Calm The Fire

34

Stepping slowly and quietly down, they looked to Bard. "It's this way."

"Want anyone to come with you?" Fíli asked.

"I'll be quicker on my own," Bard said and took a step forwards only to stop and turn to look back at them. "Be safe." He said lowly while turning and running off and disappearing into the thick smoke, his form was lost in seconds.

"Is this what confronted them at the Mountain, do you think?" Bofur whispered as they tentatively walked along the unsafe boarding of the path. In places there was no wood at all. There was a gaping dark hole and the cold water of the lake underneath looking up at them.

"I'd rather not think about it." Náriel said quietly while looking up from underneath her current shelter. It used to be a porch of some sort. All that it was now was slanting tiles and smouldering wood.

"There's the tower," Fíli pointed from her side only to suddenly duck down. They all pressed themselves against their shelter as much as possible as the form of the dragon flew overhead. Shutting their eyes they tried not to cough as the heavy black smoke hit against them. It wasn't just the smell of burning wood, or foliage. But it was also the smell of death. The decaying smell of burnt flesh. It was truly stomach churning the whole mixture of it.

Looking back over the shattered porch, they all exchanged a look. "It was a pleasure knowing you two." Bofur said while readjusting his hat and shaking both of their hands.

"And you," Fíli said awkwardly while slowly looking to Náriel.

Sighing and bowing her head she looked between them. "We will live through this." Bofur let out a short laugh. "We will!"

"That's forced optimism, lass. Look what's likely to have happened to the rest of them. There was some great fighters amongst them. If they couldn't survive, what makes you think we can?"

Náriel though highly saddened by Bofur's words and the reminder of death, looked to the side as Bard reappeared. He pressed his back against a wall and looked to them. In his hand he clutched the black arrow. He held it tightly to his chest and gave them a slow nod. "Because we have him." Náriel said while standing up slowly and moving away from the two. Her movement wasn't unnoticed however. The orange yellow eyes slowly snapped to look at her from above.

Letting out a low agitated growl, Smaug shuttled back down while opening his mouth. Náriel moved with great speed, or as much speed as she had. Smaug missed and went to follow after her only to catch the scent of something in the air and turned and looked to Bofur who held some sort of projectile weapon in his hand.

Smaug's eyes narrowed as he turned and unleashed the fire he was preparing to shoot Náriel's way. Bofur ducked and ran down a side street with Smaug following after him overhead. The fire followed along the path he was treading and if Bofur didn't suddenly dive to the side he would have been caught in the flames. Upon losing sight of his target, Smaug growled only to roar up into the sky and shoot flames upwards while turning and flying back down.

As he was turning, he caught sight of another target, only unlike the other two this one did throw something at him. It merely rebounded off of his face. As he ran after his new target, which happened to be Fíli, he was vaguely aware of arrows impacting against his side. Stopping and looking to a nearby rooftop his eyes landed on the elf again. She was kneeling firing arrow after arrow at him with fluid motions.

Smaug narrowed his eyes before snaking his head in her direction. Did she not see the failure of the men of Lake-town? Did she not know of the tales about his armour? She jumped down off of the roof and seemed to disappear quickly within the smoky shadows. Though he did shoot down a barrage of fire just in case she was still nearby.