Chapter Thirty-three

Beneath The Harlot

Lockheed shifted his purple wings and adjusted his posture to pick up maximum acceleration. The dragon's mournful cry pierced the darkness as he flew the fastest he'd ever flown, his eyes frantically searching the pitch-black abyss for any sign of his beloved mistress. Though he was following her as swiftly as he could, he had seen no sign of her or the others who had fallen. He'd also lost sight of the crazy blue Demon who seemed to love his Kitty as much as he did. Neither Kurt nor the others mattered to Lockheed now, however; all he cared about in that second was reaching Kitty before it was too late and she was lost to him forever.

He screamed again, calling for her to answer him, but the only response he received was the gnashing of teeth below . . . gnashing that grew louder and louder the further he descended. Lockheed continued flying and praying that the sharks had not eaten his Kitty . . . but, as he drew near to the bottom, they were all he could see. Their blood-covered jaws continued to snatch at him, and all Lockheed could think was that his Kitty was in one of those horrible monster's stomachs.

The dragon cried again, his roar echoing up the pathway he had just flown and out into the Harlot's hold where Logan fought to hold a struggling Ororo still, Carl sobbed as though his heart had been shattered, Wesley grew ever colder, and the battle between Helvira and Elvira raged on. Lockheed whirled around in the darkness, his frightened gaze flitting over every surface, but nowhere could he find any sign of Kitty, Kurt, Jack, or even a single one of the others.

A huge splash caused Lockheed to look up just as a massive, dark figure lunged at him. The dragon screeched and tried to fly away, but the creature's mouth covered him before he could move more than an inch. Lockheed's wings and beak beat against the being's tongue, but as the beast swallowed, the dragon thought no more.


The Harlot's Hold

Carl had been desperately holding on to the quickly disappearing cell. He had seen being after being falling, and yet he had managed to hold on until he saw Paige. She just fell into the hole like nothing mattered any more, and Carl could not hang idly by, waiting for her to snap back to her senses.

"PAIGE!" he screamed as he swung toward where he had last seen her and let go of the bars. He fell quickly after her, but she was gone. Before he could do anything else, so was he!


Frolicking Monkey's Deck

Kat was still running her hands over Ace's thin, shaking body and trying unsuccessfully to calm her own emotions when the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She knew immediately that her animals were in trouble, and she stiffened against Ace, going suddenly as immobile as a statue. "Ace . . . " Her words died in her throat, however, as her frightened, emerald eyes met his gaze and Captain's tentative mew sounded across the ship.

That one meow affirmed to Kat that they were far over their heads. The usual danger sign was a trumpeting, but the elephant had not made a single sound. All of the other animals were quiet, as well, having been directed by Captain and Clyde not to make a sound lest they draw the Elemental's attention to them. Kat said not a word; she only headed for the door and kept her body from shaking like her insides were currently doing.

Ace's heart was in his throat. He didn't know which way to turn. He didn't know how to save his family. As Kat headed for the door, he followed behind, his head bowed low, waiting for whatever she would tell him to do next and praying that they could save their family.


Destiny's Ghost's Deck

Cordelia heard Angel call to her, but her mouth refused to move to answer him. Instead, she stayed where she was kneeling beside Crystal, her hands frozen around Meesy's small body. Somehow, the tiny kitten seemed to sense that they were in danger for he had stopped his struggling and was still in her hands. The kitten's blue eyes slowly lifted to follow Cordelia's gaze, and she felt him tremble at the sight they both stared at.

Cordelia had seen the monster above them one time before, back when he'd destroyed Port Royal, shattered Linda, and nearly killed them all. She had thought him to be something straight out of the worst nightmares even then, but looking at him now, he seemed to be a hundred times worse. Snow poured down amongst them in a thick blizzard, and the howling winds ripped at all those on deck. Cordelia had had to squint hard to see before, but the lightning that filled the night sky illuminated the jagged body of Frostbite, who stretched above all three remaining ships and even beyond what Cordy could see. She didn't know where he ended nor did she want to.

