Helena sat at the windowsill of her new chamber, her mind sifting through the information she'd received earlier in the day. The sun had long since set, the utter blackness outside reflecting her inner mood. Her stomach churned with the thought of the war to come, fear flashing through her in disturbingly regular intervals. Fear for her people. Even fear for the Fae.

She tried not to think of her family, and how frantic they must be by now. She had briefly felt a surge of hope… after all, Tippy could always tell when one of them was scared or hurting, and maybe she'd be able to locate Helena on the strength of that feeling. But then, she realized that Tippy would have already come to her if she had the ability to do so. Those wards that Xensor mentioned, they likely blocked whatever means Tippy used to sense her loved ones' feelings.

That meant that if Helena was to get free, she'd have to do it herself.

Xensor had sent some men with buckets of hot water for her bath. Thankfully, they didn't insist on remaining in the room while she washed herself. Part of her wanted to laugh, this idiot went out of his way to 'grant' her a nice chamber, and even a hot bath, but hadn't given any thought to actually feeding her. The last meal she'd had was back in Surinar Vale, and her stomach was practically wrapped around her backbone at this point. He also hadn't thought to provide anything to drink, not that she'd trust any libation he sent, but still. She'd been reduced to scooping up some of the bathwater and drinking it before she submerged herself in it.

He also hadn't thought to provide a source of light, thus Helena was sitting in the dark, completely at the mercy of her thoughts. The sound of a key in the lock cut across her musing and alerted her to a visitor.

Oh, Goddess… is that Xensor? Is he here to…

She turned her head from the window to see Perian in the entryway, his form dark against the illumination coming from the hall. Helena felt absurdly grateful that it was the lieutenant and not the General who strode into her room, as she'd surmised that he'd rather cut his cock off than try to stick it in her. This time, he didn't have a crossbowman to guard his back. His expression was no less hostile, however.

"You have been… invited… to dinner with the General," he said with loathing. "Come along." Putting a calm expression on her face, Helena followed with as much grace as she could muster. She walked quietly beside the Fae, keeping her ears open for anything that might tell her where she was or what was going on. She was also weighing her options.

For whatever reason, Xensor had some sort of attraction to her. She wasn't sure why, since for a Goblin she was considered relatively pretty but she didn't hold a candle to a Fae female. But then… judging from the stories she'd heard from Uncle Randel and Uncle Garthan, Fae females could be even more unpleasant than the males… perhaps even to their own kind. That girl she'd met at the Festival… she was certainly an exception, but who knew what the rank and file Fae women were like behind closed doors? Whatever the reason, it was a good bet that the bastard would try and slip something into either her food or drink. Something to either incapacitate her or to make seducing her easier.

Her stomach roiled at the thought. Just the possibility that this Fae would put his hands where only Tre's should go… it sickened her. There might not be much choice, though.

As she walked, she had an idea. She closed her eyes and touched her temple, looking for all the world like she had a bit of a headache. She could sense the Fae beside her glancing over. She channeled her Healing power, boosting her body's resistance to drugs and drink, again silently thanking Melina for teaching her that little trick. She might not have a choice about bedding that cretin, but at least she could keep all her faculties. Maybe she might even learn something of value.

The lieutenant escorting her opened the door and announced her. As Helena walked in, she heard Xensor murmur, "Very good, Londrel. You are dismissed."

Londrel… I heard one of the others use the name Perian… Lieutenant Perian… so Londrel is his first name…

She gave Xensor a faint smile… enough to look charming but not enough to put him on guard. He looked her up and down, his eyes giving away his lascivious thoughts. He walked over to her, taking her hand and kissing it. It took all of Helena's will not to shudder with revulsion. Instead, she allowed her smile to get a shade wider.

"Please, my lady. Be seated. I shall join you momentarily."

Helena moved over to the table that had been set with ornate porcelain dishes and shining silver cutlery. A large crystal goblet graced each place setting. As she seated herself, she surreptitiously observed Xensor. He was standing by a stone plinth upon which was a device, something of bronze and set with different colored crystals. She vaguely remembered a similar device in Toby's workshop.

Hmmm. A communication array, no doubt. This might be helpful.

Before she could look away, Xensor glanced over at her. His smile got a little wider as he turned back to the array. There was some sort of thin glass or crystal disk that projected an image of the person Xensor was talking to. Helena didn't recognize the guy, and Xensor didn't say his name.

"Our scouts report that they've sighted the Goblin Army. They're moving on Fellmark. Two battalions, it looks like. Headed by the Lord Martial himself."

Then they know I've been taken…

Xensor chuckled, "That's overkill, even for Jareth. It would appear that our spies in Haorsham did their job. Notify me immediately when they begin their attack."

