(Author's note: Now, now, people, don't have a heart attack or anything.. Yes, I actually wrote another chapter less than a week after the previous one! lol. I know, you're surprised, because it hasn't been like two months yet. Well, I shouldn't have taken the time to write because I have a paper and three tests next week, but I'm really feeling into the story right now. I haven't felt this in tune with it for a while, so I figured I'd better go with it. I hope you all like this chapter! Thank you everyone who's been reviewing (most recently: especially Mandy for reviewing *every* chapter, and Orange for making me feel so good about the last chapter – not to leave the rest of you out… I love you too. lol)! I worship you all!)

*Chapter 24*

Jenny stood for a moment in the circle of light at the bottom of the ladder. She could see nothing down the tunnel, no hint of what might be there. She knew she had to go, but her body was screaming at her not to, that she might not make it back out again. Her feet felt rooted to the floor.

Don't be ridiculous, she told herself. If the tunnel was dangerous, Hunter wouldn't have gone down there.

Maybe not dangerous for him, the snide little inner voice pointed out.

But if she didn't go, her friends might die, if they weren't already dead. She couldn't risk that. Uneasily, she set off down the tunnel.

Darkness swallowed her after she had crept ten feet down the tunnel. She found her way by feeling her hands along the wall. The tunnel was cold and damp, making her shiver after the warmth of the sun. The floor was made of packed dirt and the sides and low ceiling shored up with wood and metal bracings. Too small to be an abandoned mine shaft, Jenny thought. And anyway, why would a mine shaft lead to a cemetery?

Don't they have any freaking lights down here? Jenny scowled to herself as she tripped over a rock in the path for the third time. Then again, most people were probably smart enough to bring a flashlight or something.

After she'd stumbled her way along for almost ten minutes, the ground began sloping sharply downward – so sharp that someone had placed stones in the dirt to act as steps. Her unease grew. The sense of the tons of earth above her weighed down on her. She never had liked enclosed spaces. She kept glancing nervously at the ceiling, although she couldn't see it in the darkness. What if it caved in? She would be trapped down here where no one would find her. And if the cave-in didn't kill her, suffocation would as she used the last of the air…

Oh, stop it, she scolded herself. Nothing is going to happen. It's just a tunnel. She should be more worried about what she would find at the end.

Jenny automatically felt for the knife usually at her wrist. The empty sheath made her realize just how unprepared she was. What was she going to do when she ran into someone, make faces at them? She wasn't even at all threatening in appearance. She still had Damian's blood in her, which made her a little stronger, but it wouldn't be enough.

She sighed and slid down to sit on the floor. What was she thinking? She should have at least gone for some weapons or something before she came barging down here. Even a stick would be better than nothing. And maybe Aislinn could have helped her. Whatever was going to happen wasn't until Halloween, three days away. The others would be safe until then, assuming they were still alive now. No point in getting herself killed needlessly – that wouldn't help the others at all.

Yeah, that's what she'd do. She'd go get more help. She had started back up the tunnel when voices echoed toward her.

"What are you going to tell Hunter, Troy?" a voice asked. Jenny recognized Scarface's gravelly drawl.

"That's none of your business, Leon. Now please, shut up." Although Troy's words were angry, his voice sounded calm and even … and getting closer. She could see a dim light approaching down the tunnel.

Jenny swore under her breath. So much for reinforcements. She took off down the tunnel as fast as she could without falling on her face. Luckily, it appeared Troy was taking his time.

The cavern came as a surprise. She had been paying so much attention to the men behind her that she hadn't noticed the tunnel growing lighter. She burst out of the tunnel into a large open space and skidded to a stop. Fortunately, no Night people were there to see her. She stood gaping at the high ceiling and stalagmites hanging from it like giant icicles. In some places, the ground had risen up to meet the ceiling, forming natural columns. Lanterns hung from a few of these, spilling a yellow light over the room. Jenny could hear water dripping although she couldn't see it.

"Jenny," a voice hissed. For the first time, she noticed a cage standing against one wall, a dark figure leaning against the bars.

"Tiffany!" Jenny rushed over to her. Tiffany looked terrible. Deep, gaping scratches covered her arms and a bruise the size of Jenny's fist covered one side of her forehead. Blood dripped from a wound in her leg. "Are you alright?" she gasped.

Tiffany flashed a quick smile at her. "I'll be fine. I gave them hell, though. Took three of them to get me." She grinned mischievously. "I don't think one of them is coming back. If that bastard hadn't hit me on the head …" She touched the bruise gingerly.

"Oh, Tiffany. I'm so sorry!" Jenny cried, grabbing one of Tiffany's hands. "It's my fault you're here."

Tiffany shook her head. "No way. I'm here because I wanted to be here. I followed you, remember?"

"But …"

Tiffany held up a hand to silence her. "No buts. It's not your fault. Besides, I always said I wanted more exciting assignments."

Jenny nodded miserably. "How do you unlock this thing?" She had been circling the cage, looking for a lock or door or something, but the cage seemed to be without a door.

"It's underneath." Tiffany pointed. "But you won't be able to open it without the key."

Jenny noticed the cage was on wheels. Of course. They wouldn't just leave Tiffany here in this room. She knelt down and peered underneath. There, she could see it now. A keyhole along one side. She stood, frustrated.

