Vengeful Nightmares
Chapter 13
Hoggle held onto Sarah as if she were life itself, making it hard for her to breathe comfortably. She huddled protectively over her friend as the strange 'dwarf' stepped forward.
He simply lifted his chin, and pointed to his throat. Sarah saw the noose around his neck, and shuddered. Hoggle stared open-mouthed at the ghostly figure, who glowered down at him in revulsion.
"You pathetic sack of dirt. Look at you! Embracing a human. You disgust me. I cannot believe I actually let that thing give birth to you!"
Something inside of Sarah snapped. As Hoggle's grief stricken cry tore through the night air she could feel herself changing. She wasn't sure how she was doing it, she just knew that she was. Her form shivered and grew muscular, tawny fur sprouting as her face elongated into a muzzle and her ears migrated to the top of her head. A low growl pulsed in her throat, and she could feel her sense of balance changing as she put all fours on the ground and extended her tail. She had a tail. She hissed, tensing her muscles to spring, but the phantasm exploded into a cloud of dirty-gray smoke and laughed at her.
"But you can't touch us, Sarah!" it said in an entirely different voice from the one it had been using. It was gone.
So was Hoggle. He had run from her in terror when she had changed into what she was. She was a cougar; a mountain lion.
She did not know how to change back. That could wait, though; she had to find Hoggle.
"MerROW! Mrrrmmm…" Just great. I can't talk anymore.
Where had Hoggle gone? Ah, there! She had found his scent, but she didn't even need it. She could hear him; he had been crying too hard to be breathing normally so soon, and he was almost out of his mind with fear over what he had witnessed. She bounded off into the night, circling round to head him off. They were no longer in the cemetery; Hoggle was blundering through the thickets that surrounded the churchyard.
He tripped, fell, and got up to find himself facing Sarah in her cougar form. "N—no! Go away, lemme 'lone!" he sobbed, backing off. Sarah shook her head slowly. She purred, trying to reassure him, but she had forgotten how big she was; the purr sounded like a growl, and only served to frighten him further. She slowly moved towards him; he retreated. He tripped over a snow-covered branch, and fell with a cry. He scrambled back on his bottom and curled into a ball, whimpering, his hands over his head.
Sarah stood over him and licked his hand once with her rough tongue, the only thing she could think of to do that wouldn't be taken as aggression. When he didn't move, she gently pulled him close with a paw, and rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. He finally looked up.
"You…yer still in there, ain't you? S—Sarah?"
Sarah nodded, pushing her muzzle into his hand. Wordlessly, he put his arms around her neck and cried again. She put her arms around him, and saw that she had arms.
"I'll never hurt you, Hoggle. Please don't be afraid of me. Please, don't fear me."
"M—maybe it was my fault…" he wept, shaking with cold as well as with emotion.
"You're wrong. Whatever happened, he did it to himself. That wasn't even your father's ghost back there. Didn't you notice the way he talked? The accent was wrong. The careful grammar…It was just another dream. Hoggle, don't do this. Never blame yourself for someone else's choices. Just because he chose to end his life doesn't mean you had anything to do with it. He was just using you as an excuse."
"How d'you know? Ya didn't even know him!"
He was shivering more violently now, finally aware of the fact that he was cold. But I can't go back to that house, I just can't! I don't care! I'd rather freeze!
Sarah mistook his shivering for fear. "I'm sorry I scared you. All I could think of was making it go away. I didn't know I was going to turn into a cougar. I don't even know how I did it, or how I changed back. It just happened."
"T—turn into a what?"
"That big cat thing. In my world we call them cougars, or mountain lions. I gather you don't have those here?"
Hoggle shook his head.
"I wouldn't have hurt you, Hoggle. I…"
"Oh, I know that now. I…I just wasn't sure if y—you were still yerself. I didn't kn—know if you could still think. I thought you—I thought I was…I thought you were gonna…"
"No. If you want to know the truth, it scared me too." She told him.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I don't know what's happening to me. I don't even know if I'm still human…but what about you? Will you be okay?"
Hoggle didn't answer, except to shrug. Sarah could hear the rapid rat-tat-tat-tat of his teeth clicking together as he shivered. "I can't stop…" he said, trying futilely to dry his face, "I can't make it stop. It jus' keeps coming, and I—can't…"
"It's all right. Don't be embarrassed, you know I won't tell." She said, offering him some hot tea from her thermos, which he drank gratefully. She had to help him hold the little plastic cup; his hands were shaking badly.
"When do you want to head back?" she asked him, "Ludo and Sir Didymus are worried. They're out looking for you, too."
Hoggle dropped the tea, and quickly put his hands over his face. Sarah set the thermos down nearby, a few inches into the snow so that it would stay upright, and sighed.
"I can't go back, I just ca—can't! Don't you understand, I just can't!"
"I do understand, Hoggle, but we can't stay out here all night. Is…is there somewhere else we can go?"
"I…I don't know…" he shook his head, "I'm sorry, but…I…he—he was my father, Sarah! I…sometimes I hated him, but he was still my father. I hate him f—for what he did to my m—mother, and for what he—what he did to me…So why do I f—feel so bad about 'im dyin'? Why c—can't I face being—being in that house?"
