A/N: I have considered writing a Labyrinth tale for a couple of years now, but every time I just felt a little unsure. However, it just keeps coming back, so I plan on going for it, and I hope you enjoy it. You will see that this is a little bit of a crossover with Neil Gaimon's Neverwhere, but it mostly serves to explain where Crow comes from and what the deal is with her. Thanks for checking it out, and please let me know what you think as it goes!
Chapter 1
The air was stale. No wind could be felt to move the heavy clouds, and they almost looked like cotton candy in the muted light. It was hard to discern if it was dawn or dusk, not that it mattered. The truth was, lives were at stake, and the whole world—both seen and unseen—was holding its breath to see how the fates would fall.
The story was an old one, told again and again. The same tragedy played past like a broken film reel set to loop for eternity. The only difference was the face of the actress. Time was strange in this place, and ofttimes the girls' faces were the only way to know that time was no longer standing still.
The story had spun to the end and started over—this time with a young girl named Sarah and her brother Toby. Yet, it seemed that the fates were bored, or perhaps a trickster was involved. Either way, a ripple formed in the strange reality that spread until it could not be ignored. Not by the listless sky, nor by the stoic walls of the labyrinth. Not even by the pawns of a twisted king or the girl that fate had listed for the current telling of the ageless tale.
Sarah had faced the goblin king in her parent's bedroom and had somehow walked away in one piece. Not only that, but she was given a full thirteen hours to find the city and get Toby back. Now, she had to find a way in.
As soon as she made her way to the bottom of the hill, the walls of the labyrinth loomed overhead, but her attention was grabbed by a short being, most likely male, that was peeing into a small pool. She felt her cheeks flush at the embarrassment of catching him in the act, but she couldn't let it deter her. She called out brokenly, "Um, excuse me?"
The small male jumped as he righted himself and stuttered out. "Oh, excuse me!" However, as soon as he turned, he saw who had addressed him and a frown formed as he said, "Oh, it's only you."
Sarah was still unsure what to think of the whole situation, but she didn't have time to hesitate. Instead, she held out a hand and said, "Wait!"
The male ignored her. However, he had not taken more than a couple of steps before they both turned to face the pool he had just been standing in front of. Splashing was issuing from beneath the surface that quickly took the shape of a person. And the person quickly took the shape of a female in an odd assortment of garments that was sputtering as she surfaced.
Sarah was glad that she was not the person the woman was glaring at as she yelled. "Damnit, Door! At least you could have sent me through an actual door. This pool must be half piss. It's even warm!"
A beat passed before the woman extracted herself from the tiny pool and waved her hand down her body. All traces of the tainted water disappeared, yet she still wrinkled her nose as though the smell was invading her senses. The woman's gaze then traveled her perimeter before they came to rest on the two beings staring at her in shock.
She smirked at them as she said, "Ah, locals. Please tell me where that blasted girl has sent me. What part of the underground am I in now?"
Despite having just met him, Sarah looked down at the odd little man next to her. He looked just as confused as he shrugged. Finally, she looked back over at the strange woman and said, "I'm not from here, actually. But this is the labyrinth that surrounds the goblin king's castle."
The woman frowned at that news and put a hand to her chin as though she was in deep thought. It was only then that Sarah realized she was quite pretty, in an eclectic kind of way. In proper clothes and cleaned up a little, she would probably rival her own mother. Though it was difficult to tell how old she was. With the way her clothes hung about her body, she could have been anywhere between sixteen or twenty-six.
Sarah jumped and blushed at being caught staring when the woman finally spoke again. Though if she had noticed, nothing was said. Instead, the woman looked at the man beside her with a bright smile. "I have never heard of a goblin king, either above or below, so I guess I really am somewhere safe. If the girl isn't from here, is there anything you can tell me?"
The little man stumbled over his words long enough that the woman seemed to take pity on him. Her eyes widened, and she looked contrite when she said, "Oh, forgive me. I suppose introductions should come first." She then paused and held out one hand with a dazzling smile as she said, "My name is Anachronism, but everyone just calls me Crow. Rolls off the tongue a bit easier. I came here from London Below if that helps at all."
