"Alright.."

Amalia did not argue the idea of moving forward, but she knew that eventually, she and Jensen would be found.

The tunnel stretched on for a few more feet before coming to an abrupt end.

"Looks like there is no place else to go but down," Amalia said warily.

"You go first.."

The stairs were slightly uneven, going down them was quite a feat, but somehow they managed to get down the stairs unscathed.

"I hope there's another way out from here..”

Though Jensen could not see it, the woman exposed a slight frown.

It was odd, the smell, she had never smelt anything like it before, but if Amalia could have compared it to something, it matched close to that of death.. if it even had a smell.

"Jensen.. I think we should go back. There is something about this place that doesn't feel right."

The woman went to turn, but before she could, something collided with her head, falling to fall onto the ground, only to disband once it reached the floor.

"Jensen, bring your saber back over this way, I want to see what this is..."

.. And as he did, Amalia's brown eyes caught the remnants of skeletal remains.

She moaned in response to her findings, her words simulating clear protest.

"Jensen, this is not good! I really don't like it here.. please.. Let's just get out of here.."

As Kahn made his way deeper into the tunnel, he felt a sense of unease growing in the pit of his stomach. Something wasn't right about this place, something he couldn't quite put a finger on; his hand tightened around the hilt of his saber more than once when he thought he heard whispers around him. When he listened more closely, however, the sounds died away. He was beginning to think this castle was more than it appeared to be. . .

Nevertheless, he continued onward, the glow of his lightsaber the only illumination in the darkened passageway. The temperature dropped slowly as he journeyed deeper into the tunnel, and he couldn't help but feel a shiver go through his body- not all from the cold, but from the disturbance in the tunnel, something he couldn't identify.

The Jedi sped up his pace, silently telling himself that he was doing it to find Amalia faster, rather than out of the unease evoked by his surroundings. Several minutes later, he arrived at the place Amalia and Jensen had camped out for the night. He could sense their presences more strongly here, and felt a bit more relieved to know that he was on the right track.

Now, he could finally identify the presence accompanying Amalia; no wonder it had seemed familiar, it was an old Padawan of his. . .he could picture the face now, and a moment later, the name came to him.

Jensen Bettencourt.

The knowledge that Amalia's companion was a former Padawan of his was a surprise to Kahn, and he paused for a moment, Malice's words coming back to him, taunting him. . .

"You failed in your duties to protect, Jedi. She's fallen, and it's because of you. . ."

Kahn couldn't help wondering now if the Sith was right- if the Darkness that had shadowed his life for so long might have somehow extended to the people he came into contact with- if by carrying even trace amounts of the Dark Side in him, by exposing others to it in his struggles to come back to the Light- what if he'd, in essence, 'infected' the people he cared for most? Jedi were supposed to create and rebuild, but it seemed as though his presence only brought about destruction and pain. . .

Kahn's thoughts were interrupted as he sensed a change in Amalia's presence, a presence that had been growing increasingly clear as he followed them. It was an emotion of surprise, and he thought he could sense something else- fear.

His own fears pushed to the side for the moment, Kahn started forward again, quickly, his movement more out of concern than any rational thoughts. In truth, he really had no idea what he was going to say to Amalia when he found her- he'd been aware that they were moving away from him, and there was no doubt they would have sensed him by now. Kahn knew as well that pushing too hard might only send Amalia further into the Darkness- but he wouldn't leave Amalia to face the demons of the Dark Side alone, just as she'd never left him alone. He would not turn his back on her, not this time.

It was only a matter of minutes now, as Kahn felt another chill go through him, the air changing in the tunnel as he came nearer the stairs Amalia and Jensen had descended before. Every instinct told him to go back, that this was no place for a living being to enter; but he ignored those instincts, pushing ahead, never thinking that the fears and doubts raised by his search from Amalia might come back to haunt him in this place that held the subtle presence of Death, and the Dark Side in its walls.

"Calm down, …calm down, its just a skeleton." Jensen said quietly.

What Jensen didn't voice was that he felt she was right, they really shouldn't have come here, what's more was the fact Kahn's force signature was closing in on the two.

Jensen looked around the chamber; he looked at Amalia and spoke.

"Okay I'm going to have to ask that you not move okay? And don't touch anything…hopefully we can find a way to light this place to see where we are.

He was unsure if she wanted to even know or himself for that matter, but it had to be done

Jensen stepped cautiously, taking note of every step he made, before making it. The blue/green glow of his saber showed that the walls were lined with unlit torches, he proceeded to light a few.

And so he did, the lighting was only marginally better but at least both could see. And what they saw was a horrific sight…the place was filled with skeletal remains, bones had been scattered about the area, it looked as if a fight had taken place here years before. And the nauseous stench of death continued to wrestle his nose.

