To Take Back the Child
* By Eerie *
*~*~*~*~* Chapter Four *~*~*~*~*
When Toby awoke, he felt remarkably refreshed. His room was silent as he sat up and watched the dust motes fall softly though the sunbeam that descended over a wide square of the glittering floor. Stretching, he wondered what time it was and whether any of the indignant goblins would barge in at any moment. He took up the clothes that had been left for him the night before and slowly began to dress.
Thinking about his dream, Toby shivered. In it, he had been lying in the Labyrinth, his body sprawled uncomfortably between the two towering slabs that stretched out seemingly endlessly on either side of him. Struggling to get to his feet, he felt as though he had been asleep in that position for some time, his muscles tired and sore. As he stood rubbing his shoulder he cast an uncertain glance into each direction of the narrow passage, trying to locate some clue as to which way to take. He knew where he was, having been in such a dream many times before, only this time it seemed different somehow.
It was hot and windless, though the clouds above crawled as if frantic to be away from the cursed maze, or so it seemed to him. He began to walk in the direction of their flight. From somewhere outside the walls he heard the sound of a woman's crying and instantly knew it was his sister's. It wasn't long before he was running; growing more and more frustrated from the lack of any changes about him. Just before his breath was spent he stopped and gripped his knees, pulling in the stale air, dismayed to find it did little to ease the burning in his lungs. After a moment of rest, he straightened and nearly jumped from his skin when he saw the wizened little gnome standing not three steps before him.
The creature carried a spray can of tarnished bronze, and a great ring of jewels and trinkets hung from its belt to shimmer in the rosy sunlight. Its clothes were old and tattered about its body and appeared to be stretched tightly across a stomach that had seen a fair amount of growth.
He had not heard the creature approach and surely it could not have been hidden, for the walls were practically seamless.
"Who are you?" he called timidly.
"Just the caretaker," it replied in a haggard voice. "Who are you?"
"Toby," he said and chanced a step closer to see that the gnome was not going to run. "Do you have a name?"
"Yep."
He stopped. "Can you tell me what it is?"
"Sure." The creature turned away and began to trot leisurely down the long passage as if Toby were never there.
Sighing, he jogged to meet up with it. "Excuse me, but, what IS your name?"
Little dark eyes flickered to his face with a bit of interest but the caretaker did not stop. "Name's Hoggle," it finally replied.
"Well Hoggle, it's nice to meet you."
The gnome merely grunted.
Keeping his strides short to stay at the little being's side, Toby said in a more sugared voice, "Since you're the caretaker and all, you must know how to get out of this maze. So, do you?"
"What'd you wanna do that for?" the gnome asked and veered off to the side.
"I've someone I need to . . ." he began. But Toby was stopped short when he saw what Hoggle was suddenly so interested in. A tiny sheer-winged girl with fair limbs and honey-colored hair that fell to her slim waist hovered over a glittering rock near the wall. His eyes were wide with wonder at her loveliness and he followed the gnome for a closer look.
But Hoggle paused and sprayed the mysterious contents of his can with deadly precision. The glowing faerie fell helplessly to the rock and glared up angrily at the gnome who only smiled triumphantly before she fell still. Hoggle pinched a delicate wing in his stubby fingers and turned her over with a critical eye.
Toby opened his mouth to voice his dismay but lost all confusion to horror: the gnome had popped the tiny faerie through his bulbous lips and swallowed the creature whole. And with a few smacks of his tongue, Hoggle adjusted his belt and began to trot toward his unmarked destination once more, muttering a tune.
Toby stared after him for a moment in revulsion before he realized that he had more important things to do than to criticize the food chain in such a place. He plodded quickly to the gnome's side once again, trying to mask the disgust that might still linger over his countenance.
"I want to get out of the Labyrinth," he said.
Hoggle shifted his mouth. "Can't say I recommend it."
"Why not?" Toby cried, exasperated.
The gnome suddenly stopped and looked around as if some deadly serpent hissed its presence nearby. Seeing nothing, Hoggle turned back and stared hard at Toby, gesturing with his head. Toby obeyed and drew in closer.
"I know who you are," the creature whispered hastily, "and I can tell you where the exit is, but I can't show you."
"Why?" Toby asked in a matching tone of voice.
"Never mind. The gate out of the Labyrinth lies between the rocks that look like skulls. Down there." Hoggle nodded toward the direction from which they had come.
"So I've been going the wrong way the whole time?" Toby said loudly and groaned in aggravation.
"Shh. Mind yourself here," the gnome growled and began to speak again.
But Toby hurried away to search for the rocks. Suddenly realizing his rudeness, he cast a look over his shoulder to offer his thanks, but Hoggle was no longer there. He ignored the oddness of it and continued to run. It wasn't long before he came upon a golden door set in the wall. There were no rocks around it but it WAS a door all the same and he felt compelled to open it.
The knob was quite cool in his hand, despite the heat, and he pulled it. A refreshing breeze met him like a savior and his eyes squinted in the overpowering brightness of the sun that was sheer contrast to the muted rose in the passage. When he could see clearly, he found a garden flocked with flowers of a thousand colors around a white set of chairs and table. A dark-haired woman with a large sunhat reclined in one of these chairs with her back toward him, her arms resting behind her head.
Curious and relieved to be free from the stagnant heat, he drew near. As he approached, the woman sat up and slowly turned to him. Tears immediately burned in his eyes when he recognized his older sister smiling radiantly, holding her arms out for him. He fell into them and squeezed her tightly.
"Sarah! I wanted to see you so much," he cried.
Sarah pushed him away gently and brushed his tears with her fingertips. As she pulled her hand back, he caught the very faint scent of decaying jasmine, though the sea of flowers around them quickly consumed it with their own perfume. He smiled and clasped her hands.
"What's wrong, Toby?" she asked sweetly.
"I thought I was lost in that maze and I heard you calling for me. I heard you crying but I just couldn't find you," he pleaded, afraid that she would be angry. "Are you alright?"
Sarah smiled again. "Oh my dear baby brother, I'm perfectly safe. I've just been missing you too. That's all. But . . . why do you want to escape? You're lucky to be here. You can be anything you want to be here, have any dreams you want to dream. You can be free here."
"Then, you're going to stay with me?" he asked, hopeful and confused at the same time.
Her smile sweetened further. "You don't need me to hold your hand anymore. You're all grown up now. I want nothing more than for you to stay where you'll be away from your suffering. We all do." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek before standing and pressing his hands. "You can find that here, Toby." With one final smile she strode to the golden door that opened for her with a sigh.
He watched her go but did not feel sad; it was more like a murky feeling of resolution that came over him. He turned and stared at the dancing flowers, lost in their heavily intoxicating scents. That was the last thing he remembered when he awoke.
