Their adrenaline flowing too strongly for sleep, the three men sat on the floor in a loose circle. Toby could still feel the shivers coursing through him every so often. From the look of the other two, they were having the same issue.

"Did you get a look at it?" asked Jacen.

Anduin took a drink of water, his mouth clearly dry with the same fear they all had. "Yeah. One of them, anyway." He took another drink before continuing. "Tall. I'd say about seven feet. It walked on two legs. It had hair, or a pelt, something like a bear but… maybe longer. I'm glad it's a full moon out or I probably wouldn't have been able to see it."

"Sounds like a bog-damned Sasquatch," said Toby.

"A Sasqua-what?" asked Jacen, his eyes still wide with subdued terror.

"It's a mythological creature, supposedly living in the American Northwest," replied Toby. "A forest dweller. Legend has it that it's a relative of humans, or maybe apes, that lives in the woods. It's so shy that no one has ever actually caught one. But they've found tracks. And some people supposedly got pictures of it."

"Some kind of giant primate?" Anduin asked, his voice incredulous. "But… we don't have them here Below."

"That we know of, you mean," said Toby. "From what I've been told, only about a quarter of the Underground has ever actually been explored. There's a whole planet out there that we've never mapped out. If this world is a mirror to Earth Prime, there are two more continents out to the West, across the ocean. You know there's one to the South and no one has ever gone more than eight or nine hundred miles to the East. Who knows what the hell might be out there? It was only a few centuries ago that we stumbled on the Strigoi."

"True," said Anduin. "You have a point. Whatever this is might have come over land from the East. If it came from the South, West or North we would have heard about it before."

"But… this doesn't make sense," said Jacen. "We heard the snare go off. Those things weren't made for a creature their size. What did we trap?"

"Whatever it was, it sure pissed them off," said Anduin. "With any luck, it will still be in the snare when we go out tomorrow. Then we can at least get an idea of what we're dealing with."

"That's just it, Anduin. That snare would never have bagged what you're describing. Unless…"

Anduin gave Jacen an inquiring look, "Unless what?"

"Unless it was small," Jacen whispered.

They sat in horrified silence for a few heartbeats before Toby groaned, "Oh bog damn it… they had a young one with them. It's a fucking family."

"And these things are smart," said Jacen. "They knew immediately that we were responsible for the snare and came right at us."

"Jace," whispered Anduin. "What's your power level?"

Jacen met his gaze with trepidation, "I'm back down to about a quarter. No way can I transport in the morning, if that's what you're asking."

"Me too," said Anduin. "Which means only one thing." He looked at both men solemnly in turn. "We're going to have to kill them. Both of them."

They still set a watch, although this time two of them would be awake while the third slept. Even so, not one of them got more than two hours of slumber.

At dawn, they heard the reassuring sounds of the forest waking up. They pried the nails out of the door, noting the frenzied claw marks on the other side of it.

"No one goes anywhere alone," said Anduin quietly. "For any reason."

Toby and Jacen both nodded in assent. As one, the three men moved toward the snare that had gone off in the night, scanning the forest around them and keeping their ears open. While some of the forest creatures sounded the alarm at their approach, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

They came upon Toby's snare, all three of them looking in horror at the deep claw marks in the tree it was set with. Mercifully, the snare was empty. It had also been meticulously taken apart.

"Blood," said Anduin, a frown of concentration on his face. He looked around at the ground, eyes scanning the detritus on the forest floor. "Two adults. One… young. Looks like the young one found the snare, all right. The adults got it out. But… it was hurt. Maybe even killed."

Toby couldn't help the mournful sound he made, "Damn. I wish…"

"Keep in mind, these things were stalking us even before we… trapped its young," said Jacen. "It wasn't friendly from the start. Remember that."

"What I don't get is why we still have some level of power," said Anduin. "Yeah, it drained us, but not as much as it did when we were flying. And why leave us any?"

