Chapter Fifty Three

The Challenge is issued

Sarah rested her head on Garrett's shoulder as they sat before the fire in the study. Dinner had been served, eaten and cleared. The guest's list had been done and they were just sitting in the darkness. "I should go home," she said at long last.

Garrett made no move to release her. "Why?"

"People will talk," she warned. "Engaged to be married or not, people will talk."

"Let them." His arms closed tighter round her. "I don't care what they could say."

"Garrett," her voice quivered. "I have to go."

"I know." He sighed. "I wish you'd stay."

"I'm not ready to stay." She said refusing to look at him as she rose from the couch.

He rose as well. "Come to my bed," he asked impassionedly.

"No, not yet."

"Why not?" He pleaded softly.

"I'm not yet free to." She said, but was not sure why she used those words.

Garrett didn't press; he resigned himself to her words and walked her to the foyer where Glisten stood holding her coat. He walked her out to her car and kissed her good night, and watched as she pulled out of his driveway. Then he looked up at the dark sky. "I will not allow you to take her from me, Miles Fairchild! Her heart is mine!" He spur on heel and returned to the house.

&

Miles, in the gallery, heard the words of the Goblin King. He smiled. "But will you want her so desperately after I've had her body? I wonder?" He looked at the painting that depicted a nude Sarah. "No, Goblin King. I don't think you will want the fair Sarah after she's been used so thoroughly by me."

The faun's face was a mask of ugliness and hate as he listened from the shadows to the words. 'Master is fool to cast words on wind. Should have learned to keep words to self.'

&



Sarah looked in on Toby on her way to her room. His floor was strewn with feathers, his comforter was also covered in the feathers that had become such a part of his world. Sarah didn't enter, she but blew a kiss to the sleeping child. "No harm shall come to thee," she promised.

Entering her room she found the Goblin King awaiting her in the dark. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, she closed her door and turned the lock. Then she walked calmly to him, and placed her head on his heart.

Jareth was surprised by her actions, and stood motionless for a moment. There was no moonlight to bathe them, only the cold lights from street lamps cut though the dimness of night. He placed one leather-clad hand under her chin, turning her face up to his. "Come home?"

"I can't." she stated, almost sadly.

"There are dangers here, Sarah," he warned.

"I know," she said, her head hurting from too many thoughts and too much magic. "Something has happened, because of me." She placed a hand on the one holding her chin. "Jareth, who would use the dark of the moon? I know it's not you; you have no need to use this dark power. Not against me."

The hand at her chin slid down to her throat, and his thumb migrated up and down, possessively. "You are right Sarah, I have no need to use such power on you, or against you. You are already mine."

"Is it Miles?" She asked in the darkness of the room.

"Yes," the king stated.

Sarah looked deeply into the mismatched eyes. "You gave your word to me, and I will hold you to it, King of the Goblins."

He understood, she was thinking of the boy instead of herself yet again. "I have no intentions of losing the boy. Or you."

The young woman moved her hand to the face of the King. "Is that why you are here tonight? To safeguard your possessions?"

Turning his head, he placed a tender kiss in the palm of her hand. "I am here because my woman needs me to be."

"Yes, I need you to be here." She admitted as his lips burned her skin with desire.

Jareth swept her off her feet and held her suspended in the air. "I shall not leave thee this night, Sarah."



She looked at him, his eyes glowing in the darkness. "Give me thy word, that thee wilt not violate me this night."

"I give thee my word," he murmured.

"Then come to my bed, King Jareth. Lay beside me this night to protect me."

Wonder filled his eyes, "You invite me to your bed, but only to protect thee?"

"I can offer you no more." Her words were defiant, and resounded of words spoken in a broken castle.

Moving toward her bed he mused. "I told you, Sarah. I will always be first. First in your heart, and in your bed." He lowered her to the mattress. "It matters not if I become your lover this night. The offer of being with you is enough, for now." He removed his cape and breastplate, then his boots. "I will accept the offer."

Sarah kicked off her shoes and moved over to allow the King room to stretch out beside her. "You've given your word, and you are forsworn."

He lay beside her, gathered her in his arms, "I will not take what is not freely offered to me this night."

Sarah wrapped her arms round him. "Thank you, Jareth."

"You are welcome, my Queen." He closed his eyes knowing that his presence in the house would keep Miles out. Moments later he heard the soft sounds of sleep coming from the woman in his arms. "Sleep well, little Queen."

&

Shortly before dawn, Sarah awoke alone and covered with the down comforter that had been on the foot of her bed. On the pillow next to her was a note from Jareth.

'Beloved, I have stayed as long as I dared. You and the boy are safe. For now.'

And it was signed with a large capital J.

Sarah smiled, "Parchment paper," she mused. "How appropriate." She folded the paper and placed it in the drawer of the vanity table. She looked at her reflection, "Engaged to one man, sleeping with a King." She shook her head. "No one would believe it."

Toby tapped on her door, "Sarah, why is your door locked?"

She opened the door and looked down at his face. "Sometimes adults need locked doors."



"Why?"

She shrugged. "I'm going to take a quick shower. I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Toby looked at her, "What's wrong?"