"Maybe…because he was your father, and because that was where so many things have happened." Sarah suggested. Hoggle took his hands from his face and rested them on his thighs, trying to breathe more evenly. He nodded; what she had said made sense to him. Maybe, if he had to, he could spend one night there. But, oh, how it hurt!
Sarah grew tense, listening. Crunching footsteps were coming towards them in the dark. A dog barked nervously, and Sarah relaxed.
"My lady?" said a quiet voice. It was Didymus, and the fact that he was actually speaking quietly said something for his mood. "Sir Hoggle, art thou well?" he dismounted from the dog's back, and laid a brotherly hand on Hoggle's shoulder. The dwarf sniffled, shaking his head no. The fox nodded his understanding. "Ah…'twill be all right in time, Sir Hoggle. This I can tell thee from experience."
"Yeah, so…so, now what?" Hoggle asked haltingly.
"Forgive me, Sir Hoggle, but I took the liberty of finding us rooms at an inn that would have us." The fox said simply.
"Where's Ludo?" asked Sarah, replacing the lid on her thermos and screwing on the plastic cup.
"Awaiting our arrival. We should hurry, though."
As they passed by the tombstones, Hoggle cringed and reached up to his shoulder to clasp Sarah's hand. "It's all right, come on." She whispered, briefly squeezing his shoulder as he gave a hoarse, shuddering sob. Didymus followed close behind them, walking slowly beside Ambrosious.
"Where are we going?" Sarah asked the fox, who took the lead.
* * *
The inn's door opened, and one of the strangest people Sarah had seen so far stepped out to greet them. She must have been watching from the window. She was human size, and wore a long, hooded robe of dark blue silk that brushed the tops of her black suede boots. Sarah could not see her face. The woman stepped aside for them to enter, and when they had she went to the ledger at the front desk.
"You are Sarah?" she inquired, tilting her head to one side.
"Good. Might I speak with you when your friends are settled?" she asked.
"Don't see why not."
"Mmm…" Sarah could hear the smile in the woman's voice, but she could sense it disappearing just as quickly. She was looking at Hoggle. There is great sorrow in this one…It is not often that one comes across a truly broken heart…
"Sir Knight, would you show this man where to go?" the woman said courteously.
"Aye, certes. Sir Hoggle, this way."
"Sarah…" the woman said, half to herself. "Come here."
"Why?" asked Sarah, suddenly apprehensive.
"I wish to look at you." the woman replied. Sarah swallowed, and came closer. The cloaked woman was a full head taller than she. Putting a finger gently under Sarah's chin, she lifted it so that their eyes were locked. Sarah gasped.
"You're a fae!"
The woman nodded, pushing back her hood. Her blue hair only grazed the nape of her neck, but it stuck up as if by electricity. One eye was hazel, the other violet; her thin cerulean brows swept up gracefully like wings, and she smiled kindly at Sarah to reassure her. "Yes. I mean you no harm, Sarah. I am not jealous of Jareth's love for you; in fact, it makes me happy."
"How do you know Jareth?" Sarah breathed, still recovering.
"I do not. I know of him, and his reputation. He is too powerful for his own good. Perhaps now, he'll learn not to abuse that power. Perhaps your coming here will show him that. Come, lets sit down."
Sarah could do nothing but obey. She let the fae woman lead her to a table, and gasped when beam of light shot from the woman's fingertip. Where the light struck the table, there appeared a teapot, two cups and saucers, and a plate of shortbread cookies.
"I am Shiva. While Jareth's magic is of the crystalline type, mine is of the Blue Light. Simply put, I only cover that one part of the spectrum. I am one of the Seven Sisters of the Spectrum. Beyond that, we have many 'invisible' brothers and sisters, and Jareth is such a one. None of us that I have mentioned are related by blood. The Crystalline power is drawn from all colors and powers, which is why Jareth is the Goblin King, and the lord of the Labyrinth. He has the rarest gift of all the fae, and so must be respected. He is alone in his power…or, rather, he was." She paused to nibble on a cookie, and to allow Sarah to ask questions, should she have any.
"If he…" Sarah frowned.
"You may ask what you wish." Shiva smiled gently, sipping her tea.
"He truly loves me? Why?"
The fae shrugged. "I do not know. Not many fae fall in love with humans. It is discouraged, mainly for the danger aspect of it. You see, when a fae falls in love with a human—or any type of person who has no magic of its own—something happens to that fae. Magic must be countered by magic, or the balance between the mates is lost. It simply cannot be. That is why half of Jareth's magic went into you. So yes, Sarah, he loves you as truly as any man ever loved a woman. Sarah…do you love him? This is very serious, you must answer."
"No." Sarah said too quickly. She closed her eyes, trying to make her stomach settle down.
"Then…this is unfortunate." Shiva murmured, putting down her tea with a trembling hand.
"Why is that unfortunate?" Sarah stood up.
"Because your magic does not counter his if you don't love him. To compensate for this, his magic will continue to flow into you until…"
"Until what?"
