Go down in flames

The darkness gathers part 2

A loud terrible screech echoed around the room burning in my ears. Pain sparked in my back along the thin line that made the long scar on my back. I gasped at the sudden painful sensation. Legolas steadied me with his hand. " Run!" Gandalf yelled. Not wasting a second Legolas swung me into his arms. I hissed at the sudden movement. " What the heck are you doing!" I screeched. All I would do is slow him down. He ignored me his eyes focused on where he was going. Another roar echoed through the caves. I went rigid. I closed my fists so tight that my long nails dug into the palm of my hand drawing tiny scarlet droplets of blood. Legolas ran smoothly over the stone ground. We reached a long bridge. I looked over the edge and saw a large drop that seemed to have no bottom. I shuttered at the thought of falling. The fellowship ran out onto the bridge. They stopped at a large gap in the bridge. Part of the bridge crumbled off behind us. Put me down. I thought commandingly knowing Legolas would hear. " No!" He said determinedly. Legolas Greenleaf you put me down now. I growled in my mind using the voice that belonged to my dragon form. This time he obeyed putting me down gentility on the stone.

Dull pain crept up my leg but I ignored it with a grimace. Legolas grabbed Pippin as Boromir grabbed Mary and together they jumped to the other side. Gandalf followed them. As he jumped I heard a loud crack and about a foot of the bridge fell off. Chunks of rock fell off into the oblivion under the bridge. I picked up Sam and a ripping pain hit my arm. I pushed through it and tossed Sam to the other side. I jumped back landing on my back as another foot of rock fell off. Pain from my scar flared up in my back. I let out a low groan. Aragorn came forward and pulled me up. " Thanks." I whispered. He nodded. Gimli took a running jump his small stubby legs moving rapidly. He jumped. He sailed through the air flailing a little bit. His feet his the other side but it was not enough. " Gimli!" I screamed taking a step forward. Quick as lightning Legolas's hand shot out and grabbed onto Gimli's dull red beard. " Not the beard! Not the beard!" Gimli yelled as Legolas quickly pulled him up. I laughed with relief. He was safe. " Your turn." Aragorn said nudging me forward. " No!" I said. " You two go first!" I said motioning to him and Frodo. He gave me one look and I knew I had no choose but to go. " I'm going to jump!" I called to the other side my dark purple eyes met Legolas blue/ green eyes. He nodded understanding what I meant. I can't get far enough you will have to catch me. I took a deep breath of the damp cave air and leaped into the air. For a split second it felt like I had wings again and I was going to fly to the top of the cave covered in glittering black scales. But then I started to fall. Not the fun kind of fall like the death spiral I do in dragon form but a terrifying uncontrollable fall. My mind raced. I was about to fall past the rocky edge and plummet hundreds of feet to my death. Suddenly I felt warm hands grab tightly onto my waste. I gasped as I was quickly yanked upward. I stumbled and landed into Legolas's arms. I was trembling violently. This was a new experience for me. Not being in control in the air. He pulled me into a hug as I shook in his arms. My heart was racing as I realized how close I was to death. Why hadn't I transformed? Why couldn't I control my fear. I was being emerged in thousands of new emotions that I had never felt before and I didn't like it. It felt like death was chasing me and this time it's long dark fingers had almost grasped me. The more I thought the more I shook.

But then something inside of me clicked. There was still two people stuck on the other side of the gap. I stopped shaking, mentally slapping myself until my mind cleared and I went back to normal. Legolas felt the change through our now connected minds and he let go of me. I took a step away and peered over to where Frodo and Aragorn were. Pure terror was etched on Frodo's face. His eyes looked wild. I searched for his scent and found fear in it but also the determination to live. Aragorn was Frodo's opposite he looked calm and ready for what ever came. But I could tell that he would do whatever it took to get Frodo across even if it cost his own life. There was a low rumbling crack and the platform they were standing on started to tip threateningly forward. I took a step back seeing that it was going to fall where I was standing. Aragorn wrapped his arms tightly around Frodo as they fell. The moment their platform hit ours with a loud boom Aragorn jumped pulling Frodo with him. They landed ruffly on our large stone platform. I ran forward to stable them catching them in my arms before they fell over. There was another loud roar. That motivated everyone to move. My mind snapped back to the task at hand. My body now ached with pain from my earlier wounds and catching Aragorn and Frodo just added to the pain. Legolas came up beside me and carefully wrapped my small arm around his sturdy shoulders. We ran quickly matching everyone's else's pace. The orange fiery light grew brighter in the cave as the Boulrog got closer. I held on tightly to Legolas like he was my life line, because he was. I heard the Boulrog chasing us but I dare not look back. We sprinted across the narrow bridge and then suddenly Gandalf turned around his grey beard flying. I looked back and saw the large Boulrog as he stopped right in front of the bridge. He was a large demonic looking creature completely covered in torch like flames. He had a small head with two fiery horns producing from the top of his head. He let out a loud bellow.

