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Two chapters tonight - be sure to let me know what you think!


The line between fear and terror is so fine that one might cross without knowing. Sarah managed to turn to face her fae king and wedge her arms up between her chest and his. His grip tightened and her desperation became more apparent as she kicked him in the shin. Jareth howled in pain, but did not release his grip on her neck. Sarah's legs buckled beneath her and she collapsed to the floor.

Breathing was no longer an option, Jareth was trying to kill her!

Sarah's hands came into contact with the stone tiles; the voices exploded in her mind and in one last attempt to free her neck from the vices that held her to the floor she put her hands on either side of Jareth's head. Even through her closed eyes, Sarah could see the burst of light that repelled Jareth. Hit hit the wall with a sickening thud and slumped against the wall.

Scrambling to the balcony away from Jareth, Sarah's throat hurt too much to cry or scream. All she could do was to sit on the floor and rub the stones for comfort. "What just happened?" Sarah's mind was buzzing with questions and the Spirit tried to answer her as best it could.

"Jareth's still alive, but he won't hurt you. We won't let him."

"But why did he do that?"

"Jareth's darkness is trying to rule his body. He's been an emotional wreck for years Sarah. Since you refused him. For a long time he fought it off, but recently it resurfaced, somehow stronger. He was winning the battle until just now. You must put shoes on and flee to the High Priestess Kaya. She can be found in the eastern mountains, but you must go alone."

"You mean I won't be able to hear you once I leave the Labyrinth and Jareth's kingdom? But won't he be able to find me?"

"Sarah, you must go now, our hold on Jareth is weakening and….Sarah – RUN!"

Sarah got on her feet and ran out the bedroom door. She could hear Jareth behind her screaming her name. She fled the castle wearing only the dress and shoes that she was pretty sure Rose left for her.

"Sarah – there's a horse over here, come grab his reins and let him help you." The Spirit of the Labyrinth hadn't lied to her so far so she had no reason not to trust it. Climbing on the horse and getting him off to as fast a run as she could, the castle was soon far behind her, but Sarah knew that Jareth could still get to her if she didn't get outside of the Labyrinth quickly. The Spirit guided her as it moved walls to give her a direct path. She could hear an owl in the distance. "Sarah, don't look back…Keep watching where you are going. And…Good Luck."

Just like that Sarah and the horse were out of the Labyrinth and her head was quiet. The owl was screeching in the distance at its frustration over losing the chase. Sarah turned the horse around and looked back at the city, the evening light was just beginning to dim. Sarah wanted to shout to Jareth "I'll be back – but I've got to find a way to make you better!" but her throat just would not cooperate. Turning the horse, they took off again at a slower gallop so that the horse would have a chance to catch it's breath.

The night was quickly coming and Sarah realized that the temperature was dropping as well. She didn't dare to make camp in the event that Jareth could be following or watching. Faced with a long night ahead, Sarah pushed her thoughts to trying to figure out where to find this High Priestess Kaya. The eastern mountains didn't seem to be far, but she had learned long ago that things were not always as they seemed here.

Sarah's hand reached up to touch her neck. Wincing in pain, she saw a stream flowing nearby and stopped to let the horse drink. Looking around to be sure they were safe, Sarah hopped down off the horse and cooled her hand in the stream before putting the hand against her throat. The darkness concerned her since she didn't know what was out here. As she put her hand back down into the water to have a small drink she felt something move in her hand.

Alarmed, Sarah dropped the water back into the stream. "Who is there?" Her mind was screaming but her vocal cords still had not recovered. Sarah turned to see a blue light dancing on the water. There was peace within this light and Sarah felt it's calming effect immediately. "Who…who are you…" Sarah managed to squeak the words out.

The blue light gave way to a large fairy who was absolutely radiant. The fairy approached Sarah with her hands out and Sarah opened her hands for the fairy to land on. Turning Sarah's head slightly, the fairy winced as she saw the marks on Sarah's neck and jumped down from her hands.

The fairy seemed to increase her size before Sarah's eyes and she began to talk to Sarah, "Lady Sarah, your quest will be riddled with many challenges to free the Goblin King from the darkness that ensnares his very soul. There will be many things that help you, but there is only one thing that will save you…Jareth's heart belongs to you. He will fight to help you, but you must do this yourself to save him." Sarah watched the fairy and nodded.

"I bring you two gifts Lady Sarah, the first is your health," the fairy touched Sarah's throat and it began to heal and feel normal again. "The second gift is one that will tear you apart if not used at the right times." The fairy produced a bubble that closely resembled Jareth's crystals, she watched Sarah cringe away slightly and felt her pain. "This crystal is like Jareth's, true, but this one will only allow you to see and hear Jareth."

The crystal rested in Sarah's hand and Jareth's face was suddenly visible. "Sarah, Sarah…where are you?" She could hear him calling out to her, but did not answer.

"He cannot hear you Lady Sarah, no need to worry." The fairy nodded to Sarah, "You have questions, I can only answer three."

Sarah thought carefully for a moment, "How do I find the High Priestess Kaya?"

The fairy raised her arm and pointed to the northeast. "You'll need to travel a day longer in that direction. Kaya resides near the top of the ridge where the snow becomes the stream."

"How much time does Jareth have?" Sarah's worst fear was not getting back to him in time.

"The Jareth you know, whose heart belongs to you, will be lost to you after three moons if you do not succeed."

"What happens to the Labyrinth if I can't save Jareth?"

"You must succeed Lady Sarah in order for the Labyrinth to survive. The Spirit of the Labyrinth has chosen you to be it's guardian over Jareth due to his darkness."