Unfortunately, the woman's introduction only seemed to confuse the man further. Sarah had to admit that she was curious. When the little man didn't say anything, she stepped forward and took the woman's outstretched hand as she said, "My name is Sarah." She paused and bit her lip for just a moment before she continued, "I've never heard of London Below. Is that a suburb of the city?"
The woman laughed brightly before she turned a critical eye on Sarah. She looked her over once and shrugged. "I'm not surprised you don't know it. By the way you're dressed, I would guess you're from somewhere Above. Plus, your accent says your American. Don't worry about it. The Below isn't a place for those that don't belong."
Sarah wasn't sure if she should feel insulted or not. The woman had been smiling when she said all that, but the words did seem a bit rude. However, before she could gather her thoughts on the matter, the man next to them finally managed to sputter out a response. "Now, see here! Ya can't come waltzing up to the labyrinth like it's your home. Ya gotta respect this place. It's dangerous."
Instead of becoming fearful or getting upset, the woman's eyes seemed to twinkle with interest. She looked around once again before she turned back and gave the man a firm nod as she said, "I suppose there is no going back, so forward it is."
She then turned to Sarah with that same bright smile and said, "You mentioned that there was a castle in the middle of this thing, right?"
Sarah still felt off-balance, but she managed a nod. With that, the woman turned to face the wall and held her arms out wide as she said, "Well then, it's decided. Let's find this castle." She then turned to Sarah with a wink as she continued, "I'm in rather dire need of a bath."
Sarah wasn't sure what to think of this whole ordeal. She hadn't even made it into the labyrinth, and already the world seemed to have been flipped on its head. However, when the woman moved toward what she could now see were a set of giant double doors, she jumped to follow. By the time she reached the woman's side, her hand was on the door, and she was muttering to herself. "Well, aren't you the old one? And look how you still stand with majesty. I'd hate to ruin that."
"Um, excuse me?" Sarah really didn't know what to think of this, but it certainly seemed like the woman planned to accompany her. Despite how strange she was, Sarah knew she could use the help.
However, the woman didn't look at her when she turned back around. Instead, she went to where the little man had turned to go back to spraying the things that were flitting about. It wasn't until Sarah followed her that she saw he was spraying fairies. She picked up the closest and practically yelled at him, "What are you doing?"
Before she could ask more, a sharp prick on her finger caught her attention, and she looked down in time to see the glittering diaphanous fairy biting into her flesh. She shook the thing off with horror and said, "It bit me!"
The man paused long enough to roll his eyes as he said, "What'd ya expect fairies to do?"
Sarah made a confused noise, but before she could respond, Crow patted her shoulder comfortingly and said, "Don't let it get to you, dear. Think about it from its point of view. This man just sprayed it from the sky then the giantess that is you came and swept it up. How would you feel?"
It was several moments before Sarah could find the words to respond. "I suppose I wouldn't like it very much either."
The man huffed and rolled his eyes but didn't stop what he was doing. Crow smiled at Sarah once more before she turned to the man. "I can see that you are busy, so I'll try not to take up much of your time. I was wondering if you knew how to open the doors. I would hate to reduce such magnificence to dust, especially since I won't have time to rebuild them once we're through."
The man stopped in his tracks at turned to her with wide eyes. For several seconds his expression wavered between fear and awe. Finally, he huffed in disgust and waved a hand over his shoulder before he stomped off and said, "Fine. Have it your way, but don't say I didn't warn you."
Instead of being put off by his behavior, Crow grinned at his back and waved as she said, "Thank you, little grumpy man. I'm sure the walls appreciate it too."
The man stopped and turned around with a glower as he said, "The name's Hoggle, and don't you go forgetting it."
Sarah was dumbfounded as Crow's only response was to chuckle before the woman turned back to Sarah and gestured toward the now open doors as she said, "I believe a castle is beckoning us, right?" Sarah barely had time to nod silently before the woman took her by the arm and pulled her through the yawning doors and into the high walls beyond.
Once they were inside the labyrinth, Sarah looked around to see if there was any indication of which way they should go. She noticed that instead of looking around, Crow was examining the walls closely. Finally, Sarah decided it was time to speak up. She didn't have time to waste, after all. "Um, I think we should go this way?"
