Dear Readers,

It was brought to my attention that my recent attempt to upload this chapter resulted in an unreadable disaster. I have re-uploaded the text, and hopefully have resolved the issue. Thank you so much BowieQueen for letting me know about the error, and without further ado, I present Chapter 31 of Fractured Fortress!

-Nyx

Day six of their journey brought them closer to the center of the Underlabyrinth. Closer to the Heart. Sarah could feel it, pressing in on her like a weight, the way it had when she'd first woken up in Jareth's room after beating its challenge. Power surged through her, feeling as though it might explode out of her at any moment. Two nights ago, she'd been so taken aback by her amplified power that she'd nearly torched the others while trying to light the fire. The action had not only startled her, but left her drained. In their training sessions Jareth had warned her of the dangers of channeling too much of the labyrinth's power though her.

"Draw only what you need to perform the magic. Draw in too much power and the spell can backfire. Similarly, if you try to cast something and don't draw enough, the spell will pull its energy from you. It can leave you drained, or even kill you

"How will I know how much magic I need?"

"Practice," he said, "and time."

"We don't exactly have the luxury of time."

"No," he said, cupping her chin with his hand, "but you can do this. You wouldn't have beaten the Labyrinth if you weren't capable of mastering its magic."

He hadn't prepared her for what happened if she couldn't stop the flow of magic into her. It permeated her skin, vibrated in her bones, and buzzed in her brain like a swarm of bees. She didn't dare use her magic after the incident with the fire, except to transform into a bird. Somehow, as a bird she didn't feel like she was going to be burned away by the raw power of the magic flowing through her. The scouting missions had become a mere pretext, an easy way to get a few moments reprieve and escape from the constant lure of the heart. She no longer needed the areal view to know whether they were headed in the right direction. Where before she had flown towards the center, these days she flew away from it.

The evening of day four brought an unpleasant new development. She began to hear voices. They were quiet at first, so quiet that she wasn't sure she was hearing them at all. But by the evening of day five she could hear them constantly. Eventually she realized that there seemed to be two distinct voices, one gentle and soothing, the other twisted and spiteful. Unfortunately, the spiteful was the stronger of the two. It whispered horrible things, tapped into her own fears and insecurities.

As she returned from her evening flight on night four, she caught sight of Jarvi and Sonya, returning from their new nightly forage ritual. Raelia had identified a few edible varieties of bioluminescent plants, which they had added to their evening meal of mushrooms. The two returned to camp, a glowing satchel filled with their quarry, their hands clasped. Just before they rounded the corner, Sonya pulled Jarvi in close, kissing her. The healer kissed her back, before the two quickly let go of their hands, walking back into camp as though nothing had happened.

Even if you succeed, you'll tear them apart, the voice whispered maliciously. Sarah was so taken-aback by the voice that she almost convinced herself that it wasn't real, but its poisonous thought remained. Truth be told, she had found herself thinking of the old Order and its marriage prohibition recently. She understood why the former Jareth and Saeliah felt the rule necessary, but increasingly she couldn't help but wonder if it was right. After all, her love for Jareth had only strengthened her sense of duty as Queen. She'd found the role easier to accept with him beside her.

She'd asked Raelia her thoughts about it, who barely hesitated before answering.

"My father's desire to protect his secret marriage mother turned my father from his duty. Perhaps others won't suffer the same fate as my parents, but the tragedy they enacted is the risk you'd be taking. If they'd been content to love and not marry, who knows?"

Sarah found the response unsatisfying. It just didn't seem fair.

It's not fair! It's not fair! It's not fair! But no matter what you choose, it's your fault! The voice mocked until Sarah had to put the issue to rest. The voice wouldn't allow her to consider the matter further.

The morning of day five, Sarah woke without any voices in her head, and for a moment, dared to hope that the night before had been a figment of her imagination. But the rest of the day would prove her maddeningly wrong. She heard the kind voice first, who gently informed her which path to take at the first fork in the road they reached.

This way, it beckoned. Unfortunately that seemed to be the majority of the kind voice's opinion on anything. It gave her directions simply and quietly, then stayed silent.

Around mid-morning, when Ludo walked beside her, attempting to engage her in conversation, it whispered, You liked him better when he was a beast. You liked them all better that way. When you didn't have to explain yourself to anyone.

