Chapter Four: The Pass of Caradhras and the Mines of Moria

Cutter watched in amusement as Pippin and Merry took sword lessons from Boromir. They had been on the road to Mordor for a few days now, and Cutter and Skywise were finally getting used to traveling with the strange, mixed group. During that time, in quieter moments, Tyldak and Gandalf related the legends and myths surrounding the One Ring to the Wolfriders.

"It's hard to believe that all of that happened while our ancestors were busy fighting for survival. Maybe the One Ring has a place in what had happened to our own kin as well." Skywise murmured, thoughtfully.

"Who knows? Nothing is as simple as it used to be. The hobbits are evidence enough of that." Cutter said, smirking when he saw the two hobbits trick, then topple, Boromir; crying 'For the Shire!' all the while.

"Hang on, Pippin! I'll save you!" Skywise shouted, jokingly, as he leaped into the melee. Cutter laughed as Aragorn went to break up the wrestling match, and ended up on his back for his efforts. The moment was cut short by Legolas and Tyldak's warning cries.

"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas shouted, his words echoed by Tyldak as they all dove for cover. They had barely gotten completely hidden before a mass of pitch-black crows flew over the area; their wings creating a deafening roar as they moved overhead.

/ What is going on?.! / Cutter sent, trying an open Send to Legolas for the first time.

/ Apparently we're being watched. I think Gandalf has the same suspicions. / Legolas replied, although a bit shakily at first, since he wasn't used to Sending like Cutter and Skywise were. When the black birds had flown on, Gandalf confirmed Legolas' suspicions.

"They were spies of Saruman. The path to the south is being watched." Gandalf said, after a few moments.

"Gandalf, who is Saruman? That is the one thing you have neglected to tell us since we left Rivendell." Cutter said, wanting to know so he could better understand the situation. Gandalf only sighed, and gave Cutter a pained look.

"Saruman is the leader of the Istari, or 'wizards' as you would probably call us. He's the wisest and most powerful of our number. Unfortunately, he has turned to the side of Mordor. He will do anything to hinder us." Gandalf said, effectively answering Cutter's question.

"I see. So, what do we do now?" Cutter again asked.

"We make for the Pass of Caradhras." Gandalf replied, as he pointed his staff at the snowy mountain just ahead of them. It took several days to reach even the summit of the mountain Gandalf was leading them over, yet the Wolfriders never complained...Well, at least not vocally.

/ Stinking snow! Why couldn't we have gone the way Gandalf wanted to? / Skywise Sent, with a sour expression on his face as they plodded onwards.

/ You heard what Gandalf had said, Skywise. Saruman the White is watching the southern paths. From here we have two choices; the Pass of Caradhras, or the Mines of Moria. Either one is an unfavorable choice, in my honest opinion. / Tyldak replied, ever so patiently.

/ Tyldak, why is the name 'Moria' said with such dread? What is it that had even Gandalf wary of the place? / Cutter asked, as he looked around at the bleak surroundings.

/ Something horrible was uncovered there. I don't know what it was, though, but the very land around Moria screamed in horror when it emerged. I hope we can make it through the mountain pass without trouble. / Tyldak said, seriously, then turned his head when Frodo started tumbling down the slope.

"Frodo!" Cutter called, with some concern, as he rushed over to the fallen hobbit. He got there just as Aragorn did.

"Are you all right, Frodo?" Aragorn asked, as he helped the hobbit up.

"Y-yes, I'm fine." Frodo replied, then felt for the Ring, to make sure it was still on the chain around his neck. He almost panicked when he found that it wasn't. Cutter looked up when a soft clinking sound was heard, and was dismayed when he saw that Boromir had found the Ring.

"Boromir." Cutter said, half-growling as he watched the man admire the Ring.

"It is amazing how we have to suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing...So small..." Boromir murmured, softly, as the Ringspell started to take effect.

"Boromir! Give the Ring back to Frodo." Aragorn ordered, breaking the hold the Ring had had over Boromir; for the moment, anyway. Boromir immediately came to himself, pasted on a fake smile, then gave Frodo the Ring.

"I care not." Boromir said, to no one in particular, as he ruffled Frodo's hair, then strode off.

