Disclaimer: I don't own Riddick or Jack. I don't make money off this, and I'm not stealing them blah blah blah. Have fun reading and for the love of christ review!

Chapter 13: The One Who Hears Well Will Return

"I'm not like him! I'm not!" She cried as Jack's grip tightened around her hair. Her other hand came up and pushed her neck into the wall.

Jack didn't care. Relatives were no better than the original. She dropped the girls hair and put her hand towards Riddick, palm open. Within a moment, her blade returned to her hand. Jack brought the blade toward the wench. Pressing the blade against Kel'byne's throat, a twitch of a grin flashed on Jack's face and she watched the fear surface on the girl's face.

"No, please don't kill me. I…I know where Otis is."

Jack felt a tug at her heart. Otis? She hadn't seen him since the day her father died. She didn't believe that he was alive. She didn't think that he could be. Otis… she thought of him for a moment. He was the only soul as torn apart as her own. He was the only one who truly understood her. Jack turned back to Riddick. "Is this why?"

He nodded.

"He was supposed to be dead." She let go on the woman's throat and watched her drop to the floor. She was hoping she was not making the wrong mistake as she waited for the girl to talk. She couldn't believe her brother was alive, but she always had hoped.

"He-he's not." The wench spoke quietly from the floor. "When the king's guard came through, they stopped in. I talked to them."

Jack nodded. "Go on."

Kel'byne slowly stood up and moved to the sit on the side of the bed. "I was serving them all drinks. One of them propositioned me, so I took him to bed."

"I don't care about your sexual escapades! What about my brother?" Jack's face was red as she screamed. She wanted to know. She had to know. Her brother was the only one who knew the truth of what happened to her on the island. No one else had been privy to that information; not even Xanthe.

"I… well, he was laughing about how your brother had been kept in the King's Castle for the last two years. He just… kept talking about torturing him."
"Oh by the gods…" Jack felt sick. Not Otis. He could take it, she knew that, however she never wanted her brother to suffer her fate. His life had been torn to pieces much younger than she could recollect.

"I…I don't know where, but I know that the man worked directly under the King in the castle. I would think he's there."

"That bastard. That bastard…." Jack gripped the blade in her hand and fresh tears welled in her eyes. She could not live another day without him, knowing that he was still alive. She had been so sure when he had disappeared a few years ago, he had went to live among the forest. Xanthe kept her updated on what she could find about their brother, but almost two years ago this very day, she couldn't find him anymore.

Infuriated, she looked over at Kel'byne. "How are you related to that bastard? How can you be here and…"

"I was a bastard." She looked down. "I was born here… my father had many indiscretions as Lord and when he visited yours, I know he found my mother."

So she wasn't a full blooded devil. She had the unfortunate accident of being born by a whore. "I'm sorry."

The wench looked over at her. "What? I don't understand."

"I'm sorry you have to have their blood." Jack shook her head. "I… Riddick?"

Riddick cocked his head and looked at her. "Yes, Jack?"

"I think we need to plan."
He nodded and looked over at the wench, giving her a small shrug. He left before Jack could even lift herself from the chair.

Jack looked at Kel'byne, who sat shaking on the bed. Her hands were nervously folding and unfolding. "I apologize about… attacking you. But if this doesn't pan out, I will be back for you." Jack eyes said more than words could.

"Oh no M'Lady, I would not tell you an untruth. I don't have to lie to save my life." Her eyes started to water.

Jack nodded and walked out. Her head was spinning. Riddick waited for her in the corridor. She looked over to him, wanting something to be comforting. Not him, though, not now. She leaned by the panels near the door.

"Jack, we need to go."

She shook her head. She couldn't believe this. She couldn't believe it would get any worse. She followed Riddick downstairs and looked around. The three sisters were still sitting in the corner. "Riddick, I'll meet you back there. I have to take care of something."
He didn't turn back to acknowledge her, but kept on walking out of the door.

