Next offering to the temple of Fanfiction! I hope you enjoy it and again I ask that if you read it, you review it! Please? Thanks go out to all who read and bigger thanks to those who have reviewed: FaerieatHeart13, Avispa, notwritten, yodeladyhoo, Skyrere and ScarlethasPheonixpower. Again I apologise that this is a little short, they seem to be ending themselves where it is natural.
Chapter Two: Bargains and Journeys.
Sarah stared up at the thing looming over her, taking a step back, the smell of its breath was overpowering and she moved away more for that reason than in fear. It hissed again and she finally felt a thrill of terror as she realised what she was looking up at. It was a water dragon. Naturally it had no wings, what would a creature that dwelled under the water need with those? The final clue had been in the horns that had risen from their flattened position along its neck as it had hissed at her.
"P-p-please," she stammered and she mentally cursed herself for a fool. If she could face down Jareth and barely bat an eyelid, but when faced with a dragon she became the damsel in distress. "Is my brother in here?"
"Thief!" It spat at her and she took another step away.
"No, I'm not, I'm just looking for my brother!" She hastily dropped the bone she still held and wiped her hands nervously on her skirt. The dragon's head swayed from side to side as it looked down at her.
"He is the thief. He shall be punished!" Sarah's jaw dropped and she found her feet at the edge of the steaming pool in the centre of the cavern.
"I'm sure he didn't mean to... I'm sure it wasn't his intention to steal."
"Intention? You know all that happens in his mind?" The accompanying laugh made Sarah's blood ran cold and one of her feet slipped as she debated trying to move further away from the dragon. It drew its head back and she felt herself stabilise. "I will punish him. You will leave."
"No! Please, I have to have him back!" She shook off the feeling of deja vu and forced herself to move away from the edge and underneath the dragon's gaping maw. "Tell me what I have to do!" Again the dragon laughed and Sarah balled her fists at her sides, willing herself to look braver than she really felt. "Please," she whispered again and was appalled when it sounded more like she was begging and less like a demand. The laughter stopped and the magnificent creature looked down at her, its face curious.
"What would you trade for your brother?" It questioned.
"Anything." She looked down at herself, at her clothes and the jewellery. She wore a summer skirt, long and floaty, with a simple white, fitted shirt. Her jewellery consisted of a heavy silver bangle on her left wrist and a long chain with an emerald pendent, her most prized possession, given to her by Thomas three days before he was killed. She fingered it and saw the dragon staring. "This?" She reached back to unclasp the chain and saw it shake its head.
"No, that trinket is worthless. There is a jewel, the colour of the sky, in the possession of the Goblin King. The jewel is worth more to him than his kingdom. Bring me that and I will release your brother."
"But I have no way to get there!" She protested, more against the idea of having to ask Jareth for something than actually going to the Labyrinth again.
"The entrance to the Underground is there," the dragon swung its head towards the opening opposite the place where she had entered the cave. "You have two weeks to return with the jewel or your brother is mine to do with as I see fit."
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The air outside was hot, she could feel it burning into her skin as she left the relative safety of the cave and walked into the unknown. She was by the sea, but not even a breeze stirred the soft golden sand and the sea did not so much roar in as trickle, the tiny waves lapping at the tide line instead of crashing over it. Sand flicked over her feet as she walked towards solid ground, sliding as the sand shifted under the pressure, the tiny particles burning where they touched her feet through the sandals. She squinted against the sun and pulled her sunglasses out of the large, heavy shoulder bag she was relieved to find that she still had. The action made her pause and she pushed the sunglasses on over her eyes before she stopped and began to root through. Her purse was still there, not that she would need it for the next couple of weeks, along with the two bottles of water that she had brought along and the sandwiches for hers and Toby's lunch that day. She also pulled out a small sketch book, a notepad, pens and pencils. Aside from the meagre amount of food and water, not a lot of what she had was going to be of any use to her as she made her way to the Goblin City.
With a sigh, she packed everything back into her bag and began to walk again, ripping a strip of fabric from her skirt, using it to tie back her long hair, keeping it off her neck and therefore helping her to stay a little cooler. She could not remember the Underground having been this hot the last time she had been here, but then, she had not had the time to focus on the weather. Time was still against her now, but there was more of it and that gave her chance to come up with a new plan.
She walked for hours, until night began to fall and finally a chill came to the too hot atmosphere. Miserably she sat on the hard ground, she had not seen a sign of another living being all day and it was by sheer luck that she had found the road that she was now walking along with no idea of whether she was going in the right direction or not. She had eaten one of the sandwiches as she had walked, but only drunk enough water to stop her mouth from going dry. She was exhausted and she curled up in the dust, pulling the jumper she had tied around her waist on, before adjusting her skirt so that it covered her feet and falling into a restless sleep.
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When she awoke the next morning, she was stiff and sore, she had bruises in places she did not know could get bruises and her muscles were screaming. She pushed herself upright and put her hand to her head, dehydration had given her a headache and she forced herself to take only a few sips from the bottle instead of draining it. After she had wetted her lips and allowed herself to eat another of the sandwiches, she stood and began to walk in the same direction she had been headed in the day before.
It was not long before her feet began to hurt and she could feel blisters forming where the sandals had rubbed the day before, sand still stuck between the straps and her skin. Now she had to make herself walk with the pain and the need for water, hours passed and hunger also began to gnaw at her. She forced herself to keep moving, her limp slowing her and she began to wonder why she had not seen another living soul. All around her were signs that the land had once been populated, in the distance she could see a house, and at one point she could see that the land had been farmed. Now it seemed abandoned.