She trembled as uncontrollably as the kitten she held as she watched Frostbite's cold glare roam slowly over one ship and then the next. She was surprised he hadn't attacked them yet and would have never thought that he was already in the process of turning the ships to ice. She did know who he was looking for, however, and realized what would happen the very second he spotted Crystal laying unconscious on the deck. Cordelia knew further movement would only draw his attention to their area and that there was no way she could move fast enough to get herself out of the way, not to mention Meesy, Crys, Lorne, Angel, or any of Crystal's babies.

All these thoughts passed swiftly through the Princess' fear-filled brain, but only one solution came to her as Frostbite turned his gaze toward the Ghost. She still did not answer Angel but instead brought Meesy closer and threw her own self forward. She squeezed the kitten's body in between her chest and Crystal's face and laid herself over Crys. She prayed her body would cover Crystal's face and hair enough to keep Frostbite from realizing that Crys was there, but she didn't know what to do if he spotted Cindy, Elvira, or Blue. He might, by some miracle, misconstrue the wolf or lioness to not be Crystal's babies but just some other animals, but she knew that the blue dragon would be a definite give-away. She trembled where she lay but dared not move for Crystal's sake.

Angel had been relieved that he had only knocked Crys out, but he did not know what to do to keep Frostbite from discovering them where they lay on the deck. The snow and ice were freezing him, and he was finding it hard to move, let alone to think. What to do? his brain raked at the unsolvable question. He prayed that some one else would draw the Ice Devil's attention away from them.

He knew that, if shards of ice were thrown at Cordelia, the only thing he could do would be to step between them and her. He wanted to whisper to ask her what she thought they should do next, but as he could not move and could not talk, he wished that he could read her mind as he knew Morph and Celina could read each other's minds. He kept looking skyward, waiting for the very second the Demon would release the ice shards, knowing that they only had a matter of minutes left to live and thankful that he was with his family.


Destiny's Ghost's Deck

Xena had been in the rigging, trying to get the ship ready to go, when her eyes had taken in the awful sight of Frostbite. She called to Gabrielle to jump to the safety of the water. She knew the others would soon be down there and needing help.

Gabby's green eyes turned knowingly to her lover. "Together!" she called back. "I'm not leaving you up here, Xena!"

"On the count of three!" Xena called back to her and began to count. On three, she jumped, realizing that Gabrielle had not jumped immediately but had waited to make sure that Xena herself had jumped. Once the Pirate Princess had taken the leap, Gabrielle followed in swift pursuit.


Destiny's Ghost's Deck

Dawn reached the deck shortly before Fred did, but the minute she stepped onto it, she almost had her feet knocked out from under her by the winds that had now rose to full-force gales. Bracing herself in the doorway to below deck, she tried to keep her balance and turned her head quickly to shake her long, brown hair out of her face. What she saw in the night sky paled her skin to a shade whiter than Spike's and made her knees knock together. "FRED!" she yelled to the shaken woman who was just coming up behind her. "STAY BACK! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!"

Willow and Kennedy were standing together against the blizzard and holding on to ropes to keep from being sucked off by the wind when they heard Dawn yelling. Willow had already been trying to figure out which spell she should attempt against the monstrosity for she knew she'd have to find a way to at least buy the others some time, but now, for just a minute, she pushed her planning away to look in the direction of Dawn's voice. She could barely see the girl who she'd known for years and had often referred to as her little sister. She called a warning to her. "DAWN, GO BACK BELOW DECK!"

"NO, WILLOW, I . . . " But Dawn's words froze in her throat as she felt the evil Elemental's beady eyes turn down upon her. She looked up just as she felt Fred at her shoulder.

"D-Dawn, wh-what -- ?" Fred whispered.

Dawn tried to tell Fred to run back, but she couldn't get the words out. She tried to move away herself, but her feet were already a solid block of ice. She heard Willow scream and Faith yell, but she couldn't see either one. Her life, short in years but long in pain, flashed before the brunette's eyes, as did all the things she'd wanted to do with Spike, Angel, Faith, Willow, Cordelia, and the others but would never get to do. In her last seconds, Dawn thought of Buffy and Joyce, the family she'd been forced into running away from and who would never know what their abuse had caused her to fall into, and of Spike, who would never know how much she truly loved him.