As he pulled on his boots, Toby could swear he still had that fragrance ensnared in his senses after such a dream. He walked toward the window and gazed down to search for a spot that resembled the garden, but saw only walls, hedges, and forests.
The lock slid open loudly from the other side of the door and Toby turned to see the thin-nosed goblin from the night before standing there with a perfect look of annoyance written over its small face.
"Majesty awaits you," it grumbled with a sneer.
Toby strode to the door and followed the little creature down the winding tower stairs. He chanced a question to ease the tension and his curiosity. "Are there any gardens in the Labyrinth?"
"Tch. Who need gardens? Only Majesty got one and no one go there." The goblin snorted.
The urge to see that garden was great though Toby kept silent for the rest of the walk.
*~*~*~*~*
Jareth sat in full regal splendor upon his throne when Toby entered, one leg drawn over the arm of the stone seat. He wore a black, full-sleeved shirt that fell to the floor in length. Its sides were slit up to an end at his hips to reveal a pair of white velvet pants loosely tucked into tall boots of deep burgundy leather. Its mandarin collar laid open two buttons like a slice of rebellion. A perfect sphere of vermilion hue danced in the man's slim fingers and cast its bloody color over his inexplicably angered face.
Upon seeing the boy, Jareth lifted his head and cast the red crystal aside. It fell as if to crash upon the floor but stopped within an inch of the threatening surface and rolled on its own accord toward the large window where it ascended and disappeared into the daylight beyond. The king's expression melted to quiet somberness before he beckoned with now empty fingers. His catlike eyes watched Toby's every movement until the youth stood before him.
"How are you feeling today my fine young fellow?" the king asked in his dark and thrilling voice.
"I'm well," the youth replied and shifted his eyes away uncomfortably from those that would devour him. He realized that the throne room was oddly devoid of the goblins' presence.
"No nightmares then I trust?" Jareth lifted a corner of his delicate mouth.
Toby shook his head meekly.
"Come, kneel before me," the Goblin King commanded.
The young man obeyed and found it more surprising that he didn't flinch from the Lord of Goblins' hand than from the touch itself. He succumbed to the cool digits that smoothed over his cheek and down across his jaw before braving a glance into the man's eyes. When he met them, a strange, strong urge came over him, an urge to wind his arms about the king's neck and taste those pale lips. Toby's mouth opened slightly as he stared back into stormy pools of magic, but he didn't move.
"Such loveliness that comes to me from the mortal world. I am feeling generous today. Name anything you desire and you shall have it," Jareth said and kept the boy locked in his searing gaze. "But only one wish."
Toby's lips parted further to speak and he very nearly asked for permission to quench that sudden thirst but his mind intervened with an image of seas of sunlit flowers just before that happened. Still bewitched by the memory, he made his decision without further contemplation. "I want to see your garden."
The King of Goblins raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, but that quickly dissolved into an amused smile. "And how do you know I have one?" he asked and his eyes glinted from some unseen light.
"I saw it in a dream," the youth replied and sighed when Jareth's hand withdrew, leaving the place he touched strangely warm.
"Did you now? But are you so certain mine will appear as the same? Perhaps my garden is a cold, sunless place that even the goblins find displeasure in," Jareth said.
"That is my wish all the same," Toby answered and felt his heart jolt strangely when the Goblin Lord's smile turned to one of approval.
"Very well. I'll take you to my garden, but on one condition, as it is a place that no mortal feet have trodden and the privilege is a great one. Aside from spending the entire day with me there whether or not it is to your liking, you must agree to become my apprentice for the remainder of your time here. And because I am so generous today, I will sweeten the deal in your favor: I'll agree to alter time and send you from the Underground at the first snowfall, if then you should still desire it." Jareth watched with keen eyes and waited for what he wanted to hear.
Toby searched the deal for some hidden trap that would ultimately lead to his downfall, or worse. He rolled the words over in his head several times and found nothing. If all he had to do was wait until winter, he could surely manage. It was late summer already, which meant it would be only a few months at the most. Then he could make good of the bargain and return home. With a slight nod he agreed to the King of Goblins' entreaty.
"Then it's done," the king said and rose.
Toby stood as well but a cautious thought suddenly entered his mind. "Wait," he said, "how do I know you'll keep your end of the deal?"
Jareth's throat rumbled with trapped laughter and the man snaked his arm around the boy's shoulders. "Do you require a pact signed in blood? That can be arranged quite easily."
Toby blanched at the notion. "Do we have to use blood?" he asked and shuddered imperceptibly.
Jareth turned his pale face and regarded the now paler face of his summoner. "That's entirely up to you," he said and chuckled again.
"Then I'd prefer we not," Toby stated meekly and fell into step with the taller man.
"Alright. Then you'll just have to trust my word won't you? I am a man who keeps it, rest assured."
"That might take some time," Toby said very quietly, not really meaning to say the words out loud.
But Jareth had caught them. "Only until winter," he said and smirked darkly.
*~*~*~*~*
The intimidating image that Jareth had offered in regards to the nature of his personal garden was only a bluff; most likely made to milk a reaction from the child for his own fleeting amusements. As Toby stood amid the lush trees and vivid flowers awash in the light of a warm, late morning sun, he closed his eyes against them for a moment to simply feel. Summer breezes fresh as birth swept lovingly over him and seemed to whisper scattered melodies in his ears as they passed. Birds twittered in the tops of emerald- leaved trees and insects buzzed softly from tall blue bushes bursting with mauve berries.
It was not a notably large garden, but its beauty and singularity made up for any lack in space. However, there were a few paths that cut into the thick bright grass that carpeted the entire stretch. From behind a scraggly bush at the end of the longest of these stepped a pitch-black peacock with its tail feathers spanned proudly. It strutted down the vein toward Toby, who had knelt down to beckon it in his captivation. As it came nearer, he saw that there were in fact several colors meshed into the strange darkness of the bird's feathers. Deathly shades of green, blue and red shimmered over the tips of every plume and seemed to swirl about their circular margins like oil still fresh. The bird's eyes were crimson and it switched them every now and then with a flick of its head to study the human in its path.
Toby watched it in wonder, thinking he had never seen a bird quite so marvelous. His fingers drew the bird close. When it was just within reach, Toby felt a hand seize his arm and yank it away. But he barely had time to turn in question before the great black peacock snapped its sharp beak at the empty air where his hand had just been. Toby stood and glared down as the creature hissed terribly at him.
"Moody things. And usually they're not good ones," Jareth said and stepped past the bird who took no heed of him.
Toby absently rubbed his fingers that narrowly escaped injury and made a wide arc around the garden's unfriendly resident to follow the king further into the greenery.
