It was both a pleasant surprise and relief to both women when they realized that the rush to help Ludo had gotten them out of the maze. However, now they were faced with a pair of doors. Each had a distorted face with a knocker—one in the ears and the other in the mouth. Sarah seemed to be unsure which to pick as her finger went back and forth, though all three of them jumped when one of the knockers said, "It's not polite to stare."
Sarah was quick to step forward. "Oh, I'm sorry. We were just trying to decide which door to go through."
The one that had spoken was the one with the knocker through its ears, and it was immediately proven that the ring was more than an accessory as the creature said, "What?"
Almost as soon as the first knocker stopped talking, indecipherable muttering could be heard from the other. Since Crow was closer to that one, she reached over and grabbed the handle. It took almost no effort for her to pull it free as she said, "There, perhaps that will help us both."
The creature sighed gustily as it stretched its mouth comically. The gathered group gave the knocker a moment before Sarah asked, "What were you trying to say?"
The newly freed creature chuckled as it said, "I said, it's no use talking to him. He's deaf as a doornail."
The first knocker immediately scoffed and said, "Mumble, mumble, mumble. You're such a wonderful conversationalist."
The second knocker scoffed as it replied, "You can talk; all you do is moan!"
Crow wasn't sure if the insult was heard or not, as the first knocker said, "It's no use; I can't hear you." The condescending sniff when it was finished nearly made her roll her eyes.
Apparently, Sarah was of a like mind, as she ignored the statement and turned back to the one that could both understand and speak to them. "Can you tell us where these doors lead?"
The knocker scrunched up his face in a way that gave the impression of a shrug as it chuckled and said, "Beats me; we're just the knockers."
The two women shared a look before Sarah pushed on one door, and Crow did the same to the other. Finally, the younger woman gave up with a sigh and turned to the talkative knocker as she asked, "How do we get in?"
There was still a note of happiness in the creature's voice as it tried to solemnly say, "Knock, and the door shall open."
Sarah shared a look with Crow, but nothing was said before the girl reached over and grabbed the ring from Crow. Although, the knocker without the ring immediately clamped its lips together and made a negating sound.
The other one sounded mocking as it said, "Doesn't want his ring back in his mouth, does he? Can't say as I blame him."
Sarah watched the knocker intently for several seconds, but as soon as she reached out to grab its nose, Crow pulled her back. When Sarah frowned at her, she smirked and said, "Let the poor thing be. There is already one still intact, and since they can't say which is better, there is no point in torturing the poor thing."
For a moment, it looked like Sarah might argue, but she finally sighed as her shoulders drooped. The girl shot a smile at the freed knocker as she said, "Thanks anyway." She then set the unused metal ring to the side.
Shock was evident on the knocker's face, but it didn't say anything as the group went to the other door. Crow banged the ring against the door a couple of times, and much to their excitement, it swung open silently.
Crow let Sarah and Ludo pass through the door before she turned back to the frowning knocker and grabbed the metal ring. A few seconds later, the metal seemed to disintegrate and fall to the ground as dust. Now that the second knocker was freed, it didn't seem to know what to say. Although Crow didn't bother waiting for thanks either. Instead, she smirked with a wink as she said, "Have fun, mate."
Both knockers were trying to stutter some sort of response, but neither managed a coherent word before the door closed, cutting them both off. When Crow turned back to face the others, Sarah was still standing there with her jaw slack. "What was that?"
Crow shrugged nonchalantly as she started down the narrow path through what looked to be a young forest. "Well, it was only fair. No point in making one suffer when the other doesn't have to. Besides, I have a feeling it will only be a temporary reprieve for either of them."
Sarah's expression turned thoughtful as she and Ludo followed Crow into the woods. Several minutes passed before the girl finally said, "Actually, I've been meaning to ask you—you said this place has wild magic. Is that what you are doing? Using magic?"
Crow stopped with a soft sigh and turned to face Sarah. There was something dark in her eyes, but the rest of her expression was mildly melancholic as she said, "To explain that, I suppose I should tell you a bit about the Below."
She motioned for the other two to follow but slowed her pace as she tried to figure out how to explain what the Below was to someone from the Above. Her voice was barely more than a whisper as she said, "I'd usually not tell this to someone from Above, but you've gone and got yourself well and truly muddled up in this." She let out a soft sigh before she continued. "Most people that live in the Below weren't born there. It is a place that catches the unwanted, the runaways, those that slip through the cracks of society."
Sarah gasped softly, but Crow ignored it and the horrified and pitying expression on the girl's face as they pushed through a tangle of limbs. It also didn't stop her from continuing. "Even though that is the case, there are a few people who are born in the Below and never leave. Generations of them, sometimes."
She paused long enough to help Sarah pull the limbs stuck in Ludo's fur back so the beast could continue with them before she continued, "A few of those families have a special place in Below society."
Sarah's brow furrowed for a moment as she asked, "You said you were a Lady, right? So is it something like nobility?"
