Disclaimer: I own nothing, not even my own soul!
Hunter was dreaming. He knew he was dreaming but that didn't make it any less painful. He saw Kara's face, bloody and twisted with pain. Heard her screaming and he tried to reach her but something was holding him, pulling him roughly from behind and dragging him away from her. Their eyes met and he hoped he would never see that look of bleak despair in real life.
He jerked roughly awake on his uncomfortable bed on the ground, tossing blankets aside and calling Kara's name. Automatically he reached for her with his mind, as he did every morning on waking, and encountered the same terrible resistance. For a moment he couldn't breathe.
Cursing he got up off the temporary bed and rubbing his temples to ease the headache, and he notice for the first time that Jareth's bed was empty. Adding a few additional curses with Jareth's name attached he stormed angrily from the small tent, where he found Jareth outside sitting next to the fire and having a low and whispered conversation with a dark haired man that Hunter did not recognise.
"…it's hard to say. There are many such places in these lands and Ulrich is quite familiar with all of them. He knows of ones that no-one else in the pack has any inkling of." Hunter caught the stranger say.
He stalked to the fire and Jareth looked up, nodding a greeting. The stranger got hastily to his feet as though worried about offending Hunter. He was about the same height as Hunter and the family resemblance to Ulrich was unmistakeable. Hunter couldn't quell the rising burst of anger. He could feel it unwinding in his chest and bleeding his eyes to violet. His hands closed into fists by his sides as he fought to restrain himself, furiously waiting for Jareth to explain.
"Hunter, this is Tristan…Ulrich's brother," Jareth introduced them and the hesitation before stating the family connection did not go unnoticed by anyone. Jareth watched the Prince carefully, noting his reaction. A lot was going to hinge on the next few minutes.
Tristan bowed low to Hunter, showing him all the deference his title and station were due without any of the mocking gestures so often displayed by Ulrich. Coming form a werewolf to a vampire the act was almost unthinkable, and Hunter had to fight the urge to rub his eyes or pinch himself.
"Your highness," Tristan greeted as he rose. "I offer my most sincere apologies for Ulrich's actions and offer you any assistance that I am able to help you find your Princess and to bring Ulrich to justice."
Hunter continued to stare coldly at Tristan but he could not help but notice how Tristan purposely avoided using the word brother when he spoke of Ulrich. A significant fact in their world.
Jareth stood, moving subtly between the two. "None of the pack knew that Ulrich planned this. I believe they would have stopped him if they had known."
Tristan snorted. "We most certainly would have. It is unthinkable that he should act with such dishonour, one who was born to lead."
Hunter folded his arms. "I take you are aware that since Ulrich is your king, though he hardly deserves the title, the fact that he has forcibly taken my Princess can be viewed as an act of war?"
"Forgive me your Highness but if you truly viewed this as an act of war, you would be massing troops and laying waste to our people," Tristan said calmly allowing himself a small smile.
Hunter's lips quirked slightly in response. "True enough, but I could still change my mind."
"Would it help if I told you that the pack has renounced Ulrich? He has been declared rouge."
Hunter regarded Tristan for a moment, before abruptly turning and stalking off to one side. Arms folded he started unseeing into the night. Jareth followed him and stood silently beside him.
"You are asking me to trust her safety to the wolves," Hunter said quietly.
"Actually Tristan is asking for your trust," Jareth corrected. "When Ulrich is caught he cannot return to his pack. They will not have him and I sincerely doubt he will live through this misadventure. Perhaps…perhaps it is time for an alliance between the vampires and the wolves?"
Hunter sighed. "If it had not been for Heather there would have been an alliance before now and you cannot expect me to repair that damage in a single night."
Behind them Tristan snorted and Hunter cursed the wolf's acute sense of hearing.
"Nobody but Ulrich blames you for the fact that Heather left us. Anyone in possession of even half a brain cell could have seen how unhappy she was. It was simply easier for Ulrich to believe you seduced her and spirited her away."
"I know where she went," Hunter said almost casually.
"If Heather wanted us to know then so would we," Tristan said quietly. "You helped my sister when her pack could not and for that we thank you and we are in your debt."
Hunter turned, facing Tristan then. "When we find Ulrich I want him dead. If he has hurt Kara then nothing will stop me."
In answer Tristan extended his hand. Hunter hesitated a moment before taking it, and their bargain was made.
