Chapter 14: Old Elves Down in the Deep of Goblin Town

The air was stale and foul-smelling as Gandalf entered the goblin tunnels. Ithilel and Elenath quickly dealt with the bodies of the goblins they had slain and were now slowly making their way down the tunnel, illuminated only by the glow of their elven swords. The rock of the tunnels dripped with moisture and other things that did not bear thinking about. The faint glow of the elven swords barely cast any light, which was both heartening, as it meant the goblins were not very near, but also disheartening, as it meant the dwarves must be far away.

These thoughts were soon banished, however, when rounding a bend, they were presented with the faint flicker of torchlight up ahead.

Ithilel and Elenath both sheathed their swords, not wishing the blue glow of their elven blades to announce their presence to any goblins nearby. Moving smoothly and with practiced ease, Elenath drew two long knives while Ithilel placed an arrow on the string of her short bow.

Darting forward with the speed and agility of the old warrior she was, Elenath slipped around the corner and sliced the throats of the two goblins standing outside the tunnel, silencing their screams before they even began. Moving with equal speed, Ithilel let fly an arrow from behind Elenath that found its way into the heart of a third goblin farther away.

Glancing about as Ithilel quickly placed another arrow in readiness, Elenath beckoned for Gandalf to come out of the tunnel as well.

Gandalf did not bother to check for goblins, knowing his old friends well enough to trust their skills. The old wizard gestured to a rickety wooden bridge that led into the heart of Goblin Town.

The elves merely nodded and bent low, pulling their cloaks close as they moved along the wooden structure, casting glances all around them. They noticed how few goblins were gathered here; only a handful were milling about on the lower platforms, not really seeming to do much other than trying to appear more productive than their fellows without doing any actual work.

Goblin Town was a shanty town made up of rotten wooden platforms and bridges built from wood scavenged over the years from hapless villagers and traveling wagon trains. The structures were precariously held together by ropes and sinews that mostly came from the same unfortunate villagers and travelers from whom the goblins had taken the wood.

The stench worsened the further they traveled into the goblin city. The bodies of their victims, in various states of decay, were spread around the bridges and platforms—some half-eaten, others tied up like grotesque decorations. But it was not only people whose bodies were left to rot or worse; the bodies of goblins who had fallen afoul of their fellows or the unsafe structures could also be seen lying about, some impaled from high falls and others hanging from ropes.

Both elves took grim satisfaction in the death of the goblins, but this was outweighed by the sight of their other victims and growing worry for the safety of Bilbo and the dwarves. While they might not like many of the dwarves, neither elf would wish for any living creatures to fall prey to these monsters.

They met little resistance from goblins; the few that crossed their path were quickly and silently dealt with by the elves. It seemed Gandalf had indeed woven some magic about them that placed them below notice by the goblins on the upper and lower bridges around them.

When they were unsure of the direction, Elenath would draw her sword a fraction, and they would follow the path where the sword's glow was brightest. However, this soon became unnecessary as they noticed dozens of goblins below them carrying massive instruments of torture toward a great cave, from which horrendous singing was emanating.

Clap! Snap! the black crack!
Grip, grab! Pinch, nab!
And down, down to Goblin-town
You go, my lad!

Clash, crash! Crush, smash!
Hammer and tongs! Knocker and gongs!
Pound, pound, far underground!
Ho, ho! my lad!

Elenath glanced at her side and saw Ithilel pulling a disgusted face next to her, prompting the dark-haired elf to whisper, "This is what your songs sound like when you try to make them yourself."

Ithilel stuck an elbow in her ribs in response before moving forward at an increased speed. With the goblins moving beneath them, they no longer needed to worry about being quiet. Even if they had been shouting and banging pans, no goblin would have heard them over the din of their own voices.

Rushing over the wooden bridge and into the greater cave, the three seekers crouched down to look over the edge and into the vast chamber. In the center was a large platform to which all the bridges led in some way or another. Seated on a throne at the platform's center was a massive goblin the size of a cave troll but much fatter, with triple chins and horrific growths protruding from his skin.

Standing before the throne was Thorin's company, surrounded by goblins who were poking and jeering at them. Between the dwarves and the throne was a pile of all their weapons, which the goblins were in the process of divesting them of.

