Chapter 3

A matter of minutes after the two women were enveloped in the bubble, it released them with a resounding pop. Both women screamed when they realized they were still several feet in the air and were falling fast. Thankfully, it wasn't far enough that either of them was injured beyond minor bruising. That didn't mean they weren't both angry. Crow was still muttering inventive curses under her breath as the two of them stood to try and figure out where they were and, more importantly, where they had to go.

Unfortunately, the green leafy walls around them were tall enough that trying to get their bearings was almost impossible. Sarah picked a direction and walked to the junction only to find three other paths to choose from. She made a frustrated noise before she turned back to Crow and said, "Now what? We don't even know a direction to take."

Crow was frowning but otherwise didn't look perturbed. Though, she was not given a chance to answer before another voice piped up. "I can show you the way."

Both women turned to find a familiar face. Crow smiled at Hoggle, though it lacked the warmth from their first meeting as she said, "Ah, look, it's the little grumpy man. Somehow, I doubt you're here by coincidence."

Hoggle's eyes widened, and he took a step back before he seemed to remember himself and became indignant. "Now, see here, I was just passing through when I saw that bubble and thought to myself, 'that must be that rotten Jareth's doing. He's gone and done something to those poor girls.' That's when I came, and here you are."

Crow rolled her eyes at his explanation, but Sarah ignored it and instead said, "Thank you for coming to check on us. Was it true that you can show us how to get to the castle?"

Hoggle shuffled nervously for a few seconds before he shrugged and said, "Well, I know a shortcut to the exit that I'd be happy to share with ya. This is no place for young girls."

Both women made disgusted noises, and Sarah looked like she was about to yell at him, but Crow grabbed her arm before she could. She ignored Hoggle as she said, "What we need is to get our bearings. If you think you can keep your balance, I can give you a boost. It won't be much, but it should give you enough to see over the hedge."

It only took Sarah a moment to respond with a smile and a nod. As soon as that was verified, Crow moved to one side and crouched with her hands down and fingers intertwined. Before Sarah could step into the makeshift stirrup, Hoggle cried out. "Jareth don't take well to cheating."

Crow rolled her eyes as she said, "Oh, tosh. It's not as though we'll be able to see our way through with one glance. This just points us in the right direction."

Both women continued to ignore Hoggle's fidgeting. It took Crow a bit of effort to lift Sarah high enough to see over the hedge, but thankfully, she didn't have to hold her up for long. As soon as Sarah saw the castle in the distance, she called out and jumped back down. The girl's face was slightly disappointed when she pointed and said, "It's that way, but it looks like it'll take forever." She then paused and mumbled the rest under her breath. "So much for halfway."

Crow was inclined to agree with the girl, but now was not the time for despair. She couldn't afford to miss this opportunity, so she tried to keep the worry from her voice as she said, "Well, it will take forever if we dawdle. Let's go."

Sarah nodded reluctantly but didn't argue when Crow headed toward the closest junction with an opening that would take them in the direction they needed to go. Both women ignored Hoggle as he nervously followed them and said, "There ain't much here to trust, you know. You're bound to get lost, so you might as well let me take you out of here."

Sarah huffed in annoyance, but Crow looked down at the short male as she said, "I appreciate your position, but you might as well leave off. Neither of us is doing this for a lark." Hoggle opened and closed his mouth several times before finally clamping his lips together and glaring at both women. Though, he did not quit following them.

Thankfully, silence reigned after that. It was only broken the few times they came to a junction and weren't sure what way to take. When that happened, Crow boosted Sarah each time so they could try to choose wisely. Though, at least one of them knew it might be in vain.

Crow had never been around so much magic, and that was saying something. At least she knew enough to realize they could be going in circles. There was no telling what illusions might be going on around them.

When they finally stepped out of the green walls, Crow almost sighed in relief. That was until she looked behind them and saw the castle on the other side of the hedge maze they had just traversed. Instead, a long string of inventive curses flowed from her lips.

They were matched by Sarah's exasperated sigh as she also looked back. She then turned to Crow with frustration and said, "Now what? We might as well be back at the beginning."

Crow felt genuine doubt creep in for the first time, but she did her best to hide it. The last thing they needed was for panic to set in. However, before she could think of any response that didn't sound defeated, they were interrupted by a new voice. "What is this, two young girls?"

When Sarah and Crow turned, they found an old man with a strange hat seated nearby. Crow's eyes narrowed, as she was confident that had been a hedge just the moment before but didn't bother asking. She had already worked out that the whole bloody place was fond of those types of tricks. Though, she did raise a brow when the hat proved to be more than an ugly accessory as it whistled at the two of them.

Sarah immediately walked over to the pair and asked, "Excuse me, but could you help us? We are trying to find the way to the castle at the center of the labyrinth. Do you know the way?"

The old man hummed and hawed for several seconds before he slowly said, "So, you want to get to the castle, huh?"

Crow was inclined to agree with the bird when it said, "How's that for brain power, eh?"

It took everything Crow had not to burst into laughter at the back and forth exchange between the man and his hat that followed that outburst. When they finally settled down, the old man focused back on Sarah and said, "Young woman, sometimes the way forward is the way back."

