Chapter Five

There were few sights which Sarah could remember from her last time walking the Labyrinth. Silence reigned, seeming to yawn and echo within the corrupted walls. The scurrying, out-of-sight goblins and other creatures she had sensed the last time were absent. The entirety of the twisting, shifting corridor came across as wrong somehow. Like the stones were screaming. It was a sense she could not shake.

The Labyrinth changed without warning. They stepped through arched doorways, walked through long tunneled halls, and the landscape shifted. One moment they moved through rows of walled alleyways, up and down short flights of stairs, and then they were in a mist-laden forest, the ground spongy beneath their feet.

Sarah was dragging. She did not know how long they had wandered the Labyrinth. The strange sky made it difficult to tell time, and the shifting landscapes played with her senses. The woods was a dark, perpetual twilight which never brightened or darkened further. They had been wandering through it for a few hours at least, and nothing had changed.

Jareth brooded, silent, his expression difficult to read. Sometimes she would see him staring at a hollow or an empty archway, rage burning in his mismatched eyes. Still other times, she would look over at him only to catch the faint motion that he had a moment ago been gazing at her.

Fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave.

That part of their previous encounter was still fuzzy. She had been exhausted, frustrated, and exalted in her final triumph over her wily nemesis. But the world had been hazy, almost dreamlike, and she had been so young. Did she remember his words right?

She might have been young then, but she was a grown woman now, and Jareth had not changed. And like last time, every time she was the focus of his attention, it was as though the world fell away.

Sarah spotted a clump of low logs and flat rocks in a clearing ahead and picked up her pace before sinking down on a moss-covered boulder with a sigh. "I need a minute to rest."

Jareth said nothing but stood near her, scanning the mist-laden space which echoed with silence.

She watched him through lowered lashes. He wasn't quite as tall as she remembered, but there was something in how he carried himself—there was more to him than what his physical body contained. It was, if she were honest, more than a little intriguing. She wanted to pry into this person, this bizarre villain of her past, and see what really lay inside. There were hidden depths there, she knew. And there was a weight to his gaze when he looked at her which spoke of possibilities she understood a great deal better now, at twenty-eight, than she ever would have at fifteen.

Sarah swallowed hard and lowered her eyes. Get a hold of yourself, Williams. You're engaged. Her face warmed at the direction of her thoughts, and she bent down, letting the sheet of her dark hair hide her features as she massaged her aching calves.

Stretching a moment later, twisting her back and rotating her shoulders, Sarah felt something brush past her. It was the barest suggestion, a whisper of spider silk. She jumped, and Jareth's eyes snapped toward her when she did. "What is it?" he demanded.

"Nothing," she said, the word quick to call but laced with uncertainty. "It was nothing. It just felt like someone walked over my grave."

Jareth reached down and grasped her arm, hauling her to her feet. She almost protested, but the look on his face froze her words. The line of his jaw was tense, and his gaze flicked around them. Through his touch on her arm, she could feel how rigid he was. He did not look at her when he spoke. "Stay close."

###

With the mist and the dim twilight, it was difficult to see anything around them. Jareth could not feel anything out of the ordinary yet, but Sarah had proven herself to be sensitive to the ways of the Labyrinth before. It might be, as she said, a simple feeling, nothing more, but Jareth had a distinct impression something was about to happen.

A twig snapped, and his head jerked around, his hand tightening on Sarah's arm.

There was the rustle of branches, and Jareth looked up, scanning the tree limbs shrouded in shadow.

A dark figure dropped out of the trees some twenty feet before him, crouched low to absorb the impact of the fall. When it rose, Jareth pulled her behind him, his other hand outstretched. The creature let out a growl and stepped forward, its features clear now in the murky half-light.

He heard Sarah gasp as another dull thump indicated a second beast falling out of the trees. He wanted to reassure her, but he was unconvinced he could handle these two alone.

They were lupe, one of the dark creatures who wandered the realms of chaos far outside the Labyrinth's borders, hunting in pairs. He had never permitted them into the goblin kingdom when he had reigned and for a good reason. They're mindless killing machines. What is Kozack thinking?

