CHAPTER XXV: Actress
Sarah had returned to her room within Kaleb's castle and was waiting expectantly for him to arrive. He had visited her twice prior, but she had feigned sleep in hopes that he would not bother her, thus allowing her time to think things through a bit more. The ruse had worked, and he merely thought she was recovering from the powerful effects of his spell.
She knew he was due any minute now. And, as if right on cue, she could suddenly hear the heels of his black knee high boots click-clacking in the stone halls outside of her room, not too fast, not to slow, just right for a man who wants to put on a show of controlled indifference. However, Sarah was fairly certain that he was being eaten away inside with anxiety. He had plans to fulfill, and, for some reason, he needed her subservience to complete them.
A strong realization had come to Sarah during her false slumber. That Kaleb had been far more powerful when he held the spirit of Jareth in tow, as Jareth was vice versa. There was a certain devious dexterity that they possessed in each other's "presence" that neither had without. Some men were stronger when they were at their most conniving and evil, while others were best at their most considerate and good. However, this was not true for Kaleb, who had withdrawn from Jareth for the mere purpose of being free to fulfill his darkest desires. Together they had been torn between two extremes, greater in cunning and will whilst under the yoke of inner struggle. Sarah was not sure if it was the same for herself... No matter how dark her current self had become, she knew she was far less a fool than she had been before, and she must admit, even to herself, that it was likely that the fate that had befallen Kaleb could be her own. But, somehow, she knew that her willingness to consider her own weakness was a strength in itself, and would keep her prepared for the possibility that her unbalanced state would end up causing her to falter.
There was something very simple about Kaleb's desire for power, too easy, too predictable. It was as if he were merely playing out the expected role of a villain, almost as a way to pass the time, like how gods play with the lives of men, and toss the game aside when it ceases to interest them. There was no true love of a woman at stake; this she knew because she had easily deduced that the only feeling Kaleb held for her was mere lust. Power was to be gained, but it was power without an apparent purpose. He did not seem to wish vengeance on Jareth, other than to put him to shame by forcing the world the man lived in and once held power over to kneel before him. She also noticed that the creatures that were warring in the Underground were not falling prey to death or heavy injury, despite the hate-inducing spell of the crows, and despite their constant fighting. He was obviously trying to drag out their pain, but to what end?
Yes, that was the only question of value amongst all the questions Sarah had devised, and it was the only one that eluded her. Before she could take control over all that Kaleb seemed to have gained in his maniacal efforts for power, Sarah had to find the answer to this question. She also had to figure out how she was going to get out of there, and to her final destination of New York, and how she was going to gain the control there that she desired.
She ceased her aimless thoughts and held a pose in preparation for Kaleb's arrival. No key turned in the lock to announce his entering; he had sealed the door with magic, and it was with magic that he quietly opened it.
Sarah awaited him in a very lacey and sensual ensemble that fluctuated from part to part between dress and nightgown. Even Kaleb couldn't deny the shock of this transformation, and allowed a raising of an eyebrow to escape across his lean countenance. He smiled slyly. "Quite a difference. And I thought it would take me at least a day to seduce you."
"You've seduced no one, Kaleb. It is I who am seducing you. However, like any woman, I want to know what I will get out of my willingness to couple with you. So, be a good boy and show me your plans before you touch the merchandise."
"And so forward, too. Perhaps I created a woman who is a little too much for me." He circled her seductively and took the package in.
Sarah was suddenly reminded of her encounter with Jareth in his castle four years ago, when he had gazed upon her in the same fashion whilst she was in a nightgown of far less intent built into its design. It made her wonder if it had been Jareth or Kaleb in control at that moment? Or a combination of both?
"Perhaps I am too much for you," she whispered as she leaned in, a mere inch away from his own face. "But, you will do good to remember that you did not create me. Only opened Pandora's box."
He breathed her in, and dared to close the gap between them by another half inch. "Mmmm. Pandora. One of my very favorite women."