"Yes, my lord."

The image in the disk went dark. Xensor turned back to face Helena, his amused expression clear.

"Curious, my dear?" he said silkily.

Helena gave him an ironic smile, "Wouldn't you be?"

Xensor laughed, "Oh, of course. And if I were in your place, I would be trying to figure out if there was a way to use this array to get a message out. So, let me get it out of the way… this array is keyed directly to me. Only my hands can operate it. My living hands."

Helena gave a low, throaty laugh. "Naturally. You would not have let me see it if there was a chance that I could use it."

"Exactly," he said as he seated himself. He reached over and removed the silver dome off of the platter that was lying between their place settings. Helena's stomach rumbled; Xensor's eyes sparkled with humor as he heard the growl, and she raised an eyebrow, shrugging as she did so.

"Please, my lady. Take what you wish."

Helena reached for the drumstick of the roasted chicken, inwardly laughing a bit that she got to enjoy some for once. That was at least one positive thing about all this. She noted that her place setting had only a spoon… no fork. No knife. Well, as stupid as this bastard was, he wasn't that stupid. Using her spoon, she scooped some of the vegetables onto her plate. When she'd taken enough, she laid the fine linen napkin on her lap.

Xensor didn't take any food immediately. Instead, he reached over to one of the bottles of wine and poured her a libation. "This is the famous Starlight Rosewine, you might have heard of it."

She hadn't, and while she briefly thought to brazen through it, she decided honesty was probably better. "Why no, I haven't. But then… I only recently became old enough to drink such beverages."

The flicker in Xensor's eyes told her she had made the right choice. He'd think her to be naïve, along with young. She had to walk a fine line here… she couldn't seem to be too friendly. Nor could she try and seduce him, at least not overtly. He would be instantly suspicious. No… she needed to be polite, waft just enough charm under his nose to let him think he had a chance at turning her, but not seem like she was trying to turn him.

She also noted that he put the bottle down without pouring himself some and picked up a different bottle with which to fill his goblet.

Ignoring the wine for the moment, she picked up the drumstick and took a bite. It was good, glazed with honey and roasted with some mouth-watering herbs. From what she could taste, the chicken hadn't been drugged. Nor were the vegetables. It was all Helena could do not to just start shoving the food in, but instead she paced herself, eating slowly and letting her lips and tongue pull the meat into her mouth. She did not look at Xensor while she did this… to do so would alert him that she was playing him. She simply savored the food as naturally as she could while still making it an almost sensual sight. When she did look at him, his gaze was a little spellbound, which cleared as quickly as she'd looked at him.

Smiling just a bit, she moved the chicken away from her mouth. "I apologize for my lack of manners. I haven't eaten since yesterday and… well…"

This gave him an out. He would think that her mouthing the chicken was due to hunger and not from any nefarious plan on her part. It worked, at least as far as she could tell, because he reached over and touched her hand.

"And that is unforgivable on my part. I shall have to give orders that my men treat you better."

"I… would appreciate that," she said softly. She continued eating, watching as Xensor took some of the food for himself. They ate in an odd sort of companionable silence, punctuated only by the clink of the cutlery onto the porcelain plates.

Her hunger satisfied, Helena knew she couldn't put off drinking the wine any longer. Reaching for her goblet, she took a tentative taste, letting it roll on her tongue. Given his boasting about the kind of wine it was, Xensor would think she was savoring it, not trying to figure out what he'd drugged it with.

Well, at least the Fae are predictable, she thought to herself. From the slight hint of anise, she knew that he had used darkroot. Not a large amount… it would take some time before the symptoms would appear. Thirty minutes or so. Then, she would feel slightly lightheaded, and an extremely pleasant tingling throughout her nervous system. Her inhibitions would be lowered, and her pleasure responses heightened.

Or she would have if she hadn't immunized herself with her own magic.

She supposed she should be thankful that he'd decided to use an enhancement drug instead of a simple sedative. Most men took pride in pleasuring their women… not much pride to be had in screwing a limp body. And in any case, Helena wasn't sure that she could feign unconsciousness if he'd decided to take her. But no… he wanted her 'awake', actually wanted her to participate. And afterwards, he would tell himself that he was irresistible and give no credit to the darkroot at all.

She took another sip, noting his eyes on her, following the goblet to her lips. "So… you never told me how I should address you."

He gave her a slight smile, his eyes glowing in satisfaction as he watched her consume her wine. "Oh… 'my lord' will do."

Pompous ass, she thought. "All right… my lord. Might I… ask you a question? It's something that's puzzled me since I was… brought into your care."

