Chapter 3: Wall of Fire
The sun flooded through the vast, awning windows into the throne room. Dust from the masonry created swirling patterns of light, lazy in the heat. The worn stones where pulsing with the energy from the sun and it reached up to be acknowledged. It was ridiculous the size of the room, considering. Jareth leaned against the wall of the nearest window and hooded his eyes against the glare. He knew his hair was lighting up, a million shades of gold and platinum, where as his shaded eyes where cool green, and earthy brown. They reflected his mood.
At the moment he wanted to be alone. He'd thrown his Goblins out, and his courtiers, in their rotting finery, their sickening clinging becoming to cloying even for him to stand. Forever was a long time if you had no one to share it with, and people you didn't care for. His father had realised that.
Jareth straightened his back, his skin humming just under the surface, waiting for the promised full moon to burst forth full of magic and yearning.
His Labyrinth was reminding him of the courtiers. And it preyed on his mind. This, in the centre, so winded together it was large but at the same time small, like a cloth folded up. It borders where unmapped, and it was impenetrable. He'd fought for it; he'd lost so much for it. And now it was reminding him of the aftermath of a dragon attack. Crumbling ashes, turning and dancing to their destruction to return to the earth. The sky started to cloud over, solid rain clouds.
He felt the portal wink out of existence behind him, as the passageway betwixt and between was used. He felt his brothers' familiar green magic flair and then settle. "Leaving us already." He stated, not turning to view his brother. He knew what he looked like. Taller than Jareth, broader than Jareth. The price of hard labour. His hair was the solid black of a moonless, starless night, with the shine and beauty of a raven's wing. His eyes where as green as highly polished gems and his skin as moon struck as polished pearl. Behind him, he could feel the air displaced brush against his leggings. His brother was shuffling his feet. Jareth smiled, just barely as the movement stopped, Trent just catching the activity. Trent had never had the patience for politics. One reason why the younger son had inherited.
"Brother." Every emotion was apparent on Trent's voice as it carried to Jareths' ears. His voice was deeper, though not as smooth. The weariness pulled the sound taught, and made it minutely quiver.
"When are you going?" Jareth turned round suddenly, and smoothly. The practised grace of the years showing. The room picked Jareth's rich, silky voice up, and span it around the room on the acoustics.
Trent paused, uncertain, and a novice could have detected it. Trent knew that Jareth was in a mood, still. The room was bare of gaily-dressed people, and bumbling Goblins. He left it all unsaid. "Now."
"Do remember us." Jareth said, the essence of politeness and sincerity. His face slipped into his disdainful mask and he glanced back out of the window. It know showed him the city. A human was screaming in anger at a befuddled Goblin.
Trent disappeared, a small glow of veralidan green rippling across Jareths conscientiousness, before smoothing out, as if it had never been.
Once they'd been so close.
*
For the second time that day, Alyssia stared. This time, it wasn't in wonder. Her short hair was now sticking up at odd angles, from where she'd ran panicked fingers through. "I really don't' think you should." She said, again.
Setsuyo waved her off. "I have to see." She countered, grimly.
"But you said yourself you couldn't control it!" Alyssia grabbed Setsuyo's shoulders. "What if you don't make it back? What if that 'sun' who's plotting murder gets you? Or realises? Or what if-"
"Al." Setsuyo stated firmly. She clasped her arms and looked steadily into her chocolate eyes.
"Just be flamin' careful, ok?"
Setsuyo laughed softly. "I always am…" she settled back on the sofa and closed her eyes.
~Hello?~ she called softly, her psychic being hovering around the astral plane uselessly. ~Hello?~ she repeated, feeling her awareness expand more easily beyond the confines of her physical being.
A faint slap across his forehead. Jareth sat up straighter in this throne. The baroness looked hopeful and curtsied lower, in a vain effort to give Jareth the full view of her bosom. Jareth barely noticed, but followed the slap, outraged. The magic was from Aboveground and definitely not Trent… Who dared?! He followed, blazing with anger.
The baroness shrank back as fury twisted the Kings' features. She needed have worried; his mind was already Aboveground.
~Who are you?!~ He demanded roughly. There was no answer, then he sensed something. Something small. And gentle. A female.
~A-are you Jareth?~ she stuttered, though it wasn't from fear, or respect. That riled Jareth, though it shouldn't have.
~That's King Jareth to you!~ he rapped. He was satisfied to feel a small wince from her end. She hesitated. She obviously wasn't sure how to go about it.
~King… Jareth? Look, I have to warn you! I overheard this-…~ Setsuyo screamed in pain, both mentally and physically, as a wall of fire seared the connection between her and King Jareth. She clutched her head, rushing back into her form. It was good she was going back automatically… then there was a disjointed feeling, like a dream where you where walking, and walking, until your whole body jerks and in your dream you fall, and you wake up before you hit the ground.
She looked into Alyssa's panicked brown eyes and smiled weakly. "Dodgy connection…" she said, trying to make a joke out of it, not knowing whether she had actually screamed or not.
Alyssa frowned. "You screamed." She snapped.
"Ahh…" Setsuyo smiled sheepishly. "Well… That's… I…"
Alyssa's eyebrows rose. "That's what? You what? You're not to try that again!"
" But Al-!"
"No buts!" Alyssa folded her arms. "You're hurt."
