A/N: It's been a while, I know, and I apologize profusely, but to make up
for it, this is a longer chapter! Be happy?
Disclaimer: You know the routine, run with it.
Chapter 15: A Meeting at the Crossroads
Hoggle sat back in his nicest wooden chair by the fire that warmed his little hut. He'd had a long day in the gardens and he was tired. It was fairy season and by God, he had been watering the garden one moment and beating off the rabid little flesh eaters the next.
"Blasted fairies!" he grumbled, "Always a'pullin' the petals for theys dresses or a'strippin' the leaves for theys beds! There's gotto be a better way!"
Shaking his head, he gazed into the fire and suddenly felt rather lonely. It was hard, working all day and coming home at night to an empty home. He had his occasional visits from Ludo or Didymus, but they too were busy with their own business, Didymus guarding the Bog and Ludo talking with his friends the rocks. Hoggle scratched the top of his head at the thought. He wasn't quite sure how one conversed with a rock, but Ludo seemed to get along just fine.
It was nights like these that he thought of Sarah, his very first friend. Before her, he had never known he was lonely, since he'd never had anything to compare it to. It was because of her that he had realized what being needed was like, and he missed it. He missed her. He could hardly remember the last time she had called him to her bedroom mirror and on nights like these he would let his mind wander and he would daydream.
He liked to daydream that after a hard day in the garden he would come home and Sarah would be there to greet him with a smile and a home cooked meal. It would be heavenly to have her here with him, someone kind and friendly to keep him company on long nights.he shook his head again. It wasn't going to happen, so why worry over it.still.
His thoughts were interrupted by a heavy thud from outside. It startled him and he nearly fell out of the little wooden chair. Jumping up, he hobbled to the door and cracked it open, peering warily into the moonless darkness. He saw nothing, but another thud resounded from around the corner of the hut, accompanied by a thud. Being something of a coward, Hoggle did not like this situation one little bit. He crept slowly to the corner of the hut and peeked around. What he saw made him stumble and fall flat on his face.
There, just beyond the woodpile, stamping nervously at the dirt stood a lone unicorn, brilliant and bright against the darkness. When he fell, it turned towards him and reared, a piercing whinny issuing from its lips. Hoggle tried to stand as he watched the amazing white beast toss its mane and approach him, but a mixture of fear, awe and indecision kept him rooted to the spot. The unicorn stopped right in front of him, lowering its golden horn near his face as it nudged him with its nose. He watched that shining spire as it glittered in the phosphorescent glow of the unicorn's hide.
"Get up, Hoggle!" came a crystalline voice that caused him to jump a good foot in the air. "Come now, get up, you must hurry!" It was then that he realized that the horn vibrated when the voice spoke. It was using the horn to speak to him!
"Uh.uh.what?" he stammered, completely dumbfounded. He had never seen a unicorn before, and to have one standing over him thus was a little unsettling. No one was going to believe this!
"Hurry, Hoggle! You must journey to the High Court and meet the Lady of the Labyrinth! She will need you, though not even she knows it yet.
"Meet who?" Hoggle asked as he dragged himself to his feet.
"The Lady of the Labyrinth! If she is not restored to the throne, the Labyrinth will fall! It will upset the balance of magic!" The unicorn stamped uneasily and tossed its mane.
"What's that got to do with me, eh?" Hoggle demanded, somewhat half- heartedly (this was still a unicorn, after all).
The unicorn turned a baleful glare upon him. "If the balance tips too far, all things in the Underground will wither and die. Including you. That's what you've got to do with it! Trust in me, Hoggle, I have seen it, you will have your part in these dealings! Now gather what you need and go!"
Hoggle blinked. "Oh," was all he could come up with. He didn't like the idea of going traipsing off to the High Court in the middle of the night for some vague reason, especially since he had no idea how to get there, but he didn't know what else to do. "What about you?"
"I'll not cross the Great River to the West, the Fae magic is too strong, but once you return to the Eastern shore, I will send for you." The unicorn lowered it's horn and used it to dig into the dirt below. As it shimmered and glowed through the dust, something glinted beneath it quite suddenly, as though it had formed out of thin air or from the earth itself. "Take this," the unicorn indicated the shiny object with a toss of its head, "It will guide you to where you need to go. Farewell, Hoggle, we'll meet again." With that, the shinning beast reared upon its legs as it turned and galloped off into the night.
Hoggle watched it go and scratched his head under his skullcap. He picked up the shiny object and brushed off some of the dust before he realized that it was an exquisitely wrought gold compass. It did not show the cardinal directions, but the needle pointed in a singular direction. He turned until the needle pointed at the notch in the face. It pointed east, towards the ocean, and, he supposed, towards the High Court. Well, he thought, if he was going to go through with this, he might as well get to it. With a huff, he turned and hobbled back into the hut to gather some essentials. Something told him this was going to be more than a short trip.
~*~
True to their word, the centaurs thundered into view as the sun came up and Shayan woke to the sound of it. He yawned and rolled over, stretching in the new dawn light as he peered over at King Jareth. To his surprise, he saw him sitting at the far edge of the clearing, gazing intently, and he thought, rather impatiently into a crystal. He was mumbling something that Shayan could only assume was some sort of spell or charm as the crystal flared and sparkled for a second, then went dark. He jumped as Jareth ground out a particularly nasty string of words as the crystal was ground into a shimmering dust in his hand.
