The Night's Wanderer

Chapter 9 ✪ Pain and Help

Gandalf led the Fellowship out of the tomb and into the huge chamber close by. It was the same one the Fellowship had looked upon with amazed gazes, now only looked upon with panic-stricken faces.

With each step, Morrandir bit his lip as a shooting pain travelled up his side and ended at his ribs. 'It had to be bruised' he thought while jogging forward, one hand resting on his side to feel for any blood and not finding any.

The group hurried to a distant door. Around them, goblins were scuttling down from their perches like vermin on the pillars. As the number of foes multiplied the group slowed down, surrounded.

They had all drawn their weapons, the hobbits still wielding pans and other cooking utensils as they had been useful earlier.

"It is awake," Morrandir muttered, staring down at the ground beneath their feet, Gandalf catching his friend's words as they stood. Following the dreaded words, a deafening roar filled the air. With it a fiery light danced down the hallway, frightening the goblins.

The new creature approached causing the goblins to scurry away back to the darkness while a shadow surrounded by flames fell across the hall.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir questioned while looking at the faces of the group. His sword was drawn and his hand shaking as an unearthly rumble met their ears.

"A Balrog . . . a demon of the ancient world." Gandalf answered grimly. "This foe is beyond any of you. Run! Quickly!"

And they were off again.

Up the stairway they went. Morrandir gripped his side more now as his lungs burned for air. Aragorn was leading them, Morrandir was near the back, Gandalf behind him as they ran.

Aragorn and Gandalf had shared urgent words when they had been standing as a group; Morrandir, much to his own dismay, did not catch them as he had watched the beast beneath approach.

They reached an old stone bridge, some of it had crumbed away where the ground had shaken relentlessly at the Balrog's awakening. In the need to flee the foe behind them they all made their way across the chasm. Legolas, with Sam in hand, and Gandalf were first to take the leap, then followed by Boromir, who carried Merry and Pippin, and then Gimli, with some slight assistance, made it over.

After Boromir, Gimli and the hobbits made it safely over the fallen stone bridge Aragorn stood with Frodo and Morrandir by his sides. Gandalf watched his elven friend as he stood on the rock edge, looking forward, and panic in his eyes.

"Jump Morrandir!" Gandalf called out.

Morrandir looked to where Gandalf's voice came from, to him it was completely black as the white lines of his sight didn't reach there. Gripping his sheathed swords tightly he watched as the stone beneath him became unstable.

"I cannot." He called back, his voice panicked and shaking. "The pillar beneath us is becoming unstable, we will fall." He covered. He could not tell the Fellowship now of his weakness, he would only be a burden.

Aragorn gripped the arms of both elf and hobbit as the rock beneath them crumbled. "Lean forward." He directed the two, who followed him, and they fell with the pillar to the other side.

As soon as the stone met the rest of the bridge Morrandir tumbled, losing his footing, to which Legolas caught his arm.

Morrandir watched as the ground beneath him became visible and he let out a sigh he did not know he was holding. Legolas still held his arm as the group was led further away from the demon below them, Morrandir joining the hobbits as they ran.

Knowing he would need to part from them, the Balrog was not a foe that even Morrandir could try to fight, Gandalf caught Legolas by the sleeve. The elf furrowed his brows as he slowed down. "What is it Mithrandir?" He questioned.