The dim mists of the forest seemed as if they would never clear up, but the forest itself was having second thoughts. The further along the riverbed they walked, the drier things became—a fact that obviously concerned the Aborigine men, as neither of them had proven familiar with the territory, which meant that the idea of leaving water behind with no notion of where else they would find more water was more than a little disturbing. Along the way they had discussed their plight amongst themselves in their native language, only further explaining their words to the rest of the group when questioned.
Hoggle was getting very tired from all the walking, and had begun to resent the ease with which the two lean dark-skinned men ambled through the mists. They showed no signs of stopping, and the futility of their journey had gotten to Hoggle halfway through the day. "That's it!" he finally shouted, stopping in place. It took the crew of twelve a little while to realize that Hoggle had stopped, and everyone looked behind in confusion.
"What is it, Hoggle?" Sarah asked.
He gawked as if she were a woman gone mad. His knobby cheeks rolled around and he clenched his fists. "Ain't no one else tired'a walking? We been walking all day! And there ain't a thing in this stupid, desert'a mist to be found! It's a wild goose chase!" He plopped down ungracefully and pouted at them where he sat. "I'm not goin' another step. Whether we walk some more later and chase some more ghosts is all the same to me, but right now, I needs a rest."
Benedick came to his side and kneeled. "C'mon, chap, let's just go a bit more until Albert and Wonggu tell us where to stop, eh?"
Albert and Wonggu had gone pretty far before they realized the group had stopped for more than just a fleeting concern, so they tracked their way back, and looked down at the dwarf with curious eyes.
"I tell yas, this is worse than the damned Labyrinth," Hoggle muttered, crossing his arms. His eyes peeked out from his eyebrows a little uncertainly as everyone stared at him and started chattering amongst themselves. It was obvious that he didn't expect to have to keep performing beyond the initial act of melodrama, and the continued show made him uncomfortable.
"Why you stoppin' in dis place, small man?" Albert asked him. His hair was short and combed back, albeit caked with sand. He pointed down the river. "We keep going some bit longer. Should be a totem that way. Not too far."
Hoggle obviously wasn't prepared to argue with the gentlemen. Frankly, they scared him a little bit. Maybe because he knew deep down they had survived worse than he ever could. Their elegant sun-baked wrinkles impressed upon him their survival instincts, and he grudgingly got up and brushed himself off. "Ain't much further?" he asked with a slanted brow.
Wonggu shook his head. Dust flew from his tight curls. "Come, we find a totem. If not, we stop for camp."
Another half hour passed in walking, and even Sarah had to admit she was getting tired. She ambled up next to Albert. His sharp nose came into profile as she came up on his side. "Albert, why is it so important that we find a totem? Can't we just stop and set up camp somewhere?"
Albert smiled at her mischievously. She couldn't get over how elfin he was. "Would be easier that way, uh?" He looked ahead with purpose and pointed into the distant haze. "In this place, all things exist outta time. No past nor future. Here nor there. But some things stay the same all 'cross all lands. The totems mark important places, where the world was created, where great battles took place, but most important, where there is water. There is much water here, but there must be greater water. We find the totem marking the water, we can find our way in the Dreaming."
"If it's not here or there, why does it matter if we find a totem or not?"
Wonggu and Albert looked at Sarah peculiarly then nodded in appreciation. "Ah, you know deeper things," Albert remarked. "It is not really important, you are right. But it is really important, too. Because the land is a marking for the journey of the gods. We see it like totems, but when you do not look, it is the gods again, and the mothers and fathers of the land."
Albert seemed to think the explanation was enough, and Sarah was too tired to question him further.
Before long, they came upon an outcropping of rock that formed a makeshift cave. On its side was illustrated a crude snake in white finger paint, no doubt mixed from clay found somewhere near the riverbed. How long ago was a different issue.
Everyone settled down along the river, Benedick shuffling Sage, Sarah, Vindar and Isabelle along into the cave, as there was only room for a few, and the elements weren't so taxing as to make it necessary for everyone to find shelter.
Until it started to suddenly become cool with the passing of what little sun had remained in the sky.
Albert and Wonggu had already begun digging out bowls in the ground to sleep in while everyone else was chattering away. Hoggle especially seemed out of control in the clacking of his teeth. "Where did this blasted cold come from all of a sudden?" he said while trying to warm his arms.
"Desert gets cold at night," Albert said shortly as he dragged his stick through the somewhat moist dirt.