Crow did laugh when the hat called him out for the nonsense. Even Hoggle rolled his eyes at the two of them. Sarah looked like she was beginning to get frustrated, but she didn't interrupt the ongoing argument between the interesting pair. Instead, the girl waited for them to finish.

The two had obviously spent too much time in each other's company, but once they were done bickering, the man turned back to Sarah and said, "Sometimes it may seem as though you are going nowhere, when in fact—"

He was cut off when the hat finished for him. "You are."

The old man rolled his eyes before he repeated the last line. Sarah let out a frustrated noise, but Crow put a hand on her arm and gave her a smile to try and keep her spirits up. Neither of them needed to lose their heads now. Besides, the more she thought about the man's words, the more sense they made.

Crow was about to say as much when she heard soft snoring noises and looked over to see the old man was asleep. Or pretending to be. One brow rose in disbelief when a slotted box suddenly appeared in the old man's hand, and he shook it. So much for helpful advice.

The hat sighed before he said, "I believe that is your lot. Please leave a contribution in the little box. Sarah grimaced but still stepped forward and started to slip off one of the rings she wore. "I guess I can afford to leave this."

Before she even got it off her finger, Hoggle rushed forward with wide eyes. "You don't have to give him that. He didn't tell you nothing."

Sarah paused for a moment, but she didn't look convinced. That was when Crow decided to step in. "The little grumpy man is correct—"

The man in question quickly jumped in to correct her. "It's Hoggle—Hoggle!"

Crow held up both hands in a conciliatory gesture but otherwise didn't comment. Instead, she gently pulled Sarah back as she said, "Let me handle this."

For a moment, Sarah looked unsure, but she finally nodded and let Crow move to stand where she had been. Crow stood there for a moment with her hand on her chin as she evaluated her options. Finally, she grinned and stepped forward. Before any of them could move, her hand shot out, and she touched a broken strap on the hat that was barely dangling by a few fine threads.

No one had time to even say anything before she stepped back and said, "There, that should be sufficient payment for the information we received. Thank you for your help."

The hat looked down with wide eyes at the strap that was once again whole before it looked back at Crow and stuttered a couple of times before it finally managed to say, "T-thank you for your contribution."

Crow nodded once before she turned to the other two and said, "Well, I suppose back it is then."

Sarah looked crestfallen at Crow's suggestion, but she didn't argue. Instead, she said, "It's not like we have a better choice."

Crow agreed but kept it to herself as they made their way back into the hedge maze. They had not traveled far when she called out to the gnome that was still following them. "Hoggle, I fear I must apologize. Perhaps I was a bit hasty to believe we could solve this by being logical."

Hoggle stopped in his tracks, which caused Sarah to stop as well. The gnome stood there with wide eyes and seemed to be trying to say something, but it took him a few attempts before words finally emerged. "I—I don't know—"

He then cut himself off and frowned at Crow as he continued. "Now see here, I ain't gonna lead you to the castle, so you might as well stop trying to be nice to me. It ain't gonna work."

Instead of getting upset, Crow chuckled and shook her head as she said, "I didn't plan to ask you to. I would hate to ask you to go against your job duties after all."

Hoggle stuttered several times. However, Sarah was the one that got upset. "You mean you were supposed to lead us back to the beginning the whole time?"

Her tone caused Hoggle to instantly become defensive. "I never said I was helping you. I just wanted to make sure you don't get hurt, is all."

Crow stepped between them and held up both hands to head off further arguments. She then turned to Hoggle with a smile. "We do appreciate your assistance, even if you are put in a bit of a hard spot. I won't ask you to go against any orders you might have, but we could certainly use the expertise of someone knowledgeable about the labyrinth. All you'd have to do is point out the dangers."

Crow then looked over at Sarah pointedly. The girl must have finally caught on as she stepped forward and said, "I noticed you seemed really interested in my ring back there. If you agree to help us, I could give it to you."

Hoggle looked back and forth between the two women several times before he crossed his arms and said, "I ain't promising that you'll get there, mind you, but I don't see what it'd hurt if I made sure you knew what was dangerous and what wasn't."

The two women shared a smile before Sarah slipped the ring from her finger and held it out to Hoggle. He took it with an air of reverence and looked at it for a moment before he finally asked, "What's it made of?"

Sarah shrugged and said, "A pretty polished stone. I picked it up at the mall the last time I was forced to go."

Hoggle made a pleased sound before he finally added it to a little pouch tied to his waistband. Once he was assured the treasure was secured, he looked back up and said, "You'll have to decide where to go on your own. I'll just follow along and make sure you don't get yourselves hurt."

Crow had to fight not to roll her eyes. At least it was more than they had before. Perhaps now they could get through with fewer stops, if nothing else. She looked over when Sarah called her name. The girl pointed to one of the closest junctions and said, "Do you think you can give me a boost again?"

Crow could not stop her grimace, but she erased it almost immediately and said, "That didn't get us far the last time. I'd say we'd be better off following our instincts. Something tells me it would be unwise to trust what we see. I should know better than to believe that things are what they seem."

