Chapter five, part one.
Thinking back, Hoggle wondered how he'd ever agreed to travel like this.
The heat outside was incredible once you left the relative shade of the walls of the Labyrinth, and the scrubby plants of the wastelands.
The wind whipped across, searing heat, as he paused once more to tip sand from his shoes.
Pointless really, emptying your shoes in the middle of a desert.
"Tell me again," he grumbled, watching the bulk of Ludo leading the trail, "Why we are crossing the desert, instead of being sensible and going some other way?"
"My friend Hoggle," Sir Didymus yapped, turning, "You know very well why we are crossing this intractable waste.
The only way to the Fairy Kingdom," he whirled Ambrosias round once more to point towards the mountains in the east, "Is through the pass high in the mountains!
"Besides," he pointed out, "The entire span of our Lord Jareths domain is encompassed by the desert."
"So why are we going North instead of East?" Hoggle shouted.
"Because the oasis is that way!"
"Why are we going to the soddin' oasis!" howled Hoggle.
"water!" Ludo moaned.
"I'm parched too." Hoggle rubbed his throat.
Sir Didymus only looked triumphant, his answers preempted.
Hoggle reached into his purse, rubbing the stone Anges had given him before they left.
It had been odd, the way she suddenly appeared like that. If Hoggle hadn't known of her habit of disappearing, only to appear right where you didn't expect her, he would have thought it suspicious. In fact, he did consider it suspicious.
Agnes wasn't known for her generosity.
'Wouldn't call givin' me a stupid rock generous.'
He thought back to the gates.
Knocking his pipe out, Hoggle rechecked his pack.
"salt, water, map, spare set o clothes, dilute bog water, sprayer, salt pork, bread, dried fruit, socks.
"Baccy, penknife, jewels, earplugs…anything else?"
Methodically, he retied the pack with a rope he'd found in the junkyard. Rope would always come in useful.
Sir Didmus had opted to take 'a sabre of unusual length and weight!' Nevermind that it was actually a kitchen knife, despite the erstwhile efforts of Ludo and Hoggle to convince him otherwise.
The last time he'd seen those two was as they trundled out of the junkyard heading towards the bog in the blue handcart Ludo had picked.
Not having any wish to visit the Bog at all, no matter how many times Sir Didymus proclaimed that the air there 'gave one a certain brace', Hoggle had departed for his own home, packing, and then locking up tight before handing the key to the family of worms that lived nearby. He wasn't sure what 'a certain brace' was either, but felt he could well do without.
"Matches! Forgot the damn things nearly." Patting down his pockets, Hoggle eventually found some. There were only five left.
"Lucky I use a flint to light me baccy. Couldn't go without that."
Asking Hoggle to give up smoking his pipe would be like asking the sun not to shine, or goblins not to try eating live chickens. No matter how many got scratched, pecked, tarred then feathered, there was always one willing to give eating chicken a try.
Out of the corner of his eye, Hoggle saw something move.
"Come out, whatever you are. Know you're there."
Sheepishly, a boulder followed by a horde of pebbles appeared from round the corner of one of the passageways.
Looking round closely, Hoggle noticed there were a lot of rocks around. The larger ones piled against a wall, smaller ones crowding the tops of the walls.
"Well, I never." He scratched at his head. "Wouldn't of believed it if I hadn't seen it."
The rocks turned towards the booming noise that pounded towards them, from up an alleyway, getting closer and closer. It sounded like a stampede, no, an earthquake. In fact, it sounded just like…
"Rwocks friends!"
Towing the cart, Ludo erupted through the wall, showering bricks, dust and mortar chips.
The dust danced down sparkling in the sunlight, raining in the afternoon sun.
Ambrosias leapt down, shaking himself off, whining piteously.
"My brother has the strength and determination of a very battering ram! Truly he is amongst the greatest warriors to live within the Labyrinth!" crowed Sir Didymus.
The dog marched round, sniffing the air.
"Ambrosias, that is most impolite. You should not-" Sir Didymus's nostrils twitched. "Is that…possibly? Salt pork?"
Hoggle hurriedly swung his pack back up, eying both canines. "got some in the bag. And that stuff Sarah sent."
"Salt pork…" whined Sir Didymus, before shaking his head. "We should decide where we are headed." He pulled a folded map from his pocket, spreading it over the ground, weighing down each corner with pebbles that rolled helpfully forwards. "Though not accurate, this map shows most of the underground." Pointing to a dense light yellow area, "this is the vast sea of sand that lies beyond yonder gates. This circle represents the Labyrinth.
To the far north, the great sea. Many monsters are said to lair there. Giant fish the size of castles! Perhaps when this is over, we could take an expedition!" He glanced round, noting the general apathy that greeted his comment. Even Ludo ignored him, appearing to be trying to say goodbye to every single piece of stone that had appeared, to the detriment of everything else in the world.
"No?
Ah well, one quest at a time.
"To the east, lies the Sahaut mountain range. Beyond that, the Fairie lands. I believe we should travel there firstly."
"No!"
Sir Didymus glanced up, noting the panic stricken expression upon the dwarf's face.
"Why, if I did not know better Sir Hoggle, I might believe that you are afraid."
Hoggle snorted, letting everyone know his opinion of this.
"In fact I do believe that you are terrified.
Which is why we are going there first."
He folded the map up, the breeze making the parchment snap slightly, before replacing it in his pocket.
"What! There is no-"
"Sir Hoggle" snapped Sir Didymus, "I had heard of you through gossip before we met. General consensus had it you were a cowardly wretch who lived his days to his sole interest."
Hoggle glared back. "And what if I am? I could run off and leave you three here."
"And where would you go? If we fail in this, we are all banished!
I have no home other than the blissful bog that our Lord Jareth set me and my ancestors to guard eons ago. I am the last of the guardians of the bog and I shall not fail in protecting my charge!"
"Friendss no fight.." Ludo mournfully proclaimed.
Hearing a muted "hrmpf," Sir Didymus spun round, staff prepared, epithets ready to fly from his lips. Noting who it actually was, he dropped the staff to his side, proclaiming, "My brothers, once more the hag has appeared!"
I know, I know. Long time no see, huh?
I've been snowed under (literally and figuratively) with work and….snow! We had nearly a foot on Sunday morning.
Also, what I thought was merely a nasty case of flu has turned out to be Quincys. Consequently, the Docters confined me to bed rest, and so many tablets I'm surprised I don't rattle.
I build carrot stick shrines to my reviewers!