[Child of the 7th Age]

Child's post

Lenwe could hear the sounds of battle and strife beginning to issue from the front of the cavern. Already, some of the captives within his care had found their way to the long rope and were slowly climbing towards the great hole in the ceiling. Others waited patiently on the ground for their turn to begin their ascent.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, one of the captive Elves appeared at the back of the cave. He was panting and holding his sides. "Wait, stop, there's more of us. I just found out that the dragon sent a group of folk into the underground tunnels to hunt for precious metals."

"Underground tunnels?" Lenwe looked up in surprise. "You mean that there are other passages leading out from here?"

"Not leading out, but leading down into the bowels of the earth. This is where the wyrm secured his metals."

"I will not leave hostages to die in some old mine shaft," Lenwe exclaimed. "You keep the others climbing upward on that rope and I'll go try and find the ones who are in the underground tunnels."

With that he turned and was ready to leave when a familiar voice from the band cried out to him.

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Nova's post

"I am coming with you," Lostlondwen cried at Lenwe. He was just about to run for it, to help the hostages.

Lenwe looked at her and listened. "My mother is one of them," she continued. Tears were in her eyes, but she couldn't cry, not now. Lenwe saw her need and gave a nod. "Follow me," he whispered.

Lenwe gave a sign to follow him, and to be very silent. From the front of the cavern they could hear the growls of the beast and the sound of swords clashing. If the dragon figured what they were up to, he might turn around and .... Lostlondwen didn't dare think about it. This was all so frightening.

From the direction where the rest of the company was, the dragon's voice grew louder. Lostlondwen, however, couldn't hear exactly what was going on. Lenwe led the way. They went a few paces to the west and then they turned to the east. The company was still not far away, neither was the dragon. It almost seemed that the little cave bent in a hundred different directions without really leading any further towards the underground tunnels.

From a few paces away they could see a light shimmer in the dark. When they came closer and crept by, they could see the dragon and the company just to their left. "We have gone behind it?" Lostlondwen asked Lenwe with great wonder in her voice. Lenwe nodded, and they continued pacing east. A few more steps and they came into a tunnel, inside there was light. "We are going around in circles," Lenwe said and sighed. "Come on," he said after a pause, Lostlondwen followed.

It so appeared that they really were going inside the walls in a small and narrow tunnel bending around the whole cave. Where the dragon was now, was really the centre of this whole stony place. As they were drawing near the underground tunnel, they heard voices.

Lenwe, drew his sword. "Just in case," he assured Lostlondwen. They walked as silently as they possably could. Lostlondwen drew a breath. Calm down, she told herself. With a good look at Lenwe, she entered the tunnel, pacing downward for another 100 feet. Suddenly she stopped. There on the floor, a few bodies lay on the dusty ground. It was a terrible sight. Their clothes were dirty and torn. It was even hard to tell if they were dead or alive. They all lay there as if they were not capable of doing something else.

Lostlondwen didn't hesitate to run over. She bent down, and found a few Elves, two dwarves, and last of all her own mother.

"Mother," she cried out. The woman looked up and stirred at seeing the Elf, who appeared to be her own daughter. It was her, and she is alive, the young elf thought. Lostlondwen slung herself around her mother's neck and hugged her. "You came," her mother said in a low voice. Lostlondwen didn't let go of her mother's neck, they just sat there, both of them. They didn't say anything more, they had no words. The others stirred at them, but seemed happy that finally someone had found them. Everything was going to be fine.

Lenwe checked the others, some were in a bad state. "We should try to get them out of here," he said in a determined voice. "If everyone can gather up, we'll find a way out, together." Lostlondwen helped them to get up, and tried to hold them up. "Come on," Lostlondwen commanded. "What about the others?" It was Lossentilien, Lostlondwen's mother who finally had found any words. "The others?" Lostlondwen asked. "Are there more?" she continued. Lossentilien gave a nod. And pointed deeper in the tunnel. "They are working now, for the Dragon." She muttered. "They'll come back in a few hours."

