A/N: I feel like this chapter is short, maybe it is maybe it isn't. What really matters is that it's done! Took me a while too, my inspiration waned for a good while there, hopefully my muse will stick around long enough for me too pump out chapter until reaching the end. Anywho, this chapter makes me happy, we have lots of stuff going on with Sarah, this chapter actually crosses simultaneously with the last one, and goes a little farther too. This chapter is the first that really hops between Sarah and Jareth a lot, well actually it hops between Sarah and my OC Kaiaraki, because I really want us to observe dark Jareth's behaviour rather than observe his thoughts, too revealing that little warped brain of his. I love dark Jareth! I'm just really digging this set, where in King's Curse I really played with how to lighten Jareth up, in this one I'm dealing with a very different sort of Jareth. Anyway, on with story:
Chapter Seven - Blackened Hearts
Upon entering the Labyrinth Didymus had laid down three rules. The first rule was to stay close, so as not to get lost. Sarah had failed at that, staring off into the sky after a few hours of seemingly pointless wandering. The second rule was if they got separated to stay put, that Sarah had also broken but it wasn't really her fault, something had found her.
Well first it was a goblin, running through a corridor next to her. Then it was a gigantic independent pair of jaws. Well independent with the exception of the extremely long chain that it was attached to. The pair of jaws latched onto the helpless little goblin, and dragged it back. Sarah wasn't sure whether it would be better to look or not. She could look and possibly alert the thing to her presence, or she could avoid looking and possibly have it sneak up on her. Eventually she decided to look, although afterwards she really wished she hadn't.
The thing was a monstrosity; it only barely fit into the labyrinth corridor. All its limbs could move independently, but were also chained together. It couldn't be said whether this was to impede the beast as much as possible or simply to prevent it from losing track of any of itself. Sarah guessed the latter, watching the beast's tongue wrapping up the chain with surprising dexterity, pulling the screaming, thrashing and bleeding goblin into the monster's throat. Its legs were thin and nimble, like a lizard, but it was covered in mangy blood stained fur. This was understandable as the monster shuffled the little goblin in its mouth for an extra chomp. This bite severed the goblin, its head neck and right arm toppling back to the stone and taking with it an obscene amount of blood.
This is when Sarah decided to run, not so much because of the scene but because of another realization. It wasn't blood stained, that monster had once been a fiery. Sarah didn't know where her legs were taking her; really she didn't much care as the adrenaline pumped through her legs and blinded her senses. That was when she rounded the corner and came upon the puzzle door. Well technically there were two doors, one just happened to lead to certain death.
Didymus' third rule, whatever happens, stay quiet, was broken then, when Sarah saw the two guards (four if you counted their heads) rotting corpses hanging above either door. And the words written above both doors, it doesn't matter which door, you're dead either way.
Sarah's shuddering legs collapsed on the ground, she couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, she was going into shock. No, forget the going into part, she was already in shock. Trembling, Sarah could feel her entire body, cold as ice, then with a final shudder, she lurched forward and the bile climbed out of her mouth.
As unpleasant as throwing up was, it did make her feel better.
"My lady," Didymus called with concern as he climbed over more vines in order to reach her again. Now Sarah could see how he'd gotten the lesser injuries when he'd first arrived, the natural equivalent to barbed wire was no less sharp, Didymus was covered in little nicks that Sarah knew for certain had not been there before.
However, Sarah was still reeling from her experience, "Didymus," she said with a whimper in her voice and the sharp gasps of nearly hyperventilating. Swinging her arms open she accepted the warm and comforting form of her small friend. "I'd seen it before, a bunch of them in the Labyrinth woods, all red and furry with body parts that separate, but it was huge and connected with chains. It was horrible."
"My lady," Didymus said as calmly as possible, but Sarah heard the frightened twitch in his voice, "We have to get away, those beasts have free range of the labyrinth now, we have to get moving as fast as possible."
Sarah nodded and released Didymus, the little fox goblin immediately headed for the wall to search for any kind of exit, in the already enclosed space.
"Have the doors changed?" Sarah asked, getting a curious look as the fox goblin turned back towards her. She walked slowly towards the door on the right, biting her lip in thought.
"I don't know, my lady," Didymus admitted, "only the gate keepers were given that sort of information." Sarah sighed and turned back only to go paler than as a ghost, staring at the chain-bodied fiery standing on the wall just above.
