Happy Wednesday!
"Good morning, Detective Valenti," Sarah said in a false cheery voice. It was seven o'clock in the morning the day after the fire and they were enacting their plan. Jareth wanted to bring Inara to Avalon where he knew an artist who would be able to make a composite drawing of who she'd seen in Mrs. Raymond's memory. Meanwhile Sarah wanted access the libraries of Avalon, the Goblin Kingdom, Lemwyn, and Wea Allanar, not to mention the various temples that Jareth had mentioned. However this meant that they needed freedom to be in the Underground for an extended period of time without raising suspicion on themselves.
"Ms. Williams?" the detective only sounded half awake. But that had been Sarah's plan, catch him unaware.
"Yes, I wasn't sure how this all worked, but I wanted to inform you we'll be traveling to England as of this morning."
"England? May I ask why?"
"Jareth and Inara's parents live in Salisbury and we're going to visit."
"You're going to visit your fiance's parents? Now?"
Sarah could sense the suspicion in his voice, so she laid down the next part of her plan. "Yes, with all that's happened, Jareth's family is all we have left now. My own birth mother abandoned me and our grandparents are gone as well. We need some time to be away from everything. However I thought I should let you know, so you don't think we just ran off or something." She kept her voice light with a touch of sadness.
"I see," he muttered. "Well I appreciate your telling me. Is there a way to get in touch with you should I need it?"
"Oh of course!" She proceeded to give him a cell phone number that if called would give Jareth's name and then go to voicemail.
"Done," she proclaimed as she hung up the phone. She'd managed to replace her landline since they'd been back in the Aboveground, but not her cell phone yet.
"You laid it on pretty thick towards the end, Sar," Toby raised an eyebrow.
She shrugged. "We needed him to buy it, and who can argue with a pair of siblings just wanting a family to love them?"
Toby frowned. "Hitting a bit close to home, don't you think?"
"I needed to hit close to home for him to believe it, Tobes. Besides, it will give us the time we need in the Underground. Now come on, we've got a portal to walk through," she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and steered him out of the kitchen and into the living room of her apartment where Inara and Jareth waited for them. The plan was to leave the car at Sarah's apartment complex and take a taxi to a city park where they would find a secluded place and create a portal.
"What if they check cameras? Or check for plane tickets?" Toby asked.
"Already taken care of," Jareth commented. "I do have accounts and access to funds here in the Aboveground and I used them to purchase four tickets from Boston to London."
"And cameras?" Toby insisted as he picked up his duffle with several changes of clothes.
"There are currently four illusions making their way to the airport now. They will get on the plane with our tickets. When they land they'll appear to get into a taxi and disappear to Salisbury."
"You can do that?" Toby asked, wide-eyed.
"It takes considerable concentration and power, but yes. However this means that your sister will have to test her hand at creating both a spell circle and a portal spell to the Underground."
Toby looked over at Sarah and in a very different (i.e. dubious) tone of voice asked, "You can do that?"
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Yes, Jareth will be there to talk me through it and I always have the Labyrinth to help me too. I am the Lady of the Labyrinth."
"Yeah… but you've only been Lady of the Labyrinth for like two weeks," Toby pointed out as they gathered what little they wanted to bring with them to the Underground. They walked out to the street and got in a cab. Sarah directed the cab driver to Riverway Park and ignored Toby's jabs at her powers.
Once they arrived at the park, they quickly found a secluded area surrounded by trees. Sarah had become quite proficient at creating spell circles over the past couple of days, so she quickly walked the perimeter of her circle three times gathering energy to use. "What do I do now?" she asked.
"We're going to go somewhere that you know, because it will be monumentally easier to create a portal there rather than somewhere you've never been. Is there somewhere you can think of that would work?" Jareth asked. "It doesn't matter where, because I can just teleport to where we need to go next. I'll have more access to my power once we get to the Underground."
Sarah thought for a moment. She'd spent so much time traveling in the Underground that there was no one place that stood out to her as being familiar. However a small niggle in the back of her brain brought forth an image of a courtyard in the middle of the labyrinth, surrounded by tall leafy green hedges. I will help you . A voice whispered in the back of her head. She nodded and indicated that she had chosen a location.
