The Great Goblin Revolt
Chapter 12
The Firebird Festival began with all its customary flair. There were fire-eaters, fire-walkers, practically everything involved combustion in some form, including the food and drink. It was traditionally held in the royal park that bordered the valley where the mythical bird nested. In years gone by, when flocks of Firebirds were a common sight, some of them would join in the celebrations. These days, it was rare to glimpse so much as a discarded feather. Hence, the challenge to find one.
Sarah, momentarily finding herself separated from Jareth, was handed a blue flaming goblet by the High Queen.
"To steady your nerves," Morrigana coaxed the sceptical brunette. "Be assured, it will not harm you."
Hesitantly, she took a sip and gulped with surprise as the liquid fire shot down her throat, causing a pleasant tingly feeling. It was like drinking from an ice cold spring on a hot summer's day.
"Whoa," she spluttered, "that was unexpected."
The High Queen chuckled.
"As were you, my dear," she gave her a wink, "and long may you continue to be so."
Sarah was glad to have won favour with Morrigana, but as she contemplated her predicament, her self-doubt returned with a vengeance.
"What if I can't do it?" Her voice was little more than a whisper.
She did not want to admit such a thing out loud, and yet, was unable to keep it in.
Drawing in a deep breath, the High Queen was pensive for a moment.
"Lady Callida is driven by duty, whereas you are following your heart," she observed. "In my experience, duty will only get you so far. If you want to make it to the finish line, you need something to motivate you a lot more powerful than that."
"Love," Sarah said as she glanced over at her heart's desire and smiled.
"Indeed," Morrigana concurred, "It's what won you your brother back, and it will carry you to victory again if you trust in it."
It made sense, and the brunette nodded with conviction.
"I can do this," she declared.
Jareth hovered close by, desperately trying to shake off the unwelcome attention of past conquests and notorious court gossips. It was hard enough for him as it was to fight the urge to sweep his beloved up in his arms and carry her as far away from danger as possible.
Sarah felt out of place in her earthly fashions with the fae all dressed in their summer finery. For the purposes of the challenge, she had chosen a casual outfit of jeans and shirt. It wasn't too dissimilar to what she wore when she ran the Labyrinth. In this case, practicality definitely trumped sartorial elegance. Lady Callida broke away from her social mingling and greeted Sarah with a warm smile, which took her by surprise. The two of them barely got the chance to exchange more than a few words at the ball. Now, here they were, face to face and about to do battle for the position of Goblin Queen. The fiery fae's burnished red leather vest and full skirt ensemble hardly appeared suited to the task at hand. Armed with nothing but basic supplies, including one silver dagger for protection, Sarah welcomed anything that might tip the odds in her favour and hamper her rival's progress.
"I know you probably begrudge having to do this, so do I, by the way," she acknowledged, "but I'm glad we can, at least, be civil about it.
Lady Callida waved her hand in a dismissive gesture.
"It's all so unnecessary," she sighed, "Fae wives are accustomed to sharing their husbands, and I'm sure we could have come to an amicable arrangement. Three needn't be a crowd, it can be fun," the redhead said with a playful wink.
Sarah couldn't help being slightly scandalised at the suggestion, despite her frank understanding of fae sexual mores.
Her rival snorted with laughter at her wide-eyed shock.
"Keep it in mind," she smirked, "because even though nothing that happens beyond this point is personal, I want you to know, I do intend to win," Lady Callida informed her.
"Ditto," Sarah replied, her green eyes blazing with an iron resolve.
Her opponent didn't consider her a serious threat, she could see that. It didn't matter who the Goblin King favoured; the High King wanted an alliance with the Firetop fae. Lord Vulcan expected his daughter to emerge triumphantly, and Lady Callida was determined not to disappoint her family.
Jareth watched Sarah's every move, trying to ignore the cold terror of losing her that was gripping his heart. Aside from the usual gaggle of fae nobility, the Festival with the additional attraction of the challenge had drawn quite a crowd. The action was to be relayed to them via a large reflecting pool around which they were all gathered. His goblins were barred from attending, but he had left a crystal ball or two in the care of Hoggle so they could follow the day's events.
At the strike of thirteen o'clock, Elberich beckoned the two challengers to step forward.
With an aching kiss of regret, the Goblin King reluctantly let Sarah go.
"You are my true love, my only love, now and forever," he vowed.
She wanted to assure him of the same, but fear overtook her, and the words got stuck in her throat. Willing herself not to cry, she made her way over to where The High King and Lady Callida were waiting. In a flash, they were transported to the edge of the valley. There was a dense blanket of forest in the dip interspersed with rocky barren areas surrounded by charred stumps and hot steaming springs.
"The first one to return to this point with the Firebird feather shall be declared the victor," Elberich pronounced as he shifted his gaze from the redheaded fae to the dark-haired mortal. "You may forfeit at any stage," he pointedly reminded her.
