Yes, this is a bit of a short chapter. I've been having problems with my
muse. He decided to run off with a cabana boy in the middle of writing this
and only recently returned. Hopefully he will be more cooperative with me
now that he's had a vacation.
Again, I thank everyone for their support. It really means a hell of a lot to know that people are enjoying this. Hopefully, the next update won't take so long.
A grey fog arose as they descended into the valley. It swirled about them as they walked, growing higher the further they went. Once it fully wrapped around them, Jareth stopped. Sarah stood a few paces away from him, yet he could only barely make out her silhouette in the mist. Reaching out he took her hand in his. "This fog will try to separate us, best to stay close."
Sarah clasped his leather encased hand tightly. "How are we going to find where we're going?" she asked.
"We will head in the direction of the far side of the valley. Once we reach the other side and start climbing out, we should be able to climb out of this mist." He gave her hand a little tug, leading her carefully forward. He picked their path carefully, not wanting either of them to trip over an unseen obstacle.
A loud screeching roar sounded behind them in the mist. Jareth stopped and pulled Sarah closer to him. Another screeching answered the first, this on to the left. "Stay close to me." His voice was a harsh whisper, he didn't want to make any more noise than needed. He was unsure of what might be lurking in the fog or how dangerous it would turn out to be.
Sarah nodded and moved herself closer to him. Moving more slowly than before, they picked their way forward, neither speaking. Sarah strained her ears to hear sounds of them being hunted, but heard nothing. The fog thickened further, preventing her from being able to see herself in the thick blanket.
The two had only a second's warning before they were attacked. From a few paces away came the screeching roar. Something large crashed into Sarah, knocking her away from Jareth. She landed on her back, the weight of the creature pinning her shoulders to the ground. She could not make out the form of the animal, but felt it's hot breath on her face as it leaned forward. It sniffed her once, twice, then leapt away from her as fast as it had attacked.
The second beast crashed into Jareth moments after the first knocked Sarah back. He rolled with the impact, lifting his feet to the creatures stomach. As he landed on the ground, he pushed against it, throwing it up and off of him. He heard the second creature heading for him and rolled to the side at the last moment to avoid it trampling over him.
Now he had two of these creatures after him. Looking for them in this mist was useless so he closed his eyes and let his other senses take over. He could almost feel them moving. He thought they were circling around him like sharks. He knew he could keep them from hurting him, but he worried about Sarah. She did not have the heightened sensitivities that the fae had. She would be lost in this mist. "Sarah, are you all right?"
Momentarily distracted by his own actions, he almost moved aside to late as one of the hidden creatures darted forward and slashed at him with a set of sharp claws.
"Yes, I'm fine, where are..." she was cut off by his muttered curses. "Jareth, are you all right?" She tried to move forward to where she thought he was.
"Yes. But stay where you are, don't move and I'll find you." He dodged aside as the creature darted forward again clearly missing him this time.
He did not want to hurt any of the beings that might be native to the labyrinth. They were the very people he was trying to protect by undertaking this task, weather they understood this or not. The only thing he could think of to do was to risk using his magic. He thought that if he managed to push away the fog, these animals would leave with it.
He called upon his magic. He felt the familiar rush through his blood as his own inherent magic met with the magic of the labyrinth that swelled up through him. The Labyrinth was a living creature in it's own way, minimally aware of what occurred in and around it. He was it's protector though, and the labyrinth trusted him as a child trusts it's parents. Without any real words, using the base connection he had to this living entity, he soothed its concerns, leading it to help protect him and thus to help protect itself.
The reaction was not as fast as he had come to expect, but still quick enough. To his eyes, the mist once more started to grow thin. He was able to make out shapes once more, and the creatures that attacked he and Sarah were no longer a danger. They were not to be seen, or sensed, anywhere around. As the fog continued to clear, he began to look around for Sarah. When the light of the moon became clear again he stared at it for a moment cursing.
He had tried to communicate to the labyrinth that he needed it's assistance in order to continue his quest which would protect it from harm. He had made it understood that the creatures hiding in the mist were the danger, and that he thought that they would stay with the mist, and if the mist were not around him, then neither would the creatures. He would be safe.
The effect that happened was not the effect he had intended. Rather than moving the mist away and letting him continue his journey, the Labyrinth had obviously seen fit to assist him. It had moved him closer to his goal and he stood on the far side of the valley, closer to the castle than to the woods. And Sarah was not around.
