Chapter III.
Farther and farther they walked, and with every step another law of nature ceased to exist. Liling saw things she couldn't describe, creations of light and crystal and magic. Griffith led her down the twisting path until her head swam and her imagination seemed to stretch to infinity.
A horrible smell assaulted her senses, and she gagged. Griffith covered his nose and said, "Transform into your dragon form and we'll fly over the Bog. You don't want to get close to it, I promise you."
They changed and flew together, hawk and dragon, high above the Labyrinth where the air was clean and enchantment sparkled in the heavens like diamonds. She was a shaft of white moonlight, he the glittering black of darkest night, and they soared together over all creation.
They landed in a grove of trees whose green branches waved at them invitingly. Liling transformed into girl form and caught hold of Griffith, jumping up and down with delight. "This place is incredible! You could spend a lifetime just exploring it…"
"It's not so bad," he agreed. "I've never given anyone a tour before. My father could do a better job. He created the entire Labyrinth himself and knows every nook and corner. There are some places that are mysteries even to me." He rather liked the way Liling's arms twined about his neck, and felt a blush creep up his neck. Trying to play it cool, he glanced upwards and saw that they stood under a peach tree laden with ripe fruit that was almost bursting with juice.
Reaching up, Griffith plucked a peach and presented it to her. "Try one. They're my father's favorite, delicious."
Long Liling began giggling helplessly as she accepted his gift. Puzzled, Griffith asked, "What's so funny? Did I say something wrong?"
"Oh, no," said Liling as she took a big bite and wiped away the juice from her lips. "It's just that in China, a peach is a symbol of fertility." She giggled again at the way his entire face turned crimson. Griffith had interesting eyes; just when she made up her mind that they were green, they changed to blue, and just when she made up her mind that they were blue, they changed again to hazel. They were now a pale green flecked with gold, and she flushed when she realized how long she had been staring at him.
Then his hand wrapped around her wrist, thumb on her pulse-point, and he whispered, "Do you hear it? Music. In the silence."
Liling pursed her lips as she listened intently, as though trying to remember half-forgotten lyrics. "Yes," she said, "I hear it. It's beautiful."
Griffith's smile was soft when he looked at her. "Yes, very beautiful." He released her and leapt forward, searching for the source of the sound. "Come, fly with me!" Then he was a hawk, airborne, and shooting like a star. Laughing, Liling followed him a moment later, rising and rising.
Jareth abandoned the ball without a word, pushing past his guests and stalking upstairs purposefully, his cape belling behind him like a thundercloud. Sarah followed, her skirts whipping about her legs and her heart fluttering in her throat. She had never felt a fear like this, not in all her life – it froze her blood.
There is something evil in the Labyrinth.
She hadn't had to tell her husband twice. Sarah had never been one for practical jokes, and as soon as he heard the dread in her voice he had felt it too. His eyes were icy and every movement of his lean, deceptively fine-boned body was quick and sharp. The castle around him hummed with life, love, everything that was valuable. His family – his wife and child – had brought those things to his barren realm, and Jareth was prepared to fight to the death anything that threatened what he treasured.
"Show me my son, the prince," he commanded to his scrying pool. The waters swirled with Glamour, the changeling magic he had inherited from his Fae ancestors. He had created this pool in the long-ago and not much missed days of his exile, when he had spied on the Human Realm and sought babies to steal. Now it was long unused, grown over with moss and ivy. Sarah reached his side and stood breathlessly, peering intently into the pool.
The waters glimmered, and then tried to form an image. A strange and terrible cloud slashed the pool's peaceful surface, shattering the image. Jareth cursed as the water began to boil with an evil black tar.
"There's new magic in the Labyrinth," he said, turning to Sarah. "Somehow, some unseelie has invaded without my knowledge and is trying to keep me from seeing into my own realm."
"Wait!" cried Sarah as he began to transform. "What's an unseelie?"
Jareth sighed. "What I used to be," he said finally, and then in a flash he was an owl, flying through the window in search of his son. His wife slumped to her knees, too overcome to say or do anything.
There is something evil in the Labyrinth.
"Excuse me!" a rather grumpy voice piped up, and Sarah turned to see the gnome princess she had spoken to earlier standing in the doorway, hands on hips. "I must say, you are without a doubt the two rudest hosts I have ever suffered in all my days! Just barging out of your own party without a by-your-leave. You'd best remove me from your guest lists in the future, for I won't accept an invitation to your next function."
Sarah stared at her a moment in disbelief, trying to process what had come from her mouth. "Get out," she said, finding her voice. "Get out and stay out!" She groped about blindly and found a rock. Hurling it at the gnome princess, she screamed, "Get out and never return!"
Griffith and Liling danced through the air with all the easy joy of the young. The farther they flew, the louder the song seemed to become, but there were darker, more ominous tones in it now, sounds they had never heard before. But they pressed on ceaselessly, exhilarated by the discovery of something new and the endless promise before them. They were bright and beautiful and no evil could touch their sheltered bubble. Spiraling to the ground, they landed on soft feet, chuckling and teasing one another playfully.
"It grows late," said Liling, looking up at the sky. It glowed blood-red and all of a sudden she felt a little uneasy. "Perhaps we should head back."
Griffith stood and stretched. "But we're almost to the core!" he told her. "Wouldn't you like to see the center of the Labyrinth?"
Her curiosity overcame her trepidation, and Liling followed him even deeper into the tangled wilds of the great maze. The ground beneath their feet was carpeted with deep green grass and the gnarled branches above were like the knotty bones of old men. Griffith plowed ahead fearlessly, but she stayed close to his side, shivering in the dim light.
Ahead, at last, they found a little glade with a solitary fountain bubbling cheerfully. "This is it," Griffith said, and they sat down and rested. An unearthly quiet had descended on the Labyrinth; all the magical beings which frolicked and haunted its pathways and corners had either fallen silent or fled.
Liling sighed deeply. "It's so peaceful. I wish I could stay here forever…"
"Yeah," agreed Griffith softly. "Forever." He leaned over the fountain to enjoy the spray of the clear, clean water. "Come see this," he said to her suddenly, "there are bubbles in the water."
There indeed were bubbles in the water. They rose statefully like old kings and queens, then pierced the surface and floated into the air. She gasped. "They're…"
"Crystals," Griffith finished for her, reaching out for one. "They're like my father's crystals. He uses them to cast illusion and read dreams." The tips of his fingers brushed the side of one of the perfect orbs.
The entire world went white, and Liling's scream was the only sound.