"Didn't you sleep well, King Jareth?" Shayan inquired groggily as the centaurs slowed from a gallop to a brisk trot, causing the ground underneath him to stop it's incessant rumbling. Jareth looked something like a drowned cat, rather defeated and miserable, but he didn't answer. Shayan winced, "Did you dream?" he asked cautiously, and was rewarded with a caustic glare that spoke volumes. Fortunately, the trio of centaurs had just ground to a halt near the horses, sparing him a certain tongue lashing on behalf of whatever irksome dream had trouble Jareth the night before.
"Come on," Jareth intoned flatly, rising to pull together his things, "our escorts have returned, let's not keep them waiting. Within ten minutes they were on their way. The centaurs made no attempt at conversation, and for this Jareth was grateful. He preferred to be alone with his thoughts. Why was he still dreaming of her? He had not recognized the dream setting last night as he had in previous dreams, either. It certainly hadn't been his creation, had it? It had to be, because if it weren't, that would mean that she was wielding some kind of magic, and that was simply impossible. Wasn't it? He once more got the feeling that there was something he should be recognizing, something that he was just missing.
His thoughts were interrupted as they approached the Banshee Wood. He glanced over at Shayan, who was eyeing the dark, twisted trees with a wary distrust.
"King Jareth?"
"Mmm?"
"The road leads into the Woods. Why are we following the road that leads into the woods?" He looked expectantly at his king.
Jareth looked up at the twisted branches, reaching skyward in some obscene, plaintiff prayer, and shrugged. "There is a crossroads farther along that goes east. That's where we are headed. Don't worry, its not all that far at all." He nudged the stallion onward, but looked back as he realized that the centaurs were not following. They stood several paces back, gazing nervously at the trees.
"These woods are dark and dangerous," commented Ilo, never prying her eyes from the shadowy depths, "We must go another way."
Jareth sighed. "That is our road. You can either come with us or leave us, but we are taking the trail through the woods."
The centaurs looked at each other, seemingly torn between their fear of the haunted woods and their imperative to protect these two-legged fools that wanted drag them in there. It was Synto who finally broke the silence, his face stern and stony as he intoned something low, obscured by the rumbling depth of his voice. The other two nodded, and though their eyes were filled with apprehension, there was also now a glint of determination.
Ilo nodded at Jareth. "Very well," she affirmed in her deep baritone, "the Brights have looked into the past and seen the future. We will do as they have decreed." With that, they trotted as one back up to surround him and Shayan.
"As you will," Jareth intoned indifferently. Shayan frowned in his direction. His mood had not worn off, as it was wont to do most days. He was still quite distracted and it worried Shayan. "Everyone be aware," Jareth continued, "These woods have a way of getting you lost if you don't keep your head about you."
"How's that?" Shayan laughed, trying to lighten the mood, "Seems to me you'd have to be pretty thick to get lost on a road that's right in front of you."
Though still distracted, Jareth relented with a small smile. "Well, if you don't keep an eye out, you may find out just how easy it is."
"I'll keep that in mind," Shayan replied with a grin as the five of them were swallowed up by the thickening darkness of the forest.
~*~
When Sarah and Anikara finally hurried out the door and down to the stables, the others were already there. Ayron stood near his mount, patting his side and looking preoccupied. Brexis too looked preoccupied, standing near the edge of the woods. Sarah suspected she was anxious to meet her friends. Gwib was also present, and the comical little goblin was pacing back and forth in front of Ayron's horse. When he spotted the two women approaching, Anikara in an airy blue dress and Sarah once more clad in her vamipiric attire, he hopped to a halt and shook his finger at them.
"Lookies here! Yes, yes, bad girls! Late, late, late! Lookies, yes, sun is high in the sky, yes! Gwib awake at the crack of dawn, Gwib comes to the stables, Gwib wait and wait and wait! Yes, yes, bad girls!"
In spite of his seriousness, the two exchanged glances as they tried not to laugh. Anikara cleared her throat. "We are sorry, Gwib," she entreated, "can you ever forgive us?"
Gwib seemed to consider this, looking her over to decide if she was mocking him, then decided she was genuine and jumped up into her arms, hugging her tightly. "Since you say so nice, Gwib forgive!" Now Anikara did laugh and returned the goblin's hug before setting him on the ground.
"Yes and where have you two been all this time?" Ayron demanded lightly as he mounted his gelding.
Anikara pouted at him. "Oh, Ayron, are we going to have to beg your forgiveness as well?" she inquired, giving him a little smile that made his heart skip involuntarily. "Well, if you must know, we were up rather late talking."
"It's mostly my fault," Sarah admitted, "I had a bad dream and Anikara came to check on me," she began to laugh, "and we got to talking. She told me some most interesting tales!" she continued, feigning thoughtfulness, "Let me think. I seem to remember something about you and Jareth trying to seduce a pair of water nymphs and they took your clothes and left you in the river? Does that sound right?" Ayron turned paper white before flushing a rather appealing shade of red.
