Chapter 6 Part 2

Elizabeth was still sobbing quietly as she tried to rid her self on the guilt, hearing the others talk in the distance growing further away form her.

"Where is she?" asked Vincent stopping, now lost in the darkness.

"We can not leave her."

"And what shall we do."

"I'm right here." she said coming our from behind them.

"Elizabeth, we have to go, further more we need a way though the mines."

"Can you not make us a path to follow?" she asked.

Turing away Vincent ran his hands over his orb muting words under his breath, before pinching the orb and plunking a piece of light form it before the small ember of light trailed of though the winding tunnels and caves.

"This way." he said following the orb.

And so the others followed on.

Back tracking their way they had just came they soon stopped as they came to face a bridge over a fierce drop, but a section of the bridge at the other end was out.

"That's a problem." said Vincent as he watched as the spark stopped at the other end lighting up the bridge and the gap.

"How are we going to cross it?" asked Theodore.

"We'll have to jump." said Elizabeth stepping back.

"The gap is to far, only magic or a miracle will get you across."

"Then throw me." said Elizabeth.

"No."

"Fine, then catch me." he said and ran across the bridge.

Racing after her Vincent was unable to catch up, but as she dove of and was out of reach of the other side Vincent was able to throw out his staff and with his magic stop her fall and throw up up and on to the ledge. Falling forward he caught as sight of relief, before Theodore shot past throwing his spear in the rock face just bellow Elizabeth. He then jumped over catching hold of his spare and climbing up on the other side before pulling it free. Then in disbelief he watched as Snarlg using his mace swung him self over, leaving him on the other side the others all watched.

"I hope this works." gulped Vincent as he held out his staff and placed one foot out.

Reaching out for some footing he soon found none, and unable to find balance fell down unable and had to grasp on to the bridge. The others raced to the edge and peered over to see he was falling and was almost to far gone. As he fell Vincent plucked his orb from the staff and let it go, it fell slower before it soon shot straight up.

The others where shocked and followed the orb as it shot past them and stood in place as if Vincent was standing there, then he was. Materializing around the orb was the staff and around that was Vincent.

"How did you do that?" they asked.

"I prayed that it would work, and the Orb would take form my fall to the floor up here."

"What if it didn't work?" asked Elizabeth.

"I have no idea."

Soon the flame sparked up again and began to wonder deeper in to the mine.

"Lets go." said Vincent.

And the four carried on though the mines.

Running deep, running far, high and in all directions, it was no easy task to navigate the Moria, the group stopped as they found some corpses to rob.

"How do we know if it's sliver or just metal?" asked Theodore.

"The thing about silver is." started Vincent "It's never dull, and should still shine to this day."

"Well I dare say it's all been picked clean." said Theodore being grossed out "Some of these bodies are already clean."

"Then someone had the same idea as us." said Elisabeth stepping away form a body.

"Yes." nodded Vincent. "But we can not spend a day more in here then we have to besides, we still have the sack."

"Goodness, did everything stay on after your fall?" panicked Elizabeth.

"Yes, but I doubt we have enough to forge anything with it alone, we will still need more silver." said Vincent.

"We don't even know what we need." butted in Theodore.

"Lets carry on, and hope we find some before we leave other wise, our trip might have been for nought."

"Well we can't stay around here." said Vincent "Come on."

Leaving the rotting bodies behind they returned to their stint though the many caverns though the caverns of Moria.

Moving along they came to a junction and as they grouped together the flame had stopped.

"Why isn't it showing us the way."

"I don't know. Maybe I didn't cast it right. I'm only good with moving objects, all this other stuff is hard to get right." he worried "We might not even he anywhere near the exit."

"This is just great." grunted Elisabeth and she leaned against a wall and sighed.

"Are you okay?" asked Theodore.

"Sure." she aid unconvincingly.

"There has to be a reason it stopped." wondered Vincent as he looked around.

"What did I ask for, the quickest way though, so why stop, wait is this our exit." he said tapping the ground.

A shudder shook the ground, and everyone stopped.

"Oh not good." said Vincent.

And then the floor gave way and they dropped down though to a room below.

Landing in a thud the party gave rise to a large cloud of dust that rose out of the room, getting back to their feet they looked around the room. The light was still above them and wile there was a way out the light did not change it's current course.

"I guess we'll have to climb back out." said Vincent.

"At least this room's not as big as some of the others." said Elizabeth looking around.

"Well then let us start."

As they worked on climbing out, Theodore looked around, the room was built like a strong hold, a the door was reinforced with the strongest iron but forged form the of the stone of mountain itself. Looking around most of the room was empty, what few things remind where small crates stacked in two corners with a tarpaulin coated in dust covering them.

