Dain awoke to the sound of loud shouts and cries all about him in camp. It took a moment for him to sort out all the ruckus and to figure out what was actually going on.
Then the dreaded words came to his ears. "Durin is missing. He was on patrol." He felt a terrible fear grip his heart and his belly, as if a giant hand had reached down inside him and wrenched out his insides with little mercy.
The message reverberated through his head like a huge ringing bell that would not stop tolling. The father immediately berated himself for sleeping. I should have been with him. He is my son. I could have done something to help. I will never forgive myself if anything should happen to him. And my wife will die of grief.
Fury swept away fear, as he thought of his son, perhaps injured or even worse. Dain raised his hammer high and, with a roar, raced out of camp, leading a band that had gathered to try and locate the missing dwarf, and come to his rescue and aid.
|