An Unexpected Journey

Chapter Thirteen: The Mysterious Voice

Thalia swallowed nervously approached the stream, she knew that there was a chance that this wouldn’t work but she had to know; it was a secret that she had never told anyone about what happened when she touched water, but she knew it wasn’t an extension of her Hydrokinesis.

Thalia carefully got to her knees at the side of the stream and looked at it, she knew that she had to be quick otherwise she would be left behind and then she would have a problem.

“Okay I don’t know if you can hear me but I need to know,” Thalia said slowly moving to place her hand in the water, she smiled softly as she watched the water run up her hand as if to tell her that the voice was still there; she knew that this was risky but she could tell that it would listen to her.

“I didn’t think this would work with me being in another realm,” Thalia admitted tracing her hand back and forth in the water, she felt a lump form in her throat at the thought of being so far from home; she couldn’t help but wonder if anyone was looking for her.

Thalia took a deep breath, it would be a long time before she saw her home again; she didn’t know who she would be when she went back but she doubted that she would be the same when she did go back.

“I don’t know what to do anymore, I’m not even sure that I belong on this quest… I’m so lost right now that I don’t know what to do,” Thalia said pulling her hand from the water, she sniffled knowing that this had all happened so quickly and now she was in the middle of a quest that she had no idea how to control her life that seemed to be spiralling.

The area around her was quiet and Thalia could hear a calm breeze blowing through the trees, she couldn’t help but wonder why she had been chosen for this.

“Run Thalia,” a voice whispered making Thalia blink, she knew that voice and had heard it all of her life, it was always speaking to her like this and guiding her even when she didn’t realise it.

Thalia looked around as the stream seemed to react to something that she couldn’t see also like the sea during a storm; she pushed herself to her feet trying to work out what threat there was.

“Danger approaches… return to the safety of the company,” the voice ordered making Thalia swallow before she took off in the direction that she had come, she felt an urgency pulse through her as the clouds seemed to darken for a moment as if threatening to rain; she didn’t looked back as she heard the voice urge her to run fast her.

Thalia rushed passed the statues of the trolls hurrying towards where she remembered the company had been heading; she knew that she had to be quick as she felt a strange presence behind her.

“Hurry Thalia,” the voice said making Thalia wonder what she was running from, whatever was behind her couldn’t be good; Thalia was so caught up in her worried thoughts that she nearly ran into Nori.

Thalia just managed to stop herself before she knocked him over, she swallowed a breath trying to calm her heart; the dwarves all looked at her wondering what was going on.

“I erm… I sensed something,” Thalia breathed trying to catch her breath, they all probably thought that she was going out of her mind but she truly had and she didn’t want to tell them about the voice; she had made that mistake once before and it hadn’t ended well.

Gandalf frowned stepping forward, he could sense that there was more to it than that but he doubted she would open up when she was ready.

Suddenly something crashed through the undergrowth revealing a man on a sled being pulled by rabbits, he was dressed in brown and seemed relieved to find the group as he came to a stop before them.

Thalia frowned sensing the same magic essence as that of Gandalf coming from the man, he was another wizard and that he wasn’t the one that the voice had warned her about; she glanced at Thorin who stepped forward as the grey wizard moved to speak with the other wizard.

“Radagast am I ever so glad to see you,” Gandalf said moving to greet his old friend, he knew that the other wizard would know about what he had done as soon as he saw Thalia and he wished to delay that for as long as possible.

Thalia watched the two wizards for a moment as Fíli and Kíli approached her to see if she was okay, they knew that she’d had some sort of fright if she’d run into the clearing like that and it had nothing to do with Radagast the brown.

“You okay?” Fíli asked standing next to Thalia, he knew that something big had to be happening if Thalia had reacted like that; she had been so calm since she had arrived in Middle Earth and only now did she react like that.

Thalia nodded her head watching the two wizards talking, she didn’t know what it was but she had the needed to move away from this clearing before it was too late.

“Thalia,” Thorin called softly making her move away from his nephews, he knew that if she was right then they were in trouble and the last thing that he wanted was something happening to Thalia even if he did trust his nephews.

***

“Is that what I think it is?” Radagast asked returning to the main group, his brown eyes locked on Thalia; he had heard rumours of what Gandalf had planned for this company but he couldn’t believe that he had done it.

Thorin frowned moving Thalia out of sight, he didn’t know what it was but he had a feeling that a lot of people would be interested in Thalia when they saw her; there was something about her that gave away the fact that she wasn’t from this world.

“You brought another being from another world here,” Radagast said excitedly, he made a step towards where Thalia was making Thorin rest a hand on his newly acquired sword while the rest of the company seemed to tense as they prepared for something.

Gandalf chuckled resting a hand on the shoulder of the other wizard and quickly stole his attention away from Thalia; he could see that it wouldn’t end well of Radagast tried to approach the witch especially since she now seemed to be under Thorin’s protection.

Suddenly the air was filled with a sharp howl making Thalia jump slightly, she swallowed as the dwarves all moved closer and looked around, and she glanced at Bilbo who moved closer to the group.

“Was that a wolf?” the hobbit asked making Thalia swallow, she might not have been from this world but she knew that there was no way that that could have been a wolf’s howl.

However before anyone could answer Bilbo a large snarling beast leapt from out of nowhere and at the dwarves; Thalia squeaked in surprised as it rushing forward, she swallowed knowing that this was it.

Thorin pulled his sword from its holder and prepared for the attack, if this was going to happen then he was going to be prepared; the warg snarled as it launched itself from the high ledge and at the dwarves.

Thalia felt her life flash before her eyes knowing that this could be the moment that cost her, her life; she choked back a noise as she heard something in her ear.

“Defend yourself Thalia,” the voice shouted as the warg closed in.