Wondering over he pulled it of and dust flew in to the air, he looked away and waved his hand to clear the air. Going back and opened a crate and peeked inside, nestled in with the straw was a blade, looking in to the others he found chest plate, helmet and a pair of boots. Moving other to the others plucking away the sheet that coated them he looked away and shielded himself form the dust, before looking in to the boxes.

Elizabeth was already up and know helping Snarlg up as Vincent stood by and helped prop him up.

"Okay Theodore." he said turning around "Your next."

But Theodore was head deep in crate.

"What are you do…"

Coming out he held a sword, who's blade shone like the sun in the gloom of the room, Vincent was drawn over, no words needed to be sheared.

Wile Elizabeth pulled up Snarlg she reached down her hand. "Come on pass up Theodore." Waiting for him to pop up, he did not come and so she called again. "Can you pass him up." Still nothing.

"What is going on down there?" she asked, hanging her self over the edge.

The two spun around showing off all that they had found.

Back on the journey though the mines they now carried the blade and wore the boots, chest plate, as well as a helmet and shield and gauntlets. Wearing what they could and what would fit them, as and the rest carried in their hands, Elizabeth sported the shield and wore the chest plate, wile Theodore wore the boots and gauntlets carrying the blade with his own spear and Vincent carried the helmet in his bag with the fire stones and last of their Minthril coins.

Making their way carrying on though the flame still lighting their way, they moved further though the mines, as they made their long trek though the winding passage ways, moving up and down, following the guiding spark.

"How much sliver do you think we have?" asked Theodore.

"I don't know." said Vincent "We'll find out ounce we reach light and can see if this is silver, or is it just steel that has just been saved form the decay of time."

"There must be something on worth in our haul that is pure silver, that we may use to forge our own tool to save our people." Insisted Theodore,

"And upon it I will instate form the book a spell of fire."

"Then let us find an exit and prey to the serpents that what we have is pure of silver."

As they carried on they moved further west and deeper in to the maze that is Moria.

Coming towards a long stretch they soon found the spark fading.

"The light is dying." panicked Elizabeth.

"Hurry." called Vincent as he raced forward.

But as the others all ran towards the spark though fear of it's disappearance they soon found it fading faster as it kept up with their speed. Passing a few passages it soon faded away in to darkness, coming to a stop Vincent tried again and again to pull the spark of the guiding light form the orb but every time if fizzled out in to darkness. The others came soon after joining him around the light of his staff.

"We are lost." he said as he let the light from the staff fade.

"We can not give up just yet." said Elizabeth "Let us first see where this path takes us, then we can plot our down fall form there."

"We can not give up." insisted Theodore.

Even Snarlg grunted giving in his own thoughts of the matter.

"Very well." he said giving in lighting up his staff.

Carrying down the main hall they soon came towards the door at the end, they had reached the West Gate.

"Okay know we can plan our demise." said Elizabeth.

"Wait." said Vincent.

Though his own vision the light's of the magic that encompassed the door came to view, in shimmering light blue of glowing light.

"What is it?" asked Elizabeth.

"The same thing I saw of the Elven door, I see here."

"What did you see of the Elven door?" asked Theodore.

"Hush." said Elizabeth.

"The answer to opening this door does not lie in magic, this is to open it from the other side, it's backwards." he said.

"So how do we get out."

"Doors can be opened from both sides." he said and shoving his staff forward and pulled it back.

The great doors of the west gate shifted and slowly opened only but a nudge, but enough to let the light brake though form the out side.

"Come one." called Elizabeth racing over grabbing the door.

Snarlg joined her and the two pulled the door further open, making their way over Theodore and Vincent joined her, and the three of them made such a gap in the door they where able to step out ounce again in to the lands of Middle-Earth.

Stepping out they found them selves looking upon springs of the Sirannon river day light was upon them, but had greatly moved since it's rise over the river.

"Come let us see if our fortune's have been true." said Elizabeth.

Dropping and removing all that they had pilfered from the mines was laid out as the sun light shone done on them, but was soon taken form clouded skies.

"What time is it?" asked Theodore looking to the sky.

The others looked up.

"When we left the light had only pierced the mountains peeks." said Vincent "If our travels, where swift, we'd be lucky to see midday."

"The clouds are blocking our chance of direct sun light." feared Elizabeth.

Everyone looked to the sky as he clouds began to part and the light came down on them ounce more. They watched was the light came down and soon was gone as the light form the sun was gone as it passed over the mountain. Wile still beaming down direct sun light was gone and any hopes of testing their prize with it.

Feeling defeated they all but fell to the ground.

"We must venture fourth." said Vincent braking out the map. "There is hope we can find help at the town south form here trusting we are on the map."

"Then we head there." said Elisabeth getting up. "Grab your things, we are not done yet."

Picking up their dropped loot, they got ready ounce more, Vincent looked at the map and towards the springs that flowed further west.

"We follow the river." he said leading them onwards.