"You may ask… although I cannot guarantee an answer."

Helena nodded, "Fair enough. I was just curious as to how you knew I would be in Surinar Vale. No one at the castle even knew I had gone."

Xensor chuckled, "Much as I would like to say that our intelligence is that good, in truth… it was something of an accident."

Her brow rose, and she allowed herself a crooked little smile. "Oh? Do tell."

He leaned forward conspiratorially, "You weren't the target. Not originally. My men were there to take the Princess of Iftanzel. Unfortunately, her father decided at the last minute to assign her some extra guards and taking her would have been… difficult, at best."

Helena's eyes widened slightly, but otherwise she didn't react. "Interesting. But… isn't she from your own kingdom's Royal Family?"

"She is… but she's useless. As is her father, the King." Xensor took a drink of his own wine before continuing. "They are both spineless jellyfish. Caelan in particular. He has no vision… no ambition."

She could tell from his bitter tone that this was not a road he wanted to go down. Thinking fast, she decided to switch things up a bit. "Well, I'm not well versed in covert operations, but I have to admit… the way you changed your plan in an instant… I don't think I could have thought that quickly." He seemed pleased by her statement, enough that she thought she could chance another question. "But… I'm also not exactly well known outside of Caladh. However did you discover me?"

"Oh, that was Jorill," he said as he laughed. "He'd seen your father once and noted the resemblance between you." His expression turned mischievous when he leaned toward her. "You also used a name that was very close to your true one. It wasn't hard to figure out."

Helena hid her chagrin with a chuckle. "Well, I did say that I wasn't well versed in covert operations."

"That you did, my lady. Now… perhaps you will answer one of my questions."

Helena nodded. She almost turned his own words back to him about not giving him an answer but decided not to. She simply took another sip of her wine. He picked up the bottle and topped off her goblet.

"I am curious as to why you were there incognito in the first place."

Helena allowed a touch of irritation to appear on her face. "Well… I told you that I have just recently come of age." Xensor nodded. "My mother held a ball to celebrate it. At that ball… I was told that I would be getting married shortly."

Let's hope he doesn't know anything about Goblin bonding…

It appeared that he didn't. He kept looking at her expectantly.

Weave some truth into the lies… they'll sound more sincere…

"My older sister was already married off to the Lord Martial," she said. From Xensor's expression, she could tell he already knew this. "My father has two close counselors. The Lord Martial is one. The other is already married but has a son my age."

"Ah… the Spymaster."

Hiding her shock that he knew even that much, Helena nodded. "As you can imagine, my father wanted to… I don't know… reward him for his service, I suppose. I was the prize."

"And what a prize you are," he said in a low voice.

Helena shrugged, "Well, I don't know about that. I do know that I had no desire to be married to a man who spent more time with his books than in the practice yard."

Although Tre spent equal time in each…

"Anyway, I wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea. I rather hoped that I could find my own husband, not have one thrust upon me. I tried to argue, but they wouldn't hear of it. So… I decided to leave."

Xensor appeared to accept this explanation, taking another drink of his wine. She knew what he was doing… when two people are drinking together, they tend to drink at the same time. She dutifully took another sip. "Is it my turn?" she asked with a smile.

At his nod, she gave him a speculative look, with just a touch of allure to it. "Why go through all this trouble? I'm just a third child, a daughter, not worth much other than in the marriage market. I assume the Iftanzel Princess is in a similar situation as I was."

She could see him turning it over in his mind, whether or not to answer her. She took another drink, watching his eyes follow the goblet once again.

"Because I want to start a war," he answered in a low voice.

"With the Goblin Kingdom?" she asked. "Forgive me, but… that sounds rather… reckless." She said this last with a sexy little smile, at least as far as she was capable of.

Xensor took the bait. "Not reckless. Carefully planned. Illiana would have been found dead… made to look as if the Goblins had done it. Caelan would have been forced to reinstate me and my men. Would have insisted upon it. The rest of the Fae would have joined us."

Illiana… oh dear Goddess, that was the Princess of Iftanzel I was talking to…

Hiding her shock, Helena gave a sultry laugh, "I can't imagine the King of Iftanzel going along with such a plan."

"No… he wouldn't have. Which is why he knew nothing about it."

From his face, she could tell that he was thinking he'd said too much. She drained the rest of her goblet, letting her eyes take on a hazy look. "But… the way you switched things up… it was such quick thinking… is that what it takes to be a general?"

"Any commander worth his salt should be able to adjust his plans to the circumstances."

She gave him an admiring look, then rose from the table. He rose with her, watching her carefully. She let herself drift over to the window, laying her head on the sill and sighing.

