DISCLAIMER: I claim Gorbath and all of his army. The rest is just wishful thinking.
Chapter 8
He sat on a great black steed, his polished armor glimmering blackly in the night. His dark eyes were lit with the thirst for power and an evil shadow surrounded him, making even the starlight dim. The shadows were alive, dancing in a deadly circle around the Warlord.
At his side, a small figure sat gallantly upon a trembling dog. His armor was tattered and his helmet rusted, but he sat proudly beside the dark lord. He leveled his spear solemnly at the modern looking house across the street.
"There, your Majesty. There is the home of Lady Sarah."
He did not see the black grin that spread over the Warlord's face. Gorbath could see a fire burning inside the house and the distinctive silhouette of the vanished Goblin King before it. Another figure joined the man by the fire and the Warlord realized that he must now be seeing the Lady Sarah. He shifted eagerly in the saddle.
At his slightest movement, a shadow rose up beside him, solidifying into one of the fearsome Shadow Warriors.
"Your Majesty?" Gorbath nodded his head towards the house.
"He's there. I want him. Now." The warrior bowed as the Warlord continued. "Do whatever you must to capture him, and bring the others to me." Sir Didymus stared up at Gorbath as the warrior vanished.
"But your Majesty! Surely thou dost not have need of Lady Sarah and her brother! I thought that only the traitor would be held."
"Yes, of course," Gorbath said in a bored voice. He reached down and picked Didymus up by the scruff of his neck. "And sheltering the enemy is treason." Didymus gaped at him.
"But-"
"No buts, fox," the Warlord growled. "You have betrayed your king and you have betrayed all creatures living in the Labyrinth. What is one more betrayal?" Gorbath dropped the fox and spoke into the shadows.
"Go. Now." As one, the dancing shadows seemed to rise up and converge on the quiet house. The black horse stomped a foot, wanting to join the battle. Near his hoof, Didymus sneezed at the cloud of dust kicked up by the horse. Something had just gone terribly wrong, but he couldn't figure out exactly what. Bravely, he climbed back onto Ambrosius to see what would happen next.
---------------------
A great explosion rocked the foundation of the house.
Coughing, Sarah realized she had been thrown backwards and attempted to stand, but there was something weighing her down. Eyes watering from the rising dust, she struggled against the thing.
"Help me!" she managed to croak. Gasping, she tried again to free herself, images of being pulled from the wreckage, lips blue with oxygen deprivation, floating through her head. Suddenly the air cleared and Sarah realized the object holding her down was Jareth.
"What?" she gasped, frantically wiping the dirt from her smarting eyes. The Goblin King had his back pressed against her, one hand curved around her shoulders protectively. In his other hand, he held a glowing orb. The light of the crystal extended for several feet, surrounded by a wall of debris. A shield, Sarah realized, he had made a shield to protect her. Looking around, she saw that the rest of the house was in shambles.
"No," she whispered. Without thinking, she pushed Jareth away from her and darted out of the circle. "Toby!" she shrieked.
"Sarah, wait!" She felt Jareth's hand on her arm but she shook him off impatiently. She couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to her brother.
Sarah scrambled over the wall of broken boards and skidded down the other side. Stumbling at the bottom, she paused to look around, barely noticing that she was shivering from worry and shock.
"Toby!" she screamed, looking across the rubble at the flickering shadows. Her eyes darted from one to the next. The shadows...there was something strange about them. They seemed sinister, menacing somehow.
"Toby?" Sarah's voice quivered. Then Jareth was at her side, the crystal still in his hands. She edged closer to him uncertainly, whispering under her breath.
"Jareth," his eyes flitted quickly to her face as he scanned the destruction, "there's something over there. I...I think the shadows are laughing at me." She glanced quickly at him and saw that he was staring grimly at the strange shadows.
"Yes, I know," he murmured resignedly. "Stay behind me. There's going to be a battle."
"But Toby-" Sarah felt suddenly unsteady and she nearly collapsed before she could regain control of herself. Quickly she sat down on a broken table behind her. Jareth's eyes had never left the shadows, but she knew he was listening.
"We'll find Toby later, Sarah. Don't worry about him now. They're not looking for him." A harsh voice interrupted the Goblin King.
"That's right. We were looking for you, I believe." A great fireball lit the sky momentarily before plummeting directly for Sarah and Jareth. Sarah screamed and ducked as Jareth raised his hand, the light of the orb expanding.
A blinding flash exploded across the heavens, causing people across the country to pause and look to the sky, wondering if they had imagined the brilliant light.
