Prison of Darkness

Notes: This chapter gave me fits. I hope those of you still following like it. This chapter is dedicated to x_nothing_there for always being my sounding board. Oh, and sorry it took me a little longer to post this one. I was having trouble with the edits, and then I ended up doing them in the middle of the night, so I hope it makes sense. :)

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from television is still not mine.

Chapter 11

As they walked away from the inn, Kate found Nahla's boots quite comfortable. They were made of some kind of soft leather, and it was worn in to be pliable. The weight on her hip was not quite as comfortable. It felt odd and Kate almost felt as if she were listing to the left, like a boat. She had a pack flung over her right shoulder which sort of evened things out a little.

Kate considered herself a woman in better than average shape, but, after a couple of hours of walking, her feet hurt, despite the comfortable shoes, her back hurt from carrying the pack, and her body and muscles were protesting.

The walk didn't seem to be bothering her companions. They set a brisk pace, and Nahla chattered like a magpie. Her cousin, on the other hand, hadn't said more than a couple of words.

Kate knew that it was a walk of a couple of hours to get from the inn to one of the places you could leave the Old Ways. In the inn, that hadn't seemed like a long way. In reality, knowing she had to walk another hour or two seemed excruciating. She was tempted to wake herself up just to get a break, but she was afraid too much time would pass. Besides, knowing that somewhere she had another body sleeping next to Castle was comforting.

As they walked, Kate tuned out Nahla and thought about what she had seen in the stone. Really seeing him had been like a physical punch to the gut. He looked so awful...and so real. And so lonely. If she could have, she would have gone right through that rock to get him. She had to hold on to the fact that at least he was still alive and that she was doing her best to make sure he stayed that way.

Eventually, Nahla stopped chattering and said, "Would you like some lunch?"

Kate realized that she was starving. "Yes. What have we got?"

"I don't know. Mother packed us some things. Are you hungry, Jacek?"

Jacek shrugged, which Kate took to mean he could eat.

"Sit down, Kate," Nahla told her. "You look tired."

Kate gratefully let herself drop to the road. "I am. I'm not used to walking for three hours at a time."

"You're used to horses, huh?" Nahla asked as she dug through her pack. "We don't have horses on the Old Ways, so we're used to walking where we need to go."

Kate didn't correct her. Instead, she said, "I'm used to sparring for hours, but this..."

"Fighting and walking use different muscles." Then she made a triumphant cry and pulled out a small cloth bag. "Lunch."

She settled down in the road beside Kate and opened the sack. While she was rummaging around in it, Kate shrugged off her own pack. After a moment's thought, she also undid her belt.

"What are you doing?" Jacek asked, coming over to join them.

"That thing is rubbing my hip raw. I'm just giving it a little break. I think I'm going to carry it in my pack for awhile."

"Carry it in your...Are you crazy?"

"It's too tall for the pack to do up. It'll stick out and I'll be able to get at it easily."

He glowered at her, so she said, "If it'll make you feel better, I'll wear the arm and leg knives."

He just shook his head.

"I'm sure that will be fine," Nahla said. "Now, let's eat."

XXX

Kate woke slowly, surrounded by a familiar scent. She was warm and comfortable. A warm breath stirred her hair, and she was rising and falling with the hypnotic rhythm of another's breathing.

Josh? she wondered groggily. No. It wasn't Josh. It was Castle.

Kate opened her eyes and blinked them sleepily. She didn't want to move. Wondering what time it was, she raised her arm to look at her watch. Something glinted, and her eyes were drawn to the ring on her finger. She studied it under the harsh hospital lights before completing her motion.

It was after two o'clock. She had been sleeping with Castle for over four hours. Even so, she was still tired and would have liked to go back to sleep. She supposed the three hours of walking could have had something to do with it.

Her stomach growled, reminding her that she had been in the middle of reaching for her lunch when her body here had called her back. Getting something to eat would probably be a good idea.

With reluctance, she pulled away from Castle. Immediately, she missed his warmth. In her mind, an image of him in the prison cell overshadowed the one in front of her.

"It's going to be all right, Castle. I'm coming to get you."

She slid off of the bed and, as her feet hit the floor, noticed that she was still wearing Nahla's boots. She also noticed that the muscles in her legs ached.

Kate dropped into the chair and started massaging out some of the soreness. As she sat there, she remembered that Josh was supposed to meet her at her place that evening to take her to supper. She really didn't want to go. All she wanted to do was stay home and sleep. If she went out with Josh, all she'd be thinking about was Castle. All she'd want would be to be back with Nahla and Jacek on the way to rescue him. She decided to call Josh when she got home and tell him she was not feeling well. Hopefully, he would understand.