Eepwot shook the cobwebs out of his orange feathers and jumped up. "What's this all about anyway? What're we freezin' our appendages off for, huh?" He bounced off toward a nearby tree and started grabbing dry twigs. He bounced back, threw them on the ground, and, with a flick of his wrist, they were burning nicely. "There!" he shouted with satisfaction.
The aboriginal men seemed impressed. "Neat trick," Albert said with a wide grin.
Benedick and Granen left with Eepwot to find more dry wood for the fire. An uncomfortable silence was sitting over the large group for most of the journey, and it didn't seem close to abating anytime soon.
Isabelle still seemed cold in her silk dress, and Sarah came close to wrap an arm around the young girl. "Hi there," she said in a soft, friendly voice. "Looks like the guys are going to get some more wood. We'll be warm soon."
Mandelbrot took Sage by the arm and into the forest, talking in hushed tones. "I need to broach a topic with you, my friend."
Sage arched a brow at him.
"Considering how Eberon has betrayed his people, and my duty as advisor for the elves, I wanted to discuss with you what to do with the kingdom if and when we return."
Sage looked uncomfortable. "These might be matters to discuss with Eberon. I don't dare risk inciting his childish wrath again. It hurts everyone I am involved with."
Mandelbrot was taken aback by his reaction. "The Sage I know would never talk of loss in the face of honorable actions."
"This is true. But there is a lot at stake."
"I can tell you now, Eberon will not fight us. His will is broken. He knows he has been a fool. I think you should come back into the fold. You can rule at his side, or even… in his place."
"I'm not in search of power," Sage replied with a shake of his head. "I've come to love my wandering life."
"Your people need you, Sage," Mandelbrot answered quietly.
"You do it. Kingship doesn't suit me."
"Things have changed, Sage. The throne has changed, and the needs of the kingdom have changed. Our people need an elf of honor to show them the way. They need something to dream for. Things will be broken, and you are the clever chap to put them back together."
"Let's talk more of this later. I will consider it."
Isabelle smiled up at Sarah and gave her a big hug. She didn't know how much her gentle touch comforted Sarah. So many times in the last couple of days had Sarah felt close to falling apart, and now she knew that a good hug would have done a great deal to quell her nervousness.
Vindar came close to his father, watching Sage's eyes as they peered intently upon the unwitting Eberon who had, by now, removed all the jester's paint that the dark image of Sarah had put upon him in mockery. There were still bits of paint smudged over his large eyes.
"Father, it will be alright," Vindar coaxed, putting a hand on his father's shoulder firmly.
Sage was very quiet, filled with loss and bitter anger, but not wishing to draw attention to himself. "The boy is such a fool. He destroys one family after another for his selfish desires."
"He regrets his actions," Vindar said, explaining how Eberon had apologized to him after he had rescued the elf king from Kaleb's castle. "I believe him, Father. He knows he did something terribly wrong by... taking mother away from us."
Sage looked at his son with a deep tenderness and put a slightly wrinkled hand over the boy's. "You amaze me. You have a greater capacity to forgive, yet I am supposed to be the wise one, the one to let go of the past."
"She was your greatest love, Father," Vindar answered somberly as he stole a glance at Isabelle. "I don't know how you can forgive someone for taking that away." Isabelle pretended that she didn't notice Vindar's soft words or gaze, but she blushed brightly all the same.
Sage too noticed Vindar's loving glances and smiled at the boy. He patted him playfully on the cheek. "You're holding the wrong hand. Get over there."
With that, Sage slowly rose and left the haven of the cave. It was obvious that the older elf had tired of focusing on his negative emotions and sought out meditative quiet that only staring into flame could afford. Vindar scooted next to Isabelle and took her hand from her lap. They smiled surely at each other.
Sarah too decided to leave the young lovers to their own devices, and went to stand next to Mandelbrot, who was examining the markings on the side of the cave. Wonggu was explaining to him the mythos of the Rainbow Snake, and how it created the rivers of his land.
"Interesting culture," he said with an intense gaze. "I never thought that magic still really existed Aboveground."
"It does," Sarah replied. "It's just scattered about, and dismissed as foolish myth by those who would rule the world with heartless economics and science."
"Ah, but economics is the domain of any good queen. And you speak of science with such disdain," Mandelbrot commented with surprise. "Science isn't so far from magic. I consider a study of science integral to my own studies with magic." Mandelbrot cocked a brow at her as if reproaching a student.
