THE LAST HEIR OF ISILDUR

CHAPTER 3

꧁ They need your help ꧂

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!"

At those words, a small man came out from behind the shrubs, on a sledge pulled by rabbits. He looked a bit scruffy but Arya found it very funny.

"Radagast! It's Radagast the Brown."

Gandalf explained. The girl and the dwarves lowered their weapons.

Arya had heard of Radagast, she knew that he was a kind soul who preferred the company of animals to that of people. He lived in the western borders of Mirkwood and kept an eye on the great forests to the east, which was a good thing because always evil would try to take hold in those lands.

The little warlock turned to Gandalf with worry, talking about huge spiders coming from the ruins of Dol Guldur.

"Dol Guldur, but the old fortress is abandoned!"

Arya stepped in. She had read many stories of the past, about Sauron and the Rings of Power, Isildur and the Battle of Dagorlad*. The girl, in her heart, was terrified that the past might repeat itself.

"No, my dear, not anymore."

Radagast spoke again, telling them about his encounter with the Nazgûl and showing them a Morgul blade.

At the sight of the dagger, Arya took two steps back: few things were able to scare her, but that weapon caused in her a restlessness that she had never felt before.

The young woman awoke from her thoughts by hearing a loud howl coming from the north. "Wargs," she thought. She took an arrow from the quiver and shot it just in time to see a huge wolf fall before it had a chance to tusk Kili.

"A wargscout: an orc pack is not far away. We have to get out of here."

Thorin ordered.

"We can't, we don't have the ponies, they ran away."

Ori screamed in panic.

"I'll draw them off!"

Radagast then said firmly.

"These are Gundabad Wargs! They will outrun you."

Gandalf scolded him.

"These are Rhosgobel rabbits! I'd like to see them try!"

That being said, Radagast mounted on his sleigh and headed south at full speed, followed by a dozen orcs on the back of their wargs.

Meanwhile, the company and Arya moved quickly through the wilderness. Gandalf was leading them to Rivendell, it didn't take long for the girl to figure it out. Soon, however, they found themselves surrounded. The orcs had realised the trick and stopped chasing Radagast. The dwarves circled a big stone, or at least that was what it looked like. Arya no longer saw Gandalf, no longer knew where he went, until the wizard poked out of the rock behind them, revealing instead a small cave. In a short time, the dwarfs began to enter it. Arya was also about to do so when she heard someone screaming behind her: Ori, the youngest of the company, had been attacked by a warg. She didn't did think twice: threw herself on the beast and pushed it away from the dwarf, then took up her sword and began to fight. She was prevailing when she felt a throbbing pain in her shoulder. She had been bitten. With difficulty, she thrust her sword into the forehead of the warg and then took refuge in the cave.

"I'm-I'm sorry."

Ori babbled, seeing her come in wounded.

"You're bleeding!"

Bilbo yelled, with a mixed expression of astonishment, compassion and fear.

"It's nothing, I can make it."