~*~
Kara had spent hours pacing the cell, feeling the weight of her imprisonment more with each step. It was not a large cell and it was hopelessly devoid of any convenient sharp rocks or anything else that might have aided an escape. She leaned against the far wall, opposite the door and allowed herself to slide to the floor, her skirts bunching around her knees. She wrapped her arms around her legs and pressed her forehead against her knees, trying hard not to cry again. She hated feeling this helpless, this useless. She remembered once when she had been a child, she had been hiding in a cupboard and the door had jammed. She had been stuck for two hours before anyone had realised and she hadn't much cared for enclosed spaces after that. She sat back again resting her head against the wall and rubbing her hands against her knees. She stared at the lamp sitting in the middle of the floor where Ulrich had left it as though waiting for it to tell her the answers. Something like 'the lever to the secret escape passage is over there' and that's when it hit her.
She could use the lamp.
Hit Ulrich with it when he came back. As soon as the door was opened and knock him unconscious. She crawled to where the lamp was and lifted it experimentally. It certainly was heavy and she took some small comfort in that fact that even though this might not be the best thought out plan in the world it might at least give her a fighting chance.
She got to her feet, still holding the lamp. She thought about standing behind the door and waiting but she had no idea how long Ulrich would be and it was heavy. She did not want her arms to get so tired that by the time he returned she was unable to lift it enough to follow through. However she was worried if he was gone to long her body would take over and she would sleep. After all he might let her linger her, alone for days. In the end she settled for standing behind the door with the lamp waiting at her feet. At the first sign of movement outside she would pick it up.
She waited and time passed unmeasured. Her feet began to ache and she wondered if she was underground. Looking around it did not strike her as the type of cell that anyone was ever kept in for very long which did not exactly fill her with confidence.
The sound of a key scraping in a lock alerted her to the fact that it was time and she snatched the lamp up and held it high above her head in readiness. The lamp burned her hands a little because she was not holding the handle but she figured it was a small price to pay if it got her out of here.
The door scraped opened and Kara squeezed her eyes shut as she swung the lamp down in a forceful arc.
Straight into Cortez's very surprised face.
Kara felt the glass break under her hands, heard the sound of it shattering, thinking numbly that it was a sort of pretty sound as she stared dumbly at Cortez's falling body. Without really processing the thought she grabbed his hunting dagger from his belt. She moved over him, registering somewhere in her mind that vampires were amazingly flammable before she ran.
Straight into the guards who were pouring into the room.
~*~
Hunter, Jareth and Tristan were sitting around the camp fire discussing what was to be done. Dawn was still a long way off.
"We were discussing before you woke up that it was possible that Ulrich has taken Kara to one of the safe holds," Tristan began.
"Safe holds?" Hunter questioned.
"Yes. My people have many well concealed, and secret places that we use mainly to keep the young safe in times of battle and, on occasion, for prisoners. The only trouble is that only the pack leader ever knows where every single one is.
"So he could have Kara in anyone one of these places and even the pack wouldn't know which one," Jareth added.
Tristan nodded. "This is true, but if you would be willing to give us something of the Princess' then my people could track her. If she is anywhere in the forest then my people will find her."
"It will take forever to get back to my kingdom, retrieve a piece of her clothing and return," Hunter pointed out. "I do not know if we can waste the time."
"Your Highness, not to put to fine a point on this but Ulrich has been growing increasingly sadistic of late. I fear for your lady's safety and for her virtue and I believe my fears are well founded. The Princess is human and Ulrich will think nothing of using her. He doesn't even see her as a person. Any advantage we can gain would be in her interest and I think having my people track her scent is a way to do that."
"I am well aware of Ulrich's nature," Hunter snapped tensely.
"Gentlemen, need I point out that I can be there and back in a matter of minutes," Jareth said.
Hunter immediately brightened.
"A handkerchief or something small will suffice," Tristan offered.
Jareth nodded and then he was gone, leaving a swirl of glitter in his wake that covered both men.
"I hate it when he does that," Hunter muttered, trying to brush the glitter off and failing miserably.
It was only moments before Jareth returned with a pillowcase and a fresh swirl of glitter.
Hunter glared at him. "You do it on purpose, don't you?"
"What?" was all that Jareth said.
"A pillowcase?" Tristan asked one eye brow raised.
"I was in a hurry," Jareth said almost huffily. "And I think I scared the maid," he added, turning to Hunter. "Unless she usually screams for no reason?"
"You know I'm not to sure on that one," Hunter said with a grin. "Now let's get to work!"