Chapter 13

Guru ducked as a flying crystal statue exploded against the wall near his head. He grimaced but held his tongue. Better to let Auria get her frustrations out on his artwork than on his person. He didn't know what had stirred up her rage, but he was fairly certain it had something to do with their two missing guests.

"You imbecile!" she screeched. Her hair tumbled wildly over her shoulders and her face was twisted with anger. She glared fiercely at Guru forcing him to take a few nervous swallows. "How could you manage to screw up delivering those poisoned dates? Jade was supposed to get those, not Skywalker."

"But, Master, they were delivered specifically to Jade," Guru interrupted. He forced his voice to remain calm. He would not let this wench intimidate him. "Apparently, Jade doesn't like dates."

"This whole disgrace of a party was a foolish idea," she continued to rant, barely even pausing for breath. "They already found the hidden lab last night, and who knows what else they've discovered wandering around tonight."

"The party seemed like a good idea," Guru defended. "It was the perfect cover to get rid of them without anyone suspecting. As it is, if Skywalker hasn't already succumbed to the poison, then their bodies were probably dashed to pieces on the rocks at the bottom of Danna Falls."

"You were supposed to get rid of Jade, not Skywalker," she repeated hotly.

"If wanted him alive, then why did you push him into the river?" he retorted.

That outburst earned Guru a solid backhand across the face. He touched the small trickle of blood that dripped from his nose, but he kept his cool. Once the credits were transferred into his account, he would deal with impertinent bitch in front of him.

"He slipped," she said.

"What is so important about Skywalker?" he demanded.

"That is none of your concern," Auria replied, quickly regaining her calm. "And, no, they're not dead."

Guru remained silent. He knew Auria could not read the Force any better than Skywalker or Jade could, but it would have been futile, if not suicidal, to point that out. Even without the Force, Auria had proven herself a formidable foe. Obviously this obsession with Skywalker had grown into a more personal matter, and that made him nervous. A feeling of foreboding swept over him. Plans never turned out the way you expect when you let personal feelings get involved.

"They've fled into the forest," she continued. "Find them and bring them back here. Alive."

"Yes, Master, but why not just kill them? We've already proven that the spice works, and with the two Jedi stuck here on the planet, that leaves Yavin IV vulnerable."

"Do what you like with Jade," she spat, her ire peaking again. "She means nothing to me. But Skywalker must be taken alive. When you capture him, bring him directly to me. We'll deal with the Jedi Academy when the time comes."

"As you wish, Master," Guru responded humbly.

"And, Guru," she said menacingly, "do not fail me again."

Guru made a half-hearted bow and swept out of the room.

When he had gone, Auria retreated into an airtight chamber off to the side of the room and locked the door. Wincing slightly, she let the air filter drop from her nose. She took a deep breath of unfiltered air. *Fool,* she thought at Guru. She could feel his defiance building, but she would have to deal with him later.

In the center of the room, she sank down on to a velvet cushion and began to mediate. Her disguise melted away as she enfolded herself in the darkside of the Force. Her thoughts searched the forest for Luke Skywalker. She could feel his presence faintly, but could not pinpoint his exact location. His thoughts were hazy as he was locked up in a battle to fight the poison that had mistakenly been inflicted on him. But one thought became crystal clear.

The one stable image in the swirl of emotions and thoughts overflowing his brain was of Mara Jade. Callista had never liked that woman. She was dangerous and unpredictable, and entirely too attractive to be allowed in the company of the Jedi Master. If not for Jade, she was sure Luke would have come away with her. His loyalty to Jade and their mission would soon fade, she was certain of it. He was still uncertain as to whether or not he had really seen his long, lost love, but once he saw her again, everything would go back to the way it was before she lost her powers. It had to, or she had sacrificed everything for nothing.

* * * * *

In another chamber of the mansion, Guru had summoned the captain of his guards. The captain stood at silent attention awaiting his orders. He gave him a once over, allowing the silence to convey the severity of the situation.

"It's time the party ended," he informed him. "I will make a short announcement, then have your men escort everyone out of the complex."

"Yes, Sir," he responded crisply.

"Did you see how far downstream the river swept the Jedi?" he demanded.

"No, Sir. We lost sight of them after they went over the falls."

"Send a squad into the surrounding forest and find them. Remember, they must be brought back alive."

"Yes, sir!"

