DISCLAIMER: I claim Gorbath and all of his army. The rest is just wishful thinking.
Chapter 9
From his position across the street, Didymus had a clear view of the battle. He watched in horror as the Shadow Warriors swirled around the house like a demonic horde. They darted in and out of the bushes, finally congesting against one wall. Under their combined weight, the wall slowly began to fold. With agonizing slowness, it curved inwards.
Finally growing impatient, Gorbath raised his hand and barked a command. A ball of ugly black light appeared in his hand and he hurled it towards the house. The shadows scattered as the ball flew towards them. There was a loud explosion and a flash of sickly yellow light. When he could see again, Didymus saw that the house had been nearly completely destroyed.
"My Lady! Sarah!" he gasped, urging Ambrosius forward. Before the dog could take two steps, a snort from the great black warhorse had him trembling on his belly. "Ambrosius, come on!" Didymus urged. The Warlord chuckled as he started towards the house, leaving the fox arguing with his terrified steed.
"Toby!" Didymus looked up at the sound to see Sarah stumbling over a hill of debris. He sighed with relief. Then his eyes narrowed as he saw the Shadow Warriors lurking only a few feet from where she stood.
"Ambrosius, get up! We have to save the Lady Sarah from those fiends!" At that moment, Jareth emerged from the other side of the hill Sarah had climbed over. He was holding a glowing crystal in his hands and Didymus watched in surprise as Sarah edged closer to him, away from the shadows.
Confused, he wondered if he should help Sarah or stop Jareth. Or was Jareth still the king? The Warlord had managed to thoroughly confuse him. Didymus decided it might be best if he stayed put until he could figure things out.
Suddenly, an immense fireball appeared in the sky. It hovered for a moment before plunging directly towards Sarah and Jareth. Frozen in awe, Didymus watched the thing plummet faster and faster. Sarah screamed and ducked, but Jareth stared calmly at the inferno. At the last possible instant. He raised the crystal and a pure white light exploded from it. It slammed into the fireball and past it, obliterating the thing with a blinding flash.
For several minutes, there was silence as everyone struggled to focus their eyes again in the darkness.
--------------------
The Warlord blinked his eyes slowly. His Shadow Warriors had retreated from the intense light and now swirled around the outskirts of the foundation angrily. The Goblin King had fallen to his knees. Gorbath himself was stunned by the massive amounts of power that had been used.
"Jareth!" Sarah screamed. She rushed to his side just in time to catch him as he slumped over. Once again he had used his magic to shield her, this time at his own expense. "Please be okay," she murmured to him. Jareth drew an agonized breath and opened his eyes to look at her.
"I'll be fine," he said quietly. "It's very difficult to use magic here and I have to pull it from the Underground. I've never used so much at once..." His voice trailed off
and he seemed to be unconscious but a moment later he groaned and struggled to his feet. Sarah drew back from the look in his eyes, even though it was not directed at her. They seemed to blaze with a fiery rage.
"Gorbath!" he demanded. "My kingdom will never belong to you. But if you insist on a battle, it will be in a place of my choosing." He bowed his head for a moment. There was a swirl of light and color and when he looked up again they were standing in the ruined Labyrinth. He looked around sadly.
The Labyrinth had been his masterpiece, his perfect plan to use against foolish humans. And now it was merely a crumbling ruin. But, he thought looking at Sarah, perhaps it was time to make peace with the demons of his past. He had forgotten what joy felt like but his amnesia had shown him how to live again. He glared at the Warlord and felt the amulet on his chest heat with magical energy.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you. Such a pity..."
---------------
Sarah jumped when she realized she was back in the Labyrinth. She gaped at the destruction. She had always remembered the great maze as strong and impenetrable, but the decaying walls around her would not have stopped anyone from making their way to the castle.
In the daylight, the Shadow Warriors seemed less menacing and she finally got a better look at the dark lord. He was sitting on a large black warhorse, wearing armor darker than night. His face was an emotionless mask.
He was completely unsurprised by Jareth's actions. It was what he had expected. Gorbath negligently gestured to his army. The shadows immediately began to circle to Goblin King and the young woman.
"Have it your way, Jareth. But I think in the end, you will bow to me!" He cackled as he hurled a rope of black lightning towards the king. Jareth reacted instantly, shoving Sarah behind him and dissipating the blast. Before he could retaliate, the Warlord launched another magical attack, and another, and another.