He tried to go back into the valley to find Sarah and the ground beneath him rolled threatening to knock him off his feet. The labyrinth thought it was more important for him to go forward, he wouldn't be allowed to go back.
"SARAH!" he tried calling down into the valley. "SARAH, CAN YOU HEAR ME?"
There was no response to his calls. He didn't want to leave her there, but time was growing short, he had to find his way to the castle. Once this was over, he could find her simple enough. He just had to make it to the castle.
"I told you we would meet again soon, Sarah."
The mist around Sarah thinned as Thanier stepped forward, the hood of his cloak pushed back. He had long dark hair tied back into a tail with a leather cord. His eyes were a bright icy blue as they looked her over, they reminded her of the predatory stare of a white tiger she had seen in a zoo once.
He walked forward to stand in front of her. He was much taller than she, forcing her to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. "What do you want?"
"Just wanted to see how you were enjoying the tour you were getting of your new home. Are you enjoying it here, Sarah?"
She folded her arms and glared at him. "Jareth is going to make it to the center and defeat you. You won't be able to keep me here."
He grinned down at her and for a moment he almost resembled a hawk. "I wasn't planning on keeping you here. But When you agreed to come here to help Jareth, you never made any provisions for returning."
"What?"
"You set your demands if you were to help, did you mention returning home as one of them?"
Sarah thought. She didn't think she had specifically said anything about what would happen to her after they got to the center. "No, but I'm sure.."
He laughed, interrupting her. "You're sure that Jareth would just send you back? Did you forget that you defeated him before? That must have been a blow to his pride. Not to mention the fact that he's always wanted you. He said so himself the last time you were here, all he wanted was for you to be his slave." He circled around her, placing his hands on her shoulder. He leaned forward, his voice low in her ear. "Do you think he would give you up now that he has you in his grasp? You take too much for granted, little girl."
Sarah slapped his hands away. "You're wrong. Jareth wouldn't keep me here against my will."
"Wouldn't he? He takes mortals and he keeps them here all the time. That's what his job is, he's been doing it for over two hundred years."
Sarah frowned. Logic said that he was just saying this to make her give up helping Jareth, but she couldn't help but feeling a small seed of doubt starting to grow.
"Sarah, Jareth hates to lose. He's already lost to you, and he's never fully accepted this. He's always wanted to get even for that." His voice was sincere as he circled around to face her. He rested one hand on her shoulder, his other cupping her chin and tilting her head to look up at him. "He's going to keep you here Sarah, keep you here and make you pay for the injuries to his pride that you cost him. "
He let go of her chin, waving his hand over to his side where the mist had formed a rectangular door. Through the frame, she could see her apartment. The tidy living room with the shelves filled with small figurines. Sprawled out on the couch as if he owned it was her cat, blissfully unaware of his mistress looking in on him.
"You've helped him this far, Sarah. Now you need to let him do it himself. There's the way back home for you. You can take it now, go home, and leave Jareth to deal with his quest on his own."
Sarah stood staring at her home. It would be easy to simply walk away. She was tired, and she knew that she could go have a cup of tea, and curl up in bed for a good night's sleep. In the morning when she woke up, this would all seem like a dream to her.
Except that Jareth may no longer be King of the Labyrinth. Her friends may be punished for helping him and helping her. And Thanier may have decided to get rid of the boundary lines between the Underground and the Aboveground. He would destroy this place and all the creatures that lived in it. Would she be able to live with herself if she did that. She didn't think she would.
"Thank you, for you most.....generous....offer," she gave him a warm smile. "But I think I'll stay for a bit longer. I've dealt with Jareth before, I can do it again. Just like I've beat the Labyrinth before, and I can do it again too."
The look he gave her was anything but warm. "Sarah, I have gone easy on you so far, if you stay here I will not continue to be so kind." His voice chilled the air between them. "Go. Home."
She shook her head. "No, I will not leave."
His eyes raged. "You are clueless! Perhaps, if I show you what lies in store for you should you stay, you would see the logic in leaving."
He took two quick steps towards her. She started to back away to be stopped as his hand grabbed her arm. He reached up and touched her forehead with his other hand, he murmured something that she couldn't understand. The world around her seemed to spiral downward, darkness seeping in at the edges till it filled her vision.
Thanier slipped his arm around her waist as consciousness left her. She was quite lovely, not quite his taste, but Jareth favored her and that would make her a wonderful bait for his trap. And when she woke up from the dreams he would send her, he doubted that she would be quite as loyal to the goblin king.
