Part Five
"It's not easy taking my problems one at a time when they refuse to get in line!"
*How do I deal with those wyrms?* Sarah gnawed absently on her lip, chin cupped thoughtfully in hand. She was perched somewhat precariously on an out jutting bit of rock a few feet off the ground - giving her a perfect vantage point on the entire cave. Her eyes scanned the masses, and every now and then she'd call out or wave to a certain creature, unconsciously assuming the air of a troubled but competent commander. A queen indeed. Had Jareth been watching at that moment, he would have been proud.
Only half of her brain was worrying about the cave and all her subjects therein (interesting, some tiny portion of her subconscious noticed, how quickly I've begun to think of them as 'my' subjects). The other half was absorbed with her crystal, watching the play of light in its murky depths as she rolled it back and forth in her left hand, tossing and catching it, then holding it close to her face for a minute-then with a sigh, rolling it across her palm. There was a way in that the wyrms hadn't blocked off - it was small dark tunnel under the cellars that she had found on her first visit to the Labyrinth-she coughed a little as she remembered exactly what she'd been doing in the cellars when she'd found the tunnel-looking for one for Jareth's drugged peaches actually.
*Well, that was several years ago,* she thought defensively. *He turned my brother into a goblin. He forced me to stay in the castle as his very unwilling queen. He wasn't exactly on the top of my buddy list. I only wanted revenge. Was that so wrong?*
She grinned sheepishly to herself, but the smile faded as her mind slid back to that day. She'd fallen practically right through the decrepit wooden trap door, had followed the tunnel (dwarven carved, much like this cave) out into the Goblin City. Apparently, Erlar had no idea it was there. Perfect way in.
Unfortunately, secret way in or no, she still had to deal with the wyrms.
At first, she'd thought that if she just killed their master, the wymrs would simply leave. Hetta had crushed that hope. "Wyrms don't work that way. Once they finds a place they likes, they'll stay there destroyin' everything until there ain't nothin' left. It's actually Early up there who's keepin' 'em from ravagin' the whole lands flat. Thank the Labyrinth for small bloody miracles."
"So I have to kill them or drive them off," Sarah had summed up glumly, not thrilled with the idea.
"Ye've got a better chance of killin' 'em."
"Great," Sarah had said, and she said it again now, glaring at the crystal in her palm as if this was all it's fault. "Just great."
"Hey, I remember you! Your head don't come off!"
Sarah jumped and whirled, and promptly fell off the ledge. Scrambling to her feet, she tried to assuage bruised dignity and backside and place the red and orange creature hopping around behind her.
~~"Her head don't come off!"
"Hey, lady, where you goin' with a head like that?"
"Come back little lady, you gotta play the game!"~~
"Oh! It's you. I remember you too." She jumped up to her feet as the firey danced a little closer. "Um...I'm glad you made it here safely. Where's your gang?" She glanced around as if expecting a swarm of fireys to descend on her, chattering and throwing body parts around.
"We're havin' a party!" The firey jiggled his feet and gestured back behind him. "You wanna come, lady?"
"My head still doesn't come off," she told him.
"That's okay, we like you anyway," the firey said generously. "You wanna come?"
"No thanks," she told him, smiling. "I've still got some things to do. But maybe later."
"Hey, no problem, man," the firey back-flipped to his hands and waved a long, gangly foot at her. "We're always ready for a party!"
"I know." She watched the creature tumble back to his feet and dance away towards a large crowd of fireys. "Uh-oh," she muttered. "That could be trouble." Fireys usually traveled in small groups of five or six-and even then could be a handful to deal with (she knew from experience), but down here, at least fifty or sixty of the exuberant creatures had gathered, and no firey, no matter how drastic the situation may be, could resist a party when it got together with its friends.
"Definitely trouble," she said, louder this time. "Ludo!"
The beast came rumbling over. "Sarah?"
"Ludo, can you and some of your bigger friends keep an eye on those fireys for me? Keep them as quiet as you can. Please?"
Ludo eyed the mob of laughing fireys, and shuffled one of his massive feet. "Ludo watch." He said at last, obviously not thrilled with the idea. Sarah sighed, understanding perfectly. But there wasn't anyone else who could possibly keep the crazy things under control-except maybe her pendant-but then, she didn't want to start using her powers to control anyone. The fireys could have their little party (assuming nothing got out of hand) for a few hours at least. After all, once she set her slowly forming plan in motion-who knew how many of them would ever dance again?
She grinned as Ludo (aided by several various other creatures who obviously were well aware of the dangers of a rioting firey party) moved into the chittering red and orange crowd. The ginger beast started a little as a leg came flying at his head, followed by a maniacally laughing firey. Ludo plucked the leg from midair and held it out silently for the creature, who waved it back at him ("Thanks, man! Hey, you wanna take off *your* leg?) in gratitude before hopping away to play golf with some other firey's eyeballs.
*Oh yes,* she thought dryly. *I'm going to need a very long nap when all this is over.*
"It's not easy taking my problems one at a time when they refuse to get in line!"
