Hi, everybody! Hugs to everyone who's been reviewing! I REALLY appreciate it! Thanks! Anyway, to answer someone's question, Herge IS somewhat of a guardian angel to Tintin, given that he's been watching over him since birth. And about Jamie (whom Haddock sort of befriends), she will play a BIG part in their escape. And thanks for pointing out the connection between her and one of my fave voice actors. And if you haven't figured out who "you-know-who" is by now, you SHOULD have a clue once you read this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Tintin!

Sakharine's Revenge

Chapter 8

"Don't worry, Tintin. It will be all over soon," said Sakharine, admiring the unconscious spirit of Tintin, which was floating in an ectoplasmic orb. "And if Haddock (by some lucky chance) has somehow followed me here, I'll make sure he'll never leave! Your purity, Tintin. It sickens me so! But I will break all of that. Once I offer you to him!"

"Sakharine?" a low, somewhat menacing voice was heard. "Have you seen Jamie?"

Annoyed, he replied, "I haven't seen that br...I mean, sweet daughter of yours anywhere, my lord." Sakharine and said princess had never gotten along. They hated each other with a passion. But did Sakharine care what the little brat thought of him? No! All that mattered was that his revenge was going to be complete against Haddock...through sacrificing his friend's pure spirit! He may not have been able to kill Haddock, but he was going to kill his will to fight. But if he actually did come here to save Tintin, he had a chance. All Sakharine had to do was use the poor boy as bait. Then the Rackham descendant heard footsteps. And voices, one being a child's.

I knew he'd come here. He sneered. And the lord's brat is with him.

"SAKHARINE!" the voice boomed, filling the entire castle. "WHERE'S MY DAUGHTER?"

"I said I do not know!" the Rackham descendant replied, then muttered, "But I will in a second. And I have the bait. All I have to do is wait."

"He's in here."

Captain Haddock followed Jamie into what appeared to be a holding room for spirits. And in the middle of said room, in a protective bubble, was Tintin. They glanced around to check for guards, or if Sakharine was hiding somewhere in the room. When they were positive that it was clear, they approached the orb.

"I have to get him out of here," said Haddock, "How do I break the lad free, lass?"

"Leave it to me, Archie!" Jamie saluted like a soldier. "Sugaraddictive's gonna have a cow when he sees this!" She held her bunny up to Tintin's prison, the stuffed animal's button eyes glowing red. Haddock was trying hard not to pass out as he saw a red aura surrounding Jamie while she was working her magic.

She is the princess of hell, after all. So what did I expect? He realized. I'd just better be lucky the lass hates Sakharine just as much as I do.

"What's going on in here?"

Haddock turned around to see Sakharine leaning at the doorway, arms crossed. The captain flinched a little under the Rackham descendant's glare.

"I knew you'd come to this boy's rescue," Sakharine sneered, then glanced at Jamie, who had froze mid-spell and turned to see she'd been caught. "But I never thought Princess Jamie would assist in the rescue. And I'm sure your father will be most displeased."

"Well, he can be mad all he wants!" Jamie spat, "Especially when he finds out that Tin-can's still alive!"

"Too bad he'll never notice! Because he's not going to believe a child! Trust me, Jamie, I could kill you right now, but I can't because your daddy is looking for you. So I suggest you and your new friend go to him if you don't want anything to happen to Tintin's spirit." Sakharine led them over to a nearby window. Jamie recognized the chasm at the bottom and flinched.

"What's down there?" Haddock asked the princess.

"I forgot the whole name, but Daddy told me that if your spirit ends up down there, it's lost forever."

"You'd better listen to her, Haddock," sneered Sakharine, "Come with me now or the boy dies!" He was now holding the orb with Tintin's spirit out the window.

Not having much choice, both Jamie and Captain Haddock nodded their heads in defeat. Sakharine smiled with satisfaction. "I knew you'd make the right choice. And you actually obeyed me for a change, Jamie."

"I still hate you," she hissed.

"I know. And I can't seem to change that, can I? Now come! Your father's worried about you!" Then the Rackham descendant regarded Haddock. "And do not think I've forgotten about you, Haddock. You'll be joining Tintin once this girl's father deals with you for trespassing here."

The captain gulped. Great. Now he was going to die. And there was so many things he wanted to do with his life. So many new kinds of whisky. He also wanted to go out to sea one more time. But none of that mattered now. And on top of all that, he wasn't going to see Tintin again. Except in this gloomy wasteland. He then glanced over at Jamie, who mouthed, I'm gonna get you out of here, even if I have to disobey Daddy to do it. Haddock couldn't help but grin at this girl's mettle.

I SO enjoyed writing this chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed reading it! And as for "you-know-who," it's probably obvious who he is now. Anyway, I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this chappie!