Sarah smiled, but inside she was very calculated, and only slightly interested in having a sexual encounter with this man. She had always suspected that it was her darker side that had always made her so keen on slightly evil men, but now that it was the dark side of her that put her in control of the situation, she found herself feeling very cool towards this man, as if he was not good enough to partake in her talents. However, she could use those talents to gain that which she desired. And, if anything turned her on right now, it was the very fact that she was in control of the situation, and that he had no power over her. The dominatrix has awakened, she mused in her mind, as if she was suddenly able to label the ephemeral state that had taken her over with such ferocity.
It had never been that she wanted to be controlled and manipulated by a man of darkness. It was, on a much deeper level, that she was the one who wanted to control him.
"So, where do we begin, my queen?" Kaleb said, walking round behind her and brushing his fingers against her shoulders.
"Take me to your magic chamber and explain what it is that you really want of me," Sarah replied, "aside from that which I can already guess."
"Very well," Kaleb said, holding her seductive gaze as he opened his left arm indicating for her to go ahead of him. "After you."
She did as bidden and went ahead of him. As he closed the door behind them, he could hear her say from several feet away down the hall, "I am not your queen yet."
He smiled knowingly, as if he understood the game she was playing, and did not think she was going to win.
They walked down the dark halls of the castle, Sarah several feet ahead of Kaleb. She occasionally looked over her shoulder to see if he had any guidance to offer. Finally he nodded towards a wall, where she stopped in expectation. He did nothing to cast his spell, other than think the right thoughts, and the wall dissipated into a long hallway leading to an intricately ornamented doorway. Sarah walked ahead yet again, and turned the knob to enter. She was greeted by the same aviary that she had spied on Kaleb in earlier. Sunlight peeked in through small openings in the walls, just big enough for birds to fly in and out of.
Sarah turned around halfway and gave Kaleb a very faint grin before turning back around and walking knowingly towards the scrying device in the center of the room. She waved her hand over it and brought forth various images from the Underground, and was greeted by a very weary land. The fighting had all but stopped, as many of the creatures recuperated in an almost comatose slumber that had obviously taken unwilling hold of them in the midst of their hate-filled battles.
"I don't know exactly what you have in mind, but this isn't going to keep them down for long. What you hope to gain from it, I have no idea," she commented as she encircled the device.
He approached slowly and peered at her from eyes enshrouded by feathery black hair. "What do you know about acquiring power," he remarked quietly, adding almost as an afterthought, "if you don't mind me asking?"
Sarah smiled inside. His very words indicated that he was underestimating her, and that was exactly what she wanted. However, he was also testing her, just to make sure he wasn't wrong.
She faintly touched the surface of the device and replied, "I was the queen of Sunset City for four years, if you recall. I did not need to acquire power, nor was it my desire to do so. But, I did hold some measure of power due to my position and political skills. Though it may not be the level of power you seek, it was power that I held, and not too little an amount."
"That is true," he agreed. "And perhaps that is why I desire you. Because I know that together we may hold a great deal of power, and use our combined skills to take control over the Underground."
She knew he was lying. "I see," was all she said in response. But she knew very well that he wasn't the type to share power. His unwilling coexistence with Jareth was very strong proof of that fact. He only wanted her as another toy, and perhaps to mold her into a proper "ambassador" to his little kingdom of terror. She could be his ultimate dark raven, making the dark call to announce the coming of her deathly lord. And that she could be, but then, she was suddenly in a mood for her own singular dominance, and did not truly wish to share her spoils, either.
"So, what is our power worth, then?" she asked, eyeing him coolly. "Are we merely torturing for the sake of torture, watching the creatures here suffer for the mere joy of watching others crumble under our yoke, or do we have a greater purpose in hand?"
"I would be a rather dull villain if that was all I had in store," he mused with a half smile. "You hurt me by suggesting such a thing." He grabbed her hand and pulled her close, smelling the hair close to her neck with a dark grace only a villain could possess, almost as if he was trying to prove the lengths of his villainy through a very simple act. "No, I have much more planned. I wish to weaken the kingdoms, and, when they are at their weakest, I will demand their pledge. Then I can be king all throughout the Underground. Perhaps some will go against me. I will use greater force to gain control over them, if need be. The crows are the first phase of my degradation of the kingdoms. Hopefully, for their sake, I will not have to go to my second phase."