She shook the thoughts from her head, but the voice always managed to creep its way back in. Eventually she realized that Ludo was no longer walking beside her. She missed everything he been saying. Oh dear, it seems you've hurt his feelings. You can't seem to stop hurting the people you love, can you?

The voice was its most vicious around Saresh. It was as though it knew how close he was to her, how bad the distance between them hurt. So when Saresh came near her she avoided him, turning into a bird and flying away where the voices couldn't reach her. But when she returned, the twisted voice was waiting.

One of them despises you, it teased as she looked out over the group. One of them will never forgive you. Eerily, the kind voice also seemed to share this sentiment. Be careful, be careful, be careful, it said. Sarah had already felt a growing divide between herself and the others, but a natural one born of her role as leader of this expedition. Now she couldn't bear to be around anyone, couldn't bear to look them in the eyes, as though if they stared too long, they might hear the malicious voice's words.

By mid-afternoon the voices were so loud, the magic so oppressively strong, that she marveled and envied that the others didn't seem to notice. Didn't you always want to be special? The twisted voice said. Sarah didn't have it in her to fight it anymore. She let the malicious voice run rampant through her mind. By the time they made camp that evening, she was so exhausted that she sank almost instantly to sleep

But even in sleep, the voice found its way into her mind. It was worse than being awake, because in sleep the voice took the form of the Order members, Saresh, and even Jareth.

I only want you because I'm tied to the magic of the true queen, the voice said out of Jareth's mouth, a real queen, who was much stronger than you could ever be.

You chose him, the voice said out of Saresh's mouth now. You chose him over me, and I can't forgive you for it.

"You're not real." Sarah said in her dream, fighting tears "You don't mean those things."

Then why not face me? Dream Saresh asked, a vicious bite to his words. You're too afraid to know the truth.

"Stop it!" She said, waking. The camp still slept, unaware of her outburst. She gazed at them, blissfully unaware of the battle raging in her mind. You hate them for not hearing us, too.

"No, I don't." She said aloud, wondering if she was going mad. Talking to voices no one else could hear definitely wasn't a good sign. For a moment she considered telling them, but telling them meant telling them about the malicious voice, too. The voice that had dug its way into her darkest fears and gave horrible life to them. No, she could't tell them. But she couldn't keep going with the voice constantly whispering in her ear. She was going to make it out of this place and back to the castle on time. The last thing she needed was for Jareth to come down here looking for her. She didn't know if the voices would infect him the way they had her, but she wasn't willing to find out. Day six, she told herself. 24 hours left. Piece of cake.

She took Jareth's crystal out of its pouch and held it, thinking of him. But, as it had on previous occasions when she'd been tempted to contact him, the crystal sat silent.

What does the goblin king truly fear, I wonder? The malicious voice began. Do you think he would break as easily as you?

"Oh no you don't." She stored the crystal and strode out of the camp, transforming into a bird.

You didn't think your little spell could keep me out forever, did you? The malicious voice said as she flew.

No. Not now. Not during her one moment of peace. She screeched in anger, flying as fast as she could toward the farthest edges of the Underlabyrinth.

I'll admit, the bird form was a challenge, but I think we've managed to solve this little problem neatly. The voice sounded almost giddy, rubbing in its latest victory. She had to make it out today. There was no other alternative.

Sarah flew back to camp, utterly shattered. She transformed, walking swiftly to her pack. The sooner they could get going, the better. She hadn't noticed that Saresh was waiting for her.

"Hey," Saresh said from behind, catching up to her.

"I'll give the update in a minute—"

"No, that's not—can we…talk? For a minute?"

"Can it wait?" She asked, slinging her pack over her shoulder, not looking at him, "We really need to get going." I really need to get going, or the voices in my head will drive me insane.

"I guess, but—no. No, it can't. Sarah, I really need to talk to you. It's important, and would you please look at me?"

He grabbed her shoulder, turning her to face him. She didn't have it in her to fight. Every ounce of her was exhausted. He caught her gaze for a moment and a shiver of fear ran through her. Fear that he could see the torment she'd endured. Fear that he would demand to know what was wrong. She needed to shut this down quickly. She didn't have time to keep wandering the Underlabyrinth. She shrugged his hand away, using the least amount of effort possible to free herself.