"I'll bet." Cutter muttered, still eyeing the man distrustfully, as they continued on their way. It wasn't long before they found themselves in the midst of a howling snowstorm. Legolas and Tyldak walked lightly over the fresh snow, while their compatriots floundered through it. There were a few grumbles of malcontent, but those were mainly from Cutter, Skywise, and Gimli. The whole group stopped when Legolas paused on a ledge. It was then that the sound of chanting could be heard floating faintly through the air.

"There's a foul voice in the air." Legolas stated, his voice almost drowned out by the wind.

"It's Saruman!" Gandalf shouted, with some alarm in his voice.

"Great. So this 'Saruman' person can control the weather now, too?" Skywise grumbled, his mood darkening with that bit of news. Seconds later, they found themselves buried under a deep layer of snow. As they dug themselves out, the two Wolfriders could hear the rest of the Fellowship debating on what they should do now. To their surprise, they could hear the voice of a very concerned Boromir the loudest.

"We can't go any further! This will be the death of the hobbits! We must try to make for the Gap of Rohan!" Boromir shouted, as he held a violently shivering Merry and Pippin close to him.

"We can't go through Rohan, it'll take us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn argued.

"Gandalf, if we can't go over the mountain, then let's go through it! Let's go through the Mines of Moria." Gimli suggested, as a look of dread spread across Gandalf's features.

"Gandalf, as much as I hate to admit it, Lord Boromir does have a point. The hobbits can't take this kind of cold." Tyldak stated, looking decidedly as worried as Gandalf was about taking the path through the Mine.

"Let the Ringbearer decide." Gandalf said, after a few moments. Frodo glanced around; looking at his freezing cousins, at Samwise, and then at the Wolfriders. When he looked back at Gandalf, there was some resolve in his deep blue eyes.

"We go through the Mine." Frodo said, calmly.

"So be it." Gandalf murmured, looking as though his death warrant had just been read to him. It took some time to descend from Caradhras, but the going was a little easier on the exhausted group than the ascent had been. By the time they had reached what Gimli had identified as the 'Walls of Moria', even the hardy Wolfriders were ready to bed down for the night.

"I feel almost as though we've been going around in circles." Skywise muttered, as he sat down and rubbed his sore feet.

"I am inclined to agree with you." Cutter agreed, sourly, as he watched the rest of the Fellowship take a moment to rest.

"When Gandalf had said that there would be very little time to rest on this trip, he wasn't kidding! I think we've covered more ground on this journey than we did when we left the troll caves for the dry land beyond." Skywise said, as he reclined back; scowling when he found a few rocks under him.

"Troll caves? You mean you actually escaped from troll caves with your entire tribe intact? How did you manage that?" Legolas asked, having overheard the conversation and was now gazing intently at the Wolfriders.

"We didn't exactly escape from the caves, per se. You see, the trolls in the land we came from are cowards in the greatest sense of the word. They saw that we had weapons, and didn't raise much of a fuss while we were there. We left without fear of being attacked." Cutter explained, but silently added, "But betrayal was another story..."

"Truly strange. You and your people must have been through a lot. Even after all of the struggles against the darkness here, it still amazes me that there are yet lands that have not been touched by the Shadow." Legolas mused, as he turned to watch Gandalf try to locate the entrance of Moria. They all watched as a gap in the clouds allowed moonlight and starlight to shine through onto the stone wall; and as a door, outlined in silver light, appeared from nowhere.

"Isn't that a pretty sight?" Skywise asked, impressed by what he saw.

"Ye ain't seen nothin' yet, laddie. Just wait till you've seen the Mine itself!" Gimli whispered, pleased that the young elf was so impressed by just the door.

"What does it say, Gandalf?" Boromir asked; sounding honestly curious.

"It reads; This is the Door of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak friend, and enter." Gandalf replied, as he pointed up at the engraved Elvish letters that had appeared over the door itself.

"What does it mean?" Samwise asked, tiredly.

"It's fairly simple. If you're a friend, you speak the password and the door will open." Gandalf stated, then launched right into an incantation of some sort...Nothing happened. A little over an hour later, Gandalf was still at it, and the rest of the Fellowship was sitting around, waiting. Waiting for either the door to open, or for Gandalf to finally give up and suggest some other way to get to Mordor.