The creature in front of him let loose a sudden snarl, thin lips pulled back from canine jaws filled with sharp, glistening teeth, ropes of drool dripping onto the swirling fog which hid its clawed feet.

Sarah's back pressed into his own, the gentle pressure immediately reassuring.

"Jareth," Sarah said, her voice pitched low. "If you want me to help, you've got to arm me."

He reached for his magic, making the pull as unobtrusive as possible so as not to trigger the lupe before him. He conjured a blade as long as his forearm and pressed the hilt into Sarah's hand. "Try not to get killed."

"I was hoping for a gun," she muttered. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this thing?"

The lupe before him was still as a statue, and Jareth hardly dared blink. "I believe the concept is clear."

"Stick them with the pointy end?"

"Indeed."

Sarah made a sound that could have been a laugh, but it cut off as she said, "This one has something around its neck. I think—I think it's the pendant."

Jareth's smile was sudden and savage, and the lupe attacked.

###

The thing rushed forward, and Sarah reacted on instinct, bringing up the machete-style blade—plain but sharp-looking—and crouching low. It was fast, so much so she had blinked, and it had leaped the distance between them. Jareth's warm, comforting presence at her back disappeared as the thing landed, breath putrid and sticky humid, right before her, swiping out with its long arm tipped in sharp eagle-like talons.

Sarah jumped back, sucking in her abdomen and slashing down with her weapon, landing a deep gash in the dark-furred forearm. The thing screamed, but instead of jerking back like she expected, it lunged forward. She felt something wet and hot across her stomach, followed by a cool, numb prickle.

Jareth shouted behind her, and there was a concussive whoosh that slammed her and her assailant to the ground in a tumble of limbs. Sarah managed to recover first, catching a glimpse of Jareth with his hair streaming behind him, a sword she had never seen before raised in both fists. Her eyes met the creature's violent red gaze. It sprung to a new attack.

She lifted her machete as it came for her. The claws of one of its hands reared back for another slicing cut, but with only a second's hesitation, Sarah pulled back and punched the creature in the throat.

It gagged, and she felt a sharp pain flare through her knuckles. Those self-defense classes were worth something, after all. She swung her blade down, but her grip was one-handed, her attack weak. The metal sunk into the shoulder of the beast bent double before her. It collapsed to its knees as she pulled, a spray of ichor hitting her as a low, snarling growl emanated from its throat.

Sarah stumbled back, and a pained tug made her look down. Blood in a crimson wash coated her shirt, sticking it to her skin. A ragged series of tears to the cotton cloth revealed glistening, torn flesh underneath. Her vision wavered, and she blinked a few times, trying to clear it.

As she did, she saw Jareth again, his chest heaving with exertion. In the instant before her assailant slammed into her, she saw him hook his gloved fingers in the lower jaw of the beast he battled. In a flash, he had ripped it away, leaving the tongue slopping forward in a waterfall of blood.

Sarah screamed and went to raise her blade, but it was gone, spun off into the mist. She hit the cold, spongy ground with a thump of pain and raised her arm as the thing brought its open jaws down toward her throat. It latched onto her wrist and shook it like a dog might, and she felt bones snap and shatter. She tried to scream but the only sound that came out was a pained whine.

The creature released her for a moment, looking to get a better, more lethal hold on her when she ripped off the metal pendant which swung from its chest. The heavy device had points that were wicked sharp and acting on instinct again, she grasped it tight and slashed down at the thing's throat as it brought its mouth down on her own neck. Her hand was coated in sticky warmth, and though she could feel a tugging kind of pain which was wrong, she still dug deep into the flesh beneath her fingers with the pointed tips of the medallion. Skin parted as she burrowed further in, mouth open and eyes wide on the twilight sky as numbness overtook her.

The creature's weight was heavy atop her. So much so she could scarce breathe. Her vision began to blur, and the numbing sensation increased, rolling over and through her. I should hurt more, she thought somewhat dreamily. Shouldn't I?

Jareth appeared in her field of sight, covered in freckles of blood on his skin, his clothes, and his flyaway hair. She wanted to count the spots.