By the end of the second day she had reached a farm, it was completely abandoned, the only sign that it had recently been inhabited was the row of tiny tombstones just by the front door. Sarah knocked once before pushing the door open and stepping inside. She looked around her, thinking at first that the small room was uninhabited, but closer examination showed that there was someone in the corner, huddled into a tiny ball. She took a step closer and reached a hand out to the small form. It was a goblin, barely breathing and completely unconscious, his clothes were ragged and he was emaciated and very dehydrated. In the corner there was a bucket covered by an old rag and she lifted the corner to see clear water. Relief flooded through her and she scooped a small amount out with one dust covered hand, taking a drink before grabbing the cup beside it and taking the life giving liquid to the goblin huddled in the corner, tricking a small amount into his mouth. He coughed and weakly pushed her away as he began to regain consciousness.
"Do not waste it on me," he rasped to her. "Save it for yourself. Do not suffer for your kindness." She stared down at him, felt tears sting at her eyes and knew that to cry would be a waste of water that was obviously so scarce in the Goblin Kingdom. She poured a little more water into the goblin's mouth, insisting that he drink it whether he wanted to or not.
"Please, I need to ask you, how do I get to the Goblin City?"
"You do not truly wish to go there, child?" He whispered, his voice catching in a still too dry throat. His eyes slid closed again as she nodded emphatically. "Follow the road away from the sea. It is two days away. Take the water, you will need it more than I."
"But what about you?" She stared at the frail form and knew the answer even before she had asked the question. The goblin's eyes were cloudy with pain as it met hers and he seemed to sigh as she picked him up and carried him over to one of the beds that had been pushed into the corner of the room, away from the bucket of water and what would have been the kitchen. The goblin had passed out by the time that she laid him on the bed and she heard a bleating sound coming from outside. She peered out of the window and saw a nanny goat, her udders heavy, she was calling to be milked and even though Sarah really did not know what she was doing, she found a large bowl and went out to her anyway, the milk would make a good, if brief, substitute for food and water. Before going outside she laid the fire and set light to it, coaxing it into life.
After nearly an hour of attempting to milk the goat in failing light, and the bowl having been kicked over twice, once landing on her skirt, Sarah had finally gained half a bowl of goats milk and she began to go through the larder to find something to put with it. The larder was almost bare and all she could find was some flour and crystalised honey. Deciding to make do with what she had she mixed the flour and milk in a bowl until it formed a thick, sticky paste and added the honey to the warm mixture. She shaped it into rough cakes and placed them on a slate near the open fireplace, not really sure how the lumpy mess would turn out but hoping that they would at least be a little edible.
She was unsure how long to leave them for and was hesitant to go outside and use the sandy dirt to scrub the sticky mess off her hands, she was even more reluctant to use the little water inside the house, an examination of the well when she had gone to milk the goat had told her that it was completely dry and that the water in the bucket was the only water nearby. After a few moments scrubbing, she rose and went back into the little house, looking down at the sticky lumps on the slate and wondering if they would turn out alright after all. Once they had gone golden brown, though they were still flat, Sarah pulled them from the fire, blowing on her burning fingers, and dropped them onto a rag covered plate.
It was almost with a sense of trepidation that she picked one up and nibbled on it. It was a little dry and there was not much flavour to it, but it would do and if she rationed them, she knew that she would have enough to last her the two day journey to the Labyrinth, even if it meant that she would be bored of them by the time she reached the castle. After eating two of them and drinking another handful of water, Sarah checked on the goblin and curled up in the spare bed.
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When she woke the next morning, Sarah's first action was to check on the goblin. He was cold and stiff, he had died as she slept. She felt a little guilty that she had simply slept the night through whilst he had spent his last moments alone and she shed a couple of tears for him. She packed up her things as the goblin's cold body lay on the bed, the heat of the day seeping into the house, even through the stone walls and she could almost feel the accusing, dead gaze of the goblin and another twinge of guilt hit her as she realised that she had not even known his name. The thought made her stop her actions and she began to hunt for a shovel. It took her some time to notice that the goblin did not seem to have one and a few moments more to realise that he must have dug the graves outside with his bare hands. Even though she knew that she did not have the time to dig a proper grave and do the poor creature justice, she felt that she owed it to him, to repay him for his kindness to her.
The work was back breaking and thirsty and Sarah's soft hands were raw and bleeding by the time she was through burying her kind host. She stood over the grave, not sure what to say, whether a prayer would be appropriate, and then went back into the house. She flung the cloth off the bucket of water and filled her now empty water bottles with the clear liquid before drinking her fill. It was stagnant and the temptation to spit it out was great, yet as much as she knew that she would probably suffer the consequences of drinking the water later, it was all that she had access to and all that it was likely she would for a long time. With the little that was left, she scrubbed at the milk stain on her skirt, now ruined beyond repair, knowing that she was a state and not fit to be seen, then gave up and turned from the little farm house and the silent graves at the front, walking towards her greatest fear and her only hope.
The third and fourth day passed in the same manner as the first, she did not come across any more abandoned farm houses and the dwellings she did find, always had locked doors and windows. It seemed that the goblin she had encountered was not an isolated case, the whole place seemed to be in the grip of something terrible. She continued to walk and by midmorning on the fifth day, she was at the walls of the Labyrinth and searching for the entrance.
My little offering to you. I know that we already saw an idea of what was happening through Jareth's eyes, but we also need to see what Sarah sees. Again I will say that my next part will be posted by this time next week and hopefully it will be a little longer than the last couple of bits. Please let me know what you think, reviews are always useful!
Artemis