Sarah laughed shyly. "Oh, trust me, I don't have any disdain for science. Just the heartless scientists. Just as I don't really like those skilled in the art of magic to show a lack of appreciation for science." She touched the snake drawing, feeling a weird connection to it, something like a vibration under the stone. She dismissed it as nerves. "There was a time when I wished that the two worlds could accept each other, to combine the science and the magic across the board, to realize our full potential."
The thought sunk in. Mandelbrot looked at her carefully as if he also understood the something important had just been uttered.
"Oh no." Sarah's face dropped like a ton of bricks. "You don't think?"
"Oh, I more than
think. I think this is exactly what the fae sisters were talking
about."
Sarah almost stumbled back to the campfire. The thought
sent her head swimming. The Aborigine men remained silent, not
wishing to intrude upon whatever emotional state Sarah was
experiencing. Mandelbrot sat next to her, then Hoggle.
"What is it, little Missy?" Hoggle asked, in his concern forgetting all decorum in addressing his queen.
"The sisters... they said that something had been combined, and should be torn asunder. I know what they mean, now," Sarah said with a heavy brow. She looked intensely upon Hoggle, the words falling like a great stone from her lips. "My other self has combined Aboveground and Underground. That is why Albert and Wonggu are here. We're in the Mist of Dreams, somewhere on this new world."
Sage had heard her words across from the campfire, where his eyes shot across the flames like hot embers. "What kind of chaos would that create?"
Sarah shook her brown curls from side to side, trancelike.
"All kinds is what I'm guessing," Hoggle remarked with a snort. Sarah looked at him like he had made the most terrible social faux pas. "Um, sorry," he said, beginning to fidget.
Isabelle emerged from the cave, holding her stomach -completely clueless to the conversation at hand. "I don't mean to be a bother, but, I'm starving to death. Can't we get some food or something?" The stares that met hers held something heavier than hunger pangs.
Albert and Wonggu, however, were smiling as if this group of crazy adventurers were the best thing that had happened to them in ages. "It's like these soap operas you showed me on your television," Wonggu said to Albert in their native tongue.
Albert nodded appreciatively. "An American soap opera."
Damion sat in the mailroom, enraptured with hundreds of envelopes to sort, a million little details to tend. This office, that office, Mr. So and So, Ms. Such and Such, one two three, the envelopes plopped into their plastic bins happily.
He looked up from his work as Fozzy came in the room. He hadn't realized until the intrusion that he had been humming. He stopped awkwardly. "Yes?"
Fozzy fondled his hat nervously, tugged at his tie. "There's gonna be a party, you know, and I came to see if you wanted to join us."
Jareth, Jeremiah, Toby, and Sir Didymus arrived at Gail's house without trouble, other than the horrendous traffic that hadn't let up since the two worlds merged. The four climbed the staircase to the fifth floor apartment of a rather cozy, marbled trimmed housing establishment. Five oh-three; Jareth turned the key in the lock and was greeted with a spacious, warm home that probably took up a whole eighth of the floor of the complex. The small foyer opened up into a large living room/dining room combined.
"The lady does have a lovely home," Didymus said in amazement as he stroked a very expensive-looking vase. When he inevitable toppled it over, he pulled a move only equivocated by a football quarterback and caught it, his tongue hanging out of his mouth in relief.
Jareth gave the fox a knowing look, almost startled out of his own wits by Didymus' lack of grace. "I need not remind you, Didymus, that we dare not touch any of Gail's things unless we absolutely have to. I don't think any of us want to be subject to her wrath should any of it get damaged."
Didymus managed to get the vase back up on the table with Toby's help. "I think you are right, Sir," Didymus agreed. "I think I will just stand at the door and keep guard." He ambled abjectly toward the foyer, muttering, "I wish Ambrosius were here," under his breath as he stood solidly at guard. Toby watched him out of the corner of his eye; it wasn't long before the fox fell from his pose, flopping down pitiably into the sleeping pose of any dog. It was very obvious that Didymus' spirits had been consistently battered.
The boy would have comforted him, but he knew there were more important matters. While Jeremiah and Jareth looked around, he made a beeline for the other room. He saw the library of books instantly, and was eager to get started on the search for the spell that would help them solve some of their problems.
Jeremiah watched the boy slyly, then motioned to Jareth. "Come, looks like the boy is onto something."
The two men followed Toby into the library. The boy seemed awestruck upon his arrival.
The library was cozy, books upon books lining the cherry shelving. Most of the books seemed fairly old, with a few modern volumes, such as the colorfully-illustrated "Witch in the City" and small rosy pink volume, "100 Spells for Love." Jareth noted the labeling for this section was "Humor – Or Just Plain Silly."