Jareth stopped at the base of a tree with boughs that hung down like heavy tresses to swipe the garden floor. Pressing his back against its pale trunk, he watched the youth's reactions to everything around him and tilted his head to rest comfortably against the smooth bark. Though the day was gorgeous and his garden looked perfect, the king found himself thinking of things that weren't quite so pleasant and he allowed himself a scowl. The crystal containing his spell had still not found its target and the goblins apparently weren't having much luck either. Though he could blame the latter on their sheer lack of wit, the sphere should have released its magic by then.
Jareth was still brooding when Toby approached him.
"You lied. This garden is beautiful," he said in higher spirits and the Goblin King looked startled for a moment. There was something in that lost look that Toby didn't find comforting.
But Jareth pushed himself from the tree and smiled provocatively as he wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders and hovered close. "Yet these flowers pale in your presence."
Toby shivered but pushed the man away. "You're using spells on me," he said sternly.
The Goblin King smiled and stepped close again, taking the young man's chin in his hand. "I'm only trying to appease what already stirs within you."
Toby blushed and snapped his head away. "Don't say such weird things."
"Am I mistaken in your first impulse before you made my garden your one wish?" Jareth crooned.
"What impulse?"
The Goblin Lord merely chuckled and began to walk again. After a moment he said, "Shall we play a game to amuse ourselves?"
Toby eyed him warily. "What kind of game?"
Jareth mused briefly. "Wasn't 'hide and seek' one of your favorites?" he asked and whirled about to face his companion, his flaxen hair sparkling in the sun with the movement.
Though Toby found it strange that the man knew this, he did not remark on it. He said instead, "How are we supposed to play a game like that in such a small place?"
Jareth smirked in great amusement. "Ah, but you let appearances deceive you."
Toby sighed doubtfully. "Fine."
The wind swirled the king's long garment about his legs. "If you seek me out, you win. But if you don't find me before sunset, you lose. Now, turn away and count to ten. "
As the young man complied, Jareth took two steps backward before dissolving in the wind.
"Ten. Ready or not here I come," Toby said dully at length and turned back toward the random pathways that winded in no particular direction. He was tempted to roll his eyes at the obvious simplicity before him but refrained and decided it best to amuse the strange king.
Taking the closest of the paths, where the haughty peacock had appeared, he walked steadily, sure that at any moment it would lead him straight into the back wall that cut the garden off from whatever lay beyond. Sure enough, the trail ended and Toby stopped. He was about to turn back when he noticed something odd about the stones themselves. Leaning in close, it seemed that they pulsed lightly and he presently reached out a disbelieving hand to touch it. The rock yielded to his fingers and he gasped to find that it seemed to suck around them. Pulling his hand back in alarm, he screwed up his eyes and shook his head. After casting a look behind, he took a deep breath and walked through the wall.
The sensation of passing through the obstruction was like sliding through gum and he feared he would suffocate if he couldn't find his way to the other side. A thousand tiny blunt fingers poked and pulled at his clothes and hair as if the wall wasn't certain which way to cast him. Toby pushed at them and felt his head go light from lack of oxygen, but, being that there was no air, he couldn't cry out. The things suddenly came to a silent conclusion and gave one final shove to knock him through the other side.
Toby sprawled on the cool ground gasping and smacking his arms at the phantom fingers. Finding them gone, he relaxed and laid his head back to study what lay on the other side. It was still a garden of sorts, but the colors were bizarre. The trees stood on gnarled trunks encrusted with dark pink bark and their mangled leaves grew a shade of blackish purple that sparkled like amethysts in the sunshine. Wilted flowers spread out in dull clusters of a hundred shades of gray on leaves that matched the trees'. The dry grass beneath him sprung from the ground in hues of deep indigo, and when the wind touched the blades they rippled like a weird body of water. The whole place seemed to cling to a shred of life as it was, but also carried an air of deathlessness.
Toby pushed himself upright and gaped at the scenery around him. It was dark and strange but unnerving at the same time, for the layout was exactly the same as the initial garden, but only one path remained, and there was a small patch of grass growing between that path and the wall, as if it had already ended, or began, from where he had just come. He searched about; looking high and low, but there was no sign of the king. A curious urge came over him to see where the path led. He followed it and was not surprised to find himself at another wall.
He was tempted to attack it with a running start for fear that he'd be trapped within again, but decided to test it first. And thankfully so, for his hand struck solid rock. Toby felt the wall all over in case there was some trick doorway hidden somewhere. But nothing gave way. Grumbling, he turned back and searched some more. Jareth was not there.
When he found himself at the wall he had come through, he was suddenly eager to leave that strange portion of the garden. He could not keep back a cry of outrage to find that this wall, too, was now solid. He scoured and found no tiny fingers waiting to push him through.
He stalked away angrily, searching for another secret passage. But nothing made itself evident. He sought until he began to grow tired and approached the stone barrier again; surprised to find a white feather intermingled in the patch of inky grass where before there had been nothing. Was it some kind of hint? What was he supposed to do, dig a hole with his bare hands? Toby slammed his fist into the wall, suddenly tired of the game and wanting to be away from the shaded garden. He hadn't counted on hitting the thing so hard though, and his knuckles broke open.
Surprised, he lifted his hand to inspect the damage when he noticed that the odd patch of grass began to emit thin wisps of smoke. His attention diverted, Toby crouched down and touched the strange vine that suddenly sprung from the earth. The blood seeped from his fingers and the ground smoked more violently, causing the mysterious plant to grow. A gruesome realization came to Toby and he reluctantly held out his bleeding hand to drip over the stretching earth and unfurling appendages. The plants about the garden all seemed to moan in anguish, or envy.
The crimson tree foliaged in black leaves that stood, or rather leaned, before him was by far the oddest addition to the dark garden. Toby was awed and repulsed by the sight of it, but he couldn't take his eyes from the vein-like patterns mapping over the thin bark. With macabre fascination he ran his hand over it, and the thing lightly shuddered beneath his touch. Suddenly the bark of the tree cleaved and peeled back like leathery skin, revealing a narrow passageway into darkness. The youth braved a look inside and found that the tree was hollow. A yawning hole lay in the center of that hollowness, as if the tree had no roots.
The breach was just wide enough to slip through; he peered down into it and found mostly blackness. But as he stared into the dark and attempted to swallow the lump in his throat, he saw a light softly grow from somewhere beneath and the flash of a stark white bird flutter from its hidden source. Working up his courage with a deep breath, he hoped the appearance that it wasn't too deep wasn't also deceptive and squeezed through the tree to plummet down.
He landed hard, but not hard enough to break or sprain any bones. Toby stood and dusted himself off, throwing nervous glances about him. It appeared like a pit and was bathed in dull light enough to see that others had been there as well. It was not a welcome sight.