"I still don't know where we are." Jensen said in puzzlement.

There seemed to be a holocron of either Sith, or Dark Jedi origin, perched on top of a stand in the middle of the chamber and on the far end of the Chamber sat a skeleton, dressed in black attire in an almost royal like throne. To his right had stood a sword held standing by the skeleton's right hand.

There was no telling, who the skeleton had been perhaps a dark Jedi or Sith from days long gone by. Maybe not even a force user, however Jensen was curiously perplexed by the sword it was equipped with, moving closer he had slowly taken the sword from the grip of the skeleton.

The skeletons head dropped low from the disturbance, startling Jensen who had jumped back, it now seemed to hang its head low, perhaps no longer holding the glory the person once held, Jensen brushed off the cobwebs and dust that had settled on the weapon as he examined it closely.

"What happened here?" Jensen asked quietly not looking at Amalia who he then turned to face.

"I agree, we really should be getting out of here." Jensen said as he sat the sword down.

However Kahn was very close almost on top of the stairs he could not only sense his presence but hear him coming, all he had to do was make his decent.

Jensen was nonchalant almost as his eyes left Amalia and toward the stairway and the "apparent" only way out.

"I suppose it was inevitable."

Jensen had said with contempt for the situation in his eyes.

Amalia watched Jensen out of the corner of her eye, a soft smile forming at her lips. Jensen must have caught her smile for he seemed to question her with his gaze.

"It's nothing. I was just.. admiring the company I am with."

It was true, the two had not been together long, but already Amalia took to hold a sense of admiration for Jensen.

Nothing was said as Jensen moved to carry out his suggestion, Amalia keeping tightly to follow his requests.

Slowly Jensen lit the torches one by one, the lighting cascading an eerie glow across the chamber.

The lighting seemed to do nothing for Amalia's troubled spirit as she glanced about the chamber with its eerie glow.

She shivered, the sight before her making her feel quite unpleasant as she wrapped Jensen's outer garment around her tightly for warmth, but doing so did not free her of chill. Still, she was glad to have the material in her possession.

Amalia diligently watched Jensen as he moved to acquire the sword from the skeleton's grip.

"Jensen.. get away from there! What are you doing? Get away from there... now!"

She shouted to him, trying to draw his attention away from the skeletal remains, but of course to no purpose.

Amalia watched, almost wide eyed, as the skeleton moved, as if it had become disturbed by the loss of the weapon that Jensen had taken to hold within his own grasp.

She jumped back, recoiling slightly.

"Bettencourt! Jensen!... Are you even listening to me?! That doesn't belong to you.. put it back! Now!"

She continued to watch the man as he tentatively brushed off the old debris of dust that had settled onto the weapon throughout the years from non-use.

"Put it back!" She said, just as he asked her what had happened within the chamber.

Tilting her head to her right slightly, a look of hysteria on her face, she watched Jensen slowly set the sword down onto the ground.

"... "

Mouth slightly ajar, Amalia swerved away from Jensen, facing the direction of the stairs before allowing her mouth to quickly snap shut. However, the look of hysteria refused to drown from her gaze.

Something's not right down here. . .

Before he even got to the stairs, Kahn recieved chills from the Dark presence the lower room seemed to give off. Subconciously, he gripped the handle of his lightsaber more tightly, his gaze narrowing slightly as he tried to sense any imminent danger.

His attention wavered as he heard voices coming from the bottom of the stairs- voices he recognized immidiately as Amalia and Jensen.

Any insecurities he'd had about the unsettling feeling coming from the room were pushed aside as Kahn descended the stairs; he stopped a few stairs up from the bottom when he found whom he had been searching for.

Kahn's gaze locked with Amalia's; he was aware that Jensen was behind her, and that the other Jedi didn't seem happy with his presence. But that seemed irrelevant now- he could sense the hysteria coming from Amalia, see it in her eyes. He let his gaze sweep across the area once, frowning as he saw the skeletal remains; he wasn't sure what had gone on in the past here. . .or what Amalia and Jensen would travel there for. . .but as his gaze met Amalia's once more, and spoke the first words that came to his mind.

"Master, are you all right?"

It was a strange kind of greeting- they hadn't seen each other in months, not since Kahn left for Tatooine. He'd spent a good deal of time trying to locate her, and had all but ignored the other aspects of his life while he searched for her. His question, oddly enough, wasn't even so related to the Darker presence he could sense in her- it stemmed from the look of panic in her eyes that unnerved Kahn more than the Darkness.

Amalia held her gaze onto the stairs, patiently waiting for Kahn to appear.

She met Kahn's gaze way before he seemed to catch hers, watched him look past her to find Jensen and the contents of the chamber.

A very thin, yet icy smile drew to Amalia's lips at her apprentice's question, her brow rising ever so slightly in turn.

