes two sparkling pools of green glee.
The small laugh that skips past my lips sounds care-free and amused as the little girl's enthusiasm regarding my nature only makes me feel greater warmth towards her.
In front of her brother's amazed stare I make snow start falling from the ceiling and gently rain upon them. Kili's thankful moan for the change in temperature is the reminder I need to once again avert my eyes his way. Fili, who's inseparably by his side, looks not only pale, but also angered.
Yet not wishing to tear his attention from his ill sibling , I look at Bofur who's still twirling my Ice flute in his hands, and ask him the question that has been bugging me the whole time.
"Where are the others?"
Enraged can't even begin to describe how I feel after things finally settle down and the room is once again washed by quietness and probably false sense of tranquillity.
After Bofur told me what had happened with the party and apologised numerous times for not being able to find me, he added that Thorin had been acting rather strange the whole way here, as if his judgement had been clouded by something else.
"He left his nephews and you here and sailed towards the Mountain. Clouded mind can't even begin to describe his case, unfortunately."
Then he told me how a man named Bard, and I assumed it was the same man from before, had offered them help afterwards, when Kili's condition had worsen drastically. Before sharing anything else the door and roof had burst open and Orcs had appeared, swinging their axes and swords at our heads. It was hard to keep the gruesome creatures away from not only the human children but also from Kili but thankfully elves joined the fun, a long gingered-haired beauty and her companion, who I already knew – the blond male who found me and took me to Thranduil. After defeating the attackers with combined forces Tauriel, who as it appeared had feelings for Kili, saved his life and stayed behind while Legolas ran off to chase the Orcs.
Now I try to ignore the lovely-dovley between an elf and a dwarf, and rather help Sigrid and her siblings return the house to its previous condition. At the point of pushing back up the tumbled over table, a loud booming sound echoes in the distance, followed by a fierce roar. Immediately the piece of furniture slips past my fingers and collides with the ground with a thud.
"What was that!?" Tilda shrieks and quickly nears her older sister.
Without saying a word I run out of the door and with some magic and a good jump end up on the roof next-door and from there to another, higher one. From this spot I look over the Misty Mountains in the distance. For a second the night's welkin seems void of any signs of life, contrary to all the tales claiming that the birds are returning to the mountain. Narrowing my eyes into slits, a movement, a small flutter in the distance, catches my attention. That's all I need to make a small icicle materialise in my hand and raise it up to my eyes. After the binocular's lenses rearrange for a second, I have the ability to see what's coming our way. The sheer sigh makes a cold shiver run down my spine and fear paralyzes my whole body. With all the will-power I can muster, I jump back down to the platform and enter the destroyed house.
"Isis! Where ya went to?" Bofur jumps on his feet and nears me, probably noticing my poor state.
"What did you see?" Kili's fast to realise that I had been scouting to see what awaits us.
Looking up from the chair the other dwarf put me in I meet the worried eyes of everyone in the room.
"So?" It's Tauriel that snaps me out of my thoughts, making me look at her.
With a deep breath I stand up and push away the fear that kept me nauseous and week up until now.
"It's Smaug. He's heading this way. Fast. We must get out of here." the words shoot out of my mouth in a fast pace, leaving no place for arguing.
"What?" Fili's eyes widen and he looks at his sibling.
"You need to leave Laketown immediately." I grab the older dwarf by the shoulder and shake him slightly. "Get a grip! Move."
The blond just blinks at me for a whole second before nodding. Throwing a glance at Tauriel, she nods as well, getting my silent plea to watch over them.
With that I look at the children, only to notice their worry has grown to an almost hysterical level.
"Everything's going to be alright. You must leave immediately." placing a hand on Sigrid's shoulder, I notice the fear oozing from her fair skin. "Go with them."
With that I head towards the door, pulling my staff from its holster.
"Where are you going?" Tauriel's voice rings in the room, outshouting the noise of the others getting ready to leave.
"I'll buy you some time. I have unfinished business with that creature." I say over my shoulder and exit the room.