Crow looked over with a raised brow before she smiled and said, "I suppose that's as good a way as any."
With that, both women fell into step as they headed down the right side. They walked in silence for several minutes before Crow started speaking. Though Sarah had the impression that the woman was talking to herself as she said, "Hmm, this place is rather derelict, even for the underground. I wonder if the kingdom is not doing well. Though, I suppose it does have a certain kind of charm."
Sarah frowned as she looked around. She had to agree that the walls seemed to be crumbling, but really she had other things to worry about. When Crow stopped to examine the wall once again, Sarah decided that enough was enough. She managed to keep most of her nervousness from her voice as she said, "I think I'm going to go on ahead."
The other woman seemed to be distracted by something and didn't answer. However, Sarah didn't wait. She had to find Toby—she just had to. She turned and started making her way down the long path again. After a couple of minutes, she looked back see Crow was ambling along behind her, but the other woman was paying more attention to the walls than where Sarah was going.
As reassuring as it had been to have another person with her, she thought that perhaps Crow wasn't the best one to help. When she got frustrated that there didn't seem to be any other paths, she finally started running. She had to work not to let her fear and frustration not get the better of her.
She thought she heard Crow call out to her, but she was already running. She couldn't turn back now. She ran like that for several minutes before she finally stopped and flung herself against the wall in frustration as she yelled out. "Some labyrinth! There aren't any turns, or paths, or anything!"
It was only as she slid down the wall that she noticed Crow had been right behind her. The other woman looked like she was a little out of breath, but she stopped in front of Sarah while she tried to catch it. Before either of them could say something, a new voice piped up beside them and said, " 'ello."
Sarah looked around with confusion until her eyes landed on a rather large and fuzzy worm near where she was seated. It was even more confusing that it was wearing a scarf. Her voice was hesitant as she asked, "Did you say hello?"
She leaned back a little when the worm answered, "No, I said 'ello, but that's close enough."
Sarah was still a little dumbfounded, but Crow finally dropped beside them and joined the conversation. " 'ello to you too, my fine gentleman. And what a lovely day."
The worm nodded his head as he said, "Right you are. Would you like to come in and meet the Missus? Maybe have a spot of tea?"
Crow looked truly apologetic as she said, "I'm afraid not today. Perhaps another time. You see, we have someplace we need to be, and we've already passed several paths to get there. I'm sure it would be best for us to head in and make up time."
The worm looked a little crestfallen, but before he could answer, Sarah looked at Crow with wide eyes as she said, "What do you mean we've passed several paths? This is nothing but one long hall."
Crow patted her arm with a wry smile as she said, "The first thing you need to know about the underground, anywhere in the underground, is that things are rarely what they seem to be." She then paused and point across from them to the wall as she said, "Right there is a fine example. It's where I suggest we start. I'm glad I caught up to you before we ended up going all the way around again."
Sarah looked back and forth between Crow and the wall, but she didn't get to ask. The worm had already started speaking again. " 'at's right. Just gotta look harder."
Instead of waiting for Sarah to gather her thoughts, Crow stood up and went to the other side before she stepped through what had seemed like a solid wall. Sarah gasped when she came back into sight and jumped to her feet. She raced over to test it herself before she looked back at the other two with a wide grin. Before she could disappear, the worm said, "Ya sure there isn't time for a spot o' tea?"
Crow shook her head as she said, "Perhaps when we come back this way another time."
The worm sighed but didn't argue. Sarah was still grinning when she turned down the left path. Before she could take more than a couple of steps, she froze and headed back when she heard the worm yell out, "Not that way! Never go that way!"
Sarah stepped back around and thanked him before she turned toward the right. However, Crow grabbed her arm and frowned at her before she turned back to the worm and said, "Thank you for the advice, kind sir, but can you tell us why we shouldn't go that way?"
The worm shook his head and said, "That way leads straight to that castle."
The two women shared a look before Crow grinned and turned back to the worm with a little bow. "You have done us a great service, sir. As dangerous as it may be, that is our destination. You have my thanks, as well as a promise to bring a fitting gift when I return."