Sarah felt her courage rising to the challenge and she set her chin in defiance.
"I can do this," she muttered under her breath.
The High King gave her a verbal push. "Off you go then," he bellowed.
Lady Callida wasted no time in using her powers to take her directly into the forest, where she was sure the bird was to be found. Her smug smile lingered, as did Elberich's mocking one, as Sarah began determinedly trudging along the uneven path of the steep hillside. It wasn't that far down, but enough distance to put her at an immediate disadvantage. The valley basin was vast, and the landscape reminded her of a past visit to Yellowstone National Park. It was awe-inspiring, but Sarah knew there was more lurking in its beauty than the creature she was seeking.
"I can do this," she again reassured herself.
As she progressed, her mind wandered and a memory of a motivational book she had once edited popped into her head. It had been titled 'Seeing the Rainbows Not the Rain'. There had been page after page of cringe-worthy "inspirational" clichés. Things like: If plan A doesn't work, the alphabet has 25 more letters. Stop saying I wish and start saying I will. Winners see the gain and losers see the pain. Don't say impossible, say I'm possible. Sarah groaned at the awfulness of it until a near fall concentrated her mind on her quest. The rocky ground could soon lead her to a twisted ankle or worse if she didn't pay proper attention. Once or twice, she slipped on the gravelly slope but was able to stop short of falling flat on her back. The treeline was within close reach and she felt a prickly sensation of wariness on the back of her neck at the prospect of entering the forest. It was the place she was most likely to find the prize she sought, but also where she would be in the most peril.
Carefully negotiating the last stretch of rocky path, she noted the ground growing softer under her feet. Tall evergreens surrounded her, standing proud and untroubled by the light breeze. There was no gradual descent; Sarah felt the forest was swallowing her up. The way ahead was shady under the thick canopy of leaves and branches. Creaking and cracking noises put her on guard as her eyes darted around looking for any sign of danger. She felt for the leather scabbard where her silver dagger was sheathed, ready to draw if needed. Her senses were on hyper alert. At first, she wasn't sure if it was buzzing she heard or the rush of her blood humming in her ears. When a small dark cloud of flame flies emerged from the sky, all doubt was removed. Sarah recalled what she had been taught of the flora and fauna in the region. Flame flies, as she quickly identified them, delivered a burning sting. Individually, they were harmless, but in a swarm, their combined venom was enough to turn their victims into ashes. RUN, her inner voice screamed, and she did. Racing through dead leaves and ducking under branches, she scarcely noticed the trees thinning out around her until her foot caught on a rock and sent her crashing to the ground.
Sneezing out a face full of sand, Sarah was grateful for the soft landing. The sound of mocking feminine laughter startled her. Whipping her hair from her face, she looked up to find Lady Callida reclined elegantly on a nearby rock.
"Oh, so you haven't found the Firebird yet then, either?" she sneered at the flame-haired fae as she attempted to get on her feet with dignity.
"I thought it only fair I should give you a sporting chance," Lady Callida smirked.
It was obvious she was trying to appear gracious and in control, but Sarah sensed all was not as it should be. Her rival seemed strangely fatigued, or perhaps she was hiding an injury. Whatever the reason, she was putting on a show of false bravado and batted away Sarah's concerns.
They were in dangerous territory and it made sense to stick together, at least until they found the prize they sought. Dusting herself down, Sarah surveyed the area. There were wisps of steam rising from the hot spring which lay in the centre of the clearing. Ahead, the path was rock strewn before it led into another section of lush forest.
"We should keep moving," she said, gesturing for her companion to set the pace, "After you, your ladyship."
The redheaded fae rose hesitantly to her feet, grimacing. Her cheeks grew red with the knowledge that she was revealing signs of weakness. Seeing her discomfort, Sarah chose not to make any further comment about it. Eyeing each other warily, they started walking towards the treeline. They had barely gone a few steps when a high-pitched noise, coming from somewhere near the water's edge, startled them.
"Oh, no," Lady Callida gasped, "fire frogs."
A dozen or more red amphibians with yellow spots emerged from the beneath the sand. The sound they made was like a chorus of squeaky dog toys all being set off at once. Hopping high into the air, the creatures began oozing a toxic acid-like substance through their skin. It was corrosive enough to give a third-degree burn to anyone who came into contact with it. Sarah kicked small rocks at the frogs to ward them off. One got too close and burnt a hole in the hem of her shirt. Fortunately, it didn't touch her flesh.
"Come on," she roared, dragging her rival by the arm.
The redhead moved with great effort, her teeth clenched as she hissed what might have been fae curse words through them.
"What the hell's going on with you?" Sarah demanded to know once they were safely away from the frogs and catching their breath amongst the trees.
