Don't own Labyrinth! D'X Enjoy and Review!

Chapter 6: Digging Deeper

The group had settled in for the night. Sir Dibymus had chose to be on watch this night. "We can't have a fire tonight. It very much will alert our enemy of our location." Jareth informed them. "It's going to be a cold night."

"He's right." Amara agreed and she passed the fruit and water bottles around that was for dinner. "Candy can watch Kulaan for me?"

"Sure, but what's going on?" she asked while Kulaan was relaxing on Jareth's lap on his back cooing cutely at the exiled king.

"Nothing I just want a walk. I'll be right back." Amara told her.

"Oh... okay, but be careful." Candy said.

"I will," she replied before walking off her hands tucked behind her head in a relaxed pose as if her leaving the camp for a bit was not important alone at least until she was alone. Her hands dropped to her sides and her steps quickened to a jog her steps carefully placed until she stopped a few minutes later. Amara crouched her hands roamed over the dirt and broken limbs. "Someone's been here and it wasn't us." she said as she examined a foot print. If people where near her camp she had to make sure they weren't a threat and she had spotted this trail on their way to find a camp earlier. Amara was no real tracker by no means, but she had taught herself some and had TV teach her more. "Human size shoe prints... three different sets of tracks. Scouts or just people perhaps... one is injured or has a limp."

"What are you doing?"

Amara jolted in surprise, "Shit! Jareth what are you doing here? You scared the hell out of me!"

Jareth smirked arrogantly, "Then perhaps you should keep a better eye on your surroundings, my dear."

Amara rolled her eyes in responds before she observed the tracks a bit more, but she knew he was right. If he had been an enemy she would have been killed or captured... perhaps something even worse than that.

"Are you going to answer my question or not?" he inquired when she didn't give a verbal response.

She sighed as she tested the soil of the tracks and then her voice was cold with her seriousness of the matter, "Tracking, I saw these track on our way to find camp. I don't have much experiences with tracking, but judging by the softness of the soil and the sharpness of the imprints it was from this morning at the earliest. The foot prints are human size and judge by the mismatch deepness of these this set of tracks one of the their people have a limp or he's injured. These people could be far to close to our camp and we must know if they are friend or foe."

"You do not sound as inexperienced as you claim," Jareth said cocking a brow.

"I'm not. I learned it from TV and some on the internet. Tried using it a few times when a few kids got lost once near the park that was right next to the woods. I swear someone gave me pointers on this once too, but I can't remember who. All I remember is that he had such long golden-blond hair," She explained with a shrug before she turned to him. "I would prefer to deal with this on my own, but you can come along if you'd like and if you can keep quiet. I don't think you mind blood, do you?"

"Not at all, let's go."

….

"Stop here," she said crouching again to examine something, "Horse tracks... two sets by the look of it. I think they where spotted." Amara spoke with her brows pulled together as she walked a bit further. "They picked up the pace here. See how close the three got together. The one with a limp was defiantly injured... look there is blood on this bush. Their steps are farther apart due to running."

"What are you planning?" Jareth whispered to her as she drew her sword.

"I don't think these people are our enemies. I think the ones on horses are." She said as they followed the foot prints keeping their steps quiet. "They might need help by the look of it. They went up a tree. So we follow the horsemen instead. We should hurry, but just in case we should not interfere until we know for sure. Things are not always as they appear in the Labyrinth."

He had to say he was impressed with her. She had such focus. It reminded him of Sarah yet it didn't. Her focus was cold and strong as steel. If one one was her enemy or her target it would be wise to be afraid for someone like her didn't stop unless she died. "It is not always like that," Jareth corrected, "Somethings are clear as the sun in the sky."

"Unless it's cloudy," She stated.

Jareth gave her a curt chuckle before the two followed the hoof prints.

….