"Trouble," she warned. "Get a handful of feathers for me, would you squirt?"

Toby nodded gravely. "Think we could use the whole owl," he muttered as he went back toward his own room.

&

Sarah opened the store, Emrys was off on yet another trip to another estate sale and the never ending quest to fill shelves. Toby had supplied her with feathers and she was secreting them in various places though out the shop. She tried to act natural as the first customers of the day entered. On the sound system was the usual classical music.

The phone rang; she stared at it knowing who was calling. It seemed odd to her that she just instinctively knew who was on the other end. Picking the phone up she told herself she was being fanciful. "Emrys' Books," she said in her business voice.

"Good morning, sweet Sarah." growled the voice of the Dark Fae.

"Mr. Fairchild." She wondered why she didn't feel fear.

"I've a proposition for you, my dear."

"So you've said before." She felt a strange cockiness, almost as if Jareth was speaking though her. "And as I've stated before, you have nothing to offer me."

"I offer you Mora Montgomery."

The words drew a chill; the bravado slipped only slightly, but it did slip. "Mora?"

Miles chortled, "Delightful a creature as she is, she is not you. I offer to release her from the enchantment I've enslaved her with, in exchange for you giving yourself freely to me. I think that generous."

Sarah wondered for a moment if any Fae really understood the meaning of the word, generous. "You took Mora? Miles have you marked her? Miles answer me! Have you marked her?"

"Not just yet. I have taken her, tasted her, but not yet marked her." He sounded almost proud. "She was delightful, for a libertine maid. She is no innocent you know."



Sarah could see in her mind's eye the sneer the man wore. "Bastard!" She looked to see if anyone was in the store. Seeing it was empty she let her temper lose. "By all the Gods and Goddesses! I swear you'll rue this action."

"Your hot blood calls to me!" He rejoined. "Come to my bed, Sarah. And I'll set the maid free. Resist and I will destroy her!"

Sarah slammed the phone back on its cradle. "Bastard!" She spat out. Moving quickly she went to the section of the store that had folklore books. She looked at the titles, but knew what she was looking for was not going to be here. There was only one place that she'd find anything that could help. Picking up the phone she dialed the number and waited. A voice answered and she closed her eyes tight. "Garrett," she sounded frustrated. "I need your help."

"Good morning to you too, Cookie," he teased.

"May I barrow your library?" She asked contritely.

Garrett breathed into the phone, "Cookie, what is mine is yours."

"Thank you." She noticed he didn't ask what she was looking for. "I'll come to your house after work."

"I'll be here," he promised.

Hanging up the man dropped the glamour. "I will always be there for you, as the world falls down." He smiled and patted the phone.

&

Sarah dialed the phone again. "Colin."

"I know," he said, not wanting her to say too much.

"Stay safe," she whispered.

"And you," he hung up.

Sarah moved toward the door. "You don't know who you're messing with, Miles Fairchild. I am Sarah Williams! I am the Lady of the Labyrinth! For my will is as strong as yours ... and my kingdom as great ..." She closed her eyes tightly. Thunder rumbled inside her head. "You want a war! You've got it!"

&



Garrett was seated at his desk when Sarah entered the study. He looked up, she was a vision, eyes flashing hot fires, and defiance. 'Little wonder I fell in love with her.' He mused to him self. 'She's an Amazon warrior!' He stood up and greeted her. "Hello, Cookie."

"Hello, my handsome King." She kissed him warmly. "Thanks for the use of your books."

"What is it you are looking for?" He asked, looking round the room, "Perhaps I can direct you."

"Information," she put her notes down. "You're the authority. Say you have a Fae who has marked a mortal, but another Fae goes after that Mortal."

Garrett frowned. "A challenge? The first Fae has the rightful claim. The second can not interfere unless the mortal offers itself freely."

Sarah paced, "Say the second Fae used… blackmail. Had taken a hostage, not marked them, but threatened to…"

"That's a despicable act," denounced Garrett.

"Agreed, despicable, but say he offered to free the hostage in exchange for…"

Garrett finished for her. "The object of his desire? Then again, if the mortal freely gives herself, I take it the mortal here is female. And as there's a challenge, she must be an innocent, having known no man, Mortal or Fae."

"Yes." Sarah nodded.

"Cookie, according to the oldest of folklore, this is the recipe for war." He moved to the bookshelf. "The Welsh have tales of Mortal-Fae relations, in fact they have tales of the coupling and marriage of the two." He placed a book on the desk, "Here."

Sarah read, "Why challenge?"

"Jealousy, or power play." Garrett said quietly.

Sarah looked at him, "Garrett, do you believe in Magic?" Her voice sounded foreign to her own ears. She held up a hand, "I don't mean the stuff one sees on stage or at carnivals. I'm talking deep magic, old magic, beginning of the world kind of magic."

There was a long moment of silence, Garrett looked at though smoky glass. "Sarah, I come from the land that bred Merlin and Arthur. I have trudged the Tor at Glastonbury in the mists of twilight. I have stood within the inner ring of Stonehenge. I teach Celtic Fork-lore and Mythology. I'm half Welsh! I live and breathe Magic every day of my life." He brought her left hand up to his heart. "Yes, I believe."

