Eyes of a Dragon Book 1

First Step

I stepped inside the dimly lit tavern and let my eyes adjust before looking for a familiar face. I kept my hood pulled over my head and low on my face as I looked about the room, than I seen him, a tall older man dressed in grey. I quickly made my way to the table and sat down without a word. "Ah Devaria, good to see you!" He said after a puff on his pipe. "Gandalf." I nodded my head to him. "I see you received my message." I nodded my head again. "Yes I did. Why did you need to see me so urgently?" He puffed on his pipe a few more times before answering. "I want you to accompany a group of dwarves to Erebor." "No! I can't do that and you know it!" He pulled his pipe from his mouth and pointed it at me. "You must do this! You are the only one that can assure there safety." I leaned back in my seat. "Or guarantee there death." Gandalf scowled at me. "You know why I can't do this! Please don't make me go." I began to get anxious and Gandalf could see it. "You would get paid for your time." I shook my head and scoffed. "I have no need for coin, you know that as well." He nodded and thought some more before speaking again. "Dwarves are miners, perhaps they would have something of no value to themselves." He cocked an eyebrow up at me. I licked my lips and felt a tingle of desire stir inside me. "You know my weakness." We both smiled at each other and it was settled without any words.
Slowly I made my way through the darkness trying to find the door among doors that was marked. 'Seriously?' I thought to myself as I got more and more frustrated over this seemingly endless search. Suddenly loud singing reached my ears. I stood and listened til I could get a location of where it was coming from.
I made my way as the voices became louder. I closed in on a home tucked into a hill and seen someone else approaching. I ducked down behind the fence and watched as a figure strode his way up the path to the door. He pounded on the door and it opened after a few seconds. "Gandalf." There was mumbling as he entered and the door closed. I waited for a while before approaching the door. I hesitated before lightly knocking on the heavy looking wooden door. Just when I was about to leave it was opened and hobbit with a long bit of paper stood on the other side. "Master Baggins I presume." I bowed my head to him. "Umm yes, I'm Bilbo Baggins." He looked from his paper to me and back to the paper obviously distracted. "I'm here under the request of Gandalf The Grey." He looked back to me than to another room. "Gandalf is...is in a um..." He ushered me in. "This way uh...." "Devaria." I figited with my hood making sure it hung low over my face as I followed Bilbo.
"Gandalf ? Someone here for you." Everyone stopped and looked up at me, I froze. Gandalf slowly turned looking behind him. "Ahh! You made it! Come sit." I slid my way into the only seat open, it was in a corner just to my right and to my relief away from the others. "Gandalf?" A gruff sounding, dark haired dwarf spoke up from the table. The wizard looked back at him puffing his pipe. The dwarf nodded in my direction, all eyes in the room fell on me. "Oh!" He laughed slightly. "May I introduce Devaria." He turned to me and smiled, I stayed still, watching the room. "Devaria, this is Thorin and his company. Balin, Dwalin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori, Ori, Gloin, Oin, Kili, and Fili. As my eyes lingered on the fair haired dwarf, I felt a sensation completely new to me like a pull towards him. "And why is she here?" Thorin grummbled, I snapped my head in his direction. "She is here, My Lord Thorin, to ensure the safety of you and your company on your journey to Erebor." Gandalf spoke loudly and the whole room mummbled amongst themselves. "We don't need the help of a lass!" Thorin bellowed and some of the others agreed, I remained quite in my seat, my hands rested in my pale green lap. "What's wrong with having a female on this journey?" Everyone fell silent and looked at Bilbo who was standing in the doorway just to my left. "I mean, she's perhaps just as skilled as any of you. You don't even know what she can do." He looked at me. "I'm I right?" I just turned my head slightly towards him but kept silent. I really didn't want to be here but Gandalf has ways of persuading you to do things you don't want and it was too late to back out now.  "Only lass as good as a dwarf in battle is a dwarven lass." Dwalin barked out and got a few of the others to argree with him.
I noticed the fair haired dwarf was silent the whole time but was starring at me. The room was starting to get loud when he spoke. "I say we give her a chance." Everyone fell silent and turned to him, as he kept his eyes on me. "If Gandalf sees her as a capable fighter than I say we give her a chance." I could feel the corner of my mouth turn up into a hint of a smile, I just couldn't help myself. Thorin finally spoke up. "If she is to come with us she needs to sign a contract, like Bilbo." A bit of paper was passed to me and I opened it up to find it was quite extensive. I read through and was amused by some of it but I signed it any way and handed it back as Thorin glared at me. "That was rather fast. Are there any questions?" "Just one. When do we head out?" His gaze never changed. "We leave in the morning." I nodded. "I have a question for you, lass." Everyone in the room all knew what the question was, it was the elephant in the room. "Will you remove your hood and let us see your face?" "What dose it matter what my face looks like? How I look will not win battles nor will it help or hinder the out come of this journey." Some of the dwarves mummbled to each other, while Thorin glared. "I want to be sure I am not in the company of an elf." I stood up like a shot. "I am no elf take comfort in that, Thorin OakenSheild, son of  Thrain, son of Thror, King under the moutain. I know of your distrust in the Elven kind. Gandalf will assure that I am no Elven maiden." I stood firmly in my place locked on with Thorin, my hands balled into tight fists. "Very well Devaria, since you will not allow us to see your face I will take Gandalf's word that you are not an Elf. But hear me, if I find that you have lied or placed any of my kin in danger I will remove your head from your shoulders myself."
After Bilbo showed me were I would be sleeping that night I stepped out and looked up at the stars."What did I get tangled up in?" I asked myself, soft singing caught my ears and I listened. It was beautiful and told the story of home, dragons, and great loss. Beautiful and sad, a song I knew well. As I played with the small stone tied about my neck a sense of dread began to stir within me.