Sarah flew to each corner of the spiritual cage, but she couldn't get out. No matter how hard she tried, nothing worked and her magic was sapped. She huddled despairingly in the middle of the cage.

"Hello, love," hissed a voice.

She looked up with a start and Garrette's face floated in front of her. Hate burned in her eyes.

"Don't call me that," she said and spat in his face, not knowing or caring how she was able to do that in her astral body.

"Feisty, eh?" he asked softly.

Suddenly she burned, pain in every limb. She writhed on the ground until he saw fit to let her go.

"Don't do that again," he commanded.

She growled at him, but decided to keep silent.

"Good."

~*~

Jareth was awoken quite suddenly with a start as one might well do when screaming parents who have no idea he even existed happened to find him in their daughters room and not their daughter.

"What are you doing here?!" roared Sarah's father. "And what have you done with our daughter?"

Jareth stood up stiffly, still sore from his attack earlier. He bowed. "My name is Jareth and I am King of the Goblins. I trust Sarah's told you about me?"

Sarah's stepmother hmphed. "Her and her fairy stories. And you would do well not to lead her on, and to tell us what you did to her."

"Why, I have done nothing to Sarah except teach her to control her magic. And take her little brother Toby," he added as an afterthought, "at her behest."

Sarah's father moved toward him threateningly. "You had better tell us where Sarah is right now, or we'll call the police."

Jareth sighed. Such people who adamently refused magic would never see the truth. I wonder how they could be the parents of Sarah. She has never doubted magic, which gives her a part of her much desired beauty, and her naivete adds a certain innocence that anyone with sense would long to protect.

He shook these thoughts out of his head as a crystal ball appeared in his hand. He weaved it through the air until it had their full attention.

"Since you will not see the truth and refuse to try you will be denied the privilage of knowing. Forget your meeting with me and be on your way downstairs," said in such a voice that, along with the crystal, they had to obey. As if sleep walking they walked out the door and downstairs to the kitchen where Jareth could hear the drone of voices.

Exhausted, he sat back in bed. He must have been more tired than he had thought to become drained so quickly.

His thoughts were disturbed when he heard the panicked stepmother's voice.

"Sarah? Sarah?! Sarah answer me! What's happened to you? Sarah!"

He searched for her mind to talk to her telepathically, but he couldn't find her. He tried looking for her aura, but it was very faint. Then Jareth tossed a crystal down to where the aura was and looked deep into the other one, clearing his mind. He saw her sitting there, staring, not moving a muscle except to breath. He examined deeper, magickally. What Jareth saw caused him to break the connection, but it didn't matter. He knew what was wrong. Her soul, her consciousness, was gone.

He slipped from his body also, with the skill born of practice and followed the shimmering silver cord that bound her astral body to her physical. He followed it with a thought, going faster than the speed of light. Soon he ended up at his own castle. He flitted carefully through the castle until he came to the balcony of his throne room. Jareth was horrified to see Garette lounging on his throne, but he was even more so to see the shimmering form of Sarah in a black cage, crumpled on the floor with Garette watching and laughing with lust visible in his eyes.

Jareth burned with rage as he quickly went back to his body. He shook his head slightly to clear it, and then strode down to where Sarah was. Her parents were so upset that they didn't hear him. Quietly, he put them to sleep and then created a shield around the three of them to protect their bodies. That done, he became an owl and flew to his palace.

It's time to end this once and for all.