Everything became slow motion and I seemed to go deaf. Icy pain ripped through my back along my scar caused by being so close to the creature who had given me the scar. When dragons get a scar they will hurt when close to the giver of the scar like a warning to danger. Gandalf yelled something at the Boulrog that I could not here over the pain. I pitched over because of the pain. Legolas held me up but I could tell he felt a lighter version of my pain through our bond by the grimace on his face. Whatever Gandalf was doing was not working. I took a shaky step forward untangling myself from Legolas's arms. I started the transformation. My pain increased terribly. This was the slowest transformation I had ever been through because of how weak I was. I felt black wings push through my back and my teeth grew longer and sharper. My nails became claws. My cloths were starting to become scales when Gandalf yelled at me without even looking back. " Anastasia you stay back and protect them!" His voice sounded old and tired but commanding. " No! I'm not leaving you!" I yelled at him. My heart was pounding in fear. " You have to protect them! I did not want to do this but, Anastasia it is your duty to protect elves and there is an elf in the fellowship thus you must go!" He yelled. My heart sunk as I changed back to human form. At this point the fellowship was speechless. They had just seen their friend almost change into a full grown dragon. I fell back a bit in weakness and the fellowship scattered away from me. They all did but Legolas. Legolas caught me in his arms. I let out a breath. I had never felt so weak before. Everything was a blur. But one thing cut through my foggy mind as I watched Gandalf helplessly. I heard his voice. " You shall not pass!" He yelled at the Boulrog." He struck his staff on the done bridge. The Boulrog took one step onto the bridge and it crumbled beneath him. The Boulrog tumbled out of sight. I smiled. Gandalf had done it we were all alive. But then to my horror the boulrogs whip wrapped around Gandalf and pulled him down. Gandalf's face went slack. Gandalf was on the edge of the bridge just barley holding on. His loving blue eyes meet mine. " Run fools!" He said weakly before falling. At that point I was in such a weak state that I didn't even understand that I had just lost my oldest friend and the closest thing I had to a father. Legolas lifted me of the ground and carried me out of the cave swiftly.

We burst into the blinding sunlight. We were on a rocky slope on the other side of the mountain. Legolas placed me on the ground gently. I need to heal your wounds. He said through our bond. I nodded gritting my teeth. " What is that thing!?" Gimli's horrified voice sounded behind me. I winced at his use of the word thing. " She is a Dragon." Legolas said sounding angry. Gimli let out a bellow of rage obviously thinking of Smaug. " Quickly he is under her spell." I heard Boromir's voice. Suddenly Legolas disappeared from above me. Gimli appeared with his axe. His face was contorted with rage. " Dirty dragons. All you care about is gold! What was your plan?! To gain our trust and then slauter us in cold blood?" He swung his axe. " No!!" I heard Legolas scream. I rolled out of the way just in time. Gimli's axe hit the stone with an ear shattering ring. I weakly pulled myself up. " Gimli stop! Let me explain!" I tried to reason with him. " So you can trick me with your words!" He shouted angrily. " Gimli I am your friend. I will not hurt you." I tried again. I looked over Gimli's head and saw Legolas trapped in Boromir's arms. He struggled panicked. " Stop! Stop! she means no harm." He screamed. Aragorn and the hobbits looked to shocked to do anything but watch. I did not blame them. They had just watched their dear friend die and their other friend turn into a dragon. " Dragons are no friend of mine!" He screamed and swung again. I move out of the way of his sharpe axe. I met Legolas's horrified eyes. " I am sorry." I murmured. Adrenaline pumping through my veins I shifted quickly into a dragon. My body now so large that I accidentally knocked over Gimli. There was a long gash on my chest as well as one on my back leg and on on my front. I locked back and saw the long pale scar going down my back the white of the scar the opposite of my pitch black scales. I let out a low growl and took off flapping my wings hard.

A few hours later I crashed to the ground knocking over a few trees. I slowly changed back to my human form. I closed my eyes no longer able to remain conscious and everything became a world of darkness.

Oh no! What now? I just want to say this I don't hate Gimli it's just how I happened to portray him in this chapter. I know This chapter was a little short but I just felt like ending it there.