*How do I deal with those wyrms?* Sarah gnawed absently on her lip, chin cupped thoughtfully in hand. She was perched somewhat precariously on an out jutting bit of rock a few feet off the ground - giving her a perfect vantage point on the entire cave. Her eyes scanned the masses, and every now and then she'd call out or wave to a certain creature, unconsciously assuming the air of a troubled but competent commander. A queen indeed. Had Jareth been watching at that moment, he would have been proud.
Only half of her brain was worrying about the cave and all her subjects therein (interesting, some tiny portion of her subconscious noticed, how quickly I've begun to think of them as 'my' subjects). The other half was absorbed with her crystal, watching the play of light in its murky depths as she rolled it back and forth in her left hand, tossing and catching it, then holding it close to her face for a minute-then with a sigh, rolling it across her palm. There was a way in that the wyrms hadn't blocked off - it was small dark tunnel under the cellars that she had found on her first visit to the Labyrinth-she coughed a little as she remembered exactly what she'd been doing in the cellars when she'd found the tunnel-looking for one for Jareth's drugged peaches actually.
*Well, that was several years ago,* she thought defensively. *He turned my brother into a goblin. He forced me to stay in the castle as his very unwilling queen. He wasn't exactly on the top of my buddy list. I only wanted revenge. Was that so wrong?*
She grinned sheepishly to herself, but the smile faded as her mind slid back to that day. She'd fallen practically right through the decrepit wooden trap door, had followed the tunnel (dwarven carved, much like this cave) out into the Goblin City. Apparently, Erlar had no idea it was there. Perfect way in.
Unfortunately, secret way in or no, she still had to deal with the wyrms.
At first, she'd thought that if she just killed their master, the wymrs would simply leave. Hetta had crushed that hope. "Wyrms don't work that way. Once they finds a place they likes, they'll stay there destroyin' everything until there ain't nothin' left. It's actually Early up there who's keepin' 'em from ravagin' the whole lands flat. Thank the Labyrinth for small bloody miracles."
"So I have to kill them or drive them off," Sarah had summed up glumly, not thrilled with the idea.
"Ye've got a better chance of killin' 'em."
"Great," Sarah had said, and she said it again now, glaring at the crystal in her palm as if this was all it's fault. "Just great."
"Hey, I remember you! Your head don't come off!"
Sarah jumped and whirled, and promptly fell off the ledge. Scrambling to her feet, she tried to assuage bruised dignity and backside and place the red and orange creature hopping around behind her.
~~"Her head don't come off!"
"Hey, lady, where you goin' with a head like that?"
"Come back little lady, you gotta play the game!"~~
"Oh! It's you. I remember you too." She jumped up to her feet as the firey danced a little closer. "Um...I'm glad you made it here safely. Where's your gang?" She glanced around as if expecting a swarm of fireys to descend on her, chattering and throwing body parts around.
"We're havin' a party!" The firey jiggled his feet and gestured back behind him. "You wanna come, lady?"
"My head still doesn't come off," she told him.
"That's okay, we like you anyway," the firey said generously. "You wanna come?"
"No thanks," she told him, smiling. "I've still got some things to do. But maybe later."
"Hey, no problem, man," the firey back-flipped to his hands and waved a long, gangly foot at her. "We're always ready for a party!"
"I know." She watched the creature tumble back to his feet and dance away towards a large crowd of fireys. "Uh-oh," she muttered. "That could be trouble." Fireys usually traveled in small groups of five or six-and even then could be a handful to deal with (she knew from experience), but down here, at least fifty or sixty of the exuberant creatures had gathered, and no firey, no matter how drastic the situation may be, could resist a party when it got together with its friends.
"Definitely trouble," she said, louder this time. "Ludo!"
The beast came rumbling over. "Sarah?"
"Ludo, can you and some of your bigger friends keep an eye on those fireys for me? Keep them as quiet as you can. Please?"
Ludo eyed the mob of laughing fireys, and shuffled one of his massive feet. "Ludo watch." He said at last, obviously not thrilled with the idea. Sarah sighed, understanding perfectly. But there wasn't anyone else who could possibly keep the crazy things under control-except maybe her pendant-but then, she didn't want to start using her powers to control anyone. The fireys could have their little party (assuming nothing got out of hand) for a few hours at least. After all, once she set her slowly forming plan in motion-who knew how many of them would ever dance again?
She grinned as Ludo (aided by several various other creatures who obviously were well aware of the dangers of a rioting firey party) moved into the chittering red and orange crowd. The ginger beast started a little as a leg came flying at his head, followed by a maniacally laughing firey. Ludo plucked the leg from midair and held it out silently for the creature, who waved it back at him ("Thanks, man! Hey, you wanna take off *your* leg?) in gratitude before hopping away to play golf with some other firey's eyeballs.
*Oh yes,* she thought dryly. *I'm going to need a very long nap when all this is over.*