While Jareth's concentration was entirely focused on defending himself from magic, the Shadow Warriors began drawing closer and closer. Sarah, observing all of this, pushed aside her fear and looked around for a weapon. She found a large stick just as the first of the warriors drew near to king. As it reached for him, she jumped up with her best amazon yell and swung her club at it.
To her surprise, it slid through the shadow easily, slicing it neatly in half. The Shadow Warrior screamed and vanished. These were the Warlord's chosen fighters? Jareth whirled at the commotion, his eyes widening as he saw what was happening. He dodged a flaming arrow from Gorbath and quickly spoke to Sarah.
"You're not from this world. They have no power of you." She started at his choice of words, wondering if that was also why he had no power over HER. Jareth didn't notice her surprise, so intent was he on the battle. "All you have to do is touch them to destroy them. But be careful. I haven't gone through all of this to lose you now."
Then he turned back to the fight, leaving Sarah to stare at him in amazement. Had he even realized what he'd just said? The words echoed through her mind.
"I haven't gone through all of this to lose you know..."
With a curious lightness in her heart, Sarah returned to slapping at the shadows.
-----------------
Toby crawled out from under a pile of rubble and stared at the sight before him with complete astonishment. He had been sitting in the living room hoping that Sarah wasn't too angry with him when the house had seemed to explode. Now he could see Jareth twisting to avoide bolts of black lightning, hands glowing with unearthly energy as he dissipate the attacks. Sarah stood beside him holding a large stick. She was swinging it wildly at shadows that were creeping around her and Jareth.
Without thinking, Toby stood up and yelled, "Sarah!" His sister didn't hear him, but someone else did.
Toby gasped as something grabbed him around the neck and hauled him into the air. Squirming to the right, he caught a glimpse of a massive man in black armor. Toby struggled to breath as the man lifted him into the air, still grasping him by the neck.
Gorbath grinned blackly as he recognized the boy. He gestured to the Shadow Warriors and they quickly drew away from Jareth and Sarah. Surprised by the retreat, Sarah stumbled to the ground, kneeling as she tried to catch her breath. Similarly, the magical attacks that Jareth had been blocking magically stopped. The Goblin King was sweating with exertion but he stood proudly as he faced the Warlord.
"Jareth! I have something you might want," Gorbath taunted. "Look! It's one of your human pets!" Sarah jumped up with a cry and Jareth growled as he stepped forward.
"Leave him, Gorbath!" He took another step, cautiously approaching the Warlord. If he could only get close enough to free Toby. "Have you fallen so far that you would kill even a worthless child?" Slowly, he was edging forward.
Gorbath stared at Jareth silently, face emotionless. "I told you before," he said quietly, "I am death and decay and all that is evil. I will do whatever I need to conquer this land, be it killing a child..." He suddenly raised a fist.
"...or killing a woman!" An instant too late, Jareth realized the Warlord's plan. He whirled, shouting for Sarah to move, diving back towards her as fast as he could. Sarah shrieked as the blast hit her and she vanished, reappearing at Gorbath's side. Shocked, she looked around.
"Toby!" She exclaimed, seeing her brother only a few feet away. Before she could move, the Warlord waved his hand and chains of black magic wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her sides and causing her to stumble. Reaching out, Gorbath caught her and pulled her to his side.
"No!" Jareth shouted, enraged. He was helpless while the Warlord had Toby and Sarah as hostages.
"So!" The Warlord laughed. "What will you do now, almighty Goblin King? You can either surrender to me, or you can attack and kill these humans as well. Your choice." Gorbath grinned evilly.
Jareth stared at Gorbath, disgust plainly written on his face. His eyes closed in pain and exhaustion and his head lowered. The magical aura around him slowly faded to nothing.
"No!" Sarah shrieked. "Don't do this Jareth! You can't let him win! There's no way he'll ever-" The Warlord slapped her across the face.
"Shut up," he sneered. "You belong to me now." The Shadow Warriors swirled around Jareth, spiriting him away to the depths of the castle. Sarah stared after them fearfully.
"What are you going to do with him?" she demanded. The Warlord chuckled.
"So bold..." he murmured, smiling at Sarah. She turned away in revulsion. After a moment, Gorbath continued. "He will be kept in his own dungeons until he either names me ruler or dies of...natural causes...so that I may harness the power of the Underground." Gorbath gestured and the three of them were transported to the throne room.
Left behind and completely forgotten, Sir Didymus peered around the deserted battleground.
"Come on, Ambrosius. There is still time to set this right. We must get back to the others and save Lady Sarah." For once not trembling, Ambrosius quickly began the trek back to the center of the Labyrinth.
