Sarah awoke on Christmas morning warm and happy. She planned on going over and seeing Toby, but first she wanted to eat breakfast and enjoy the early morning. She sat up and stretched, feeling rewarded and as though the world was how it should be for the first time in a year. The feeling was, to say the least, short-lived.

A knock on her door pulled Sarah away from her cereal. Jeanie hurried inside, her face that of a woman on the brink of hysteria, though when she spoke her voice was clear and steady: "Sarah, something's happened."

Sarah felt the blood drain from her face and she motioned for Jeanie to sit. She wanted to say something in response, but she couldn't summon the words. She waited in silence for Jeanie to continue.

Jeanie took a deep breath. "It's about Jareth."

Sarah almost rolled her eyes, but cold reality struck her like lightning. "How…Jeanie, how do you…?"

Jeanie sighed. "My full name is Jeanille Krystendal. Well, at one time it was Her Most Supreme Highness Jeanille Kyrstendal, but that was a long time ago. Listen, Sarah. I'm from the Underground; I used to rule over a kingdom there."

Sarah's head was spinning. Just when she thought she knew who her friends were… "I…I don't…"

Jeanie stopped her. "Just listen. Several millennia ago, there was a dimensional cave-in. Meaning that one of the parallel Universes that sits directly between the Underground and the Aboveground simply collapsed into the Underground. Now, at this point, the Underground wasn't much more than sand and rock, but the cave-in left a Great Chasm toward the East end of the dimension, so that about a fifth of it was separated completely from the rest of the world. Eventually, on the west side of the chasm kingdoms began to spring up and great leaders ruled over the people of the Underground. As far as anyone knew, nothing existed across the Chasm and no one cared to test the theory. At one point, an idea was formed to send the criminals and delinquents across the chasm instead of wasting jail space. So a retractable bridge was constructed across the chasm and all the murderers, thieves, and other low-life scum were sent across."

Jeanie paused for a moment to study Sarah's expression. Sarah was listening, but was still too dazed to offer an expression in response. Jeanie continued anyway.

"No one knew what would become of those who were sent away, but the hope was that they would just kill each other. Instead, they formed a series of barbarian armies and for the last century or so have found a way across the chasm and are invading kingdoms left and right. My kingdom was invaded some years ago, and I was one of the lucky ones who was cast Aboveground in exile."

Sarah blinked, regaining some of her wits. "How did that make you one of the lucky ones?"

"Well, it beats decapitation. Anyway, what I'm trying to tell you is that last night (in Underground terms, that is) Jareth was sent a message that his kingdom was to be invaded. Being warned about such things is a real rarity, considering that it's only occasionally that OverSeers notice the barbarian forces in the first place, and only the most revered rulers are warned of it when they do. OverSeers are neutral by nature, they don't like to get involved in affairs of war."

"Jeanie, why are you telling me all of this?" Sarah all of a sudden wanted nothing more than to go back to bed.

"He did nothing. He allowed them to destroy everything: the castle, the city…the Labyrinth itself remains only because of the intense magicks that protect it."

Sarah felt sick. Jeanie noticed the look on her face, reading her thoughts. "Jareth is alive, though I don't know by how much. He's an old, old friend of mine and I'd be able to feel the absence of his Essence if he'd been killed."

"Why would he let that happen? Put everything in jeopardy like that…" Sarah was now also thinking about Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didimus and all the rest of her Labyrinthian friends. A deep ache was settling into her chest cavity and a tear rolled down her cheek as she had a vision of the rubble where Jareth's great palace had been, the Goblin City left in ruins.

Jeanie took her gently by the shoulders and forced her to look her in the eyes. "Sarah, you must go there. If it weren't for the risk of being executed, I'd go myself. You are the only one who can talk any sense into him."

Sarah shook her head. "I can't do that."

"Why not?"

Sarah searched her mind, but could find no reason. In her heart, she was ready to fly to the Labyrinth if it meant saving it. She'd grown to love it, with all her body and soul.

"Toby," she finally said. "I have to talk to Toby."

Ten minutes later Sarah was in her car, racing to her father's house. On the passenger's seat was a ancient-looking pendent featuring a gleaming purple gem—Jeanie's gift to her—and Sarah was doing her best not to slide on the icy roads.

When she arrived, she rapped on the door with a fatal sense of urgency. Ignoring her father's stares and weak protests, Sarah pushed past him into the living room where Toby sat, among torn wrapping paper and the remains of a sorry-looking tree, reading the book she'd gotten him for Christmas. She took him upstairs to her old room, sat him down on the bed and proceeded to explain to him what his nightmares were all about.