Gandalf surged forward to reach his dwarven companions, but Ithilel hissed, "Where is Bilbo? I can't see him!"

Elenath scanned the group again and shook her head, "Neither can I."

"Once we get the dwarves free, we can ask," interjected Gandalf.

"They'd better have an excellent explanation," Ithilel hissed, as she followed Gandalf and Elenath down toward the throne.

With a swish and smack
And a whip and a crack
Everybody talks when they're on my rack
Pound pound, far underground
Down, down, down in Goblin Town
(Down, down, down in Goblin Town)
Hammer and tongs, get out your knockers and gongs
You won't last long on the end of my prongs
Clash, crash, crush and smash!
Bang, break, shiver and shake!
You can yammer and yelp, but there ain't no help!
Pound pound, far underground
Down, down, down in Goblin Town

The goblins continued to sing, as the elves and wizard descended to the platform, joyful devesting the dwarves of their weapons and presenting them to their king.

Bones will be shattered, necks will be wrung!
You'll be beaten and battered, from racks you'll be hung!
You will die down here and never be found!
Down in the deep of Goblin-town!

The song, however, came to an abrupt end when a goblin removed Orcrist from Thorin's possession. Drawing it from its sheath, the goblin saw what the blade truly was.
Screaming, the goblin threw it away, and the sword fell at the feet of the Goblin King.
"I know that sword!" howled the Goblin King. "It is the Goblin Cleaver! The Biter! The blade that sliced a thousand necks!"
Scrambling back on his throne, the Goblin King signaled for Thorin to be seized and dragged before him.
"Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all!" ordered the Goblin King, before pointing to Thorin and screaming, "Cut off his head!"
The goblins grabbed Thorin tighter as the other dwarves fought fruitlessly to save their prince. One goblin raised a knife to do his master's bidding.
Ithilel swiftly drew an arrow, but before she could loose it, Gandalf commanded,
"Close your eyes!"
Gandalf raised his staff and brought it down onto the wooden floor. As he did so, both elves closed their eyes to protect them from the bright light that followed, but not before Ithilel loosed her arrow. Her aim was true and struck the goblin squarely, just as the others were knocked down by Gandalf's blast.
"Take up arms!" commanded Gandalf as the light faded, revealing the wizard and his elven companions. "Fight. Fight!"
The dwarves needed no urging, surging forward to seize their fallen weapons, not caring who they took them from as long as they held a weapon. Ithilel notched more arrows in quick succession, bringing down any goblins that tried to get in their way. She, too, charged forward, firing as she went, covering the charge of Gandalf and Elenath, Glamdring and Aicarossë shining bright blue in their hands.
"He wields the Foe-Hammer! The Beater, bright as daylight!" screamed the Goblin King before ducking out of the way of Elenath's swing, wailing, "She swings the Bonebreaker! The Rain of Death, crashing down like the darkest storm, crushing bones and drowning us in blood!"
Elenath would have swung again, but she was waylaid by his guards, who she made swift work of, slicing through their weapons and bodies while dodging and ducking out of the way of blows from behind in a deadly but beautiful dance.
Ithilel was doing double duty with her bow and arrows as well as a short knife she held in the same hand as her bow. She picked off any goblins getting too close to undefended dwarves while warding off anyone who came near by stabbing them with an arrow or catching their arms in her bowstrings and driving her knife into their necks. Thank the Valar, she had an elven bowstring, or it would have broken long ago.
This did not last long, as soon the dwarves had armed themselves, and Elenath and Ithilel no longer needed to protect the defenseless. They closed ranks together, Elenath fighting in close quarters and protecting Ithilel as she picked off incoming goblins.
The dwarves managed to reach their weapons and were tossing them from this dwarf to that dwarf. Finally, having gotten into some semblance of order, they charged into battle, shouting war cries of old. Kili sliced through goblins, spraying black blood onto the floor and other goblins, but his haste proved ill-advised, as in his rush, Kili tripped over the bodies of the goblins he had just slain.
Seeing an opening, the Goblin King rose to his feet and charged forward, bringing his mace down on Kili, but the unlucky young dwarf was saved by his uncle when Thorin intervened, deflecting the Great Goblin's blow. But this deflection had an unintended consequence, as the Goblin King's hand bounced up just in time to take the arrow Ithilel would have lodged in his eyes otherwise.
