Chapter Eight

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Konayuki crashed through the undergrowth as if it was not even there.

"Elea i'dolen!" Cody cried. She pulled Konayuki to a halt and studied the blue footprints that glowed when she yelled the spell. She noticed that they led in a straight line so she spurred Konayuki into a canter and followed the trail. She looked behind her and saw that the footprints disappeared when she rode over them.

Cody had been in a coma for several days and when she woke up she had no memory of what happened right before she fainted. The elves told her they tried to remove the dark magic that was in her but to no avail. The darkness in her could only be cured by the destruction of the Ring.

Now, she was trying desperately to catch up with the Fellowship. They had a week's head start and she couldn't ride for long for she was still weak but insisted she head out immediately. At noon she decided she would let Konayuki have a break and she would make a small meal. She went off the trail a little ways and found a clearing with a small freshwater stream.

Konayuki was grazing peacefully and Cody was making lunch when his head shot up. Cody watched him as his nostrils flared and his ears went straight up, listening. The whites of his eyes were showing and, suddenly, he reared up. He let out a high pitched neigh and when he landed he made deep snort. He tossed his head several times and raked his hoof against the ground.

Cody continued to watch him with great interest until she heard a rustle in the bushes on the other side of the stream.

"Gollum! Gollum!" Konayuki reared again but in mid air he turned and bucked into the trees. Cody drew her sword and called out, "Who goes there?"

"He stole it from us?!" the voice cried.

"Who stole it from you?"

"Bagginses." a small creature crawled out of the bushes. He had long limbs and she could see every bone in his body through his pale skin. His eyes were round and the size of her fist, he walked on all fours but stayed in the shade.

"Who are you?"

"The hobbitsess asks who are we Precious. Gollum! Gollum!"

Cody did not know who or what this creature was. "What do you want then?"

"What we want it asks! Funny hobbitsess. What do we want Precious?" He paused for a second then a horrible smile spread across its face. "We wants the same thing hobbitsess wants!" it cried.

"And what do I want?" she asked. She drew nearer to the creature now for she was interested in what he would say.

"Precious!" he squealed in delight. Just then Konayuki charged at the creature, giving out deep, hoarse neighs as he did so. His head was low to the ground as he ran towards it.

"Don't hurts us!" it cried as Konayuki chased it away from the stream. When Cody could no longer hear Konayuki she called him back. In only a few seconds he reappeared where the creature had been standing and was breathing heavily. He trotted over to her and she stroked his neck.

"What was that Konayuki?" she asked. He let out a low nicker and nudged her shoulder gently. "That's what I thought."

That night Cody laid awake for she knew that the creature she had seen that morning was still out there. She slept with her sword under her makeshift pillow and kept her hand in it all night. Several times she thought she could hear the soft patter of feet but when she looked around there was nothing but darkness.

As she drifted off into sleep she heard, in the distance, the horrible garbled voice talking to itself.

"Gollum! Gollum!" the noise seemed to bounce off of the trees and right into Cody's camp. She tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword but soon, she was fast asleep.