The elven woman catches up with me on the platform, her hand on my elbow. When our eyes clash, I notice a strange flame in them.
"You are the Evocatrix from the tale? The one who fought against the beast on her own and saved thousands of lives?" there's awe in her mild tone, and respect.
"I am no longer an Evocatrix, but a Witch. And I failed to defeat Smaug back then, but will mend my mistake now." the steel in my own voice makes her flinch slightly.
"You may have not been able to kill the dragon in the days of old, but do not for once forget the innocent lives you have saved." with that she returns inside, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Instead of pondering around, my mind quickly patches up a plan that if not kill, at least will slow down the drake enough so that a greater part of the villagers will manage to save themselves.
"This time I won't fail." gritting my teeth, I summon my power and once again jump on the roof.
As Smaug comes closer by the second, I know what will befall Laketown in mere seconds if I don't do something about it – ash and sulphur will be the only things left after the fire-breath of the beast ceases to rain from the sky. Gripping my staff I close my eyes and concentrate. It's been years since I found myself in need to draw strength from Mother Nature in order to perform a spell, yet now seems a fit enough occasion to tap into that connection and see if it still holds any strings. Calming my breathing so that it's steady and slow, I begin to channel the power of the elements – in my case water, which there's plenty of here thank goodness, and air, also in surplus. At first there's a slight resistance but soon my magic overpowers it and the elements bend under my will. Small ice speckles start to hover into the air as I test out the connection; once sure that it will work, I open my eyes and recite the spell. Out of thin air an ice wall appears, high and thick enough to restrain Smaug at least for a few minutes. In seconds the construction has grown enough so to blocks completely the way of the dragon. The second Smaug realises what I'm doing, his jaws open wide and fire fountains flows out of his maw.
Since the beginning of time fire has been battling water. In the days of Old, my ice clashed with the drake's fire and I lost; now, many years later, our forces collide once again. 'It won't hold for much longer.' frowning, I see the ice starting to melt from the immense quality of heat that it's put under. No matter how fast the spell recovers the damage, the wall will soon crumble down and Smaug will burn the town to the ground. 'I must buy them some more time.'
Gripping the staff and straightening my shoulders, I once again begin my chant and seek help from my birth elements. As chunks of ice fall down and into the black waters, suddenly the construction comes to life and the same icicles that scared Fenrir not so many nights ago, reaper from the fallen blocks and aim towards the dragon, whose irritation at my successful defence makes him uptight all his force into making the obstacle fall. Under unsaid command all the icicles, trice the size of a human, fly towards the drake with the clear intention to pierce his skin.
I am no fool – the scales won't even get scratched by this attack, yet it will buy me some more time; stealing a glance over my shoulder, I notice the chaos that has taken over the citizens of Laketown, who are now frantically pushing each other around, vociferating and tossing each other to the side in desperate attempts to leave the soon to be firebox. Returning my concentration towards the dragon, I see my icicles have pretty much only enraged him further.
"Evocatrix! You have come again? Shall I demolish you this time?!" the creature's voice booms loudly in the night, masking for a second the screams coming from behind me.
Gritting my teeth, I give the wall one last magical thrust before I turn my back and run. It's not fear from the beast or death that has me departing, but the need to help the others. I know if I face Smaug now and fight, I won't defeat him; at least not alone. Unintentionally throwing a sideway glance I notice one of the highest buildings around here, which seems to have been a porthole once, still standing. 'If only there was a Black arrow near-by.'
Jumping down from roof to roof, in the distance a loud shattering sound wrecks the air, followed by the splashing of water and crashing of buildings. Without turning to see the fall of the wall, I quicken my pace. Finally stepping down amongst the crowd, I help as many people as possible without getting thrown into the water. Once on one of the main squares, under a rain of fire and a cacophony of agonising screams, I manage to find my way towards the boats. Looking around, with relief I spot Kili, Fili, Bofur, Tauriel and the kids in a small, dangerously rocking boat, trying to make their way through the clogged waterway. Rushing towards them, I manage to hear Bain's desperate shouts over the yelling adults around me.
