Middle-earth, and all who dwell within it, belongs to Tolkien. I am grateful to him for growing this beautiful garden in which our imaginations can play. Please review!

The tunnel was narrow and with their wide packs they were forced to walk now in single file. First came Fili, moving slowly. His body ached after being pummeled by falling ice, but he hurt no worse than he might after a long day of laboring in the forges or a spirited bout of swordplay with his brother. Nothing as simple as cold snow could defeat the resilience of a dwarf, but he was not eager to lead Betta and Kili down into endless tunnels. Reluctance slowed his steps.

Walking close behind him was Betta, and often he heard her eager feet bringing her close enough to touch the wood on his back. He guessed that she would have passed him by if the tunnel had been wider or their burdens less burdensome. She was small – even if she had two inches on him in height – but she was not small enough to slip around him unless he let her, and he had no intention of letting her.

Farther back and last in their short line came Kili. He watched their guide closely and was pleased to see that Fili did not let her walk ahead of him. With Betta in the lead and setting their pace, he was sure that they would soon wear out all their strength, and still it would not be fast enough for her. So intent was he on his bitter thoughts that he failed to notice his companions had stopped walking. He very nearly walked into Betta, but caught himself in time.

They had reached the mark carved into the floor. Kili would not have stopped, but Fili had and Betta stood beside him, both looking down in silence.

Kili turned to look back over his shoulder. The mouth of the tunnel was still visible behind them, and with three fresh torches in their hands, the narrow passage was bright as day. The walls were built of yellow stone and cut smooth, whether by water or by hand, Kili could not be certain, but he had his guesses.

Looking back toward the cavern, he thought unhappily of the eastern passage. It had been a fool's hope to think that they might find a way out that way, but he had been stubborn and insisted on making the attempt. That passage was wider and its walls had been rubbed smooth by the passing of the troll's great shoulders. Betta had seen as much, but Kili had gone down farther than her, farther than his brother, too; he had gone beyond the turning of the passage, and he had a better reason for turning back than they did.

Around a bend, the passage widened even farther, and he had found dropped bones and discarded orc armor. Beyond that, there had been no mistaking the stink. It was the rot of orc flesh and of troll dung. The gas was natural, but not from stone, and Kili had to cover his mouth to keep from throwing up his breakfast. It was not only in the stream above that the troll had made his toilet, and the old beast had made no difference between where he ate and where he squatted.

No, the eastern passage was too disgusting and too dangerous. The orc bodies had shown him that much. He did not know what had made the gust of wind that had knocked Betta down, but there was no reason to think that the troll would make a point of munching his dead orcs down here; the creatures must have crawled up from below and been captured. If the stink of troll waste was not enough to keep them away, then there was no safety for two dwarves and a woman – they would all be forced to fight one-handed while the other held their nose.

Kili was not willing to tell the whole truth of what he had found to their guide. It was enough that he had admitted that the passage was no good to them. She did not need another reason to disregard his advice or more encouragement to her pride.

The western passage was their only hope, and as they stood looking down at the carved mark, not even Fili was stubborn enough to insist that it was not the parent design of the one that Betta carried on her skin. Looking sidelong at her, he saw that the braids that he had given her had fallen out, but she wore her hair tied back with a cloth, and her chin was lifted up proudly. Fili could see the shaved portion of her scalp. The short stubble was not so short anymore, but he could still make out the lines of the tattoo. He knew the image well; it was burned into his memory. He had stared long at it while he cut away her fair hair.

Even so, he stared hard down at the carved image, looking especially at the shapes and lines that were not mirrored in her tattoo. Perhaps the new symbols held some meaning that might tell him what dangers lay ahead, but he knew that Kili was watching him and waiting for him to speak.

"Are you ready to go on?" he asked Betta.

"I have waited years for this," she said. "If I am not ready now, I will never be."

She looked at him, and he was surprised by the sudden fire in her eyes. He was used to seeing stubborn resolve and anger written in her features; he more often saw her frown than smile, but this was an expression wholly new to him, one that he had only ever seen once before in his uncle's eyes when Thorin spoke of regaining The Mountain.

And then she blinked her eyes and the fire was gone. She smiled at him and touched his arm. "Yes, I am ready. Let us go look for your treasure."

He reached up to touch her hand as it lay on his arm, but she took advantage of his stance and surprise and slipped past him in the tunnel. She was ahead of him now, and he could no more pass her by than she could have passed him before. With a soft curse, Fili hurried after her. The sprained ankle seemed no longer to hinder her steps, though she continued to use the crutch.

Kili hesitated a moment longer, scowling down at the carved design. With a curse much like his brother's, he started after them, scuffing the mark with his boot as he passed. Now that Betta walked at the front of the line, their pace would be too fast for his recently injured brother, and Kili had every intention of telling her off as soon as Fili began to struggle.

But his fears proved unfounded. Though Betta had stolen the lead of their line, she did not walk much faster than Fili had done before her. She looked back often to be sure that the others were keeping up and more than once when Fili seemed to be falling back too far, and Kili was preparing to call her out for it, Betta would stop herself to check a strap on her boot or adjust her sling, waiting until the brothers caught up before going on again. She was careful to make an excuse for each pause and never to call attention to Fili's weakness.

