[Aylwen Dreamsong]

"Like this one." Arethin finished.

As the small group continued on through the terrain between Dale and the Iron Hills, they stopped rarely and only for a few minutes. The sun began to set in the sky as the day wore on, and the misty hills loomed in the distance. If Anuion looked carefully with his sharp Elven eyes, he would be able to see the higher mountain farther north from the hills.

“What do you think we’ll find?” Jadae asked aloud, though not to anyone in particular. The group continued their trek as they talked, and didn’t bother to stop when their destination was so close.

“Loads of riches,” Angalos replied after a long pause from the group. “I’ll bet anything that for that race that lived in the Mountain, gold and silver were like dust.”

“What about diamonds?” Arethin chimed in, the thought of maids scurrying about dusting gold off mirrors and wooden surfaces made him chuckle.

“They’d need brooms to clean up the diamonds and the iron bits that gather on the tables and chairs of the kitchens,” Mattius replied, trying not to laugh.

“Didn’t the storyteller say that they used rubies instead of filling for pastries? Such riches, I’ve heard,” Jadae smiled at the comments.

“I’d be surprised if we get in there and can see anything past all the dust…gold and silver dust, that is. Do you suppose we’ll find anyone living in there?” Anuion continued the conversation, and his desire for action could be sensed in his voice. Jadae looked down at her feet as they walked, and kept her hands in her tunic pockets, not sure how to answer.

“Why would anyone be living in there?” Rosfin asked, the wind carrying his voice, as he was at the front of the group. The gust of wind that carried Rosfin’s voice also lifted the ebony strands of Jadae’s hair, and the tingling, cool sensation the breeze left was delightful in the mildly warm air.

Rosfin’s question went unanswered, and the companions went on in silence as the last rays of the setting sun cascaded over every nook and cranny, creating shadows over the hills and few trees that scattered the land. The wind continued to blow, steadily growing stronger as the natural light faded. Looking overhead, faint twinkling orbs could be seen as the sky darkened. If the group continued at this pace, they would hopefully be at the Mountain by mid-morning of the next day. How they would get in, however, had not even crossed the traveler’s minds.

Jadae could only imagine the time when the group found the book. Jadae could envision the sight and feel of her wrapping her strong, thin metalworker’s fingers around the book. She could hear a voice reading the script in the book, then translating it back into Westron as best they could.

Though what the group would actually find in the Mountain could not be foretold until they reached the Mountain’s entrance.