"Until he has expired."
Sarah shook her head incredulously. Expired? You make it sound like he's a gallon of milk!
"Okay…so, why would his magic keep coming to me? I don't want it any more than he wants to lose it. Why can't he stop it? And how is it that he didn't know about this?"
"He doesn't know because it was not his place." The fae woman sighed, "While he is more powerful than the Seven Sisters, he is not party to the same knowledge. We are the peacekeepers of the fae. We try to discourage fae romances with humans. It is nothing personal, believe me; we simply wish to avoid situations such as yours. Are…are you sure you don't love…"
Shiva stopped speaking, and Sarah sat down slowly.
"I…I really don't know how I feel about him. I can't forgive him for what he's done to Hoggle. He took Toby…I know I wished him away, but that put us on opposite sides."
"I take it that Toby is your younger…brother or cousin?"
"Brother. I wished him away, and Jareth took him."
"I see…" Shiva nodded, pouring Sarah another cup of tea. "And Hoggle? He is the dwarf you came with?"
"Yes." Sarah gave a subdued nod.
"Why were you out in the snow so late at night?" Said Shiva, not looking at Sarah.
Sarah was silent for a long time, and Shiva only waited patiently. When she looked up, she saw tears on the girl's face. "What has happened?" she asked gently.
"I…I don't know if I can tell you." Sarah replied shakily, "Part of it…most of it is for Hoggle to say, not me."
"All right. What happened to you, then? You can tell me that, can't you?"
"Why do you want to know?" asked Sarah.
Shiva just looked at her, her eyes clear and sane. Sarah felt herself growing calmer, more relaxed under the influence of her sanity. She sighed, and took a sip of her tea. "I changed. I saw…I saw Hoggle's dream—his waking dream—and I changed."
"How?"
"I turned…turned into a cougar; a gigantic cat."
Shiva nodded, smiling gently. "Yes, I know what a cougar is. We have books…How did it feel?"
"Scary…but I didn't have time to think about it. Hoggle ran away from me. I can't say I blame him. What's happening to me?"
"You are becoming a fae."
* * *
"Sir Hoggle, please."
"What?" Hoggle asked.
Didymus stepped forward and tried to pull Hoggle from the window, but the dwarf shook him off.
"Lemme be, Didymus. Please, just let me be."
The fox backed off and, against his better judgement, left the room.
Hoggle reached into his vest, and drew out a knife.
* * *
"Can you show me how you changed?" asked Shiva.
"I don't know how I changed!" cried Sarah, exasperated.
Shiva smiled benevolently, "Yes, I think you do. Here, watch me." Standing up, she took a deep breath. The air around her stirred a bit, and in her place was a deer. A small, yet fully grown doe. A moment later, she was back in fae form. "It is very similar for every fae. I can teach you how to control it."
"What do I want with that? I just want to undo what Jareth has done."
"Not just Jareth. You are preventing him from stopping it. You must learn how to use your powers in order to do so."
Sarah swallowed. "All right…show me."
Shiva just smiled, and took Sarah's hands. "Ah, yes…you really are powerful. This should be easy for you! Now, close your eyes. Good. Now imagine that there is danger, and in order to escape it—or fight it, as the case may be—you need to be something other than yourself. No, don't clench up. How did you change when you saw your friend's dream? Try to remember."
Sarah took a deep breath, and forced herself to call to mind the hateful words the dream creature had spoken; she made herself hear Hoggle's wail of heartbroken sorrow. She felt her anger returning, and unconsciously her lip twitched back in a snarl.
"You've done it! Bravo."
Sarah opened her eyes, and grunted in confusion. Where did all the color go? She promptly sat down and began to wash her face. This is nuts!
* * *
Sir Didymus stopped short, and drew his sword. "Avaunt, beast!"
Sarah raised her feline head, tongue poised to lick her outstretched paw, and glowered. Her form wavered, and Sarah rose from the floor. "What's wrong?"
Didymus stammered a moment, and bowed low. "Curse me for a fool…forgive me, Lady Sarah."
"How's Hoggle?" she asked.
"He asked me to leave."
Shiva looked up at the ceiling. "I don't like that. Sarah, we should hurry."
"But…"
"Quickly!"
* * *
Hoggle's breath shivered as he held the point of the knife to his wrist. His hand froze, and he stared down at his hand at the plastic bracelet he had received from Sarah. He drew in a sharp breath and dropped his knife. Closing his eyes, he swallowed hard. Leave me alone, I don't want to die. Stop movin' my hands! He could feel the spidery touch of the phantom; he could not escape it. His father was there in the room with him. His father…
The dwarf picked up the knife again, and set it to his vein. He stopped again. He held the knife poised, and silently willed the spirit to go away, fighting desperately.
The door flew open.
* * *
Stop! "Mmmmrrooooow! Hssssssssh!"
With one swipe of her paw, Sarah knocked the knife from Hoggle's hand. She could see a shimmering thing hovering over him one minute, but it was gone the next. She ignored it, and turned to Hoggle.
Shiva stood over them, her face like chalk dust. "They're getting stronger."
