Disclaimer: Everything from previous chapters still applies. I borrowed something in this part from Billy Joel, but I'll give it back. This tale is dedicated to not only Sallie Drazzi, but Neko-chan and Stella. Without them, you would not have a fic. ^^

Medicus had gone out early to collect supplies for his remedies. He had been running very low on the dew from the starflowers that grew in a clearing deep in the forest. They were a silver flower that only bloomed in the wee hours of the morning, secreting a kind of dew that was perfect for some of his remedies, and essential in a few, too.

Very few unicorns were out this early; most liked to sleep in, the children especially.

One black-coated, blue-eyed mare was grazing along the meadow. A black bird was dozing on her back. Medicus recognized the strange pair at once: Raven and Lenore.

"Greetings, Raven. Hello, Lenore."

Raven looked up but the sleepy bird just opened one bleary eye, regarded Medicus, then turned her tail and settled down. Lenore was definitely not a morning-raven.

"Hello, Medicus," Raven responded, touching her horn to his own. "What are you doing up so early?"

Medicus gestured as best he could to the cart hitched to him. "Work. Perhaps we shall meet again later."

Raven nodded and they said goodbye; Medicus headed towards the forest, skirting Woodhorn on his way. He didn't need to contend with the stallion this early in the morning (he wasn't sure if Woodhorn ever slept).

Medicus used his mild levitation powers to collect the dewdrops in vials, storing them safely in his cart. He also gathered some purplish roots that grew at the base of one of the trees. They were good for reducing fever. He spent several hours collecting all sorts of natural goodies, each having their own special healing powers.

He still needed the berries from the bushes that grew along the edge of the River of Dreams. To get there and back would take a day, not counting the time it took to find the location.

There was no time like the present, so he headed off, his cart creaking behind him, unaware that he was desperately needed to help a certain Goblin King.

***

Lisa was feeling helpless, sitting there watching Jareth's health deteriorate as time went on. The sun was setting, now, and she was sure time was running out.

They say Time is the fire in which we burn…My time is running out, a voice hissed in her mind.

Her hearts ached; she felt like crying. Instead, she put that energy into playing a soft, haunting melody on her panpipes. She couldn't be sure if Jareth could hear the music or not, but it felt good to hear something other than his ragged breathing and slow heartbeat.

The flute music enveloped them in its own brand of magic. Goldy, who was lying in a corner of the room, shut his eyes as he listened. Jamie was perched beside Lisa, small tears forming his eyes. He could feel Lisa's deep sadness, her helplessness. Both of them wanted to do something, anything, to help things be better.

***

Medicus suddenly stopped in his tracks, odd feelings coursing through his body from his nose to the tip of his tail. He shivered and looked behind him, past his cart, back to his home.

He had spent the most part of the day collecting supplies, traveling around to different places on the planet. Now…now he had the sinking feeling something bad was happening.

Beautiful, haunting, but very, very faint, music reached Medicus' ears: Lisa's pan flute. That nearly stunned him. Alnilam unicorns had very, very good hearing by design, but certainly not that good. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

Quickly, Medicus hitched his cart and took off at a gallop. He got stuck several times and nearly tipped his cart in his rush to return. Sweat broke out on his hide as he ran faster than he'd ever run before, his horn glowing intensely in the dying sunlight.

The sun was well below the horizon by the time he reached Lisa's house. He saw a single light in one of the bedrooms and headed there. The pan flute music stopped abruptly, and Lisa's head poked through the window.

Her eyes went wide. "Medicus!" she cried, her voice breaking in a near-shriek. "Get in here, quick!"

End part six.