XXX

She was halfway done her meal at Remy's when her cell phone rang. Glancing at it, she saw that Josh had saved her the trouble of a phone call.

"Beckett."

"Hi, Kate. It's me."

"Hey."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm having a little snack at Remy's. I haven't been feeling well today, so I thought I'd better get something down."

"You're not feeling well?"

"No." She shook her head, even though he couldn't see it. "I think it's nerves or stress."

"Well, do you want to call it off for tonight?"

"Would you be mad?"

"Of course not, Kate. Is it okay if I come by later?"

"Sure, but I may be asleep."

"Get lots of rest."

"I'm planning on it."

Though there were subtle subtexts in what she said, for the most part her words were the truth.

Now that she was fed and she had talked to Josh, she felt much better. She was still exhausted, but her body felt lighter.

XXX

Kate was already yawning by the time she got back to the hotel. She was also feeling a little guilty for being awake. It had been three hours since she woke up beside Castle, and she didn't want to think about how much time might have passed in that other place. She did not want Jacek and Nahla to get to the prison without her. Mostly, this was because she didn't trust Jacek. She was afraid that he would take the easy way out and kill Castle. Nahla, she did trust, but she didn't know if the small girl could do much to stop her cousin once he made up his mind. She was so afraid that she would get there too late to do anything.

She had made two important stops on the way home from Remy's. The first was at a drugstore to pick up some over the counter sleeping pills. She decided to have them on hand in case she couldn't sleep. Her second stop had been to see a man about an apartment. She wouldn't have taken Woon's, but another one was available. Kate was delighted when she found out it was just in her price range. She had already signed the lease and the apartment would be ready for her on the first of December.

Even though she was exhausted, Kate decided to have a shower and maybe an apple before she went to sleep. She felt sweaty and icky from the dust from the road. She also wanted to change her clothes. It would be uncomfortable, but she decided to sleep with her new boots on. That way, she wouldn't have to travel any more in her bare feet.

She debated sleeping with her gun. The whole time she was in the shower, she thought about it. In the end, she decided against it. It would make her more comfortable, but how would she explain it? Nahla was open minded, but Kate wasn't sure how open minded. And then there was Jacek. What would he do if he found out what a gun could do? Kate didn't want to be the one to find out.

Kate was still eating her apple when someone knocked on her door. She made her way over and looked through the peephole, expecting that Josh was early. Instead, she saw Lanie.

Immediately Kate unlocked and opened the door. "Lanie, what are you doing here?"

"Don't I even get a 'hi', sweetie?"

"Sorry, Lanie. I'm just surprised. Did we have a date that I forgot?"

"Oh, no. Nothing like that. I just came to check on you."

"Check on me?"

"Yes. Are you going to invite me in?"

Kate moved out of the way, and her friend came inside.

"Nice boots," Lanie said.

"I like them." Kate smiled, then turned serious. "Why are you checking up on me?"

"Because I'm worried about you, girl. Esposito told me you took a week off work."

"He did?"

"Yes. Now spill."

"It's this thing with Castle." She led Lanie into the room and they both sat down.

"You're worried he won't wake up." Lanie was never one to pull punches.

"A little. And I'm trying to figure out how I feel about that. Most of the time, when I'm trying to deal with something, I like to throw myself into work. It provides the distraction I need."

"And this time?"

"It's not working."

"So you came home to do what? Mope?"

"No, that's not it at all." She really wished she could tell Lanie the truth.

"What is it then? Look at you. You're pale and exhausted."

"I just want to spend some time with him. Is that so wrong?"

Lanie eyed her then, and Kate saw a few things in the other woman's eyes that she didn't want to have to face. At least not now.

"I'm just afraid you're going to get hurt, sweetie. I've seen enough of that to last a lifetime."

"I don't want to get hurt either, but I think it's too late for that."

Lanie looked away. "I know it is."

The two of them sat in silence for a moment before Lanie continued, "Oh, Esposito wanted me to tell you that they cracked the Woon case."

"They did?" Kate asked. "Was it the brother?"

"Oh, yeah. It was the brother. Interviewing some of his acquaintances, they found out he's some screwed up piece of nutbar."

Kate raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Is there any other kind of nutbar?"

Lanie smiled and said, "As far as they can tell, the motive was jealousy."

"Did they get a confession?"