Sarah pushed his face away from her neck, gently in motion, but forcefully in manner. Wryly she slipped out from his grasp and idly walked through the labyrinthine trees and shrubbery of the atrium. "Sounds like a very ambitious plan. And, now that you have stolen the third part of the Amethyst from my boudoir, you have the power necessary to accomplish all of your plans." She leaned lazily against a tree and gazed up into the depths of the foliage to see it filled with sleepy-eyed ravens. She looked back at Kaleb, who had followed her throughout the atrium at a careful distance and easy pace. "So, what is your second phase?"
"I will extend the boundaries of the Mist of Dreams," he replied with certainty. "My castle stands squarely at the center of the Mists. That is why no one has found me all these years. Once I extend the boundaries, those caught within the Mists will be lost forever." He began to weave in and out of the nearby grove of trees, speaking as he went. "You may or may not know this, but the peoples of the Underground hold a very real fear of the Mists. Do you know why?"
Sarah cocked her head to the side, shaking it gently. "No."
"It's quite a lovely place. Governed entirely by the faery world, actually, those fae tied least to this world, or any world for that matter. It is said that the dark faeries have control over it, and that they possess nothing like our common idea of morality. Their rules are without bounds, their bounds without ends, and their conception of reality without solidity. They are transcendental creatures with no concern towards the physical creatures of this world."
"I have had many dealings with faery in this world, and I haven't seen any of the qualities you describe. Many of them are very helpful and kind, and, though they are often mischievous and difficult to understand, they have never been outwardly harmful. Or even completely detached."
"Ah, these are the faeries that have chosen to be a part of this world, and have drifted from the faery ways. Those that govern the Mists are stolidly attached to the rules of the fae. Which is why this is such a dangerous place for any mortal. In the Mists, one is likely to lose control to their dreams and emotions. Many people are destroyed by the darkness inside of themselves. As no one returns from the Mists, everyone assumes there are evil fae-created monsters here to devour them. But it is far from the truth. If one travels in the Mists long enough, if they are not killed through a confrontation of their fears, then they are obviously strong enough to overcome their fears. But this is not the point at which they have defeated the Mists. For their dreams of happiness can consume them as well, and then they are so caught up in the charade that they never come to realize that they are not actually in the physical world that is truly their home. So they starve to death."
"Sounds like a very interesting place," Sarah replied, dually chilled and entranced by the notion.
"It is indeed my favorite place. It is the essence of what the Underground truly is. It is a shrine, the purest place of magic here."
Sarah wanted to ask what he meant by his last remark, but she knew she would reveal her cunning too much if she did. "So, you built your castle in the middle of the Mists," she said instead. "That way no one will ever get in... or get out." She smiled slyly at this last statement.
He smiled in return, understanding the insinuation. "Precisely."
"And you did not get lost in the Mists?" she asked.
"No, I am a shadow, part of the same magic that is the Mists. I understand the ways of the faery. I have no dreams for happiness, and I have no fears."
She doubted this last part. Though she could imagine him twisted enough to have no hope for happiness, even she could not claim that she was without fear. And, no matter how long he had lived, or how much power he possessed, he was still of the same matter as her own shadow, Leah, and she knew for a fact that this difference in origin from humans did not give him any greater powers, or automatically make him immune to fear.
"You are powerful," she complimented, coming closer to him. "I am glad you found me and changed me. I would have had no hope of destroying you, and I would have been forced to suffer as everyone else."
"Ah," he said, reaching his hand around her waist. "Your flattery will get you nowhere. You think you may be fooling me with such talk, but I'm not taken in." He bent closer and kissed her lightly, seductively.
And even then, she knew that he was still lying. He was taken in by every word.
She returned his kiss, with greater ferocity. "Perhaps," she replied after she had pulled away. "You will never really know exactly how powerful I am now that you have changed me," she taunted. "But then, isn't that part of the excitement?" She bent close to his ear, whispering, "And isn't that exactly why you did it?"
He gazed at her intensely, as if he had carved the perfect woman out of stone and was amazed to see her come to life. "You are stunning," he said, kissing her neck with a sudden fever.
It's too easy, she thought as he pulled his fingers through her hair. Perhaps later I will have more of a challenge. Then again, it has been more than four years since I last made love to a man...
With that thought, she devoted herself to the task at hand with a complete devotion. And he gave her no cause to regret her decision.