Toby backed against the wall and stared in wide-eyed horror at the heaps of bones and scraps of ancient cloth that lay scattered haphazardly over the small cavern's floor, as if they had been tossed in like useless garbage. Between the mounds of morbid debris were twisted, leafless knots of stems tipped in dull yellow and green roses, the colors of decay. The scent of death was thick and Toby choked on the air. As he clapped his hands to his nose, fighting the urge to vomit, he discovered the source of the light was within the very blooms of the sickening flowers, which now seemed to turn themselves to face him.
Blue eyes shot around the pit, searching for an escape. He remembered the mysterious white bird had flown away from the light and he stumbled through the mess of bones and animated flowers toward the darkest wall, hoping furiously that more blood wouldn't be required to get through. He was surprised to see something so simple as a door. But when he tried the knob his heart fell with confirmed dread. It was locked.
The rotten air seeped past his clutching fingers and he coughed in disgust. But he had to find the key. It must be buried within . . . somewhere. Turning quickly, his eyes pored over the bones at his feet, his skin growing pale at the idea of touching them. The flowers formed a sort of garish spotlight on him now. Frantic with fear, Toby reached out and ripped one from its tough vine before thrusting it before him to aid his search. Skulls of various unidentified creatures gleamed in the soft, trembling light and seemed to move still, though that was caused, not anymore to the youth's comfort, by crawling insects slicked in a kind of black mucous. Another tide of nausea swept over his body but he clung to the fading rose.
He clamored over the uneven floor of the pit and caught his foot in the gaping jaw of an enormous moldy skull, which sent him to his hands and knees in the seething black muck. The insects immediately took affection in his fresh skin and clung to him, crawling lovingly between slim fingers and over supple forearms. Toby shrieked then and bolted upright, clawing the mass of tiny bodies from his arms and legs. They fell away easily, having not had enough time to set in their sharp kisses, but the ichorous fluid slicked his pale skin and clothes.
Toby kicked the large skull to skid over the other bones and tromped toward the opposite wall where the majority of the disgusting flowers took root. They lifted their blooms at his approach like a company of solemn residents mutely interested in a change of events. He pushed them apart and searched among their knotted stems. A flash of white caught his eye and he almost passed it off as a bone, but he looked closer anyway. Another pure feather lay in the black grease at the base of the glowing rosebush. He reached and plucked it up, staring at it as if it might suddenly speak. But soon he tossed it aside, closed his eyes, and plunged his hand down where the feather had lain. The wet debris licked his arm and various chunks both bone hard and slimily soft danced between his groping fingers. Finally something metallic brushed his fingertips.
Toby clenched the object and hauled his hand from the putrid decay, relieved to see that his premonition was correct. Though vomit burned his throat, begging for release, he pushed it down and succumbed to broken laughter instead.
He was still chuckling madly to himself when he reached the door and slid the key through the lock. It opened with an exaggerated clink and the boy did not bother to look for dangers before he nearly fell through.
He was anything but prepared to feel the sun on him. Cracking his eyes open, he found that it was already evening, the day fire sinking closer to the horizon. It certainly had not felt like he had been away so long. His eyes then fell to the land and he nearly cried with relief when he saw that he was back in the green garden with its fragrant flowers already soothing the wringing scent of rot from his senses. He ambled senselessly toward the weeping willow. When he reached it, a white feather floated down. Toby reached out and snagged it cruelly, dreading its implications. But when he looked up he saw none other than the Goblin King perched on a thick branch with his back against the trunk, smiling down.
"Looks like you win. But I'm surprised it took you so long to find me," Jareth said and jumped like a cat from the tree.
Toby gaped. "Do you have any idea what I went through? That . . . that pit . . ."
Jareth cocked his head to the side in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"The tree and the maggots . . . the black blood-" Toby suddenly broke off when he looked down and saw that his clothes and skin were no longer covered in the dark, vile filth. His eyes went wildly round.
Jareth put his arm around the youth's back and led him toward the castle. "My dear boy I've been in that tree the entire time. And you never once even looked up. Has the sun gotten to you?"
Toby trembled and shook his head. "No, I saw it. I'm sure of it."
"Perhaps you need to rest. I'll give you a tonic to put you to sleep if you'd like." The Goblin King escorted his companion inside the cool halls of the castle.
With the sudden refreshing change in temperature to ease the swirl in his head, Toby felt inclined to agree.
*~*~*~*~*
As Jareth sat in the boughs of the willow tree with his crystal, he found himself grinning like a child. The game was proving to be as much fun as he had anticipated. But suddenly he felt something new pull his attention away. Tossing the orb aside, he realized his spell had finally burst from the vermilion-colored ball. Casting a glance toward the sun, he mused bitterly on the interruption but knew he had plenty of time to spare before its setting. He turned his thoughts toward the castle and found his goblins already there, lazing about the hall.
Fools, Jareth thought as he stood and melted with the breeze.
When he reappeared, the King of Goblins stood in an oubliette. The space was cast in red glow to alight the embedded shards of glittering rock in their ruby dance. Jareth smirked.
"Found a good hiding place, have you?" he asked the gnome who threw himself prostrating at the king's feet.
"Please, Majesty. I didn't mean any harm," Hoggle whimpered.
"Really. I believe you've said these words before after a certain young woman found great relief in your aid. Am I misunderstood about this?" Jareth said with such eerie calm the oubliette itself seemed to quake.
The gnome shuddered. "No, Majesty."
"Then why should I spare you once again? I've been more than generous even in light of your treason. A brave little gnome you are to live as the only one in my entire kingdom with such a crime on his head," Jareth said lowly.
Hoggle pleaded mindlessly in his terror and Jareth merely listened, nodding his head sullenly every now and then.
"Perhaps if you had come up with something new this time I would have reconsidered. But this drivel bores me," the Goblin King finally interrupted and knelt to face the wizened gnome levelly. "Unfortunately for you, this dark oubliette will be much more difficult to free yourself from than it was to find."
"You . . . you mean to keep me here?" Hoggle cried.
"Oh not at all. But I do ask payment for you final insubordination," Jareth whispered darkly.
The gnome asked weakly, "What's that?"
The King of Goblins smiled and laughed. He reached out and seized the creature's wide chin in his hand and said, "Two of your most precious jewels."
A glint of useless hope flared in the gnome's eyes. "Any of them, Majesty."
Jareth bared his sharp teeth in a wider grin. "I appreciate your compliance."
*~*~*~*~*
The sun was beginning to descend slowly behind the mountains when Jareth and his summoner reached the tower bedroom. The boy continued to ramble and scratch at his arms until the king bade him undress and lie down. Toby did as he was told and accepted the sweet sleeping tonic from Jareth's hand.
"For what it's worth, I enjoyed our time together today. Perhaps we could do it again tomorrow," the man said and kissed the youth's pale forehead.
Toby shivered violently at the notion before falling into a sleep as deep and hollow as the crimson tree that grew on the border of his sanity. And Jareth left the room with a smile.
*
To be continued . . .