"Not exactly."

"Not exactly?"

"They haven't found him yet. He's been missing since right after he came to New York, when his parents IDed the body. No one knows where he is. There have been a few sightings, but nothing concrete."

"So, he's still on the loose."

"That's what I just said."

"Maybe I should go back to work." Kate's desire to catch a killer warred with her need to save Castle.

"They'll find him, Kate." Lanie reached out and put a hand on Kate's arm. "You can trust them. If staying home from work is what you have to do, you should do it."

She admitted to herself that Lanie was right. Ryan and Esposito were good cops, and they were capable of catching the killer on their own.

"Okay," she said.

Lanie stood up. "I really should go. I have a date with Brian tonight. I just had to make sure you are all right first."

"I'm all right."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure." Kate stood up as well.

"That's good enough for me, Sweetie." Lanie kissed her cheek then turned to go.

Kate waited until the door was finished closing before she curled up in her bed to sleep.

XXX

It was dark, and Kate had no idea where she was. Small drops of water spattered her face and made her wish she had worn her jacket. The sky was overcast; she couldn't see any moon or any stars. Even her hand was just a faint impression as she held it out in front of her.

Her eyes searched the darkness, trying to see something...anything.

A flicker of light caught her eye. She squinted and stared, just to make sure she hadn't imagined it.

The ground under her feet was hard packed dirt, so at least she knew she was standing on a road. The only problem was that the flicker of light led her off of it. What if she ended up chasing a firefly and then couldn't find her way back?

The rain was getting heavier, and she couldn't stand there all night. With no other logical choice, she walked down a small hill. It was covered with grass and soft from the rain.

Before long, she reached a tree line. She hesitated a moment until she heard voices.

"Is this rain ever going to stop?"

"Quit whining. You won't melt."

"Well, if you'd come help me with the tent, I wouldn't have to whine, would I?"

Kate followed the voices, and found a path through the trees. The flickering grew more substantial and she realized that it was from a small fire. She didn't know how it had survived in the rain.

The trees opened up into a small clearing. In the clearing, a man was bent over the fire, coaxing it into staying lit. Near him, a woman was stretching a sheet of fabric between two trees. As Kate expected, these two people were Nahla and Jacek.

"Do you need some help?" Kate asked Nahla.

The girl whirled and squeaked, but Jacek made no indication that he had even heard her.

"Kate!" Nahla exclaimed. "Where did you come from?"

Kate waved towards the road. "That way. Where are we?...When are we?"

"It's been about two days," Nahla told her. Her blond hair was plastered to her head and face. "We crossed into the lands of the Kjioni just about an hour after you left, and we're still about three or four days from Rithisak's prison. So far, it's been pretty quiet." She glanced at Kate's feet. "I see you remembered your boots this time."

Kate was relieved that only two days had passed. In her relief, she almost missed Nahla's next comment. She processed it and answered, "Definitely better than arriving in my bare feet. Did you need some help with your tarp?"

"This bare spot under the trees is relatively dry and sheltered. I figured it would be a great place to set up a makeshift tent, but I can't seem to get it to stay."

"Well, let's see what we can do."

The two women worked together while Jacek laboured to keep the fire going and cook something over it at the same time.

"Shouldn't you have done this before dark?" Kate asked as they finally got the shelter ready.

"We wanted to make it to this resting place, but we got delayed, so we're late. I suppose we could have stopped earlier, but Jacek didn't remember there being anywhere suitable before this."

Kate glanced over at Jacek. He was still acting as if neither woman were there. "He's been here before?"

"He travels off the Old Ways a lot. That's why he's always well armed. The Old Ways can be dangerous, but out here it's a hundred times so. The people aren't really happy, and unhappy people do desperate things."

Kate had seen this enough times in her career to know that Nahla was right.

"We brought your bag," Nahla told her as they started bringing their things in out of the wet. Kate saw it there, with the pummel sticking out of the top. She knew Nahla could not have carried both packs, and she wondered if Jacek had carried it willingly or under duress.

"Dinner's ready," his rough voice cut across the small clearing.

"You hungry?" Nahla asked.

"Not really."

"You should still eat. What if we don't get a chance to eat in the morning?" Though they spoke quietly, Jacek evidently heard them.

Kate looked at Nahla. "Why wouldn't we..."

"It's better not to argue." Nahla shrugged. "Besides, Jacek's an unpredictably good cook."

"If you say so."

The food turned out to be some kind of meat. Rabbit, Kate would have guessed if asked. Nahla was right. It was surprisingly good.