Willow's scream raised to an ear-splitting level as she watched Dawn turn to ice before her very eyes. She tried to run to her, but Kennedy held her back, holding desperately to her shoulders.

Standing beside Dawson after they'd just left Judson's cabin, Faith watched Dawn turn to ice with tears in her eyes and a scream building in her throat. She refused to let the tears fall or the scream erupt, however, and knew that there was nothing she could do to help the poor girl now. She also knew that the attack had began and that, if she didn't get him out of sight somehow, Dawson would surely follow Dawn. "Baby, I love ya. Wait for me; I'll come after I've found the others." Her words came out so soft and swift that Dawson barely had time to digest them before she shoved him off of the ship.

"NO!" came out of Dawson's mouth even as he felt himself falling. How could she yet again throw him away from her when he needed to be with her most of all! Why could she not let him stay beside her when they were in danger so that he could help her instead of having to watch helplessly while she fought against their enemies?

He could fight! He had Brendan's knife, but he did not have an enemy he could reach! He thrashed helplessly, trying to stay afloat! "FAITH! JUMP!" he screamed but knew she wouldn't. He closed his eyes and began to pray.


The Ocean

Janeesa, who had been lingering close by in case she was needed, had seen several people thrown from the ship before she had actually seen the Ice Elemental. He was the most horrible thing she had ever seen in her short life. She knew she was no match for him.

She began to move forward to help the blonde man she could only see from the back who was trying to catch a dark-haired man who was floating away from him. She saw that he carried a blonde woman along with him and figured that the woman must be his mate. They were all three covered in blood, and she feared that the sharks might be drawn.

She didn't know where the sharks were at the present time, only that they must still be under the ships, catching the helpless victims that had fallen from the ships. They always seemed to have a voracious appetite. She wished that they could jump from the water, attack the Ice Elemental, and devour them as she knew they had already devoured others.

She had seen a catwoman thrown from the ship and now dived down to see if she could find her, hoping that she was not dead. The catwoman dropped like a rock, and Janeesa sped up to catch her. When she had finally managed to get her hands on her, she headed back up with her.

Once they had resurfaced, she managed to get a sniff of her and smelled Morph on her. Could this be Morph's mate? She would take care of her. Janeesa had never had much opportunity to be around humans until today. She wondered where her Angel was and glanced toward where the blonde man had been trying to catch the dark man to see if he had managed to catch him.


Destiny's Ghost's Deck

Faith's heart thundered in her ears as she felt herself being torn in many different places at once. Part of her wanted to follow Dawson, partially to make sure he would be okay and partially to escape this new Hell, but her mind, gut, and half of her heart all argued against that notion. Her mind told her to keep a low profile, but her gut demanded she run for a cannon and blast so many holes in Frostbite that the Ice Elemental would never be able to find all his parts. Her heart was ripped between keeping Dawson safe; running to help Dawn though her mind told her she couldn't; racing to aid Angel where she could see him standing helplessly with Cordelia, who seemed to have fainted, a fact that didn't surprise Faith; and breaking out into a run over the ships to try to find Jack, Lex, Salem, Katrina, or any of the rest of her family. She didn't know which way to go, but her eyes were drawn back to Dawn just as the ice that had already engulfed her spread from her to Fred, whose hand was frozen on her shoulder.

When she'd realized what was happening, Fred had tried to pull away from Dawn, but she'd been unable to as her hand was frozen onto Dawn's shoulder. She'd cried while snatching at it, but she couldn't move it and had nothing to cut her hand off with. As she felt the ice covering her, she whimpered and cried even more, but as her body began to grow numb, she recalled her parents and Wesley and yelled Wesley's name at the top of her lungs. "WES -- !" was all she managed to get out before the ice claimed her.

With a sneer, Frostbite gnashed his fangs together, and the two foolish women shattered. As their ice exploded over the deck of the Pirate ship, the redhead's scream rose even more, and Frostbite found himself assaulted with a barrage of bullets. As the Ice Elemental turned each bullet to ice and protected himself from ten poison-filled, blue fingernails that had been shot at him with an ice shield that set the nails flying back in the direction they'd just come from, Willow broke free from Kennedy.