"Are we having fun yet?" Skywise muttered, with sarcasm heavily laced in his voice. He got a unanimous 'No' from everyone else, including Frodo and even Gimli. Nearby, Pippin threw stones into the dark lake that was situated close by; trying to drive off the boredom that now consumed his companions. Aragorn stopped him in mid-throw.

"Do not disturb the waters." Aragorn whispered, as he warily eyed the small body of water. Something wasn't right, he could feel it. Having noticed Aragorn's unease, Cutter stood and peered closely at the black water.

"What's wrong, Strider?" Cutter asked, having found nothing unusual in the water.

"There's something in this pool." Aragorn said, as Boromir, Sam, and Merry watched the water as well. Behind them, Gandalf finally gave up and sat down; grumbling in disgust at being defeated by a simple door. Then Frodo stood from where he'd been sitting, and looked thoughtfully at the inscription.

"It's a riddle." Frodo murmured, as he started to figure it out, unaware that the water in the lake was starting to move on its own. By now, even Legolas, Tyldak, and Gimli were watching the lake in growing alarm.

"What's a riddle, Frodo?" Skywise questioned, as he stood alongside the Ringbearer.

"The inscription above the door...Speak friend, and enter...Gandalf, what's the Elvish word for 'friend'?" Frodo asked, as he turned to the wizard for advice.

"Mellon." Gandalf replied, simply. To their surprise, the door opened in response to the simple word.

"Great. Just like the caverns back in the old forest." Skywise muttered, dryly; disgust coloring his every word. Just then, the rest of the Fellowship had noticed that the door was open; and were following Gandalf inside.

"This place smells of death." Cutter said, wrinkling his nose as the faint smell of decay reached it.

"Cutter's right. This isn't a mine...it's a tomb." Boromir said, agreeing with Cutter for the first time during the journey. All around them, the long-dead bodies of dwarves lay where they had fallen; their mummified remains coated in a thick layer of dust. This sight got a cry of anguish from Gimli.

"All of his kin are gone. Poor Gimli." Cutter thought, somberly, as he placed a hand on the dwarf's shoulder. Nearby, Legolas was inspecting one of the bodies; his face taking on a grimace of disgust when he came to his conclusion.

"Goblins." Legolas whispered, his voice filled with loathing. All too quickly, things began to happen; just as they were coming back out of the Mine, the dark being that lived in the lake snatched Frodo. With fierce determination, the Fellowship fought to get the hobbit free, all the while getting driven back into the mine.

"Into the Mine!" Gandalf shouted, once they had gotten Frodo out of the monster's clutches, and they had raced to get away from it...only to have the way out destroyed behind them. When the last of the debris had finished falling, Gandalf somehow summoned light from his staff, and turned to address the shaken Fellowship.

"We now have only one choice before us; we go through the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard...There are fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world." Gandalf said, as he walked to the front, and started leading the group through the darkness.

"This kind of situation is far too familiar..." Cutter murmured, as he walked along beside Legolas and Skywise.

"I'm sure it is." Legolas agreed, not enjoying this part of the trip in the slightest. For many hours on end, the Fellowship traversed the dark, silent expanse of the Dwarvish mine. As they did so, Skywise looked up and around; silently marveling at the immensity of it.

"Gimli, are all Dwarf mines like this one?" Skywise finally asked, curiously.

"There are some that are similar, but they are not as big or as deep as Moria." Gimli replied, with just a hint of sadness in his voice.

"To be quite blunt with you, I don't care how big or how deep it is. I just want to get away from this place of slaughter...I want to have an open sky or a forest over my head again." Cutter said, longingly.

"I can definitely agree with that." Legolas said, still looking decidedly uneasy about being so deep underground.

"It doesn't make much difference to me, since Blue Mountain is basically the same principle as Moria; only we built up, instead of down." Tyldak added, as he carefully stepped over the dried carcass of a dwarf.

"Boromir, what is your Gondor place like?" Cutter asked, trying to forget the fact that he was now deep underground.

"Gondor is a realm unlike any other. It has been the home of many brave men, like King Erendil, the Stewards of Gondor, and yes, even Isildur before his fall could be counted among them. Gondor was once a mighty kingdom, but the forces of Mordor have overrun much of it over time. All that is left is the White Tower, or Minas Tirith as it is better known..." Boromir said, trailing off when the group stopped in front of two openings in the solid rock wall.