*~*~*~*~*
* By Eerie *
*~*~*~*~* Chapter Four *~*~*~*~*
When Toby awoke, he felt remarkably refreshed. His room was silent as he sat up and watched the dust motes fall softly though the sunbeam that descended over a wide square of the glittering floor. Stretching, he wondered what time it was and whether any of the indignant goblins would barge in at any moment. He took up the clothes that had been left for him the night before and slowly began to dress.
Thinking about his dream, Toby shivered. In it, he had been lying in the Labyrinth, his body sprawled uncomfortably between the two towering slabs that stretched out seemingly endlessly on either side of him. Struggling to get to his feet, he felt as though he had been asleep in that position for some time, his muscles tired and sore. As he stood rubbing his shoulder he cast an uncertain glance into each direction of the narrow passage, trying to locate some clue as to which way to take. He knew where he was, having been in such a dream many times before, only this time it seemed different somehow.
It was hot and windless, though the clouds above crawled as if frantic to be away from the cursed maze, or so it seemed to him. He began to walk in the direction of their flight. From somewhere outside the walls he heard the sound of a woman's crying and instantly knew it was his sister's. It wasn't long before he was running; growing more and more frustrated from the lack of any changes about him. Just before his breath was spent he stopped and gripped his knees, pulling in the stale air, dismayed to find it did little to ease the burning in his lungs. After a moment of rest, he straightened and nearly jumped from his skin when he saw the wizened little gnome standing not three steps before him.
The creature carried a spray can of tarnished bronze, and a great ring of jewels and trinkets hung from its belt to shimmer in the rosy sunlight. Its clothes were old and tattered about its body and appeared to be stretched tightly across a stomach that had seen a fair amount of growth.
He had not heard the creature approach and surely it could not have been hidden, for the walls were practically seamless.
"Who are you?" he called timidly.
"Just the caretaker," it replied in a haggard voice. "Who are you?"
"Toby," he said and chanced a step closer to see that the gnome was not going to run. "Do you have a name?"
"Yep."
He stopped. "Can you tell me what it is?"
"Sure." The creature turned away and began to trot leisurely down the long passage as if Toby were never there.
Sighing, he jogged to meet up with it. "Excuse me, but, what IS your name?"
Little dark eyes flickered to his face with a bit of interest but the caretaker did not stop. "Name's Hoggle," it finally replied.
"Well Hoggle, it's nice to meet you."
The gnome merely grunted.
Keeping his strides short to stay at the little being's side, Toby said in a more sugared voice, "Since you're the caretaker and all, you must know how to get out of this maze. So, do you?"
"What'd you wanna do that for?" the gnome asked and veered off to the side.
"I've someone I need to . . ." he began. But Toby was stopped short when he saw what Hoggle was suddenly so interested in. A tiny sheer-winged girl with fair limbs and honey-colored hair that fell to her slim waist hovered over a glittering rock near the wall. His eyes were wide with wonder at her loveliness and he followed the gnome for a closer look.
But Hoggle paused and sprayed the mysterious contents of his can with deadly precision. The glowing faerie fell helplessly to the rock and glared up angrily at the gnome who only smiled triumphantly before she fell still. Hoggle pinched a delicate wing in his stubby fingers and turned her over with a critical eye.
Toby opened his mouth to voice his dismay but lost all confusion to horror: the gnome had popped the tiny faerie through his bulbous lips and swallowed the creature whole. And with a few smacks of his tongue, Hoggle adjusted his belt and began to trot toward his unmarked destination once more, muttering a tune.
Toby stared after him for a moment in revulsion before he realized that he had more important things to do than to criticize the food chain in such a place. He plodded quickly to the gnome's side once again, trying to mask the disgust that might still linger over his countenance.
"I want to get out of the Labyrinth," he said.
Hoggle shifted his mouth. "Can't say I recommend it."
"Why not?" Toby cried, exasperated.
The gnome suddenly stopped and looked around as if some deadly serpent hissed its presence nearby. Seeing nothing, Hoggle turned back and stared hard at Toby, gesturing with his head. Toby obeyed and drew in closer.
"I know who you are," the creature whispered hastily, "and I can tell you where the exit is, but I can't show you."
"Why?" Toby asked in a matching tone of voice.
"Never mind. The gate out of the Labyrinth lies between the rocks that look like skulls. Down there." Hoggle nodded toward the direction from which they had come.
"So I've been going the wrong way the whole time?" Toby said loudly and groaned in aggravation.
"Shh. Mind yourself here," the gnome growled and began to speak again.
But Toby hurried away to search for the rocks. Suddenly realizing his rudeness, he cast a look over his shoulder to offer his thanks, but Hoggle was no longer there. He ignored the oddness of it and continued to run. It wasn't long before he came upon a golden door set in the wall. There were no rocks around it but it WAS a door all the same and he felt compelled to open it.
The knob was quite cool in his hand, despite the heat, and he pulled it. A refreshing breeze met him like a savior and his eyes squinted in the overpowering brightness of the sun that was sheer contrast to the muted rose in the passage. When he could see clearly, he found a garden flocked with flowers of a thousand colors around a white set of chairs and table. A dark-haired woman with a large sunhat reclined in one of these chairs with her back toward him, her arms resting behind her head.
Curious and relieved to be free from the stagnant heat, he drew near. As he approached, the woman sat up and slowly turned to him. Tears immediately burned in his eyes when he recognized his older sister smiling radiantly, holding her arms out for him. He fell into them and squeezed her tightly.
"Sarah! I wanted to see you so much," he cried.
Sarah pushed him away gently and brushed his tears with her fingertips. As she pulled her hand back, he caught the very faint scent of decaying jasmine, though the sea of flowers around them quickly consumed it with their own perfume. He smiled and clasped her hands.
"What's wrong, Toby?" she asked sweetly.
"I thought I was lost in that maze and I heard you calling for me. I heard you crying but I just couldn't find you," he pleaded, afraid that she would be angry. "Are you alright?"
Sarah smiled again. "Oh my dear baby brother, I'm perfectly safe. I've just been missing you too. That's all. But . . . why do you want to escape? You're lucky to be here. You can be anything you want to be here, have any dreams you want to dream. You can be free here."
"Then, you're going to stay with me?" he asked, hopeful and confused at the same time.
Her smile sweetened further. "You don't need me to hold your hand anymore. You're all grown up now. I want nothing more than for you to stay where you'll be away from your suffering. We all do." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek before standing and pressing his hands. "You can find that here, Toby." With one final smile she strode to the golden door that opened for her with a sigh.
He watched her go but did not feel sad; it was more like a murky feeling of resolution that came over him. He turned and stared at the dancing flowers, lost in their heavily intoxicating scents. That was the last thing he remembered when he awoke.