Kennedy knew what Dawn had meant to Willow and also knew what was happening to her lover now as Willow's scream of terror turned to one of fury. The color appeared to have drained out of every inch of her lover, and her words, as she desperately tried to talk Willow down, fell on deaf ears. Veins popped into Willow's face, and her red hair turned the color of coal. "WILLOW, NO! LISTEN TO ME! YOU CAN'T -- !"

Kennedy grabbed Willow's arm, and Will paused to look at her for only a second. Kennedy was surprised to see that her lover's eyes were still alert though they were the same pitch black color as her hair. "No. I have to do this."

Kennedy tightened her grip on Willow. The Latina was usually stronger than her lover, but this time, Willow shook her grasp off as though she was no more than a flea attempting to cling to a lioness on the kill. "I love you." The words came out flat and chilled Kennedy's heart.

"WILLOW, NO!" But Willow was no longer listening. Latin words poured from her lips as Willow rose into the air. Thunder cracked, and fireballs rose in both of her hands.

Kennedy jumped for Willow but couldn't reach her. "If you're going after him," she shot up defiantly, "so am I!" With that, she raced for her cannons.


The Ocean

Trent forced himself to swim deeper as Carlos sank further. He had been praying, but his mind was now too slow to be able to remember how to call upon his Heavenly Father. His body was numb with pain, but his fingers were still clamped around Trina's wrist so tightly that his knuckles were white. His throat burned in demand for air, but still he continued after Carlos.

He, Trina, and Carlos had been best friends forever. He couldn't remember a time when they hadn't known the Mexican, and Carlos was as surely his brother as he and Trina shared the same blood running through their veins. Trent couldn't turn his back on him now. He couldn't let him drown, not even if it meant losing his life or even Trina's in the process.

His feet kicked determinedly, and he swam another foot deeper. The floating strands of Carlos' dark, curly hair brushed Trent's reaching fingers. He tried to grasp it, but even as he tried, his world went black . . .


The Harlot's Hold

Once Brendan's Werewolf form had succeeded in placing his mate securely between himself and the bars of the cell, he again turned his glittering, yellow eyes to look out at those on the other side of the bar. His fur was ruffled, and he let out a soft growl of frustration that blew the hair beside Prue's ear. What was going on? His mate was safe, yet something was clearly still wrong.

Why was his mother still screaming, and why did she refuse to allow his father to hold her? Where was his brother? What had happened to Jack? It was then that the wolf recalled his brother's scream right before he'd reached Prue. He'd thought at the time that the horror of his mate falling was what had caused Jack to scream, but now the wolf began to doubt. He didn't know what had happened, but he'd track Jack down and find out for himself after his mate was safe.

Brendan's heart pounded against Prue's shoulder as his Werewolf's muscles slithered across her back. The Werewolf covered one of the woman's trembling hands with his. Prying her fingers from the bar they'd been wrapped around, he placed her hand farther toward the door. His fingers remained around hers as he pressed her fingers around a new bar. He growled again, his hot breath blowing into her ear and this time commanding her to move.

Prue trembled in Brendan's arms. She was not afraid of his wolf, but she was afraid of him finding out what had happened to Jack. She was still able to move slowly when Brendan told her to move. She wished that she could talk to him telepathically, but the gag was still on her mouth and the only thing she could say to him with was her eyes, but he was behind her.

Each time he told her to move, she did so, trusting him completely, and as she moved, he recovered her back with his own body. She felt a slight tremble in the bars and was terrified that they were going to let go and they would fall. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to see the end if it came.

She kept hearing, over and over in her mind, the screams that had happened when Jack had fallen, and although she had not seen, she had heard another answering scream and knew that Will had gone, as well. She wondered how many others had fallen to their deaths and began to silently pray to her Goddess that they would make it safely out and that the rest of her family would be okay.

The Werewolf followed his mate, constantly moving right after she did and using his own body as her shield. He could feel her fear and placed his head next to hers. He made a soft breathing sound inside her ear, trying to reassure her. They had to keep moving until they were out of the cell. He felt a hand stick inside the open door way and looked up at the unknown person through glowing eyes. He growled at the offer.