Jareth hissed in pain as he felt the connection between him and the mortal girl severed. It hurt. Though not too much, but still, pain all the same. He rose from his throne, ignoring the Baroness still flaunting her 'goods' at his throne and walked over to the window, staring out without seeing. What had the mortal been trying to say to him? What had she been trying to warn him of…? This was going to plague him, Jareth could tell. He tried to reconnect to her, but there was a literal firewall there, and he retreated. Someone was stopping him contacting her. Who?
"NO!"
"Al-"
"NO! How many times do I have to say no before you listen to me?!" Alyssa scowled at her friend, who was leaning back on the sofa, markedly paler than she usually would be.
"Alyssa listen to me-"
"No!"
"I'll be careful-!"
"You said that last time!"
"Al please…" Setsuyo sighed and shut her eyes. "I have to warn him… I'm the only one who knows about the murder…"
"No. At least-"Alyssa said, softening. "At least not until you've slept. You're exhausted."
"No I'm - okay!" Setsuyo sighed. "I'll sleep, then try. Deal?" She gave her best puppy-dog eyes to her friend, who eventually sighed aswell.
"Fine, okay. Sleep now though." She ordered. Setsuyo curled up on the sofa properly and shut her eyes, yawning a little. She was soon asleep.
Foolish mortal, trying to meddle in his plans. Bromiar tutted and looked deep into the girl's subconscious, trying to find - there. He smirked unpleasantly as he saw all her weaknesses. That was helpful, very helpful. He smirked and used his skilled psychic 'fingers' to twist the girl's dreams, slowly turning them into nightmares…
Setsuyo twisted on the sofa slightly. It was dark. So very dark. That wouldn't have been so bad, but she could feel around her how small it was. She was somewhere so small… She couldn't move properly… And there was something tickling her… Something small… Something small! Spiders! Setsuyo choked back a sob; they were everywhere! Crawling over her eyes, across her cheeks, across her lips…
With a terrified shriek she woke up, to see Alyssa sat next to her, holding an empty glass. Setsuyo realised she was soaking wet. "Sorry… Nightmare…" she mumbled.
"Mmmhmm." Alyssa said, pressing her lips together and crossing her arms again. "And you still want to mess around with this whole psychic thing? Cos if you do I'm calling the fire brigade so I can get you in the face with a high pressure hose."
"Just once more… It won't hurt…"
"Setsuyo, promise me you won't." Alyssa pleaded. Setsuyo avoided her gaze.
"I can't do that."
"Setsuyo!"
"I'm sorry! I just can't!" Setsuyo cried. She looked at her friend. "I'll try this once, and if I don't get anything, I won't try again… " 'Just yet' she added mentally to herself. Alyssa sighed.
"Fine… Fine…"
*
The dim light fell constricted in-between the shadows of the bars. The black paint was now peeling, and the grey paint of the walls was stained. David knew what with, he'd thrown it there in a rage. They'd lured him here with hopes for sanity, but they where just feeding off his insanity! Instead of growing better like they'd promised, him, and all in the institute that could still speak they where getting worse. He could hear the moaning of Jeebles down the hall, and the screams of Anita in the padded rooms. Soon, all to soon, she fell silent.
He hated it here. He wanted out. But he'd signed himself in… and only they could sign him out. Gods! What a fool he'd been… He lifted his head to where he knew the moon was laughing down at him. "I hate you to! You-"
He froze, mid blasphemy. He could feel it coming… the pricking down his spine from the base of his neck, the centre of his forehead feeling swollen and inflamed. He crumpled to the floor and moaned, waiting for the pain to hit him.
~Testing, testing one two three!~
David jerked his eyes open that had fluttered shut in despair. What? They never…
~I think I got something! Hang on… I've got a purple cat!~
If they where going to torture him… why a cat? Did they know he'd killed his sisters' cat?
~Look. I know you're there! Can you answer me! Please!~
David froze with indecision. Well, what did he have to loose? The only thing you've got left… his mind whispered, for once talking back to him. I'd thought you'd left me… he told.. well, himself. Talk back… His innerself urged. But what do I say? But he was gone.
~Hello?~ He said tentatively.
~Hello?!~
David whimpered as his mind was latched onto, it hurt his minds bruises…
~I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you…~ he felt the person hover, not wanting to let go of the contact, but not wanting to hurt him. David had forgotten that things like that existed. Impulsively he answered, attaching to the person. A girl, he realised. He grinned dreamily to his cell. He remembered girls…
~Look, I trying to find someone called Jareth… Do you know him? I found him like this, only…~
In his cell David screamed as they came, and burned the link. He kept on screaming, even as they where long gone, gibbering at the air, begging them to take it away, just take it away!
Two million miles away, in England, Alyssia jumped up and ran to Setsuyo's side as her body twisted in spasms of pain, making her cry out wordlessly. Alyssia hovered uslessly, before running to tip water over Setsuyo. Then, in desperation slapping her. She gasped as her palm came into contact with Setsuyos forehead, directed by her thrashings.
Contact, something.
Black dots swam in Alyssias' eyes, and she felt the floor rush up to great her. She awoke to a pale and knaut Setsuyo leaning over her.
Alyssia looked straight up at her ceiling, getting her mouth to work. It felt heavy and not her own. "Never again."
