Go down in flames

Into darkness

The first thing I felt was warmth. Not my own but the warmth coming from another creature. I felt arms wrapped around me, carrying me. I felt the the jostling feeling of their steps. I took a deep breath. I could smell the hobbits, dwarf, men and the smell of smoke that came off Gandalf. But the strongest smell was that of the forest. The same smell I remember coming off Legolas. The cool air carried a marsh like sent. I could feel hair on my face. The hair felt different than my own. I opened my eyes slowly with my hand on the dagger in my sleeve. I looked up to see the face of Legolas who was carrying me. He wasn't looking at me and didn't notice I was awake. Uncomfortable with how close I was to him, I coughed. He looked down at me. Surprise crossed his face. Then it went back to his calm strait face. " She is awake." He called out. Then he looked back at me." Lucky for you we have just reached our destination so you don't have to walk at all." He said quietly. He placed me down leaning against a wall.

The moment he put me down Pippin jumped on me and gave me a hug. My muscles tensed but then I hugged him back breathing in the smell of grass that came from his shirt. He pulled back and smiled. " We were so worried! When we pulled you out of the snow your heart was hardly beating and your breathing was shallow. We don't even know how you were still alive, most people would die with such a low heart rate! You were like that the whole way here! But now your okay so it doesn't matter." I sucked a breath in. I went into lerioa. Lerioa is what dragons call when we go into energy preserving where our body slows breathing and heart beat to the lowest minimum. The thing is the lowest minimum for dragons is much lower than any other creature in all of middle earth because dragons can handle more than any other creature. Anyone with any knowledge of dragons would know what I was now. I quickly erased emotion from my face so that Pippin would not see my panic. " Where are we?" I asked seeing that we were no longer in the mountains. "We are going to the mines of Moria." He said happily to get out of the mountains. " What!" I said shocked. Then I heard the soft voice of Gandalf talking to some of the others. " Dwarf doors are hidden so well that sometimes even the makers can't find them if they do not remember their secrets well." " Why does that not surprise me." I heard Legolas mutter. I laughed as Gimli's face went red. But then I remembered our situation. I jumped up and ran over to Gandalf. I appeared in front of the old wizard so quickly that he jumped. " What is it Anas-" He started. I interrupted before he could say my name. " Shadow! And how could you ask what is it! You very well know. I have been in these mines once before and have seen and battled what the dwarves had awakened!" Then I whispered the next part. " And even in my other form I barely escaped with my life! I even have a lovely scare going down my back to prove it." Gandalf sighed looking at me. " We had no choice. The hobbits were going to die up there. I let the ring bearer decide. He picked this way. If we run into........ him I will be the one to battle him. If I do indeed battle him you will get the rest of them out no matter what happens. Do you understand me." I growled. " Fine! but I hope you know what your doing." I hissed. As I walked away I heard him mutter. " I truly have no idea."

I pulled the hood of my returned cloak over my head as the darkness of night settled on the land. Gandalf puzzled over the riddle to open the door. I watched the stars. Each one glittering more brightly than the next. I watched the stars reading them for our position in middle earth and how far away we were from Mordor. My head rested against the cold rock behind me. Even that couldn't make me cold. Sometimes I wish I could feel it. Just to know what it is like. Some that do feel it wish it away but I want it. I crave it. The touch of the northern winds will never chill me. Sometimes I just wish I was normal. I wish I was like everyone else. I sighed.

Suddenly I heard a splash, followed by another and then another. I looked up to see Pippin chucking rocks into the still murky pond frustratedly. I was about to stop him when Aragorn grabbed his arm ruffly. " Don't disturb the water." He said glancing at the pond. I stood up and was up and there in a flash so by the time he looked back I was standing beside Pippin with my hand on his shoulder. When Aragorn turned around he jumped pulling his sword out. I chuckled. " I will never get used to how quickly and quietly you can come up behind me." He smiled. Then he nodded at me and walked away putting his sword back in his sheath. I pulled Pippin away from the water. " Promise me something." I told him. " What?" He asked me with big innocent eyes. " Promise me to keep yourself safe and be careful." " Why?" He asked. I sighed. There was a feeling inside of me that just told me I would not always be there to protect the small hobbit. " Just promise. Trust me." I said in my best attempt at a calming and kind voice. It didn't come out very well. " Promise." Pippin said with an unsure look in his eyes.