"Where do we start?" Toby asked with a hearty yawn.
Jareth looked at the grandfather clock in the corner. It was almost three in the morning. "You, young sir, are going to start with bed."
"Aww, c'mon," Toby pouted. "I'm not tired!" He yawned again in spite of himself. Soon, Jareth and Jeremiah yawned too.
"We all are," Jareth replied. "But only Jeremiah and I have to suffer the night. I promise, we will wake you if we find the spell. We'll have to practice as soon as possible."
Jareth coaxed the boy out of the room with a gentle hand on his back. "Come, we will find the bedroom. I doubt Gail will be needing it tonight."
They found it without trouble. While the library had been a room straight out of Harry Potter's Hogwarts, the rest of the house was decked out in rather modern accoutrements. The bedroom especially had a clean, earthen touch with tan and soil-colored deco. Jareth turned on the adjoining bathroom light for Toby while the boy crawled up onto the high bed and started taking off his shoes.
Jareth looked around the room curiously, greeted with a shelf full of photographs. He picked one up. It was Gail with her guitar, goofing around with a man who looked almost just like Jareth. He inspected it, mesmerized. "I do look just like him."
He noted the rock star apparel and guitar the man held and sneered. "Great, a rock and roll band." He put down the frame and visibly suppressed a shudder.
By the time he turned around, Toby was starting to crawl under the bedspread. Jareth immediately went to help him, holding back the covers, then tucking him in snugly.
"Jareth?"
"Yes?"
Toby's eyes darted shyly around the room. "I wanted to tell you somethin'."
Jareth sat on the edge of the bed expectantly. "Okay."
"I remember everything from when I was a little boy. How you took me to your castle, when you were the unicorn."
Jareth was taken aback. He knew from Sage's stories that Toby had been cleared of those memories the moment he returned Aboveground with Leah.
Four years ago, when Jareth had pulled Sarah from her home Aboveground to complete a new quest, and he had still been the Goblin King, Jareth also wooed Toby through the use of a unicorn figurine. Knowing from elfin lore that the key to the amethyst would hide itself in some place special to the pure soul that had embarked on the quest, he had used Toby as insurance for the successful completion of Sarah's quest. The lore changed itself based on the person embarking upon the journey to retrieve the Amethyst—in the case of Sarah, it had made mention of a place where Underground and Aboveground met, that was dear to both brother and sister. There were many such places, at the time when Aboveground and Underground were separate, where the worlds had a tender connection, not so much in the sense that one was a staircase to another, but that where one changed, so did the other. Jareth knew that the key to the Amethyst would only reveal itself in the right location, and Sarah had figured it out on her own. She found the key and rode to the hiding place of the amethyst alone, taking it before he could get it from her.
Which was directly connected to the day's events. But, before he had chased Sarah down to get his hands on the amethyst, he had sent Toby back to his home, with his memory of those days erased.
It seemed that those memories had been unlocked.
"So you remember," Jareth answered after some quiet thought.
Toby nodded. "But don't be sad. I'm not." He smiled up at Jareth. "I know that you were different back then. But, even though you were supposed to be the bad king that Sarah used to tell me stories about, I know you weren't really bad."
Jareth was breathless. He had never felt himself so close to the verge of tears. It was a sort of forgiveness that Jareth now realized he had been longing for, from Sarah or Toby, for the longest time. "Do you really know that, Toby?" Jareth asked with a modicum of composure.
Toby's brown hair flopped as he nodded energetically. "I do. You were never really bad. You just loved Sarah so much you kinda got silly sometimes." Toby smiled broadly. "My sister did lotsa dumb things for boys when she was younger. It was kinda like that. You just got kinda dumb."
A snort surprised it's way out of Jareth's throat. "It was a little more complicated than that, but—"
"Not really," Toby said. "You just thought it was. You were just trying to make Sarah pay attention." He bent over and whispered confidentially, "She was never good at paying attention."
Jareth began laughing raucously, then bent over to hug the boy. "You are something else, Toby." He tucked in the last bits of the comforter and ruffled his hair. "I'm glad we had this talk."
Toby had seemed to overcome his shyness, and was sleepily proud of himself. Jareth smiled at him from the doorway. "Good night."
"'night!" Toby snuggled up into the blankets. Jareth closed the door behind him, and didn't see the smile fall from the boy's face as thoughts of worry for his sister crowded into his brain.