Anikara picked up Sarah's train of thought. "Oh, and don't forget the one where they accidentally enchanted the Elven King's prize oxen! Those poor beasts were flying about like a flock of ungainly geese!" The two girls laughed uncontrollably.
Ayron rolled his eyes, annoyed. "We were children, barely even a hundred years old! We can hardly be blamed for our childish curiosity!" he insisted, still blushing furiously.
"Oh, no one's blaming you, dear," Anikara quipped, "We just think it's hilarious as hell!" They continued to laugh as they mounted their horses. Brexis did so as well, although she still looked preoccupied and distant.
"Is anything wrong, Brexis?" Sarah asked as they started off down the road, headed west.
She nodded absently. "Yes, it's just." she shook her head, and Sarah could see her face twist into a frown under her veil, "I smell magic on the air."
"Nonsense!" cried Gwib, "Gwib smells nothing!"
Brexis gave him a pointed look. "Wild magic, goblin. And a tinge of something darker, like rotting flesh, only it must be magic.Oh, blast it, I don't know!" she finished, frustrated.
Anikara shrugged. "We'll keep our eyes peeled for anything unususal. Other than that, not much to be done."
Brexis nodded and smiled, rather unconvincingly. They rode on in silence for a time before Brexis brought her mount to a sudden halt just before the main crossroads, a smile lighting slowly on her face as she leapt down to her feet. The rest looked at each other questioningly, but said nothing. Brexis paused only for a moment before she practically ran to a shadowy spot near the edge of the road and leapt into the air. To everyone else's surprise, the darkness seemed to catch her and lift her up..before they realized that the darkness concealed a pair of black clad arms, which were attached to the body of a hooded figure, quite obviously male. The figure twirled her around in the air, before bringing her down into a tight hug. As this was happening, several other figures were soundlessly emerging from the depths of the dark forest, all clad in black spiders silk, the men cloaked and hooded, the women veiled.
Anikara lifted her veil just enough to make contact with the man that held her, in a kiss or a bite, Sarah couldn't tell, but she suspected, a little unnerved, that it was a mix of the two. She then turned to acknowledge the others, repeating this strange ritual with each, male and female alike. Sarah was so fascinated by this that she almost missed the introductions.
"This is Anikara, Ayron and Sarah. Sarah is traveling in disguise, but she is actually mortal," she explained. Sarah shifted nervously as this seemed to get their attention, and Brexis quickly added, "But don't bother for a taste, she's protected." The wave of disappointment was silent, but nearly tangible, which unnerved Sarah even more. Fortunately Brexis continued, introducing her rather creepy friends. Sarah reminded herself that things were not always what they seemed to be, and that Brexis herself had been a little creepy at first. "These are very good friends of mine," she continued as she indicated each, "Ishris, Dralsis, Akiris, Mortala, Saroson, Orogar and Leenarku. They sent word that they would travel with us as far as the western edge of the forest."
With this proclamation, the rest of the vampires advanced on the three of them and began to talk and introduce themselves personally. They were actually very amiable, and only once did one try to greet her as a vampire, before remembering that she was indeed mortal and backing off. She found it lightly amusing, but her interest was deterred by a slight movement just within the shadows of the forest beyond the road. The blackness in there was complete, so she couldn't tell who or what it was, but she felt a sudden chill move through her and she knew it had nothing to do with the weather.
"Um.Brexis?" Sarah intoned, her voice a bit higher with her nervousness, and Brexis noticed this as she turned to her, "Were you expecting someone else in particular?" Before Brexis could respond, Sarah got her answer. An arrow whizzed through the air, just missing her head as it planted itself in a nearby tree. Sarah cried out in surprise.
Brexis turned towards the arrow's source, completely unseen in the darkness. "Stay here," she commanded, "We will take care of this," she informed all the non-vampires, and then to her friends, "It's been far too long since I've had a good hunt! Let's go play." As she said this, she and others seemed to be..to be changing. It was at first most apparent in Brexis. Her eyes began to glow a livid red under her veil and something changed in the way she stood, more hunched and somehow lower to the ground, like a predator readying to pounce. But creepiest of all was the way the shadows of the forest seemed to stretch and writhe in a sick attempt to touch her, to cling to her body and conceal her in darkness. It lent her body a feral, almost bestial quality that chilled Sarah through and through. Now she understood why vampires were portrayed as evil monsters in Aboveground stories. Before her very eyes, these eight now looked the part, more monsters than human. With not another word, they lowered themselves to the ground and bounded into the oppressive gloom beyond the road.
~*~
A few moments before, Shayan had fallen a few paces behind when he saw it. At first he thought he was imagining it. It seemed not so much to be something moving in the darkness of the forest, but the darkness moving itself. He shook his head and looked again in disbelief. The shadows themselves were creeping in thin tendrils along the ground, like ink in water, spreading like disease and polluting the light on the road. No, Shayan mused, not darkness really.more like a lack of light. In any case, this unnatural lightlessness was creeping upon the path between himself and the rest. He felt himself gasp and recoil. Ilo's head turned back towards him and saw the same darkness. Instinctively, she loosed and arrow into the forest from which it was issuing, quick as lightening, but she lost it in the gloom.