They ate in their shelter, then the two cousins started rolling out their bedrolls.

"I wonder if a person can sleep in a dream," Kate said, following suit.

"This isn't a dream," Jacek growled.

Nahla ignored him and replied, "Your body is probably worn out from being constantly drawn into Richard Castle's magic. You'll sleep better here, despite it being on rough ground, than you have been at home lately. Trust me."

Kate discovered that Nahla was right about that too. She piled her boots in the corner and was asleep before she was completely in her bedroll.

She didn't dream.

XXX

Kate was awakened by birdsong. It had been a long time since she had woken to anything but the noisy sounds of a busy city. For a moment, she had no idea where she was. Was she in her hotel room? Was she in the hospital? Then, she realized there were two other bodies sleeping there beside her. She was lying on hard and bumpy ground, and there was a pommel of a sword almost directly over her head.

Her body was stiff, she noticed as she quietly slipped out of her bedroll. She supposed it was a side effect of all that walking and then sleeping on the ground.

She put on her boots and quietly left their small shelter. It was really early in the morning, and it hadn't been light for very long. The clearing was covered with dew and drying rain drops, and the weak morning sun sparkled as it shone through the trees. Kate was glad to see that it had stopped raining.

She stretched her tight muscles, breathing in the intriguing scent of a forest after the rain.

A slight sound off to her right made her tense up. She listened intently and heard it again. The sound was faint, and it could have been an animal, but Kate's cop senses had the hair itching at the base of her neck.

She turned around to wake Nahla.

Before she had the chance, five men came into the clearing. They were dirty, with long scraggly beards and even longer and scragglier hair. Their clothes were patched and as dirty as the rest of them. They looked angry, and their eyes had crazed, haunted looks.

Kate hadn't even made a sound, but Jacek was immediately out of the shelter and beside her. She could hear Nahla grumbling, "I'm coming. I'm coming...Where did I put my left boot?"

Jacek's face held a sneer as he drew his sword. Kate had to admit it was an impressive sight.

"Who are they?" Kate asked, wishing she had thought to bring something out to defend herself with.

"Bandits," Jacek almost spat out. "The land is crawling with them now."

"Give us your stuff, and you might live," one of the bandits, the tallest, said.

"Do we look like innocents?" Jacek asked him. "Get out of here, and we might let you live."

"One man, an unarmed girl, and a disembodied voice?"

The five of them each drew weapons. Two of them had long, curved knives, and the other three had swords.

"Not so disembodied," Nahla said, finally coming out. Her sword was unsheathed in one hand, and she handed Kate her own sword and sheath.

"Thanks."

Kate shook the sword loose and hoped she could figure out how to use it. Her mind flashed to an image of her with a bleeding stump where her hand used to be.

"You can't say I didn't warn you," the bandit said.

"Likewise," Jacek replied.

"If you guys are done with your great show of testosterone..." Kate prodded.

The bandit sneered at her and lunged at Jacek. Their blades met with a ringing sound that filled the clearing. The other four were eyeing up both her and Nahla, and she didn't like what she saw in their faces.

Nahla completely surprised one of them by gracefully attacking. One of his companions raced to his aid, but the other two attacked Kate.

Her fencing lessons came back to her as a sword met hers. She blocked twice, losing sight of the guy with the knife.

"Look out," Jacek came from nowhere and slapped away the knife that was about to stab her.

She couldn't pay too much attention because her opponent kept raining blows on her. She managed to block them, but some were harder than others.

It dawned on her for the first time that if Castle could die here, so could she. What would her friends think if her body was found in the same state as Castle's? If she died, who would save Castle? Both good questions, but she pushed them out of her head to ponder later.

Pain in her right thigh actually helped her to focus.

She was on the defensive and tried to figure out how to take the offensive. She knew if she could just get his blade from him, she could probably beat him in hand to hand combat.

Her first concern was getting out of the rut they were in. Her opponent wasn't that skilled, but he was certainly more skilled than she was, and sooner or later, she was going to make a mistake.

She tuned out the sounds of Nahla's and Jacek's fights around her.

Her mind quickly went through every dirty trick she had learned in her years as a police officer. She had fought crazed drug users, desperate gang members, and evil murderers, and she was still alive to tell about it. A man with a sword was nothing more than a guy with a big knife.

When her opportunity came, Kate was watching for it. He lunged to the right. She blocked him with difficulty. He overbalanced slightly, and Kate swept out with her foot.