"Get those slavers down, you moron!" Commanded a gruesomely ugly voice that was very fitting for this orc with his disfigured face as he was ordering the other, who was equally disfigured, their horses at least five paces away from them. The three she had been track before where fae or elf. Their was a white male, blue male, and an injured elf. They where all rather good looking and clothed in revealing clothing and the males where as slim as girls. She could see one of there backs from her and she saw several fresh whiplashes on his back. They also had several broken cuffs on their wrist or ankles.

"What do you want me to do?! Shot them with an arrow?! The Masters will punish us if they are injured more than they already!" the second yelled at him in annoyance as Jareth and Amara approach.

"It's what I thought," Amara whispered as she gently but firmly grabbed his arm so he would crouch down with her behind a brush.

"Apparently. How do you wish to proceed?" Jareth inquired looking at her hand from the corner of his eyes. Her touch is... like electricity coursing though all my senses. Then he peered into her face. So beautiful and intelligent, but it is such a pity she keeps it under such a mask. I prefer seeing her smile... it's when those blue eyes shine the most stunningly.

"I don't want them to see either of us coming... I need a distraction." she looked around trying no to look back at Jareth at the moment. She could feel his eyes on her and it was setting her skin aflame. I know he's looking at me, but I need to focus. Don't look. Don't look. Don't. Look... Dammit I looked! God is he handsome! No... focus! Don't think about that sexy smirk of his or the way he felt when he held me! Focus!

She took a deep breath centering herself as she spotted several rocks and grinned. She picked some up and threw several as hard as she could at the horses. They neighed in pain and surprise as they bolted away.

"Damn the horses!" one cried. "Let's get the horses back- GAH!"

He did get to finish that sentences for Amara had cut into him and his body had collapsed on the ground. "That's one," she smirked. "Your next."

"You bitch! My aren't you pretty. Masters will like you, but I'll be have a turn with you first." He said drawing his large battleaxe still stained in blood on the last person or thing he had used it on. He went to attack her but found himself shrunk into a frog.

"That will be enough of that," Jareth said a disgusted look on his face before he summoned a snake to eat the frog through a crystal he held. He didn't much like like the way that foul ape was talking to Amara. He honestly not let anyone speak to her that way. Jareth found himself respecting her took much to allow that. Though... respect was putting it lightly as to how he was feeling about the girl. He never felt like this before not even with Sarah even though once he thought he couldn't live with out her. He never felt safe or more endanger with anyone else nor more whole. Then there was that thought in the back of his mind digging deeper into his heart. He knew not how to describe it but it reached into the deeps of his soul he didn't know was there before. Yet his mind or himself was hesitated to utter a single word of it. Was it out of fear? He was unsure.

"I could of handled that, Jareth, but thanks anyway and did you really had to let him get eaten by a snake of all things?" she told him smiling amused.

"You are welcomed and yes. He need to know how low he actually was before death," he informed her smirking back. "His insult to you as well was... intolerable."

Her smile widen as she blushed lightly at him before turning to the ones in the tree, "Hey get down here. It's safe now!"

"Come on, let's go," the girl said as she made her way down before her arm was grabbed roughly by the white male.

"We can't trust then Eva!" he told her warning.

"They help us idiot and the woman is an elf," the blue male informed them as he eyed Amara his golden gaze was unreadable as he looked upon her.

"Exactly, Daren," she told the white elf as she jerked her arm from him and finished making her way down.

"If we get killed I blame both of you!" Daren growled at them glaring at them all with green eyes.

Amara waited for all of them to make there way down before greeting them, "Glad we got here in time. My name is Amara and this is Jareth."

"Nice to met you and thank you. My name is Eva, this is Ronin, and the grumpy one Daren." Eva told them. Her eyes where pink with specks of purple and blue in them. She looked like a doll and she was only to Amara's shoulder.

"It was not problem. My group and I have a camp not to far from here. I can get those cuffs of you. I can work on that ankle and assist with what ever injures you have." Amara offered before she saw the state of there clothes, "Oh... your clothes... um I think you guys can fight into something of mine intil we find something better."

"Really... thank heavens... this clothes... well uncomfortable," Ronin said.

"I can tell," Amara said. "Come one we're not far from our camp."