"Good, now you need to picture that place very clearly, not only what you would see, but what you would smell, feel, hear… imagine that you are there. When you are ready, gather your magic into your hands and hold them in front of you facing out. Then say Oscailte domsa, geata ."*
Sarah took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and pictured the courtyard as clearly as she could. The Labyrinth helped, adding in details, smells, and sounds. Once she almost felt as if she was standing there herself, she gathered her energy into her hands and held them palm out in front of her. It felt almost as if she was vibrating with power as she let the power flow through her and she said, " Oscailte domsa, geata ." *
A luminous green circle of light formed in the middle of the spell circle and widened until they could all clearly see the courtyard in the labyrinth on the other side. "Well done, Cariad!" Jareth grinned and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Quickly, everyone through." They all walked through the portal and it closed behind them.
"Where are we?" Inara asked once they were through.
"We're in the labyrinth," Jareth answered. "And if my sense of direction is correct, we're in the eastern courtyard." He looked at Sarah. "One of the same courtyards you ran through on your first journey. What made you choose this place, Cariad?"
"I didn't, the Labyrinth did," Sarah said, looking around at the large stone vases on pedestals in the corners of the courtyard.
"I should have guessed," Jareth commented. "It is, after all, where you paid tribute to the Labyrinth." He gestured at the stone throne where once an old many with a funny hat had sat with a wooden box. "Alright then. We'll need to go this way to get to the castle."
"Shall we start with the library in the castle?" Sarah asked as she led the way. Being Lady of the Labyrinth had its perks, and getting the walls of the labyrinth to jump aside for you was one of them.
"No," Jareth shook his head. "I want to start in Avalon. I want Inara to describe the person she saw to the artist I know there before she forgets any details."
"Then why don't we just teleport to Avalon?" Toby asked.
"Because you cannot teleport or create portals within the Labyrinth," Sarah answered automatically. There was a sense of pride that emanated from the Labyrinth around her. "It's part of the Labyrinth's security."
"Ugh," Toby grumbled, but kept walking.
"A little walking won't kill you," Sarah admonished.
"Yeah, but what good is having magic if you can't use it?"
"It is far better to be slightly inconvenienced and have to walk than to have to worry about those who would do the Labyrinth harm suddenly teleporting in," Jareth remarked.
Toby frowned. "Yeah, fine. Let's just get there already. I'm starving."
It only took twenty minutes for them to reach the walls of the Goblin City, and then another ten minutes from there to reach the Goblin Castle. Once there, Jareth took a bit of time to check in with Freyr who was still running things in his stead. Sarah, Inara, and Toby took a moment to change into Underground appropriate clothing (with a little help from Sarah's magic). Toby, found his bow exactly where he'd left it in the guest room that had been turned into his personal quarters. "Why do you need your bow?" Sarah asked as he stored it in the special carrier that was affixed to his arrow quiver.
"Because it's my bow," he answered simply. "And I never know when I might need it." He shrugged as if that answered things satisfactorily.
Sarah rolled her eyes, but didn't argue it further. An hour later, they were ready to go again. Jareth had changed into his usual Underground clothing, so the group looked like they would belong in Avalon's high court. "Shall we?" Jareth held out a hand for Sarah to take. He drew in his power then murmured the incantation to create a portal to Avalon.
They arrived right outside the main gates. The guards on duty jumped to attention and upon seeing who had arrived, and let them in with deep bows of their plumed helmets. Jareth led them through the gates and into a carriage provided by the palace for distinguished guests. The plush red velvet seats felt nice and Sarah enjoyed looking through the window as they rode through Avalon and up to the palace. Tall marble pillars rose to greet them as they drew closer to the palace. Fine houses and shops lined the road on either side right up until the gleaming golden gate separating the rest of Avalon from the palace. The guards at the palace gate peeked inside the carriage and bowed their heads upon recognizing both the Goblin King and the Elven Princess. "Please proceed, your majesties," he said and waved for the gate to be opened.
"Thank you, Drexler," Inara said with a small smile.