Sarah had returned to her room within Kaleb's castle and was waiting expectantly for him to arrive. He had visited her twice prior, but she had feigned sleep in hopes that he would not bother her, thus allowing her time to think things through a bit more. The ruse had worked, and he merely thought she was recovering from the powerful effects of his spell.
She knew he was due any minute now. And, as if right on cue, she could suddenly hear the heels of his black knee high boots click-clacking in the stone halls outside of her room, not too fast, not to slow, just right for a man who wants to put on a show of controlled indifference. However, Sarah was fairly certain that he was being eaten away inside with anxiety. He had plans to fulfill, and, for some reason, he needed her subservience to complete them.
A strong realization had come to Sarah during her false slumber. That Kaleb had been far more powerful when he held the spirit of Jareth in tow, as Jareth was vice versa. There was a certain devious dexterity that they possessed in each other's "presence" that neither had without. Some men were stronger when they were at their most conniving and evil, while others were best at their most considerate and good. However, this was not true for Kaleb, who had withdrawn from Jareth for the mere purpose of being free to fulfill his darkest desires. Together they had been torn between two extremes, greater in cunning and will whilst under the yoke of inner struggle. Sarah was not sure if it was the same for herself... No matter how dark her current self had become, she knew she was far less a fool than she had been before, and she must admit, even to herself, that it was likely that the fate that had befallen Kaleb could be her own. But, somehow, she knew that her willingness to consider her own weakness was a strength in itself, and would keep her prepared for the possibility that her unbalanced state would end up causing her to falter.
There was something very simple about Kaleb's desire for power, too easy, too predictable. It was as if he were merely playing out the expected role of a villain, almost as a way to pass the time, like how gods play with the lives of men, and toss the game aside when it ceases to interest them. There was no true love of a woman at stake; this she knew because she had easily deduced that the only feeling Kaleb held for her was mere lust. Power was to be gained, but it was power without an apparent purpose. He did not seem to wish vengeance on Jareth, other than to put him to shame by forcing the world the man lived in and once held power over to kneel before him. She also noticed that the creatures that were warring in the Underground were not falling prey to death or heavy injury, despite the hate-inducing spell of the crows, and despite their constant fighting. He was obviously trying to drag out their pain, but to what end?
Yes, that was the only question of value amongst all the questions Sarah had devised, and it was the only one that eluded her. Before she could take control over all that Kaleb seemed to have gained in his maniacal efforts for power, Sarah had to find the answer to this question. She also had to figure out how she was going to get out of there, and to her final destination of New York, and how she was going to gain the control there that she desired.
She ceased her aimless thoughts and held a pose in preparation for Kaleb's arrival. No key turned in the lock to announce his entering; he had sealed the door with magic, and it was with magic that he quietly opened it.
Sarah awaited him in a very lacey and sensual ensemble that fluctuated from part to part between dress and nightgown. Even Kaleb couldn't deny the shock of this transformation, and allowed a raising of an eyebrow to escape across his lean countenance. He smiled slyly. "Quite a difference. And I thought it would take me at least a day to seduce you."
"You've seduced no one, Kaleb. It is I who am seducing you. However, like any woman, I want to know what I will get out of my willingness to couple with you. So, be a good boy and show me your plans before you touch the merchandise."
"And so forward, too. Perhaps I created a woman who is a little too much for me." He circled her seductively and took the package in.
Sarah was suddenly reminded of her encounter with Jareth in his castle four years ago, when he had gazed upon her in the same fashion whilst she was in a nightgown of far less intent built into its design. It made her wonder if it had been Jareth or Kaleb in control at that moment? Or a combination of both?
"Perhaps I am too much for you," she whispered as she leaned in, a mere inch away from his own face. "But, you will do good to remember that you did not create me. Only opened Pandora's box."
He breathed her in, and dared to close the gap between them by another half inch. "Mmmm. Pandora. One of my very favorite women."
Sarah smiled, but inside she was very calculated, and only slightly interested in having a sexual encounter with this man. She had always suspected that it was her darker side that had always made her so keen on slightly evil men, but now that it was the dark side of her that put her in control of the situation, she found herself feeling very cool towards this man, as if he was not good enough to partake in her talents. However, she could use those talents to gain that which she desired. And, if anything turned her on right now, it was the very fact that she was in control of the situation, and that he had no power over her. The dominatrix has awakened, she mused in her mind, as if she was suddenly able to label the ephemeral state that had taken her over with such ferocity.