"Da! Da's locked back there!" the paralyzing fear and the plea get me to turn around and notice what seems like a prison looming over the river, with someone behind the barred window. A fire stream hits a nearby house and sets it ablaze as Smaug flies over, destroying everything in his path, yet aiding me with some light.
Trying to walk against the maddened crowd in basically impossible as they push me further back with each step I take.
"Then I go up." smirking darkly I swirl my staff and immediately the air around me freezes and an ice stairway appears.
I'm quick to climb it and run towards the bridge, waving at the man behind the bars to move away. He seems to understand and moves from the wall. An ice sphere appears in my hand seconds later and I throw it forward, successfully hitting and freezing the wooden surface as well at the metal bars. Balling my hand into a fist, the frozen area shatters into pieces and crumbles down. In a blink of an eye I'm standing next to one pretty amazed Bard, who watches me with both awe and gratitude.
"We must get out of here!" I nod and offer him my hand.
He raises an eyebrow my way, doubt in his eyes, but soon he takes my small hand into his larger one and I can't help but notice not only the difference in size, but also warmth – his hand so hot that I feel it through my glove. Snapping myself out of the trance, I look up at his green-brown eyes and smile encouragingly, before jumping out of the hole, pulling him along.
Enjoying his small yelp when his feet hit the ice, I manoeuvre us over the mass of people towards the boat where the kids and the dwarves are, all the meanwhile trying not to catch the attention of the beast, ripping at the night's sky with his wings.
"No! I must stay!" he pulls at my hand, making me stop and look at him.
"Are you insane! The drake will kill you!" I manage to somehow outshout the noise, but it's to no vain; the fire and determination in his eyes lets me know that no matter what I say he won't get persuaded.
"This is a suicide." my voice shows the worry that my face probably masks away.
"I must try." he squeezes my hand and gives me a small smile. "Make sure my kids get to safety."
For a second I stay silent, seeing myself in his clear eyes, before nodding.
"You have my word that when you come to take them, they'll be in prefect health."
Catching what I'm implying, the tall male smirks and nods as well. Bringing us back down on the ground, by instinct we duck when the building I pulled Bard from not a few minutes ago now explodes, sending pieces of wood and blotches of fire in all directions. Upon rising up, I realised that Bard's body is hovering over mine, my back pressed against his chest, as he obviously intended to protect me from any flying splinters. When he pulls away I smile at him and nod to the side, gesturing at the ice wall that is in the process of disappearing after it served its purpose of protecting both of us.
"I'm always protected by my elements, but thanks none the less." squeezing his hand one last time, I let him go and step away. "Be careful."
Without further ado I turn around and run towards the boat. With a swift jump, and a magical slide of course, I end up standing firmly on the rocking piece of wood. After the cheerful greetings from my friends die out I look at Sigrid, whose eyes are filled with fret. I simply raise a questioning eyebrow her way.
"Bain. He went after Da!" she shouts.
I turn sharply but upon looking back and taking a step, the boat rocks and I fall to the side, over the dwarves, hitting my head against the hard wood.
It takes a few minutes to regain my bearings, but by that time we have distanced ourselves considerably from where Bain ran off, and I no longer see him. Gritting my teeth and trying to peer over the many heads of the villagers, the only thing I manage to glimpse is the horror written in numerous eyes, as Smaug keeps on circling over Laketown and pouring rain of fire over our heads. The buildings collapse with crashing sounds and many get buried down under piles of wood. The fire seems to be growing by the second, engulfing everything within its reach. While departing, with a heavy heart after already breaking my promise to Bard to keep his children safe, the only thing I can do is make sure his two daughters leave this living hell unharmed.
Fire keeps on clashing with ice while we push our way through the canals as I block any flying debris or the drake's flames falling close by. My ears grow so accustomed to the screaming that eventually the noise gets dulled, becoming more of a background, as all my senses are on high alert for other factors.