* * * * *

The storm eased up somewhat. The thunder and lightning had dissipated, but the rain continued to fall softly. Mara began to wish she hadn't shucked off her shoes during the rescue. Hiking through dense rain forest at night in heels would not have made the trip any faster, but it might have saved her a substantial amount of pain as sharp rocks or hidden branches cut into her bare feet. Luke seemed not to notice. He had lapsed into silence as speech took too much of an effort. She could feel his fatigue in the weight of his body slumped against her. He was not a large man, but he felt like he weighed as much as a Wookiee. When she looked over at him, his eyes were tightly closed trying to block out the nausea. He was trusting her to guide them through the dark undergrowth safely.

After what felt like kilometers, they finally stumbled into an area where the trees parted slightly creating a natural pathway. Broken rocks littered the way, and Mara thought no one had probably traveled through there for centuries. She suppressed a small cry at the punishment inflicted on her feet. Her back muscles joined her feet in screaming at her for a rest. She paid them no heed and continued trudging along.

She noticed the rocks began to have a pattern to their appearances. She came to the conclusion that this had once been a road, but the wilderness was slowly reclaiming the territory this man-made object had stolen from it. Her hopes rose. Where there were roads, there were people, and where there were people, there was shelter.

I feel something. Mara jumped slightly. Luke hadn't said a word for hours. She had thought he was only half-conscious. The lightsabre bathed his face in an eerie green light. I feel it.

"One more crack about my dress and the rain, Skywalker, and I swear I'll -" Only then did she realize that he hadn't actually said anything. She heard it through the Force! She reached out and felt the Force clearly and unscrambled. It was like welcoming an old friend home. It surprised her how much she had missed it. She rarely used the Force, but it was comforting to know that it was always there if and when she needed it. She felt Luke immediately slip half-way into a healing trance. Hopefully, he could fight off the poison long enough for her to get them to a shelter where he could heal himself fully. Hang in there, Farmboy, she sent him.

Calling on the Force, all her reserves and sheer willpower, Mara continued down the broken road with renewed strength. But she had gone no more than three steps when suddenly the ground beneath her gave way, the loose rock unable to support their weight. With Skywalker's limp body unbalancing her further, she tumbled off the path and down the short slope. Instinctively, she turned her body to protect Skywalker from a majority of the impact. As she crashed into the ground, she had to squeeze her eyes shut and bite back a cry of pain as her ankle buckled under their combined weight with a sickening crack. For several seconds all she could do was concentrate on breathing steadily, willing the pain to dissipate.

Gritting her teeth, she rolled Skywalker off of her and forced herself back onto her feet... and quickly found herself back on the ground. She spotted the deactivated lightsabre less than a meter away, reached for it and ignited the blade. Holding it's light cautiously close to her, she inspected her injury. Besides the bloodied scars from the trek through the forest, her ankle was already starting to purple and swell to three times its original size.

She cursed under her breath. Why me?

Waving the green-white blade toward the surrounding trees, she tried to regain her bearings. She obviously was not going to be able to continue hiking with an injured ankle and a poisoned Jedi to take care of. Then to her left the light spilled on to a giant hollowed out tree grinning maliciously at her. From the blackened trunk and the thin undergrowth she surmised that the area had witnessed a fire in the not too distant past. And though the site sight would have appeared ghastly to any who encountered it, to Mara it was a welcome relief. She struggled to drag both of them to the dark alcove of the tree.

"Well, it may not be a room at the Imperial Palace, but it will keep us out of the wind and rain," she told Luke, who was still only semi-conscious.

Mara half crawled, half dragged herself and Luke into the tree. She carefully laid him against the back wall of the tree so he would have the most protection from the elements, then she collapsed next to him unable to fight off the fatigue any longer. He was unaware of the conscious world, all of his efforts locked up in a battle against the poison that was slowly eating away his body from the inside.

Mara wrapped her shivering arms around Skywalker's deathly cold body trying to give him as much body heat as she could. She closed her eyes and reached out with the Force to offer whatever extra help she could. He seemed to absorb her strength. Letting out an exhausted breath, she soon joined Skywalker in the comfortable space of oblivion, her last thought a prayer that he would still be alive when she awoke.