I got up and walked to the waters edge. I could see the slightest ripples in the centre of the pond. I was not sure why but they made me uneasy. I heard someone walking up behind me. From the sound of their light foot steps I could tell it was Legolas. " It will take a lot more than that to sneak up behind me Legolas." I said still looking at the water. He came up to my side not looking at me but at the water. " I was not trying to sneak up on you all I was trying to do was come and talk to you. What makes you so nervous around people Shadow?" I didn't say anything hoping he would understand that I didn't want to talk. " You are different Shadow." Then he whispered in my ear. " I do not think you are an elf. Or a man, dwarf or hobbit as a matter of fact. So the question is what are you?" He looked at me giving me a hard cold stare. " Can we not have this conversation here." I whispered giving him a pleading look. " How do I know I can trust you?" He whispered back. " You can't." I whisper back. Then I continued. " But I promise I will explain when we have time....... and away from the others." He nodded and changed the subject. " You hear it too don't you? The water is stirring." He whispered looking at the pond. I shook my head. " I can see it out in the centre if the pond. Ever so slightly." Legolas squinted and then nodded his head in approval. " What ever you are Shadow you must have good eyes because in this dark not even my elf eyes can make it out." I nodded and turned around to walk away. I felt and hand grip my arm and pull me back a step. He had a strong grip. " I am keeping my eyes on you Shadow. My eyes are not easily fooled." He whispered in my ears. I turned around and faced him. My purple eyes burning into his. I brushed a black strand of hair out of my face. " There is nothing to be fooled about. I am what you see. The only thing is are you able to see what is right in front of you Legolas Green-leaf." I hissed. Then I walked away. Thank goodness it's not any darker or my eyes would glow in the dark like a cats.

As I sat down I heard Frodo yell. " Its a riddle!" I ignored him fuming over my conversation with Legolas. He asks how he can trust me! I am putting my life and my race on the line for these people and he asks if he can trust me?! The better question is if I can trust him enough to tell him and know that he will not tell anyone my little secret. He has his eyes on me! It will take a lot more than his eyes to keep an eye on me!

I heard a low rumbling noise. I looked up and saw the door moving in. They had done it. They had open the door that leads to our doom.

We all walked in slowly. I could hear Gimli talking to Legolas about the hospitality of dwarves. Then I heard Boromir yell. " This is a tomb!" I looked around and saw Dwarf skeletons scattered around the floor. At my foot by the tip of my boot lay the scull of a small dwarf. It glistened white in the moon light coming from the door. Legolas walked over to a dwarf and pulled an arrow out. " Goblins." He muttered looking at the tip. Long anguished bellows could be heard from Gimli as he mourned his kin. " We should not have come hear! Everybody out! Get out!" Boromir yelled.

The hobbits were backing towards the door when a long slimy arm reached out of the pond and grabbed Frodo's waste. The other three hobbits grabbed onto Frodo's arms trying to keep him from the monster but they couldn't and the monster slung Frodo into the air above the pond. " Strider!" Frodo yelled for help from Aragorn. Aragorn charged at the beast with his long sword drawn. Boromir, Legolas and I charged at the beast following Aragorn. I pulled out my two light weight swords, one in each hand. I stabbed at the beast. Orange blood spurted out of it into by black dress. An arm reached for me and wrapped itself around my waste. I sliced it off with ease. Aragorn made another slice at the beast and it dropped Frodo. Frodo fell screaming into Aragorn's arms. " Legolas!" Boromir yelled. The blond elf strung his bow and fired arrow after arrow at the beast. I ran inside second last followed by Legolas. The beast had not quite given up on its meal and tried to reach inside after us which caused the walls to come crumbling in on it. Everything went black. I gasped. My eyes will glow. I shut my eyes tight hoping nobody had seen the glow. I felt a hand placed on my shoulder. I tensed. " Don't tell me you are afraid of the dark shadow." I heard the friendly voice of Aragorn in my ear. " No it just caught me off guard." I said laughing. I heard Gandalf strike his staff on the solid rock floor and sensed light in the room once again. I opened my eyes. " The way has been decided, But be on your guard. There are things much worse than goblins and orks in the deep places of the world." I sighed. Here I come after life.