Jareth was starting to worry. He knew that only a day or two had passed, but in the oubliette is felt like forever. The Underground provided them with food but said little about what was going on at the castle. His brothers…Kalina…. they could be dead for all he knew. Glancing at Sarah who was sleeping, he hoped that they were okay. Sarah would probably feel lost without her, the one who had brought them together.
" She must have known something was going to happen," he said, "that's why she rushed the proposal."
There was an energy pulse from the castle and Jareth became very aware of his surroundings. Energy was starting to blanket the Labyrinth and it felt so familiar. There was a smaller pulse and Evan popped into existence in front of him. Without thinking, Jareth gave his brother a fierce hug.
"Evan!" Jareth couldn't have been happier to see him. Sarah bolted up and hugged him too.
" Well," Evan said lightly, " if the situation wasn't so dire, I would be happy to receive such a welcome."
Jareth gave a questioning look while Sarah grabbed his sleeve. " Evan," she said, " what's going on at the castle? The Underground wouldn't answer our questions and neither would the Labyrinth."
Sighing Evan took a seat that appeared behind him. " Venith and Entalon are okay. They are probably with the Labyrinth right now discussing what should be done. Kalina…." He paused, trying to think of a way to explain her situation. " She's terribly wounded. Last I saw, she had a sword wound to her torso and was bleeding badly. Cavan…Behome…those two were the only thing on her mind when she strode out of the dungeon. I hope that she doesn't succumb to her wounds at a bad time. She won't feel at peace to die, until those two are either locked away or dead. Preferably the latter."
" Damn that Kalina," Jareth hissed. " She has no regard to the feelings of others. Always eaten up by vengeance and hate…"
Sarah touched his cheek. " She can't help it Jareth. Her life has been hard, and she's fiercely loyal to her friends. Did you think that she would not react to us being captured? Along with Entalon, we are her family. Why do you think she went through the trouble of bringing me back?" Sarah smiled.
" She hardly knew me, for all she knew, I could have simply wanted to make you my slave."
" Oh Jareth, she knew better than that. Why do you think she is the Warrior? She could tell in your reaction to Sarah's name…and the reaction to the question she asked on the night Cavan came when she was cleaning the library."
Jareth rubbed his temples then pulled Sarah close to him. " Sarah…we need to go to her.'
Sarah hugged him back. " I was wondering when you were going to say that," she said.
" We'll have to hurry," Evan said, " I can assure you at this moment that she at least fight Behome by now…and her hands won't allow her to last much longer."
" Why?" asked Sarah in concern. Evan gave her a measuring look, then opened his mouth to explain one of Kalina's two weak points.
Kalina was tiring, but drawing on the last reserve of strength, she managed to hack through two more guards to finally come face to face with Cavan. He was flanked by Behome and two more guards…and they all attacked at once. Twisting and turning in a way that unnatural for a human, she managed to surprise the guards as she disarmed them and put them in a barrier. Behome moved too quickly and she was barely able to dodge causing her to loose a lock of hair. Cavan came after and Kalina brought her sword up. Their swords clashed and Kalina realized her mistake. Cavan started to push down and she felt herself slowly lowering to her knees. She was in danger of being forced to the ground and losing her bearings. So…she decided to play dirty. She lunged up then brought her knee into his groin. Grimacing, she realized that she had been pulling that trick more often than she liked. She didn't like to play dirty. As he fell to the ground, Behome took his place.
" I do hope you don't intend to pull that trick on me," he said, " unlike my brother, I've trained to be quicker on my feet."
" Then let's test that theory out!" challenged Kalina as she attacked. Behome leapt backward and slashed. She barely had time to block and was starting to curse herself for being so slow. A broken arm was no excuse to not be able to fight. She narrowed her eyes as she remembered her training with the Underground. All fighting situations had been covered, from having a flesh wound to broken limbs and fighting to the death.
" I will not lose to you," she said, her eyes glowing. Behome smiled and she nearly screamed in frustration. It was the same smile she saw on his face on the tower when she was flying back towards the castle. He had to know how she felt. Otherwise, he wouldn't have done that. The bastard was playing mind games with her. Then she thought of something and lowered her sword.
" I can't," she said softly as tears welled up in her eyes, " I can't fight anymore. I hurt so much…" Sinking to her knees, she lowered her head in defeat. Behome approached her and stood before her.
" I am glad that you came to your senses." Leaning in, he took her arm and helped her stand, " You are wise to surrender."
Kalina brushed tears from her eyes and looked up at him. " I just have one thing to say," she said as she looked into his eyes. He raised his eyebrows inquiringly and she hissed, " Never trust a woman." And with that, she crashed the hilt of her sword into his head. He crumpled unconscious to the floor and as she turned around, Cavan attacked. As they fought, Kalina started to feel the pain in her wrist, shooting up through her fingers.
Oh no she thought not now! She had been cursed with carpal tunnel when she was eighteen, and though it never really bothered her, the bad cases always seemed to hit at the most inconvenient time. Cavan attacked relentlessly, causing her to always be on the defense, not allowing her to make an attack. Feeling her grip loosen on her sword, she tried to stop it but Cavan saw the opening and disarmed her. Pointed his sword tip to her throat he smiled. " You will make a lovely throne decoration…as well as a fun toy in the bedroom."
Suddenly, the doors burst open. And to her surprise, the High King and his army swept into the room, attacking Cavan's guards. Cavan stared dumbstruck as his men were being overtaken. Kalina picked up her sword, and attacked.