The guard blushed and smiled back. "Do you know all of the guards?" Sarah asked once they had passed the gate.
"Most of them," Inara admitted. "I have many studies to keep up with while here in Avalon, but I also have a lot of downtime wherein there are no expectations of me aside from keeping out of trouble. I have often found myself exploring the palace and the city during those hours. However Tuathal insists that I take a member of the palace guard along when I go out into the city. Drexler has assisted me several times in that endeavor."
"Uh huh," Sarah murmured remembering how Drexler had blushed. Perhaps the princess might not think anything of it, but the guard definitely had a crush on her.
The carriage pulled up to a circle drive under the large portico. A footman opened the door for them and held out a hand to assist the two women out of the carriage. As they approached the palace doors, a manservant addressed Toby. "I'm sorry, young sir, but you are not allowed to carry weapons into the King's palace."
"Where am I supposed to leave them then?" Toby asked, reluctance obvious in his voice.
"I'll take care of it," Jareth reassured. "Give me your bow and quiver, Tobias." Toby unbuckled the strap going across his chest and handed the quiver with attached bow to him. Jareth focused for a moment and the bow and quiver shimmered then disappeared. "There, they've been safely delivered to the rooms I usually inhabit while at Avalon."
"Thanks, Jareth," Toby smiled at him and they all continued up the steps and into the palace proper.
Another servant approached them and said that King Tuathal was currently busy in a meeting, but that Queen Celeste would see them in her tearoom. Jareth nodded and the servant led them up a flight of stairs and down several halls before coming to Queen Celeste's tearoom. There were wide windows facing towards the west rose garden and letting in copious amounts of light. Plants and flowers decorated the room almost to the point that it looked like a small greenhouse. Celeste sat radiantly in a cushioned round back chair. She wore an elegantly floral patterned red and gold dress with a high neck and her blonde hair was piled in an updo with pearls peaking out and small curled wisps hanging down by her ears.
"Your Majesty," Jareth bowed formally. "May I have the honor of introducing my companions? This is the Lady of the Labyrinth and my intended, Sarah Williams," he brought Sarah's hand up to his mouth and kissed it. "And this is her younger brother and honorary member of the centaur herd, Tobias Williams," he rested a hand on Toby's shoulder. "And you already know Princess Inara of Wea Allanar."
"Please, join me," Queen Celeste gestured to the other round back chairs around the circular table. They bowed before her and sat as requested. Servants bustled about pouring tea for them before retreating. When they were finally alone, Celeste gave them a smile with twinkling eyes. "I'm so glad to see you whole and healthy, all of you." She looked around at them. "My husband told me of the Battle of the Labyrinth and the injuries sustained there. And if that wasn't bad enough, Rhihart passed along the message of your tragic circumstances with your parents, Lady Sarah and young Lord Tobias. I am deeply sorry for your loss."
"Thank you, your Majesty," Sarah and Toby nodded.
"And Inara, I'm pleased that you decided to help them in their search for the culprit. How goes it?"
"It is difficult, your Majesty," Inara said. "We have found several clues, but are still a long way from catching the criminal."
"Yes, however there is a lead I intend on following while we are here, Celeste," Jareth said. "I'd like to use Remy Duport's talents to create a composite sketch of what the culprit may look like."
"One of you saw them?"
"Yes, I saw them in a memory from a human," Inara nodded. "I did not recognize them, but with luck, King Jareth or perhaps you and your husband may."
"I shall send for Remy at once then," she declared and summoned over a servant to give them directions. "Hopefully Remy will arrive shortly and we can see the face of this dastardly individual."
"Your Majesty," Sarah addressed the Queen. "I would also like to request access to your library."
"Of course," Celeste agreed. "Is there anything in particular that you're looking for? I may be able to help."
"I'm looking into the history of the Labyrinth. I feel that if I understood my position as Lady of the Labyrinth better, it may give me a clue to whoever is behind this."
Celeste hummed thoughtfully. "I might have someplace for you to start looking," she said as she picked up her teacup.
"That would be most appreciated," Sarah smiled.