He reached down, and she felt pain as he pried the jaws of the dead beast from her neck. He tossed the limp body away as though it weighed as much as a paperback, kneeling by her side, his eyes wide.

She started to close her eyes. They felt so heavy, but Jareth slapped her, the pain sharp and stunning. "Don't—"

"Stay with me," he said, his voice measured and low. Calm.

He's trying not to panic me, she thought with some weariness. I only want to sleep. Her eyes fluttered again. She couldn't keep them open.

"Sarah!" his voice rose in a fearful shout. "Open your eyes, Sarah don't—"

He said more, but she could not hear. Everything was spinning away. The cold ground beneath her, the scent of mist and copper blood heavy in the air, his bare fingers tracing her stomach...

A searing pain brought her back into semi-consciousness. She cried out, back bowed. A feeling of liquid fire burned through her, and she trembled, losing a battle against the scream which erupted from her throat. The pendant, still clutched in numb hand, pressed into her palm as she squeezed it tight. The points pierced her skin with a slight pop, baptizing it in her blood.

And, as quick as it had arrived, the pain stopped. Its absence was so abrupt Sarah called out in shock. Her gaze locked on Jareth. He was staring at her, intense, and his eyes were swirling, colors colliding with colors in a great explosive kaleidoscope which made her dizzy to look at.

Without a word, he bent so their heads were level and gaze unwavering, pressed his lips to hers.

He was not gentle. Lips and tongue and teeth coaxed her mouth open, and then—

Sarah made a muffled sound of protest, a moment before burning fire filled her mouth, searing its way down her throat and through her body in a rush of agonizing pain. Her eyes fluttered closed against it, doing the only thing she could think to do and succumbing to the sensation before it burned her to a cinder.

It receded as fast as it had before, but his lips were still warm. Her free hand rose to his chest, intending to push him away, but a gentler warmth was beginning to fill her. A feeling as elusive to her as it had been craved.

The last time I felt this way was with him. Years ago. Only now she knew what it was and how to act upon it. It didn't frighten or intimidate the way it used to. And this is different. He isn't like other men. She wouldn't know how to start comparing them. Jareth was his own entity. Something inscrutable and enticing and feeling oh, so incredible with his mouth on hers.

He had started to pull away but then she was kissing him back, chasing the delicious heat he had raised in her. She could not remember the last time that someone kissed her like this, for Jareth had begun to respond, a low rumble emanating from his chest. Warm fingers cupped her cheek, and then—

He was gone, as quick as he had begun, pulling a glove on and looking away from her.

Sarah narrowed her eyes, stung he would stop. Maybe I'm a fool to think he'd want me. But… you're engaged, Williams. Engaged. Stop it. She sat up. "What the hell was that?"

He glanced at her, expression mild, and his strangely shifting eyes settled back into their original mismatched colors, brown and blue. "Do you feel better?"

Looking down at herself, Sarah found she was almost nude from the waist up, sticky blood staining her flesh but, beneath it, there were no wounds. She reached up and felt her neck where the creature had sunk in its fangs as it had died. Her skin was tacky but smooth. Unmarred. She looked at Jareth. "What did you do?"

"I healed you," he said, voice bland and expression inscrutable. There was that weight to his eyes again which made her want to look away, but she held his gaze.

Her lips tingled where they had touched his. "And you had to kiss me?" she asked, face heating.

"You were bleeding internally, and you had broken bones. My touch could only heal your outer wounds. My kiss? Your entire body."

She frowned at him.

"And," he added, voice soft, "You kissed me."

Sarah scoffed and went to raise a hand to point at him when she realized she still clutched the pendant tight. As she relaxed her hold, her hand pulsed with the echoes of the pain the sharp points had inflicted upon her. She stared at it for a moment, at the blood which had pooled and started drying in the knot work at the center, holding it out toward Jareth. "I believe this is yours."

Jareth rose, expression inscrutable. "Not anymore."

Author's Note:

Thank you for the well-wishes, everyone. I am feeling leagues better. Pretty sure it was just a seasonal bug. I didn't get the 'vid.

Next chapter will be up Wednesday or Thursday.

Love you all.

Xoxo,

CrimsonSympathy