One of them despises you, the voice mocked. Be careful, be careful, be careful, the kind voice cautioned.

"Well? What?" She asked, trying to drown out the noise in her head.

"I—just came to apologize…for, well…that morning"

"Oh, that," She said. If she hadn't been so exhausted she might have been surprised that he was the one apologizing, especially when it was she who'd hurt him in the first place. You always hurt the ones you love, the malicious voice hissed. You can't help it. How are you going to hurt him now? "I've been meaning to apologize to you as well. I should never have allowed us to be that close in the first place."

Yes, better to stay away so you don't hurt him more than you already have. Stay away and let loneliness consume you.

"Wait, what? I don't understand. Are you saying you don't want us to be friends?"

"I'm saying that it's better for both of us if we aren't too close."

Better for him, certainly, the voice. Better for everyone if you stayed away.

She turned away, she couldn't bear to see the look of hurt on his face. You only cause him pain. It was true. No matter what she did, she couldn't seem to keep from hurting him. She bit back tears.

"You don't mean that. Sarah, this isn't like you. Just stop for a minute and tell me what's going on with you."

The real queen would have known better than to get too involved with an Order member. She wouldn't have been as selfish as you.

She stopped with her back to him and breathed a heavy sigh, dispelling the voice that tormented her incessantly.

"I'm sorry I hurt you," she said without looking at him. "Things were different before I became Queen. If I'd understood that sooner…I'm sorry." Though she tried her best to avoid showing any emotion, her voice cracked on the last words from the strain of holding back tears.

One of them despises you, it mocked, one of them will never forgive you. Wordlessly, she beckoned the group to march on. She knew who the voice meant. She had alienated her best friend forever. Saresh would never forgive her. Just focus on getting out of this maze, she told herself with each footfall, twenty-four hours. You can do this.

But the voice wouldn't stop. Every step closer to the center, it grew louder and more cruel. It speculated about Jareth and the fae nobles he was meant to meet and how, surely, one of them would be more fair, more suited to be Queen. It described the many poor choices she had made since she arrived in the Underground in excruciating detail. It questioned whether anyone would follow a ruler who was barely fae, barely more than a human child. Meanwhile, the kind voice did as it had always done, cautioned her to be careful and pointed her in the right direction. Sarah let the voices fill her mind, let them consume her, let her feet fall mechanically in the direction indicated by the kind voice. She had no will left to shut them out.

As it happened, they weren't far from the center of the maze. By late morning, they reached a circular junction of the labyrinth. Paths into the maze opened into the circular center from every direction, but Sarah's attention was drawn to the stone rotunda in the middle of the circular junction. She had seen it from above as a bird so many times, but seeing it up close was something else entirely. From a distance, the rotunda appeared to be solid, but up close she could see it was made of fine, glowing roots. The entire structure was open air except for a door made of glowing roots and vines that stretched between two of the tall pillars supporting the rotunda.

Sarah approached the door, feeling the magic pulse through her like a heartbeat, steady and strong. The roots at eye level had grown into the shape of words, spelling out another riddle:

We hurt without moving.

We poison without touching.

We bear the truth and the lies.

We are not to be judged by our size.

She read the spindly text several times, before collapsing onto the earthy steps of the rotunda, which mercifully provided a soft landing. Saresh and Jarvi suddenly appeared by her side. Where Jarvi's expression was one of clinical concern, Saresh looked terrified. She brushed them off, not getting up.

"I'm fine, I just need a minute."

"Bullshit," Saresh said, trying to catch her eye, "you're a lot of things right now, but 'fine' isn't one of them." He looked at Jarvi. "She was acting strange this morning."

It's begun, the malicious voice whispered, they've always doubted you, but now they'll turn on you.

"STOP IT!" Sarah shouted, gripping the sides of her head. She suddenly realized everyone was staring at her. She tried to cover, shakily. "If you really want to help me then help me solve the riddle."

Saresh looked at her, his expression torn between ignoring her command and obeying. You're weak. You're useless. You'll never be the Queen they deserve. She shot him a look that she hoped conveyed the desperation she felt. He looked at her skeptically, but finally stood and read the inscription silently.

