Star-Crossed

Chapter 63

"Ok, I can do this." She bounced on the balls of her feet. "I can do this." She raced forward, looking about for the dragon. "Oh Smaaaauuug!" Beuren shouted. "Got a nice little elvish appetizer for you right here!" 

"Why, hello darling." His voice said just behind her, his breath blowing her hair about her shoulders. 

"Erm... you got here quick." She spun on her heel to face him. 

"Quick is what I do." Smaug began circling her. "I've heard that elf tastes much richer than dwarf," He reared back to look at her. "Guess I'll have to try it for myself." As he lurched forward, jaws snapping, Beuren reeled backwards. She watched the walkway grow smaller as she fell eighteen feet or so to the next one. Wind knocked out of her and ankle possibly shattered, Beruen began crawling on her stomach to the nearest passageway. Wheezing, she looked back to see Smaug so focused on her that the company, now split into several small groups, was able to pass by undetected. 

"You know," She panted, looking up at the dragon. "There's a lot easier ways...to tenderize... your meals..." He growled, diving at her again. She ducked around the corner, staggering to her feet and limping down the passage, veering onto the next bridge as quickly as possible to avoid the flames he shot at her. "Missed me!" 

A wicked scream resounded throughout the mountain. Dwalin turned, looking to Nori before looking back to where he thought the scream originated. Dwalin began jogging towards the sound, looking for the dragon above them. Nori's hand caught his arm.

"Dwalin, we can't go back for her now. Come on." He pulled away from Nori. "Dwalin!" The warrior stopped, eyes frantically searching the bridge he'd last her on. "I'll come back and help you look for her, but we have to move now!" Dwalin reluctantly followed Nori towards the forges. 

"It's this way!" Balin shouted, watching Thorin start to lead Bilbo down the wrong tunnel. "This way! Come on!" Bilbo stopped, looking back at Balin. 

"Thorin!" The king back pedaled, remember where he was now. Then they all froze, the thundering steps of the dragon echoing just on the other side of the cavern. 

"Follow Balin!"

"Thorin!"

"Come on!" Balin took hold of the Hobbits coat and pulled him into the side tunnel. Smaug unleashed a flurry of fire that chased Thorin down the hall. The King leapt catching hold of a chain that dropped him down into a deep pit, narrowly escaping the flames. He only realized something was wrong when he kept falling. Unable to stop himself, his panic only grew when he watched Smaug dive in after him. Jaws snapping, Smaug drew ever closer. 

"Thorin!" Dwalin cried, taking aim at a machine that held the pulley system Thorin was falling from, sending the much heavier rock filled bucket descending into the pit. Thorin was jerked to a halt, nearly losing his grip on the chain, then propelled upwards, passing Smaug at such a rate he almost was just a blur. 

Beuren's eyes opened, miraculously, and she turned her head in search of Smaug. Her left ear was ringing quite loudly, but her right picked up the distinct roar of an angry dragon. With what little strength she had left, Beuren drug herself to her feet, hobbling up a narrow flight of stone steps to safety. Her ankle gave out half way up, causing her to fall once more. 

"Just a bit further, come on, get up Beuren." She lifted herself to her feet, moaning as she bumped the wall with her shoulder. "Up the stairs, then a left, then a right. Her room isn't far, come on, move, Beruen!" 

The heavy oaken door was nearly impossible to push open in her state. Once inside, she collapsed onto the dusty floor and cried out. The pain was unlike anything she'd ever felt, heat still radiating off of her like she was still burning. Beuren hauled herself across the floor with her right arm, her left dragging uselessly beside her, and to the night stand. Opening the top drawer, she pulled out the contents in search for a gift. 

A book sat nestled at the bottom of the drawer, its red leather binding in perfect condition. Beuren opened it, leafing through several pages until she reached the middle of the third chapter. There, carved out of the pages, was a rectangular hole maybe six inches in length. Beuren took out the knife-it's ruby encrusted blade still dazzling even in the dark-and tossed the book aside. It had been a gift from herself to Dis, long ago, it was a shame she had to leave it.
With a sob, she forced herself up once more, hoping beyond hope that she had given them enough time to escape. Armed with a dagger and her waning strength, Beuren set out in the dark in search of her comrades...or an angry dragon...  

"This is not your kingdom. These are dwarf lands, this is dwarf gold, and we will have our revenge." Smaug reared up on his hind legs, the glow in his chest and throat made his intentions obvious. With a shout Thorin took hold of the rope dangling before him, hoisting himself into the air. Behind the stone mold, the remainder of the company drew back on the heavy chains, breaking the binding and releasing the stones. They fell in a heap at Smaug's feet, momentarily distracting him. 

Gold. The whole statue was gold. It shined brightly in the dim light of the cavern, casting golden rays across the dark marble room. Smaug, as is the nature of dragons, was mesmerized by the sight. His lust for gold getting the better of him as he drew nearer. His head turned ever so slightly to observe an ever-growing deformity in the eye of the statue. An air bubble. The air bubble popped, spraying the dragon's face with liquid gold. 

The entire statue melted. The rushing tidal wave of gold overtook the dragon, rushing quickly towards Bilbo, who frantically tried to outrun it. A hand grasped his collar, yarding him up two marble steps that ran the length of all four walls of the throne room. He collapsed on top of the figure-who took a sharp intake of breath before releasing the Hobbit from their grip-looking back in fright as the gold settled into the inlay of the floor. 

There was a long moment of silence that led the company to believe that Smaug had reached his demise. Then, Bilbo watched in horror as the dragon leapt form the lake of gold. Screaming in pain, Smaug thrashed about wildly stumbling towards the front gates of the mountain. The gold-plated dragon wailed, digging momentarily at his face and eyes, the Hobbit imagined that molten gold probably didn't feel great in one's eye. 

"Ahh! Revenge?! Revenge! I will show you revenge!" The dragon clambered out the front gates, smashing them to bits. He took to the air and spun, the gold sluffing off of him and falling like snow to the ground. 

The entire company fled to the gates. They all watched in horror as the dragon made for Laketown. Bilbo's heart sank, he had friends there, the Princes, Oin, Bofur, Bard. What of them? What of Bard's children, of Bain, Sigrid, and little Tilda? The dread was too much for the Hobbit to bear, he fell to his knees, watching as the dragon neared the town. 

"What have we done?"