Author's Note: This is something I came up with as a kid one summer back in the 80's. At one time it was finished, but the finished work was lost except for a few chapters. I'm attempting to re-write this from memory since it was one of my favorite stories and I thought about making it a SW cross, but have decided against that route. I hope you enjoy it and please remember to leave a review, either good or bad. J

Alternate Universe setting, No J/S.

The Black Mountains

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth. Such a pity…

CHAPTER 1

She stood in the deep shadows watching two men working on a huge metal object that stood on stilts with a ladder protruding from its belly. One of the men looked up in her direction. He pointed in her direction and said something to his companion. The other man looked and shook his head, saying something that she couldn't understand. She shrank back into the shadows when the first one threw down his tools and started toward her with his weapon drawn. He was almost within stone throwing distance when he saw her again. She stepped out of the shadows and into his path.

Logan nearly dropped his gun when the woman stepped in front of him. He thought that perhaps he was dreaming after all. Mark had told him that he was seeing things. At first, he didn't believe what he saw but once he looked behind him and back at her, he knew it was no dream.

The woman's hair was the color of polished copper. She was dressed in a white sleeveless skintight jumpsuit. Gold bands circled her wrists, upper arms and waist. On her head, she wore a gold circlet with a deep blue crystal set in the center. One hand rested loosely on the jeweled hilt of a sword hung at her waist, the other held up in greeting. He looked into her violet eyes and found her watching him with an intense curiosity. Shyly, he put his gun back in its place and raised his hands to her.

"Hello. We come in peace." he asked her slowly.

"Why are you here stranger?" she said calmly as he looked her over again.

"We're looking for my sister, Cassia. She came to this world to see who the inhabitants were. She was with a team of explorers who disappeared soon after landing here. We've had no contact since then."

"If she came here then chances are she did not survive. I know of no other visitors and there have been no reports from any of the villages or peasant, as far as I know. All unusual activity is to be reported to the king and me." She looked him up and down for a moment. "What did she look like?"

A look of sorrow settled over his handsome features. "She was my twin sister."

The woman quietly studied him. Logan was a head taller than she was. He had clear blue eyes and short, honey colored hair. His face looked as if he had had hard times in the past despite his young age. He was dressed in a beige, long-sleeved tunic with beige pants.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Logan. And you are?"

"Kara. I am the King's ..." She was cut off by an ear-shattering scream that sent chills up and down Logan's spine. He looked back at Kara and saw that she had drawn her sword as she dropped into a defensive stance. "Logan," she whispered, "listen carefully. Get back to your friend. Once there, I want both of you to get inside your metal house and close all entrances. Don't come out for anything. Stay as close to the ground as possible, and if anything comes near you then get up and run as fast as you can. I can distract the creature long enough for you to get to safety, but you must hurry."

"But what about you? I can't leave you out here to get hurt by that thing. You have to come with me."

"If I did then neither of us would survive. Please go, I have seen enough of these killings. I don't want to see any more. I'll be alright. Go!" She gave him a hard push that sent him sprawling to the ground. He gave her one last glance before running in a crouch back to his ship. He saw Mark aim his blaster in his direction and fire. Another scream pierced the air beside him. Remembering Kara's words Logan came out of his crouch and ran to the ship.

"Mark! Hurry, get inside the ship!" Logan screamed at him.

Mark turned and ran up the gangway and waited for Logan to get in. The second Logan was in; Mark shut the door and looked at him. His friend was pale and his breath racked his body in great tearing gasps.

"What was that thing? It looked like a horse only it had claws and fangs." Mark asked when Logan caught his breath.

"I don't know. She just told me to get back to the ship as fast as I could and for us not to come out for anything. I tried to make her come with me but she said something about having seen enough killings. I didn't want to leave her out there."

"Who are you talking about Logan?"

"Kara. The woman you didn't believe I saw. I've got to see if she is alright!" Logan started to hit the release toggle but Mark stopped his hand.

"Logan, that thing could still be out there, waiting for us to come out. Why don't you use the monitors? You'll cover more ground that way." Mark let him go and made his way to the cockpit area.

Logan slid into the seat beside him and started punching buttons. Soon they found the right area. In it, Kara was using her sword to fend off the half-horse, half-lion creature's attack. The creature reared up and struck out at the woman, catching her on the arm with its claws. Logan gasped at the sight of her blood, and he marveled at the skill she used to catch the creature across the chest as it reared again.

This time she slashed at its belly. Screaming in pain the animal snapped at her as she swung again, hitting its leg with the flat of the sword. Even though there was no sound coming from the screens, they could hear the bones in its leg shatter with the impact. The woman thrust the sword into the beast's chest as it went down screaming in agony. She moved around the creature's massive body and stood behind its head. They watched as she placed one booted foot on its neck and swing the sword one final time. The sword passed through its neck at the base of the skull as if it were water. She wiped her sword across the creature's body before sheathing the blade and then hoisted the head onto her shoulders.

