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The entire town rattled beneath us. Tilda, who had dozed off in my arms, sat up suddenly with terrified eyes. "Everyone up!" I yelled. I stood to my feet, pulling Tilda and Sigrid to theirs. Kili, Fili and Oin quickly began to pack the bags as I corralled the children towards the door.
Kili stumbled a little bit, still weak in the leg. Fili tried to help him but was shooed away. "It's fine, I can walk," he muttered.
Fili threw his hands up. "You said that last time."
Kili smiled, throwing his bag over his shoulders. He cut Fili off and exited out of the door before him. "Well...this time isn't last time."
Fili rolled his eyes as I scoffed and shut the door behind me. Suddenly a massive gust of wind came out of nowhere. I lost my footing and staggered a bit, but I caught myself on the railing of the stairs.
Above me, in the starless night, the sky became scales. I froze in my tracks. My eyes followed the dragon. I watched it loop through the sky to then level out. Radiant embers spread across it's underbelly before I watched the beast inhale, then exhale a stream of fire. The screams of the people rang through the air as a stream of fire split through the city. My heart pounded and my breaths deepened. "Dragonfire and ruin," I whispered, repeating Bard's truthful words. Sounds of weeping mothers and shrieking children filled my ears with their desperate cries. Townspeople called for their loved ones, fearful that their voices may never be heard.
"Adina!" Kili shouted, bringing me back to reality.
I raced down the stairs to a small boat that was docked ahead. The dwarves scrambled into the boat and helped me lower the children down. I got in last while Fili untied the boat from the post. I grabbed an oar and frantically began to help paddle the boat.
"Wait! We can't leave without our father!" Bain pleaded.
"If you stay, you and your sisters will die. Is that what your father would want?" I snapped back. "We have to keep moving, or we will all be dead!"
Bain's eyes frantically looked around the ruins for his father. Wood splintered by the beast littered the town and the waters. Pieces of fallen houses came crashing down around us. The dwarves and I carefully maneuvered through the remains as calmly as possible. The children shielded their faces from the heat and debris that surrounded them.
"Look out!" Bofur shouted.
I snapped my head to what he pointed at, expecting to find half a house crashing down on us, but no, it was the bastard himself.
"My gold! My gold!" The master complained as our boat smashed into his. Gold coins and treasure trickled from the boat into the water.
"Bloody piece of filth," I mumbled to myself. Oin and Fili pushed us away from him and continued to move under and through buildings to keep any form of shelter before moving out into the path of fire.
