Chapter 15. Repercussions and consequences

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Author's Note:

Yep it's a warning…

Sex, violence and everything you perverts have been

waiting for.

So,

read at your own risk.
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Devon blinked, the only sign that he'd been taken off guard. "Sarah?" He repeated to him self. "This is your Sarah? Cousin, you never said she was a … witch," even without the King answering him, the Fae Lord understood things were about to take a new and exciting turn. Because Jareth had altered memories of subjects, and the Goblins had disinclined and or had been reluctant to speak of the Girl, he had only had his imagination to fill in the blanks. Now, here in the flesh was not only the only being to ever complete the King's Labyrinth, but two more little mortal temptresses. "Well, well, well," he mused. "This gets better and better." Devon smirked behind a gloved hand.

Jareth moved closer, and the writhing and wiggling girl went suddenly still; her eyes widening in rage and resentment. "Missed me so very much you had to conjure me up, did you?" The Goblin King crooned like a ravenous lover long deprived of his wanton partner. Whether through exasperation or shock, Sarah had seemed to have been rendered speechless. When she tried to look away, one long gloved hand moved into her hair, knotting his fingers and yanking her head back just a bit to force her to look at him. "You really didn't have to go to all this trouble, bringing outsiders into our… mêlée. I should think it would have been better kept private … all you had to do was use your right words." His voice was laced with harshness yet with a heavy layer of sexual tensions. His face only inches from Sarah's, he growled from the back of his throat, his mouth moving to help release some of the tension.

Sarah's mouth mirrored his in smaller contrast, as she reacted to the unexpected heady rush of sensation his touch had released. Her breathing became heavy, and labored. "Fuck off, you ponce," she growled from the back of her throat.

Lilith reacted to what she felt was clearly a physical assault on Sarah. "Get your hands off her you fucking asshole!" she growled violently. "Sarah's not yours…. You've done enough to her." She growled like a tigress protecting something belonging solely to her. "No one touches Sarah, no one."

"Oh, no one touches her, do they?"He addressed the Greek girl with maddening calm. "I can hardly believe that," he taunted softly with his hand still knotted in her long wild hair. "And you think I've done enough to her, have I? Have I indeed?" Jareth's eyes had not left Sarah's pale jewels that were widening with edginess. He could see no fear in them, only heat and delicious little flames on the verge of igniting. 'My turn to be cruel,' he mused to himself. "No, I've not even begun to do enough to dear little Sarah. My, my…" he cooed to the girl before him, staring at him with faintly excited eyes. "How you've…grown, not such a little girl anymore are you." He looked over at the minions. The Wolf was looking apprehensive and troubled; while the Tiger was looking threatened by his nearness to Sarah. He knew territorial behavior, having displayed it more than once himself. It was evident to him that the Tiger felt that Sarah belonged to her, and no one else. The Greek girl had not even shown the least concern for her companion in the wolf's mask; she had eyes only for Sarah. The red wolf on the other hand was watching him far more quietly and subjectively.

Turning back to Sarah, he let his eyes rake over her, taking in the shapeliness she'd grown into. "This is a new look for you," he mocked lightly in a growling voice that dripped sexual fascination. "As I recall you were far more modest and reserved… covering up your burgeoning figure in a loose fitting poet's shirt." Purposefully he drew back the sided of the Bolero vest, revealing the hinted breasts beneath. Her nipples were erect and rose; lightly he allowed his gloved hands to brush over the hardened buds until they were centered in his palms. With the touch of an expert, he made slow tight circles over the buds until the girl's breath came sharply from her throat. He could hear Lilith railing behind him as he reached downward with both hands to untie each side of the bikini bottom with one swift pull. His eyes and those of the girl were now locked. She swallowed, her lips trembled, and she shuddered with anticipation. The leather that covered her feminine sex lips was now tossed over one shoulder of the angry King. He had not even bothered to look at the material that had covered her sexual center. His stormy eyes were merciless, and unforgiving in his triumph.