Lenwe looked confused, just as Lostlondwen did. This was a detail they hadn't counted on. What were they supposed to do now? At last Lenwe spoke: "We'll try to take you, out first, then look for the others?" Most of them agreed and followed Lenwe into the tunnel again. Lotlondwen held her mother up, she wasn't able to walk herself. The male elf was in the lead, Lostlondwen and her mother, went in the back.

The group followed the tunnel's bending, the same way Lenwe and Lostlondwen had gone just minutes before. They came to the spot where both of them had discovered the fact about them going behind the dragon, and now they could all get a glimpse of the things going on with the other party fighting the beast.

Elentari swung her sword, and Vrain was at her side. Lenwe was still in the lead, when they left the opening and continued walking in the 'everlasting' tunnel.

"The light," Lostlondwen burst out. The others turned to look, what she was talking about. "Not that way," Lostlondwen said. "There," she pointed upwards. There, just over their heads, and right by the exit of the tunnel, a big hole was seen. "We can get up there, and out," Lostlondwen continued. Lenwe stirred at the opening figuring out how they could do it. "We need a rope," Lenwe said at last. Where had that blasted rope gone? There were murmurs in the group. "There was a rope where you found us," a short male dwarf burst out. "I'll get it," he continued.

No one had the chance to stop him or follow him before he was halfay through the tunnel, and they couldn't see him anymore. The others sat down, and had a rest, while waiting.

Time passed. People were getting anxious for the young dwarf, just when he turned up with a smile on his face. He gave the rope to Lenwe, and muttered something about the dragon binding them at night. Lenwe, however, was more busy binding the rope around his waist. "I'll climb, and I'll drag one at a time upwards," he said. "But.." Lostlondwen didn't get he chance to argue about him climbing, before he was halfway up on the wall, and reaching for the hole.

"I'll go last," Lostlondwen decided. She made the them all line up in a queue, and after turn they dissapeared through the hole, where they helped Lenwe drag the others.

"Last one," Lostlondwen muttered. "Mother, go, I'll come after." Lossentilien denied, but had really no choice, this was after all Lostlondwen's call. Lossentilien's daughter, bound the rope around her waist and made her hold tight. Lostlondwen, gave thereafter, a sign to Lenwe to draw. "I love you," Lossentilien said to her daughter before she was dragged up. "I love you too," Lostlondwen replied.

But this time something went wrong. Lostlondwen's mother didn't hold quite as tight as she had too. Maybe she hadn't strength enough, Lostlondwen thought, but she really didn't know. With a roar she loosened something in the wall, and a big opening appeared. At the same time, she fell down on the floor and let out a big: "Ouch!"
Lostlondwen ran towards her and was about to get her up when two eyes, filled with great evil from the opening in the wall, appeared.
From up above she heard the desperate voice of Lenwe, telling her to run. But she couldn't. She had to stay, stay with her mother.

With tears in her eyes, she arose. Lostlondwen grabbed at the same time the hilt of her sword, and swung it. She missed. "Watch out!" There was yelling from outside the tunnel too, the rest of the company.

The dragon walked simply into the wall, and the wall's opening grew even bigger. At that time, Lostlondwen was ready for a second swing with her sword, but she was hit by the dragon first, with great force. She stumbled over the many stones laying on the ground. Lostlondwen fell and felt the pain growing. Few moments after, she heard a sigh when her mother got hit too. Lossentilien landed on Lostlondwen and she could hear her mother's troubled breath.

Neither mother nor daughter were witnesses to the rest of the fight as their own pain engulfed them. Only now and then, they could hear screams coming from the front of the cave to which the dragon had again retreated.

They were only following their inside fights. Both their spirits were in doubt, whether to leave; to the Halls of Mandos, or to keep on fighting; to see Middle-earth's beauty again.

[ July 15, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]