On the way from the restaurant to the opera house, Cara asked Tieran what he thought about Hadrian.
"I do not think he is from around here – your world, I mean."
"Does that mean he's from yours?" Alia asked.
Tieran shrugged. "There are other worlds besides our two."
Everyone enjoyed the opera, despite waiting for the other shoe to drop. Then, walking to the parking lot again, Hadrian made another suggestion.
"A friend of mine is having a party tonight. Would you all like to join me at it?"
"Won't this be kind of late to come to a party?" Cara asked.
"No." Hadrian shook his head. "She went to the opera, too. It won't start until she gets there. She won't mind you coming along, so don't worry about that." He looked at them all intently.
Tieran could feel him "leaning," as Cara put it. Hadrian wanted them to go to this party. He need not have bothered trying to influence anyone but Cara, because Alia would not leave her and Tieran would not leave Alia. Tieran looked at Cara to see what effect it was having on her. She frowned a little and withdrew into herself, concentrating on dealing with the pain. Tieran took pity on Cara and answered for all of them.
"I think I could manage a party for a little while."
"Excellent. Follow me."
Tieran herded Cara back to Alia's car and they followed Hadrian out of town into a posh neighborhood. Along the way Tieran did what he could for Cara's headache. They pulled into a gated driveway and drove up to a large house.
"All right, if I wasn't suspicious before, I would be now. Where are the rest of the cars?" Alia asked rhetorically as she looked at the driveway empty except for their two cars. "Maybe we should leave."
"I do not think we would be able to. I think he would persuade us to stay."
"Can't you just pop us out of here?" Alia asked.
"I am not sure what he can do. I know he is able to 'lean' on me. He might be able to read thoughts, as well."
"So he'd know about it before we did it and change your mind," Cara said. "Then we'd better get out of the car and at least try to look normal. He's heading this way."
"Looks like we're the first ones here." He greeted them with one of his charming smiles as they got out of the car.
"Is your friend here yet?" Cara asked.
"If she isn't we'll just wait for her, she won't mind. Let's go in."
The butler led them from the entryway down a hall to a room at its far end. The man opened the door to the room and left, leaving Hadrian to usher them into the room. They entered the room, a large, white-walled box, barren of furniture, windows, or doors.
"What happened to the furniture? Are we in the right room?" Alia asked, just as Hadrian shut the door behind them.
"This is the right room," Hadrian answered her, his demeanor changing from charming to threatening before their eyes.
"What do you want?" Tieran demanded.
"For a start – you," Hadrian answered simply as Tieran disappeared.
"What did you do with him?" Alia demanded.
"What did it look like I did with him? I took him someplace else, of course."
"Bring him back," Cara demanded.
"Is that a threat, Cara? Or you'll do what?" Hadrian laughed at her. "You do exactly what I want you to do."
Alia flew at Hadrian with no clear idea what it would accomplish. Cara tried to stop her, but before she said anything Hadrian froze Alia in mid-stride.
"You see? What will you do?"
"Let her go."
Walking around Alia's still form, he said, "So what does he see in her? Hmm? Anything I should know about? Perhaps I should keep her this way for later."
"Let her go," Cara repeated.
"But you're so much less trouble this way. No inane questions. No noise. No violence. Just a simple form, a statue." Hadrian sighed. "But you're so boring this way, as well."
Alia staggered as he released her and immediately began trying to call Jareth to help them.
"Go ahead, call him. The more, the merrier."
Jareth appeared next to Alia. "What are you panicking about? It sounded like you said Tieran had been kidnapped. I assure you I had nothing to do with it."
"Welcome to our little party, Your Highness," Hadrian greeted him in a voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm afraid the cause of the little thing's panic would be me."
Jareth turned and glared at him. "Do I know you?"
"I doubt it. You may call me Hadrian."
"So all of this has just been a plot so that you could kidnap Tieran?" Cara spluttered.
"Simplifying it for you, yes."
"What do you want with Tieran?" Alia demanded.
"Nothing."
"Then why –" Jareth began.
"I was working on behalf of another, who should be joining us at any moment."
As if on cue, the lights in the room dimmed, leaving them in total darkness. Cara resisted the impulse to move closer to where she had last seen Jareth standing. "It's just theatrics," she told herself. "No need to go all helpless female over it."
A flash of light lit up a large window across the room. A few moments later they heard a peal of thunder, followed closely by another lightning flash that briefly lit the room. Cara spied Jareth and Alia standing near her, between her and not a window, but a set of glass doors. Rain and branches began to lash against the panes of the door.
With another flash of lightning, the doors broke open in a gust of wind and rain. Alia glimpsed something white dart through the opening as she ducked against the rain and leaves blowing through it. The wind died and the clouds cleared, allowing moonlight to flood the room as they all looked up.
Hadrian lay on a bed in the room, which looked familiar.
"The Goblin King himself. What a wonderful surprise! You have really exceeded my expectations, Hadrian," exclaimed a voice from near the window.