Chapter 11.

Hoggle was tracking the wheel track, Ludo was following the scent in the air and Sir Didymus was acting as guard and protector of the King, taking point. Jareth was becoming very moody and morose. He wanted to hold off using his powers for as long as he could, not wishing to alert the Mountain Goblin band that he was indeed on to them. It put Sarah at risk, and that was nearly more than the monarch could bear. He knew that he was not going to be at peace until they found Sarah. Even then he was sure there'd be little or no peace with the way the boy was reacting to everything. Eggshells were not something Jareth was accustomed to walking upon. However for the moment it seemed to be the experience he was forced into.

Toby walked sullenly at the side of the King, perturbed and tormented over the amount of importance the King was putting on the Witch. He didn't understand why Jareth could not allow these subject to find the woman. Why did he have to take part in the hunt? His bothered state was interfering with the boy seeing what was about him.

Jareth turned to the lad, "Did Sarah ever speak of her time here?"

"No," Toby answered curtly.

"Odd," Jareth murmured. "I'd have thought she'd have told you about it."

"No," Toby repeated rudely.

Jareth allowed the others to move ahead, he placed a hand on the boy's arm barring him from moving forward. "Jarethkin, that tone and that attitude are uncalled for. I suggest you make an adjustment of them before it's made for you."

Surprised at the rebuffing the boy's mouth dropped open. "It's not fair," he growled. Now his eyes were full of an unspoken built up anger. "You're supposed to be happy that I'm with you, that I've been returned…. That I gave you the Witches book!" His emotions poured to the surface. "But instead of rejoicing, you're hunting for the very person who pulled us apart."

"She is also the person who put us together in the first place," Jareth stated firmly. "Were it not for Sarah, I would never have found you."

"I don't believe that," Toby pouted. "We were meant to find each other, even the minions knew it!" Placing hands at his hips, he mimicked one of the King's own stances. "They called me the Golden Child; they said I was the One... I don't recall them ever calling her anything but Witch."

"That is because they never had direct contact with her," Jareth mused. "These minions know little or nothing of the true nature of Sarah. Their calling her witch does not make it so."

Disillusioned Toby dropped his arms and his mask of bravado fell a bit. "You're doing it again," he whined vaguely, somewhat taken aback. "Why do you have to defend her?"

"For a good many reasons," Jareth stated intriguingly. "Most of which have nothing to do with you, my boy."

"But Father," the boy complained. "I'm the one you're supposed to be concerned with…"

"Jarethkin, where are you?" Jareth halted the whining session with the one question.

"Here…"

"Here," prodded the King with a rolling motion of his gloved hand.

"Here with you," the youth huffed.

"Exactly," Jareth pointed out. "And in what condition is your health?"

Blue eyes squinted, "My health is fine." His lips pursed.

"I wish I could say the same for Sarah," Jareth turned to follow the trail that the others were already on. "For three years Sarah tried to tutor you as best she could. Knowing her, she kept things simple so a child would embrace her teachings, and it must have been working. Then after she was gone, for thirteen years you'd had goblins, not mine I'd add, telling you day in and day out how evil Sarah is. You would never have been open to them even coming to you had it not been for Sarah keeping your mind open and your heart accepting. You've allowed them to plot against her and you even took part in making sure the plot was executed." Jareth stopped and turned on the boy. "Have you for one movement thought about what they would do to her?"

"No," Toby shied, feeling as if he were going to be blamed for something that was not his fault. He shifted his weight, and began to feel the panic rising.

"No," Jareth repeated saddened. "You know that she's bleeding and yet you show no feeling for her. Do you hate her so much, Jarethkin?"

"Why don't you," challenged the boy instead of answering. "She pulled us apart."

Painful as the memory was, Jareth held it back. "She had her reasons." He turned away.

"I don't understand you," moaned the boy as he followed.

--

Kuri hated being in the stone maze, it was disorienting and she detested feeling off course. Like most Gwyllion she depended on her stalwart seasoned sense of direction. If and when she needed to be in the Labyrinth she avoided the stone maze. She looked at her grandfather and wondered if the loss of his vision had given him more ability to discern the right course. Kuri looked at their cargo. "She's looking very ill Grandfather," she whispered. "She needs more than I can do with my herbs. She needs the healer at the castle…"

"We will do what we can, until we have her safe." He whispered.

"We are near the Ruse," he announced.

"How can you tell?" she asked bewildered by the turns they'd taken.