Cautiously, she walked towards the metal building and stopped when a soft whirring hum filled the air as a ramp lowered itself to the ground. She looked up when the ramp hit the ground with a soft thump and found the two men standing at the top. Logan came down the ramp slowly and gestured for her to come inside. Granting him a slight smile she walked up the ramp, looking around curiously. Never before had she seen anything like this structure. Spotting a table she lowered the head to its surface and turned to look at them.

"What is that thing?" Kara looked at Mark and smiled grimly.

"A Plagueback." She turned back around and pulled a dagger from her boot. "Not much is known about them, other than their venom is fatal within seconds. They began invading our kingdom about five years ago." The watched as she sliced her way up the creature's throat and peeled away the skin.

"What are you doing?" She glanced at them over her shoulder and found them staring at her with a disgusted curiosity. Kara snorted as she sliced into the thing's flesh just below its jaw. She dug her fingers into the opening and forced her hand deeper into the flesh.

"I need the antidote to their venom. Their poison is fatal within seconds, so it's not really an antidote per say." They could see her hand fist around something and she tugged hard. A slight popping noise reached their ears and Kara withdrew her hand. She opened her hand and they saw a small green sac laying in her palm, dripping with a viscous fluid and blood. "Do you have something I could put this in? It's not a good idea to let the venom loose." Logan jumped and grabbed a bowl from a nearby counter. She smiled and took it from him before dropping the sac into it. Both men stepped closer and leaned over to watch as she used her dagger to slice the sac open. A foul smelling blackish-green fluid poured from the sac.

"What the hell is that smell?" The smell was horrid, like rotting flesh and pure evil if one could name the odor. The men choked as they tried to breath. Mark staggered over to a wall and punched a button. The sound of fans kicking on filled the air as fresh air replaced the foul. It was something that he never wanted to smell again for as long as he lived.

"Be glad the smell is all you are suffering from," Kara intoned levelly as she poked her fingers into the liquid. "This stuff is very toxic, so take care never to touch the sac or its contents as it can be absorbed through the skin."

They stared in shock at her words, here she was telling them it was deadly to touch, yet she had her hand in it. Kara raised her hand and showed them a small black stone gripped in her fingers. "This is what I am after. Each beast carries one in it's venom sac. It prevents their own poisons from killing them and each other."

Mark gestured towards the bowl of venom, "If that stuff is as dangerous as you claim it to be, then how come you were touching it?"

Kara reached up and pulled the strap of her top aside, exposing her entire shoulder. Where the strap had been they saw a razor thin scar only a few inches long running across her skin just a tiny space away from her clavicle. "I have one of the stones implanted within me. It affords me the same protection that it does the Plaguebacks." She slipped the stone into a pouch at her waist and turned back to the remains. Picking up her dagger, she wiped it clean and slipped it back into her boot.

They watched as she picked up the remains and headed back down the ramp. Following her, they waited as she dropped the head a little ways from the edge of the woods and stepped back, muttering under her breath. The remains began smoking before suddenly bursting into flames. Less than an instant later, nothing remained but a pile of ash to be carried away by the winds. Kara turned and started walking back towards them but stopped suddenly as the crystal in her headpiece glowed softly and she closed her eyes. After a moment she nodded and opened her eyes to find them staring at her again.

"Come. His Majesty wishes to meet with you."

"Huh?" Logan looked around the area before turning his blue eyes back on her.

"King Jareth. He rules the Labyrinth and the Goblin Kingdom." She blinked at the disbelieving looks they gave her.

"Goblins?" Mark's eyes were wide and he laughed shortly.

"Of course," she tilted her head slightly to study them, "are there no goblins where you are from?"

"Look lady, I don't know who you think you are or what this place is; but goblins are nothing more than myths and fairytales meant to scare little kids." Mark stated and Kara crossed her arms over her chest as she stared back at him.

"Not everything is what it seems. Did you not know that myths, fairytales and legends all have their origins in truth?" She countered calmly.

"She has a point Mark, it's been thought for centuries that legends have some truth to them." Logan intercepted before Mark said anything else to make the woman mad.

"Hokey religions are one thing, but goblins?"

"Enough. The king does not like to be kept waiting. We must go at once." She snapped impatiently. The blood was drying on her, her arm hurt where the Plagueback's claws had raked her and she wanted a bath desperately. She whistled loudly and a horse the color of smoke burst from the trees. Kara approached the horse and stroked it's neck as she whispered in its ear. The horse snorted and turned to look behind it, neighing loudly. Rustling sounded and two more horses appeared. Kara turned back to the men and gestured at the horses. "Come, they will carry us to the castle."

They looked from the woman to the horses and then back to her, uncertainty written across their faces. "You don't expect us to ride those things do you?" The horse beside Kara snorted angrily.

"Mind your words around Zalur. He does not like to be insulted, not for his hard to be insulted." She reached up and patted the muscled neck of the horse before turning and swinging herself lightly onto his back. Mark and Logan looked at each other and Mark grimaced.

"Come on Mark, what harm can it do?" Logan snickered as he tried to jump up on the black mare that approached him. The mare snorted when he slipped half way on. He tried again and made it. She stood quietly as he shifted his weight and found his seat. Mark sighed and approached the other horse. This one was a golden palomino. After a minute of trying, Mark was able to mount the mare and they set off with Kara in the lead.