"Um.Jareth?" he called unsteadily, "I think-" he never finished. Jareth turned to see a dark figure leap from the shadows near the edge of the road and pounce on Shayan, knocking him from his horse. It was a vampire, a female, that he knew, and from the looks of things, it was hunting.
"Shayan!" Jareth cried as he reigned his horse around. It was then that he saw the spreading lightlessness. He froze in horror. He knew those tendrils, that slow, seeping, creeping movement. He'd cursed it since he'd awoken this morning in a cold sweat and near tears. It had pulled his Sarah out of his arms. He gaped, mesmerized by the bone chillingly purposeful movement, so much so that he had not noticed the other vampires that had bounded out of the woods and were currently battling the centaurs in a furious and violent struggle. It was the sound of Shayan calling his name that broke the trance. He looked up to see the vampire woman dragging Shayan into the woods. He was also alarmed to see a small puddle of blood where he had been. His eyes narrowed. She had gotten a taste of his friend's blood, but she would get nothing more. Reigning his horse, he gave it a sharp jab in the side with is knee and pulled on the reigns. The stallion peeled out a surprised whinny and leapt well over the river of lightlessness, before plunging into the woods after his friend.
Shayan, meanwhile, was not faring so well. The vampire had caught him with his guard down and landed on top of him. Lowering her head to his ear, she whispered, "It's been far too long," before he'd felt a sharp pain in his shoulder as she bit down. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was thankful that she hadn't gone for his neck, but that was buried under the strange sensation he felt as she sucked at the bite wound. He cried out, but it wasn't in pain. As her tongue moved over the wound, it felt as though it was caressing every vein in his body, leaving a burning tingling in its wake.
It was then that Brexis noticed the lightlessness creeping along the ground in their direction. She hissed in anger and fear, but she was not going to give up her prey so easily. Grabbing his arms, she bounded into the woods, just as he called out to his companion. She would bring him to her mistress before she tasted any more of this boy's liquid life, no matter the temptation.
~*~
Sarah watched the creeping lightlessness as it encroached upon the light of the trail before them. She felt tears threaten to overwhelm her at the memory of the cold loneliness from her dream that existed within that emptiness. She grabbed Anikara's arm and pointed frantically. Both she and Ayron had already seen it.
"This way!" Ayron commanded, reigning his horse around and leading them into the round clearing of the crossroads. From here they had an excellent view of the battle that was raging on the southern fork. The vampires pounced, clawed, bit, and hissed, while the three centaurs reared, bellowed, kicked and slashed with crude knives. The three were startled in to silence by this, but it lasted only a moment as Brexis emerged behind them, still bent and hunkered in hunter mode, dragging a young elf by the arm. Sarah was mildly horrified that there was blood seeping from two tear- shaped puncture wounds on his shoulder, as well as staining the pale flesh of Brexis's chin from under her veil.
"I found this one with them," she purred with a flip of her head indicating the battle, "he's not so talkative, but that is arrow was one of theirs. What shall I do with this one?" she asked, lowering her face to his shoulder and licking up a few stray drops that had begun to trickle down his front. He cried out in some mixture of surprise and.pleasure? Sarah didn't have time to wonder at this, for suddenly, the black lightlessness began to recede, as though stung or burned, and she was awe struck to see a bright crystal roll onto the path.
Grabbing Anikara once more, she pointed to the crystal, which was heading up the path towards them. Anikara's eyes became round as saucers and she shook her head at Sarah's unspoken question. "It's not mine," she murmured.
Sarah shuddered with a sudden realization. Without warning, she leapt from her horse and rushed towards the melee. "Stop! Stop, please, all of you, it's all just a misunderstanding!" she cried, waving her arms to draw attention to herself. Unfortunately, it did, as one of the centaurs, a large male, bucked sideways. As he reared, his front hoof found her left temple and she saw an explosion of stars dance before her eyes as she hit the ground. Looking up in horror, she saw that very same hoof rushing down at her.
"Oh, damn!" Ayron groaned as he dove. Sarah had closed her eyes and was waiting for the pain to hit her when he landed on her and rolled sideways, pulling her off to the side. The next thing Sarah saw when her eyes came back into focus was the gleaming sphere of the crystal as it rolled to a halt near her head. She vaguely thought she heard Brexis asking, in a strained tone, if her captive was necessary, or if she could have another bite, just a little.
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," announced a familiar voice from behind Brexis. By now the battle in the crossroads had wound down as some of the participants realized the mistake they had all made, and now all turned to the commanding new voice. It was a good thing Sarah's veil was still in place, for the sight of Jareth there on the road astride the powerful stallion, cape billowing behind him. She watched him turn his head to Anikara, then down to Ayron, and heard his silken voice as he stated matter-of-factly "You two have a great deal of explaining to do."
She thought she might cry at the sight of him from fear, relief and longing, but she never got the chance, as the stars that still danced around her field of vision were overtaken by the darkness encroaching on the edges of her sight. She slipped into blessed unconsciousness before she could even call out his name.
A/N: OK, I know I've been negligent about posting, but I made up for it with a long one, so please review! *Holds up flowers and candy* Please?