A twisted sound, similar to a chuckle, slipped past Crow's lips before she shook her head and said, "Not really. Although our families are influential. And more importantly, powerful." She spared a look back at the other two before she shrugged and halfheartedly said, "I inherited my father's gift, just like Door inherited Lord Portico's. She can open a door to anywhere, which is how I got here. I can adjust the time of any inanimate object—make it older or younger. I destroyed that ring by adding millennia to its time until nothing was left but dust."
Sarah had stopped in the middle of the path and stared at Crow with wide eyes. Ludo had paused between them as he looked back and forth with a quizzical expression. Crow sighed at both of them before she gestured toward the narrowing path. "Let's go. We don't have time to waste."
The statement was ironic enough that Crow couldn't hold back a quiet laugh as the other two followed her through the last of the brush and into a vast field filled with a multitude of flowers. All three of them stopped to stare, but only Sarah stepped forward with a small gasp and a huge smile. She walked several feet into the field before she lifted her arms and twirled a few times as she said, "This is beautiful! Who would have guessed that a place like this could exist here."
When Sarah stopped, she looked at the other two with a wide smile still on her face. However, it started to fade as she saw their expressions. Ludo's nose was crinkled, and Crow watched the field for any movement. Somehow she doubted there wasn't some catch. Still, nothing else moved except the wind for several moments.
Sarah had not even made it back to the other two when Ludo said, "Smells funny."
His statement did not help settle Crow's growing unease, but the field was large enough that going around really wasn't an option. Instead, she patted his hairy arm and said, "Well, let's hope it's just the flowers."
Ludo was still looking around with disgust but followed Crow to meet Sarah. Once they were all together, Crow lowered her voice so only her companions would hear, or so she hoped, as she said, "Keep an eye out." She gave the girl a pointed look and was gratified to see understanding dawn. At least the lesson from the lake hadn't been forgotten.
Once that was settled, the three of them slowly made their way across the massive field. They were just past the halfway point, and Crow could feel her worry was almost gone. Strangely, not only was her fear gone, but she felt lighter than she could remember since she was a girl and her grandfather had still been around.
Apparently, both Ludo and Sarah were also in visibly improved moods. The younger girl was running her fingers through the petals as they passed and had begun to laugh. By the time they were two-thirds of the way through, Sarah's laughter had gotten to the point that she was having difficulty walking in a straight line. Ludo was making a strange sound that could have been laughter—it was hard to tell. However, the moment that laughter started to spill from Crow's lips she stopped and stared at the other two with wide eyes.
It wasn't as though she never laughed, but she honestly couldn't remember the last time she had laughed that hard. Not only was that a red flag, but as she tried to force her brain to think straight, she realized there wasn't a single thing that had happened for any of them to laugh at. As she looked around and saw Sarah start to slump over as her laughter got harder, it finally hit her.
Crow could barely speak past the laughter that continued to spill from her lips, but it seemed that it was still forceful enough to gather her companions' attention. "Run! It's the bloody flowers!"
Ludo either couldn't move past his laughter, or he didn't comprehend the warning, as he didn't move. However, Sarah seemed to understand. The girl was still having difficulties, but at least she picked up the pace and no longer touched the flowers around them as she stumbled toward the far side of the clearing. Once Crow was assured that Sarah was moving, She grabbed Ludo's arm, turned him in the right direction, and pulled. Thankfully it was enough to get him moving, if not as fast as she would have liked.
Even with the knowledge that they were in trouble, none of them had made it to the trees on the far side of the field before Sarah stumbled and fell to her knees. Ludo was also struggling, and even Crow had trouble staying on her feet. Laughter continued to pour from all of them, but inside, Crow was seething—mostly at herself. It irked her that she hadn't even suspected the plants might be the culprits.
Not long after Sarah fell, Ludo dropped as well, dragging Crow down with him. She tried to stand while helping him up, but he was just too heavy. Instead, she fell to her hands and knees. Her breath came in short gasps as she tried to suck in as much air as possible while laughing. It was not long before she became lightheaded and was sure that she was about to pass out.
That was the final straw. Somehow, she managed to crawl between Sarah and Ludo, and a whispered curse of "bollocks" was heard before she placed both palms flat against the ground. Almost as soon as she did that, the flowers around them started to wither. The ring of death spread further and further until Crow collapsed. However, it seemed to have achieved what she had hoped it would.
Both Ludo and Sarah were still giggling, but it was no longer the gut-wrenching laughter that left them breathless and weak. Neither of them was yet able to stand, but Sarah crawled to where Crow was lying on the ground and struggling to stay conscious. The girl tried to help her into a sitting position but failed miserably.
Ludo somehow managed to stand, but he was far too wobbly to help either of the women. Although, they were all shocked by a familiar voice—or one familiar to the two women, anyway. None of them had seen where Hoggle came from, but the gnome was holding his nose as he gestured wildly toward Ludo and said, "Get out of here!"
The giant beast hesitated for a moment but started moving when Crow lifted an arm and made a shooing motion. She had no strength left after using so much of her power to push back the line of flowers. Despite that, she tried to stand and was more than grateful when both Hoggle and Sarah were there to help her to her feet.