"Let's see what we have," he moved his hands over her hips as he turned her sideways. He smiled over at Lilith gleefully tormenting the Greek witch before turning his gaze upon Sarah's backside. "Lovely, nice round buns," he gave one of Sarah's rounded ass cheeks a smack. She yelped in surprise and astonishment, the first real sounds from her since she'd gone silent under Jareth's intense sexual gaze. Laying his hand on the girl's bottom he felt her quiver slightly under his touch. "Firm," he commented darkly; "Beautifully formed. Just one thing missing from such a lovely pair of hot buns," Jareth growled sexually; moving so he was directly behind Sarah, but was visible in a profile view to Lilith. He opened the drawstring of his breeches, releasing his fully aroused coiled shaft. Spreading her ass-cheeks he placed the barbed coil between them, then pressing them back around his shaft he began to hump against her. "That would be…butter." He pumped harder and harder. Sarah's eyes opened wide as she began to unwillingly respond to his touch. Her head had turned and she looked over her shoulder, down at the King's muscular leg, her lips parted as she mewled. She had moaned involuntarily, but then found herself pressing against him, hungry for what he was awakening in her, yet he was skillfully depriving her of release. Chained hanging and helpless, used by the King for the purpose of humiliating both Sarah and Lilith. Perhaps more Lilith, who was watching in utter dismay as Sarah responded to the King, even begging him not to stop. Jareth let the creamy flow that was released spurt over her backside. He purred into her ear, and she swallowed the ashamed sob that was caught in her throat. Jareth knew it had not been nearly enough to give her release, and he wanted her to suffer as they had made him suffer this night. The Goblin King looked over at Lilith as he move back to stand face to face with the girl who he'd just assaulted. "Are you hot for me, baby?" he asked moving his gloved hand down between the clean shaven folds of her nether lips. Her glistening sex juices covered his fingers; he arrogantly raised them so Lilith could see then slipped them into his mouth and licked his fingers clean. "Damn good." He said as he nosily cleaned his fingers.

Devon had noticed that the girl with red hair had lowered her eyes and would not watch as the one Jareth had called Sarah was humiliated. He was mildly intrigued by this rare show of deference, and he moved closer to the little creature hanging helplessly. He covered his mouth with his right hand to murmur quietly. "Oh now, that's just mean." The girl with moss green eyes looked at him accusingly. He gave her a wicked little wink, before looking over at the Greek girl who was seething with hate. But neither girl was as interesting to him at the moment as his cousin was. This was the first time in years that Devon could remember Jareth doing anything remotely sexual. "You're not going to… finish her here and now?" He asked coyly.

Jareth didn't even bother looking at his cousin as he commented; "Always leave them wanting more." He heard the other Fae man snicker, and agree.

"You bastard," Lilith screamed vehemently. "Leave her alone, she's not yours," stormily she raged at him. "She's not yours! You have no right…"

"Of course she's mine," Jareth said showing no signs of how weak he still was. His throat burned, as did his wrists and his ankles. Everywhere he'd been touched by the iron implements there were burns and blisters. Having to endure the cage had been the last straw, and he was only holding on by shear tenacity and the energy emulating from the ley lines. The arrogance of the Greek rubbed him the wrong way, and he needed to teach her a well deserved lesson. Running the tip of his tongue over his lips, he licked off the last of Sarah's glistening love juices. "She has always been mine," once more he dipped his gloved fingers into Sarah's hypersensitive sex folds, roughly this time, with more force than he'd used initially. Sarah groaned as her head fell back, helplessly she began to grind on his dancing leather clad fingers that were now dipping in and out of her in a wicked ballet of sexual foreplay. "Not convinced?"

"Sarah, I know it's not your doing! Be strong, fight him, and tell him you don't want him!" Lilith begged before railing at the man standing beside Bryn. "You got what you came for… take your bogus King and his dodo bird and that ugly thing there and go!" Wildly the Greek kicked out her feet, hoping to connect with one of the Fae or the winged creature that was gawking at her mockingly. She knew she would never be able to strike a blow on the King or the little female creature glaring at her.

