In a Father's Embrace

Chapter 16

"Out of the frying pan," Thorin muttered.

"And into the fire," Gandalf finished. "Run. RUN!!"

Thorin wrapped his arm around Thraya's waist, almost carrying her along with the group. The sudden movement caused pain to flare up in her shoulder. Thraya cursed loudly in Khuzdul.

Thorin gave her a sideways look. "Watch your mouth, nathith."

Thraya could almost laugh at that.

"Up into the trees!" Gandalf ordered. "All of you! Come on!"

"Fili! Kili!" Thorin called.

The boys understood what he needed without any more words. They jumped into the tree's lowest branches and helped Thorin lift Thraya up after them. With some help, she found herself uncomfortably close to the top of the tree, but better that than the mouths of the warg.

"You still alive?" Kili asked, a dry smile on his face.

Thraya looked at him with heavy eyes and shook her head.

"She's lost a lot of blood!" Fili breathed. "If we don't get her help soon, it'll be too late."

"We're trapped," she murmured. "Cornered. How are we supposed to get out of this?" She turned to look at the next tree over, her eyes searching for Thorin. His eyes were fixed in terror on the figure at the head of the orc pack.

"Azog..." he breathed. His voice was a blend of fear, denial, shock, and anger.

Thraya followed his gaze and locked her eyes on the terrifying image of the giant pale monster astride a white beast. The creature growled something in black speech, tauntingly addressing Thorin.

"It cannot be!" Thorin protested.

Azog pointed at Thorin and shouted a clear command in the grating language of Mordor.

The wargs charged the trees, ripping off lower branches and nipping at whatever dwarves were in their reach. Urged on by another bellow from their leader, they began battering the trunks, causing the trees to lean.

"Thraya!" Kili shouted, getting a good grip around her waist. "Hold on! We've got to jump!"

Thraya took a deep breath, trying to keep her vision steady and focused. Together, they leaped from one tree and managed to grab hold of the next. Their added weight, however, caused it to lean farther, toppling towards the next tree.

"Come on!" Fili shouted, leaping to the next one. Kili followed close behind with Thraya.

A warg intercepted them in midair, snapping at Thraya's cloak. With a scream, she slipped out of Kili's grasp and plummeted to the forest floor where she lay motionless.

"THRAYA!" several voices screamed.

With a venomous snarl, the warg advanced slowly on its prey.

"Fili!" Gandalf called, tossing him a flaming pinecone.

Fili caught the projectile, took aim, and hurled it with deadly accuracy at the creature stalking Thraya. With an injured yelp, the beast retreated, it's fur ablaze. Soon all the dwarves were passing around flames and had developed a good line of fire between them and the oncoming hordes. Fili thought she'd be alright for now. She was blocked from sight by a fallen tree and a boulder.

That's when things went worse.

The last tree started toppling over the edge.

Thraya's eyes fluttered open at the sound of screams. She propped herself up on her uninjured arm and quickly glanced around to assess the situation.

Then Thorin climbed to his feet. He drew his sword and clutched the oaken branch shield tightly as he charged the Pale Orc alone.

"No!" Thraya screamed. She scrambled to her feet and followed him, drawing her twin blades. "Father!"

Thorin, momentarily distracted, was knocked over by the warg's pounce.

Azog smirked cruelly. His voice sent chills down the dwarf king's spine.

Thorin couldn't understand the Black Speech, but the mocking tone and glances to Thraya told him enough. Thraya placed herself in between Thorin and Azog, holding one blade out threateningly with her good arm and the other close to herself. The pale orc smirked and leaned over his warg's neck, whispering some command to it.

"Thraya!" Thorin cried, stumbling to his feet.

"Get back!" she shouted to him. "I'll cover!"

"No!" he protested. "I'm not leaving you!"

The warg leaped at them again, seizing Thraya's injured shoulder in its mouth. With a strangled cry, she sliced at its snout with her free arm. The warg yelped and hurled Thraya across the clearing where she slammed against a boulder.

"NO!" Thorin yelled, all other thoughts forgotten. He ran towards her, forgetting about the enemies. The warg pounced again, this time catching Thorin in its mouth. At the sound of his cry, Thraya tried to get to her feet, only to fall back again, dazed.

Worry for Thraya and pain clouded Thorin's thoughts. He was vaguely aware of another command to come out of Azog's mouth and then...

Bilbo Baggins leaped into the fray, tackling an approaching orc away from Thorin and standing over him with his little sword drawn.

His vision slipped in and out of focus again. Thraya was back on her feet, fighting alongside a few of the other dwarves that had somehow managed to get off the tree.

Thraya's wounded arm hung limply at her side and she fought with just her sword. Why couldn't they catch a break? At this rate, she would be dead before morning. If it weren't for the others, she would have been dead a while ago, but as it was, she managed to be of some use taking down orcs. A warg pounced at her. She managed to dodge it, but the sudden movement paired with her sluggish reactions and the pain in her arm caused her to stumble and fall. An orc advanced slowly for the kill.

There was a gust of wind and the orc was lifted up into the air away from her.

Eagles. Giant Eagles. She had heard stories but had never thought such regal birds could actually exist. Yet exist they did. A flock of them had appeared and were aiding the company. Some were dropping orcs and wargs over the side of the cliff and some were carrying the dwarves out of danger.

Her eyes settled on a particular eagle that swooped down towards Thorin's unconscious form. Gently, it picked him up in its talons and lifted him away from the flaming clearing. She let out a sigh of relief when suddenly pain shot through her arm again. An eagle had picked her up, unknowingly jostling her injured shoulder. She bit her tongue to prevent herself from crying out.

Then she was suddenly free-falling. With a surprisingly comfortable thump, she found herself settled on the back of another Eagle.

"Oh, namadith,"

She was nestled between Fili and Kili who had caught her and settled her, gently avoiding jostling her wound.

"We really need to do something about that," Kili said, pointing at her shoulder.

"Right," Fili agreed. "No idea how long it will take to get Oin's attention. And you're awfully close to bleeding out."

"Love you too," she murmured, all adrenaline fading. "You take care of it. I'm going to sleep." She rested her head against Kili's chest.

The second she closed her eyes, she drifted off into a dark and dreamless sleep.