There and Back Again

I only slowly regained consciousness. My head felt as if it was about to explode and any movement, no matter how small, would contribute to me never being able to get up again.

Jesus.

What had happened?

For the life of me, my brain couldn't remember. It was struggling to form any coherent thought whatsoever. As if I'd gotten so unholy drunk that I could barely remember my own name. Except that hangovers had always felt different. Because I didn't feel sick. And I wasn't thirsty either. Only the dizziness was just as bad.

No.

It was impossible to get up now or even open my eyes. I needed another moment. Just a little while. My body was as weak as a newborn's, but the longer I lay there with my eyes closed, the faster the memories came back.

Maglor.

The Silmaril.

A bang.

And something that felt like someone was ripping me in two from the inside.

The images flooded by in rapid bursts, triggering a searing headache that plunged through the top of my skull like a needle. I let out a whimper and curled up into a ball. My cheek brushed against something that felt like grass.

I instinctively opened my eyes and immediately regretted it. Although hardly any light touched the ground, it was enough to cause two more needle-like headache attacks. Still, I pushed myself up until I bumped my back against the bark of a tree. I had been right: It had been grass, because I was in a forest. I closed my eyes briefly, then forced myself to open them again, more carefully this time.

A forest. What forest? And how had I gotten here? Why was I alone? Where were the others? What the hell had happened?

I groaned. Everything was spinning.

Don't. Think. So. Much.

I let my gaze fix on a point hovering above me. It was round and black and didn't look like it belonged here at all. But my vision, like my head, remained blurry.

With a clumsy motion, I wiped my eyes and squinted. The dot had gotten bigger. It was moving. Faster now and in my direction.

Although a part of me sensed that I should get up and run away as fast as my weak legs would carry me, I stayed seated, paralyzed. Unable to do anything but stare. Only my eyes followed the ball, which kept growing. The closer it got, the clearer it became that it wasn't an ominous meteorite that was going to come crashing down from the sky right onto me, but a creature. A creature with eight legs and clicking mandibles.

Fuck.

The survival instinct kicked into my exhausted limbs so violently that it felt like I had been injected with a syringe. Following my gut instinct, I rolled to the side and escaped the creature's attack. It crashed to the ground next to me and into the tree, which must have been painful because it made a sound that was the closest thing to a hiss.

I didn't have time to ponder or wonder why a car-sized spider had attacked me, as the creature recovered surprisingly quickly. I could think of nothing better than to crawl backwards on my hands and feet, my head throbbing so strongly that I was on the verge of losing consciousness again. But if I did that, I would die. That was out of question.

The beast launched its second attack, leapt forward and snatched at me. Once again, I rolled to the side, landed on all fours and staggered to my feet. The dizziness almost made me fall over again, I stumbled and made a sidestep to catch myself. That saved me from the creature's next strike, which came to nothing.

Shit, what was happening here? Where were my weapons? My hand went to my belt, where the knife should have been, but there was nothing there. I remembered too late that I had sunk it into the throat of an orc on my escape through the grassy plain and hadn't seen it again since. The spider immediately took advantage of my brief moment of distraction.

It was over me with unnatural speed, dragging me to the ground. Its mandibles gripping my neck and squeezing so tightly that I couldn't breathe. With panicked, trembling fingers, I tried to push the animal off of me, but to no avail. Its grip only tightened.

Then I remembered the dagger I always wore on my ankle as a backup. I hadn't lost that. It was my luck that I could still move my arms freely, because I managed to pull the dagger out of the strap that held it in place. The blade wasn't particularly big, but it would have to do.

My arm went up and dug into the creature's body. Immediately my neck was free and the beast scuttled backwards, the sounds of pain it made so terrible that I wanted to cover my ears. I hadn't let go of the dagger, blinking with a gasp, and then crawled back a little further. I had to get up.

Now.

RIGHT NOW.

For fuck's sake!

With the last bit of strength I could muster, I got to my feet once again. But instead of attacking, the spider kept its distance. All its eyes were on me. As if it was waiting for something. Backup?

Its mouth clicked. And it received an answer.

The blood curdled in my veins as multiple clicks sounded all around me. They had to be everywhere: Above me, next to me, in front of me. The instinct to flee was so strong, the fear so great, that without even checking whether I was running into another spider, I turned around and sped off.

There was no path, no direction. I burst through the forest, headless and full of panic, my heart drumming in my chest. The pain was forgotten for the moment, I just wanted to get away. As far and as fast as possible. Christ, where on Arda had I ended up? And as I was dodging branches and jumping over roots, I knew. I knew where I was! The small triumph gave me another adrenaline rush, which I put fully into my escape. It was the same forest where I had first met Legolas' kin and, a little later, his terrifying father. Eryn Lasgalen, Mirkwood. That also explained the exceptional huge spiders. However, before I could waste another thought on it, the clicking behind me became louder again. The spiders were chasing me and they were fast.