It had never been that she wanted to be controlled and manipulated by a man of darkness. It was, on a much deeper level, that she was the one who wanted to control him.
"So, where do we begin, my queen?" Kaleb said, walking round behind her and brushing his fingers against her shoulders.
"Take me to your magic chamber and explain what it is that you really want of me," Sarah replied, "aside from that which I can already guess."
"Very well," Kaleb said, holding her seductive gaze as he opened his left arm indicating for her to go ahead of him. "After you."
She did as bidden and went ahead of him. As he closed the door behind them, he could hear her say from several feet away down the hall, "I am not your queen yet."
He smiled knowingly, as if he understood the game she was playing, and did not think she was going to win.
They walked down the dark halls of the castle, Sarah several feet ahead of Kaleb. She occasionally looked over her shoulder to see if he had any guidance to offer. Finally he nodded towards a wall, where she stopped in expectation. He did nothing to cast his spell, other than think the right thoughts, and the wall dissipated into a long hallway leading to an intricately ornamented doorway. Sarah walked ahead yet again, and turned the knob to enter. She was greeted by the same aviary that she had spied on Kaleb in earlier. Sunlight peeked in through small openings in the walls, just big enough for birds to fly in and out of.
Sarah turned around halfway and gave Kaleb a very faint grin before turning back around and walking knowingly towards the scrying device in the center of the room. She waved her hand over it and brought forth various images from the Underground, and was greeted by a very weary land. The fighting had all but stopped, as many of the creatures recuperated in an almost comatose slumber that had obviously taken unwilling hold of them in the midst of their hate-filled battles.
"I don't know exactly what you have in mind, but this isn't going to keep them down for long. What you hope to gain from it, I have no idea," she commented as she encircled the device.
He approached slowly and peered at her from eyes enshrouded by feathery black hair. "What do you know about acquiring power," he remarked quietly, adding almost as an afterthought, "if you don't mind me asking?"
Sarah smiled inside. His very words indicated that he was underestimating her, and that was exactly what she wanted. However, he was also testing her, just to make sure he wasn't wrong.
She faintly touched the surface of the device and replied, "I was the queen of Sunset City for four years, if you recall. I did not need to acquire power, nor was it my desire to do so. But, I did hold some measure of power due to my position and political skills. Though it may not be the level of power you seek, it was power that I held, and not too little an amount."
"That is true," he agreed. "And perhaps that is why I desire you. Because I know that together we may hold a great deal of power, and use our combined skills to take control over the Underground."
She knew he was lying. "I see," was all she said in response. But she knew very well that he wasn't the type to share power. His unwilling coexistence with Jareth was very strong proof of that fact. He only wanted her as another toy, and perhaps to mold her into a proper "ambassador" to his little kingdom of terror. She could be his ultimate dark raven, making the dark call to announce the coming of her deathly lord. And that she could be, but then, she was suddenly in a mood for her own singular dominance, and did not truly wish to share her spoils, either.
"So, what is our power worth, then?" she asked, eyeing him coolly. "Are we merely torturing for the sake of torture, watching the creatures here suffer for the mere joy of watching others crumble under our yoke, or do we have a greater purpose in hand?"
"I would be a rather dull villain if that was all I had in store," he mused with a half smile. "You hurt me by suggesting such a thing." He grabbed her hand and pulled her close, smelling the hair close to her neck with a dark grace only a villain could possess, almost as if he was trying to prove the lengths of his villainy through a very simple act. "No, I have much more planned. I wish to weaken the kingdoms, and, when they are at their weakest, I will demand their pledge. Then I can be king all throughout the Underground. Perhaps some will go against me. I will use greater force to gain control over them, if need be. The crows are the first phase of my degradation of the kingdoms. Hopefully, for their sake, I will not have to go to my second phase."