"I can smell the guards, or rather their feet…" the old Gwyllion chuckled. "No matter how many times I tell them, they refuse to stop stomping in the onion marsh. They said something about it feels good to go squish."

--

Skunkweed found Toadface at work moving sacks; he pulled him off the line of Goblins who were toiling. "We've a problem," he growled darkly. "The Witch has escaped."

"Impossible," rebuff the other contradicting his leader. "NO way could she escape. She was chained to the wall… with iron." He looked about making sure they were not being observed or overheard. "No Fae could help her, and no Goblin knows she's here."

"She must have figured a way to use her own magic…" Skunkweed declared, "If she has we need to find her and destroy her! We cannot allow her to transform, we can't afford it."

"If she's changing, what of the boy?" Toadface whimpered.

As ugly as Skunkweed was to begin with, his face twisted into pure evil. "He too must be destroyed."

"Dak`ar will not like you making these choices without his approval," warned the smaller of the two Mountain Goblins. "He will be very angry."

"He will be King, and that should be more than enough for him," Skunkweed motioned the other to follow him.

--

In the halls of the Mountain Goblin King, the old wizard who'd been captured years before stood at the King's side. He watched in the image stones the plotting of the foot soldiers sent to the lands of the Labyrinth. "They begin to form their own plans," he warned. "As I foretold they would."

Dak`ar clenched his hand into a fist. "The witch is key you said, did you not?"

The wizard pulled on his beard, "I may have…" he didn't wish to say more.

"The fools must be stopped… we need the Fae King's witch." Dak`ar bellowed.

--

They were close and Kuri could also smell the faintly strange onion odor. Her grandfather cocked his head to one side, hearing something. His hand pulled his granddaughter into a corridor of the stone maze. She followed with the wheelbarrow without questioning. A moment later she saw walking past the narrow passageway a pair of Mountain Goblins.

Skunkweed growled. "They have to come this way, whoever they are… and we can take back that which they've taken from us." He laughed maliciously.

Toadface shook his head, "We don't even know who or what could have taken her…"

The larger Mountain Goblin turned, glared at his companion and shook a fist in his face.
"I don't care who or what…"

The smaller goblin looked concerned for his own safety. "We will get her back, and Dak`ar will be none the wiser." He promised his leader. "And then we can concentrate on securing the boy as well."

"The boy has become a liability," Skunkweed growled.

Sarah in the bed of the cart opened her eyes, and listened as her protectors did. The mention of the boy drew her complete attention.

Toadface chortled, "He's manageable," he assured the other.

Discontented with the direction this plot had taken, Skunkweed shook his head. "No, he was never supposed to come into contact with the Goblin King." He insisted darkly. "Now he follows him like a puppy… and that Fae fop appears to enjoy the adulation."

"He is not so unlike the High Queen with her changeling boy," mused the little goblin.

"In the name of true goblins we must sever the bond forming," Skunkweed declared threateningly in a sinister manner. "We must put the puppy out of our misery."

Kuri saw the wince the moment Sarah made it; she also saw that with great restraint the girl kept still. She placed a supportive hand on the girl's shoulder and kept it there until the two Mountain Goblins moved on.

Skunkweed grabbed the arm of the other goblin. "We need to find that witch; I want her to watch as I rip the very heart from the boy." He moved past the passage.

"We'll find her," Toadface assured his leader ad he followed. "Where can she go… there's no way out of the Labyrinth."

When Kuri looked back down at Sarah, she'd gone very still. Her color was much worse. Before she could discuss this change with the old healer he motioned her to follow quickly as he took another turn that put them directly in front of the Ruse Guards.

"Who goes there?" one guard bellowed.

"And what do you want," his partner asked.

"Safe harbor," the old man answered.

One of the guards on the door cocked his head to one side. "He must be joking."

"I'm not laughing," the head beneath his shield retorted.

"See here," the first guard argued with the upside down head, "If he's joking it must be funny and you have to laugh."

"Make me," snapped the upside down head.

"Gentlemen," interjected the old healer. "Could we have passage?"

"Which door do you want," asked one of the upright heads. "One leads to the castle, the other leads to …"

"Yes, yes," waved the old healer pointing to the door on the left. "Certain death, I'm aware…"

"No," whispered Kuri, "Wrong door…."

"Trust me," chuckled her grandfather.

The two upright guards snickered as if a good joke had been told, stepped aside and opened the heavy door. "Be our guests," one joshed.