Ray hastily removed his hand from the cage, his eyes growing wider behind his shades. He wasn't sure exactly what this creature was, but he knew when to back off. "Okay, mate! No problem!" he said in a calm voice. "But I have ta give her somethin'. I'll just wait till you get out here." He retreated far enough back to give the monster room.

The Werewolf's hungry, angry eyes bored a hole into the man who thought he'd be able to touch his mate. Then he breathed again inside Prue's ear. His hand stroked hers, his claws narrowly avoiding contact with her skin, and he again placed her hand on a new bar.

Brendan's breathing in her ear tickled, and under other circumstances, Prue would have laughed as although Brendan didn't know it, a blow in the ear was an age-old courting ritual. She hoped one day Brendan, the man, would do the same thing to her. When she had heard the other voice, she had opened her eyes for a brief second and realized that it was the man who had been looking to give her something earlier.

She wondered what it was and knew that, when Brendan got her to safety, she wanted it very badly. Hopefully, it was something to help Brendan control his wolf. Oh, if only that miracle would happen! She continued to move but reclosed her eyes. She did not want to see that gaping hole below any more than she wanted to fall down to where she had heard the snapping, snarling teeth before.


The Ocean

Janeesa looked around for something that was floating, but there was very little of anything. Finally, she spotted a piece of planking that had fallen off of the ship that had sank. She draped the catwoman over it and hoped that it would continue to float.

She had to reach the blonde man. He had taken on far too much, and now he, too, had become unconscious. She swam to his side and took the blonde woman from him. He had such a firm hold on her that she almost couldn't get the woman.

Her mind searched for Robbie, and he answered her within seconds. I need your help, Robbie, she told him. I've got four people to keep safe. Is Herbert still here?

Robbie told her, He is still here, but another has come, as well. We can get these . . . humans to safety. I'll get her.

Who is it? Janeesa asked.

Molly, Robbie answered her.

Janeesa smiled. Herbert and Molly had not been together very long and were deeply in love though Molly still could not, for the life of her, understand Herbert's taste in food.

Janeesa turned back to the blonde man and lifted his head so that he could breathe. She gasped as she recognized her Angel. Oh my Gods! You can not die, my Angel! I won't allow it! It was then that she heard Robbie returning and turned to greet her friends.


Destiny's Ghost's Sleeping Quarters

Piper had always been in tune to the emotions of those around her. She wasn't an empath; she just cared so much for others that it was as much part of her nature to put their feelings before her own as it was to breathe. That was why she was the first to notice that something was scaring Joxer, something beyond the nightmare that they were already living, and as Phoebe flipped another page in their family's Book of Shadows, Piper's soft voice broke the quietness. "Joxer," she asked in deep concern, "what's wrong?"

"He's here!" his trembly voice told her. "The walls are icing! We have to get out of here!" His voice was now almost in a shriek. "If we don't get out of here, we're going to turn into ice too!" Tears began to fall down his face like rain. He scrambled to his feet, pulling frantically at Phoebe.

Lex jumped to his feet and headed for the door. "Come on, Piper! We've got to get out of here now!" He had actually reached the door and opened it when he had almost been run over by Joxer and Phoebe, who was carrying the Book precariously under her arm which made Lex's fingers itch to reach out and "borrow" it.

Joxer had almost made it out the door when he tripped and fell to the floor. "LEAVE ME, PHOEBE! PLEASE SAVE YOURSELF! RUN! I LOVE YOU!" He was so blinded by his tears that he had fallen over his own feet and not even realized it.

Phoebe whirled, tossing the Book to the floor as though it were trash instead of the priceless heirloom that it was and reaching instantly for Joxer. "I love you, too, and I'm not leaving you!" She pulled him to his feet even as she yelled back at Piper. "PIPER, COME ON!"

"I'M RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" Piper assured her little sister, her lies tearing at her heart. Give Cole, Prue, Paige, and 'Ro my love. Though she could see a tiny bit now, she could still not see anywhere near enough to run. "GO!" she persisted, inching her way slowly along the floor until her feet were met with something. She stopped then, scared that they would hear her fall if she failed to inch her way past the object. She breathed a sigh of relief as she heard feet slapping the planks.

Lex stood just outside the door, looking at the Book. He wanted that Book more than anything he'd ever wanted before except for Clark. All the answers to all the problems of the world, he was sure, lay somewhere between the covers of that Book.