* * * * *

Luke felt himself trapped in a whirlpool of pain and fatigue. Its boiling waters battered him from all sides without relenting. He could do nothing but flail helplessly like a piece of driftwood lost in the middle of a turbulent ocean. Through the waves pounding against his skull, he heard the never-ceasing cackle. It taunted him. It wanted to hurt him, torture him. He thought he recognized the voice, any yet it was different from anyone he knew.

Then suddenly the waters calmed. The laughter subsided to be replaced by the whisper of a soft breeze. A light began to peek through the murkiness, warming and comforting him, buoying him against the cold darkness. He struggled to reach consciousness. With a great deal of effort, he lifted his eyelids halfway. They felt like they had been glued shut. He forced his eyes to focus. Again he found himself in darkness, except for a glowing pair of violet eyes that seemed to fill his entire field of vision. Cool fingers gently caressed his forehead nearly lulling him back to unconsciousness. He blinked and they were gone.

He felt movement beside him and a familiar presence in the Force. As if his head were a lead ball, he slowly turned, and his nose and mouth brushed against damp hair. He was too tired to suppress the ironic grin that spread across his face. Mara lay sprawled over half his body, clinging to him as tightly as he had clung to her on Jade's Fire. He kissed her softly on the forehead, silently thanking her for saving his life - again. Then oblivion wrapped itself around him and he was asleep.

* * * * *

Mara awoke the next morning to rays of sunshine glaring in her eyes. She squinted groggily through the brightness as she took in her surroundings. Their temporary quarters were not much nicer in daylight as they were at night. Above she could hear the scratching noises of forest creatures' claws against the bark. She just hoped that the resident of the tree had not taken offense at its unexpected visitors. Wincing slightly she reached behind her to extract a rock that had embedded itself into her side while she slept.

She looked down at Skywalker who was sleeping next to her - well, under her - and felt his forehead. He was still feverish, but his temperature seemed to have dropped drastically since last night. The healing trance must've worked, she thought. At some point during the night, he had come out of the trance, and now he worked at regaining his strength. She sat up slowly, so as not to wake him. It would just be too awkward if he realized that they had spend yet another night in each others arms. The corners of her mouth quirked uncontrollably at the thought.

Testing her aching muscles, she slipped out from under the blanket and tried to stand. She immediately regretted it as red hot pokers shot from her toes, tripled at her swollen ankle and continued straight through her legs made her immediately regret it. She bit back a cry and sank to the floor in front of the dying fire where she inspected the damage done to her feet.

Realization hit her like a jolt from the Death Star. Blanket? Fire? She didn't have time to contemplate the meaning of these surprise items. She felt a presence through the Force and it was approaching the tree. Mara stumbled back on her knees grabbing for her lightsabre.

"It's me!" Annaïse cried softly, poking her head into the tree.

Mara finally recognized her, but felt silly for feeling threatened by the child. She laughed away her ridiculousness. "So that's where the blanket and fire came from," she said in a low voice. "How did you find us?"

The girl shrugged. "I guessed." She set down the bundle she was carrying and ignored Mara's skeptical look. "I brought you something to eat and some clothes. I hope it's okay, I had to go through your stuff to get it."

Mara gratefully accepted the piece of bread she held out to her. She ate ravenously, then washed it down with a swig of water. "It's not poisoned it is?" she asked only half-kidding.

Annaïse smiled. "How is he?" she asked timidly.

Mara glanced at Luke on the floor. "He's sleeping. The fever has gone down, but he is still very sick."

"He's very strong. No one has ever survived Guru's poisons before."

"Guru does this often?"

"Sometimes."

"Is anyone going to miss you back at the fortress?" Mara ventured to ask. She sat down next to the girl and nibbled on a root Annaïse had offered her.

"Most people don't even know I exist," Annaïse replied. "Has he woken up yet?" She nodded toward Skywalker's lump under the blanket.

"Are you kidding?" she snickered. "He could sleep through an exploding star, a space battle and an Ewok celebration party. He's can be so oblivious sometimes."

Annaïse gave her a curious look, but changed the subject. "You look different."

Mara inspected a lock of hair. The rain had washed out most of the auburn dye, and the red-gold peeked through the mud. She looked down at herself and snorted ruefully. An unwashed heathen is what she looked like. Her once brightly colored skirt was now dirtied, ripped and dull. She had bruises and scratches up her arms from dodging friendly branches and rocks in the middle of the night. Her feet and ankle were swollen and blotched with ugly purple bruises and angry red scabs. In a word, she was a mess, one, big, painful mess.