Sarah squinted as she stepped into the bright morning light. The outer wall of the labyrinth stretched before her exactly as she remembered it, seemingly endless, with no twists or turns in sight. Piece of cake, she mused.
The rest of the Order soon gathered in behind her, with Saresh taking up the rear. She caught him looking at her for a moment, a strange expression on his face, before he quickly looked away.
"So, which way do we go?" Raelia asked, the sunlight glinting in her copper hair, accentuating her fae beauty.
Sarah suddenly realized that everyone was staring at her. No turning back now. She turned to her right, looking at the long passage ahead.
"This way. I'm not sure exactly where he is, but I know the worm's at least a ways this direction. Keep an eye on the lower part of the wall to your right. He's small and blue…with a little red scarf."
"Worm in a scarf." Sonya said in her thick eastern European accent with a playful smile, tossing her long, blonde braid over her shoulder. "No problem. Not at all strange."
"If you think that's strange, you don't know the half of what this labyrinth holds," Sarah said, returning a smile. Sonya's sarcasm was a welcome distraction from the overwhelming task that lay ahead.
Truth be told, none of us really know what we're in for, inside the inner labyrinth. Sarah shuddered, looking up at the labyrinth walls towering over them, the thought of wandering in the dark sending a chill up her spine. Don't think like that. Remember, the labyrinth is never what it seems. She took a breath, hitching her pack up higher on her back as she turned to back to face the long corridor ahead.
"Come on. We'd better get going."
The distance to the worm was longer than Sarah remembered. Then again, she had been running. Maybe she'd covered more ground than she thought?
After the first ten minutes of walking, Sarah had taken to calling out "Mr. Worm!" Every few feet or so. Ludo, Jarvi, and Sonya, also took up the call, while Raelia and Saresh took up the rear, checking and double checking every crack and crevice in the lower part of the right wall. All to no avail. After about an hour of searching, the worm was nowhere to be found.
Sarah called for a quick break, removing her pack from her shoulders for some much needed relief. She took a quick swig of water from her canteen, sliding down the outer wall of the labyrinth to sit, as the others followed suit.
Maybe I missed him? After all, he is small. He could still be inside the wall somewhere, having tea with the missus.
She looked at the endless stretch of wall ahead of her, exactly the same as that behind her.
"You alright Sarah?" Ludo asked, coming to sit beside her.
"I'd forgotten how maddening this place can be." She said, sighing as she leaned her head back against the wall, her hand drifting up to the ring on the chain around her neck. She hated to admit it, but the small token did make her feel close to Jareth, especially since she'd resolved not to use the crystal he'd given her unless it was absolutely necessary. The last thing she needed was for him to come running headlong into danger with her. The Goblin Kingdom needed its King, especially with Mal Morcant's forces closing in around them. No, I won't be calling Jareth unless there is no other choice.
"We have plenty of time to keep searching. We'll find him, don't worry."
"I know, I just thought that…I don't know. I thought at least this part would be easier this time? I thought I knew where to find him."
"Sounds like you're still taking too many things for granted" a tiny, cockney voice said near Sarah's shoulder.
Sarah turned her head slowly, her mouth open in disbelief. Right next to her face was the tiny blue worm, a red knit scarf around his neck.
"It's you! Everyone, come quick!"
The remaining Order members quickly gathered around Sarah and the worm.
" 'Ello" he said, simply, taking in the group, apparently unfazed.
"Hi…um, Mr. Worm? Sorry, I never got your name last time we met. I was in a bit of a hurry." She said, embarrassed.
"Figures you'd expect a worm to be called Mr. Worm. Like I said, haven't changed a bit! You take too much for granted."
"I know. And I'm sorry. I was rude the last time we met. Can we start over?"
"I suppose so. Name's Wormwood. Timothy Wormwood. And no need for 'Mr.' or anything. 'Mr. Wormwood' was my father's name. You can call me 'Tim'."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tim. I'm Sarah."
" 'Course you are, ain't you. Plenty of Saarah passed through here. None of 'em bothered to talk before you came along, though."
"You remember us?" Sarah asked, "That is, your memory didn't reset?"