"Maybe its tank was full," replied Toby. "Maybe there's a limit to how much they can absorb, and they siphon more off as they get empty. If they feed off magic, they might have been starving at the time we encountered them."

"That makes sense," said Jacen. "And if we could hold out, maybe at some point we'd get back enough power to get out of here."

"Not before they busted in on us," said Anduin uneasily. "I don't think so. That door won't take another assault like last night. I wasn't worried about the windows, they were too small for those creatures to crawl through easily before we stabbed the shit out of them. But that door… if the one hadn't called the other away, I think it would have broken through." He gave the forest a quick scan. "It's probably nocturnal, but at some point, it might try attacking us during the day. Maybe even taking turns. If we can't leave the cabin… to get water or find food…"

"We'd be dead before anyone in Caladh realizes we're overdue," said Toby. "You're right… we're going to have to kill them. But how?"

Anduin gave Jacen a level stare, then looked back at Toby. "Let's get back to the cabin. Refill the water containers and the empty ale kegs. Restock the firewood. Grab the fishing nets and get some fish out of the lake so we have something to eat. We'll have to use a bit of magic to attract the fish, we won't have time for a hook and line. While I'm not counting on it, I think those creatures are probably sleeping right now, so it should be safe enough to use a little magic. Let's eat some breakfast and lay our plans. We don't have any choice."

Caisleán Caladh, Later that Afternoon…

"Kingy… something's going on."

Jareth looked up to see Tippy standing across from him on the other side of his desk. Her normally sweet expression was gone, replaced by concern.

"What is it, Tippy?"

She came to stand next to him. "The Boys. I feel something… something strange." She sighed a little, rubbing her distended abdomen. "Fear. And I think they're hurting, but… they're hiding it."

Jareth looked at her with some alarm, "Hurting?"

Tippy laid her little hand over his, "It's not bad, Kingy. It's… annoying to them, whatever it is. But… what I really don't like is that they're feeling fear. It doesn't make sense. I'd go, but Zee don't want me to… told me to tell you instead and see if you want him to pop over there."

"I see… well, I'd best check this out. You go rest, you shouldn't be on your feet, little love."

Tippy nodded and vanished. Jareth frowned at the air where she'd been, then conjured a crystal. Staring into it, he tried to scry Jacen.

The crystal remained dark.

This in itself wasn't alarming. The Boys might have put a shielding spell on the cabin so their elders couldn't do what Jareth was attempting to do right now. Yet… why? It was a simple fishing trip, nothing too wild. Ah, but Sarah and Lily might have wanted to take a peek at them, and Sarah could conjure scrying crystals. Jacen was already chafing at Sarah's overprotectiveness; Jareth didn't put it past his son to block his mother's ability to check up on him.

Dismissing the crystal, he rummaged through his desk for a map of the area surrounding the cabin. After spreading the map out, he held his hand over the area where the cabin was located, using his magical senses to see if he could pick up Jacen's signature.

Faint traces. They were there. But magically… nothing. Not even the usual energy levels one would expect in a forest. It was void. Likely why he couldn't scry them…

Thoroughly alarmed now, he rose from his desk, intent on finding Garthan and Randel. He'd only taken a couple of steps before the study door opened and the two men he was seeking walked in.

"Goddess bless, I was just coming to look for you."

Garthan looked at him with a bit of concern, "What is it?"

Jareth motioned them over to his desk. "Tippy was just here. She said she felt The Boys… that they were hurting. Fearful. She said that she thought they were hiding it." He frowned in thought. "Why hide it? Jacen knows that if one of them is hurting, Tippy will come to them. Or even the other Ughlánas. And if there's something to be feared… why not just transport home?"

Randel rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Tippy's pregnant. They might be hiding it because they don't want her to strain herself by popping up to the cabin. The rest of the Ughlánas are under your orders to leave The Boys in peace, so they'll wait for you to countermand that before going up there themselves."