The man hadn't been expecting this, and she knocked him from his feet. Before he could get up, she whacked his wrist with the side of her blade. His numb fingers dropped his own blade, and Kate was happy to once more be in familiar territory.

Her fingers released the sword, and she dropped heavily onto the bandit. He lashed out at her with his fist, but she caught it with one hand and punched him in the face with her other. She felt his lip split under the blow, and his teeth cut one of her knuckles. She ignored the pain and hit him again.

He broke free of her grip and tried to knock her sideways. She had fought stronger people than him, and she was able to keep him from bucking her off.

He landed a punch on her jaw, and it hurt like hell. She tasted blood as her tooth went into her lip. She struggled to catch his hands to prevent another shot.

When she succeeded, he spit in her face. It dripped down her forehead, leaving a tickling, slimy trail.

He wiggled his body, putting her off balance enough to free one of his hands. It stung as his knuckles smashed into her cheekbone. She was off balance enough that he was able to roll her over so that he was on top. When she realized what he was doing, Kate put her own strength behind the roll. The bandit came up, but he kept going. Kate wrapped her legs around him, and they continued to roll until his head hit the ground. She fought herself into a sitting position, and hit him twice before he could recover. Blood came from his nose and mingled with the blood from his lip. After the second blow, his eyes looked slightly unfocused. Encouraged, Kate gave him a blow that rattled her own bones. The man immediately went limp beneath her.

With a grunt of effort, she staggered to her feet and wiped his blood off of her hands onto her clothes.

Nearby, two more of their attackers were lying on the ground, their blood staining the earth. A glance told Kate that they were dead.

Nahla was fighting one of the last two men, her face set in concentration. Jacek was fighting the other, his moves fluid and full of grace. Kate could tell he was even better than he had boasted.

Kate was wondering if she should go over and help Nahla when the girl knocked the sword out of the man's hand. While he was still surprised, Nahla stepped forward and gave him a knee to the groin. He groaned and collapsed.

The girl ceased her attack as he curled up in a ball.

"Kill him," Jacek said, coming over, his sword dripping blood.

Nahla paled. "No."

"Then I'll do it."

"Can't we just tie them up and leave them here?" Kate asked. "You don't expect us to kill them in cold blood."

"They'd kill us if they had the chance."

Nahla turned slightly green. "Can we find another way, Jacek?"

He gave her a disgusted look. "Fine. We'll tie them up and leave them here, but if they come behind us and murder us, it's on your head."

He cut one of the dead men's shirts into strips and started to tie up the two still alive. While he did that, Kate and Nahla packed up the rest of their things.

"I've never seen that much blood and death," Nahla confided quietly to Kate.

"I have," Kate said grimly.

Nahla let out a sudden cry. "Kate, you're bleeding."

As soon as she said this, Kate felt a return of the pain in her leg. Her lip also throbbed, and she knew that before long she'd have a fat lip.

"Sit down and let me look at your leg."

Kate complied by dropping to the ground and ripping off what was left of the pant leg. She was relieved to see the cut wasn't very serious despite how much it stung. Nahla took some water from her pack and washed off the blood. Then, she put on some soothing ointment.

"Not too bad. You were lucky." She unwittingly echoed Kate's thoughts.

"Well," Kate told the girl, "I survived my first sword fight. Castle would love it."

"He would love that you were in danger?"

"No, he'd just love the image of me fighting with a sword. In our world, he writes stories about someone based on me."

"You two have a very odd relationship."

"You could say that."

XXX

Castle was daydreaming about home when his spooky captor made his next appearance. It was daylight this time, though little enough light filtered through the tiny window.

Castle sat up quickly, his body stiff from another night in the dampness. He could have really used a bath. It crossed his mind to mention this, but decided it was probably better if he didn't.

"Hello, Mr. Castle," the man said coldly, his eyes reflecting the light like pieces of glass—or ice.

Rick didn't answer. He waited for the man to continue.

"Your time with me will soon be at an end. Our window is approaching." Rick blinked at him in incomprehension. "Your magic is divided. It's a pity. It would be so much stronger if it were not. Still, there is a chance that I will find the reason and eliminate it before then. Either way, enjoy your stay."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." He should have kept the comment to himself. He knew he should have. The problem was, he had always had trouble keeping his mouth shut.

"I don't know if you are lying or if you are truly an innocent. Either way, it soon will not matter."

Rick really didn't like the sound of that. Still, he asked, "Why not?"

"Because, Mr. Castle, you'll be dead."