End Chapter Nine
Chapter 9
From his position across the street, Didymus had a clear view of the battle. He watched in horror as the Shadow Warriors swirled around the house like a demonic horde. They darted in and out of the bushes, finally congesting against one wall. Under their combined weight, the wall slowly began to fold. With agonizing slowness, it curved inwards.
Finally growing impatient, Gorbath raised his hand and barked a command. A ball of ugly black light appeared in his hand and he hurled it towards the house. The shadows scattered as the ball flew towards them. There was a loud explosion and a flash of sickly yellow light. When he could see again, Didymus saw that the house had been nearly completely destroyed.
"My Lady! Sarah!" he gasped, urging Ambrosius forward. Before the dog could take two steps, a snort from the great black warhorse had him trembling on his belly. "Ambrosius, come on!" Didymus urged. The Warlord chuckled as he started towards the house, leaving the fox arguing with his terrified steed.
"Toby!" Didymus looked up at the sound to see Sarah stumbling over a hill of debris. He sighed with relief. Then his eyes narrowed as he saw the Shadow Warriors lurking only a few feet from where she stood.
"Ambrosius, get up! We have to save the Lady Sarah from those fiends!" At that moment, Jareth emerged from the other side of the hill Sarah had climbed over. He was holding a glowing crystal in his hands and Didymus watched in surprise as Sarah edged closer to him, away from the shadows.
Confused, he wondered if he should help Sarah or stop Jareth. Or was Jareth still the king? The Warlord had managed to thoroughly confuse him. Didymus decided it might be best if he stayed put until he could figure things out.
Suddenly, an immense fireball appeared in the sky. It hovered for a moment before plunging directly towards Sarah and Jareth. Frozen in awe, Didymus watched the thing plummet faster and faster. Sarah screamed and ducked, but Jareth stared calmly at the inferno. At the last possible instant. He raised the crystal and a pure white light exploded from it. It slammed into the fireball and past it, obliterating the thing with a blinding flash.
For several minutes, there was silence as everyone struggled to focus their eyes again in the darkness.
--------------------
The Warlord blinked his eyes slowly. His Shadow Warriors had retreated from the intense light and now swirled around the outskirts of the foundation angrily. The Goblin King had fallen to his knees. Gorbath himself was stunned by the massive amounts of power that had been used.
"Jareth!" Sarah screamed. She rushed to his side just in time to catch him as he slumped over. Once again he had used his magic to shield her, this time at his own expense. "Please be okay," she murmured to him. Jareth drew an agonized breath and opened his eyes to look at her.
"I'll be fine," he said quietly. "It's very difficult to use magic here and I have to pull it from the Underground. I've never used so much at once..." His voice trailed off
and he seemed to be unconscious but a moment later he groaned and struggled to his feet. Sarah drew back from the look in his eyes, even though it was not directed at her. They seemed to blaze with a fiery rage.
"Gorbath!" he demanded. "My kingdom will never belong to you. But if you insist on a battle, it will be in a place of my choosing." He bowed his head for a moment. There was a swirl of light and color and when he looked up again they were standing in the ruined Labyrinth. He looked around sadly.
The Labyrinth had been his masterpiece, his perfect plan to use against foolish humans. And now it was merely a crumbling ruin. But, he thought looking at Sarah, perhaps it was time to make peace with the demons of his past. He had forgotten what joy felt like but his amnesia had shown him how to live again. He glared at the Warlord and felt the amulet on his chest heat with magical energy.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you. Such a pity..."
---------------
Sarah jumped when she realized she was back in the Labyrinth. She gaped at the destruction. She had always remembered the great maze as strong and impenetrable, but the decaying walls around her would not have stopped anyone from making their way to the castle.
In the daylight, the Shadow Warriors seemed less menacing and she finally got a better look at the dark lord. He was sitting on a large black warhorse, wearing armor darker than night. His face was an emotionless mask.
He was completely unsurprised by Jareth's actions. It was what he had expected. Gorbath negligently gestured to his army. The shadows immediately began to circle to Goblin King and the young woman.
"Have it your way, Jareth. But I think in the end, you will bow to me!" He cackled as he hurled a rope of black lightning towards the king. Jareth reacted instantly, shoving Sarah behind him and dissipating the blast. Before he could retaliate, the Warlord launched another magical attack, and another, and another.
While Jareth's concentration was entirely focused on defending himself from magic, the Shadow Warriors began drawing closer and closer. Sarah, observing all of this, pushed aside her fear and looked around for a weapon. She found a large stick just as the first of the warriors drew near to king. As it reached for him, she jumped up with her best amazon yell and swung her club at it.