Clucking his tongue to his cheek, Devon sniffed. "I don't think the little Greek likes us."

"Dodo?" the Harpy moved forward, but the King stopped her with a gentle 'ahem'. Della moved back, letting her wings twitch before taking a stony stance.

Jareth removed his fingers, this time pressing the juice covered fingers into Sarah's mouth. Lilith cried out bitterly, as Jareth looked at her with a victorious sneer. He turned his face to that of the girl sucking on his fingers eagerly. 'So hungry,' he mused as he watched the girl with wicked pleasure. 'I shall keep you hungry for a bit longer, little bitch.' He removed his fingers and watched as Sarah begged him for more not with words but with her eyes, her cruel and beautiful eyes.

"You bastard," Lilith struggled to kick out her feet at him. "She doesn't want you! You are not what she needs."

"Not convinced of whom she wants, or what she needs?" Jareth was looking at Lilith vindictively. "This should settle it then," He moved to go down on one bent knee, his right hand cupping her derrière, as his shoulder pressed into the opening of her legs. Sarah's eyes bulged before her head rolled back. Devon murmured approval and gently applauded from where he stood beside Bryn who was trying not to look. Lilith's only reaction was an agonized whimper.

Jareth knew much more about sexual foreplay than Sarah had imagined was possible. His tongue easily found the swollen nub, torturing it tenderly while his hand gently squeezed the roundness of her shapely bottom. The girl starving for any touch was overloading on his wicked tongue. She felt the first wave of the orgasm hit her like a Mack truck. The second one left her panting for mercy; the third had left her moaning his name. Quickly he stood up and took her mouth, the taste of her sex juice fresh on his tongue as he rammed it sadistically into her. One hand moved back to her soft wet folds, the other began to move over the charm covered breast under her leather jacket. Devon could see how undone Lilith had become by the sexual heat that was between Jareth and the girl he was close to devouring, and he began to loudly applauded and cheer. For Devon this was a weight lifted from his shoulders, his cousin had not lost his appetites.

Della sniffed the air sharply, eyes widened with recognition of the scent. Curiously her gaze went to Daisy who was wearing a satisfied gleam as well as a sadistic smirk. Daisy inclined her head slightly to look over at Della who frowned, before shrugging and vowing to down a flagon of cheep ale at the expense of the Goblin maid.

Jareth's fingers were biting into Sarah's flesh, his kiss had left Sarah shaken and overwhelmed; he pulled back and looked at Lilith with an expression of triumph of conquest. "Mine," he sneered arrogantly. "All mine, as she has always been. I took her first kiss, and I will have her last as well, I'm the only one with whom she comes alive," he was using every bit of reserve to appear vigorous and dynamic, "Now, what to do about you three little magic using bitches."

Again Lilith struggled with her bindings; her wrists were becoming raw with the friction. Bryn looked at the King with weary eyes, before looking over at the humiliated Sarah. Lilith was the most vocal at the moment, demanding that they be released. "You can't do this! You do not have the right to judge us. This is breaking the Escheats, you bastard. But than that's what you've done all along, isn't it?"

"Now that would be true had I been the one who had orchrastrated an attack against you. However, seeing that you three bitches decided to attack me…and you used magic to do it." He paused to look over at Lilith with a menacing glare. "It's you who broke Escheat, not I."

The Greek girl stared at him in disbelieve, turning to Bryn for answers. "What the hell is he talking about?"

Devon supplied the answer; "The moment you three took up practicing magic, you became Kithain, and subject to the Escheat yourselves." He smiled up at the red haired girl. "I would have thought you'd have understood that, Cariad." He knew the girl understood what he'd said by the stunned look she shot his way. He winked at her, she looked away, peeved.

"We were helping Sarah get back at that bastard," Lilith was still protesting, unwilling to see that they were guilty of having broken Fae laws, or that they should be subject to said laws. "You stole her dreams!"