For a split second, Sarah looked like she wanted to argue, but she stopped and shrugged. "All right, so which way?"

Crow shrugged and pointed to the nearest opening. "At this point, all we can do is hope we choose wisely. There is no point in standing here and trying to guess." Sarah frowned but didn't say anything before turning and entering the closest arch.

The trio walked in silence for nearly twenty minutes as they navigated routes they could have well trod before. Their aggravation was visibly growing, but before it came to a head, a violent sounding roar rent the air. They all three jumped, but Hoggle wasn't still for long. He immediately turned back the way they came and started to run.

Before he got far, Sarah grabbed him and shouted, "Wait! We already paid you to help us! You can't abandon us now."

Hoggle struggled against her grip as he said, "I didn't promise nothing more than to tell you about dangers. That sounds dangerous to me. It's not my fault if you don't want to listen."

Sarah looked like she was about to lose it, but Crow added, "That sounded like pain, not anger."

Despite the two women protesting, Hoggle managed to break free from Sarah's grip and ran the way they had just come. Sarah made a frustrated noise as she turned to Crow and said, "Now what? Do we follow him back?"

Crow's brow furrowed as she shook her head. "We don't have time to waste. Plus, we may be able to use whatever is happening over there to figure something out. It's a long shot, but I say it's worth it."

Sarah jumped at another roar and gulped. That didn't keep her from nodding and following as Crow led them toward the continuing howls. It was not long until they came across a giant beast hung upside down and tormented by a group of goblins in armor bearing little fanged monsters riding on the sticks they carried.

The two women shared a look. Neither of them needed to ask the other to know what they planned to do. Crow pulled Sarah back and whispered, "Look for something to throw. I'll use the roots to try and trip them up."

Sarah gave her a nod before she turned to try and find something suitable. It was not long after she scrambled to search that the sound of the beast's wails started to change. It made her shiver, but it didn't keep her from looking. It was not long until she spotted a hand-sized rock that she must have missed. She picked it up with a grin and turned to see Crow had already placed her hands on the hedge, and the roots were creeping out toward the group of goblins.

Sarah grinned as she threw the rock. Her aim was perfect, and it hit the nearest goblin. It just so happened that he was close to one of the roots and went over in a heap. His fall started a chain reaction that had the rest all falling like dominos as they tried to run and got tangled. Both women had to repress their laughter as the troupe scrambled to right themselves only to get caught on each other's fanged sticks.

It was only a matter of moments before one of them made it to his feet and yelled out the order to retreat. The rest followed quickly, jumping and trying to avoid each other as much as possible on the way out.

As soon as they were gone, Crow did start laughing as she worked to put the roots back to rights. While she finished that, Sarah tentatively stepped out to approach the bound beast. It roared at her approach, but the sound was nearly pitiful. The girl jumped but was quick with a reprimand. "Now stop that. Is that any way to treat someone that's trying to help you?"

The beast brokenly echoed her words, but by that time, Crow was finished and came over as well. She pointed to the knot as she said, "You try and undo that, and I'll do my best to slow his fall."

She then turned to the hanging beast and said, "My apologies in advance if it's a rough ride."

Nothing else was said as both women focused on their tasks. It wasn't long before Sarah had the knot undone and the weight of the captive headed toward the ground. Crow was nearly jerked off her feet, but she managed to slow the fall enough that it was a slight bump instead of a horrid crash.

Once that was done, they both worked to untie the creature. The thing was much larger standing than either of them had expected, but they only took a step back as it said, "Friends?"

Sarah smiled as she said, "That's right. My name is Sarah; what's yours?"

The creature looked between the two women before it pointed to itself and said, "Ludo." It then pointed to Sarah and said, "Ludo and Sarah, friends."

Crow chuckled at the exchange before she pointed to herself and said, "And I'm Crow. Crow and Ludo friends, too."

Ludo made a happy noise as he pointed to both women. "Ludo, Sarah, Crow friends."

Crow was still smiling as she winked and said, "Right you are."

She then paused and shared a look with Sarah. The girl was quick to catch on and turned to the newcomer with a smile. "Ludo, Crow and I are trying to reach the castle at the center of the labyrinth. Do you know the way?"

Ludo held up one finger as though he might have thought of something but quickly lowered it again as he shook his head. Crow patted his arm companionably as she said, "That's alright. Between us, I'm sure we can figure it out. Will you stay here, or do you wish to come too?"

The beast looked between them for a moment before he said, "Ludo come with Sarah and Crow."

Crow's grin widened as she said, "Brilliant. Well, if that's decided, then why don't we see what's next?"

A/N: Yay! I am so excited that it has only been a few days since my last post. Well, not on this one, but in general. That's a step in the right direction. As for the story, I hope you are enjoying Crow's little additions. Although, things won't all go down similarly, as we have already seen once. Also, the next chapter will have a note about Crow's talent, so look forward to that. Lastly, in case you have questions about pacing, don't worry that this will be super short. The part with Sarah and their traipse through the labyrinth is only the first part of the story. There will be plenty more to come once that is resolved. I hope you are looking forward to it. Thanks for reading and cheers!