But something was wrong with Piper still. If she had been okay, as she had pretended to be, she would have already come out of that door and been after Phoebe and Joxer instead of still being in the room. He forced his eyes to leave the Book and walk back inside.

"Piper?" he called as gently as he could. "Hold still. I'm coming for you. Why didn't you tell me you still couldn't see?" It pained him to see the tears running down her face.

"L-Lex," Piper's voice trembled as she took a step back and nearly bumped into the cot the four of them had been sitting on seconds before, "you . . . you have to go. Your kids need you. Clark needs you. I-I'll be fine." But her voice shook and her tears increased with each lie. "I-I'd just sl-slow you down."

He was by her side in an instant and scooping her up as though she weighed nothing. "I'm not leaving you, Piper. I may have been a heel in the past, but it never included mistreating a lady. You had but to call me, and I would have never left you in the first place. Hang on tight; we're going to run. We have to get out of here. The ice is getting thinner . . . " His words were interrupted by a crackling noise.

"Wha -- What's that!" Piper blurted out nervously, the sound interrupting her thoughts of how to get Lex to run without her, knowing he'd be able to move much faster and stand a far better chance of surviving if he wasn't slowed down by her.

"The quarters' are bursting apart! Hold on!" Without a backward glance, he passed the Book in the hall and ran for all that he was worth, praying that he and Piper would make it out. He would not leave her, no matter what, even though his heart grieved for the loss of the Book.


The Harlot's Deck

Autolycus was still fighting as hard as he could against the bitch who stood before him, slashing her claws at him. Blood was running down his face. He didn't know how far Eddie had been able to carry Elizabeth, but he prayed that he had made it to safety with her. This night seemed to be the longest night he'd ever had in his life, and he knew that the morning would probably find him dead.

There was no one left to help him. He knew from the sounds from the other ships that they were having a hard enough time taking care of themselves. Where was Xena? Why had she not come to his rescue as she had in the past? Maybe she was tired of him and wanting him dead?

He shook his head so that the blood would not run into his eyes, causing him to not be able to see the cursed woman who stood before him. At least, he had been able to save Elizabeth. He thought she was one Hell of a woman and that he was not worthy to touch the hem of her garment, but oh what a life they could have had! he told himself. She, the Queen of Hearts, and he, the Jack of All Trades but most especially that of thievery! He would have liked to have given her every jewel he'd ever seen and knew that not a single one of them would have matched the beauty of her eyes. He whispered one last time his love for the woman he thought never to see again and renewed his attack upon the bitch . . .

Autolycus felt his feet slip out from under him. He fell to his knees heavily, thinking that this was his last moment.


Above and Beneath Destiny's Ghost's Deck

Sam looked at Ray. "You can't come where I'm going," he told her, "but Kitty will be all right! I'm going there now! I have to get to Paige! I'll save both of them!" he promised Ray even as he orbed out. To Sam's horror, he found himself falling amongst sharks but had no time to orb out before he, like the ones who'd fallen before him, was swallowed.

Spike didn't say a word but broke and ran for the deck. The only thing that was on his mind was Kyna, and even though he couldn't believe that she'd live again, he couldn't bare for her remains to be iced and shattered. He ran over ice, never thinking that the shards might have once been Dawn and Fred.

He reached his cabin and ran for Kyna. He scooped her up and tied her hair to her belt as he had seen Xena do earlier. Where was a safe place to go! he wondered. Anywhere but the ship! He knew the ship was doomed! He ran so fast that he almost flew, heading straight for the water and knowing that their only chance lay in its murky depths.

As he ran toward the water, his eyes saw Angel, Cordy, and the others around them laying still as death. He knew that they had not been iced yet but that it was only a matter of seconds. He wondered why the Ice Elemental had not already got them, but seeing them motionless, realized that they had not drawn attention to themselves.

"The water!" he told Angel. "It's the only safe place!" He ran to the edge and dropped Kyna over, then returned to help Angel. Moving as quickly as Vampires are able to do, Spike and Angel managed to get every one over the side. Seconds after they had dove into the water, the place where they had lain iced over and began to crack.