Jareth looked at the Greek and laughed in her face. "Is that what the little minx told you?" He now was clicking his tongue at Sarah; "Shame on you for misleading your friends. Did you not tell them how you had a choice and refused your dreams?" The Goblin King took great pleasure in his admonishing of the three, but especially Sarah. The bewilderment and pa puzzlement in her eyes was as fresh as the fear that had been there that night long ago when he'd first made himself known to her.

Bryn was paying more attention to the conversation than Lilith was. "What do you mean she had a choice?" She twisted to look at the King.

Devon crossed his arms, trying not to snicker too loudly. "He gave her a choice of her brother or her dreams. She refused the dreams."

"There was no choice!" Sarah protested loudly. "What kind of choice is that?"

"And you stole her dreams when she took the boy back," accused the Greek.

"No, I didn't steal her dreams," Jareth looked at Sarah with sinister eyes. "I have no need to steal what is mine. She forfeited the dreams in place of the boy…" On his mind was the orb sitting at his bedside. "So I merely harvested them. To be enjoyed at my leisure. And very entertaining they have proven… I've spent countless hours wandering in and out of your…exquisite little fantasies."

Lower lip trembling Sarah gasped. "You never said anything about a choice… you lying, manipulating, rotten…"

"Would it have made a difference," he taunted excitedly. "Would you have really chosen any differently?"

Lilith swung her legs, aiming for the King. "You have no power over us!"

"Wrong," Jareth interjected bitterly, harshly turning on the hanging girl with rage ready to detonate. "You waged war on me, and lost…" He looked over at Sarah in a sinister way, knowing that showing attention to her was what upset the Greek the most. "You used magic to wage your little war, and that puts you in direct violation of Escheat; which means, you are now the spoils of war. You three gave me power over you when you began this war and lost." He clasped his hands behind his back and paced. "Can't have you three playing with magical matches anymore as someone might get burned." He snickered even as the blisters were rising on his scared throat. "So I have to punish you for being naughty little girls." He paced in the center of the pentagram. "And this punishment must fit the crimes…I can't have you three together, so I'll just have to separate you."

Hearing what she perceived as a threat, Sarah began to struggle again. "Jareth, leave them alone," she raged. "This is between you and me."

"It was," he agreed moving closer but still not within her swinging and kicking legs. "I would have been more than happy to offer you a rematch, privately. You brought them into this, and now all three of you will have to suffer the consequences." He could feel the wound at his lip begin to bleed once more, and wiped the blood away with a fist. "I can not have three loose canon witches running amuck here Above…"

"I'm warning you, you stupid fucker," Sarah snapped waspishly. "Leave them alone."

Weary from hours of sensory overload, deprivation, and the poisons the iron had released, he viciously gripped the girl by the throat. "Hear me, bitch," he spat angrily; "I will tolerate no more of this! It is time the magic users and community here above remember whom they are dealing with…. You three will be the examples…"

"What magic community?" the gagging girl challenged. "We acted on our own."

Jareth shook his head, "I doubt that," he motioned about the chamber at the furnishings and the amassed implements on tables, trays and carts with his still free hand. "You three didn't put this together alone, and your helpers have some knowledge of magic, even if they didn't discuss it with you." He forcefully released her throat. "Above or below, I am a King… and waging war on me will bring death and destruction." He glared at Sarah wanting nothing more than to deliver to her doorstep the pain she'd delivered to his.

Devon cleared his throat to get Jareth's attention. When his cousin glanced his way he smiled. "A boon, cousin," he requested pleasantly.

"A boon, for what?" Jareth asked slightly amused by Devon's distraction.

"Why the rescue, of course," Devon remarked with mock hurt while he shushed Della's protest. "Give this one to me." He looked at the girl with red hair and green eyes gasping at him in disbelieve. "You want them separated, give me this one and I'll promise you she'll never bother you again. I'll keep her far too busy to worry about bothering you, cousin"

"Are you out of your mind?" Bryn at long last found her voice, and it was clearly unhappy. "I'm not going anywhere with you!"