As he pulled on his boots, Toby could swear he still had that fragrance ensnared in his senses after such a dream. He walked toward the window and gazed down to search for a spot that resembled the garden, but saw only walls, hedges, and forests.
The lock slid open loudly from the other side of the door and Toby turned to see the thin-nosed goblin from the night before standing there with a perfect look of annoyance written over its small face.
"Majesty awaits you," it grumbled with a sneer.
Toby strode to the door and followed the little creature down the winding tower stairs. He chanced a question to ease the tension and his curiosity. "Are there any gardens in the Labyrinth?"
"Tch. Who need gardens? Only Majesty got one and no one go there." The goblin snorted.
The urge to see that garden was great though Toby kept silent for the rest of the walk.
*~*~*~*~*
Jareth sat in full regal splendor upon his throne when Toby entered, one leg drawn over the arm of the stone seat. He wore a black, full-sleeved shirt that fell to the floor in length. Its sides were slit up to an end at his hips to reveal a pair of white velvet pants loosely tucked into tall boots of deep burgundy leather. Its mandarin collar laid open two buttons like a slice of rebellion. A perfect sphere of vermilion hue danced in the man's slim fingers and cast its bloody color over his inexplicably angered face.
Upon seeing the boy, Jareth lifted his head and cast the red crystal aside. It fell as if to crash upon the floor but stopped within an inch of the threatening surface and rolled on its own accord toward the large window where it ascended and disappeared into the daylight beyond. The king's expression melted to quiet somberness before he beckoned with now empty fingers. His catlike eyes watched Toby's every movement until the youth stood before him.
"How are you feeling today my fine young fellow?" the king asked in his dark and thrilling voice.
"I'm well," the youth replied and shifted his eyes away uncomfortably from those that would devour him. He realized that the throne room was oddly devoid of the goblins' presence.
"No nightmares then I trust?" Jareth lifted a corner of his delicate mouth.
Toby shook his head meekly.
"Come, kneel before me," the Goblin King commanded.
The young man obeyed and found it more surprising that he didn't flinch from the Lord of Goblins' hand than from the touch itself. He succumbed to the cool digits that smoothed over his cheek and down across his jaw before braving a glance into the man's eyes. When he met them, a strange, strong urge came over him, an urge to wind his arms about the king's neck and taste those pale lips. Toby's mouth opened slightly as he stared back into stormy pools of magic, but he didn't move.
"Such loveliness that comes to me from the mortal world. I am feeling generous today. Name anything you desire and you shall have it," Jareth said and kept the boy locked in his searing gaze. "But only one wish."
Toby's lips parted further to speak and he very nearly asked for permission to quench that sudden thirst but his mind intervened with an image of seas of sunlit flowers just before that happened. Still bewitched by the memory, he made his decision without further contemplation. "I want to see your garden."
The King of Goblins raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, but that quickly dissolved into an amused smile. "And how do you know I have one?" he asked and his eyes glinted from some unseen light.
"I saw it in a dream," the youth replied and sighed when Jareth's hand withdrew, leaving the place he touched strangely warm.
"Did you now? But are you so certain mine will appear as the same? Perhaps my garden is a cold, sunless place that even the goblins find displeasure in," Jareth said.
"That is my wish all the same," Toby answered and felt his heart jolt strangely when the Goblin Lord's smile turned to one of approval.
"Very well. I'll take you to my garden, but on one condition, as it is a place that no mortal feet have trodden and the privilege is a great one. Aside from spending the entire day with me there whether or not it is to your liking, you must agree to become my apprentice for the remainder of your time here. And because I am so generous today, I will sweeten the deal in your favor: I'll agree to alter time and send you from the Underground at the first snowfall, if then you should still desire it." Jareth watched with keen eyes and waited for what he wanted to hear.
Toby searched the deal for some hidden trap that would ultimately lead to his downfall, or worse. He rolled the words over in his head several times and found nothing. If all he had to do was wait until winter, he could surely manage. It was late summer already, which meant it would be only a few months at the most. Then he could make good of the bargain and return home. With a slight nod he agreed to the King of Goblins' entreaty.
"Then it's done," the king said and rose.
Toby stood as well but a cautious thought suddenly entered his mind. "Wait," he said, "how do I know you'll keep your end of the deal?"
Jareth's throat rumbled with trapped laughter and the man snaked his arm around the boy's shoulders. "Do you require a pact signed in blood? That can be arranged quite easily."
Toby blanched at the notion. "Do we have to use blood?" he asked and shuddered imperceptibly.
Jareth turned his pale face and regarded the now paler face of his summoner. "That's entirely up to you," he said and chuckled again.
"Then I'd prefer we not," Toby stated meekly and fell into step with the taller man.
"Alright. Then you'll just have to trust my word won't you? I am a man who keeps it, rest assured."
"That might take some time," Toby said very quietly, not really meaning to say the words out loud.
But Jareth had caught them. "Only until winter," he said and smirked darkly.
*~*~*~*~*
The intimidating image that Jareth had offered in regards to the nature of his personal garden was only a bluff; most likely made to milk a reaction from the child for his own fleeting amusements. As Toby stood amid the lush trees and vivid flowers awash in the light of a warm, late morning sun, he closed his eyes against them for a moment to simply feel. Summer breezes fresh as birth swept lovingly over him and seemed to whisper scattered melodies in his ears as they passed. Birds twittered in the tops of emerald- leaved trees and insects buzzed softly from tall blue bushes bursting with mauve berries.
It was not a notably large garden, but its beauty and singularity made up for any lack in space. However, there were a few paths that cut into the thick bright grass that carpeted the entire stretch. From behind a scraggly bush at the end of the longest of these stepped a pitch-black peacock with its tail feathers spanned proudly. It strutted down the vein toward Toby, who had knelt down to beckon it in his captivation. As it came nearer, he saw that there were in fact several colors meshed into the strange darkness of the bird's feathers. Deathly shades of green, blue and red shimmered over the tips of every plume and seemed to swirl about their circular margins like oil still fresh. The bird's eyes were crimson and it switched them every now and then with a flick of its head to study the human in its path.
Toby watched it in wonder, thinking he had never seen a bird quite so marvelous. His fingers drew the bird close. When it was just within reach, Toby felt a hand seize his arm and yank it away. But he barely had time to turn in question before the great black peacock snapped its sharp beak at the empty air where his hand had just been. Toby stood and glared down as the creature hissed terribly at him.
"Moody things. And usually they're not good ones," Jareth said and stepped past the bird who took no heed of him.
Toby absently rubbed his fingers that narrowly escaped injury and made a wide arc around the garden's unfriendly resident to follow the king further into the greenery.