Kili was glad for that and felt guilty for thinking badly of her. Once, when Betta stopped to wait, he caught her eye and nodded to her his thanks. She gave him no answer, however, though the light was bright; the smoke was in their eyes and he assured himself that she may not have seen him.

They had been walking for nearly a quarter of an hour before they came to a narrow opening in the wall to their left. It seemed to be a natural branching off of the tunnel and when Kili thrust his torch through the gap, he saw only the usual cracks and fissures in the stone, but he was a dwarf of Ered Luin and knew that there may still be a doorway and passages beyond. Not all the halls in the Blue Mountains had been widened. There were hidden tunnels and secret rooms built to harbor their people in times of trouble.

Kili glanced at Fili, who nodded. They knew what they saw, but there was no need to tell Betta. She would have seen what she wished to see even if it had been a natural cave.

"I wonder how many people once dwelt here," she said, peering through the gap in the stone. "There must have been many to build all these tunnels."

"Perhaps many at one time," Fili conceded, "but they may not have built the tunnels themselves, and for how long they lived here, who can say?"

"Well, it is too narrow for dwarf shoulders," Kili said, "but we cannot be expected to explore every crack and crevice in the mountain."

"Then we must look elsewhere for evidence to convince you, Kili," Betta said. "Would you like to lead us on?"

He was surprised by her offer and recognized the meaning of the look she gave him, but he took the lead gladly and walked ahead of them. It did not last long, for they soon came to the first obstacle in their road. Kili held up his hand and stopped the others far back enough for safety. A crack had opened in the roof of the tunnel, and several large stones had fallen through from above, breaking the ceiling and smashing to pieces on the floor. They would need to climb over the fallen stone, but first the dwarves went ahead to examine the walls and confirm that they were still sound. A cave-in at this point would end their quest with a finality that none of them desired.

Fili went first, touching the wall with his hands. He tapped the stone with the hilt of his knife and listened to the answering echoes within the rock. After he was sure that he heard no fault in it, he held his torch aloft and looked up at the crack in the ceiling. "It is hollow up there," he said.

Kili joined him in looking up, and then he looked around at the walls. "The tunnel is sound, I think," he said. "These larger stones must have fallen through from above. The high ceiling gave them the speed they needed to break the roof."

"But how wide is the chamber above?" Fili said, frowning. "Will we be threatened by other falling stones?" He made as if to climb the stone pile and look, but Kili stopped him.

"Let me," he said.

Fili sighed, but nodded and stepped back. The pile was only a few feet high, but the stones were not well balanced. He held his brother's knees to brace him up and carefully, with sword in hand, Kili thrust first his torch up into the chamber. When there was no sound or furious cry, he put his head through and looked around.

It was indeed a huge cavern with high ceilings shrouded in darkness, but the floors sloped upwards and he could not see beyond them to gauge the length and breadth of the room. It was only in this narrow place that the roof was thin, and the broken shards of mixed rock around him showed that many stones had fallen over time; it was a lucky shot that broke into the tunnel. In the distance, he heard the echo of rushing water and guessed that the chamber was half a mile wide, at least, but the echoes told him little of its shape.

Kili climbed down again on the other side of the pile. "There is nothing that I can see," he said. "It is an open cavern, larger than the one that we have left, but it is of quartz and limestone. The floor is thick and it is only in this one place that there was any danger of the stones breaking through."

"Even so, we must take care," Fili said, eyeing the broken roof with caution. "I do not know whether the hands that carved this tunnel knew about the open cavern, but there may be other weaknesses in the stone and we will not always have clear warning of them."

"I hope there are not," Kili said. "If this way proves blocked up, then we have no other path. This is the only promising road that we have. Let us go on." Both Betta and Fili looked at him in surprise. There was excitement in his words.

The sight of the hidden cavern above had awakened Kili's sense of adventure. He was a dwarf, after all, and a curious one at that, eager to see new things. In the room above, there had been plain rock, but beyond it, his torchlight had fallen upon fair pillars of multi-colored stone and the glint of crystalline forms. It was nothing that could not be found in any cave under Ered Luin, but he knew that in a strange hill there must be strange stone, also – stone perhaps of more value than what they had found so far.

Kili helped his brother to climb over the pile of loose stone. Fili also stopped to look up into the upper cavern, but he came down with less eagerness than his brother. They helped Betta over, and she did not stop to look. Stone was stone, as far as she was concerned, and she trusted two dwarves to know what they saw.

They walked on with more caution than before, but their pace was a little quicker. The tunnel was silent and the hard stone seemed to dampen their voices when they spoke. Soon, the only sound they heard was the soft thumping of dwarvish boots and the gentle tapping of Betta's crutch on the floor. There was no sign of further damage to the tunnel, but they found more cracks and fissures along the sides, and these seemed clearly to be doorways and junctures splitting off into new tunnels. None were as wide or as straight as the path they were on, and so they did not turn aside.

