Shock written across her face, Sarah watched was Puck unwound the threads of power. Wrinkling her nose in distaste at being powerless to help, she just stood there watching as he did his job. Slowly, the golden-rose threads began to dissipate from her view.
Taking slow steps forward, he led her to the door hidden in the side of the Cairn. It blended almost seamlessly with the moss and lichen covered stone. Yet, with the keen eye of the sidhe, Puck had found it, then again… With as old as he was, he more than likely had been aboveground before the mass exodus that had left the majority of the aboveground bereft of the Fae. Beyond those who had chosen to stay or just hadn't the power to follow their brethren.
A frown on her lips, the furrow between her brows slowly deepened. She wanted to know why and how he knew where Jareth was being kept. This smelled slightly rotten, yet she had to trust him for now. She would keep the peace until her king was found, then… Hell would rain upon those who had taken his throne from him, along with quizzing the Fae in front of her.
With a grating sound, the stone slowly slid free of its binding. It had been a long time since this entrance had been used apparently. With a flick of his wrist, Puck had a globe of light in one palm as he motioned for her to stay behind him. Slipping through the small crack he'd made, she was beyond thankful that she was petite, or there would have been no way for her to make it through. Although, she did have a little bit of an issue with her breasts… Sometimes it really did suck to be rather busty. Not just in the clothes department, but in the squeezing through small or tight places.
Sliding one hand along the wall as they walked, she let her power flow through her, glimmering along the wall, just in case the need arose for her to get out by herself. She was hoping to leave with Jareth, yet she had to have her own precautions. For now she was trusting Puck to lead her to him, however she did not fully trust him. He was not one of her people. Not like Hoggle, Sir Didymus or Ludo.
Even they did not know what was happening above, she had not contacted them in many years. Despite that and everything that had happened, she still considered them friends. She tended to be quite possessive, even of her friends. Which led to another problem that she and Jareth would have to face, she was well aware of the issues most Fae had with being monogamous. She fervently hoped that she would not have this issue with Jareth. Granted, her views might change a bit more as she spent more time with the Fae, in the meantime however, she expected loyalty to her and only her.
Suddenly, she lost sight of Puck. Hurrying, she tried to catch up to him, only to stumble through an illusion and into his back. Without moving, let alone breathing he looked ahead of them. Which prompted her to try and be as still and silent as she could be, all while trying to see what was beyond his now broad back. It was as if her trust and belief in him was transforming him from the meek mouse of a man she had met just a few short hours before.
Hushed voices wafted to her ears, echoing slightly within the cavernous cairn. They were male in tone, yet she couldn't understand a word of what they were saying. It sounded like ancient true Gaelic the Gaelic that the English had forced the Celts of Ireland and Scotland to abandon when they had finally conquered them.
She of course because of this, had not been able to find a way to learn it. Despite her love of learning, there was no way for her to learn. Now however, as soon as she found Jareth, he was going to teach her the language so that if there were another such an incident, she would be able to speak with either her captors or his. (Or maybe she would just force Puck to teach her. Seeing as he would have to make himself useful in some way anyhow…)
With slow careful steps, Puck banished the globe of light he had been holding within his palm. Sarah kept her fingers trailing along the wall, hoping that the little power she was infusing into the stone would remain unnoticed until they were gone, if it was noticed at all. Glancing over her shoulder, she eyed the small thread of power tracing back the way they had come, nodding to herself, she kept on walking a few paces behind Puck.
Laughter caused Puck to jerk to a stop, firelight bouncing around in merry shadows ahead; he tilted his head, listening to what was being said. Slowly he began to walk once more, small, hesitant steps that he kept as quiet as possible. He looked over his shoulder at Sarah a frown marring the beautiful lines of his face, the longer she was around him, the more the glamour he had wrapped around himself faded, revealing his true face. It was as beautiful as had been described in the poetry and lore surrounding all the fae.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Puck called out, "Ho there friends!"
A startled pause followed his proclamation, before two men appeared in the shadows of the firelight flickering across the silvered stone of the Cairn ahead of them. Sarah found herself hiding behind Puck, not because she was afraid, but because she did not want to be seen, she would allow him to shield her and surprise the mean if the need arose. Her power rose unbidden, wrapping her in her own power, the glamour blending her with Puck.
"Who are you? How in the seven levels of Hades did you get here?"
From what she could see and hear of Puck, he looked and sounded rather offended, "You don't recognize me Callum of Finn? I, the one who rescued you from the Isle of Aran… When you danced a dangerous dance, baiting and failing the Old Ones? I stepped in for you Child." The more Puck spoke, the more the man before them paled, the look on his face speaking for him. He remembered Puck, quite well evidently.
"Robin Goodfellow, known as Puck, retainer to Oberon, I greet thee. For any offense, I apologize as well. It has been long since thee has been seen within the world of the Above. More often, we hear of the King Jareth, blasted man that he is. Him and his Goblins…" The man seemed to falter, Sarah could feel the anger radiating from Puck, it was rolling off of him.
"Speak not about a man you do not know, aside from the rumors and hatred spewed by his siblings! Oberon and Titania know who he is, it is by their will he is king! Do you believe all that you hear Callum of Finn?" His voice was low, driving home his passion.
The other fae cowered, Pucks power was enormous, more than she had even suspected he wielded. She should not have been surprised, according to the snippets she had been able to piece together, he and Jareth were friends, good friends at that. In fact, if her suspicions were right, Puck was here at Oberon's behest.
Stepping to his side, Sarah watched him. The emotions crossing his face were almost too many to name, she could see love and devotion, passion in his defense of her king. Mayhap there was more going on here than she had originally thought, was Puck in love with Jareth? This was just more food for thought.
Letting her glamour fall, she enjoyed the looks of shock on the men's faces. Callum (Well who she assumed was Callum) gaped at the small woman who had appeared from behind Puck. Everyone knew that Puck was in love with Jareth, they had been a couple once upon a time, before the prophecies came to light. Not something many knew, yet the sidhe were not known for being picky about gender. Love was love.
"Tell me where my king is. As informative as the banter you have going on is, I am more interested in my king. Now where is he?" Sarah murmured cooly, the anger she felt brewing all but ice in her veins. The sooner she was with Jareth, the sooner all would be soothed.
"I don't answer to you bitch. And king? What king are you speaking of? Are you asking about the fool who was deposed? If so… You're too late," Callum smirked, oozing self-satisfaction and pleasure. His body reeked of ejaculation, almost as if he had been pleasuring himself to the screams of pain. In fact, now that she was paying attention, she could smell Jareth. His was a distinctive scent. As she focused on that, she missed Puck's reaction to what Callum had said of Jareth.
That is until the sound of his fist smashing the man's nose echoed in the small space of the Cairn. Tilting her head, she laughed, Puck had him pressed against the wall, his feet hanging a good two feet off the ground as his forearm ground into the man's throat. "Serves you right boy, talking of a great king such as Jareth with such disrespect! Let alone the way you spoke to me. Be glad it is Puck who has you, and not me. I would not be so merciful."
She walked passed he and Puck, smiling in satisfaction as she heard the man grunt and gasp. The other man, Callum's cohort backed away from her. Unlike Callum, he had heard rumors of the woman before him. Petite she may be, she was scary as hell. There was no way he would face her, her power and raw potential… It was almost unheard of.
So Sarah continued deeper in the Cairn, in search of her King. Or at least a clue as to his whereabouts, what will she discover as time goes on? Will she find Jareth? Will his mental state be salvageable? Will he recognize her?