"I have no memory of this place." Gandalf murmured; his voice so soft that even Cutter had to strain his ears in order to hear him. Once again, the group had to sit down and wait, this time it wasn't to find a way to open a door, but it was to find their way through one of two doors. Cutter looked up when he heard some movement behind them, and looked back in time to see something jump from boulder to boulder in the almost pitch black areas beyond the light of Gandalf's staff.

"What do you see?" Skywise asked, as Frodo looked in that direction as well.

"I don't know...It didn't look like any creature I had ever seen before." Cutter whispered, then turned and walked over to Gandalf. Frodo and Skywise were quick to follow.

"Gandalf, we saw something move down there." Frodo said, as he sat down beside the wizard, and the two Wolfriders seated themselves in front of him.

"That was Gollum." Gandalf replied, simply, as he took slow, thoughtful pulls from his pipe.

"Gollum?" Frodo asked, sounding as though he couldn't believe that.

"What's a gollum? Some sort of cave creature?" Skywise asked. Gandalf shook his head.

"Gollum was a creature Frodo's uncle, Bilbo, met in the Misty Mountains a long time ago. He's been following us for several days." Gandalf stated, thoughtfully.

"Why? Why would it come from the 'Misty Mountains' to follow us?" Cutter questioned, as he again looked in the direction that Gollum was coming from.

"The Ring. It is the reason he follows us so closely. He hates, and loves the Ring; as he hates and loves himself." Gandalf explained.

"It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him." Frodo murmured, earning himself an almost aghast look from Gandalf for that remark.

"Pity? Pity is what stayed Bilbo's hand." Gandalf rebuked; yet his expression softened when he saw fear and doubt beginning to resurface on Frodo's face.

"I wish Bilbo had never found the Ring...and I wish it had never come to me." Frodo whispered, as tears shimmered in his eyes, yet refused to fall.

"So do all people who come upon such times, but it is not for them to decide. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, just as you were meant to have it. And that is a very comforting thought." Gandalf said, with a kindly, yet sad, smile. Then his eyes brightened.

"Ah! It's that way!" Gandalf said, looking genuinely pleased that the way had been revealed, at last.

"He's remembered!" Merry said, as he and the rest of the Fellowship stood to follow Gandalf.

"No, it's just that the air doesn't smell as foul down here." Gandalf said, as he started leading the way down the correct passage.

"You're right about that. How you could have noticed that before us is beyond me!" Cutter commented, as he also noticed what Gandalf had been talking about. Gandalf merely chuckled, and led the way through the darkness again. When they finally left the narrow stairways and passages behind, they found themselves in a huge space that had massive stone columns.

"Now, to give us a little more light...Behold the great realm of the Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf." Gandalf announced, as the light at the end of his staff grew, and revealed the true immensity of the ancient Dwarvish city.

"Now there's an eye-opener, make no mistake." Samwise muttered, speaking up for the first time since they had entered Moria.

"You've got that right..." Skywise murmured in agreement, as they all gazed with wonder-filled eyes at the fine stonework.

"This place makes me feel very small, indeed." Tyldak said, voicing the wonder he was evidently feeling. Legolas, meanwhile, still looked uncomfortable about the whole situation, but he kept his opinions to himself. Before anything more could be said, Gimli uttered a cry and dashed off; heading towards a small room at the end of a row of columns.

"Gimli!" Gandalf called, startled by the Dwarf's sudden movement, and gave chase. They arrived just as Gimli kneeled, sobbing brokenly at the feet of a stone sarcophagus.

"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria...He is dead, Gimli." Gandalf said, sadly, as he placed a consoling hand on the Dwarf's shoulder.

"They didn't stand a chance." Tyldak murmured, as he lightly touched the finely carved stone lid.

/ Such a cruel fate. This isn't the Way at all. / Skywise sent, as Cutter nodded in agreement, they all watched as Gandalf gently removed a heavy, leather-bound book from the dried corpse of a Dwarf, and opened it.

"Balin, Son of Fundin is proclaimed Lord of Moria...Found Mithril..." Gandalf murmured, as he began to read over the runic writing in the old journal.

/ Tyldak, what is mithril? / Cutter asked, Sending so he wouldn't disturb Gandalf.