"Cariad, I assure you I'll be much better than other possibilities he'll come up with… there's the Bog of Stench, the oubliettes, and you don't even want to know the fiery gang…" Devon teased playfully forgetting for a moment the serious nature of this action taken by the three. His eyes danced with merriment as he gazed up into the mossy green eyes of the perky red haired witch.

"I am not your sweetheart, you pen-coc," she growled tossing in the Welsh cuss.

"pen-coc? I like that!" Devon gave her backside a sound swat. "I must have her, cousin… She has fire and I love a challenge." He moved his hand to her bottom giving it a possessive pat. His eyes filled with lusty amusement.

Amused by the distress being displayed by the little redhead, and not feeling real malice toward her, Jareth nodded. "Done," Jareth said with a wave of his hand. "I have little concern for her, she's not really the trouble maker here… nor is our snotty little Greek for that matter." He moved closer to Lilith and could see her cringe. "This one is merely a parasite, feeding off the cast off energies of your little red head and my green eyed vixen. She has limited power on her own at best; lots of rage and bluster, but no real power." He pointed to the wiggling girl trying still to free herself. "No, this one is my trouble maker… as usual." He gave her rounded bottom a vigorous smack with the flat of his hand. She yelped, only to feel the hand come down on her again with forceful authority.

Della again showed her lethal talons, "Sire, say the word and she's bird feed."

Sarah didn't flinch in the face of danger, she glared at Jareth. "Yes Sire, say the word…. End my hell!" Her voice was angry and the words were spoken with a demanding challenge. "You always were good at letting others do your dirty work, weren't you? Let your parakeet here dip her talons in blood… end it, you fucking son of a bitch."

"I'll save you Sarah," Lilith promised softly. "I will never let him separate us… agapemou… I'll die with you or for you!"

Jareth jeered spitefully to the struggling Greek, "You can't even free yourself! And death is not an option for any of you," he moved back to Sarah. "End your hell, baby it's only just beginning… Now pull your claws in kitten, Daddy has work to do and you're distracting him… I'll be only too happy to continue where we left off when we get back home." Her reaction to the word gave him a wicked thrill. He pursed his lips and made a kissing motion before turning to Devon. "I'm going to have to take her back Underground. Back to the Goblin Castle;" He didn't sound pleased, and the look on Sarah's face was a dead give away she was not happy with the turn of events.

Devon moved closer to the King, the man was pale, more so than usual and his eyes were showing the intense level of pain he was working to control. Devon looked at the hideous marks the collar had left on his cousin's throat. "You need to see the healer," he murmured softly knowing Jareth would not wish to appear weak before these three. "We can bring them Underground, give them trial and sentencing there."

"No," Jareth said swiftly, pulling strength from the pulsing ley lines beneath the room. "Here, it must be done here…. I have no desire to have it known in the Underground that I was fool enough to be captured by three mortal witches."

"You're wounded, and exhausted, cousin," Devon reasoned softly now showing his concern for his King's condition. "You need a healer."

"And I will see one as soon as this is… finished." The King promised with his voice hardening, "I have to pronounce punishment." He pointed to Sarah. "That one should not have been able to escape the Labyrinth, and she won't escape retribution, not now."

"You could exile her to…" Devon began to think.

"No," The Goblin King frowned as he looked at the young woman who was the thorn in his side. "I have to keep her under lock and key myself… no one else can be trusted, that little minx has a nasty habit of turning people to her side… Remember what I told you about Didymus? Imagine were I to exile her, what fun she'd have turning my allies against me. No, I have to see to it she's in no position to gain sympathy from friend or foe. Furthermore, no one else must ever know what has transpired here."

"No one will," Daisy said curtly. "You've our sworn oaths, and Goblins will honor the code, Sire. Even against the one who bested the Labyrinth." Her hand was on the hilt of her sword, fidgeting and knotting. "What will you do about that one," she glared at the Greek. "It can cause trouble, above or below."

As the Goblin King began to ponder the problem observed by Daisy, Devon held up a finger, "Jareth, they are not wished away…nor are they likely to … cooperate with wishing each other away…. You cannot erase them from memory." He was looking from his cousin to the two females that were about to make the journey through the veil of mists that separated the Fairy world from the mortal realms. One looking furiously at the King, the other's eyes were busy casting daggers toward Devon himself.

