Insanity | A Hobbit Fanfiction

Chapter 15

"Mm. And just how many did you bring?"

"Ah, 13. And a hobbit."

"/Fourteen/? Zephira, I must say, I am impressed."

"... You are?"

"Yes! That must have taken much effort to make them all unconscious."

"Oh. Well, Kellain helped a lot."

Lucretia's eyes flickered over Zephira's shoulder. "Who is /that/?"

She looked behind her. "/That/ would be Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of-"

"Thror, yes, I know the history." A smile pulled at her lips. "Have you Claimed him yet?"

"Have I-? Oh, no! No no no! No. I-I haven't, um, no."

"Good." She nodded. "I think I will." She turned to walk away.

Zephira's eyes widened. "No!" She winced when she said it, and Lucretia turned around.

"What is it?"

"Uh... What I meant was, I haven't Claimed him /yet/. I was, uh, planning on it, though."

"Well alright then. He is yours." She seemed to be slightly disappointed. "I will... Find another." She gave her another smile and walked away.

Zephira let out a breath and slumped down. She knew she shouldn't, but Mother Mäläi frightened her. A lot.

"Oh, Zephira?" She suddenly called over her shoulder.

"Yes?"

"How long will you be staying?"

"Three days, three nights."

"Perfect, we will have a party on your third night."

Zephira nodded and turned to go find the dwarves.

She found Kili sitting down with a witch- which one she wasn't sure, her back was facing her- and Fili standing a bit off to the side, glaring at them.

The witch had only just sat down, and gave Kili a strange (yet flirtatious) look. "I've never seen a beardless dwarf." She said, and touched Kili's face in her hand. Her eyes traced every inch of his face. "However, it suits you."

Her beautiful eyes pierced his, and he couldn't help the words that came out of his mouth, "I've never seen a women in such little clothing. However, it suits you."

It was true, her dress only covered her chest where it needed to be covered, leaving her stomach bare, and only fell to mid-thigh.

His eyes widened, and the witch laughed. "Why thank you, um...?"

"Kili, at your service."

"Kili." She looked him over again. "You should never offer your service to a witch. She might take it the wrong way."

"Would you?"

"Hmm," Was all she said. After a moment, she said, "My name is-"

"Nex, stop flirting with men you don't know." Zephira interrupted, sitting down beside her.

"Like that ever stopped /you/." She countered. She looked back at Kili. "And he's not a man. He's a dwarf."

"I meant it in the general sense."

"Even so, he's barely a man." She touched his face again, letting her fingertips trail over his stubble. "Hasn't even got a beard." She stood up quickly and walked away, only throwing a casual, "I'll be seeing you later, Zephira," over her shoulder.

Kili stared after her as she walked away, mouth hanging open slightly.

Zephira and Fili both frowned at him. "Close your mouth, Kili. You'll swallow a fly."

He snapped his mouth shut and shook his head. He blinked a few times. "I- what?"

Zephira pursed her lips. "That was Nex. She's a Syren, and a strong one at that. She means no harm, though. She was only having a bit of fun."

"That's not /my/ idea of fun." Fili growled.

"It is to witches. Stay alert, or you'll end up in their beds faster then you can say 'seduce.'"

"But... What happened?" Kili asked innocently, still confused.

Zephira sighed. "She used her voice. Syrens do that. They can make you do... Almost anything."

Kili licked his lips, remembering something she had said earlier. "And... You're part Syren?" He asked slowly.

"Yes. But, my powers /usually/ only work when I'm singing."

"Usually?" Fili inquired.

"Usually,"

Realized that he was getting nowhere with her, he switched the topic. "Should we watch out for /all/ of them?"

Zephira thought for a moment. "Well, Kellain is no threat. And Nex's younger sister, Nox, she's... She's not dangerous at all. Um... Niobe. She's..." She thought. "Safe? It's hard to know, really, which are trustworthy." She sighed. "Realistically, don't trust any of them...Even me." She added softly. So softly, in fact, that the brothers couldn't be sure if she really said it or not.

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Sorry this one took so long, I wasn't sure what I wanted to have happen... I hope it turned out okay!

I really have nothing to say here, except for the usual 'vote and comment' stuff I always say. So yeah. Vote and comment :)