/ Mithril is the most precious ore in Middle Earth. It is as beautiful as normal silver, yet as hard as dragon scales. I heard tell that Bilbo, Frodo's uncle, had a shirt that was made from mithril given to him by the Dwarves of Lonely Mountain. I don't know what became of it, though. / Tydlak replied, then returned his attention to what Gandalf was reading.

"They have taken the west hall...We cannot get out...drums, drums in the deep...They are coming..." Gandalf read aloud, as the runes scrawled off, signaling when the writer had died.

"It sounds like such an ominous warning." Skywise said, as he gazed solemnly at the dried corpses around them.

"It does." Cutter agreed, as he also placed a hand on Gimli's shoulder. The moment was broken by sudden, and very loud, crashing and banging near them. They all turned and saw Pippin standing near an old well, with a headless corpse near him. Then the corpse was gone; dragged down by the heavy chain that had been tied around it. Pippin flinched every time the corpse struck something on it's way down, until it could no longer be heard by the Fellowship. Then everyone, including Legolas, Tyldak, Cutter, and Skywise gave the hobbit an irritated look.

"Fool of a Took! Why don't you go ahead and throw yourself in next time, and rid us of your stupidity!" Gandalf muttered, speaking for the rest of the Fellowship when he said that. He was about to turn away from the young hobbit when, deep in the dark mine below them, a slow drumbeat started.

"Pippin, I think you've just awakened what killed these Dwarves!" Cutter said, as he went to the front, and started to unsheathe his sword.

"Cutter! Look at New Moon!" Skywise yelped.

"What? What about it?" Cutter asked, confusedly; giving Skywise a questioning glance.

"It's glowing!" Skywise again shouted. Cutter then looked down, and saw that what Skywise had just said was true; the blade of New Moon was glowing a bright blue.

"Then that makes it a true Elvish blade...I knew there was more to you than met the eye, Cutter Kinseeker." Legolas said, with a slight smile, as he moved forward to help block the door. Screams and yowls filled the air as the dwarf-killers approached; bringing with them one more horror the Wolfriders had never faced before.

"They've got a cave troll!" Boromir muttered, ducking back into the room just as some arrows impacted into the door and bounced off of the stone walls around him.

"So? They've got one of Picknose's kind. What's that got to do with us?" Skywise asked, as he unsheathed his own sword.

"Skywise, I don't think this troll is the kind you have in mind." Tyldak said, as he watched Aragorn and Boromir barricade the door, then stood alongside Legolas with his bow; ready to fire an arrow at any orc that dared to break through.

"Let 'em come! There's still a Dwarf in Moria that draws breath!" Gimli shouted, boldly, as he jumped onto the sarcophagus' lid and stood there, his axe raised and ready for a fight. In front of him, on the floor, the four hobbits stood, with their own swords bared. Cutter and Skywise held ground between them and the archers; ready to protect their friends. Even Gandalf had his sword held at ready in his hands. They all watched tensely as the door bent, buckled, and finally broke; letting the deluge of Orcs flood in. Along with them, a huge monstrosity of a troll entered as well.

"Oh puckernuts..." Skywise muttered, before the battle began in earnest. With loud battle cries, Aragorn and Boromir attacked and their cries were joined by bone-chilling howls from Cutter and Skywise. Arrows buzzed like angry bees from the bows of Legolas and Tyldak; striking many of their attackers with just as much ferocity.

"Frodo!" Cutter yelped, when he saw the hobbits get scattered like bowling pins. With a frightened cry, Frodo ducked behind one of the huge stone columns in an effort to get away from the troll.

"Ayooah!" Skywise cried, as he leaped onto the monster's back and drove his sword into the back of its' neck. The troll merely grunted, and tried to dislodge the tenacious elf, while the rest of the Fellowship waited for an opportunity to strike. Tyldak turned when he heard something hit the orc nearest him.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this!" Samwise muttered, as he gave his trusty frying pan (that of which now sported a nice-sized dent) an apologetic look, before casting it aside and retrieving his fallen sword.

"Good work, Master Gamgee!" Tyldak chortled, taking the time to grin at Sam's ingenuity. Samwise merely shrugged, then blocked a blow from one of the attacking Orcs. Frodo, in the meantime, was still trying to evade blows from the angry troll; yelping when it almost caught him.

"Use your sword, Frodo!" Cutter shouted, as he seemingly appeared from nowhere and slashed at the troll's face; making it reel back in pain.