"I know the answer," he said with hardly a moment's hesitation, his voice stilted. "Words."

He's thinking of your words, the voice said. Your words which hurt and poison and injure and maim.

Shut up, she bid the voice, gritting her teeth. The biological door began to unknit, revealing a stone-lined chamber in the center of the rotunda that shouldn't exist. Sarah felt the heart call her, draw her forward. She didn't realize she was crawling towards it until Sarash pulled her upright.

"Together?" He asked, though she got the sense that he was going with her whether she liked it or not.

"Together." She replied, grateful for his presence, though still unable to look at him. The malicious voice only laughed at her helplessness as they stepped through the door.

The stone chamber was circular, mirroring the dimensions of the rotunda, though there was no sign of the bioluminescent Underlabyrinth in this strange place. Sarah got the odd impression that it existed somewhere in-between the Underlabyrinth and another plane. The walls were lined with lit sconces that illuminated the room. Along the walls, white tiles were stacked, letters on their face. There were piles and piles of tiles. A pile of "T"'s to Sarah's left were stacked as high as her shoulder, and from the looks of things, the other letters had just as many. On the floor, in mosaic, appeared a question, with a blank, black box below it. The mosaic consisted of a single line of text, which read:

"How have you come to be here?"

Sarah looked around at the lettered tiles, the endless possibilities before her, and again, sank to the ground. The door had been a warning The question could hardly be called a riddle. It was too open-ended

You've come all this way to fail, the malicious voice whispered gleefully.

Use your right words, the kind voice suddenly chimed in.

My right words. Sarah couldn't muster the energy to determine what that meant.

"Mean anything to you?" Raelia asked over her shoulder. Sarah hadn't noticed her approach.

"Not at the moment," she said truthfully. She walked to the center of the stone floor, where the call of the heart was strongest.

"Let's rest then," Saresh said, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. "We could all use a break."

"No," She said, "we have to keep going."

"Sarah—"

"I said, we keep going." The words came out harsher than she intended, but they achieved their desired result. Saresh fell quiet. The Order looked to her to solve the puzzle.

She pulled a handful of letters from the various piles, not truly considering the call of the question. She spelled out her answer in the large, black box below the question: W-I-S-H.

Nothing happened. After a long minute, she determined this wasn't the answer.

She tried many different answers: W-A-L-L-S, B-O-O-K, M-A-G-I-C, C-H-A-N-G-E-L-I-N-G. None of these worked.

She tried short sentences next: We Came Inside the Walls, I Wished Myself Away; I was Queen Saeliah; I Beat the Labyrinth. These didn't work either. The malicious voice didn't even feel the need to comment on her failure, it merely laughed.

You know the right words, the kind voice said cryptically. You've said them before.

Sarah sat back down in the center of the black box and closed her eyes. How did I get here? All this started when I wished Toby away. But even as she thought it, she realized that wasn't exactly true. There were many more forces at play, even before she made her wish. The forces that caused Mal Morcant to turn against the Order, the forces that caused Ardina to take her life, the forces that separated the Order and Queen Saeliah from the Underground, they were all part of how she came to be here. She had found her way back to the Underground, escaped from rogue fireys, traversed the bog of stench, beaten the upper maze in thirteen hours, restored the Order of Saarah, entered the walls, escaped the missus, fled the strange trees, and fought voices in her head. Suddenly she knew the answer.

She stood and picked out forty-two tiles. Carefully arranging them in the black box, she spelled out her right words.

Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered.

She backed up toward the wall, feeling the ground shudder beneath her. Raelia and Saresh followed suit, exchanging worried looks. With a crack, the tile puzzle separated into pieces, sliding away to reveal a narrow spiral staircase leading down towards a glowing white light.

Come, my Champion, the kind voice whispered.

Sarah walked towards the opening as though in a trance. She started down the stairs, Saresh and Raelia began to follow her towards the opening. Before they could follow her, however, the opening closed. Sarah ducked to keep the tile floor, now ceiling, from hitting her head as it snapped shut. She stood in shock for a moment, as she realized that she would have to go this next part alone.

They alone shall reach the most secrete of places—the land 'twixt and 'neath itself…

She continued to walk down, towards the pulsing white light. This was it, the Heart of the Labyrinth.