How do I get out of this… oh, sweet goddess he's going to…

He took her hand in an oddly gentle grip. She turned her head languidly, her hooded eyes meeting his. Part of her wanted to laugh at the picture they must have made. She was taller than he was… by a good four inches. She didn't resist as he pulled her closer, she let her eyelids flutter a bit while her lips parted.

When he kissed her, she felt her stomach turning over. She shivered from distaste, although he'd likely think it was from desire. When he deepened the kiss, she made a sound, almost a cry.

Get a grip, Helena. You have to play this for all you're worth.

But her heart was screaming. In that moment, she wished with everything in her that she'd accepted Tre's token… that she'd at least had him, even if it was only once. It broke her soul to think that this beast was going to take what should have been Tre's… what would have been Tre's… if she hadn't been so stupid.

With every ounce of will she had in her, she brought her hands up to Xensor's shoulders, embracing him as he kissed her. She was about to gag, so she tipped her head back as if she wanted him to kiss her neck. He complied, running his lips under her ear and along the beheading collar. She gave a ragged groan of disgust, her spirit howling inside. He took this as a sign of encouragement, and stepped back towards the bed, pulling her along.

She kept her eyes closed. He would be none the wiser, thinking she was under the influence of the darkroot. She let him lay her on the bed, felt it dip as he joined her. Then his hands were on her, his lips were on her. Her breath was coming in harsh gasps, the urge to keen in agony almost overwhelming.

But then her thoughts cleared, her mind focused like a beam of light.

He was shielded from combat magic, no doubt, but Healing magic was entirely different. The Fae knew that Goblin women could Heal, but they had no more information than that. They probably thought it was the same kind of magic that powered the Goblin males.

Maybe…

She brought her hands up to tangle in his hair, slipping her fingers to his temple. It must have been a long time since he'd fornicated, he was pressing himself against her almost frantically. To see if his shields extended to Healing magic, she extended a small tendril of her power towards his pleasure points. At worst, he'd think she was intentionally trying to please him. At best, he'd never even notice her intrusion.

He didn't notice. Carefully, she extended more of her power, stimulating his nerves, then…

She heard his hoarse groan as he stiffened against her. She stomped down the disgust welling up within her and extended her Healing power yet again, this time to his mind, right as he was in the throes of his climax.

And she put him to sleep.

She felt him go limp, and he was heavy atop her, but she didn't dare move. She waited for a few moments, then whispered softly, "My lord?"

No answer.

She put her fingers more firmly on his temple, expending more of her power to put him into as deep a sleep as she could, short of a coma. When she was done, she nudged his shoulder, softly at first and then harder.

He didn't move.

Instantly, Helena scrambled out of the bed, looking around wildly. She took a few breaths to calm herself, her gaze falling on the communication array. She walked over to it, noting that it had been bolted to the stone plinth. Her eyes flew over the various crystals and their positions. No doubt they had to be touched in a certain order, depending on who you wanted to talk to. Except… there was a large green crystal near the bottom of the array.

Frantically, she wracked her brain, trying to remember what Toby had told her about the one they had in his workshop. She and Tremane had been hanging out with him when she had seen the array and asked him what it was. It had been brought with the Goblins when they fled Ardalon. The Goblins never used it, having no need to speak to anyone in the Fae lands and not knowing the combination of crystals they'd need to press. But the green one…

That's it… Toby said it would broadcast a message to everyone who had an array. Like an announcement or something…

But if Xensor was telling the truth, it could only be activated by his touch.

With a grim expression, she stalked back over to the bed. After sending another surge of Healing magic into him, Helena tugged his limp body over to the edge of the bed. She then slipped her arms under his and pulled.

It took a good five minutes of effort to get him off the bed and drag him over to the array. She stopped every minute or so to send more Healing magic into his brain. Finally, she'd gotten him close enough to put his hand on the green crystal.

Helena almost burst into relieved tears when she saw the array fire itself up. Thinking quickly, she began to speak.

"My name is Princess Helena Danaaru of Tír Ceilte, the Goblin Kingdom. I was abducted from Surinar Vale during the Butterfly Festival by Fae under the command of former General Xensor Dai of Iftanzel. I am currently being held at a manor somewhere, the location of which I have not been able to discover. From what I've overheard, they are trying to lure the Goblin Army into attacking Fellmark by making it seem that I'm being held there. I'm not there… I think I'm somewhere to the West of that, but I don't know exactly where. I do know that I'm not in the Goblin Kingdom, nor in the Dwarven Kingdom… all of the people I've seen so far are Fae.

