VII. Smuggler

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Eventually they managed to lose the remnants of the Orc pack along the river. The current had ceased a few minutes ago and the company were now using their hands to row themselves through the body of water to try and find a place where they would be able to rest and tend to their wounded friend.

"Anything behind us?" Thorin asked, using a stick to move through the river.

"Not that I can see," Balin responded, the Orcs were not that far behind them but they were far enough for the company to think of something other than escape.

Bofur emerged from his barrel, a stream of water flying from his mouth while he looked at their surroundings. "I think we've outrun the Orcs."

"Not for long, we've lost the current," Thorin stated what they already knew.

"Bofur's half-drowned!" Boomed Dwalin, concern in his tone for the Dwarf.

"Make for the shore! Come on, let's go!"

Athena used her hands to paddle against the water, pushing her barrel with the crowd towards a slab of rock that protruded from the shore which would allow them easier access to climb on top of. When she reached it she clambered out of her barrel and pushed herself onto her feet, walking up the slope until she got to a flattened out area that they could rest on. Exhaustion pecked at her limbs from their previous adventure down the river but she forced herself to push through it.

Kili fell to his knees in pain a few feet in front of her, her worry for him compelling her forwards and she knelt down beside him as she looked down at his wound, Bofur watching him with concern as well as he dabbed at his bloodied injury with a piece of torn cloth.

"I'm fine, it's nothing."

"It's not nothing," Athena whispered as she looked over at him, not bothering to even try and hide her concern.

"On your feet," Thorin told the company as he walked along the rock.

"Kili's wounded, his leg needs binding," Fili protested as he made his way to Athena and Kili, trying to tie a piece of his shirt that he had ripped off around the wound to stop the bleeding.

"There's an Orc pack on our tail, we keep moving."

"To where?" Balin asked their king.

"To the mountain, we're so close," answered Bilbo, shivering from the cool air hitting against his wet clothing.

"A lake lies between us and that mountain. We have no way to cross it."

"So then we go around."

"The Orcs will run us down, as sure as daylight. We have no weapons to defend ourselves," Dwalin intervened, Athena too focused on the brothers to fully pay attention as Fili hurried to wrap Kili's wound.

"Bind his leg, quickly. You have two minutes," Thorin told them. She nodded over at him to show him that they understood.

Athena raised her hand to Kili's forehead, furrowing her eyebrows at what she felt underneath his skin which was turning paler by the second. "You're burning up."

"It's nothing, the feeling will pass," he reassured her as she dropped her hand from his head, Fili finishing up with the binding.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, going still at the sudden feeling of an unwelcome presence. The company turned their head to see a man standing upon the rock with a bow and arrow in his hand, ready to fire his shot at any he deemed he wanted to. Dwalin wielded a bulky stick, about to approach the man before an arrow was lodged into it, Kili standing and raising a rock to throw at him but another arrow shot through the air and knocked it out of his hand, nobody else attempting to fight back as he readied his bow and pointed it at each member before him.

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