The battle for the world of dreams had begun.
End Chapter Eight.
Chapter 8
He sat on a great black steed, his polished armor glimmering blackly in the night. His dark eyes were lit with the thirst for power and an evil shadow surrounded him, making even the starlight dim. The shadows were alive, dancing in a deadly circle around the Warlord.
At his side, a small figure sat gallantly upon a trembling dog. His armor was tattered and his helmet rusted, but he sat proudly beside the dark lord. He leveled his spear solemnly at the modern looking house across the street.
"There, your Majesty. There is the home of Lady Sarah."
He did not see the black grin that spread over the Warlord's face. Gorbath could see a fire burning inside the house and the distinctive silhouette of the vanished Goblin King before it. Another figure joined the man by the fire and the Warlord realized that he must now be seeing the Lady Sarah. He shifted eagerly in the saddle.
At his slightest movement, a shadow rose up beside him, solidifying into one of the fearsome Shadow Warriors.
"Your Majesty?" Gorbath nodded his head towards the house.
"He's there. I want him. Now." The warrior bowed as the Warlord continued. "Do whatever you must to capture him, and bring the others to me." Sir Didymus stared up at Gorbath as the warrior vanished.
"But your Majesty! Surely thou dost not have need of Lady Sarah and her brother! I thought that only the traitor would be held."
"Yes, of course," Gorbath said in a bored voice. He reached down and picked Didymus up by the scruff of his neck. "And sheltering the enemy is treason." Didymus gaped at him.
"But-"
"No buts, fox," the Warlord growled. "You have betrayed your king and you have betrayed all creatures living in the Labyrinth. What is one more betrayal?" Gorbath dropped the fox and spoke into the shadows.
"Go. Now." As one, the dancing shadows seemed to rise up and converge on the quiet house. The black horse stomped a foot, wanting to join the battle. Near his hoof, Didymus sneezed at the cloud of dust kicked up by the horse. Something had just gone terribly wrong, but he couldn't figure out exactly what. Bravely, he climbed back onto Ambrosius to see what would happen next.
---------------------
A great explosion rocked the foundation of the house.
Coughing, Sarah realized she had been thrown backwards and attempted to stand, but there was something weighing her down. Eyes watering from the rising dust, she struggled against the thing.
"Help me!" she managed to croak. Gasping, she tried again to free herself, images of being pulled from the wreckage, lips blue with oxygen deprivation, floating through her head. Suddenly the air cleared and Sarah realized the object holding her down was Jareth.
"What?" she gasped, frantically wiping the dirt from her smarting eyes. The Goblin King had his back pressed against her, one hand curved around her shoulders protectively. In his other hand, he held a glowing orb. The light of the crystal extended for several feet, surrounded by a wall of debris. A shield, Sarah realized, he had made a shield to protect her. Looking around, she saw that the rest of the house was in shambles.
"No," she whispered. Without thinking, she pushed Jareth away from her and darted out of the circle. "Toby!" she shrieked.
"Sarah, wait!" She felt Jareth's hand on her arm but she shook him off impatiently. She couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to her brother.
Sarah scrambled over the wall of broken boards and skidded down the other side. Stumbling at the bottom, she paused to look around, barely noticing that she was shivering from worry and shock.
"Toby!" she screamed, looking across the rubble at the flickering shadows. Her eyes darted from one to the next. The shadows...there was something strange about them. They seemed sinister, menacing somehow.
"Toby?" Sarah's voice quivered. Then Jareth was at her side, the crystal still in his hands. She edged closer to him uncertainly, whispering under her breath.
"Jareth," his eyes flitted quickly to her face as he scanned the destruction, "there's something over there. I...I think the shadows are laughing at me." She glanced quickly at him and saw that he was staring grimly at the strange shadows.
"Yes, I know," he murmured resignedly. "Stay behind me. There's going to be a battle."
"But Toby-" Sarah felt suddenly unsteady and she nearly collapsed before she could regain control of herself. Quickly she sat down on a broken table behind her. Jareth's eyes had never left the shadows, but she knew he was listening.
"We'll find Toby later, Sarah. Don't worry about him now. They're not looking for him." A harsh voice interrupted the Goblin King.
"That's right. We were looking for you, I believe." A great fireball lit the sky momentarily before plummeting directly for Sarah and Jareth. Sarah screamed and ducked as Jareth raised his hand, the light of the orb expanding.
A blinding flash exploded across the heavens, causing people across the country to pause and look to the sky, wondering if they had imagined the brilliant light.
The battle for the world of dreams had begun.
End Chapter Eight.