Jareth shrugged, "Devon we must bind what limited powers the kornga possesses. We must make it impossible for her to feed off the magical powers of others."

Devon moved closer to his cousin. "Will that be enough? Unbalanced as she is, she could still talk and convince someone of our existence. When that knowledge is given we want it on our terms." The Baron's words were firm and unyielding. "What ever we do it must be on the strongest of terms, and no quarter given…"

"No quarter given," Jareth agreed raising a gloved hand, "I here by exile you from ever setting foot on Fae soils, kornga." He felt the fabric accept his decree, assisted by the energy in the ley lines beneath the room. "As King of the Underground Kingdom of Labyrinthia, I banish you to the mortal realms and I here by bind your magic.

Devon looked toward the door, "Someone's coming, cousin. We must hurry." He warned Jareth.

Lilith opened her mouth and called out a name, "Bear!" she struggled with the shackles, uncaring of the blood now dripping down her arms; "Bear, help!"

Jareth glared at her, and flicked his wrist. She looked at him with a triumphant sneer. "Your efforts are futile and ineffective," he retorted calmly. "I've slowed time, and when your friends arrive we will be gone… and Sarah and the other will be gone as well." He froze her voice in her throat, not having the willingness to hear her again. "Take one last good look at Sarah you stupid girl… and know this… she would never have been yours. You could never ignite the fires within her, they belong to me. "

Sarah stopped struggling, having heard his words she shot a horrified look at Lilith. Suddenly she understood the Greek girl and was repulsed. "No," she gasped. "No, Lilith… I never said… or did… Lilith, you were my friend…"

Devon could almost feel sorry for both girls, had they not attacked Jareth. He looked over at the red haired girl; her sympathy was with the one called Sarah. Lilith wept shaking her head, making silent pleas toward Sarah for understanding and the return of the unspoken devotion she'd been showing her for years. Sarah turned her face away, repulsed by the other's ardor.

Cruelly Jareth snorted, enjoying the torment that both Lilith and Sarah were experiencing. "Your voice will return to you once we are gone, but I doubt any will believe your tale of woe… they will think your mind had finally truly snapped."

"Dear Goddess," Sarah screamed. "How can you abandon us?" Tears stung in her eyes as she raged. "How can you?"

Jareth looked confused for a moment, but Devon murmured to him. "They used one of the spells from the La Tène, asking Morrigan to aide them."

"Morrigan?" Jareth turned his fury on Sarah again, "Morrigan?"

"She didn't know," Bryn argued, needing to stand up for Sarah. "Lilith gave her the La Tène, but never told her what it really was, only that it would aide her in her quest…she hid her actions from me so I could not prevent Sarah from using the book. Lilith knew I'd never let Sarah use anything that dangerous."

"You say you love her, and yet you've led her down the path of her own destruction," Jareth spat in the face of Lilith. He moved back to the center of the pentagram, "I wish I knew the will of the Goddess, right now." He spoke without really thinking of what he was asking, nor of where he was standing.

"Our will is justice," a voice feminine voice filled the room, shaking it to the foundations and sending glass shattering in a shower that burst from the room. Beside the altar, a form was taking shape. Bryn looked at the glowing form and whispered the name of her Goddess; Lilith looked to see a Greek image of the Goddess forming. For Sarah it was images that were morphing into one another; Earth mother, maiden, warrior Queen and crone, all at once and separately. The image didn't look at any of the three fledgling witches, she was moving forward toward the Goblin King. In her hand was a sword, his sword. "Pronounce your sentence, and have justice." The Goddess offered the sword to the King. He took it slowly, reverently. Her hand raised in benediction, the Goddess blessed the Goblin King.

