And here we go!

The Highwayman

Chapter 21 (Acquaintances)

Hoggle stretched out on the forest floor, trying to wake from sleep. His trek through the forest had come to a complete standstill since he had glimpsed Sarah's image in the river. Instead, he began to backtrack to the cabin. There was a full length mirror there. If he had any chance of reconnecting with the Above realm, it would be with that mirror. Jareth had enchanted it for Sarah so she could talk with her family, and Hoggle fervently hoped the connection was still open. However, his short legs made the going slow. If he tried to increase the pace his legs cramped in pain, halting his process completely. In a dwarf's case, slowly yet surely was the way to go. He rummaged through his pack, grabbing the heel of bread for breakfast and began to eat silently. The Crystal Forest was chiming beautiful melodies, the light breeze a welcome relief from the constant humidity. And as he ate, a whisper of a voice reached his ears, carried on the wind. Hoggle put his bread down and swallowed hastily, straining his ears. Please, please don't let me be imagining things, he prayed silently.

"Hoggle!"

The voice was faint and distorted by the forest, but that was definitely Sarah's voice. Hoggle scrambled from the ground, quickly shoving his belongings in his bag and set off towards the cabin. "I'm coming Sarah!" He pushed his legs as fast as they could go, ignoring the pain. He would find Sarah, his first and truest friend, his queen. His legs were soon feeling like lead, and he was panting, but the forest was thinning. Soon he would be at the cabin. Soon!

Hoggle crashed through the underbrush and into the clearing, gathering enough air into his tired lungs to holler, "Sarah!" moments before exhaustion forced him to black out. He didn't know how long he was unconscious, but when he opened his eyes he was greeted in a warm embrace.

"Oh, Hoggle! Are you ok?" Sarah was hugging him tightly, but he managed to sit up. Somehow, he had woken up in a bed…and in the cabin.

"I'm a little sore, nothing else." He looked upon her, happy to see that she was unhurt. "Where have you been, Sarah!" And then he looked around, fully expecting to see his king. "And where's Jareth? He's not with you?"

Sarah gave Hoggle a little space and pulled over a chair to the side of the bed. She told him how she had woken in the middle of the night only to be assaulted, bespelled and then kidnapped by Heryah. "And I have a pretty good guess where Jareth might be, but he's not answering any of my calls." She paused, biting her bottom lip. "You don't think Heryah made him forget too, do you?"

Hoggle harrumphed as he climbed out of the bed. "There's very little I'd put past the Green Sister, or any of them really. They aren't like us, Sarah. They only follow rules when they are convenient to them."

"I don't care about them. Any of them." Determination set into Sarah's mouth and eyes. "All I care about is finding Jareth. He needs me, Hoggle." She took a deep breath. "We're going back. I'm not losing him." Her fists clinched, "Not ever again."

Temanna and Sophia appeared in a small market clearing from thin air, red and blue sparkles fading away. Raindrops fell steadily and Temanna pulled a deep red hood over her bright curly hair. She gave Sophia a sour look, but Sophia paid her no mind as she mimicked the motion of putting a blue hood over her brown hair. They were Above and it was dark outside. No one seemed to be moving about. Temanna gazed around her, amber eyes searching the old buildings and the cobbled road.

"I haven't been Above in centuries…and it doesn't look like much has changed." She sighed. "Are you sure we've come to the right place?"

Sophia shook her head. They had done their best to retrace Heryah's magic, but too much time had passed to be sure. And yet, Sophia sensed strong energy in this sleepy village. Someone had recently used magic; the residue tingled up and down her spine. Even if this lead did not point the way to Sarah, Sophia was intrigued. She gestured to Temanna to follow and together they walked down the street, not bothering to use magic to keep the rain away from their bodies. As they neared a small house, Temanna reached out and grabbed Sophia's elbow.

"Wait, stop. Do you feel that?" She asked as she looked upon the house with wide eyes. Sophia did not answer, there was no need. The magical energy surrounding the house was nearly palatable. There was a familiarity to the magic that Sophia could not understand. Both sisters looked upon the house with curiosity. When the door opened, Temanna and Sophia straightened and waited. And old woman, with greying curly hair and piercing grey eyes stepped over the threshold and both sisters dropped to their knees immediately, hands over their hearts in a silent salute.

"Stand up, children, and come inside." The woman commanded, and the sisters obeyed unquestioningly. Temanna and Sophia moved in unison, too in awe to speak, and too overwhelmed to approach. The woman clicked her tongue at them and began to speak in a language long since faded from the Above. "You have come a long way, and why? Are you searching for someone?"

"Máthair bródúil, we seek a mortal girl named Sarah," Sophia said honestly and respectfully. There was no point in lying or deceiving the being before her.

"And what shall you do with her, once you find her?" The old woman asked as her grey eyes narrowed.

Temanna stepped forward. "We will return her to where she belongs."

The old woman gazed upon the sisters with focused, unblinking eyes. Neither sister looked away; they remained eye contact and did not move. "You have shamed me," she said suddenly as she turned away. Temanna and Sophia dropped their heads.

"Máthair, please. We seek to right the wrongs done," Sophia said pleading. "We shall return Sarah to Jareth, I swear it."

"And I swear it," Temanna echoed quickly.

Slowly, deliberately, the old woman turned back to them, pointing with gnarled, wrinkled hands. "You will be too late," she said sadly. Temanna and Sophia exchanged worried glances. "Go children," the old woman said. "The mortal Sarah has returned Underground. Go and aide her, for balance rests upon her now." Temanna and Sophia dropped to their knees again before vanishing from the room.

May watched as the red and blue orbs of light faded. Her grey eyes looked up, through her ceiling and into the heavens. "Ádh mór ort, Leanaí."

Ok, next chapter: Jareth. Need I say more?

Have a good day everyone! I'm going wine tasting!

~Nylle