With a frightened howl, the Goblin King fell backward and off the platform, down into the dark below. He sailed down into the abyss, screaming like a coward.
"Follow me! Quick! Run!" ordered Gandalf as he directed the dwarves off the platform and toward a different bridge than the one they had come in on, which was now bustling with goblins running to assist their king.
"Wait! Where is Bilbo?!" shouted Ithilel as the dwarves rushed past her, not bothering to answer. Lurching forward, Ithilel tried to grab Nori's arm but tripped on something smooth and cylindrical on the ground. Looking down as Elenath stabilized her, Ithilel saw that she had tripped on a candlestick that lay next to a pile of very elven items, which she recognized as Elrond's tableware.
"Those thieving little…"
"Later," reminded Elenath as she pulled Ithilel to her feet. "We will deal with this later, never fear."
The escape from the goblin tunnels was much more eventful than their infiltration of them. Goblins were swarming everywhere like termites, but the dwarves seemed to finally be using their brains as they began copying the elves, fighting with the terrain rather than against it. Elenath spent most of the fight covering Ithilel as she shot out the ropes holding the bridges that were not in the direction they were traveling. Gandalf even managed to dislodge a boulder from the roof and send it in front of them to crush the goblins rushing at them. The elves' natural nimbleness served them well.
However, Ithilel only had so many arrows, while it seemed the goblins had endless numbers of themselves and ropes. Soon she was scavenging goblin arrows to supplement her few remaining elven ones.
Just as it seemed they were finally getting toward the end, the Goblin King reappeared, leaping up from the floor and confronting the group.
"You thought you could escape me!" the goblin gloated. "What are you going to do now, wizard?"
Gandalf took that as a challenge and, surging forward, struck the Goblin King in the eyes with his staff before slicing open his stomach with Glamdring.
"That will do it," remarked the Goblin King, as he kneeled before the company.
"I am insulted that you found it in you to acknowledge the swords of my fellows, but not mine," interjected Ithilel before Gandalf could deal the killing blow, as she drew her own sword, its thin silver blade glowing bright blue, illuminating the gold eagle wings that made up the cross guard, the eagle's beak on the pommel.
"This is Manwëaegil, Blade of Manwë," she continued as she placed it at his throat. "I have always been curious what you creatures call it."
"Will you spare me if I tell you?" whimpered the Goblin King, eyeing the blade.
"Of course, as long as we can leave your kingdom in peace, I will not kill you," reassured the elf, with a smile that hid her eyes.
"Skyreaver, the blade that tears through the heavens, bringing down death from above," flattered the Goblin King, whimpering as he spoke.
Ithilel pulled her lips back to show her teeth in what was probably supposed to imitate a smile but looked more like she was about to eat the Goblin King.
Stepping back, Ithilel sheathed her sword and turned her back on the Goblin King before adding,
"You should be more careful with your words and those with whom you are negotiating."
The Goblin King barely managed to make a sound of surprise before Elenath moved like lightning and beheaded the horrible goblin in one swift stroke.
"Well, that was interesting," remarked Ithilel, sarcastically.
"You delayed our escape just to find out what goblins call your sword," said Elenath in a way that sounded like it should be a question, but her tone made it a statement.
Ithilel shrugged, as she turned back around and nimbly leaped forward onto the body of the fallen Goblin King, using his body as a bridge to get to the rocky path on the other side.
Elenath swiftly and nimbly followed before turning to instruct the dwarves to come. However, the dwarves, in their eagerness to escape the goblin caves, all rushed forward at once.
"Don't!" cried out Elenath and Ithilel, in vain as the dwarves' rush destabilized the already precarious bridge, causing it to suddenly plummet downward.
"Mithrandir!"
The two elves watched helplessly as the company dropped further into the mountain, their screams echoing as they fell.
There was silence for a few moments, the goblins staring at the fallen bridge and the fallen king.
Suddenly, cries and shouts broke out behind the elves. Turning, they saw goblins rushing up and blocking the path forward.
"Any suggestions?" asked Ithilel as she placed one of her three remaining arrows on her bow.
Elenath glanced about before pulling her friend backward onto the fallen Goblin King.
"Jump!" she ordered as she leaped up and down on the dead body beneath them.
"What?" screamed Ithilel so that she could be heard over the cries of the goblins