Jareth pointed his sword at the Greek girl. "No word of this will ever be believed from you if spoken. You are not welcome among the arcane, and will be scorn among the mundane." Lilith, seeing the Gods were on the Goblin's side, opened her mouth in a silent moan. Jareth pointed the tip of his blade at Bryn, "I give you as hostage to my cousin for your part in this plot." Then the tip was pointed to Sarah. "You shall pay for the crimes against a Fae King, Kithain Sarah Williams. You are here by taken as my personal property and subject to my will forever more." The blade glowed, energies poured from the tip of the blade engulfing Sarah who was struggling to avoid them.

Jareth looked to the Goddess, who was now beginning to vanish, her lips were moving and he nodded as he heard her commands. He looked at the walls and floor. "This place is built on old mines… I can smell the coal and the gasses beneath, it will cover our tracks. Quickly, we must be away." What strength he had left was beginning to ebb. He would have very much have liked to have sat down, but didn't wish to appear weak in any way before his enemies. And these three witches were just that. He took a deep breath, needing to return to the nurturing air and soil of the Fairylands.

He motioned Della to lower Sarah off the chain that held her but to keep her hands bound in the shackles that were closed around her wrists. "Take your prize," Jareth ordered his cousin, Devon reached up and the shackles and chain came down from the ceiling but remained attached to the girl he now hauled over his shoulder like a sack of wheat. Once Sarah was held steady in the grip of the harpy, Jareth began the destruction of the magical chamber. With a wave of his hand the floor beneath them began to rumble and quake. "Good bye, kornga," he said as the room exploded and she was forcefully hurled back though the opening into the antechamber no longer bound by the shackles that had held her during the trial. She had seen the King standing tall and proud, and triumphant as he vanished in a blaze of light with Sarah helpless at his side in the hold of the Harpy. Bryn's eyes had gone round and wide as the other man had smacked her soundly on her bottom. The room had exploded and they were gone and Lilith was left behind, alone and without the forces of magic that had disappeared with Sarah and Bryn.

Bear and Snake had been heading toward the chamber to see if the girls were finished with what ever their secret plan had been. They had been in the chamber for nearly eleven hours and it was almost dawn now. Bear heard Lilith call his name, but it was the rumblings under their feet that alerted him to danger. "What the hell is that?" He began to move swiftly toward the chamber's entrance.

The blast had been deafening, and the smell of coal gases filled the air. Bear and Snake had been knocked off their feet, but quickly recovered. They raced to the entrance of the building that was now a shambles. Bear spotted the crumpled girl, looking like a ragdoll lying on the cement floor. "Lilith," he shouted over the roar of more gasses being consumed by the fire that was engulfing what was left of the chamber. He heard the beams above them start to give way, "Snake, help me get her out of here."

"Sarah, he took Sarah," the girl whimpered pitifully as they freed her from the rubble that was pinning her down.

Bear looked over his shoulder at the raging fires, "Snake we got to move fast, there's bound to be another blast, that's coal gasses escaping into the chamber."

Snake looked toward the chamber. "Where are Bryn and Sarah? They were with Lilith, weren't they?"

"Gone," Bear said working faster as the ground beneath them rumbled yet again. "Move man, move."

The girl was freed, and Bear and Snake each took one of her arms to pull her out of the antechamber even as she protested being rescued. Out on the lawn they watched as the building was racked by a series of small explosions and razed by fire. In the distance, the scream of sirens could be heard. Bear looked at Snake and the girl. "Follow my lead…" Only Snake nodded, Lilith was too busy whimpering and whining over the loss of Sarah.

A county officer was the first to arrive. "What the hell happened? You fucking drug heads cook up some coke and blow up the building?" He accused coarsely.

Bear stiffened. "I don't do coke, none of us do…" He pointed to the building. "We were getting ready to shot a music video for an album we are recording here. Three of our girls were in the room we were going to use for the shoot… the ground beneath us rumbled like all hell was breaking loose…"

"Girls? I see just one here," the officer interrupted.

"Two other girls were in there with Lilith, they must have…" Bear closed his eyes and begged the Gods to forgive the white lie he was about to speak.