"What now?" Angel asked, looking at Cordy and hoping she again had an answer, but before she could answer, he heard smacking lips and was swallowed.

"ANGEL!" Cordelia's scream and Meesy's yowls drowned inside the beast's mouth . . .


The Harlot's Hold

The chains on Wolf finally let go, throwing him forward, flat onto his face. He was still fighting the transformation, trying to keep his wolf at bay and not realizing that his Vampire blood was holding his wolf back. He headed for where he could see Elvira so that he could join her in her fight.

He could not believe it when he saw Raziel blow apart for he had sensed the power in the Vampire. It was then that he saw Elvira rip her sister's heart out and begin to chew it as though it was the best-tasting thing she'd ever eaten. "E-Elvira?" he managed to get her name out even as another cramp seized him.

He howled and let go, transforming into his wolf. He wanted part of that heart, but he wanted Elvira more! Gods, she was beautiful! He sniffed her and would have liked to have licked Helvira's blood that had spattered Elvira's coat, but his mate was far too busy fighting. It would have to wait until later. He thought it would taste better than anything he'd ever eaten before!

Gods, he was hungry for blood! He gazed around, his eyes finally settling on the snowy-white owl who was impatiently waiting for another chance to attack Helvira. He growled and then leaped straight at the owl.

Jareth had not been expecting an attack from another direction but had had his eyes glued intently upon Helvira, waiting for Elvira to get out of the way so that he could go for the eyes again. He had tasted blood once, and he wanted more! As Wolf landed on him, he found himself fighting for his very life and not having a chance to turn back into his two-legged form! He began to peck at Wolf, hoping that Wolf would give up and attack an easier prey.


The Harlot's Hold

Jasmine had barely had time to react when the floor had fallen. She'd managed to grab the bars with both hands, though Simon hadn't been as lucky, and had thus been left to protect Julian and Sarah by herself. The blonde had been doing all she could to keep the children between herself and the bars, but she could not hold on for both them and herself and knew that their tiny hands would not be able to keep their grips for long. Already, her own fingers were slipping and she knew their grasps would go before hers.

Why had Simon had to fall? Jasmine wondered. Didn't he know that they needed him to protect them? Didn't he know that she couldn't do this by herself, couldn't keep the children, or herself, from falling? Not for long, any way. Didn't he know? Didn't he care, or did he really want to see what was inside the hole that badly? And, if that was all it was, why had he screamed? Did he not care that she had a headache?

Jasmine was snapped back to attention by a whimper. She looked down even as Sarah's fingers slipped from the bar. Julian released his hold from one hand to grab his sister's hand, but her added weight pulled him down. He grunted and squirmed with Sarah's weight, his elbow and shoulder knocking into Jasmine and almost causing her to lose her grasp.

"Won't you stop wriggling around like . . . " Jasmine's words froze in her mouth, however, as the boy's left hand came loose from the bar and both kids started to fall. Jasmine moved just in time to catch Julian's left hand with her own.

Sarah was whimpering steadily now, and Julian wriggled and swung as he tried to get Sarah to where she could grab a bar. Jasmine frowned. "Won't you children please settle down?" she asked them. "I mean, really, how am I supposed to hold on to you if you won't even be still?"

She sighed as Ororo continued screaming. "And just what is her problem? I mean, it's not like she's in here. If she was in here, she'd have a reason to scream. But she's out there. With her man all over her! But her mouth's still so totally open!"

To Jasmine, these were honest complaints for they interfered with what little attention span she had. Then, her nose started to twitch. She wriggled it from one side to the other and then back again, but the itch that had set in just wouldn't go away. Some one blazed through the open door to the hold just as Jasmine released the bar she'd been clinging to and scratched her nose.

Clark had paused inside the hold as his eyes had adjusted to the even darker lighting. He had just seen Julian and Sarah holding to Jasmine's hand as the blonde kept one hand holding Julian's and the other gripping the bar. He'd realized what a huge debt he had to pay to the woman for keeping his children safe as he'd headed toward them.