Disclaimer: You know the routine, run with it.
Chapter 15: A Meeting at the Crossroads
Hoggle sat back in his nicest wooden chair by the fire that warmed his little hut. He'd had a long day in the gardens and he was tired. It was fairy season and by God, he had been watering the garden one moment and beating off the rabid little flesh eaters the next.
"Blasted fairies!" he grumbled, "Always a'pullin' the petals for theys dresses or a'strippin' the leaves for theys beds! There's gotto be a better way!"
Shaking his head, he gazed into the fire and suddenly felt rather lonely. It was hard, working all day and coming home at night to an empty home. He had his occasional visits from Ludo or Didymus, but they too were busy with their own business, Didymus guarding the Bog and Ludo talking with his friends the rocks. Hoggle scratched the top of his head at the thought. He wasn't quite sure how one conversed with a rock, but Ludo seemed to get along just fine.
It was nights like these that he thought of Sarah, his very first friend. Before her, he had never known he was lonely, since he'd never had anything to compare it to. It was because of her that he had realized what being needed was like, and he missed it. He missed her. He could hardly remember the last time she had called him to her bedroom mirror and on nights like these he would let his mind wander and he would daydream.
He liked to daydream that after a hard day in the garden he would come home and Sarah would be there to greet him with a smile and a home cooked meal. It would be heavenly to have her here with him, someone kind and friendly to keep him company on long nights.he shook his head again. It wasn't going to happen, so why worry over it.still.
His thoughts were interrupted by a heavy thud from outside. It startled him and he nearly fell out of the little wooden chair. Jumping up, he hobbled to the door and cracked it open, peering warily into the moonless darkness. He saw nothing, but another thud resounded from around the corner of the hut, accompanied by a thud. Being something of a coward, Hoggle did not like this situation one little bit. He crept slowly to the corner of the hut and peeked around. What he saw made him stumble and fall flat on his face.
There, just beyond the woodpile, stamping nervously at the dirt stood a lone unicorn, brilliant and bright against the darkness. When he fell, it turned towards him and reared, a piercing whinny issuing from its lips. Hoggle tried to stand as he watched the amazing white beast toss its mane and approach him, but a mixture of fear, awe and indecision kept him rooted to the spot. The unicorn stopped right in front of him, lowering its golden horn near his face as it nudged him with its nose. He watched that shining spire as it glittered in the phosphorescent glow of the unicorn's hide.
"Get up, Hoggle!" came a crystalline voice that caused him to jump a good foot in the air. "Come now, get up, you must hurry!" It was then that he realized that the horn vibrated when the voice spoke. It was using the horn to speak to him!
"Uh.uh.what?" he stammered, completely dumbfounded. He had never seen a unicorn before, and to have one standing over him thus was a little unsettling. No one was going to believe this!
"Hurry, Hoggle! You must journey to the High Court and meet the Lady of the Labyrinth! She will need you, though not even she knows it yet.
"Meet who?" Hoggle asked as he dragged himself to his feet.
"The Lady of the Labyrinth! If she is not restored to the throne, the Labyrinth will fall! It will upset the balance of magic!" The unicorn stamped uneasily and tossed its mane.
"What's that got to do with me, eh?" Hoggle demanded, somewhat half- heartedly (this was still a unicorn, after all).
The unicorn turned a baleful glare upon him. "If the balance tips too far, all things in the Underground will wither and die. Including you. That's what you've got to do with it! Trust in me, Hoggle, I have seen it, you will have your part in these dealings! Now gather what you need and go!"
Hoggle blinked. "Oh," was all he could come up with. He didn't like the idea of going traipsing off to the High Court in the middle of the night for some vague reason, especially since he had no idea how to get there, but he didn't know what else to do. "What about you?"
"I'll not cross the Great River to the West, the Fae magic is too strong, but once you return to the Eastern shore, I will send for you." The unicorn lowered it's horn and used it to dig into the dirt below. As it shimmered and glowed through the dust, something glinted beneath it quite suddenly, as though it had formed out of thin air or from the earth itself. "Take this," the unicorn indicated the shiny object with a toss of its head, "It will guide you to where you need to go. Farewell, Hoggle, we'll meet again." With that, the shinning beast reared upon its legs as it turned and galloped off into the night.
Hoggle watched it go and scratched his head under his skullcap. He picked up the shiny object and brushed off some of the dust before he realized that it was an exquisitely wrought gold compass. It did not show the cardinal directions, but the needle pointed in a singular direction. He turned until the needle pointed at the notch in the face. It pointed east, towards the ocean, and, he supposed, towards the High Court. Well, he thought, if he was going to go through with this, he might as well get to it. With a huff, he turned and hobbled back into the hut to gather some essentials. Something told him this was going to be more than a short trip.
~*~
True to their word, the centaurs thundered into view as the sun came up and Shayan woke to the sound of it. He yawned and rolled over, stretching in the new dawn light as he peered over at King Jareth. To his surprise, he saw him sitting at the far edge of the clearing, gazing intently, and he thought, rather impatiently into a crystal. He was mumbling something that Shayan could only assume was some sort of spell or charm as the crystal flared and sparkled for a second, then went dark. He jumped as Jareth ground out a particularly nasty string of words as the crystal was ground into a shimmering dust in his hand.