"Nah. I'm a bit hard to reach, living inside the walls, you see? Magic works a bit different in there."
"That's kind of why we're here, actually." Sarah continued, excited. "We need to get inside the labyrinth walls. You invited me in for tea once, do you know how to get inside?"
"Well sure! Would've been a bit rude of me to invite you for tea without knowing a way inside! You see that brick up there? The one covered in moss?"
He gestured with his torso up towards the brick in question. Sarah stood up and looked at the brick, brushing some of the moss away with her hand. A familiar symbol was carved into it.
It's the same as the symbol on Jareth's necklace! The strange, triangular metal trinket Jareth wore had the same swirl pattern as the brick before her. It can't be a coincidence.
She placed her hand on the symbol, and….nothing. The worm laughed.
"You need to use magic to open it, silly," he chortled.
"Oh." Sarah said, her cheeks flushing scarlet. Of course. Her first test had been one without the use of magic—or the conscious use of magic, anyways. This time, however, it seemed the labyrinth would test her with the full range of her powers in tow. What else did I expect?
She removed her hand from the wall, kneeling so that she was eye level with the worm.
"Before I open the door, I think it's only polite to ask if my friends and I can come inside."
"Only if you'll meet the missus!" Tim piped cheerfully.
After a few minutes of gathering up their packs, the group was ready to proceed inside the walls. Sarah placed her hand against the brick, closing her eyes as lavender light began to glow from her fingertips. Open, she thought, the magic spreading to reveal the shape of a door. She could sense the corridor between the walls, the worm, and something else, further on. The missus, perhaps? She couldn't be sure, as the presence was too far out of range. She felt something shift, the wall giving way beneath her. Opening her eyes, she watched the door sink into the ground before her.
Sarah poked her head inside the corridor. It was so dark, she could barely see more than a foot down the passage. A small shape glowed along the lower part of the interior wall. Squinting, Sarah realized it was the worm, his yellow underbelly glowing bioluminescent in the darkness.
"Come on! Come on! The missus will be so excited to have company." He said, starting down the long, dark corridor.
Outside, Sarah heard a sudden crash, making her jump, but before she could investigate, Sonya poked her head around the corner, a jar filled with a bright, glowing substance in her hands.
"Lightning in a bottle," She said, matter of factly. "Careful not to drop it. Unless you want to blow us all to pieces."
Sarah nodded gravely, gingerly accepting the jar as she took the lead, following after Tim the worm.
They walked for a long time. Sarah felt the ground slope downwards slightly under her feet. Even with the lighting, she could only see a few feet in front of her. Tim hummed merrily as they walked, the passage growing more damp and cold beneath them.
"How much farther," Sarah asked, feeling a bit claustrophobic.
"Not far now," Tim replied, "not far at all."
They continued downward, though the narrow passage. After a time, Sarah thought she could see the outline of an arched doorway ahead. Tim darted forward though the massive arch, into the darkness beyond. This must be our destination. Funny, I'd pictured something a bit more cozy.
They crossed through the archway into a massive, pitch black chamber. Sarah heard a crunching noise behind her, followed by a startled gasp.
"Your Majesty, you'd better look at this!"
She turned around to see Jarvi, holding her own lightning jar, pointing at something eerily white at the healer's feet. Bones. Goblin bones, judging by their size, but bones nonetheless. Thousands of them.
"Missus!" Tim's voice echoed sinisterly, making it impossible to know which direction it came from, "time to feed!"
The ground trembled as something massive moved in the dark.
"Everyone, to me! NOW!" Saresh yelled, placing his hands against the labyrinth wall, the golden glow of his magic visible in the darkness. Sarah ran to him, the light from her lightning bottle revealing a panicked look on his face.
"It's not working" he said, looking at Sarah.
"What—"
"It's not working!"
She didn't have time to react as something large, pale, and fleshy came charging towards them. Inches before it connected with them, it stopped short, as though it had collided with something invisible.
"MOVE!" Raelia shouted, a pink glow fading around her hands. Saresh grabbed Sarah's hand, and the two ran in a direction that Sarah hoped contained the exit, the rest of the Order following close behind. The creature was quick, however, and blocked their path, the force from its impact with the floor knocking Sarah to the ground, clutching her lightning jar with white knuckles. Now, at this range, Sarah could see exactly what they were running from.