It was only a dwarf who could have kept his head so far underground and told which way was north, south, east or west, but their three lights were spread out far enough that Kili could tell the road was curving gently downwards and to the north-west, though there was no definite curve to the walls.

Half an hour along their slow journey, they stopped to rest and Fili brought out a pouch of cold, cooked meat. It was warm enough in the tunnels, and their wood was scarce; both brothers agreed they should not light regular fires for cooking. Instead, while they rested, they put out all but one of their torches, and they would light only one large fire at the end of each "day" to cook as much meat as they could before the embers burned out. The tunnels were not so warm that their raw meat would spoil, but not so cold either that it would keep indefinitely, and what they cooked they might eat between fires. Neither brother said what was on all their minds: they were buried and had only enough wood for a week, only meat enough for twice that long if they were careful and did not overdraw their strength.

After a few minutes rest, Fili roused them and they marched on. It was growing more difficult to tell time in that place, but it was not long before they came to something more surprising than a collapsed tunnel and more indisputable than any juncture in their road. Kili stopped short with a bark of laughter and Fili caught up to him. He followed his brother's outstretched hand and saw…

Steps. Three steps had been cut into the floor, turning at a perfect right angle. No dwarf's hand could have cut them better. The path curved south, and the steps were deep, dropping almost a full foot each before returning to the gentle slope that their road had followed before. Kili stepped down and then knelt to look at them.

The stone was old, to be sure, and the edges worn. The limestone showed the pockmarks of age where wind and water had mottled them, but the center of each step's edge was worn down and told the tale of the passing of many feet over many long years.

Kili looked up at his brother, and there was no doubt left in his mind that they were on the right path. There was no doubt in his heart that there would be treasure at the end of it. Fili sighed and recognized the eagerness that his brother had shown early on in their quest. His own heart was still troubled, but when he looked at Betta he knew that he was the only one not smiling. Her eyes were wide and excited; there was no astonishment there. She was not surprised to find sign of ancient Men in this place.

"Is this not a good sign?" she asked him. "If Men dwelt so deep, they must certainly have other doors and windows here, other ways out of the mountain."

"It is a good sign," Fili agreed, but he knew that she cared little for ways out and would rather go farther on and further in. "The air is not as close as I would expect it to be. There may be vents or shafts cut into the stone, but I doubt they are wide enough for us to use."

"Well, we will not find them by standing here," Kili said, standing up. "Let us go on!" He turned and began walking swiftly along the passage.

Betta hurried down the steps after him, but she hesitated at the bottom and looked back at Fili. "Are you coming?" she asked, and then she gave a guilty start. "Perhaps we ought to have another rest," she added quickly. "My legs are still sore and I…"

"They are no more sore than mine," Fili said. He knew that all her stops and rests had been for his benefit and not for hers. "You need not worry over me, Betta. I will speak up when I feel a rest is needed. Let us hurry on, or Kili will leave us behind."

Betta nodded, and after one last glance, she did hurry forward after his brother, but Fili moved more slowly. For all his encouragement, his legs were feeling the long walk and he had hidden from both of them just how much extra weight he had put into his pack and sling.

He watched his brother and their guide grow smaller and smaller in the distance until, after a few dozen yards, they reached another turn and more stairs if the descent of their lights was to be believed. Fili did not blame them for not waiting for him. There were no more doorways here; the path was smooth and seemingly safe.

He followed them and did not worry. Eventually they would realize that there was nothing to find but more stone and then they would stop to wait for him.

Without the noise of the younger members of his company, Fili could hear more clearly the silence of the tunnel and… something else. He stopped and strained his ears. He seemed to hear the distant rush of water above or perhaps to the side of him. He tipped his head to one side, but could not be sure whether it was water indeed or only the fluttering flame of the torch next to his ears. The walls and ceiling of the tunnel were dry and there was no sign of moisture upon them.

He shook his head and walked on, reaching the next corner and lowering himself carefully down the steps. These stairs were even taller than the last and not made for the short legs of a dwarf. Ahead, he saw a third bend in the tunnel but it was not so far away and there were no stairs. Kili and Betta were nowhere to be seen, but the light of their torches reflected back on the stone.

He frowned and looked harder at the flickering light. It was too bright for their small flames, too angry for timid torches. Feeling a burst of anxious fear, Fili hurried forward, cursing himself for allowing his brother to leave him so far behind. And then he heard the shout that he both expected and yet dreaded to hear.

"Fili! Brother, come quickly!" Kili cried.

He dropped the wood from his back and threw off the heavy sling. He drew both his swords in his hands and rushed forward not knowing what danger they had discovered down in the deeps. He swung around the corner and stopped short. A few yards ahead, the tunnel ended, and through the narrow opening, he saw bright light in orange and red. He heard the roar of thunder and of flame!

With a cry, Fili rushed forward, shielding his eyes against the blaze. Where was Kili? Where was Betta? What devilry had they awoken from depths of Angmar?

Ooooh, I'm such a bad author to leave you hanging yet again, but how else can I be sure you'll all be back again for our next episode ;)

Leave a review! Let me know what you think. I can't guarantee I have an answer to every question, but it's your questions that drive this story and they keep me sharp.

-Paint