"Didn't you sleep well, King Jareth?" Shayan inquired groggily as the centaurs slowed from a gallop to a brisk trot, causing the ground underneath him to stop it's incessant rumbling. Jareth looked something like a drowned cat, rather defeated and miserable, but he didn't answer. Shayan winced, "Did you dream?" he asked cautiously, and was rewarded with a caustic glare that spoke volumes. Fortunately, the trio of centaurs had just ground to a halt near the horses, sparing him a certain tongue lashing on behalf of whatever irksome dream had trouble Jareth the night before.
"Come on," Jareth intoned flatly, rising to pull together his things, "our escorts have returned, let's not keep them waiting. Within ten minutes they were on their way. The centaurs made no attempt at conversation, and for this Jareth was grateful. He preferred to be alone with his thoughts. Why was he still dreaming of her? He had not recognized the dream setting last night as he had in previous dreams, either. It certainly hadn't been his creation, had it? It had to be, because if it weren't, that would mean that she was wielding some kind of magic, and that was simply impossible. Wasn't it? He once more got the feeling that there was something he should be recognizing, something that he was just missing.
His thoughts were interrupted as they approached the Banshee Wood. He glanced over at Shayan, who was eyeing the dark, twisted trees with a wary distrust.
"King Jareth?"
"Mmm?"
"The road leads into the Woods. Why are we following the road that leads into the woods?" He looked expectantly at his king.
Jareth looked up at the twisted branches, reaching skyward in some obscene, plaintiff prayer, and shrugged. "There is a crossroads farther along that goes east. That's where we are headed. Don't worry, its not all that far at all." He nudged the stallion onward, but looked back as he realized that the centaurs were not following. They stood several paces back, gazing nervously at the trees.
"These woods are dark and dangerous," commented Ilo, never prying her eyes from the shadowy depths, "We must go another way."
Jareth sighed. "That is our road. You can either come with us or leave us, but we are taking the trail through the woods."
The centaurs looked at each other, seemingly torn between their fear of the haunted woods and their imperative to protect these two-legged fools that wanted drag them in there. It was Synto who finally broke the silence, his face stern and stony as he intoned something low, obscured by the rumbling depth of his voice. The other two nodded, and though their eyes were filled with apprehension, there was also now a glint of determination.
Ilo nodded at Jareth. "Very well," she affirmed in her deep baritone, "the Brights have looked into the past and seen the future. We will do as they have decreed." With that, they trotted as one back up to surround him and Shayan.
"As you will," Jareth intoned indifferently. Shayan frowned in his direction. His mood had not worn off, as it was wont to do most days. He was still quite distracted and it worried Shayan. "Everyone be aware," Jareth continued, "These woods have a way of getting you lost if you don't keep your head about you."
"How's that?" Shayan laughed, trying to lighten the mood, "Seems to me you'd have to be pretty thick to get lost on a road that's right in front of you."
Though still distracted, Jareth relented with a small smile. "Well, if you don't keep an eye out, you may find out just how easy it is."
"I'll keep that in mind," Shayan replied with a grin as the five of them were swallowed up by the thickening darkness of the forest.
~*~
When Sarah and Anikara finally hurried out the door and down to the stables, the others were already there. Ayron stood near his mount, patting his side and looking preoccupied. Brexis too looked preoccupied, standing near the edge of the woods. Sarah suspected she was anxious to meet her friends. Gwib was also present, and the comical little goblin was pacing back and forth in front of Ayron's horse. When he spotted the two women approaching, Anikara in an airy blue dress and Sarah once more clad in her vamipiric attire, he hopped to a halt and shook his finger at them.
"Lookies here! Yes, yes, bad girls! Late, late, late! Lookies, yes, sun is high in the sky, yes! Gwib awake at the crack of dawn, Gwib comes to the stables, Gwib wait and wait and wait! Yes, yes, bad girls!"
In spite of his seriousness, the two exchanged glances as they tried not to laugh. Anikara cleared her throat. "We are sorry, Gwib," she entreated, "can you ever forgive us?"
Gwib seemed to consider this, looking her over to decide if she was mocking him, then decided she was genuine and jumped up into her arms, hugging her tightly. "Since you say so nice, Gwib forgive!" Now Anikara did laugh and returned the goblin's hug before setting him on the ground.
"Yes and where have you two been all this time?" Ayron demanded lightly as he mounted his gelding.
Anikara pouted at him. "Oh, Ayron, are we going to have to beg your forgiveness as well?" she inquired, giving him a little smile that made his heart skip involuntarily. "Well, if you must know, we were up rather late talking."
"It's mostly my fault," Sarah admitted, "I had a bad dream and Anikara came to check on me," she began to laugh, "and we got to talking. She told me some most interesting tales!" she continued, feigning thoughtfulness, "Let me think. I seem to remember something about you and Jareth trying to seduce a pair of water nymphs and they took your clothes and left you in the river? Does that sound right?" Ayron turned paper white before flushing a rather appealing shade of red.