The missus was a giant, pale worm. Its many eyes glowed milky white, and the only other defining feature on its face was its mouth. Its terrifying mouth—a gaping hole with row upon row of pointed teeth. The missus roared, rearing back from the glow cast by the lightning jar.
Fear paralyzed Sarah as she stared at the creature, unable to move as it lowered its head towards her. It wasn't until Ludo hurled a rock at the creature that Sarah was startled back to reality.
"We need to go!" Ludo yelled, pulling her to her feet.
"Where is Saresh?" She asked, looking around futilely in the dark.
"We've got him!" Jarvi shouted from somewhere behind them. She emerged from the darkness on Sarah's left, her lightning jar lost, a limp Saresh hanging between her and Raelia, his arms slung around the two women's shoulders.
"Over here!" Sonya shouted in the darkness ahead, "There's a passage!"
The missus turned in the direction of Sonya's voice. Sarah didn't think. She gripped the lid of the lightning jar and began to loosen it.
"RUN!" She screamed, removing the lid and pointing the open jar straight at the missus.
The room suddenly exploded in bursts of light. Sarah, Ludo, Jarvi, and Raelia ran to Sonya, dragging Saresh with them. The missus howled a bloodcurdling shriek as several arcs of pure lightning struck her in the side, the smell of burning flesh filling the cavernous room. Several others streaks of lightning, arced in a number of directions, striking the walls and ceiling of the massive chamber.
The last of the lightning faded as the group finally reached Sonya. The ground began to shake. Rocks tumbled from the ceiling above. The chamber was caving in. Ludo lifted his arms overhead as the group ran into the dark passageway before them, keeping the rocks at bay as they passed. Sarah and Sonya made it through first. Raelia followed close behind, the doorway not being wide enough for her, Jarvi, and Saresh to pass through together.
"Hurry!" Ludo called, straining under the weight of the numerous falling rocks.
Sonya pulled Jarvi and Saresh inside just as a rock slipped past Ludo's defenses. One moment more, and Jarvi would have been struck in the head by a boulder the size of a watermelon. With the last of the group safely inside, Ludo backed into the entrance, releasing his hold on the rocks. They crashed down behind them, kicking up a cloud of dust and blocking their exit.
No way out now. Sarah and the others coughed as the dust began to settle.
Sarah rushed to Jarvi and Saresh, casting a small handful of fire so she could see. She wouldn't be able to maintain it long, but hopefully just long enough to take stock of the situation.
Saresh lay on the ground, blood trickling from a long gash on his forehead. Raelia knelt by his side, washing the blood away with water from her canteen.
"He's unconscious," Jarvi said quietly, pulling some cloth bandages from her pack, "but he'll live."
Thank goodness. Sarah bit back the bile that rose in her throat, guilt consuming her. Little over an hour in, and their journey had already taken a disastrous turn. Sarah nodded at the healer, letting her get to work tending to her patient.
"We might as well wait here for a bit," Sarah said, brushing some dust off her pants as she stood.
"Are you kidding? That thing is still on the other side of that wall!" Sonya said, gripping her right elbow with her left hand, her arm apparently dislocated, "What if it breaks through?"
Ludo placed a hand against the rocks blocking the doorway closing his eyes. "Unless that thing is indestructible, it won't be getting through any time soon. The entire chamber is buried now. I doubt it survived."
Sarah's handful of fire went out. Damn. It was hard to concentrate on magic with everything falling apart around them.
"Sonya, do you think you could make some of those jars again?" Sarah asked.
"Can't," She replied. "I only brought the two jars. And I need access to the sky to call lightning. If I try it in here, no telling what might happen. I might bring the walls down on us and kill us all."
Sarah couldn't argue with that.
Once 'i the light, Again 'i darkness. Never thought it meant literally.
She focused her energy, summoning her magical fire into her hand once again.
"Ok, we need to take stock of what supplies we have left. Once we know how many days worth of supplies we have left and Saresh wakes up, we can keep going. Until then, best get to work."