Jareth stopped at the base of a tree with boughs that hung down like heavy tresses to swipe the garden floor. Pressing his back against its pale trunk, he watched the youth's reactions to everything around him and tilted his head to rest comfortably against the smooth bark. Though the day was gorgeous and his garden looked perfect, the king found himself thinking of things that weren't quite so pleasant and he allowed himself a scowl. The crystal containing his spell had still not found its target and the goblins apparently weren't having much luck either. Though he could blame the latter on their sheer lack of wit, the sphere should have released its magic by then.
Jareth was still brooding when Toby approached him.
"You lied. This garden is beautiful," he said in higher spirits and the Goblin King looked startled for a moment. There was something in that lost look that Toby didn't find comforting.
But Jareth pushed himself from the tree and smiled provocatively as he wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders and hovered close. "Yet these flowers pale in your presence."
Toby shivered but pushed the man away. "You're using spells on me," he said sternly.
The Goblin King smiled and stepped close again, taking the young man's chin in his hand. "I'm only trying to appease what already stirs within you."
Toby blushed and snapped his head away. "Don't say such weird things."
"Am I mistaken in your first impulse before you made my garden your one wish?" Jareth crooned.
"What impulse?"
The Goblin Lord merely chuckled and began to walk again. After a moment he said, "Shall we play a game to amuse ourselves?"
Toby eyed him warily. "What kind of game?"
Jareth mused briefly. "Wasn't 'hide and seek' one of your favorites?" he asked and whirled about to face his companion, his flaxen hair sparkling in the sun with the movement.
Though Toby found it strange that the man knew this, he did not remark on it. He said instead, "How are we supposed to play a game like that in such a small place?"
Jareth smirked in great amusement. "Ah, but you let appearances deceive you."
Toby sighed doubtfully. "Fine."
The wind swirled the king's long garment about his legs. "If you seek me out, you win. But if you don't find me before sunset, you lose. Now, turn away and count to ten. "
As the young man complied, Jareth took two steps backward before dissolving in the wind.
"Ten. Ready or not here I come," Toby said dully at length and turned back toward the random pathways that winded in no particular direction. He was tempted to roll his eyes at the obvious simplicity before him but refrained and decided it best to amuse the strange king.
Taking the closest of the paths, where the haughty peacock had appeared, he walked steadily, sure that at any moment it would lead him straight into the back wall that cut the garden off from whatever lay beyond. Sure enough, the trail ended and Toby stopped. He was about to turn back when he noticed something odd about the stones themselves. Leaning in close, it seemed that they pulsed lightly and he presently reached out a disbelieving hand to touch it. The rock yielded to his fingers and he gasped to find that it seemed to suck around them. Pulling his hand back in alarm, he screwed up his eyes and shook his head. After casting a look behind, he took a deep breath and walked through the wall.
The sensation of passing through the obstruction was like sliding through gum and he feared he would suffocate if he couldn't find his way to the other side. A thousand tiny blunt fingers poked and pulled at his clothes and hair as if the wall wasn't certain which way to cast him. Toby pushed at them and felt his head go light from lack of oxygen, but, being that there was no air, he couldn't cry out. The things suddenly came to a silent conclusion and gave one final shove to knock him through the other side.
Toby sprawled on the cool ground gasping and smacking his arms at the phantom fingers. Finding them gone, he relaxed and laid his head back to study what lay on the other side. It was still a garden of sorts, but the colors were bizarre. The trees stood on gnarled trunks encrusted with dark pink bark and their mangled leaves grew a shade of blackish purple that sparkled like amethysts in the sunshine. Wilted flowers spread out in dull clusters of a hundred shades of gray on leaves that matched the trees'. The dry grass beneath him sprung from the ground in hues of deep indigo, and when the wind touched the blades they rippled like a weird body of water. The whole place seemed to cling to a shred of life as it was, but also carried an air of deathlessness.
Toby pushed himself upright and gaped at the scenery around him. It was dark and strange but unnerving at the same time, for the layout was exactly the same as the initial garden, but only one path remained, and there was a small patch of grass growing between that path and the wall, as if it had already ended, or began, from where he had just come. He searched about; looking high and low, but there was no sign of the king. A curious urge came over him to see where the path led. He followed it and was not surprised to find himself at another wall.
He was tempted to attack it with a running start for fear that he'd be trapped within again, but decided to test it first. And thankfully so, for his hand struck solid rock. Toby felt the wall all over in case there was some trick doorway hidden somewhere. But nothing gave way. Grumbling, he turned back and searched some more. Jareth was not there.
When he found himself at the wall he had come through, he was suddenly eager to leave that strange portion of the garden. He could not keep back a cry of outrage to find that this wall, too, was now solid. He scoured and found no tiny fingers waiting to push him through.
He stalked away angrily, searching for another secret passage. But nothing made itself evident. He sought until he began to grow tired and approached the stone barrier again; surprised to find a white feather intermingled in the patch of inky grass where before there had been nothing. Was it some kind of hint? What was he supposed to do, dig a hole with his bare hands? Toby slammed his fist into the wall, suddenly tired of the game and wanting to be away from the shaded garden. He hadn't counted on hitting the thing so hard though, and his knuckles broke open.
Surprised, he lifted his hand to inspect the damage when he noticed that the odd patch of grass began to emit thin wisps of smoke. His attention diverted, Toby crouched down and touched the strange vine that suddenly sprung from the earth. The blood seeped from his fingers and the ground smoked more violently, causing the mysterious plant to grow. A gruesome realization came to Toby and he reluctantly held out his bleeding hand to drip over the stretching earth and unfurling appendages. The plants about the garden all seemed to moan in anguish, or envy.
The crimson tree foliaged in black leaves that stood, or rather leaned, before him was by far the oddest addition to the dark garden. Toby was awed and repulsed by the sight of it, but he couldn't take his eyes from the vein-like patterns mapping over the thin bark. With macabre fascination he ran his hand over it, and the thing lightly shuddered beneath his touch. Suddenly the bark of the tree cleaved and peeled back like leathery skin, revealing a narrow passageway into darkness. The youth braved a look inside and found that the tree was hollow. A yawning hole lay in the center of that hollowness, as if the tree had no roots.
The breach was just wide enough to slip through; he peered down into it and found mostly blackness. But as he stared into the dark and attempted to swallow the lump in his throat, he saw a light softly grow from somewhere beneath and the flash of a stark white bird flutter from its hidden source. Working up his courage with a deep breath, he hoped the appearance that it wasn't too deep wasn't also deceptive and squeezed through the tree to plummet down.
He landed hard, but not hard enough to break or sprain any bones. Toby stood and dusted himself off, throwing nervous glances about him. It appeared like a pit and was bathed in dull light enough to see that others had been there as well. It was not a welcome sight.