Sarah pushed his face away from her neck, gently in motion, but forcefully in manner. Wryly she slipped out from his grasp and idly walked through the labyrinthine trees and shrubbery of the atrium. "Sounds like a very ambitious plan. And, now that you have stolen the third part of the Amethyst from my boudoir, you have the power necessary to accomplish all of your plans." She leaned lazily against a tree and gazed up into the depths of the foliage to see it filled with sleepy-eyed ravens. She looked back at Kaleb, who had followed her throughout the atrium at a careful distance and easy pace. "So, what is your second phase?"
"I will extend the boundaries of the Mist of Dreams," he replied with certainty. "My castle stands squarely at the center of the Mists. That is why no one has found me all these years. Once I extend the boundaries, those caught within the Mists will be lost forever." He began to weave in and out of the nearby grove of trees, speaking as he went. "You may or may not know this, but the peoples of the Underground hold a very real fear of the Mists. Do you know why?"
Sarah cocked her head to the side, shaking it gently. "No."
"It's quite a lovely place. Governed entirely by the faery world, actually, those fae tied least to this world, or any world for that matter. It is said that the dark faeries have control over it, and that they possess nothing like our common idea of morality. Their rules are without bounds, their bounds without ends, and their conception of reality without solidity. They are transcendental creatures with no concern towards the physical creatures of this world."
"I have had many dealings with faery in this world, and I haven't seen any of the qualities you describe. Many of them are very helpful and kind, and, though they are often mischievous and difficult to understand, they have never been outwardly harmful. Or even completely detached."
"Ah, these are the faeries that have chosen to be a part of this world, and have drifted from the faery ways. Those that govern the Mists are stolidly attached to the rules of the fae. Which is why this is such a dangerous place for any mortal. In the Mists, one is likely to lose control to their dreams and emotions. Many people are destroyed by the darkness inside of themselves. As no one returns from the Mists, everyone assumes there are evil fae-created monsters here to devour them. But it is far from the truth. If one travels in the Mists long enough, if they are not killed through a confrontation of their fears, then they are obviously strong enough to overcome their fears. But this is not the point at which they have defeated the Mists. For their dreams of happiness can consume them as well, and then they are so caught up in the charade that they never come to realize that they are not actually in the physical world that is truly their home. So they starve to death."
"Sounds like a very interesting place," Sarah replied, dually chilled and entranced by the notion.
"It is indeed my favorite place. It is the essence of what the Underground truly is. It is a shrine, the purest place of magic here."
Sarah wanted to ask what he meant by his last remark, but she knew she would reveal her cunning too much if she did. "So, you built your castle in the middle of the Mists," she said instead. "That way no one will ever get in... or get out." She smiled slyly at this last statement.
He smiled in return, understanding the insinuation. "Precisely."
"And you did not get lost in the Mists?" she asked.
"No, I am a shadow, part of the same magic that is the Mists. I understand the ways of the faery. I have no dreams for happiness, and I have no fears."
She doubted this last part. Though she could imagine him twisted enough to have no hope for happiness, even she could not claim that she was without fear. And, no matter how long he had lived, or how much power he possessed, he was still of the same matter as her own shadow, Leah, and she knew for a fact that this difference in origin from humans did not give him any greater powers, or automatically make him immune to fear.
"You are powerful," she complimented, coming closer to him. "I am glad you found me and changed me. I would have had no hope of destroying you, and I would have been forced to suffer as everyone else."
"Ah," he said, reaching his hand around her waist. "Your flattery will get you nowhere. You think you may be fooling me with such talk, but I'm not taken in." He bent closer and kissed her lightly, seductively.
And even then, she knew that he was still lying. He was taken in by every word.
She returned his kiss, with greater ferocity. "Perhaps," she replied after she had pulled away. "You will never really know exactly how powerful I am now that you have changed me," she taunted. "But then, isn't that part of the excitement?" She bent close to his ear, whispering, "And isn't that exactly why you did it?"
He gazed at her intensely, as if he had carved the perfect woman out of stone and was amazed to see her come to life. "You are stunning," he said, kissing her neck with a sudden fever.
It's too easy, she thought as he pulled his fingers through her hair. Perhaps later I will have more of a challenge. Then again, it has been more than four years since I last made love to a man...
With that thought, she devoted herself to the task at hand with a complete devotion. And he gave her no cause to regret her decision.