Jack walked back towards the three sisters and took a nearby chair. "I need you all to do me a favor, and I don't care what the price or the danger. This has to be done."

Sceun and Nadmi looked at each while Dritiva spoke. "Anythin' ya need, Jack."

"I need you to go to the King's castle. I want one of you to watch the king, while the other two do this job." She paused, and spoke slowly, "I need to know every single prisoner living in his dungeons. If there is not one named Otis, I want the wench Kel'byne dead."

"It's done." Nadmi grinned.

"But 'o is 'e?"

She looked over to Sceun. "Find him. That's all I need. Send me progress of your reports and take as many of my men as you need."

Dritiva laughed. "Men? We don't need 'um, right sisters?"

Without another word, Jack left the tavern. She would have to make her way back to camp. She had set the wheels in motion and now she only needed to wait. If Otis was really alive, she was going to start a war that she could have never imagined.

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"Xanthe, come to me sister." Jack laid down on her bed, her head covered with a wet towel, trying to ward off the pains the throbbed beneath her eyes.

"What do you want?" With an exasperated sigh, Jack knew Xanthe wasn't pleased to have her calling.

She sighed. "Otis may be alive."

"Otis? Are you sure?"

Jack pulled the towel up and rested it on her forehead. "I've gotten word that he's being held in Anthony's dungeon." She paused, then said, "For two years."

"Since I could not feel…" Xanthe gasped. "He couldn't have. Otis would haven't let himself get caught."

Jack snorted. "I do not think Otis went willingly."

"But why? What have we done to deserve this from our uncle?"

"Nothing. It's just spite. That bastard killed our father, he wouldn't hesitate to torture Otis for years to get to me. He knows I should be the rightful heir." She pulled the cloth off her face and walked towards her sister. "You can't believe that he's not evil now. I will know soon, Xanthe. I have sent the three to go look for him."

Xanthe covered her face. "But Otis… oh god, how did I not see it?"

"You're not a Goddess."

"Not yet. But I should have known my own brother…" She shook her head. "I can not believe he would do something so horrible."

"Do not underestimate the evilness of men." She glared and started to ground her teeth. The only good men got murdered because they were too stupid and let their guard down. She hated to put her father into that group, but she had to. However, Otis shouldn't have let his guard down. She could not believe that he would be the one to be caught. Otis was totally insane. The horrors that happened to him and his family were unspeakable. Now as hours passed by and she thought of him once again, she didn't know if saving him from the dungeon would be worth it.

She only could pray that he would be all right. She would know soon. But how long? How long would she have to hear if her white-haired, pale skinned brother would be all right? How long would it take…

"Jack… If we find Otis, what are you going to do?" She looked to her sister with pleading eyes.

"What I was born for." Jack turned to the window. "To kill."

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Jack hadn't spoken to Riddick since the incident with Kel'byne. Jack didn't know what to say to him. What she wanted anymore. In spite of herself, she could not concern herself with ruining him now. Everything had changed in a night.

After her sister had left her to her dark mood, Jack made her way to the tallest tower of the castle. She was clad in only a soft white nightgown. Her long hair was pulled into a ponytail, swung over one shoulder. She leaned against the balcony that surveyed the whole lands. She wished that she could have known earlier. She only wanted to know earlier.

And Riddick….what would she do about him now? She knew, even without any confirmation, that she was carrying his child. Her oracle-told son. Thanos. Her concern lay in different areas and she wasn't sure how to deal with it. With child, she had more to worry about. She had to worry about herself and her body now. If she hadn't, she would have stormed her bastard uncle's castle this very night. But she couldn't.

Aggravated, Jack tilted her head up, looking towards the moon. She had too many others to worry about now. It was much easier before she had started the alliance with Riddick. There would have been no child, but also no possibility of finding her brother again. War would still be alive, but Jack would be miserable.

In a way, Jack appreciated the life the Gods had set out for her. But she wasn't going to follow their plan. She knew the things she had done in the past few weeks would change the course of Sybil-Escurio. The world was changing before her eyes and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She wanted her brother back, she wanted to go living back in her castle, with her father. She just wanted to be normal again.