Just then, King Tuathal entered the room. "Ah! Jareth! It's good to see you outside of a healer's wing!" He laughed and strode forward to embrace Jareth who stood to receive him. Sarah, Toby, Inara, and Celeste also stood at the King's entrance. "I see my lovely wife has been keeping you company," he moved around the table to grasp Celeste's hand and kiss it. "Thank you, my darling."
"Of course, dear" Celeste waited until Tuathal had chosen a chair near her then was seated herself. Everyone else followed suit. "Dear, you know Princess Inara," Celeste continued with introductions. "And this is Lady of the Labyrinth, Sarah Williams, and her younger brother and honorary member of the herd, Tobias Williams."
"An honor to meet you both," he nodded towards the siblings. "And my deepest sympathies for your recent losses."
"Thank you, your Majesty," Sarah nodded.
"Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked as a servant poured tea for him.
"We're on another quest of sorts," Jareth answered. "We need to prove our innocence, but our investigations have left us with the conclusion that it was an individual with magic who is the culprit."
"That will be rather difficult to prove to the authorities in the Aboveground," Tuathal commented.
"Indeed it will be. However the culprit will face justice either way."
Tuathal's expression grew serious. "Yes, I imagine you would not let them escape it. Where stand you in the search?"
With that, they regaled Celeste and Tuathal in the findings of their investigation so far. Sarah, Jareth, and Inara took turns speaking and Toby described the threatening dream he'd been sent in detail. By the time they were finished, they'd gone through a whole pot of tea and half of a second. Tuathal and Celeste's expressions grew darker with each part of the story told until they wore grim masks. "Why, this is absolutely tragic," Celeste declared once they were finished. "I give you my word that I will do all I can to assist you in your investigation."
"Yes, I as well!" Tuathal declared.
"I thank you for your word," Jareth nodded with a soft smile. "It means a great deal to us that you would back our mission."
"I would like to think that you would do the same for me, cousin," Tuathal clasped Jareth's shoulder. "Besides, our nations have always been allies. It would be a travesty if we were not to assist you in any way we could."
"Your Majesty?" a servant off to the side interrupted them. "Sir Dupont has arrived and is waiting in your study."
"Thank you," Celeste dismissed the servant. "Right, shall we begin? I will accompany Jareth and Inara to my study so Inara may give a description of the culprit to Remy. Sarah and Tobias, I shall have a servant show you to the library and where you may begin your search."
"I can help with that," Tuathal volunteered. "I have some time before my next meeting and I'd like to help where I can."
"Thank you, dear," Celeste gave her husband a warm smile.
With that, they all stood and went their separate ways. Sarah and Toby turned left out of the tearoom with Tuathal in order to go to the library. As they walked, Sarah thanked the king again for his help. "It's very generous of you to offer your time and assistance."
"It's nothing," Tuathal insisted. "What is it that you're searching for?"
"I'm looking for a history of the Labyrinth, how it came to be, who created it, what kind of powers it holds, and perhaps a history of my own position as Lady of the Labyrinth."
"Ah, that may be difficult. The Labyrinth is a mysterious place that very few know about. However I think I may know something that could help you. Jareth's ancestors purposely split up the knowledge and history of the Labyrinth throughout their allies and some of the larger temples. This was done in order to preserve it, but also to keep it from falling into the wrong hands."
"Jareth mentioned that," Sarah nodded.
"Yes, he would know," Tuathal led them around a corner and down another hall. "As part of his training to become the Goblin King and Keeper of the Gate, he had to learn what he could from the histories that have not yet been lost."
"Lost? I thought you said they were safe with allies of the Goblin Kingdom?" Toby asked.
"You are not mistaken, Lord Tobias. However it has been many centuries since the knowledge was split up and those who once knew where all of it is, are since lost."
"It wasn't written down or something?" Toby persisted.
"No, that would rather defeat the purpose of keeping it secret and away from those who would seek its power," Tuathal smiled as he came to a stop beside a large double door and turned to face them. "Here we are," he opened the double doors to reveal a large two story library with smaller alcoves with either cozy chairs for reading, or large tables to spread out and study at.
Sarah marveled at the library, her mouth falling open unconsciously. "This is amazing," she muttered.
