[Child of the 7th Age]

Andreth:

Andreth leaned over the edge and looked down in horror. Everywhere flames were beginning to catch hold and shoot upward, blocking the exit from the cave. Despite her joy at the childrens' arrival and the fact that Edmund had been rescued, she refused to believe the stark reality of what was happening. Although not even a citizen of Bree, Berilac had given and done more for their safety than any other person in the town. She no longer thought of Berilac as simply "a hobbit"; she considered him to be one of the bravest and smartest defenders of the town. To have him perish in this fire was unthinkable, both because she cared what happened to him and it was important that their city be defended by the best.

She barked at the other parents who were reuniting with their children, "Hurry! Berilac is trapped. Run back to the north gate. Bring several cauldrons of water as fast as you can." Andreth desperately reasoned that they did not have to beat back the entire conflagration; they merely had to clear a path directly in front of the cave.

The noise and tumult of the scene had been so heart that no one had noticed what was going on in the background for the past half hour. Thick grey clouds now crowded the skies, while rumbling noises sounded in the background. It was Kali who was the first to catch a raindrop in his outstretched hand, crying out excitedly, "Mama, Andreth, it's starting to rain!"

Mausi looked up in surprise and responded, "Kali, you're right!"

The first stray drops gave way to a heavy sheet of rain that plummetted down like a thick curtain, blowing in from the west against the mouth of the cave. For a moment, it looked as if there was a battle between the burning grass and the ongoing assault of water. Slowly, slowly, the flames slackened and pulled back a little from the entry to the cave.

By this time, the others had arrived with their cauldrons, and she had them dump the water down to slacken the flames still further, all the time crying out to Berilac to get in the basket that was now being lowered to him. But there was no response to her cries. Frantic with fear, Andreth grabbed Will by the arm. "Go down, and bring him up. The smoke has overcome him."

Will maneuvered his body into the basket as the ropes were lowered again. I pray it holds the both of them! Andreth pleaded to the skies. Within a few seconds, Will had gathered Berilac in his arms and rudely jerked him inside, as the basket made its way up one last time.

"He's alright. Just dazed and stunned," Will called out as the basket reached the top and Andreth and the others hauled Berilac out by the breeches. The hobbit came tumbling over on his side, coughing and hacking his way up to consciousness.

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Within the space of an hour, everyone had scrambled down from the hillside and made their way through the downpour to the north gate and back into their houses....

The town was quiet that morning, with many of the parents and children returning to their beds. By mid-day, when Andreth was serving lunch at the Inn, Guy the Peddler wandered into the Inn and sat down, sharing a piece of unthinkable news. He'd been cutting down from the far northeast of Breeland early that morning, and seen a huge gathering of hundreds of men and women setting up a large encampment. Many of the travellers were heavily armed, carrying bows and spears and daggers; others rode on swift horses that were covered with thick leather padding generally used to protect beasts in battle.

Guy had been able to mingle with the crowd fairly easily, since it was so large that a stranger did not stand out. He'd heard folk talking about how they would soon have a home in Bree, and that the attack would not be long in coming. Then he had turned, slipped out of the camp, and fled back to the city.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 1:07 PM January 16, 2004: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]