She had never been the same since the day she tasted the sweet satisfaction of revenge. Her revenge was no where near over. There were still so many more on her list, but she couldn't do it anymore. She felt a motherly instinct of her baby and she couldn't put herself in danger knowing that she would endanger his.

A hand slipped down to her belly, but it wasn't her own.

"Riddick?" She turned around and looked up into the shining silver eyes.

He didn't say anything for a moment, instead he took her hands and placed them on either side of his neck. "You didn't tell me." He cast her a disapproving glance.

"About what?" She didn't move her arms. She felt happy in his arms.

"Kiril."

She breathed a sigh of relief. He still didn't know about the baby. "It's nothing." She moved away from him . Hearing that name made the scar on her back burn with pain.

He took another step and covered her chest with his arms, holding her close to him. "It must be, given your state whenever I mention the name."

She didn't answer. He didn't need to know. He wasn't her husband for love; it was for power. Power was the only thing that filled the small hole in soul, even if it was only temporary.

"What happened?" He turned her back around. His hand held her chin in his hand. She couldn't move; she couldn't turn away from him.

But she wouldn't tell him either. She had kept that a secret from everyone but her brother. Her brother was the only one who understand the type of torture that she had lived in. He had to watch his family be murdered before his own eyes. He understood the rage that burned deep inside her. Riddick never could. She wouldn't let him.

"Goddammit, Jack, tell me."

"Why do you care?"

Riddick shook his head. "Jack, you know you mean more to me than a partner for ruling. You have always been more than that."

She pulled her head back and moved to the other end of the balcony. "I'm not telling you. It is in the past. It does not concern you or me." Tears started to fall from her eyes, knowing that it wasn't true. She couldn't tell him; she couldn't show him the scar that had disfigured her. She had been lucky enough that he hadn't noticed all the while.

"Jack… Jacqueline…" He turned her around his arms, holding her close. "It does. You can't do this all alone, you know that. You will need my help to get your brother back. I want to know about you. I…Jacqueline…" He stopped as he heard her sobbing harder.

Jack shook her head. "It's too horrible. I can't. I can't." She pulled out of his arms. "You would never understand." She left him before he could say another word. Her heart was racing in her chest. She was so frightened as he picked her interior. She had been veiled for so long. She didn't want to be weak. She could not have Riddick being stronger than her. She had survived so much and he was threatening to take all of her accomplishments away.

She didn't want to relive what happened. She had lived it, dealt with it, and she was done with it. She had locked her past up. She wouldn't let it get out by her own tongue.

Riddick stormed the castle halls, looking for an answer. Jack was… he didn't know what she was. Jack had carefully hidden all the details of her past, but he knew as soon as her brother was mentioned, she'd start to unravel. Her brother was the key and he was going to make sure to crack the lock on her brain.

Riddick didn't understand why she didn't trust him. His life had been no better than hers. He understood the hatred and pain that tormented her soul. Nothing pushed him further than his own revenge, but he never let it control his life. Jack had. Jack couldn't discern the difference in her life anymore. He knew that her life had turned into a strictly revenge. He wasn't sure if anything else in her life mattered.

He knew that he didn't matter to her in one sense. But he knew that something was different. Something. He could smell it on it. A hidden secret. He knew all of her; she didn't want him to, but he did. He had turned his life into knowing her. Knowing the secretiveness of Jacqueline. She was a beauty, she was death. She was everything that he needed. Yet, she scorned his love.

"Riddick." Alec approached him. His arm held his stomach. His face was swollen with bruises and cuts.

He looked at him for a moment then laughed. "You will never do that again."

"We will see. One of the watchers saw three riders approaching. He said that it was three women."

Riddick figured that it was the trio of death of Pail'ryion. The three sisters who were unmatched in their skills. "How far off?"
"Fifteen minute ride. They should be approaching shortly."

