[Hilde Bracegirdle]

“Water's in the pit?” Carl looked at the girl, with a pained expression on his face. “Children and an orc, you say?”

Azhar nodded rapidly, and eager to return to the children's aid, she pulled on Carl's shoulder. “Quickly! One of the children is stuck and can't move,” she repeated anxiously.

“Aye, very quickly!” The hobbit said, turning this way and that, looking for anything he might have on hand that could help. His first thought was to find some sort of weapon, for the cunning orc no doubt had somehow duped the girl, perhaps to hold the children captive in order to bargain their lives for his fellows. His second thought was for stout rope. “Azhar, go search the camp for rope, blankets, cloaks anything we can lower down for the children to scamper up. ”

“What about this one under the wagon?” she began.

“That's the way to find them!” Carl said, impressed by her resourcefulness. “But this one here's too stiff. If the children get tangled up in it when its wet, they might drown. Now hurry off and bring what you can.”

Azhar needed little encouragement, but had already set off on her search. Carl then bent under the wagon, and reaching in the hammock, pulled out a length of iron just a little longer than his arm. Still squatting, he hit his palm with it testing it's weight. Good and heavy, it would have to do the trick.

Running then to the edge of the pit, he was surprised to hear Athwen's gentle voice emanating from the darkness, as she spoke moving among the frightened children. He had assumed that she would have gone to get Dorran or Lindir's help. But where had the orc gone, that Azhar had mentioned? Carl looked about him and seeing nothing extraordinary, kneeled cautiously to peer into the hole. He could hear splashing and an occasional echoing voice, but could see only the little circle that was illuminated by the sunlight overhead. And what he saw troubled him greatly. A bedraggled and wide-eyed child clutching a boulder looked back at him from the murky water that covered the floor of the pit. What could have happened? Carl's mind raced as he tried to assess the situation. Was the plug leaking? And if that was the case, then the pressure of the water behind it could cause it to completely collapse at any minute. If only he could swim, he might be able to make a patch somehow, but it was impossible now. The water in the other chamber must be well over Lindir's head, let alone a hobbit's.

“Carl!” he heard Athwen call out from the darkness.

“Oh, Miss Athwen I'm so sorry for getting you in this mess!” I shouldn't have been in such a hurry before. But we have to get you and and the children out of here as soon as possible! What can you tell me? Is the water raising fast? Is everyone alright?”

“We are alright for the moment, but the water is rising quickly, and one of the children is pinned by a rock near the wall.” Even though the woman's voice remained calm and even, he knew she could sense the jeopardy they where in.

Tucking the iron bar through his belt, Carl lowered himself into the hole, so that he hung down precariously holding on to the edge of it. And pausing just a moment he dropped down in to the pit, quickly finding that it deeper than he had thought. When he surfaced again, Athwen had a hold of is arm, keeping him above water with one hand and holding the fallen rope with the other. Seeing his mistake, he spluttered “Azhar's gone to find more rope, or something else we can climb out with. But we have to get that youngster free first before we can shinny up and out.”

Athwen guided him to the back of the pit, to the place in the rock wall where Ina struggled to keep her head above the water. It was woefully dark, and removing the iron bar from his belt, Carl could not see where to place it in order to pry the child free. Athwen and he tried many places, but between the dark and the difficulty caused by the water, they had no success. Just a Carl was becoming discouraged, he heard a low rumbling noise behind them that waxed into speech. “No brains, no strength, just jumping in the water like drowning toad.” Gwella said approaching them, her eyes naturally accustomed to the dark. Carl was at a loss how to respond. This was obviously the orc Azhar had mentioned, but why hadn't Athwen warned him that one was in the pit with them. And held up in the water by the kind lady, he was aware that he must be a comical site. Still he brandished the iron as menacingly as he could manage.

“Here, you squash little bug this way.” Gwella said twisting the iron from his grasp easily. And as she moved toward the child with it, Ina gave a the most terrified scream at the orc's approach. His heart rent, Carl broke loose from Athwen's grasp, trying unsuccessfully to catch Gwella. But Athwen quickly rescued him, catching him up again.

Reaching the child, the orc rammed the bar under the rock and began pushing it down with all her strength. Still the stone didn't budge. After a few moments, the lady moved to help Gwella, and before long orc, woman and hobbit where all working together, and the rock finally gave way, rolling to the bottom of the pit. Scooping up the child before they could stop her, Gwella lumbered toward the pit's opening, the frightened Ina howling in her arms all the while.