I am putting out this warning, to my father Jareth, King of the Goblins, and to every Kingdom here Underground. Xensor Dai abducted me to provoke a war between Iftanzel and the Goblin Kingdom. He planned this because he is in disgrace with his King and sees war as the only way to regain his lost prestige. He has let it slip to me that his King is unaware of this plan and certainly hasn't endorsed it. In fact, Xensor's original intention was to abduct King Caelan's daughter at this same festival, kill her, and frame the Goblin Kingdom for it… but he changed his plans when her security was too tight, and his operative recognized me."

"I don't know how many men he has under his command, but his immediate lieutenant is a guy named Londrel Perian, who may or may not still be an active member of the Iftanzel Army. He also has some minions, former officers that served under him, maybe. I don't think all of them know his plans… some of them seem uncomfortable with what's been happening."

"The wards on this place won't let me transport past them. Also… this collar around my neck is keyed to the perimeter of the manor walls and will detonate if I'm taken past them. So far, I've been treated relatively well, but I'm sure that's going to change when Xensor realizes I've gotten word to you."

She swallowed hard, "I have… done everything I can to get this warning out to everyone. I.. I do not anticipate that I will survive this." At that point, tears began to roll unheeded down her face. "Daddy… Momma… I'm sorry. I was stupid and this is all my fault. I love you. I love all of you. Don't let him win. Don't let him start a war. Tremane… I lov—"

The crystal went dark.

She grabbed Xensor's hand, trying to reactivate the crystals, but they stayed dark. Her heart sinking, she realized she'd have to try and drag him back to the bed and somehow wrangle him into it. Thank Danu that the Fae were similar in size to Othánas women and she at least had a chance to wrestle him into place.

She looked down at his limp form. It would be so easy… just open his throat here and now. But… that would only lead to her immediate death. And while she was pretty sure death was in her future in any case, the longer she put it off… the more chance she might have to get more information out to her father. Tempting as killing this bastard was… she might do more good by winkling out more details, maybe even figure out where she was being held.

So, instead of giving in to the urge to rip his throat out with her teeth, she sent another surge of Healing magic into him and managed to drag him back into the bed. She stripped the rest of his clothes off his body, leaving them in a heap on the floor after rifling through the pockets. Aside from a few coins, she found nothing helpful. A search of the chamber yielded no useful information either.

She felt a wave of nausea come over her. She was going to have to make him think they'd spent a wild night together. Her face showing her utter distaste, she pressed her mouth to his neck, sucking some of the skin and leaving a mark. She repeated this over several areas of his upper body. She rolled him over onto his stomach and left some shallow scratches on his back before flipping him so he was facing the ceiling. Taking a deep breath, she stripped out of the rest of her clothes, mussed her hair and got into the bed beside him. Frowning to herself a moment, she crossed her arms, putting her hands on her own biceps and squeezing hard enough to leave bruises. Xensor's hands weren't much larger than her own, and he'd likely think he was the one who'd bruised her. Grimacing, she did the same to her breasts and left some shallow scratches on her thighs.

But that isn't going to be enough. He has to have some memory of having me… but how?

Then Helena remembered what Melina had told her of Healing mental pain. Using her magic, she was able to implant specific feelings into a patient. Thus, someone who had an irrational fear might get a feeling of comfort when presented with the object of that fear, in order to counteract the effects of their terror. It could be tied to specific memories as well, blunting their force. It wasn't the kind of mind-wiping that she did on the wished-aways with Dad and the Labyrinth, but it was invaluable in dealing with mental trauma. Perhaps…

Helena touched her fingers to his temple again, this time utilizing her powers to implant a physical memory, right down to his muscles and nerves. His mind might not remember taking her, but his body would. And more than once.

For a brief moment, Helena cringed at the thought of what she was doing. It was a sort of mental rape, no mistake. And it went against every code she followed, both as a sentient being and as a future Healer. But… there was no choice. Too many lives depended upon her getting as much information as she could.

The 'memories' now implanted, Helena sank back into the bed with a sigh. With any luck, he might attribute his lack of remembrance to having too much wine himself. She glanced over at the dining table, her eyes focusing on the bottle he'd poured his own libations from. Judging from the level of the liquid in the bottle, he'd consumed quite a bit of it, so right there was a plausible reason for his lack of memory.

Hopefully, he wouldn't want to take her upon waking up, but she was pretty confident that she could manipulate his hormones so that he didn't… rise to the occasion. She lay there in the flickering candlelight, her stomach churning at his scent. While it wasn't unpleasant in and of itself, it only served to remind her of another scent… another man.

Oh, Tre… how I wish it was you lying next to me…