she hadn't intended to reveal it.
'I didn't mean to say that.'
'Too late now! My lips are sealed, but you have to tell me the rest or I'll herald it from the rooftops.' How could Michael, most arrogant of all archers, have possibly aimed so poorly?
'He was trying to shoot Koen. I suppose he thought him to be a wolf. It really wasn't his fault. Please promise me you won't mention it. He's moody enough as it is.'
This was royal, such a shame that he had to relish in it alone. It would be much more enjoyable in Michael's presence. As Michael was teaching Jareth how to wield a bow, he'd put up with a tremendous amount of criticism. Among many of Michael's more reasonable sayings was, 'Aim so you may never be unsure of your intended target. Only the weak miss their objective.'
'I'll do my very best to never utter even a hint of your indiscretion.'
She shot him a wayward look. 'You sound so convincing.'
Jareth motioned for her to enter before him, a gesture that she didn't seem to care for.
'If you're planning on locking me in there, you'll have to be more creative than that.'
'If it were my plan to hoard you away for malevolent purposes, you'd have little choice. I simply don't want to obstruct your view by entering before you.'
She narrowed her eyes. 'Little choice? I wouldn't be so sure of that. I'm smarter than I… my view?'
'There's a rail you'll need to hold onto.' He placed his hand on the small of her back and eased her closer to the doorway. She grabbed the banister, and after a moment's hesitation, they both descended into the darkness.
Gradually, closer to the bottom of the stairs, a light began to swell in the room. He reached a hand over her shoulder, pointing toward the corners of the cavern. 'It comes from the rocks.'
She ducked her head as they came to the bottom and crossed under a low overhang. Coming out onto the other side, she gasped. Lights of all colors — pinks, blues, yellows, lavenders, greens, every color imaginable — filled the once-dark cave, growing dim the farther they walked, new ones sparking to life ahead.
'I doubt anything like this exists in Middengard,' Jareth remarked.
She just shook her head.
'They are much like butterfly wings' Jareth said. 'Too delicate to touch.' He picked one up, watching for her dismay as it grew dim.
'What causes the rocks to light up?'
'We aren't really sure. There is a legend of beings who once lived in these caverns, long before Adorians existed. They were supposedly immortal and eventually transformed into insentient stone, having grown tired of this world.'
She held out her hand and Jareth almost thought to take it when it dawned on him that she was asking for the rock. He tossed it into the air and snatched it back before she could catch it.
'And do you believe such fairy tales?' she asked, her eyes trained on the stone.
'I don't know. I did as a child. We used to sneak in here and steal them, but you see what happens when they're touched. It took quite a few tries to convince us that we hadn't simply chosen idle stones.'
He tossed the stone again, this time letting her catch it. 'Didn't you…' His voice trailed off as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing. He blinked, then looked again and sure enough, the stone had come to life in her hands.
'Maybe you just aren't any good at this?' she laughed, unimpressed by the feat. 'Do all of the caves look like this one? What's beyond here?' Ariana leaned against one of the walls, then jumped back upon discovering it was damp.
Jareth wasn't sure he could find his tongue to answer her. 'They're extensive. The largest area, where I played most as a child, isn't far from here.'
She pitched the stone back and forth from one hand in the other, like it was a child's tetherball. 'Well, unless you have somewhere better to go, perhaps you should show me.'
He shrugged, figuring that at the very least he could find out more about her and how in Hothrendaire she was doing what she was doing.
They continued deeper into the caves, the air growing heavier as they went. It smelled good to him, reminded him of more blessed times. They walked for a few minutes until they came through a tunnel into a huge cavern. It was about sixty feet high and nearly twice as wide. He'd expected Ariana to be stunned, so her reaction surprised him. She walked out toward the middle of the cave, and turned to face him.
'I've seen this place before.' She looked down, trying to pull something from memory. 'In a dream maybe, I don't know. It seems I say those words quite often these days.'
A dream? Jareth wasn't so convinced, especially after hearing about the Moriors injuring her while she slept. He'd forgotten about it until just now.
'Is your back alright? I shouldn't have asked you to walk so far.'
'They're nothing more than scratches.' She looked uncomfortable and he regretted bringing it up. Why did he always speak first and think things through later? It was moments like this that he envied Michael's restraint.
He tried to change the subject. 'So what did you see in your dream — about this place?'
'A room that looked like this one, huge white stones encircled it, between ten and twenty of them.'
Jareth's eyes grew wide as she spoke. He couldn't believe what was coming out of her mouth.
'There was a large stone in the center. Really, it was just a dream.'
'Did you see anything else?' he asked, trying to hide the astonishment in his voice.
'No. That was it — all I can remember anyway. Why do you ask it like that?'
'There were stones where we now stand, fourteen pillar stones that were arranged in a circle, and one center stone. They were removed many years ago, long before even our great grandfathers were alive. My father once told me they were found sometime after the doorways between the realms were opened.'
'Where are they now?' she asked as if she were afraid to hear the answer.
'Mounted along the borders of Adoria. You passed one of them as you entered, though it was probably covered in snow. The center stone sits in the heart of the elder's assembly.' He shook his head in amazement. 'You baffle me — such a mystery.'
She shrugged, but there was a smile tugging at the edges of her mouth. 'Sorry to disenchant.'
She'd done anything but disenchant him. He'd only known her a few brief hours, but already she intrigued him. She was nothing like an Adorian woman, bold and outspoken — everything he would've imagined in a female sibling of Michael's. And of course there was always her apparent persuasion over his childhood fascination. As he started to respond, a strong male voice sounded from behind him.
'I thought I might find you here.' Jareth didn't get a chance to tell Michael that Ariana was with him. 'My disagreement with your father has nothing to do with you. Though I'm honored by your loyalty, please be more prudent in the future with how you show it. Before long, a dissolving of the separation will become warranted.'
'What separation?'
Jareth cringed as he heard Ariana speak.
Michael raised an eyebrow at Jareth as Ariana stepped into view. 'A new order will be put into place, initiating a severance from Middengard. It will be decreed at daybreak.'
A horrified look crossed her face. 'Michael, there are humans still alive. I was under the impression Adoria held some oath of loyalty to Middengard's people. Surely you're not going to just surrender?'
Michael's face faltered, though it was so subtle a shift that Jareth doubted anyone else would've notice it. He felt as his sister did, but would never have been so candid if he'd known Ariana was there.
'You must trust us to govern these matters. We will do all that we are able.' Ariana started to respond when Michael threw his hand in the air. 'Enough. These matters don't concern you.'
Jareth was surprised to hear Michael sound so harsh. However, Jareth had never seen his father overrule anything that Michael felt was provident. This of all council meetings would have left him sore.
Ariana appeared hurt and more than a tad outraged at his abrupt dismissal. She tossed the stone back to Jareth. 'Thank you for walking with me, it was lovely.'
Michael started to put his arm out to stop her as she breezed past him, but didn't follow through.
'I'll send Cryx, I assume he can find his way home,' she shouted.
'He'll be fine.' Jareth heard her footsteps grow faint as she made her way closer to the castle.
