All Shall Fade (LOTR-Wattys 2014)

All Shall Fade - Chapter 16 - Drums in the Deep (LOTR)

All Shall Fade

Chapter 16

Drums in the Deep

Doom, Doom, Doom…

I cringed away from the menacing sound as the Fellowship started looking around in wild panic.

“Mister Frodo!” Sam breathlessly exclaimed as Frodo drew his short sword. It glowed a steely blue.

“What does that mean?” I whispered.

“Orcs.” Legolas growled, answering my question as my breath caught in my throat and Boromir ran to the wooden doors and stuck his head out, but quickly jerked it back as he was narrowly missed by two arrows.

“Boromir!” I cried in alarm as Aragorn threw down his torch.

“Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!” He commanded the Hobbits as he ran to help Boromir close the heavy doors. I didn’t know if he was including me in the command, but nonetheless I dashed over and threw my shoulder against one of the thick doors, slamming it shut as Boromir worked on the other one, just as a loud roar echoed through the mines.

“They have a cave troll.” Boromir breathed sarcastically as my eyes widened.

“Troll?” I squeaked in alarm, thinking back to the massive stone statues I had seen the night Frodo got stabbed on Weathertop. Legolas tossed me a heavy axe that almost bowled me over as I caught it and used it to barricade the door as Boromir and Aragorn did the same, using long spears as a form of locking the only thing standing between us and a bunch of bloodthirsty creatures.

“Alice!” Legolas called me back as I saw him draw his bow and I did the same. As I fitted an arrow to the string I realised that my fingers were shaking and I swallowed hard, trying to conjure up the courage to accept the fact that I was about to kill something. The doors bulged as something outside rammed against it and I began to tremble all over. “Don’t be afraid.” Legolas whispered in my ear as he pulled back his bowstring, “Just pretend that it’s only another target.” I nodded as I aimed at the door, waiting for an opening as Aragorn stood on my other side and took aim.

“Argh! Let them come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!” Gimli snarled viciously somewhere behind me as I took a deep breath, holding it until the moment when I would release my arrow. I watched in horror as black, pointed spears were thrust through the splintering wood of the doors and small gaps appeared. Legolas released his arrow and was rewarded with a chilling squeal of pain as Aragorn followed suit. I picked a hole that a weapon had just been pushed through and waited a millisecond longer, before releasing my arrow. Something screamed and I felt bile rise in my throat as the doors suddenly burst open. I didn’t have time to fire another arrow so instead drew my swords as a crowd of the most hideous creatures I had ever seen ran screaming towards me, and I couldn’t help but take a step back in terror as I caught sight of their cruel, mocking eyes that focused on me, enjoying my fear. As Aragorn, Boromir and Legolas ran yelling into battle I hesitated.

“Kill or be killed.” I reminded myself in a whisper as an Orc caught sight of me and charged. I tightened my grip on my weapons and ran forward, slicing across the creature’s throat and grimacing as foul, black blood splattered my hands. “Keep going, it’s just like training.” I assured myself out loud as I fought on, but my words were drowned out by the sounds of battle. I dispatched another Orc, and drove one sword into the cracks between the armour of another. A few kills later, and back home I would have been classified as a serial killer. I pushed that thought away and pressed on. This was only self defence.