"Grandfather," Kuri hissed.

"Push," the old man commanded, "And hang on," as he gave this last suggestion the hatch beneath them opened and swallowed the wheelbarrow, Kuri and the old man. Down a long winding tube they slid. The wheelbarrow turned on its side and kept going, carrying the injured human down the tube. Kuri lost her grip of one of the handles and clung to the other. The old Gwyllion healer relaxed allowing gravity to pull him down the deep and steep tube.

When they reached the bottom, Kuri was surprised to find they were deposited in to a oubliette. Much like the one the other door ended at. "An oubliette?" she asked rising to her knees. "I thought the door lead to certain death," she gasped.

"There is no such door," the old healer chuckled. "It's not called a Ruse for nothing my child." He sat up with a calm smile. "How is our little friend?"

"Dizzy and nauseous," Sarah moaned. "However this landing is a bit more pleasant than the last tube ride I had here."

"You rode one of the tubes before?" Kuri asked as she inspected Sarah's facial wounds.

"Not by choice," Sarah muttered. "It was outside the Fiery Forest, and the landing took me nearly into the Bog of Stench." Both Kuri and the old healer made a face. Sarah nodded, "That's my feeling about it as well."

The old healer stood up and stretched, "Well at least we are safe down here for now."

"Safe?" Sarah asked incredulously, "My little brother is being plotted against and this King Dak`ar is planning on overthrowing Jareth… we are not safe, not by a long shot!" She took a deep breath and lay back down into the bed of the now righted cart. "I think I'm gonna be sick," she moaned.

Kuri opened a pouch on her belt, "Chew on this, it will help settle your stomach."

Sarah didn't bother to ask what it was, for she didn't care. If the girl had offered her the hide of a dragon at that moment, Sarah would have taken it. Anything to take the edge off the nausea.

The old healer didn't take offence at the sharp words spoken. "We must move on, the tunnel outside this chamber will take us part of the way…"

"Where are we going," Sarah asked weakly as she chewed on the herbs.

"To the Castle at the center of the Labyrinth, of course." The old man stated.

--

Hoggle stopped looking at the stone maze and the narrow passages. "They went in here," he called over his shoulder to the King. "But the tracks end here." He looked at the king. "The stones don't show the path taken."

Jareth placed a hand on the beast sniffing the air, "Follow Sarah's scent," he suggested. Hoggle nodded his approval as he followed the lumbering beast. Sir Didymus on the back of his trusty steed followed the dwarf, and Jareth with Toby in tow took up the rear. They heard others in the stone maze but didn't come upon anyone. The twists and turns kept them from encountering the pair of Mountain Goblins who were trying to find a trail with no luck. The gap between the King's party and the Mountain Goblins widened, and the Labyrinth herself kept them separated.

Ludo halted when he came to the doors, he stared at them with confused eyes. He could smell the wounded Sarah, but he could only see doors.

Hoggle looked at the ruse guards and groaned. "Not you," he muttered.

"Nice to see you too," One guard snorted at him.

"I don't like him, never did," one of the upside down heads said peering at him from behind his shield.

Jareth and Toby stepped up behind the gathering, the King edged to the front. "Good day gents," he greeted his guards.

"Oh your Majesty!" one greeted enthusiastically. "Wonderful to see you, you don't get down here very often…"

"Not that we want you," one of the upside down heads complained quietly.

Ignoring the insult Jareth crossed his arms and addressed the fawning guard. "Which door did the girl take?"

"What girl," muttered one of the upside downs, "There's been no girl; did any of you see a girl?"

The right-side ups looked at each other in dismay, "Er…girl, sire?"

"Yes, the girl." Jareth repeated with a terse tone. "Or would you like to be reassigned to guarding the bog?"

"This one," the guard stepped back and opened the door.

Smiling Jareth turned to Toby, "One just needs to know how to persuade someone else." He looked down and placed a hand on the boy, "Everyone stick together…" the false stone over the trap door opened and the tube swallowed the rescue party.

--

"Go no further," a stone face cried out.

"This is not the way," another declared.

"Put a sock in it," Sarah said as they neared the end of the tunnel of False Alarms. The face nearest them opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Sarah looked up at Kuri. "You must be getting so tired lugging me about like this."

"You're weak," Kuri stated.

"I'm going to have to be strong," Sarah said firmly. "I have to save Toby."

