AN: Back to Sarah here. Another short chapter but the story is close to its climax. Enjoy!
Sarah woke up to darkness. Every inch of her body was on fire. She tried to scream but the only sound that came out was a muffled gurgle.
Hot bile rose to her throat so she turned to vomit up the contents of her stomach.
Where am I?
The darkness finally began to form shapes and patterns. She was in a dungeon cell. The smell alone reeked of mildew and rot.
That must have been Prince Oren. He took me. Where's Amelia?!
Sarah struggled to her feet as the world swam dangerously around her.
The dungeon was black save for the odd torch flickering smoky orange against the gloom.
The bars of her cell were rough from disrepair and rusted in places.
She gripped the bars, and looked around the dungeon for another sentient soul.
There was only silence to greet her along with the pit pat of water falling from the ceiling to hit the stone.
"Hello?" Sarah called out to the darkness.
"Hello Sarah." The voice was at her ear, hot breath sending fear through her.
She turned around to face it.
"I'm over here." He hissed and Sarah wheeled around again.
Prince Oren stood outside of Sarah's cell, his dark green eyes bright against the darkness.
"Why did you bring me here?" Sarah demanded.
Oren laughed and strode forward to the cell, gripping the bars in his pale hands.
"You are my ticket to obtaining the Labyrinth."
"You won't win." Sarah challenged, her eyes blazing.
Oren's gaze turned black and he appeared in the cell with Sarah. She was thrown against the cell wall, her head knocking into the stone. Her world spun.
"You're wrong pathetic human. Jareth will come for you, and when he does he will have left the Goblin Kingdom defenseless."
Sarah's eyes widened in understanding and then she laughed, her jade eyes holding fire. "That's why you haven't made a move on Jareth's kingdom! You're afraid of him. He's stronger than you." Sarah paused for a moment. "You're a coward!"
For a weightless moment Sarah flew through the cell before she was slammed back onto the cold floor.
"I have his champion consort. He will come. He will watch you breathe your last while I stand before him and take everything that is his, including his spawn before I end his life as well."
Sarah froze and Oren cackled laughter. "What? You think I didn't know about the girl? The only reason I didn't take her is the protection necklace around her neck. My good friends here helped me find an opening to you though. It seems they have vested special interest in the girl."
Then Sarah's own worst fears crept up alongside Oren. The Mirror Dwellers! That was the rot I smelled.
One of the ugly things grinned, its mouth full of sharp rotted teeth. "Jareth will leave magic girl to save you. Then we will have magic girl all for ourselves."
Sarah tried to hide her fear yet it still rocked through her. "You think Jareth would leave her defenseless? You're wrong."
The Mirror Dweller that had spoken was the same one that first discovered Amelia those years ago. "Oh Human Creature I am right! Magic girl will taste so sweet as we devour her. Maybe we will let you watch before Prince Oren ends you."
Sarah ran at the bars to the cell, reaching through to try and grab the rotted creature. "You will not touch her!"
The Mirror Dwellers all began to laugh as they disappeared. Prince Oren stayed behind. He was watching Sarah carefully.
"You're the first champion of the Labyrinth." He surmised. "Just a human girl then, and a human woman now. What makes you so special?"
Sarah met his eyes. "I never give up. You will not win."
Oren glared at her and began to fade away. "Just how is that so? You're in a cell, locked in my dungeons. You're my prisoner."
Then he was gone and Sarah was back to the inky black silence that was only highlighted with the flickering torch lights.
She was no longer afraid for herself. Her thoughts were on Amelia and Jareth. Her fear for the both of them was insurmountable.
She began to study her cell, taking in every detail, searching for anything that could aide her.
There was only straw on the floor and even that was sparse. Sarah began to feel around the cell, her hands tracing over the rusted iron bars.
She found a spot with enough rust that she felt it could give. Oren needs to take better care of his things.
She began to kick the rusted bars as hard as she could. Finally one of them gave, and then another. There was enough room for Sarah to squeeze through even though the rusted bars scraped and cut her skin.
Once she was out of the cell she felt so lost. How can I save them? How can I stop this?!