"We need to go down, not jump!"
Ithilel stared uncomprehendingly at her friend, but years of experience and serving alongside her had drilled a certain amount of instinctual obedience and natural inclination to follow Elenath's orders. This led to the goblins, when they arrived at the fallen bridge, seeing two elves jumping up and down on the corpse of their king.
The lead goblin ground to a halt at the feet of his fallen king, causing all the others to crash into his back.
"What are you doing, Wormwood?" snapped an older goblin from behind the leader. "Kill those filthy intruders!"
"They're jumping on the king like a mattress, Screwtape!" exclaimed Wormwood, gesturing wildly with his arms.
"What?!" roared Screwtape as he shoved the smaller goblin aside.
"Farewell, my good fellows, and may the curse of Mandos find you all!" called out Elenath as she and Ithilel landed one last great jump that dislodged the fallen king, sending him and the elves into the abyss below.
"Backwards and downwards!" shrieked Ithilel as they plummeted.
Both elves had drawn their swords and buried them into the back of the giant goblin, holding on for dear life as they fell.
They were both screaming, though more in competition with each other to see who could scream louder than out of fear.
"Well, that could have been worse!" remarked Bofur cheerily from where he was trapped under the bridge.
His words held a touch of irony, Gandalf thought, as he was prevented from dusting himself off by an unholy noise coming from above. It sounded like Ulmo had flooded Aulë's forges while Oromë and Tulkas tried to outdo each other blowing on broken hunting horns.
The grey wizard looked up just in time to see the body of the goblin land on top of the dwarves, with two elves astride the dead creature's back, still screaming.
"You've got to be joking!" groaned Dwalin once Elenath and Ithilel seemed to realize they had come to a stop. Both elves removed their swords from the goblin's back and shakily descended to the ground as the dwarves freed themselves from the fallen structure.
Suddenly, another sound broke through, and glancing up, the elves and dwarves saw a massive horde of goblins descending upon them.
"There are too many! We can't fight them!" exclaimed Dwalin.
"Only one thing will save us—daylight!" returned the wizard as he and the elves frantically pulled the dwarves from their wooden prison.
No sooner was a dwarf free than he began to run. Elenath and Ithilel barely waited for the last dwarf to be pulled out before taking off. Their longer legs and the fear of the horde behind them soon made the elves the leaders of the company. Though unwilling to be in the rear, they did not want to abandon the dwarves entirely.
"This way!" yelled Elenath, plunging into a rock tunnel that led steeply upward for a short while before branching off.
"Left!" screamed Ithilel from behind as her friend faltered. "I sense the trees nearby!"
Without question, Elenath took the left-hand passage, followed by Ithilel and the dwarves, the sounds of their pursuers growing fainter.
When the tunnel broadened, Elenath and Ithilel stepped off to the side to let the dwarves pass, urging them to continue straight.
"Hurry, now!" cried Gandalf from the rear as the dwarves rushed by.
"Where is Bilbo?" shouted Ithilel again, but no one answered her. As the last of the dwarves passed, she turned on her heel, running after them and shouting the question before stopping when she noticed Elenath had not followed.
"Come on! We need to get out before the goblins swarm us and find out what happened to Bilbo!" Ithilel called to her friend, who stood stock-still, staring down another passageway.
"There's nothing there," urged Ithilel as she glanced down the empty passageway. Yet, as she said it, a shiver passed through her body that could not be explained by the wind.
Elenath shook herself and turned to follow Ithilel, muttering,
"For a moment, I thought I sensed something down there."
"What?" questioned her friend as they darted toward the bright light of day up ahead.
"A darkness… a devouring darkness," Elenath answered as they exited the mountain and into the fresh air.
"You're sounding like Nemmirlíë right now," muttered Ithilel to herself as they ran down the grassy hill and between pine trees.