"I had to… I knew Sarah would send the Ughlánas to 'check up' on them and tried to head that off. Even so, Tippy says that their hurting is more of an annoyance than anything dangerous. But if that's the case, then why would she sense fear?"

"Good question," Randel's frown deepened as he gazed at the map on Jareth's desk. "As to why they haven't transported home, there are two possibilities. One… they don't want to look bad by coming home so quickly. It would justify their mothers' fears if they did. Two… they can't transport home." He gave Jareth and Garthan a measuring look. "I understand that you don't want to step on the Boys' toes, but… if Tippy thinks they're hurt and afraid, I think we're going to have to."

"There's more," said Jareth with rising dread. "I tried scrying Jacen. The crystal stayed dark. If something had… happened, it should still show him to me. It didn't. I thought maybe one of them put a shield on the cabin, to keep their mothers from scrying them. So, I did a low-level scan for his magical signature. I found it, but just barely. Anduin and Toby too. And all around them… nothing."

"What do you mean?" asked Garthan in real alarm.

"I mean, I found nothing. No magic at all. Only a flicker from the Boys but none from the land. There should be some residual magic, from the forest itself. It's not there. It's as if there's a… magical void in that area."

Garthan was spared a reply by the study door flying open. Sarah, Lily and Aurelet came in, followed by Tippy. Jareth cringed inwardly, he should have known that Tippy would go immediately to Sarah, to offer comfort. It wouldn't have occurred to her to keep it a secret for the time being and he hadn't thought to ask her to.

"Where is my son?" growled Sarah, giving Jareth a glare that would fry bacon. Lily's expression was no less heated, trading her glares between Jareth and Garthan equally. Aurelet's face was pale with worry as she looked at him.

"They're at the cabin," said Tippy. "But… they're hurting. I know it." She saw the alarm on Sarah's face and hastened to take her hand. "Queenie, they're alive. And the hurting, it's not bad… they're not going to… they'll be okay…"

The heat in Sarah's glare did not lessen one bit as she stared at Jareth. "Have you scryed them?"

"I tried to. There's no…"

"Damn it! I knew this trip was a bad idea. They're up there hurt, and we can't scry them?"

"Sarah, calm down," said Randel. "You heard Tippy. Whatever hurting is going on, it's relatively minor."

"Then why haven't you transported to them? Never mind, I will—"

"NO!" said three male voices at once. Jareth took Sarah's hands in his, while Garthan moved to Lily and Aurelet, putting his arms around their shoulders. "There's a complication. When scrying didn't work, I did a scan for Jacen's magical signature. I found… something odd." Jareth pulled Sarah over to the map, Lily, Garthan, and Aurelet moving forward a step behind her.

"I was able to sense the Boys, at least. They're there, all right. And alive. But…there's a magical void in this area. Some sort of anomaly. Even the residual magic of the forest is gone."

Aurelet looked at Jareth in horror, "You mean, something ate the magic there?"

Jareth hadn't said anything of the sort, but now he was thinking it. And if there was something eating magic, and the Boys had flown over it in their owl forms…

That would explain the injuries Tippy sensed. If their magic got sucked away, they would have been transformed back to Othánas and…

He breathed slowly, fighting off a sense of panic. They were alive. And according to Tippy, the injuries were not life-threatening.

"I've got to go up there and find out what's happening. But… I think we'd be better off coming in over land as opposed to trying to fly or transport directly." He looked at Sarah gravely, "If something is eating magic… it might eat ours the minute we arrive. Then all of us are stranded. If we move in slowly… perhaps we can avoid being drained. Long enough to get to the cabin and get the Boys out."

"What about the Ughlánas?" asked Sarah.

"I don't want to send them. If their magic gets sucked away, they're completely defenseless. We can't risk that. Garthan and I at least have been trained to fight without magic, if we have to."

"As have I," said Randel. "You don't think you're going up there without me, do you?"

"Or me," said Lily.

"Or me," said Sarah.

