With the Fellowship

9.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Loss

The
fight against the orcs was intense but short-lived; no more than five minutes
passed between the doors being broken down by the orcs and the death of the
cave troll, the last of the enemy to perish at the end of the fight.style='mso-spacerun:yes'>

The
Countess finished clearing the rock from the door and went over to see to
Aragorn who had fallen but he brushed her aside with an “I’m unharmed” and went
to see to poor Frodo, struck down by the cave troll.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Aragorn pulled him up and inspected him.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> “Oh no” he whispered.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> But Frodo woke and Sam said, “He’s alive,”
half-crying in relief. They marveled for
a while at the shirt of mithril that had saved Frodo from the troll’s spear
until they heard the pounding feet and the screeches of more approaching
orcs.

“To
the bridge of w:st="on">Khazad-Dum,” said Gandalf and they followed
him up the stairs and through the cleared back door, running as fast as they
could.

But
more orcs were coming from everywhere.
They were coming out of the floor and down the sides of the great hall,
sliding down the pillars. The Countess saw Legolas glance upwards and looked up
to see what it was that he saw and was immediately sorry to have done so.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> The orcs were even coming out of the ceiling
at them. So many orcs
that soon they had to stop as they were surrounded.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Their weapons drawn, the Company faced the
orcs encircling them, knowing this was the end of their journey.

And
then there was another noise, deep, dark and evil.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Again, the noise came.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> The orcs scattered with much screeching.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Gimli seemed pleased enough but the Countess
wasn’t sure she wanted to know what could frighten the orcs enough to chase
them off; it certainly hadn’t been their feeble number.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> What could be worse than to be surrounded by
murderous orcs?

“What
is this new devilry?” asked Boromir, as he turned in the direction of the noise
and light, saying aloud what was in her mind.
Again the loud low growl came and the red fiery light came closer; they
could not yet see what caused it.

“A
Balrog,” Gandalf said in a low voice.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> “A demon of the ancient
world. This foe is beyond any of
you,” he said. “Run!”

He
led them to a doorway, pushing them through it and down the steps.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Behind her, the Countess heard Gandalf shout
“Do as I say! Swords are no more use
here!” Down the steep stairs they ran
until they came to a break in the stairs.

Both
Legolas and the Countess jumped it easily.
Legolas turned back and said “Gandalf”; he leaped over the gap to be
caught by Legolas. Then came the whistle
of orcs’ arrows coming at them; they hadn’t given up after all.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Both Legolas and Aragorn shot arrows at the
orcs in return; the Countess used her light saber to deflect as many of the orc
arrows as she could. Boromir gathered up
Merry and Pippin and made the leap over the gap; they made it across but the
stone staircase was crumbling and Boromir left the gap wider by his
effort. Aragorn threw Sam over the gap
to Boromir and then Gimli made the leap, the stone collapsing even more,
leaving the gap even wider. Aragorn had
to throw Frodo back up the stairs and then scramble up them himself to prevent
them from falling into the chasm with the crumbling stone.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> They looked across the distance at each
other; they all realized that there was no way that Aragorn and Frodo would be
able to make the leap now.

Gimli
had been studying the rock of the walls and staircase,
watching them break up at the Balrog’s approach.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> A large segment of rock fell behind Aragorn
and Frodo, breaking the stairway behind them and cutting off any retreat had
retreat been feasible for them. Pointing
down at the columns of rock supporting the stairway, he said “Countess, d’you
think you can hit that part of the stairs, just there, with your sword of
light?”

“You
would leave her weaponless, Master Dwarf?” shouted Legolas angrily.

“We
will be purposeless, Master Elf, if we do not get those two on this side of
that chasm,” shouted Gimli.

“Whatever
you’re going to do, do it quickly,” snapped Aragorn.

“Gimli,
where?” she asked.

“There,
that break, like a tree’s branch,” he said pointing down at the cracking column
supporting the stairs. “But wait.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Not yet.”
The section Aragorn and Frodo were on was extremely unstable and Gimli
watched it carefully. It could be done
but it had to be done just right.

Aragorn
shouted “Hang on” to Frodo.

“Now
Gimli?” she asked anxiously.

“No,
Lady, wait, wait,” he said, not taking his eyes off the crumbling column.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> “There!
Do you see that crack, just there, below where that rock fell?”

“Yes.”

class=GramE>“Now! Throw it now!”

She
aimed and threw it and the blade of light sliced another large segment out of
the rock, to disappear down into the cavern, along with her weapon.

“Lean
forward” said Aragorn to Frodo.

“Come
on!” shouted Legolas, his shout a prayer that Gimli be right.

And
Gimli’s calculations were perfect; the section of
stairs carrying Aragorn and Frodo came straight forward to the waiting group,
Aragorn caught by Legolas, Frodo by Boromir.
They ran down the stairs to the bridge.

class=GramE>“Over the bridge!
Fly!” shouted Gandalf and they ran to the slender stone bridge and over
it, Aragorn leading again and Gandalf at the back, stopping to watch the Balrog
leap up from the chasm onto their level.
Gandalf turned to run, staying between them and the huge winged creature
of fire. They ran up the stairs that
would lead them out but halted to turn to watch Gandalf; he had stopped in the
middle of the bridge to hold the narrow way from the Balrog before him.

“You
cannot pass!” Gandalf told the creature.

“Gandalf!”
shouted Frodo. The ones who were up the
stairs and, almost out of the mine, turned and came back to watch Gandalf
confront the Balrog; he seemed so small and utterly alone as he addressed the class=SpellE>Balrog and began his fight with the creature.

“Go
back to the shadow.” The Balrog took another
step forward and raised the whip he held over his head.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> The whip cracked but Gandalf made no class=GramE>retreat “You shall
not pass!” shouted Gandalf, striking and cracking the bridge before him with
his staff. The Balrog took another step
forward, the weight of the creature breaking the bridge where Gandalf had
struck it with his staff. The Balrog
fell into the dark chasm.

But
before they could feel relief at its defeat, the Balrog’s whip came up out of
the chasm, pulling Gandalf off his feet, dangling over the chasm.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> He lost his sword and staff, holding on to
the stone so as not to fall. They began
running down the stairs to go back to help the wizard but he said, loud enough
for them to hear “Fly, you fools.” He
released his tenuous grip and was gone.

Frodo
screamed and all were stunned but Boromir, who herded the others back up the
stairway, calling for Aragorn as he also ran up the stairs, carrying
Frodo. They ran out the eastern gate of
Moria and into the sun; realizing they were not being followed by any enemies,
they had time to absorb another realization.
Gandalf was gone.

The
Countess knew they were very lucky to have lost only one of their class=GramE>number in the mine but losing this one now was very
difficult indeed for the others. They
felt lost but Aragorn, without prompting and without argument, took the
lead. She heard Aragorn tell Legolas,
who was walking as one stunned, to get everyone
up. Boromir wanted to give the weeping
hobbits time to grieve for a moment; Gimli wanted to go back into Moria and
kill more orcs.

But
Aragorn got them up and moving on, telling them “By nightfall, these hills will
be swarming with orcs. We must reach the
woods of Lothlorien.”