Sapphire Moon

Rescue

Oliver's POV

Jareth put his arm around her and gently tried to sit her up. Her body was limp and barely radiating any heat. It seemed as if someone had drugged her, that is until Jareth saw the iron chains on her wrists. This would explain why she was so weak and why her body was unresponsive. Jareth was fighting with his wolf to keep his composure. You could see his eyes flickering from his emerald orbs to a brighter, almost glowing green, as the anger roll off of him in waves. Even with his body ridgedly tense, he gently laid her back down. He then took one clasp in his hands and broke it.  After doing it to the other, he threw the iron to the other side of the room. Emma started to stir a little once she was freed from the chains.

"Mmm" she mumbled. "Oliver? Why do you smell like your grandfather?" Emma asked before opening her eyes.

"That's not me" I assured her, "that's your mate. While I'd love to continue this little reunion, we need to go. Now." I whisper yelled. We've already been here too long. The longer we lingered, the sooner we'd get caught.

Emma snapped her eyes open in a panic, realizing that I wasn't alone and that the mate she thought gone forever, was in the flesh rescuing her. With tears unshed in her eyes, she engulfed Jareth in a crippling hug. You could tell that she did not want to let go in fear she'd lose him again. Jareth could tell by her actions how she felt.

"Emma baby, I'm here. I'm alive. I'm never leaving you again." Jareth cooed in her ear as he stood up with her in his arms. Her legs instantly wrapped around him, while her arms snaked around his neck. She took a big inhale of his scent before loosening her grip and letting her feet touch the floor.

"Ready?" I asked. Looking at them, it was clear they weren't, but we'd have to be vigilant in our escape.

They both nodded, signaling that they agree it was finally time to leave. I peered around the cell door and listened for any movement on the floor. Nothing. It was as if the goddess was on our side. I stepped out into the hall and signaled them that it was clear. We headed back to the servants tunnels, and were completely on edge the whole time. Every noise, a creaky floor board, a tree branch scratching on a window, and what seemed to be whispers, would stop us in our tracks. We were too paranoid about not getting caught.

We finally made it to the servants entrance and had just closed the door when we heard a thunderous roar. You could hear things crashing and being thrown around the floor we were just on. We quietly ran down the flights of stairs that Riley told us about, headed for our freedom. As soon as we reached the basement, we knew we only had to make it through the Clan cells and then a bit further to go before we could be off their lands.

I opened the door from the servants tunnels and peered into the dimly lit basement. It was almost like a dungeon you would see on TV, with torches lined up on the concrete walls, with the cells having nothing but dirt and spots of blood staining the floor. The smell was worse than my own packs cell house. It smelled of feces, decay, and the irony scent of blood to the point where it was very overwhelming. I could hear Emma quietly gagging at the stench.

I waved Jareth and Emma to follow me into the open halls. We kept close to the walls, brushing our shoulders with them to ensure we were not going to get lost. It seemed like these walls went on for days, never turning or breaking for any openings. Just as I was about to suggest we try going along the cell side, my shoulder dipped hard into an opening in the wall. I grabbed a torch and looked at the spot where my shoulder stopped meeting the wall.

Low and behold, there's a door. It has to lead outside and to our release. Hopefully we would make it out without being detected. This time, instead of me leading the way, Jareth slowly opened the new found door. Light flooded the dim halls. As Jareth observed the contents on the other side, we could hear shouting.

"There are people running around, and warriors with their weapons at the ready." Jareth whispered to us, then looked at me and asked, "Can you create another storm?"

"I can tr..." I was cut off by Emma's words.

"If he's already used the ring within the last few hours, he could die if he tries again. You must've forgotten that you had to train to use the ring. Especially as often as you wanted to use it." She scolded Jareth and gave a deathly glare. "I feel a little better and I'm sure I can conceal us from prying eyes." Emma started to chant something, which sounded out of this world. "Aer, ignis, terra, aer, elementa artis meae, adiuva nos nosmetipsos abscondere." (Air, fire, Earth, and air, elements of my craft, help us conceal ourselves.)

After a few moments, we stepped out into the chaos that had formed outside. We only needed to ensure we didn't bump into anyone by accident. Looking around at the scene in front of us, it looked as if they were either searching for someone, which would be us, or preparing for a war. We watched regular people shooed into their houses, while their warriors were heading somewhere in a hurry. Were they looking for us, or was there something else happening? Coincidence? No way.

We saw an opening and started running toward the border, zigzagging through the running fighters. Out of nowhere, I stopped dead in my tracks. Frozen. I got a whiff of the most heavenly scent. Apples, vanilla, and cinnamon. I frantically looked around not seeing anyone equally stunned, when I was knocked on my ass. I didn't have time to think when a pair of hands grabbed my arms.