Anikara picked up Sarah's train of thought. "Oh, and don't forget the one where they accidentally enchanted the Elven King's prize oxen! Those poor beasts were flying about like a flock of ungainly geese!" The two girls laughed uncontrollably.
Ayron rolled his eyes, annoyed. "We were children, barely even a hundred years old! We can hardly be blamed for our childish curiosity!" he insisted, still blushing furiously.
"Oh, no one's blaming you, dear," Anikara quipped, "We just think it's hilarious as hell!" They continued to laugh as they mounted their horses. Brexis did so as well, although she still looked preoccupied and distant.
"Is anything wrong, Brexis?" Sarah asked as they started off down the road, headed west.
She nodded absently. "Yes, it's just." she shook her head, and Sarah could see her face twist into a frown under her veil, "I smell magic on the air."
"Nonsense!" cried Gwib, "Gwib smells nothing!"
Brexis gave him a pointed look. "Wild magic, goblin. And a tinge of something darker, like rotting flesh, only it must be magic.Oh, blast it, I don't know!" she finished, frustrated.
Anikara shrugged. "We'll keep our eyes peeled for anything unususal. Other than that, not much to be done."
Brexis nodded and smiled, rather unconvincingly. They rode on in silence for a time before Brexis brought her mount to a sudden halt just before the main crossroads, a smile lighting slowly on her face as she leapt down to her feet. The rest looked at each other questioningly, but said nothing. Brexis paused only for a moment before she practically ran to a shadowy spot near the edge of the road and leapt into the air. To everyone else's surprise, the darkness seemed to catch her and lift her up..before they realized that the darkness concealed a pair of black clad arms, which were attached to the body of a hooded figure, quite obviously male. The figure twirled her around in the air, before bringing her down into a tight hug. As this was happening, several other figures were soundlessly emerging from the depths of the dark forest, all clad in black spiders silk, the men cloaked and hooded, the women veiled.
Anikara lifted her veil just enough to make contact with the man that held her, in a kiss or a bite, Sarah couldn't tell, but she suspected, a little unnerved, that it was a mix of the two. She then turned to acknowledge the others, repeating this strange ritual with each, male and female alike. Sarah was so fascinated by this that she almost missed the introductions.
"This is Anikara, Ayron and Sarah. Sarah is traveling in disguise, but she is actually mortal," she explained. Sarah shifted nervously as this seemed to get their attention, and Brexis quickly added, "But don't bother for a taste, she's protected." The wave of disappointment was silent, but nearly tangible, which unnerved Sarah even more. Fortunately Brexis continued, introducing her rather creepy friends. Sarah reminded herself that things were not always what they seemed to be, and that Brexis herself had been a little creepy at first. "These are very good friends of mine," she continued as she indicated each, "Ishris, Dralsis, Akiris, Mortala, Saroson, Orogar and Leenarku. They sent word that they would travel with us as far as the western edge of the forest."
With this proclamation, the rest of the vampires advanced on the three of them and began to talk and introduce themselves personally. They were actually very amiable, and only once did one try to greet her as a vampire, before remembering that she was indeed mortal and backing off. She found it lightly amusing, but her interest was deterred by a slight movement just within the shadows of the forest beyond the road. The blackness in there was complete, so she couldn't tell who or what it was, but she felt a sudden chill move through her and she knew it had nothing to do with the weather.
"Um.Brexis?" Sarah intoned, her voice a bit higher with her nervousness, and Brexis noticed this as she turned to her, "Were you expecting someone else in particular?" Before Brexis could respond, Sarah got her answer. An arrow whizzed through the air, just missing her head as it planted itself in a nearby tree. Sarah cried out in surprise.
Brexis turned towards the arrow's source, completely unseen in the darkness. "Stay here," she commanded, "We will take care of this," she informed all the non-vampires, and then to her friends, "It's been far too long since I've had a good hunt! Let's go play." As she said this, she and others seemed to be..to be changing. It was at first most apparent in Brexis. Her eyes began to glow a livid red under her veil and something changed in the way she stood, more hunched and somehow lower to the ground, like a predator readying to pounce. But creepiest of all was the way the shadows of the forest seemed to stretch and writhe in a sick attempt to touch her, to cling to her body and conceal her in darkness. It lent her body a feral, almost bestial quality that chilled Sarah through and through. Now she understood why vampires were portrayed as evil monsters in Aboveground stories. Before her very eyes, these eight now looked the part, more monsters than human. With not another word, they lowered themselves to the ground and bounded into the oppressive gloom beyond the road.
~*~
A few moments before, Shayan had fallen a few paces behind when he saw it. At first he thought he was imagining it. It seemed not so much to be something moving in the darkness of the forest, but the darkness moving itself. He shook his head and looked again in disbelief. The shadows themselves were creeping in thin tendrils along the ground, like ink in water, spreading like disease and polluting the light on the road. No, Shayan mused, not darkness really.more like a lack of light. In any case, this unnatural lightlessness was creeping upon the path between himself and the rest. He felt himself gasp and recoil. Ilo's head turned back towards him and saw the same darkness. Instinctively, she loosed and arrow into the forest from which it was issuing, quick as lightening, but she lost it in the gloom.