Again, I thank everyone for their support. It really means a hell of a lot to know that people are enjoying this. Hopefully, the next update won't take so long.
A grey fog arose as they descended into the valley. It swirled about them as they walked, growing higher the further they went. Once it fully wrapped around them, Jareth stopped. Sarah stood a few paces away from him, yet he could only barely make out her silhouette in the mist. Reaching out he took her hand in his. "This fog will try to separate us, best to stay close."
Sarah clasped his leather encased hand tightly. "How are we going to find where we're going?" she asked.
"We will head in the direction of the far side of the valley. Once we reach the other side and start climbing out, we should be able to climb out of this mist." He gave her hand a little tug, leading her carefully forward. He picked their path carefully, not wanting either of them to trip over an unseen obstacle.
A loud screeching roar sounded behind them in the mist. Jareth stopped and pulled Sarah closer to him. Another screeching answered the first, this on to the left. "Stay close to me." His voice was a harsh whisper, he didn't want to make any more noise than needed. He was unsure of what might be lurking in the fog or how dangerous it would turn out to be.
Sarah nodded and moved herself closer to him. Moving more slowly than before, they picked their way forward, neither speaking. Sarah strained her ears to hear sounds of them being hunted, but heard nothing. The fog thickened further, preventing her from being able to see herself in the thick blanket.
The two had only a second's warning before they were attacked. From a few paces away came the screeching roar. Something large crashed into Sarah, knocking her away from Jareth. She landed on her back, the weight of the creature pinning her shoulders to the ground. She could not make out the form of the animal, but felt it's hot breath on her face as it leaned forward. It sniffed her once, twice, then leapt away from her as fast as it had attacked.
The second beast crashed into Jareth moments after the first knocked Sarah back. He rolled with the impact, lifting his feet to the creatures stomach. As he landed on the ground, he pushed against it, throwing it up and off of him. He heard the second creature heading for him and rolled to the side at the last moment to avoid it trampling over him.
Now he had two of these creatures after him. Looking for them in this mist was useless so he closed his eyes and let his other senses take over. He could almost feel them moving. He thought they were circling around him like sharks. He knew he could keep them from hurting him, but he worried about Sarah. She did not have the heightened sensitivities that the fae had. She would be lost in this mist. "Sarah, are you all right?"
Momentarily distracted by his own actions, he almost moved aside to late as one of the hidden creatures darted forward and slashed at him with a set of sharp claws.
"Yes, I'm fine, where are..." she was cut off by his muttered curses. "Jareth, are you all right?" She tried to move forward to where she thought he was.
"Yes. But stay where you are, don't move and I'll find you." He dodged aside as the creature darted forward again clearly missing him this time.
He did not want to hurt any of the beings that might be native to the labyrinth. They were the very people he was trying to protect by undertaking this task, weather they understood this or not. The only thing he could think of to do was to risk using his magic. He thought that if he managed to push away the fog, these animals would leave with it.
He called upon his magic. He felt the familiar rush through his blood as his own inherent magic met with the magic of the labyrinth that swelled up through him. The Labyrinth was a living creature in it's own way, minimally aware of what occurred in and around it. He was it's protector though, and the labyrinth trusted him as a child trusts it's parents. Without any real words, using the base connection he had to this living entity, he soothed its concerns, leading it to help protect him and thus to help protect itself.
The reaction was not as fast as he had come to expect, but still quick enough. To his eyes, the mist once more started to grow thin. He was able to make out shapes once more, and the creatures that attacked he and Sarah were no longer a danger. They were not to be seen, or sensed, anywhere around. As the fog continued to clear, he began to look around for Sarah. When the light of the moon became clear again he stared at it for a moment cursing.
He had tried to communicate to the labyrinth that he needed it's assistance in order to continue his quest which would protect it from harm. He had made it understood that the creatures hiding in the mist were the danger, and that he thought that they would stay with the mist, and if the mist were not around him, then neither would the creatures. He would be safe.
The effect that happened was not the effect he had intended. Rather than moving the mist away and letting him continue his journey, the Labyrinth had obviously seen fit to assist him. It had moved him closer to his goal and he stood on the far side of the valley, closer to the castle than to the woods. And Sarah was not around.
He tried to go back into the valley to find Sarah and the ground beneath him rolled threatening to knock him off his feet. The labyrinth thought it was more important for him to go forward, he wouldn't be allowed to go back.