Toby backed against the wall and stared in wide-eyed horror at the heaps of bones and scraps of ancient cloth that lay scattered haphazardly over the small cavern's floor, as if they had been tossed in like useless garbage. Between the mounds of morbid debris were twisted, leafless knots of stems tipped in dull yellow and green roses, the colors of decay. The scent of death was thick and Toby choked on the air. As he clapped his hands to his nose, fighting the urge to vomit, he discovered the source of the light was within the very blooms of the sickening flowers, which now seemed to turn themselves to face him.
Blue eyes shot around the pit, searching for an escape. He remembered the mysterious white bird had flown away from the light and he stumbled through the mess of bones and animated flowers toward the darkest wall, hoping furiously that more blood wouldn't be required to get through. He was surprised to see something so simple as a door. But when he tried the knob his heart fell with confirmed dread. It was locked.
The rotten air seeped past his clutching fingers and he coughed in disgust. But he had to find the key. It must be buried within . . . somewhere. Turning quickly, his eyes pored over the bones at his feet, his skin growing pale at the idea of touching them. The flowers formed a sort of garish spotlight on him now. Frantic with fear, Toby reached out and ripped one from its tough vine before thrusting it before him to aid his search. Skulls of various unidentified creatures gleamed in the soft, trembling light and seemed to move still, though that was caused, not anymore to the youth's comfort, by crawling insects slicked in a kind of black mucous. Another tide of nausea swept over his body but he clung to the fading rose.
He clamored over the uneven floor of the pit and caught his foot in the gaping jaw of an enormous moldy skull, which sent him to his hands and knees in the seething black muck. The insects immediately took affection in his fresh skin and clung to him, crawling lovingly between slim fingers and over supple forearms. Toby shrieked then and bolted upright, clawing the mass of tiny bodies from his arms and legs. They fell away easily, having not had enough time to set in their sharp kisses, but the ichorous fluid slicked his pale skin and clothes.
Toby kicked the large skull to skid over the other bones and tromped toward the opposite wall where the majority of the disgusting flowers took root. They lifted their blooms at his approach like a company of solemn residents mutely interested in a change of events. He pushed them apart and searched among their knotted stems. A flash of white caught his eye and he almost passed it off as a bone, but he looked closer anyway. Another pure feather lay in the black grease at the base of the glowing rosebush. He reached and plucked it up, staring at it as if it might suddenly speak. But soon he tossed it aside, closed his eyes, and plunged his hand down where the feather had lain. The wet debris licked his arm and various chunks both bone hard and slimily soft danced between his groping fingers. Finally something metallic brushed his fingertips.
Toby clenched the object and hauled his hand from the putrid decay, relieved to see that his premonition was correct. Though vomit burned his throat, begging for release, he pushed it down and succumbed to broken laughter instead.
He was still chuckling madly to himself when he reached the door and slid the key through the lock. It opened with an exaggerated clink and the boy did not bother to look for dangers before he nearly fell through.
He was anything but prepared to feel the sun on him. Cracking his eyes open, he found that it was already evening, the day fire sinking closer to the horizon. It certainly had not felt like he had been away so long. His eyes then fell to the land and he nearly cried with relief when he saw that he was back in the green garden with its fragrant flowers already soothing the wringing scent of rot from his senses. He ambled senselessly toward the weeping willow. When he reached it, a white feather floated down. Toby reached out and snagged it cruelly, dreading its implications. But when he looked up he saw none other than the Goblin King perched on a thick branch with his back against the trunk, smiling down.
"Looks like you win. But I'm surprised it took you so long to find me," Jareth said and jumped like a cat from the tree.
Toby gaped. "Do you have any idea what I went through? That . . . that pit . . ."
Jareth cocked his head to the side in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"The tree and the maggots . . . the black blood-" Toby suddenly broke off when he looked down and saw that his clothes and skin were no longer covered in the dark, vile filth. His eyes went wildly round.
Jareth put his arm around the youth's back and led him toward the castle. "My dear boy I've been in that tree the entire time. And you never once even looked up. Has the sun gotten to you?"
Toby trembled and shook his head. "No, I saw it. I'm sure of it."
"Perhaps you need to rest. I'll give you a tonic to put you to sleep if you'd like." The Goblin King escorted his companion inside the cool halls of the castle.
With the sudden refreshing change in temperature to ease the swirl in his head, Toby felt inclined to agree.
*~*~*~*~*
As Jareth sat in the boughs of the willow tree with his crystal, he found himself grinning like a child. The game was proving to be as much fun as he had anticipated. But suddenly he felt something new pull his attention away. Tossing the orb aside, he realized his spell had finally burst from the vermilion-colored ball. Casting a glance toward the sun, he mused bitterly on the interruption but knew he had plenty of time to spare before its setting. He turned his thoughts toward the castle and found his goblins already there, lazing about the hall.
Fools, Jareth thought as he stood and melted with the breeze.
When he reappeared, the King of Goblins stood in an oubliette. The space was cast in red glow to alight the embedded shards of glittering rock in their ruby dance. Jareth smirked.
"Found a good hiding place, have you?" he asked the gnome who threw himself prostrating at the king's feet.
"Please, Majesty. I didn't mean any harm," Hoggle whimpered.
"Really. I believe you've said these words before after a certain young woman found great relief in your aid. Am I misunderstood about this?" Jareth said with such eerie calm the oubliette itself seemed to quake.
The gnome shuddered. "No, Majesty."
"Then why should I spare you once again? I've been more than generous even in light of your treason. A brave little gnome you are to live as the only one in my entire kingdom with such a crime on his head," Jareth said lowly.
Hoggle pleaded mindlessly in his terror and Jareth merely listened, nodding his head sullenly every now and then.
"Perhaps if you had come up with something new this time I would have reconsidered. But this drivel bores me," the Goblin King finally interrupted and knelt to face the wizened gnome levelly. "Unfortunately for you, this dark oubliette will be much more difficult to free yourself from than it was to find."
"You . . . you mean to keep me here?" Hoggle cried.
"Oh not at all. But I do ask payment for you final insubordination," Jareth whispered darkly.
The gnome asked weakly, "What's that?"
The King of Goblins smiled and laughed. He reached out and seized the creature's wide chin in his hand and said, "Two of your most precious jewels."
A glint of useless hope flared in the gnome's eyes. "Any of them, Majesty."
Jareth bared his sharp teeth in a wider grin. "I appreciate your compliance."
*~*~*~*~*
The sun was beginning to descend slowly behind the mountains when Jareth and his summoner reached the tower bedroom. The boy continued to ramble and scratch at his arms until the king bade him undress and lie down. Toby did as he was told and accepted the sweet sleeping tonic from Jareth's hand.
"For what it's worth, I enjoyed our time together today. Perhaps we could do it again tomorrow," the man said and kissed the youth's pale forehead.
Toby shivered violently at the notion before falling into a sleep as deep and hollow as the crimson tree that grew on the border of his sanity. And Jareth left the room with a smile.
*
To be continued . . .
*~*~*~*~*