by Justin Wayne
Chapter Nine: Down to Business
Thom raced Jiff through the gates of Delvin without slowing in the slightest, screaming to the guards that a wild man was chasing him and claiming to be a bandit. The guards, having no reason to fear a hobbit, took up their swords and stood outside the gate and barred the door. No one would get past them.
One of the guards cupped his eyes to see in the setting sun’s light. “There! On the horizon to the right, he is!” the man pointed. The other followed his line of sight and he too saw the distant figure. Then a second. “What do we do, Sarge?”
The sergeant scratched his head in thought. This job was usually so simple he thought to himself. “Well. I reckon we oughta’ let ‘em get in close enough to arrest eh?”
The other nodded in agreement, unsure of whether the idea was a good one.
So they waited as the figures drew in closer. Several minutes passed before they was near enough to examine in any detail. The first thing they noticed was that they were huge, beyond anything they had seen before in their little city. The second was the claymore and hammer upon their backs that dwarfed the swords in their own hands. They stood by resiliently however as he reined in his black stallion.
“Greetings, my name is Dradewen, and this is my father Dunawar. We are searching for a hobbit by the name o’ Thomulus. Have any of you seen him?” he announced proudly as he noticed the intimidation their imposing size pressed upon them.
It took the sergeant nearly a minute to regain his voice and realize he was meant to reply according to procedure. He cleared his throat nervously. “What was that name again? Thomulus?” He looked to the guard beside him. “Ever heard of ‘em?”
He shook his head. “Never. You said he was a hobbit?”
The Warrior nodded his helmed head. “Aye. No larger than a fat child.”
“Well one of ‘em did pass through not a half hour past. Said a wild man was after ‘em he did.”
Dradewen’s eyebrows pushed together in a scowl. His dark eyes glinted hard beneath his raven hair. “Did he now?” The sight of the big man’s anger sparked a new fear in the guards. “And do you believe him?”
They shook their heads in unison.
“Thought not. Well, I’ll just be on my way inside then.” He smiled exaggeratedly and made his way through the gate with a small wave.
The men looked at one another sheepishly then about for anyone who may have seen the incident. Content no one had been close enough to hear it recognize them personally, they turned from the gate and resumed their post just inside the walls.
They didn’t see the shadow descend from the ramparts not ten feet away and disappear into the crowd.