With a quick glance over my shoulder, I tried to gauge how close they were, but couldn't make out anything. Only the pattering of dozens of hairy feet urged my body to run even faster, although I knew my energy was limited. I only did what I did because the adrenaline was racing through my veins like gasoline in a freshly refueled car. It made me reactive. Pure intuition.

And that was my mistake.

Right in front of me, a huge, oversized net appeared out of nowhere. I realized too late that they had been trying to herd me towards this very spot. I couldn't do anything, I couldn't stop, I couldn't avoid it – I ran straight into it. The sickening sticky threads clung to my clothes, an adamant promise of death from which I would never escape. Like a fly, I began to squirm as the spiders closed in fast. I was their prey, their dinner, their trophy.

Part of me just wanted to give up, hold still and let it wash over me. I was tired of fighting and then losing again. But a much bigger part of me refused to die. Even though I had no idea why I was back in Mirkwood, I hadn't gone through all this trouble to be eaten by the children of Ungoliant. That's why I mobilized powers I didn't even know I possessed.

With superhuman strength, I tore free my arm holding the dagger and used it to cut the sticky net.

One cut, then another, and I was free.

But the small delay had given the spiders an advantage. Because when I fell to the ground, I could already see them rushing towards me. There were so many of them: Small ones, big ones, young ones, old ones. They came from all directions, surrounding me. The only way to escape was through the net.

So I went for it.

Stumbling, I ducked under the destroyed web and pushed my aching legs to make one last effort. Where I was going? I didn't know. Could I escape them? Probably not. But maybe, just maybe, Thranduil's forest guard would help me, just like last time. Maybe I had made enough noise to alert the elves. Anything was fine with me, even the cells of the Woodland Realm, as long as I didn't end up as food for a baby spider, wrapped in the white cords of a deadly cocoon.

Chance was kind to me, because after a few more minutes of cross-country running, I came across a signpost that I nearly overlooked in my haste. It indicated where the forest road led through Mirkwood. A help for lost hikers like me. With my heart beating wildly, I looked around, the spiders still at my back, then decided to follow the barely visible path. If fate offered me this opportunity, then I would not ignore it and choose a different path.

It was easier to run over the old stone tiles that covered the path in this section. Even if they were overgrown and hard to see in some places. I managed to put more distance between me and my chasers. Every meter was a gain. But then, just as I was beginning to hope that I wouldn't die in the spiders' grasp, something dropped out of the trees right in front of me.

I skidded to a halt, panting from the running. Where had that creature come from so suddenly? Their relatives were still behind me. Then I realized it was the one I had injured, for it was shedding black blood that dripped slowly onto the ground. It must have chosen a different route from that of its brothers and sisters – hoping to catch me before they did.

My grip on the dagger tightened. We measured each other with glances. Then, without warning, it attacked. Quick and furious.

I dodged it as best I could but tripped over a root that had grown across the path. As if in slow motion, I lost my footing. The impact sent a sharp pain through my sternum and made me cry out in agony. Numb, I lay there for a heartbeat. That was enough for the spider to close the distance. Within an instant it was over me a second time, its mandibles snapping at my neck again. I should have fought back, but my legs simply wouldn't allow it. I was too exhausted from the previous attacks and the escape. With a final, desperate lunge, I plunged the dagger into the creature once more, this time hitting one of its sensitive eyes.

It screamed and retreated. But not far enough for me to really be out of its reach. Still, I crawled backwards, eye to eye with the spider, as if that would save me from its next strike. Its gaze was so full of hatred that it sent shivers down my spine.

Then several things happened at once: an arrow and a knife whizzed through the air above my head, piercing into the spider, and I bumped into something that felt soft and hard at the same time as I continued my pathetic attempt to put distance between myself and the creature.

"Careful, firieth**," said a familiar voice above me. I craned my head up, my vision finally clear. And what I saw made a relief rise up in my chest that was greater than any feeling of fear I had felt until a moment ago. It bubbled up inside me like champagne fizz.

"Oh thank heavens!" It was Legolas. He had saved me, literally in the nick of time. My voice broke. "Where have you been?" After all, Gimli and Beleg had to be here somewhere. Or were they?

Euphoria rushed through my body so fiercely that I finally managed to stand up. I knew we didn't have time, the other spiders would be here soon, but the weight that had fallen from my heart when I had recognized his voice had been bigger than the moon. Overjoyed, I threw my arms around him and... was grabbed by the back of my neck.

The Elf pulled me away from him as if I were not much better than the spider he had just killed. He stared at me aghast. His eyes searching mine for something familiar, but couldn't find it. Moments later, four more elves burst through the woods, one of them yanking me back by the arm so that I crashed against an unfamiliar chest. "Get away from him, woman."

We continued to stare at each other, me still breathing violently, then Legolas blinked as if waking from a dream and said, "Who are you and why have you crossed the borders into the Woodland Realm?"

** Mortal (female)