Corven's hold on Kaelith's arm was tight but oddly protective. As stormy as his eyes were, they searched hers with the depth of a battle she wasn't sure he'd ever speak about. "You shouldn't trust anyone," he said softly as they crouched behind a broken stone column. "Especially not me."
Jareth spoke with equal intensity but with more heat. "Especially not him."
To Kaelith, their weight was that of two men anchored to her past and future, each one cloaked in layers of hidden motives and secrets. The estate was dimly lit, and the vault was as dusty as it was secretive. Distant footsteps added to the sense of urgency.
"Why are you really here, Corven?" Kaelith asked in a whisper, her voice even and calm, controlling the chill coiling in her gut.
He had a slight pause before answering, his jaw clenched. "Because you bear the burden on the kingdom's fate. And because… I can't let them win."
With every word, she found herself captivated by him even more. He was formally her greatest mystery. With a gaze like that, was he a friend or a foe?
A shout broke the tension:
"Seal the exits! Don't let them escape!"
Kaelith felt her heart racing while the ledger weighed heavily in her grasp. Torn between keeping the vault secrets and facing the storm of dangers, Kaelith felt the pressure to act.
"Jareth, the ledger," she whispered angrily. "We must protect it."
Shadows began to swirl and Jareth nodded to her, ready and clutching the precious book.
Corven approached with a quiet voice, "We'll have to work together. Just for now."
Kaelith sighed. "This partnership lasts only until we're free from each other."
They strained to keep pace within narrow tunnels, where quiet and shadows melded. Footfalls could be heard, but only while thick darkness inclined towards them. Suddenly, something shift beneath them.
Without warning, they were falling. Cold space consumed Kaelith's void. Corven was quicker; he heard the ripping sound the moment h
e felt the shadow's clutch.