Riddick nodded. So she had sent them to go see about her brother. They were back rather quickly, too quickly. He hoped that the news was to Jack's liking. He nodded to Alex and made his way to the forefront of the castle. He would meet them at the gate; if the news was bad, he wanted to give it to Jack. He couldn't stand the thought of anyone else giving her more news. Her days had been too hard, too tiring.

Riddick waited right before the gate, leaning on the right side. He heard the pounding get louder. His heart was beating in anticipation. He wanted her brother to be alive. He didn't want to have to break her heart.

Finally, the three came into view. They saw him and one yelled, "Riddick?"
He stepped out and met them a few feet from the gate. He waited while the dismounted and stood before him. "What news do you bring?"
Sceun sighed. "Good and bad."

He shook his head. He didn't want this. "Give it to me all at once."

Dritiva began slowly. "We couldn't actually get in, but we found a guard who admitted to 'im being there. We couldn't find 'im, but 'es somewhere. The guard said 'e was alive this mornin' but 'e said 'es in bad shape."

"Damn…" Riddick started to pace. "Where do you think that King hid him?"
Nadmi, the eldest, spoke up. "In the sub chambers. I 'ave only 'eard about it. No one ever comes out alive."

"The guard?"
"Dead." Sceun smiled. "'E won't be found."

"Good… good. Head back there. We'll be arriving shortly."

"Then we leave." Nadmi was the first to hop back on her horse. "C'mon sisters."
Riddick watched as they left. The news was much better than he had expected. He was alive, and that was the point that Jack needed to know. However, there was no time to waste. They had to make a move now. Her brother may not have very much time left alive if they didn't get him quickly. He ran back into the castle.

Riddick made his way to her room first. He doubted that she was in here, but it was the best place to start. He opened the door, looked in, and saw Jack lying down on the bed. Her sister was sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the bed. "Jack, Xanthe." He looked to both of them briefly.

"What do you want?" Jack's tone was angry and hurt. She looked awful.

He ground his teeth for a moment, hating to see her like this. "The sisters just returned."
Jack started to get up, when Riddick stepped over and stopped her. He shook his head. "They've already gone back to his castle."

"Why? Why did you send them away?" She screamed and started to claw at his shirt.

He grabbed her hands easily and pressed her back down to the bed. "Calm down, Jack! Just stop."
She struggled against him, until Xanthe spoke. "Did they find Otis?" She sounded so sad, so miserable.

"Almost."
Jack stopped moving and her eyes opened wide. "What do you mean almost? What is going on?"

"They found a guard who had been with him this morning, but he's not in the regular area. There's a sub basement with him in it only." Riddick watched as Jack remained speechless.

"He's alive. Otis…" Xanthe quietly spoke to herself.

"But not for long." Riddick quietly answered. "He is not in good shape."
Jack started to curse. "We're going now. Bring Alec."

"I had already planned on it."

"But how are you two going to get him out?" Xanthe stood up from the chair. "It's impossible. King Anthony has too many guards to count!"

Riddick's eyes narrowed. "We will. Don't worry. Be prepared for us in the morning. We are going to need your healing."

Xanthe nodded. "I will bring the best." She disappeared.

Riddick watched as Jack finished arming herself. She slid one more knife in the side of her boot. She looked up at Riddick. "What are you staring at?"

He grinned. "You. You're… amazing. An hour ago you couldn't hold yourself together. Now you're ready for war."

"I would lay down my life for Otis, but remember…"She stopped and smiled. "Not for you."

"You will, you'll see." He laughed,

TBC….

Author's Note: So here is the next chapter. I'm very disappointed in the lazy twenty or so odd readers who didn't review. :P But hey, whatever. Thanks to Ariel who wrote me a wonderful and inspring review. Also, thanks goes to Riddick's Sudductress who was very happy to see me come back. I am glad to be back and at least I know two people care. So with that said, please, review. C'mon. Just say good! It'll take less than 30 seconds. Hope you had fun with this chapter and the next one will be even better.

-Saphi