".. Is that what you came all this way for?.. To ask me if I'm...okay??"

Amalia had not meant to regard Kahn in such a manner, but the room, Jensen's somewhat rebellious behavior, as well as Kahn showing up, had come to put the woman slightly on edge.

Even the smallest of things seemed to irritate her; it did not take much, so as both men were coming to witness.

Avoiding the Jedi Master's question, Amalia countered his inquiry with a question of her own, her tone inexpressive.

"Why are you here?"

As Jensen turned to make his way back toward Amalia, the musky scent of death stilled filled the air.

Kahn had already made his way down the stairs to greet the two Jedi, Amalia had come to his attention obviously first.

At a moderate pace, Jensen made his way toward Amalia to meet Kahn within the large chamber,

Then suddenly he stopped and looked down; a loud crunch of bone and marrow could be heard. Jensen had just stepped on a bone from the skeleton Amalia had ran into earlier. The brittle bone had quickly turned to dust under his foot.

His eyebrows rose in discontent, swallowing hard he kept going a few more steps until he came up from behind stood beside Amalia.

He looked at Kahn impassively at first.

"Well…my Master…" He paused for a moment. "Kahn…"

He let his name hang in the air for a few moments.

Jensen's eyes briefly looked up toward the room in thought, a smile grin on his lips, once he spoke his eyes fell to Kahn.

"I bet you're wondering just what in the heavens we are doing in such a nasty place."

Kahn's expression faltered for a moment as the iciness of Amalia's tone, coupled with the uncharacteristic smile- almost a smirk- that was on her features. For a moment, it was like she was a stranger, her actions so unlike the Amalia he knew.

However, he continued to hold her gaze, not failing to notice the way she avoided his question by making an inquiry of her own. It was clear that she was not okay, not herself. But Kahn had a feeling pointing that out wouldn't do any good.

"Why are you here?"

The Jedi Master struggled for a moment to find a suitable answer for Amalia's question; he was aware that mentioning he was trying to 'save' her probably wouldn't be the best thing to do. Besides, now that she was standing in front of him, Kahn realized how foolish his course of action had been. The Dark Side wasn't something that beings could be 'saved' from like the knights of old rescued damsels in distress- he was no knight in shining armor, and Amalia was most certainly not a helpless damsel, though she did appear to be in distress.

Before he could answer, Jensen caught his eye, and Kahn saw that his former Padawan was no happier with his presence than Amalia was. Again, the thought struck him that it wasn't a coincidence that both his Master and Padawan were leaning towards the Dark Side- that he was the cause of it, that as a 'carrier' of the Dark Side himself, he'd somehow infected those close to him. The thought was enough to awaken a tiny amount of fear in him.

"I bet you're wondering just what in the heavens we are doing in such a nasty place."

Kahn blinked, focusing on Jensen's words once more. He spoke quietly, not too comfortable with the way their voices seemed to echo in such a place of death.

"It is an unusual place to choose in one's journey."

Then he turned his attention back to Amalia, his voice soft, in response to her somewhat accusing and icy tones.

"I. . .well, I came to find you. . ."

Why, exactly, he'd felt such a driving need to find her, Kahn couldn't quite explain, and had a feeling he'd only make the situation worse if he tried. Besides, she could read his feelings easily- the bond they shared, even if it had been weakened now, was still strong enough for that. He'd been concerned, worried, and even afraid- afraid of losing his best friend and Master to the same Darkness that had nearly claimed his own life.

Silence filled the air for a fleeting moment as Amalia looked from Kahn to Jensen, only to return her gaze back to Kahn.

Everything that escaped Kahn's lips to fall to Amalia's ears seemed to produce an unwelcoming characteristic from Amalia in response.

"I was not looking to be found. A game of hide and seek was not something to partake in within my agenda. I assumed that my evanescent manner would have made that quite clear."

Amalia's gaze retreated to Jensen as she continued to speak, her gaze studying Jensen closely.

".. Though you're here now, and while I did not wish to have been found, you have taken to find me..."

Her brown eyes quickly darted to Kahn again as she continued to speak, her words surprising both men.

".. Jensen.. he reminds me of you.. Kahn."

His ship touched down in between two grassy hills. The lambda shuttle rested upon its landing gears, slowly opening up its doors and letting down the ramp. Exiting his ship, Malice?s robes billowed about him as a strong breeze blew past. A breeze, which carried the scent of his son?.and cole. Turning towards the east, Malice could feel many jedi upon Naboo. But he did not care for any of them, only 2. Reaching out through the force, Malice was finally able to make a mental contact with one of them.

(Greetings Cole, it has been a longtime. I trust you know why I am here?)

While he waited for an answer, Malice followed Coles presence. His destiny was at hand. With each step he took, his rise to power was that much closer.