"I...I can't, Cutter. I don't have the courage you and Skywise do." Frodo stammered, as true terror stole into his wide blue eyes.

"Puckernuts and Dreamberries, don't talk nonsense! If you allow your fear to take over your heart, then what is to keep this Fellowship from failing in its' task?.!" Cutter asked, then added, "This world is depending on us, Frodo. Your people in the Shire, my pack in the Sun Village; all of them are depending on this 'Fellowship' to destroy that which you carry. If we fail, then who will save them? Trust in the strength you have within you, and in those around you...And that alone will pull you through." It took a moment for Cutter's words to sink into Frodo's mind, but, when they did, a slight glimmer of hope reappeared in his eyes.

"What should we do? That troll outweighs us." Frodo said, as he held Sting at ready.

"True, but what we lack in strength, we make up for in speed. Move at my signal." Cutter said, as he crouched low; ready to spring.

"All right." Frodo murmured, as he did the same; trusting in Cutter's instincts.

/ Now! / Cutter Sent, forgetting in that split second that Frodo wasn't an elf. For a brief moment, Frodo reeled back a little in surprise, then quickly recovered himself and charged with the Wolfrider chieftain.

"Ayooah!" Cutter howled, as he drove New Moon deep into the troll's arm. The monster roared in pain as one Elvish blade, and then another, bit into either arm.

"Nice going, Baggins!" Gimli cheered, under his breath, as he, Tyldak, Boromir, Aragorn, and Legolas looked for an opening.

"Took you long enough, Cutter!" Skywise shouted, as he hung on for dear life to his sword's pommel.

"Not by choice, I can assure you!" Cutter replied, then cried out when both he and Frodo were dislodged.

"Mr. Frodo! Mr. Cutter!" Samwise yelped, when he saw both of his companions go flying. When both had hit the ground, the troll went after them with a spear in hand; effortlessly batting all the other combatants away, and driving the spear into Frodo.

"Frodo!.!" Samwise cried, in horror, as Frodo screamed in terror and pain, and then went limp.

"Frodo..." Cutter whispered; closing his eyes in sorrow. Inadvertently, he'd just let another friend die. With vengeful yells, the rest of the Fellowship went after the troll with even more fervor. Legolas shot arrows far faster than any elf ever had (even Strongbow couldn;t have matched him, then) and Tyldak revealed one of his many talents; gliding in and plucking Skywise from the troll's back before he could get violently dislodged. Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli, and Gandalf raised their weapons and fought harder than they ever had before, and even the remaining hobbits did their fair share of the damage. Before long, the troll was so badly wounded that it couldn't even see what it was attacking anymore and, when Legolas shot his last arrows into the troll's neck and severed its' windpipe, it went down with a soft moan. With a thundering crash, the troll finally fell; much to the relief of the fighters. As silence once again fell over the tomb, the Fellowship gathered around Frodo's limp form. Cutter was sitting close at hand, and looked sorrowfully up at his comrades.

"I'm sorry...I couldn't save him..." Cutter whispered, as Skywise and Tyldak gently consoled him. With grim directness, Aragorn went about getting rid of the spear; leaping back in surprise when Frodo uttered a gasp and sat up; thoroughly winded, but otherwise whole!

"Frodo?.!" Samwise yelped, in shock.

"How in the name of the High Ones could you have survived that?.!" Skywise asked, voicing the sentiments of the rest of the Fellowship as he said that. Silently, Frodo unbuttoned the top two buttons of his tunic and showed them; he was wearing a silver shirt!

"Mithril..." Gimli muttered, awed by the sight.

"There's more to you than meets the eye, my young Baggins." Gandalf said, looking notably relieved and pleasantly surprised at the same time. Frodo managed a weak smile in response.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, Frodo. By the High Ones, that was too close!" Cutter said, as he gripped Frodo's arms firmly.

"I'll try not to, Cutter." Frodo replied, as the Wolfrider chief helped him get to his feet. It was then that Gandalf decided the next course of action.

"The Bridge of Kazaad-dum. Follow me!" Gandalf muttered, as he led the charge out of the tomb. All around them, as they rushed for their last escape route, the Fellowship could hear the screeches of thousands upon thousands of Orcs. The fell creatures sprang from the floors and scurried from crevices in the ceiling and, all too soon, the Fellowship found themselves surrounded.