The Gwyllion girl stopped moving, "What's that on the ground," she muttered. "Looks like a hat and a cape…" she stooped down and plucked the hat up. "It's a mask!"

"Let me see," Sarah held her hand out. A moment later she was grasping the beak she gave a feeble half hearted laugh. "Mind if I keep this?" she asked.

"No," Kuri looked at the pathetic bit of masking on the brim of the cavalier's styled hat. "Do you want this cape as well?"

Sarah thought about it, "Yes," she said coming up with a plan. "Yes, give that to me as well."

"Where did it come from," Kuri asked. "You seem to know it."

"The King left it here…" Sarah stated with the look of one lost in a memory that was difficult on many levels.

"We must forge ahead," the elder said. "There's a passage ahead that will take us into the forest."

"Don't you mean into the garden?" Sarah asked.

"There is one that goes to the garden," agreed the old man. "However it is not the quickest route to the castle." He bent down and put his hands on one of the handles. "You rest, my Lady…" his voice was soothing.

Sarah cradled the mask and cape as her protectors rolled the wheelbarrow down the hall past the place she'd had a heady encounter with the Goblin King. The clothe even after all this time still carried his spicy scent. Even now it clouded her reason, and confused her. She pulled the clothe closer, trying to glean some of the King's strength from it.

--

The landing at the bottom of the tube was not as soft as it may have been. Jareth didn't waste time, the exit was open. "They've been here," he called as Ludo came tumbling down on top of Hoggle who was now struggling to be free. "Don't dawdle Hogs-fang…" he ordered moving toward the door. "They can't be too far ahead."

"Get this walking rug off me!" Hoggle pleaded.

"Ludo, my brother," Didymus and his steed were the last to enter the tube, and landed the most gently. "Get off Hoggle!"

Toby quickened his pace to keep up with the King. "You know where they're going?"

"They are headed to the castle," he said pointing down a dim corridor.

"If you know that," Toby groused. "Why not just use magic and go there and await them?"

"Because you idiot," Hoggle snapped on the boy he now disliked intensely. "It would alarm the Mountain Goblins to the King's knowing." He glared at Toby; "Besides, we're trying to keep us between the Goblins and Sarah."

"I don't see why," Toby sneered back at Hoggle. "She's only getting what she deserves…."

Jareth stepped in the path of the raging little gnome of a man. "Don't," he warned as the hands of the dwarf stretched out. While Hoggle reigned himself in, the King looked at the boy. "I'm not going to warn you again, Jarethkin." He cautioned; "Stop tormenting and taunting my subjects."

"I'm sorry Father, I don't know what came over me," lamented the boy.

Jareth pointed to the curving passage, "Hoggle is this that same passage you took with Sarah before?"

"It could well be," the dwarf looked down and followed it for a bit. "They are still pushing the cart," he pointed to the rut in the stone and dust on the ground. "They are headed for the false alarms, sire."

"And the cavern where we… encountered each other…" the King mused. His face glowed with the memory of the girl who he'd flirted with outrageously in a dark tunnel. Who had faced him with defiance and rebelliousness, how it had aroused him as well as infuriated him. To the point of stealing two hours from the insubordinate rebellious bold young female. Jareth cherished the memory of Sarah in the tunnel, for her pheromones had told him in that encounter that he affected her as much as she did him.

"Do you play cat and mouse with every runner?" Toby asked noting the idiotic gleam in the eyes of his 'father'.

The glow of memory faded, and the King looked at his changeling prince. "No," he answered coolly. "But Sarah is not every runner. Sarah is unique."

"She's the bravest lady that ever challenged the Labyrinth," declared the knight from behind the King.

"Sarawh friend," Ludo purred.

Hoggle didn't know who he wanted to glare at more. The boy, for asking stupid questions. Or the King for wearing that supercilious expression. It still bothered the dwarf that he'd been threatened by the King for a mere friendship, when it was crystal clear the King wanted much more, even now…sixteen years later. "She's too good for you," he muttered.

Jareth pretended not to hear the dwarf. It worked wonders at driving the dwarf over the edge. More he was enjoying the look of utter disbelieve on Toby's face. He wanted the boy to hear the devotions from the subjects who had encountered her on her last visit. It was supposed to open his eyes, and make him think.

"Friend," challenged the boy to the beast. "I'm sure she let you think that, while you were doing her bidding… you have no idea of what she's capable of."

"And you do," questioned Hoggle.

"I'm just one of her victims," Toby asserted as he walked into the corridor behind the King.