"Do you have anything to pick the lock with?" Tiffany shook her head. "Me either. Who has the key?"

"I don't know. Probably Hunter." Tiffany leaned against the back of the cage and crossed her arms over her chest, a dejected look on her face.

"Did they say where they're keeping the others?"

Tiffany shook her head again. "They were careful not say anything around me. I would assume down that way since it's the only way to go." She nodded behind Jenny, and Jenny turned. Another, smaller tunnel led away from the first tunnel.

"Great," she muttered, then turned back to Tiffany. "I'm going to try to find the key and maybe the others. But I promise you, I'll be back for you."

Tiffany nodded. "Be careful. They're everywhere."

"I will." She turned to go, but Tiffany stopped her.

"Jenny," she called. Jenny turned back to her. Tiffany leaned her forehead against the bars and gazed down at Jenny. "Damian's here," she said quietly. "Working with them. I just thought you should know."

Jenny stared at Tiffany for a moment, a knot trying to reform in her throat. She nodded. "I know," she said sadly, turning away before Tiffany could see the shimmer of tears forming in her eyes.

"Okay, so I'll wait here for you," Tiffany called as Jenny jogged down the other tunnel.

***********

This tunnel was much shorter, more like a hallway. When it opened into another cavern, Jenny was prepared for it. She stopped in the shadows at the end and peered out. Two men – they looked like werewolves – stood guard in the middle of the room. Jenny listened for moment.

"Do you think Troy will get that other girl?" one asked, leaning against a rock column. His voice carried easily through the cavern.

The other shook shaggy blond hair out of his eyes. "I hope not. The longer it takes him to get her, the longer we won't have to see him."

The first one, a brunette, nodded. "No kidding. That guy gives me the creeps. When he looks at me, it's like he can see right inside me. I don't know why Hunter keeps him around. He's trouble."

The blonde snorted. "Because Hunter doesn't like to get his precious hands dirty. Troy does the dirty stuff for him." The blonde had been picking at his fingernails but now leaned conspiratorially toward the brunette. Jenny took the opportunity to slink out of the tunnel and hide behind a column across from them.

"You know what I heard? Before Hunter changed him, Troy was some knight in France or Italy or something, back in like the 17th century. And people called him the Blood Prince because of the brutal ways he killed people." The blonde leaned back, satisfied at the shock on the brunette's face.

"No way!" the brunette exclaimed. "He was nobility?" Something clicked in Jenny's mind but she couldn't quite focus on it, so she pushed it aside.

The blonde nodded. "Apparently Hunter liked his tactics, so he changed him."

"Well, I wish Hunter would have just left him alone," the brunette muttered.

At that moment, someone spoke from the tunnel Jenny had just left. "You two! Are you just going to leave that panther up there or what?" Troy stepped into the room. Jenny gasped and ducked further behind the column. She'd completely forgotten he had been behind her. The two werewolves immediately straightened and stood at attention.

"N-No, sir. We were just about to take her to the dungeon," the blonde stammered, his face red.

Troy nodded, gazing at them with eyes narrowed. The light from the lanterns shone on his red eyes, making them seem to glow with an unearthly fire. The deep red silk shirt only added to the effect. "Well, quit fooling around and go get her."

The two werewolves nodded furiously and almost ran down the hallway.

"Mutts," Jenny heard Troy breathe. He glanced around the room and stopped on the column hiding Jenny. Jenny flattened herself against it, holding her breath. Her heart pounded loudly against her chest. Couldn't he hear that?

Please don't look behind here, she begged in her mind. Please.

He didn't. He frowned and headed down another tunnel across the room. It was just a network of caverns and tunnels down here, Jenny realized. Perfect for hiding in.

When Troy vanished from sight, Jenny released her breath and sank to her knees. So much for the nerves of steel she usually had. She held up a shaky hand and stared at it. So far she'd been nothing but a basketcase around Troy.

A basketcase that had better get going before those 'wolves come back, a voice in her mind said.

Right, she told herself. Be brave.

She stood again and stepped into the cavern, looking around. Three tunnels led away from the cavern and the tunnel she'd come in.

Great. Which one? she thought. Troy had gone down the right one, so she knew she didn't want that one.

The one on the left angled downward. The 'wolves had said something about a dungeon, and weren't dungeons always at the bottom? She started down the left tunnel.

It continued downward for what seemed like an eternity. Jenny began having second thoughts. What if this is the wrong one? What if it doesn't lead anywhere, just keeps going down and down? She had almost decided to turn around when she saw a light ahead. She rushed to the end, stepping out of the tunnel after checking for Night people.

She gasped. This cavern was huge, bigger than the first one. And scattered around the room were doors set into the walls. Heavy metal doors with sliding windows in them. Jenny counted quickly in her head. Forty. There were at least 40 doors here. Was this the dungeon?

Breathing shallowly, she walked to the door closest to her and pushed back the window. The room inside was small, with a pile of straw in one corner and a basin of water in another. A girl sat huddled in the corner, her dark hair cascading around her face like a waterfall. Jenny shut the window and stepped back, wide-eyed.

"What is going on here?" she whispered.

Just then, a hand fell on her shoulder. She spun around, a scream lodged in her throat. Her eyes met another pair, impossible blue ringed with violet.

"Damian!" she gasped.