Sarah was still staring at the woman with wide eyes, but she didn't argue when Crow pulled her back down the path to the left. Neither of them paused when they heard the worm's last call to stop them. Sarah felt her hope well up once again.
Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to get to the center of the labyrinth. Crow had said things were rarely what they seemed. Maybe that meant that all the warnings she had heard so far were nothing more than false leads to keep her from getting to her destination. The more she thought about it, the more confident she grew. She was practically grinning when Crow looked back to make sure she was keeping up. This was going to be easy!
However, they had not walked for more than half an hour before her newfound confidence came tumbling down as they exited a crumbling hole in the wall and were faced with water as far as the eye could see. The castle was up on a hill on the far side, but she felt her heart plummet when she thought about walking all the way around the giant lake. It would take too long.
Sarah nearly fell to her knees but instead yelled out, "It's not fair!" She also had the urge to yell at Crow for taking them this way. Yes, the worm had been right that this way led to the castle, but he hadn't said anything about a lake. Now, what was she going to do?
She considered turning around and going back the way they had come. Perhaps that way would be more difficult, but surely it couldn't take as long as walking around the behemoth in front of them. However, she stopped when she noticed Crow was standing at the water's edge and tossing something in. Her curiosity got the better of her as she walked to stand beside the other woman and asked, "What are you doing?"
Crow spared a glance with a grin before she held up the pebbles in her hand and said, "Well, I wanted to see if this water was what it seemed to be. As far as I can tell, it looks like it is. At least here at the shore."
Sarah's eyes widened when she remembered the advice once again. She nearly laughed as she asked, "Then, do you think we can get across without walking all the way around? If I remember right, I think I have less than twelve hours left."
Crow frowned slightly as she said, "That's not a lot of time, but I don't think it's as far away as it looks. I'm more worried about what else we'll find on the way."
She then dropped the pebbles in her hand, and her smile was back as she said, "Although, I'm not going to pass up this opportunity." With that, she started to unbuckle the wide belt around her over-large shirt before she pulled it over her head.
Sarah's eyes widened, and her face started to turn red as she turned around and nearly yelled, "What are you doing!
A snort came from behind her along with the rustle of clothes as Crow said, "What does it look like I'm doing. I told you I needed a bath. This isn't perfect, but it's better than nothing."
Sarah was too flustered by how easily the other woman had taken off her clothes to form a coherent response before she heard the splashing of the water. That seemed to kick her mind in gear, and she turned with a frown in time to see Crow surface. Sarah gritted her teeth before she called out. "I told you I don't have much time."
Crow lifted one hand up and waved the concern off as she started running her fingers through her hair. Her voice was completely unconcerned as she said, "This won't take long. There is no way I plan to keep putting up with that feeling on my skin if I don't have to. You'd feel the same if you'd been forced to take a dunk in that pool."
Sarah suddenly blanched at the memory of how Crow had arrived. Despite her rush, she no longer felt like complaining. However, she did turn to face away from the water when Crow started to come out a few minutes later. She didn't turn around again until she heard the other woman say, "Ah, much better."
Sarah turned back around to see Crow had already donned her clothes again, and for some reason, they looked better this time, almost new. However, that fact was of little concern. Instead, she pointed to the lake as she asked, "So what do we do now?"
Crow finished buckling her belt before she looked up and over the water with a frown. "Something seems off here. We can try to go around, but I have a feeling that way might be more dangerous than if we go through."
Sarah was beginning to feel frustrated again, but she didn't get to voice it before the other woman looked at her with a wry smile and said, "Care to go for a swim?"
Sarah blinked at her as she tried to comprehend what she was just asked. "Swim across this thing?"
Crow smirked and tilted her head toward the water. "Why not? The water feels great." That was the last thing Crow said before she turned and waded back into the depths. This time fully clothed. Sarah watched until the woman was waist-deep before her brain kicked in, and she sighed. Her next words were muttered under her breath as she followed the other woman into the water. "I hope you know what you're doing."
A/N: If any of you are wondering what Crow's power is all about, don't worry. It will come out soon. Plus, we will be seeing Jareth in the next couple of chapters as well, so I hope you are looking forward to it!