"They must have been caught in the blast." The officer finished for him. He moved away to speak into the microphone on his shoulder.

Since the officer was not speaking to him any longer, Bear went to sit on the ground with Lilith and Snake, taking the teary eyed girl into his arms. Making it look like he was soothing and comforting the frightened girl. His eyes warned Snake to keep to the story he was telling. Snake watched as the fire brigade pulled into the asylum gates. The heat of the fire was building, and the flames were licking the sky. There was one last explosion, the building crumpled and the flames collapsed into itself. Lilith buried her face into the vest of the man holding her, franticly moaning Sarah's name.

The Fire Marshall stood watching the smoldering remains of the building as the sun rose in the eastern skies. He looked at the three young people seated on the lawn. "I'm sorry but I've a few questions… and they can't wait."

Bear nodded, handing Lilith over to Snake, stood up and walked over to the man. "I'll be happy to answer any questions, sir."

"And you are?"

"Ari… Aristotle Karras, I'm the one who rented the asylum…" He placed his hands on his hips as he looked at the remains of the building. "We were setting up a recording studio here, for alternative music and music videos… we were planning on doing a dress rehearsal for one of our videos… the girls were setting up the staging area and practicing dance moves. You know... warming up" He looked at the girl covered in a blanket the firemen had tossed them for her.

"How many girls were there?" the Marshall asked quietly.

"Just the three," Ari whispered hoarsely. "Lilith Timofia, my girlfriend… and Bryn Cystennin and Sarah Williams… Bryn and Sarah were classmate friends and roommates with my girl at the University."

"And they were here to film a video?" The Marshall looked at him not quite believing him.

Slowly he nodded, "We got a grant from the Walker Foundation for our album and the videos we were planning to make," he drew a long breath. "God, I've got to call their families," he looked at the smoldering rubble. "I can only hope they didn't suffer." He looked at Lilith who looked pale in the morning light. "I've got to get her to a doctor… She saw it all…"

"I'm sorry sir, just one more question," the man taking notes said quietly. "Was there any warning?"

"You mean like the smell of gas or something like that? No, now if you'll excuse me…" He moved back to where Snake was helping Lilith to stand. "Get the car," he ordered as he cradled the girl. "We're getting out of Dodge, now."

Lilith looked up at him, "Sarah?"

"Sarah and Bryn are gone…" he warned darkly. "I want you to take one last look at the compound… because you are never to come back here." He half turned so she could see the smoldering remains. "I'm taking you to Doc Miller, and I'll call Bryn's and Sarah's folks from there." He strode down to where Snake was waiting with the car. "It's over Lilith, whatever you and the girls were trying to do, is over. Do you understand me?"

"But they are not dead," she choked out pitifully as she was placed in the back of Snake's old study car. "He took them…"

"Shut up, you stupid cunt," he growled fiercely making a fist. "It's over!"

Snake remembered Bryn's words; she had said her fate was linked to Sarah's. He whispered a prayer to the Gods and let go. He looked in the rear view mirror; Lilith looked like a pitiful ragdoll, broken and soul shattered and still trying to justify herself. Looking over at Bear he whispered. "She's lost it this time Ari; we can't trust her out on her own…"

"She won't be on her own, ever again." Ari said glaring at the girl. Reaching forward he ripped the silver pentagram from her throat. Swiftly he tossed it out the window. "Take off that nipple jewelry!" he ordered while snapping his fingers. "We don't want any link to the occult when we reach Doc's… and you are never to speak of this again, Lilith." He tossed the nipple rings and chains with its pretty charms out the window into the river as they crossed over the bridge. "It's over."

"But they are not dead," she protested.

"They may as well be," Ari announced turning to face forward. "They may as well be."

Snake drove ignoring the whimpering cries from the back seat.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Author's note:

I would like to thank my Sister Ann and my Friend Yodeladyhoo for the help they both gave me while I worked on this chapter. They were both their acting as sounding boards.

Words you may not know,

Cariad Welsh for sweetheart.

Kornga Greek word for little girl

pen-coc Welsh cuss word for dick-head