He wasn't sure exactly where he had learned that it was important to put on a brave face for other people. Sarah had always done that, and, now he realized, so had Leah. It was hard for him to grasp that Sarah had sort of been lying to him for four years. But, then, he wasn't really all that mad. She had to do it, he reminded himself. She had important things to do. And Leah was almost like her, I think. We always had fun after that.
He was still a little saddened. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that all the filial piety that had existed over the last four years was because another person had stepped into the picture. Sarah had left Toby behind again to be queen over a magical land, and she hadn't taken him with her.
He wasn't mad, but he felt left out. And who exactly was Leah? Why did she even care about him? They had said that Leah was Sarah's shadow. What did that mean? Was it like Peter Pan? Was Leah even a real person? Did Sarah just make her up to get Toby off her back?
Toby soon dropped off to sleep, despite his troubled thoughts. Sir Didymus snuck in, taking guard at the foot of the boy's bed. "I know I can't do anything right, Master Tobias," Didymus mumbled sadly as he looked to the boy, "but I will fight to the death to protect thee."
Toby heard the fox's words, even though he himself was still asleep. Dreamily, he replied, "Thanks."
The fox smiled a toothy canine grin in spite of himself.
"Always wanted a dog," the boy mumbled.
Sir Didymus had never been complimented by those words before. Perhaps he wasn't the common dog, but at least it was nice to be wanted. He stood sternly at attention, his staff before him. He looked the part of a true knight.
Rattlebeak flew in through a crack in the door and settled on the pillow next to the smiling boy.
Gail seemed to have more of the cleaning bug than her friend Marlena. The kitchen was spacious and spotless, with green herbs in ceramic pots hanging from the cupboards for easy access. Jareth walked in genteely, his cool face not belying the emotions struggling under the surface. He rummaged through all the cupboards in search of a cup. On the fifth try, he pulled a cobalt blue tumbler from the shelf, then went to the sink to fill it with water. He was still awkward with plumbing Aboveground, and it took him a few moments to get the lever in the right direction for cold water. He put his cup under the water for collection and, instead of water, sludge filled his cup. He gave the faucet a look of complete disgust before turning it off.
He decided to try the refrigerator. When he opened it, he was greeted by shelf after shelf of foodand creatures. It looked like an army of hamsters had infiltrated by means of a roughly-chewed hole in the back of the machine, and were happily feasting on a variety of leftovers. They stopped mid-chew to look at him disdainfully.
"Would you mind, we're having dinner here," a buck-toothed rodent remarked.
Jareth doubled the efficacy of his earlier look of disgust, where it now qualified as a look of murderous intent. "Well, of course you are." He slammed the door with no lack of frustration.
Then he noticed there was a water dispensing device on the front of the refrigerator, gathered another tumbler, and managed to find the correct button for water only after getting pelted with ice. He filled the cup without further incident, sniffed the water to make sure it was healthy to drink, then took a large swig that was only half as satisfying as it would have been had he been able to get it without trouble in the first place.
He drifted aimlessly into the studio that adjoined the kitchen. It was pitch dark, except for the light that streamed in through the doorway from the other room. The angles of the doorways lined up in such a way that a slice of the library was visible. He could see Jeremiah bent over a heavy book on the desk, and, in the silence, his frustrated grumbling traveled throughout the house. He slammed the book shut and slid another volume over, opening and flipping through it with a total lack of grace.
It could have been that the old man was in a hurry, but Jareth never remebered him to be so rash. Whenever anyone was around Jeremiah he put on the expected face of the sagely old man. But it appeared to Jareth that, when he was left alone, his true face emerged.
He was looking for something, but Jareth really wondered if it was the same thing for which Jareth was looking. Something told him that he was really trying to find a new cage for Jareth, that he never felt his student had paid adequately for thwarting the wishes of his master. The suffering Jareth experienced was greater than any he felt he deserved. It had indeed taught him a number of lessons, but it had completely stripped him of a joyful life. Jareth found a saving grace in the deep eyes of his beloved Sarah, he felt sparked anew with a will to live. He had satisfied himself until then with toying with lives for amusement, wrecking homes, doing all the dastardly things one does when one has lost hope for living.
This was the real lesson Jeremiah had taught him by trapping him in that castle with goblins for several decades. That a rat in a cage can only find amusement by tormenting his fellow rats. Jareth was the head rat, the one who had found the cheese and stashed it in his treasury to taunt the other rats. There was nothing else to do. Goblin jokes only amused other goblins. He was a king over a race he could not understand or respect.