To her surprise, it slid through the shadow easily, slicing it neatly in half. The Shadow Warrior screamed and vanished. These were the Warlord's chosen fighters? Jareth whirled at the commotion, his eyes widening as he saw what was happening. He dodged a flaming arrow from Gorbath and quickly spoke to Sarah.
"You're not from this world. They have no power of you." She started at his choice of words, wondering if that was also why he had no power over HER. Jareth didn't notice her surprise, so intent was he on the battle. "All you have to do is touch them to destroy them. But be careful. I haven't gone through all of this to lose you now."
Then he turned back to the fight, leaving Sarah to stare at him in amazement. Had he even realized what he'd just said? The words echoed through her mind.
"I haven't gone through all of this to lose you know..."
With a curious lightness in her heart, Sarah returned to slapping at the shadows.
-----------------
Toby crawled out from under a pile of rubble and stared at the sight before him with complete astonishment. He had been sitting in the living room hoping that Sarah wasn't too angry with him when the house had seemed to explode. Now he could see Jareth twisting to avoide bolts of black lightning, hands glowing with unearthly energy as he dissipate the attacks. Sarah stood beside him holding a large stick. She was swinging it wildly at shadows that were creeping around her and Jareth.
Without thinking, Toby stood up and yelled, "Sarah!" His sister didn't hear him, but someone else did.
Toby gasped as something grabbed him around the neck and hauled him into the air. Squirming to the right, he caught a glimpse of a massive man in black armor. Toby struggled to breath as the man lifted him into the air, still grasping him by the neck.
Gorbath grinned blackly as he recognized the boy. He gestured to the Shadow Warriors and they quickly drew away from Jareth and Sarah. Surprised by the retreat, Sarah stumbled to the ground, kneeling as she tried to catch her breath. Similarly, the magical attacks that Jareth had been blocking magically stopped. The Goblin King was sweating with exertion but he stood proudly as he faced the Warlord.
"Jareth! I have something you might want," Gorbath taunted. "Look! It's one of your human pets!" Sarah jumped up with a cry and Jareth growled as he stepped forward.
"Leave him, Gorbath!" He took another step, cautiously approaching the Warlord. If he could only get close enough to free Toby. "Have you fallen so far that you would kill even a worthless child?" Slowly, he was edging forward.
Gorbath stared at Jareth silently, face emotionless. "I told you before," he said quietly, "I am death and decay and all that is evil. I will do whatever I need to conquer this land, be it killing a child..." He suddenly raised a fist.
"...or killing a woman!" An instant too late, Jareth realized the Warlord's plan. He whirled, shouting for Sarah to move, diving back towards her as fast as he could. Sarah shrieked as the blast hit her and she vanished, reappearing at Gorbath's side. Shocked, she looked around.
"Toby!" She exclaimed, seeing her brother only a few feet away. Before she could move, the Warlord waved his hand and chains of black magic wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her sides and causing her to stumble. Reaching out, Gorbath caught her and pulled her to his side.
"No!" Jareth shouted, enraged. He was helpless while the Warlord had Toby and Sarah as hostages.
"So!" The Warlord laughed. "What will you do now, almighty Goblin King? You can either surrender to me, or you can attack and kill these humans as well. Your choice." Gorbath grinned evilly.
Jareth stared at Gorbath, disgust plainly written on his face. His eyes closed in pain and exhaustion and his head lowered. The magical aura around him slowly faded to nothing.
"No!" Sarah shrieked. "Don't do this Jareth! You can't let him win! There's no way he'll ever-" The Warlord slapped her across the face.
"Shut up," he sneered. "You belong to me now." The Shadow Warriors swirled around Jareth, spiriting him away to the depths of the castle. Sarah stared after them fearfully.
"What are you going to do with him?" she demanded. The Warlord chuckled.
"So bold..." he murmured, smiling at Sarah. She turned away in revulsion. After a moment, Gorbath continued. "He will be kept in his own dungeons until he either names me ruler or dies of...natural causes...so that I may harness the power of the Underground." Gorbath gestured and the three of them were transported to the throne room.
Left behind and completely forgotten, Sir Didymus peered around the deserted battleground.
"Come on, Ambrosius. There is still time to set this right. We must get back to the others and save Lady Sarah." For once not trembling, Ambrosius quickly began the trek back to the center of the Labyrinth.
End Chapter Nine