Clark was unable to believe what happened next. The reality could not even sink in to his brain enough to confirm that yes, Jasmine had let go of the bar to scratch her nose and that that was what had caused her, Julian, and Sarah all to start falling. Their screams echoed in the cell, but it was Julian's and Sarah's that ripped at Clark's heart the most. He flew into the hole, grabbing both children, one in each arm.

Jasmine was dropping rapidly and already fallen a foot beyond the children. Clark tried to head for her, not knowing how he'd manage to carry all three but knowing he had to try, when a figure suddenly jumped out of the water. All Clark could make out of the beast was its huge mouth as it closed around the shrieking blonde and swallowed her whole. Both children screamed at the sound, and Clark prayed that they hadn't actually seen what had happened, thanked Gods for their safety, and sped away from the bloody scene.


Destiny's Ghost's Deck

Willow rose into the night air, her hair, which had now turned as dark a shade as the coal of her eyes, floating above her in the howling wind. Her skin was a lifeless pale, and her clothes had transformed into solid, black attire, as well. Latin words spilled off of her tongue as quickly as the heart of the Latina woman running below her raced.

As fireballs rose in Willow's hands and the woman called out to challenge Frostbite, Kennedy ran even harder. Her breath came in pants, and her heart thundered in her ears. Still, she ran, ducking snow, diving ice shards, and jumping around both the living and non-living. She knew her cannon probably wouldn't do much against the being that Willow had determined to take on, but she also knew she had to try. She couldn't allow the woman she loved to face the monster alone, or to be killed, as Kennedy realized she probably would be, without doing everything she could to stop what Willow was now calling upon herself.

As Kennedy reached the first in her long line of cannons and began to quickly load it, Frostbite turned to face the Witch who challenged him. He saw the fire building in her pale hands, but it was not to her he called. "CRYSTAL," he called out instead, "COME OUT NOW, AND THIS FOOLISH WITCH CAN BE SAVED!"

"You're not getting her!" Willow declared, her magickal fire continuing to build. Though she had ceased chanting, her own inner power continued to add strength to the fire. "You're not taking any one else!"

Frostbite's dark eyes bored into the Witch's. His ice-cold gaze would have once sent the woman running and hiding for her life, but the Witch met him head-on. "This," she spoke, clashing the fireballs together into one even bigger ball and releasing them toward the Ice Elemental in one huge, fiery gush, "is for Dawn."

Frostbite rose his upper self above the fireball, but he was so big and angry that he did not even waste the energy to try to keep the rest of his body clear. Instead, the fireball blazed through him, but he turned, as though nothing had happened, immediately back to the Witch, who was already forming another fireball. "Foolish mortal!" he snapped. "As though your little powers could even begin to match mine!"

His icy claws reached out for Willow, but the Witch did not back away. Instead, she kept his gaze coolly. "¡CDEJE SU SOLO, USTED BASTARDO DEL DEMONIO!" a voice yelled at them from the ship below. Both Witch and Elemental ignored the furious voice, but as Frostbite's claws touched Willow's cheek, a cannonball blew his hand off.

Frostbite hissed and yowled. His yowl was whipped across the seas by his icy winds, but as quickly as his hand was blown off, another one sprouted from the stub of his frozen wrist. His eyes glowed an even brighter shade of red, and his blizzard grew with his anger. He looked at Willow, who had blinked at the attack as it had caused her to realize that Kennedy was still with her.

"WILLOW," Kennedy screamed from below, "WATCH OUT!" She shot another cannonball, but she knew it was impossible for it to reach their enemy in time. Willow started to fly back while simultaneously throwing her fireball, but her retreat was stopped before it had even began as Frostbite turned her into a statue of ice.

Willow had not had any time to speak nor even think before she'd been turned to ice. Now, her body dropped through the air like a boulder in water. It was headed for the mast of the Ghost but never reached there. Frostbite shattered Willow and descended closer upon the ships, ducking Kennedy's cannonball as it sped over his head.

Kennedy was now wailing in her birth tongue. Willow's demise had left her in such grief that she did not know what she was saying or doing. Her hands shook as her trembling body moved instinctively to load another cannonball, but she was barely picking the lead ball up when a barrage of ice shards hit her. The ice slammed into Kennedy, the cannonball, and her row of cannons, pushing them off of the now-sinking ship and shattering.

To Be Continued . . .