Smaug's sudden landing on top on the houses sets an eerie silence in my own ears as his large trunk turns out to be worryingly mobile over the unstable constructions that snap like twigs under his weigh. Studying his posture and listening to his booming and demonic laughter, I eventually manage to prey my eyes away from the horrifying creature and rather follow his line of sight. My gaze lands on the tower where the outlines of two figures catch my attention amongst the burning flames. Suddenly my heart turns to lead, as I make out Bard's figure holding what seems like an arrow, and a shorter one, probably Bain standing right next to him.
"Is that your child? You cannot save him from fire! He will BURN!" the drake's words have me summoning my ice once again and with a single swift jump I'm off the boat.
"I'll be back!" I shout over my shoulder before quickly skating away over the heads of the terrified villagers, and head towards the monster who seems to be about to burn both father and son. 'Not when I'm here to prevent it, you damn lizard!' I fume and speed up, ice-skating around the falling buildings.
Close enough to finally realise what the fisherman is doing, I can't help the small smile that tugs at my lips. The black arrow is in his calloused hands, which are trained in the art of archery as I can tell by the workmanship with which he quickly puts together a makeshift bow, using his son's shoulder and height to target his enemy better. 'How idiotically brave.' I muse before collecting a huge ball of swirling ice in my hands, the sphere pulsating with power. This won't kill, nor injure the beast, but it will give Bard a few extra seconds to get a better aim and that may be all he needs.
"SMAUG!" I yell and successfully manage to pull his eyes away from the two men who are about to risk their lives.
"EVOCATRIX!" he bellows and a sinister laughter leaves his mouth, filled with sharp teeth, "IT'S TIME I PUT AN END TO YOUR PITIFUL EXISTENCE!"
His maw gapes at me and I can literally see the fire moving through his oesophagus and up. Right before it reaches that special place in his throat, I throw the ice sphere in his mouth, where it burst and immediately freezes anything in its reach. The drake bellows and despite his claws not being able to take hold of me, his tail does and it knocks me to the side with such force, it leaves me breathless and flying through the air for a few seconds before an ice soldier appears and catches me, softening the fall.
"Take me to the boat." I order and allow the frost giant to swiftly carry me around and when we reach the boat gently lay me down before disappearing.
With my head resting in Kili's lap, his huge brown eyes looking down at me with worry and fear, I only smile his way and sigh, allowing my lungs to recollect oxygen before sitting up and facing Sigrid and Tilda who is currently curled into a boll into her sister's lap, shaking. Without thinking I take off my cloak and throw it over the girls, allowing them as much warmth as the material can provide and sit back down.
"Da and Bain?" Sigrid asks, making me look at where the tower used to be.
Now there's nothing, and despite Smaug being dead, his agonising shriek reaching me even through the stupor of fighting for my breath and consciousness, the fact that the construction collapsed with Bard and Bain on it leaves a bad feeling in the pits of my stomach. Yet stealing a glance at the two girls, who went through hell and back tonight, I don't have the heart to tell them that after such fall there's little to no chance the men survived. So instead I smile encouragingly and grab Sigrid's shaking and pale hand, squeezing in reassuringly.
"They'll be fine. I give you my word we'll see them soon." Tilda seems content enough with what I said, and she snuggles near her sister; Sigrid eyes lovingly the small creature snoozing off in her lap before nodding at me with gratitude.
Yet the sorrow in her amber eyes tells me she doesn't believe it. In a fit of desperation, I pull one of my ice warriors from my pocket and whisper the awakening spell, thrusting in it the last drops of my powers. Throwing it into the water, the figure soon surfaces, patiently awaiting my orders.
"Go find Bard and Bain and bring them back to me. If they need help – provide it. Do not return without them." without another word the huge warrior swims back towards the remains of Laketown.
The rest of the journey to the shore is silent and filled with worry… and Kili's light snoring.