"Um.Jareth?" he called unsteadily, "I think-" he never finished. Jareth turned to see a dark figure leap from the shadows near the edge of the road and pounce on Shayan, knocking him from his horse. It was a vampire, a female, that he knew, and from the looks of things, it was hunting.
"Shayan!" Jareth cried as he reigned his horse around. It was then that he saw the spreading lightlessness. He froze in horror. He knew those tendrils, that slow, seeping, creeping movement. He'd cursed it since he'd awoken this morning in a cold sweat and near tears. It had pulled his Sarah out of his arms. He gaped, mesmerized by the bone chillingly purposeful movement, so much so that he had not noticed the other vampires that had bounded out of the woods and were currently battling the centaurs in a furious and violent struggle. It was the sound of Shayan calling his name that broke the trance. He looked up to see the vampire woman dragging Shayan into the woods. He was also alarmed to see a small puddle of blood where he had been. His eyes narrowed. She had gotten a taste of his friend's blood, but she would get nothing more. Reigning his horse, he gave it a sharp jab in the side with is knee and pulled on the reigns. The stallion peeled out a surprised whinny and leapt well over the river of lightlessness, before plunging into the woods after his friend.
Shayan, meanwhile, was not faring so well. The vampire had caught him with his guard down and landed on top of him. Lowering her head to his ear, she whispered, "It's been far too long," before he'd felt a sharp pain in his shoulder as she bit down. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was thankful that she hadn't gone for his neck, but that was buried under the strange sensation he felt as she sucked at the bite wound. He cried out, but it wasn't in pain. As her tongue moved over the wound, it felt as though it was caressing every vein in his body, leaving a burning tingling in its wake.
It was then that Brexis noticed the lightlessness creeping along the ground in their direction. She hissed in anger and fear, but she was not going to give up her prey so easily. Grabbing his arms, she bounded into the woods, just as he called out to his companion. She would bring him to her mistress before she tasted any more of this boy's liquid life, no matter the temptation.
~*~
Sarah watched the creeping lightlessness as it encroached upon the light of the trail before them. She felt tears threaten to overwhelm her at the memory of the cold loneliness from her dream that existed within that emptiness. She grabbed Anikara's arm and pointed frantically. Both she and Ayron had already seen it.
"This way!" Ayron commanded, reigning his horse around and leading them into the round clearing of the crossroads. From here they had an excellent view of the battle that was raging on the southern fork. The vampires pounced, clawed, bit, and hissed, while the three centaurs reared, bellowed, kicked and slashed with crude knives. The three were startled in to silence by this, but it lasted only a moment as Brexis emerged behind them, still bent and hunkered in hunter mode, dragging a young elf by the arm. Sarah was mildly horrified that there was blood seeping from two tear- shaped puncture wounds on his shoulder, as well as staining the pale flesh of Brexis's chin from under her veil.
"I found this one with them," she purred with a flip of her head indicating the battle, "he's not so talkative, but that is arrow was one of theirs. What shall I do with this one?" she asked, lowering her face to his shoulder and licking up a few stray drops that had begun to trickle down his front. He cried out in some mixture of surprise and.pleasure? Sarah didn't have time to wonder at this, for suddenly, the black lightlessness began to recede, as though stung or burned, and she was awe struck to see a bright crystal roll onto the path.
Grabbing Anikara once more, she pointed to the crystal, which was heading up the path towards them. Anikara's eyes became round as saucers and she shook her head at Sarah's unspoken question. "It's not mine," she murmured.
Sarah shuddered with a sudden realization. Without warning, she leapt from her horse and rushed towards the melee. "Stop! Stop, please, all of you, it's all just a misunderstanding!" she cried, waving her arms to draw attention to herself. Unfortunately, it did, as one of the centaurs, a large male, bucked sideways. As he reared, his front hoof found her left temple and she saw an explosion of stars dance before her eyes as she hit the ground. Looking up in horror, she saw that very same hoof rushing down at her.
"Oh, damn!" Ayron groaned as he dove. Sarah had closed her eyes and was waiting for the pain to hit her when he landed on her and rolled sideways, pulling her off to the side. The next thing Sarah saw when her eyes came back into focus was the gleaming sphere of the crystal as it rolled to a halt near her head. She vaguely thought she heard Brexis asking, in a strained tone, if her captive was necessary, or if she could have another bite, just a little.
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," announced a familiar voice from behind Brexis. By now the battle in the crossroads had wound down as some of the participants realized the mistake they had all made, and now all turned to the commanding new voice. It was a good thing Sarah's veil was still in place, for the sight of Jareth there on the road astride the powerful stallion, cape billowing behind him. She watched him turn his head to Anikara, then down to Ayron, and heard his silken voice as he stated matter-of-factly "You two have a great deal of explaining to do."
She thought she might cry at the sight of him from fear, relief and longing, but she never got the chance, as the stars that still danced around her field of vision were overtaken by the darkness encroaching on the edges of her sight. She slipped into blessed unconsciousness before she could even call out his name.
A/N: OK, I know I've been negligent about posting, but I made up for it with a long one, so please review! *Holds up flowers and candy* Please?