"Sir Didymus!" Sarah screamed, acting before she could think, she leapt towards the wall, the pair of jaws whisking over her head and hitting the labyrinth floor with a loud clack. She crashed into the fox goblin, her arm curling protectively around him, as she launched herself from the wall. Her shoulder crashed into the right door, swinging it open to the path beyond, as the jaws clacked against the black stones again, barely missing her ankle. Then the pair began to tumble down the helping hands tunnel, yet the hands did nothing, they hung their lifeless, several sporting cobwebs as Sarah tumbled. She didn't have any time to think to brace herself for the hard crash against the hard dirt at the bottom of the oubliette.
"She's in the oubliette," Kaiaraki said, having narrated the whole event, shakily. The Goblin King remained silent, perched on the window sill. Kaiaraki bit her lip, considering her words carefully, she had to test a theory, "It was a very hard fall," Kaiaraki said lightly, and watched her king visibly tighten, "I think she might be hurt."
Jareth stood up from his perch, "Is he well?" the king said cryptically, "The prisoner in cell 0321, the one I asked you to look after?"
"Yes sir," Kaiaraki said.
The Goblin King strode towards the door, Kaiaraki froze, watching him stride by as she turned and began following, at a respectable distance of course. In her trembling hands was the crystal globe, she kept watching the progress of the runner carefully, her mind buzzing with questions.
"My lady," Didymus cried, as he squiggled from the grip of the body which cushioned his own fall.
"I'm alright Sir Didymus," Sarah said beginning to shuffle, "I landed flat." She was planning to stand when pain shot through her body, delayed by the shock of falling. She looked at her left leg, curled up behind her back in a most unnatural manner, although she could only see it by the faint light of the oubliette grate. "Well, mostly flat," she admitted uncomfortably as the fox goblin scuttled around her in a near panic.
The fox goblin, was muttering under his breath, circling around Sarah constantly, occasionally reaching out only to stop at the last moment and back away. "I think it's broken," Sarah said fighting back the pain filled tears, "you're going to have to set it."
"Set it?" Didymus would've visibly paled were he not furry and been in such a dark room, but Sarah could hear it in his voice.
"Line up the bones so that it can splinted, like what I did with your arm," Sarah bit her lip, drawing blood, thankful for the First Aid lessons she'd been forced to take when her step-mother had become pregnant with Toby. Sarah could feel, Didymus' soft padded paws rest against her leg, and-
Even Jareth winced at the scream, the scream of horrible agony that rang clear across the entire Labyrinth. Kaiaraki had watched what happened, then lifted her eyes to stare in horror at her master.
"Go get the prisoner," Jareth said calmly, "I'll meet you in the throne room."
"Of course Your Majesty," Kaiaraki said, and scampered out of sight, although not out of earshot, her cat ears prickled up nervously, as she tilted her head backward to listen to the faint muttering of her master.
"Bitch maze," he growled softly, "just this once, listen to my conscious will… and send her my strength…"
Kaiaraki blinked in confusion, her attention suddenly whirled to the crystal she still held, it radiated light, the oubliette she was viewing filled with light.
Sarah closed her eyes with the warmth that surrounded her, it was like when she had touched the labyrinth walls, nostalgic. Didymus' eyes widened as he glanced around the room, "Healing magic?"
"Didymus, that's amazing," Sarah smiled as her broken leg tingled pleasantly.
"It's not me, my lady; few goblins have the magic to do something like that."
"Then, how'd it get here?" Sarah asked.
"Seems like you have a secret angel," Didymus said, he knew of course, only the Goblin King would be able to channel magic through the labyrinth itself. However, without knowing the king's intentions it was probably best not to worry Sarah with that information, probably. The underground was considerably safer than the remaining Labyrinth above at any rate.
"Beh," the prison walking behind Kaiaraki griped as they headed for the throne room, "what kind bloke locks another bloke up for three years, then brings me up. Not satisfied to let me rot Jareth?"
"I don't suggest you use those kinds of words around our king," Kaiaraki warned him, "unless you'd rather have your life end right away." She pushed the door open and headed into the throne room. "I've brought the prisoner you requested, young master," she said with a bow, and pushed her grouchy counterpart forward, backing away.
Jareth looked up at the wrinkled dwarf, "It's good to see you, Hoggle."
A/N: Whoo, what a twist! I have been planning this for so long, but you'll learn more about that next chapter. I you review it might make me write faster. (hint hint, nudge nudge)