A.N. - Okay so this is a somewhat shorter chapter, but we're reaching the end of the story and I'm excited about that. I hope you all enjoy this latest installment!
Still Life with Large Lizards
The darkness of night seemed to consume them and Sarah asked in a quiet tone, "Do you think we should find shelter for the night?"
Brok shook his head, replying just as quietly, "No, this isn't a safe area. The Goblin City is close. If I can remember where the gate is, we can sleep there for the night."
"Where are all the goblins anyway?"
"Most of them are holed up in their houses in the city, though a few have left the Goblin Kingdom and are staying with friends or relatives."
At that point, they came across two, high, iron double doors. Sarah recognized them immediately. "This is it, we made it!" Suddenly, there was a rumbling and the ground shifted, causing everyone to huddle together. The doors slide to the right and out of sight, and in their place, a different set of doors came before them. These doors were made of crystal and they were a more normal door size. The ground stopped rumbling.
"Darn it!" Brok cried. "The Labyrinth is still somewhat alive, so it just moved. We'll have to go through these doors in order to get back to the other ones."
"Alright, well I'm not turning back now, so we might as well go in." The doors were unlocked so they pushed through and stepped into the new area.
Right away, they could tell there was something not quite right about the place. There were statues of every type of creature imaginable scattered in what appeared to be a haphazard manner. "This place is creepy," Bethany said. "I don't remember ever being here."
"Yeah," Sarah remarked, "it's like a graveyard. Why are there so many different statues? I mean, did Jareth put this place here for a reason too?"
"I don't remember," Brok admitted. "There's many parts of the Labyrinth I haven't traveled to in some time."
Despite the growing unease inside of her, Sarah was curious and approached one of the statues. "Geez, they're so lifelike. It really is creepy. You know, maybe we should get out of here as quickly as possible." But it was in that moment that the moon decided to peek out from the clouds and settle upon two of the statues, making Sarah gasp in horror. "Ludo! Sir Didymus!" She cried out, running up to her two friends. For there they were, frozen as statues, just like the rest. "Brok, what's happened to them? What's happened to them all?!"
Brok didn't get a chance to reply though, for there was a hissing sound coming from the brush nearby. "Oh shit," Hoggle said. "Run everyone! I remember what's here now, it's a basilisk. If you look in its eyes, you'll be petrified!" They all scattered, as the crunching of branches and snarling of a large creature followed them. At one point, Sarah was huddled behind a statue and happened to glance in a puddle of water. Her eyes widened as she took in the reflection of the beast. It looked like a cross between what she imagined a dragon and a giant rooster would have produced as an offspring. She didn't know if her magic would be able to help in this situation, not to mention she didn't know if she could call upon her magic any time she wanted. She knew she had to do something though.
"Oh, I wish someone could help us right now," she muttered. The fluttering of wings above her caused her to look up. The silhouette of a ginormous bird blocked out the light of the moon for a second, until it swooped down. Sounds of a ferocious battle soon came as snarling and snapping could be heard. A loud crack followed by silence signaled what could only be the end of the battle.
Sarah wasn't sure if it was safe, but Brok's voice called out, "It's alright, everyone can come out now!"
She cautiously crept out, as did the others, to witness the bloody scene. The basilisk lay dead on the ground, both eyes gouged out. Standing next to it, preening, was the source of their rescue.
"Is that a gryphon?" Sarah asked, for the creature did have the head of an eagle and the body of a lion.
"Indeed," Brok replied, smiling. "And you called it here."
"I did?"
"Yes. It seems that some of the power that His Majesty gave you before the last time you came here still resides in you."
"You mean the wish I made just now? Does that mean I can wish for anything?"
"Probably not. I think it only works in certain instances, but what those instances would be I couldn't tell you." Brok glanced at the gryphon and then said, "You know what, though? I think he can get us to the Goblin City. We just need to go two at a time."
At that moment, the creatures and beings who had been petrified began to move again. "When the basilisk died, the spell on them must have been broken," Bethany remarked.
Something like a revelation passed through Sarah, for she knew what had to be done. "Listen, you all need to stay here and help everyone. I'll go on the gryphon and confront Mekrul."
"What?! No, Sarah, you can't!" Hoggle yelled.
"I have to do this alone, Hoggle. It was my challenge to begin with, so I'm the only one who can free Jareth and you know it. Please, I know I can do this."
Hoggle sniffed, but he nodded. "Okay, you're right. Promise me you're comin' back though."
"I promise," Sarah smiled. Turning to the others, she said, "Thank you all for everything. I'll be back soon."
"Good luck," Bethany said.
"Remember, just believe in yourself," Brok piped in.
Waving goodbye to them, Sarah climbed into the gryphon's back and it soared up into the air.