Lady Callida's cheeks were flushed as she hitched her skirt up slightly to reveal two sore-looking puncture marks just above her ankle.
"When I transported to the forest, I landed in a pit of smoke snakes," her tone was waspish and her embarrassment acute. "It won't kill me if that's what you're thinking. You won't win by default."
"If winning was all I cared about, I would have left you to the frogs," Sarah huffed.
The redheaded fae rolled her eyes at the scowling human.
"It won't take me long to recover, you know. As we speak, my magic is neutralising the venom and healing me. You'll be sorry when I'm restored, that you didn't take the opportunity to outwit me while you had the chance."
Sarah took a swig of water, welcoming the feel of the cool liquid on her throat. Brushing loose strands of hair from her eyes, she offered the flask to her adversary.
"I want to be with Jareth more than I've ever wanted anything, and I'm willing to sacrifice a lot to make that happen, but not who I am." She glanced around to try and get a feel for which direction to head off in. "You can stay here, go your own way, or stick with me until you're feeling better your choice."
Choosing her path, she started walking.
Lady Callida pushed herself up from the thick tree trunk she'd been resting against. The wisest option was to form a temporary alliance until she was healed. After that, all bets were off.
Limping as fast as she could to keep pace with her dark-haired rival, she indicated they should veer to the left.
"The Firebird is a shy creature by nature; it will make its nest deep in the heart of the forest."
Sarah nodded, it made sense.
They walked for a while, keeping a lookout for any nasties that might be lurking in the undergrowth.
"Have you ever seen one?" Sarah inquired, breaking the silence that stretched out between them.
Lady Callida's almond eyes took on a wistful gaze.
"Once," she replied, "when I was a child. They were rare, even then. But rumours spread of a nesting pair on the edge of our lands, where Firetop borders this place. Being young and somewhat…" she paused to find the right word.
"...Spoiled?" Sarah supplied, immediately regretting her bitchy tone. "Sorry."
"I was going to say rebellious," her red-headed rival said with a smile, which she couldn't help but mirror. "When I couldn't get anyone at court to take me out in search of the Firebird, I befriended a local wood nymph and she agreed to go with me. It was quite the adventure," Lady Callida chuckled. "I don't suppose it was anywhere near as thrilling as your escapades in Jareth's Labyrinth," she teasingly interjected. "After all, I know our lands like the back of my hand, and I was never in any real peril. It was worth the wrath I faced from my parents on my return home to see the Firebirds up close. You will know what I mean when you see one for yourself, or should I say, you will if you ever find one."
She felt her strength returning even if her magic had not. The venom was almost gone from her system. Their truce couldn't last and they both knew it.
"Perhaps it's time we went our separate ways," Sarah suggested, regretfully.
To her surprise, she was starting to like her rival. They weren't so different when it came down to it and might have become friends in other circumstances. The idea of sharing Jareth with her was totally out of the question. But for an idle moment, she considered that it wasn't the worst idea ever. Before she could let her mind wander any further, fate stepped in. Up above their heads, there was a flash of red and gold.
Lady Callida hitched up the hem of her skirt and set off running after the Firebird as fast as she could. The chase was on and Sarah followed hot on her heels. Weaving through trees and ducking under branches, they abruptly emerged outside the gaping mouth of a deep, dark cave. A rumbling noise started up and the ground beneath their feet started to vibrate. The Firebird let out a shrill shriek and flapped around to change course. As it did so, one of its long red and gold tail feathers came loose. It fluttered about in the gentle breeze as the two onlookers eyed it greedily. Preparing to make a grab for it once it was within reach, Sarah and Lady Callida bobbed about on their tiptoes, each attempting to edge the other out. All the time, the rumbling noise from inside the cave was intensifying. Ignoring the danger, the brunette made the first grab for the feather. At that moment, a dragon with copper coloured scales popped its serpent-like head out of its rocky lair. It was the height and length of two school buses stacked on top of each other. The redheaded fae dived for the feather and called out to the dragon in words her rival couldn't understand. Sarah turned her attention to the creature as it snorted out a short burst of smoky fire in her direction. While she was distracted, Lady Callida took the opportunity to grab the Firebird's dazzling plume. She set off running into the forest, leaving Sarah to dodge another blast of fiery breath from the dragon. A wall of flames separated her from the path of escape her rival had taken. She needed to get away from danger and retrieve the feather. Heading for the treeline, she hoped to catch up to Lady Callida before the fae was recovered enough from her snake bite to attempt transportation by magic. Time was running out.
Apologies for the long delay in updating. Life events and illness haven't left me with a lot of free time of late. The death of David Bowie has also made me question if I want to continue writing Labyrinth fanfiction. As things stand, I can't see me writing another once I've finished this one.
Thank you for your continued support - Mrs P.