"Things are about to get ugly..." Tyldak muttered, as he held his sword before him, ready to go down fighting.

"Indeed." Legolas quietly agreed, as his hands sought out the handles of his daggers.

"Then let 'em come!" Gimli shouted, eager to start fighting again. Yet, before even the first blow could be felled, an eerie silence fell over the orcs...and a distant roar came to their ears.

"What was that...?" Skywise asked, edgily; jumping when the orcs suddenly uttered cries of alarm and fled back in the shadows from which they'd come.

"Something has frightened them..." Cutter murmured, as they all turned and looked in the direction the roar had come from. It was then that realization, and then despair, came across Gandalf's bearded face.

"The balrog." Gandalf intoned, then shouted, "Run, if you value your lives!" Without a single word of question, Legolas picked Skywise up and dashed off. Tyldak then did the same with Cutter.

"Tyldak, what is a balrog?.! Why are you so afraid of it?.!" Cutter asked, as an unspeakable fear arose within his heart as well.

"Cutter, it is an evil that has existed since before the coming of our ancestors! The balrog was created to kill all of Elvenkind. By the elves, it is known as the 'Elfbane'; by others, it goes by the name of the 'Fires of Udun'" Tyldak replied, his voice coming out in nothing more than a horrified whisper, as the Fellowship raced away from the danger. Yet, without warning, before they could stop, Boromir almost fell into the deeper darkness of the mine; just barely catching himself in time before he could charge headlong into it.

"By the High Ones..." Skywise and Cutter both murmured, as cold fear clutched at their hearts.

/ I have not felt the like since that time with Madcoil.../ Cutter sent, since he was unable to properly voice his feelings of horror at the evil presence.

/ This makes Madcoil seem like only a passing nightmare, Tam. This 'balrog' feels far worse.../ Skywise replied, looking up when Aragorn approached the wizard.

"Gandalf." Aragorn said, as the Istari gravely looked in the direction the demon was coming from.

"Lead them on, Aragorn! The bridge is near...Do as I say! Your swords are of no more use here!" Gandalf ordered, as he motioned for the rest of them to cross. After a few precarious moments on the stone staircase leading to the bridge itself, they race across with Gandalf's words following them.

"Across the bridge, fly!" Gandalf shouted, as they did as he bade them, then he turned to face the now-emerging balrog with his sword and staff aloft.

"You cannot pass." Gandalf said, loudly, his voice alerting Frodo and the rest that he wasn't just behind them.

"Gandalf!" Frodo shouted, aghast that the wizard was facing the fell beast alone.

"Frodo! Don't!" Cutter yelped, barely making it in time to restrain the worried and fearful hobbit from going to the Istari's side.

"I am a servant of the secret fire, wielder of the Flame of Arnor! Dark fire shall not avail you, Flame of Udun!" Gandalf shouted, then continued after he'd parried a blow from the beast, "Go back to the shadow! You...SHALL NOT...PASS!" Cutter watched in mute astonishment as Gandalf slammed his staff down, and split the bridge; causing it to fall out from under the balrog...He was equally unprepared for what happened next. In that split second it took for Gandalf to begin walking over to them, the tip of the balrog's whip wrapped around his ankle, and pulled him down.

"No! NO!" Frodo screamed, as he tried to run towards the wizard, who now just barely had a precarious grip on the edge of the bridge. For a brief moment, Gandalf's eyes met with those in the remaining members of the Fellowship, and gritted out one final command that sent them running, before he himself fell into the chasm.

"Fly you fools!" And this was followed by a howl of grief from Frodo, which was soon to be followed by one of remembrance from the Wolfriders.

/ Tam.../ Skywise's numbed Send voice whimpered, as Tyldak once again picked Cutter up and ran.

/ I know, Fahr...I know. We'll hold a howl to honor his memory when we can...I promise you that./ Cutter replied, as the numbness of loss overwhelmed him as well. That strange old man who had held the Fellowship of the Ring together until then was suddenly gone...and whatever hope they may have had for getting to Mordor may as well have gone with him.

Author's Note!

I know it's been a heck of a long time since I last updated this story, but fear not! I intend to keep updating it regularly from now on! Stay tuned, minna!

Gemini14