"You'd better sit down," she said as quietly as possible. "I have a story to tell you."

Garrett tightened his grip on her hand. "I'll stand."

Sarah nodded, "It begins on a night not quiet seven years ago, when a spoiled and selfish girl took out her frustrations on a little boy, her half brother. " For a moment, she paused seeking the right words. "Once upon a time there was a beautiful young woman whose stepmother always made her stay with the baby." The words of the story began to pour out. "But what no one knew was this: the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with her, and given her certain powers." She flinched, "She didn't know that he'd given her this …gift… nor did she know the power in words. And thoughtlessly she uttered the words…I wish." She lowered her head in shame. "She gave the child to the goblins."

"Sarah." His voice commanded she look into his eyes. "Go on."

"He came to her, the King of the Goblins. Offered her a gift," her mind drifted for a moment.

"A crystal, nothing more. Except that if you look into it ... it will show you your dreams." With a teasing smile, Jareth watched her face, while he spun the shining crystal around in his fingers. Her hand started to reach out for it. He smiled a little more, and withdrew the crystal from her, he told her, "But this is not a gift for an ordinary girl, one who takes care of a screaming baby. "His voice was quieter now, and huskier. "Do you want it, Sarah?" He held it out toward her again. "Then forget about the baby," Jareth said firmly.

Sarah shook herself; "She rejected his gift, the gift of her dreams. She demanded her brother, called him…thief. He gave her thirteen hours in which to solve the puzzle of his Labyrinth to reclaim her bother. He put obstacle after obstacle in her path. Yet with the aide of creatures who inhabited the Labyrinth, she made it to the Castle and won back the child."

Garrett watched her, 'Come on Sarah, you can do this.'

Her head came up. "Somehow, someway he had managed to mark her. She became Fae Marked, and his. Part of her, a very big part, was his willing victim. Even though she decried, and denounced him, she was his willing victim." Her voice wavered. "She was too old to turn to Goblin, he'd said, and too young to keep. So he allowed her to return with her brother. He didn't tell her he was allowing her, he just let her go. Let her think she'd won. He let her go, so she could grow up. But he never left her, free. He was with her always. Once a month he would come to her, in the light of a full moon and give her dreams. Always the same dream." She looked away for a moment then pulled herself together. "I am the girl who wished away her baby brother. I am Fae Marked, and the beloved of the Goblin King."

Garrett looked down at the bracelet on her wrist. "He put the charm there?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"He has kept you chaste?"



"Oh he had help there," Sarah laughed, "Remember, until you, I didn't date. So again, I was his willing victim."

"Do you love him?" Garrett asked in a firm voice.

"For years I've told myself that I hate him. But the truth is yes, part of me does love him." Suddenly she tightened the grip on Garrett's hand. "Problem is, I love you as well."

"And if you have to choose only one of us?"

"He is Fae, and immortal, and lives in a Realm of magic. You are mortal, flesh and blood, and here." She moved closer. "It angers him that I would choose you. He taunts me each time I spend time with you." She knotted her fingers in his. "You said that you own my life, that you've saved me and now I owe you a life debt."

Garrett nodded. "Three times I've saved you."

"He too has saved me, and I never kept count of how many times. He protects me," she spoke quietly. "And right now, I need that kind of protection. Garrett, a Fae has challenged Jareth's claim on me."

"Jareth? The one you danced with, is the King of the Goblins?"

Sarah's smile suddenly looked very much like Jareth's. "You didn't think anything that pretty could be mortal did you?"

'Damn, if she has not taken on my way,' he mused to himself. "And this one who challenges?"

"Remember the tango?" She asked.

Darkness gathered in the eyes behind smoky glass. "All too well."

"That was Miles Fairchild…as so called Fae Child." She said with abhorrence. "It is Miles that has challenged."

Garrett observed her, "What are you not saying?"

"Miles has issued a personal challenge to me. He's taken a mortal hostage, he's made threats against someone I love, Toby." Fire flashed in green eyes, flames with blue hot centers. "No one goes after Toby! I didn't risk my life in the damn Labyrinth to have some smart ass Fae think he can use the kid as target practice!"

'Such fire,' he thought holding her hand, 'And she's mine.' He pulled her closer. "It changes nothing," he said firmly. "You've promised to be wife, and I'm holding you to your promise. Even the Fae have to honor that promise, as it was freely given."



"You would still want me?" She blinked. "After what I've told you, you still want me?"

Garrett grinned, "How many women can boast Kings of two worlds desiring her?" His right hand moved though her hair, knotting and taking possession of her. "You are mine, now and always." He pressed his lips to hers. "I play for keeps."

Sarah gripped his shirt with her free hand. "And Jareth?"

"We'll see to him, after we've vanquished this other," promised the man.

He stroked her hair, "So tell me what this Fae threatened. "

"He said he'd destroy Mora, the mortal hostage."

Garrett released her hand, moved to the desk and began to write notes. "Start at the beginning. Somewhere he has to have made a mistake, and together we'll find it."