A Place to Belong

Chapter 17: Miracles

She heard Azog's angry defeated howls fade into nothing as she went over the edge and began her rapid descent.

Falling uncontrollably she began spinning, she couldn't right herself, her vision again began to blur as the blood rushed to her head. She thought of Thorin, and how if she never saw him again he would remember her as a liar, of how he would never know the true struggle she was enduring just to keep him alive.

She had turned her back on the assassins, the only life she had known after him, she had denied them for a chance to return to him but it was not going as planned. She was losing hope that she would make it out of this predicament alive.

Wind sped past her as the ground came closer and closer, she shut her eyes tight bracing herself for the inevitable end heading her way.

All of a sudden she felt herself stop and land on a soft cushioned surface. She stroked the softness surface, being careful not to let go of the crystal. It was feather like, smooth and silky; she rolled over and slowly opened her eyes. She breathed a sigh of relief.

By chance she had been rescued by the last of the eagles that had come to help them. She thanked him over and over, hoping in fact that it was a he.

The great eagle, on which she had landed, flew high and soared elegantly, quickly catching up to the others. From so high up she could see the others clinging onto their own rescuers.

She spied Thorin and wanted so badly to set down now, just to make sure he was ok. But she knew deep down the last thing he would want was to see her.

She was a fraud, a lair in his eyes, someone not to be trusted, and he was probably right she had already crossed the assassins, who's to say she wouldn't cross him! Deep down she knew that she would never willingly do that, but all the same, under the right circumstances anything was possible.

As she relaxed she looked to the Reaver, its colour had returned completely to its normal blue and it was no longer hot to the touch. She was bewildered by the gem, in all the years she had owned it, it had never done anything like what it had just done.

Why had it turned red? Why would it not work for Azog? Why did it burn him? She was greatly concerned, what if it chose to turn on her at one point. She tucked it into her coat pocket not wanting to deal with it.

'Won't be using it again anytime soon then!' she concluded.

As the flight carried on Braerka began to feel unimaginable amounts of pain, raging up from her wounds, the crystals effect from earlier had finally worn off; she should have known it wouldn't have done its job right.

She had the metallic taste of blood in her mouth, and her leg was also bleeding badly. She did nothing to stop it. In her mind she deserved it for all the wrong she had done, she felt she deserved to feel this pain, if only as payment for her recent past of bad decisions.

Braerka couldn't help but feel responsible for all they had suffered in the past few days. Had she not joined them maybe none of it would've happened, maybe they would be better off without her! Then again had she not tried to join them in the first place Bofur would be lying dead at the bottom of a creek.

All the thinking she was doing began to hurt her head. She closed her eyes and tried to get some rest, but none came. She tried to focus on her wounds, and tried to control her pain. She didn't know how long she had spent doing so but when she opened her eyes it was dawn, the sun was breaking the darkness and pale reds, pinks and blues, marred the black.

Her eagle made a sudden diving motion causing her to feel sick. She sat up and leaned forward to get a better look; they were headed to a large stone pillar in the middle of the wilderness. 'Carrock' as she remembered it.