Jareth halted, looking about the cavern and not finding what he'd expected. "She's been here," he said with a grimace. "We've missed them again."

"How do you know?" Toby asked.

"I left something here," Jareth answered as he looked about. "And it's not here now."

"Something important?" Toby wondered.

A faint wistful smile crept to the lips of the King, "Only to a man and a woman," he answered. "Onward."

--

Skunkweed, ready to pull his hair out of his head, screamed in frustration. "Where could they have gone?"

Toadface, even though he was a trained tracker, could not follow the trail. "It twists and turns too much, the tracks overlap here and there." He pointed to tracks that resembled the wheel tracks they'd been following. "I've no idea where they went."

"We need to get Nightshade and his crew looking for the boy," grumbled Skunkweed. "I want both birds in my hands!"

--

They had passed the chamber where Sarah and Hoggle had climbed up the rickety ladder. The ladder still stood in place, a silent reminder of her journey. They had passed the broken bits of what was left from the cleaners coming through. The tunnel went on, and they followed. The old man asked only once if Sarah were alright, taking her at her word when she said she was.

"There is a winding stair ahead," he cautioned. "We must leave this cart behind…are you up to walking?"

Sarah tried not to sound too tired. "I'll be fine," she reassured the healer. "I've had a good rest thanks to you both."

"We can't tax her too much," cautioned Kuri looking at the ashen features of the woman.

"I'll be fine, Kuri…" Sarah stated as they set the wheelbarrow down. "How far to the Castle? We need to warn the King about the Mountain Goblins' plans to attack." Gingerly she slid out of the basin she'd been resting in.

"There's a bit of forest, and then the junkyards," the old healer reported.

Sarah wrapped herself in the blue cloak, and placed the hat with the mask over her head, transforming herself into the guise of a goblin. She left the beggar's body, which had still been attached to the cloak in the wheelbarrow. Her legs were shaky but the ankles felt stronger. "Let's move," she commanded taking the first steps.

"Lean on me," Kuri offered as she came to Sarah's aid. "The stairs are steep and you're ankles are still injured."

"Thank you," Sarah placed an arm over her supporter's shoulder. "Do you think there are more Mountain Goblins in the woods?"

"Doubtful," the old man said as he trudged up the stairs behind them. "They were not allowed passage into the woods. Only subjects who've lived here long enough to be considered no threat are allowed to go into the woods. And of course the runners," he amended.

"Of course," Sarah sighed. "This passage by passed the bog, right?"

"Yes," the old man said calmly. "But the bridge is out and the bog is impassable."

"No, just more difficult," argued Sarah pleasantly.

At The end of the stairs came a wall that Kuri placed her and on, it pivoted just as the one in the Keep had. They stepped out into the woods and found themselves on the curve of a path. Sarah recognized the path. She heard something and motioned Kuri to be still. She placed her hand on the sleeve of the old healer but he was already alert.

Just above them on another path that was on the hillside they'd just exited, stood a band of Mountain Goblins. They were complaining bitterly about being in such a disgusting area, and making plans for their king to eliminate the woods that were here.

"Dreadful woods," Nightshade complained.

"Dreadful kingdom," agreed Toadface.

"We must find the girl, and we must find the boy." Skunkweed snapped. "It does not matter that we are uncomfortable. We have a mission."

"I'll back track the King; he's not been in the castle for hours." Nightshade stated snapping his fingers to direct the two goblins who were with him. "We'll meet you at the old well."

"Find that boy, and if you have to trick him into following you, so be it…I don't care if you have to put him in a gunnysack, just get him and bring him to me." Skunkweed directed. "Toadface, take the left fork, and look for traces of a cart." He then turned to a stray goblin that was still standing there. "You come with me."

Sarah held her breath until they moved on, once they had she whispered. "We need to hide for a bit."

"There is a place ahead…a ruin," suggested the old healer. "We can at least find shelter there."

"What kind of a ruin," Sarah inquired. "I don't remember any ruins on this path… only the junkyard and the gate."

"It looks like it used to be some kind of Ballroom," the elder said. Kuri saw Sarah blanch and wince. "It must have been wonderful in its day," mused the blind man. "Even without sight I can tell it was created for the purposes of romance."

"It wouldn't be a room within a sphere would it?" Sarah lamented. "With a large broken wall?"

"It is indeed, do you know it?" the elder was astonished.

"Once, long ago," the young human woman answered. "In a dream," she whispered.