Shocked, Jareth made it up the stairs without any assistance. Stefan was right behind him. By the time he hit the landing where the solar was located, Jareth could see a crowd of men standing in front of the solar door. Two of The Guardians were trying to ram the door with their shoulders. The entire Guard of Six was there, not including Hugh, who had gone straight back to Bristol Castle when they returned from Portbury. But Aidric, Britt, Dirk, Orion, and Stefan were present. So were four Guardians, including Zeus. Stefan handed over the iron rod to Heracles, who immediately tried to use it on the doorjamb to loosen the bolt and the latch.
“What is going on?” Jareth demanded, hearing more screaming and banging. “Who is with Desdra?”
“Her father,” Zeus said. He looked exhausted and unhappy. “As you are aware, he was here a short time ago and became abusive with Lady Desdra, so I chased him away. He came back this afternoon whilst I was sleeping and begged for admission.”
“He said he wanted to apologize,” Heracles said as he struggled with the rod and the doorjamb. “He begged for the opportunity to speak to her and I told him he only had a few moments. I was on the landing the entire time. He must have gone into the solar and immediately bolted it, but I did not hear the bolt. I would have acted sooner if I had.”
It began to occur to Jareth what, exactly, was going on in that chamber. Horror and panic began to set in. Heart in his throat, he pushed his way to the door, putting his hands on it.
“Desdra?” he shouted. “Desdra, I’m here! Unbolt the door, love! Unbolt it!”
She was screaming something he couldn’t make out, which only fed his sense of panic. He swung around to The Guardians standing behind him.
“Is there another way in?” he demanded.
There was a huge sense of urgency and concern, from all of them. He could read it in their faces. But none were more concerned or anxious than Zeus.
“Unfortunately, that is part of the security of this place,” he said, teeth gritted. “Every room can be sectioned off, and it is nearly impossible to get in. Unless we want to go through a window, and it is impossible to get to them.”
Jareth opened his mouth but something heavy fell against the door and he could hear Desdra cursing and screaming at her father.
“Jesus,” he whispered in an urgent plea, putting his hands on the door again. “Jesus, help me.”
“I can try to get to the window,” Aidric said. “Do you want me to go outside and assess the possibility?”
Jareth thought for a split second before shaking his head. “Nay,” he said. “I want all of us to put our shoulders into this and ram that damn door open. God, I’d give my soul for a battering ram right now.”
Zeus shook his head. “We do not have one,” he said. “I would not know where to get one. But we can pound away at the door until it gives. That’s all we can do if she cannot open it.”
There was more screaming, more things falling. Desdra was putting up a hell of a fight and Jareth was struggling not to lose his composure. Just when he’d found some happiness, it was in danger of being snatched away. He could hardly believe it. He wasn’t even worried about himself or the fever that plagued him. Truthfully, he wasn’t feeling well at all, but he wasn’t worried about himself. He was only worried about the woman inside the chamber that he couldn’t get into.
It was like a nightmare.
“Stefan,” he said, pointing to the door, “kick that door right where the latch and the bolt are. Ramming the whole panel isn’t going to work unless we can loosen the bolt and the latch. Kick it as hard as you can, as much as you can. Right in the seam.”
Big, powerful Stefan moved forward. Lashing out an enormous booted foot, he kicked once, twice, thrice. Then he rattled the latch to see if it had loosened. He couldn’t tell, and Jareth couldn’t tell, so he did it again. And again. When he’d done it a few more times, he stepped aside to rest his right foot and Britt took over. Big, mean Britt. He kicked and kicked and managed to shatter some of the wood in the jamb, which was good. That meant they were making progress. Someone ran to grab an ax, hoping that would help.
All of those skilled knights and not one of them could break down that door. Not one of them could help the woman in distress. When Britt stopped kicking, he backed off and Zeus took over. He kicked and kicked, hearing the commotion beyond the panel like they all were, using it to feed his determination.
And then… the screaming stopped.
The quiet was more terrifying than the shouting. Jareth rushed to the door, calling for Desdra, but receiving no answer. He had his hands on the door as if by sheer willpower he could get it open, but someone pulled him back as one of The Guardians, Orpheus, rushed up with the ax and began slashing at the joint where the latch and bolt were positioned on the door. Three strikes of the ax and the doorjamb suddenly collapsed. Orpheus, Jareth, and Aidric were at the forefront, pushing the door wide open and charging into the chamber.
But what they saw stopped them in their tracks.
Ciaran was over by the enormous lancet windows that faced the river. He had Desdra by the hair and had somehow managed to push her onto the windowsill where the gulls liked to gather.She was unconscious, literally hanging out of the window. If Ciaran let go, she’d fall.
Three stories down.
Jareth stepped forward, cautiously.
“Bring her back inside,” he commanded quietly. “Bring her inside and we will discuss what your terms are for her safety.”
Ciaran eyed the man he didn’t know. “I want to talk to Chester de Long,” he said. “Bring him to me immediately.”
That brought a wave of confusion. “Chester is dead,” Jareth said. “I am the new lord of Aphrodite’s Feast. You may speak with me.”
That brought outrage from Ciaran. “Do not lie to me!” he said. “I will toss her from this window if you do not bring Chester to me immediately!”