Sarah was barely more steady but got steadier as her laughter finally faded. Between that and Hoggle being half Crow's height, it didn't make things easy, but she wasn't about to complain. Her knees already felt like jelly, so she could use all the help she could get.
Ludo was leaning against a tree, still wearing a disgusted expression, when the others reached him. They hadn't even finished setting Crow down against another before the beast said, "Ludo scared."
Crow gave him a wry smile as she said, "Well, that would make two of us. Let's perhaps avoid any more suspicious flowers, shall we?"
Sarah dropped down beside Crow with a tired huff before she turned with curiosity and said, "Did you make the plants wither away and die? I thought you said it only worked on inanimate objects."
Crow's expression instantly clouded over, but she nodded. Though she didn't bother answering the second part of Sarah's question. Instead, she turned to Hoggle and patted his arm as she said, "I can't say as your presence here is unexpected, but it is certainly appreciated."
The gnome took a few steps back as his face screwed up into something between consternation and happiness. Finally, he crossed his arms with a huff as he said, "I did promise to show you the dangers. It's not my fault you don't listen."
Instead of getting upset, Crow chuckled at his antics as she said, "So you did."
After the two women gave themselves a minute to catch their breath, Sarah stood and held out a hand to assist Crow as well. "I imagine that tired you out, but we don't have time to rest."
Crow let out a deep sigh but didn't argue. Once she was on her feet, she gestured with her head toward Ludo as she looked at Sarah and said, "Make sure he's good to go too. I'll be right there."
Sarah nodded before she walked to where Ludo was still against the tree. Their voices were low enough that Crow barely heard them as she turned to Hoggle. Her expression was no longer genial as she said, "Please, Master Dwarf, don't take this the wrong way, as I am happy to have received your help. However, I will only warn you once that I have no plans to be thwarted from my goal. Whatever that man has paid or threatened you to do, it'd be wise if you kept it to yourself."
Hoggle's expression rapidly shifted through several emotions—first indignation, then fear, then anger, then finally resignation. He crossed his arms again as he pinned her with a petulant glare and said, "What do you know, anyway. Besides, I'm not even a dwarf—I'm a gnome."
Crow only lifted one brow as she leaned a little closer so she could whisper without it carrying. "Well then, apologies, Master Gnome, but my stance remains the same. I know it was no coincidence, you being here."
Hoggle only huffed and rolled his eyes, but there was fear in them when he focused back on Crow and whispered, "Can't you just play along? You gotta understand that I am a coward, and Jareth scares me."
A mirthless laugh escaped Crow's lips as she straightened and said, "As well, he should. Despite what I may think of his attitude, I would be a fool to not consider him formidable. No one could rule a kingdom as wild as this and not be so."
Hoggle's eyes seemed to bulge out at her statement. Apparently, he had not expected her to agree with him. Though she didn't give him a chance to gather his wits before she said, "Be that as it may, I have no option but to push forward." She then tilted her head back to where Sarah was still speaking to Ludo as she said, "I haven't heard all the details, but I've garnered enough to know she is much the same. I'm not asking you to stand with us; just don't get in our way."
Several seconds passed before Hoggled looked down with a sigh and his shoulders slumped. The dejected air almost made Crow feel sorry for the gnome, but she kept that to herself while she waited for him to find the words he wanted. Finally, he looked up at her as he said, "Can you at least let me travel with you? There's no telling what Jareth might do to me if he sees me alone."
For the first time since they entered the flower field, Crow genuinely smiled. She patted Hoggle's shoulder as she said, "Of course. I'd be a poor sport indeed if I left a friend in need."
Crow noticed that Sarah and Ludo had almost reached them, so she adjusted her expression so that neither would suspect the conversation. Though her smile twisted a little ruefully as Sarah said, "Hey, that rhymed!"
There was no need for another reminder that her traveling companion was innocent and naive, but the way Sarah smiled did just that. Crow did her best not to think about how that smile might dim before their adventure was over, but she kept it out of her voice as she said, "Yes, I suppose it did. Though, that is of little consequence. I'm fine now, so let's be on our way."
She didn't miss the way Sarah's smile hardened. Whether it was due to the brush-off or the reminder was uncertain—not that it mattered. Sarah's expression was determined as they all headed toward the renewed path through the woods.
Neither woman noticed the way Hoggle seemed distracted as he followed. His eyes were on Crow's back, but they seemed to be focused on something far away as he whispered so lowly that no one else could hear.
A/N: I only realized a few days ago that it has been almost a year since this was updated, so please accept my apologies. It isn't the only one, either. The last year has been mega crazy, and the one coming up only looks marginally better. The only good news is that I have a bit more time and am dedicating it all to writing.
On another note, I hope you liked this chapter. We finally get to see what Crow's power is! I wonder what Jareth will think, if he doesn't already know. It will still be a couple more before we have him more in focus, but once he is, it should prove interesting. For now, thanks for reading, and cheers!