CHAPTER 2

1 In the presence of fear

2 Basic instinct

Begs blind trust

- Symacee -

Sarah and Lil raced each other up the stairs to the dojo and panted heavily just outside the door. Lil opened the door, bowed slightly before entering while Sarah followed behind her doing the same. They went over to the chairs and began to take off their shoes and socks.

Sarah loved this place. She loved the feel of the carpet underneath her bare feet. She loved the fact that they were on the top floor of the building. She loved the radio station that played continuously through the room. Most of all she loved the martial arts. Not only was it a great stress-reliever but it was oddly calming as well. Lil had introduced it to her a little over a year ago and Sarah had taken to it with a relish and in that time had gone from level white to blue and was currently at green. Yet most of all Sarah loved the magic that radiated from this place.

After returning from the Labyrinth Sarah found herself drawn to things of magic. At first she didn't' know what it was and it scared her. But as time passed she began to meet others, others who knew of the magic, others who were wielders of the magic. It was through them that Sarah began to understand and discover that her experience in the Underground was one of the many lessons in life. Admittably, that lesson was leant in an extremely rare way, but a lesson nonetheless and Sarah now knew what it had taught her.

However, the magic in her life had not been a major factor, merely a guiding force, until she meet Lillian. In her first (and last) months of University she had met the beautiful blond who looked at everyone with emerald eyes as if she knew something that no one else did, and as Sarah eventually found out, Lil did indeed know a lot that not many others knew. 'Like this dojo' thought Sarah. Lil had recgonised the potential in Sarah to become a wielder of magic and had brought her to this place where she had meet others who also had the gift. Here was a training ground for warriors both of the physical and the magical.

Sarah chuckled to herself as she remembered her first visit here and winked at Lil when her friend gave her a glance. She had laughed at the idea when she had first heard it. It was so. fairy tale-ish that Sarah could do little but laugh. That was before she had met Luke. Luke was the owner of the dojo and oversaw most of the training and it was Luke who proved to Sarah that warriors of magic weren't just some silly words.

(14 months earlier)

It took Sarah a good five minutes to get control of herself and stop herself laughing. Warriors of magic! What were these people on? And just who were they fighting against - goblins? This was just as bad as the Labyrinth. As soon as that through appeared all mirth left Sarah. The Labyrinth had been real, the Goblin King had been real and the magic of that world had certainly been real. The danger there had been real. Very real.

Sarah looked straight at Luke. He had long black hair tied back from his olive coloured skin, dark eyes stared straight back at her, almost as if they were looking into her. Slightly taller than Sarah herself, she couldn't miss the fact that his muscles moved fluidly under his skin A small smile graced his lips as if he was amused by her, a smile too similar to that of another man's.

After a moment of staring at each other, not sure if there was some silent conversation going on, Sarah only had a moment of shock between when she saw the ball of flame flare to life in mid air and when it sped towards her. The scream stuck in her throat just as Lillian stepped in and caught the ball of fire. The blond threw a nasty look at Luke before extinguishing the flame. Not even smoke lingered in the air.

Luke ignored Lil, still staring at Sarah. "Are you ready to listen now?"

Sarah could only nod.

The things she had seen since that day and the people she had met had brought her into a new world and she revelled in it. Luke had told her that she possessed quite a lot of potential in the way of magic but she had a block. Something was holding her back from tapping into that power and using it. He reassured her that one day she would find something that would break down the walls, but even without using magic Sarah leaned plenty about it from watching the others. Where once she rued the day she wished Toby away, she was now almost thankful for it because it had led to her current life.



So now here she was, the ability of magic within her and no way to use it and training, learning how to fight. These people had changed her so much. She used to be so closed, so proud, living in a world that she would let no one in to. Yet now, her friends had influenced her and she let herself get mad when she was angry, laughed when she was happy and cry when she was sad. As Lil had said - 'you've loosened up girl!'

"You two ready then?" Luke said interrupting her thoughts.

Both women nodded and grinned. Time for some fun.

Outside Jareth stood looking up at the building that Sarah had entered. People walked past him, never seeing him yet never bumping into him. The sun viciously shone down on the summer day yet he did not cast a shadow. A soft wind blew yet not one strand of his hair moved. Minutes passed before he crossed over to the entrance of the building and walked in.