"No kidding! This is like a Beauty and the Beast level library," Toby said.
Tuathal scrunched up his forehead at the teen's words, while Sarah chuckled. "A what level library?" he asked in confusion.
"Sorry, pop culture reference from the Aboveworld," he mumbled.
Tuathal nodded in understanding then turned and led them to the right. "This way. There are some older volumes back here that we may find something in. I know that a portion of the Labyrinth's history was left here in Avalon, and if I'm not mistaken, it is..." he turned down an isle, his fingers tracing the numerous leather bound books before him. "Ah! Here it is," he pulled out a medium sized book with black leather binding and yellowed parchment pages. On the cover was gold script written in a language Sarah couldn't read. The King then led them over to one of the alcoves with a table and several chairs. A large window nearby let in natural light. He gently laid the book on the table and opened it. "This is an account of King Aodh III's reign. He was Jareth's thrice great grandfather."
Sarah looked over his shoulder to see the book was written in the same script as the title was. She frowned. "Well that's not going to help me much," she commented. "I can't read any of it."
Tuathal looked up surprised. "I thought Gaeilge** was still spoken in the Aboveworld."
"Gale-what?" Toby tried to repeat.
"Gaeilge. Yes, they spoke it in Ireland, I believe," Tuathal mentioned.
"Oh! They just call it Irish for the most part now. Or sometimes Gaelic, but that's not quite right since that mostly refers to what's spoken in Scotland," Sarah rambled for a second. "Anyway, yes, it's still spoken in the Aboveground, but it has very few speakers. Mandarin, Spanish, and English are the most spoken languages in the world. Unfortunately, Irish has been dying for some time, but some are trying to bring it back."
"That is unfortunate," Tuathal remarked. "Because it is the language used for about sixty percent of written texts here in the Underground and it is also the language of power, what we use when doing magic."
Sarah frowned. "The last time I used my magic for translating, I got sick from using too much at once," she said. "Of course, I'd also just zapped Bronwyn of his powers a little bit before that."
"I imagine your power has grown since then," Tuathal thought out loud. "However there is another way for you to understand Gaeilge."
"Aside from learning it?"
Tuathal smirked. "Yes, aside from learning it. You can simply cast a translation spell on an object, such as a magnifying glass or a pair of glasses. The spell won't last forever and will need to be updated periodically, but then all you have to do is look through the spelled item in order to read it."
Sarah's eyes widened. "That's... brilliant. How do I do it?"
Tuathal grinned. "I do have my moments," he gloated. "The spell is a little complex, and you need to know the right words to say in combination with the right intention for your magic. I'm sure Jareth will be able to teach you later, but I will do it for you this first time. Have you something I can use to spell?"
Sarah looked around. She didn't wear glasses and neither did Toby. However there was a small magnifying glass laying on the study table. She grabbed it up and held it out to the King. "May I borrow this?"
"Yes, this will do." He took the magnifying glass from her. "And I imagine it should be no trouble to borrow it for a while." He concentrated on the magnifying glass for a moment then said, " Aistrigh ."* The glass glowed a bright blue for a moment before resuming its normal appearance. "That should do it. Though I regret there's only one for you to share."
"We'll be fine," Sarah reassured.
"Yeah. I can take notes or something while she reads," Toby added.
"Then I'll leave you to it! I'm off to my next meeting. Oh, and there are more historical texts in the same area as where that book was. The magnifying glass will work to translate the titles for you and should last for at least the rest of the day."
"Thank you, your Majesty," Sarah gave him a smile as he left the siblings to themselves. He gave a short bow, his right hand in a fist over his heart, to them before leaving. "Well," she turned to Toby. "You want to read, or take notes?"
Toby frowned, but settled into one of the chairs and pulled a piece of parchment and an ink pot closer from the middle of the table. "Take notes, I guess."
Sarah smiled. "Thank you for helping."
"Thanks for not giving up," Toby replied quietly.
With that, the brother and sister got to work.
* Irish to English translation:
Oscailte domsa, geata = Open for me, gateway.
Aistrigh = Translate
**Gaeilge (pronounced Gail-gyuh) is the name of the Irish language in Irish.