"Or me," said Aurelet.

Jareth sighed, "Sarah, I understand, but one of us needs to stay here. You too, Randel."

"Are you kidding me? My son, my brother, and my nephew are up there, hurt. What happens if you're hurt too? What if… oh God… what if I lose you all?" Sarah's body shuddered.

"That's not going to happen, love. But it's only prudent that you be the one to stay. I have experience with infiltration, you do not. Again… it's highly unlikely in this case, but if something that disastrous ever happened… Karina would need you. You would be her Regent until she comes of age." He looked over at Randel, "That's why you need to stay too, for the Kingdom's sake. Karina is a child, you would need to command the Army in her name."

Randel grimaced but nodded. Sarah looked at him soberly, working it out in her head. He could see that she understood and even agreed but was desperate to get to the cabin. "Sarah… Garthan and I have done this a thousand times. We won't take any chances. We'll get close, get The Boys and get out."

"We transport to Silverton," said Lily. "Then we take horses… at least to the edge of that magical void." Garthan looked at her in shock.

"You are NOT going along, Lily…" said Garthan in a growl.

"The hell I'm not. The Boys will need Healing. That means I go. I can also fight… you know that. You can't fly in, the same thing that happened to The Boys might happen to you. That means you'll have to ride anyway. I ride with you."

"I agree," said Sarah, her voice like iron. "If they're hurt, they need Healing. Lily goes."

Jareth was about to say that he could just as easily take Melina with them, but one look at Lily's face told him that the results of opening his mouth would be… disastrous. He looked at Garthan for his input.

Garthan was clearly torn. He wanted his wife to stay safe in Caladh, but… their son was at that cabin, hurt. He could insist that she stay, but… if he did, and something happened… she would never forgive him. She would never forgive herself.

Shoulders slumping a bit in defeat, Garthan simply nodded. Aurelet's lips parted to say something when both of her parents turned to glare at her. "Absolutely not," said Garthan, his gaze pinning her to the spot. "You stay here." Lily's face was no less fierce as she stared her daughter down. Aurelet looked to Jareth, her eyes pleading.

He shook his head, "Aurelet, I understand. I do. But… you've never done anything like this before. And while you've had lessons in defense, your mother has been training for centuries. It makes sense that she goes with us. Toby wouldn't thank me for putting you in any kind of danger."

Lily turned to Jareth, "I'm going to get some medical supplies from Melina. You should grab some rations, no telling how long we'll be there." Jareth waved his hand, their clothing changed to leather armor that would blend into the forest. Lily had two long knives at her waist and a brace of daggers slung across her chest. Her hair was braided and bound to her head tightly. Garthan had his sword, as did Jareth, and all three of them had bows and quivers full of arrows. "I'll meet you back here in fifteen minutes," said Lily as she turned smartly and walked out of the room, Aurelet following closely on her heels.

Jareth turned to Garthan, "I'll see about provisions. Check the library quickly, see if you can find anything on this magical void and what may have caused it." Garthan hastened out the door. He then turned to Sarah, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I'll bring them home, Precious. I swear I will."

"Damn right you will," she said with a savage little smile. "Don't make me come up there and get you."

Author's Notes:

Jareth was actually incorrect... Tippy didn't run to tell Sarah what was going on simply because he hadn't told her not to. She did it because she's a mother (or at least soon will be) and as a mother, she'd definitely want to know if something was threatening her child. I'm not sure Tippy would have kept it from Sarah even if Jareth had ordered her to.

I also had to establish why she hadn't gone up there when she first sensed The Boys' pain and fear. One... she's pregnant and near the end of her term. Her mate wants her to rest, and she can see the sense in it. But also, Jareth knew that Sarah would send the Ughlanas up to the cabin to spy on Jacen. That's why he gave strict orders that NONE of them go up there unless he commanded otherwise. She might well have gone anyway, but she at least wanted to let the King know and let him take action before she made that decision.