"SARAH!" he tried calling down into the valley. "SARAH, CAN YOU HEAR ME?"
There was no response to his calls. He didn't want to leave her there, but time was growing short, he had to find his way to the castle. Once this was over, he could find her simple enough. He just had to make it to the castle.
"I told you we would meet again soon, Sarah."
The mist around Sarah thinned as Thanier stepped forward, the hood of his cloak pushed back. He had long dark hair tied back into a tail with a leather cord. His eyes were a bright icy blue as they looked her over, they reminded her of the predatory stare of a white tiger she had seen in a zoo once.
He walked forward to stand in front of her. He was much taller than she, forcing her to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. "What do you want?"
"Just wanted to see how you were enjoying the tour you were getting of your new home. Are you enjoying it here, Sarah?"
She folded her arms and glared at him. "Jareth is going to make it to the center and defeat you. You won't be able to keep me here."
He grinned down at her and for a moment he almost resembled a hawk. "I wasn't planning on keeping you here. But When you agreed to come here to help Jareth, you never made any provisions for returning."
"What?"
"You set your demands if you were to help, did you mention returning home as one of them?"
Sarah thought. She didn't think she had specifically said anything about what would happen to her after they got to the center. "No, but I'm sure.."
He laughed, interrupting her. "You're sure that Jareth would just send you back? Did you forget that you defeated him before? That must have been a blow to his pride. Not to mention the fact that he's always wanted you. He said so himself the last time you were here, all he wanted was for you to be his slave." He circled around her, placing his hands on her shoulder. He leaned forward, his voice low in her ear. "Do you think he would give you up now that he has you in his grasp? You take too much for granted, little girl."
Sarah slapped his hands away. "You're wrong. Jareth wouldn't keep me here against my will."
"Wouldn't he? He takes mortals and he keeps them here all the time. That's what his job is, he's been doing it for over two hundred years."
Sarah frowned. Logic said that he was just saying this to make her give up helping Jareth, but she couldn't help but feeling a small seed of doubt starting to grow.
"Sarah, Jareth hates to lose. He's already lost to you, and he's never fully accepted this. He's always wanted to get even for that." His voice was sincere as he circled around to face her. He rested one hand on her shoulder, his other cupping her chin and tilting her head to look up at him. "He's going to keep you here Sarah, keep you here and make you pay for the injuries to his pride that you cost him. "
He let go of her chin, waving his hand over to his side where the mist had formed a rectangular door. Through the frame, she could see her apartment. The tidy living room with the shelves filled with small figurines. Sprawled out on the couch as if he owned it was her cat, blissfully unaware of his mistress looking in on him.
"You've helped him this far, Sarah. Now you need to let him do it himself. There's the way back home for you. You can take it now, go home, and leave Jareth to deal with his quest on his own."
Sarah stood staring at her home. It would be easy to simply walk away. She was tired, and she knew that she could go have a cup of tea, and curl up in bed for a good night's sleep. In the morning when she woke up, this would all seem like a dream to her.
Except that Jareth may no longer be King of the Labyrinth. Her friends may be punished for helping him and helping her. And Thanier may have decided to get rid of the boundary lines between the Underground and the Aboveground. He would destroy this place and all the creatures that lived in it. Would she be able to live with herself if she did that. She didn't think she would.
"Thank you, for you most.....generous....offer," she gave him a warm smile. "But I think I'll stay for a bit longer. I've dealt with Jareth before, I can do it again. Just like I've beat the Labyrinth before, and I can do it again too."
The look he gave her was anything but warm. "Sarah, I have gone easy on you so far, if you stay here I will not continue to be so kind." His voice chilled the air between them. "Go. Home."
She shook her head. "No, I will not leave."
His eyes raged. "You are clueless! Perhaps, if I show you what lies in store for you should you stay, you would see the logic in leaving."
He took two quick steps towards her. She started to back away to be stopped as his hand grabbed her arm. He reached up and touched her forehead with his other hand, he murmured something that she couldn't understand. The world around her seemed to spiral downward, darkness seeping in at the edges till it filled her vision.
Thanier slipped his arm around her waist as consciousness left her. She was quite lovely, not quite his taste, but Jareth favored her and that would make her a wonderful bait for his trap. And when she woke up from the dreams he would send her, he doubted that she would be quite as loyal to the goblin king.