In case you were wondering, yes, this story has been posted before (twice, actually) but after a two year hiatus, I feel it's only fair to give it one more shot. If it doesn't make it this time… Well, let's just say I hope that won't happen. Enjoy, and I hope this time it'll be complete.
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The Opposing PawnWritten by Omega
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Chapter One The Eyes of an Omen"The time is nigh…" The old voice hissed as its withered hands slowly encircled the glowing crystal ball. "In his weakened state, is he…and un-expecting. Act now you will, my Lord. Ask for a better chance, you can not."
"I know it is, old woman." The man in heavy black armor retorted harshly, watching her as her long bony fingers grazed the flawless crystal surface. He adjusted his heavy iron gauntlets, the knuckles studded with spikes. "He has been in his bloody depression for the past six human years. Oh, how long I have been waiting for this night. By the next moon…the Underground shall be mine. Raiven!"
Something light and fast darted among the high rafters of the circular tower-room, as dark as the shadows themselves before letting itself fall to the ground. It sank to its knees, one taloned hand pressed to its chest, head bowed so low to the ground that the black hair brushed the stones. "Yes, my lord…" the man hissed, his voice delicate, whispery.
"You know what to do. Find the girl and bring her to me."
"Yes, your highness." Raiven licked his lips anxiously, and in a swirl of black feathers, he was gone.
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Sarah Williams shivered as she gazed out the window. Normally, she was never too fond of storms – especially the ones with flashing lightning and growling thunder – but there was something about tonight that made her particularly anxious. It felt like that night six years ago…almost. Almost like the night that she wished her baby brother away to the Goblin Kingdom. Six years since she had to rescue him from the Goblin King, Jareth. Six years since she said those words…
She shook the thought away, her dark hair slapping across her face, and drew the blanket closer around her shoulders, turning her eyes back to the raging storm that was kept at distance from the other side of the window. No, she would not think about him tonight. The storm was troubling her enough. Life was troubling her enough.
She had spoken to Karen earlier that day, before the storm swelled into the howling monster that it was now. It had been the same conversation all over again. It always started with Karen telling her that her father was concerned with Sarah's slipping grades in school. She knew he really wasn't concerned about her. At twenty-one, she still did not have the resources to support herself through college, and so her father had agreed to pay for half of her education as long as she pulled a job and passing grades. He was not concerned about her success. He was more upset at the danger of loosing three years worth of cash if she failed…
Then it was Karen's turn to nag. Her badgering was much more annoying and by far more pointless. When are you going to meet a man, Sarah? When are you going to invite him over for dinner? Or, better yet, why don't you have us over at your place for a change instead of always showing up here looking for a free handout? Sarah had learned a while back the sever consequences of hanging up on Karen if she was not through talking, so now she was forced to sit there in a catatonic state until her stepmother exhausted herself, no matter how badly it felt like her ears were bleeding at the end of her rant.
This was all piled on top of the filth she went through at school. Classes were terribly boring and felt meaningless. All of them, including her much-anticipated acting classes. Nothing but meaningless exercises and brain-rotting group presentations, forced to act out meaningless bits with people who did not have a talented bone in their bodies. Pile this on top of her so-called "friends", who spent an hour today degrading her – loudly – when they found the Faery and Fae-folk reference book in her backpack.
"Grow up Sarah." They told her. "You're too old for faery tales. Stop chasing around such meaningless dreams. Stop acting like such a child."
Dreams…When was the last time she dreamed? The last time she really dreamed? The last time she completely succumbed to her daydreams and fantasies, and lost herself for hours within the world that she could never have?
It felt as if she was loosing her dreams.
Ever since she said those words…
Stop that!They're right. You are a child. Look at you. Twenty-one years old and you still fantasize about something that is done and over with. He was defeated. Toby's safe, now and forever. Move on and forget about it!
Lightning flared again, closely followed by a peal of thunder, drawing her attention back to the squall on the other side of the glass and stucco walls of her apartment.
There was something about this storm…something that chilled her to the marrow of her bones. Tonight seemed darker, ominous. A heavy feeling of dread and foreboding was floating around her head like some dark halo. Staring out into the lashing rain, the bending sway of the trees outside of her apartment only intensified the feeling.
It was one of those feelings that one got when something bad was going to happen, something unpleasant, as if she was stuck within the beginning of some bad horror movie.
And of course, everything had gone from bad to worse, Sarah thought with a grimace, her full lips turning down. The power had already gone out long ago. The few dozen candles that she had lit around her living room had not done much to keep the darkness at bay. Then the phone lines went out, which meant that she had no one to talk to, to keep her mind off the storm. Something inside urged to go to bed, telling her that she would feel better in bed…but the thought made her uneasy. Most of the time she stayed awake during a storm, even if it meant having to stay awake all night. She was not afraid of the storm. It was just the sensation of something unpleasant crawling up between her shoulder blades that kept her awake, as if there was something in the dark waiting her to close her eyes…
But she knew what her uneasiness really came from. It was the fear of an un-expected visit for a certain radiant Goblin King.
Tonight, though…it felt that if she let her eyes drift close, if even for a second, something else would slink out of the shadows to pull her back into a world of everlasting darkness…
Something scratched at the window, making Sarah's head snap up, her heart pounding painfully behind her ribs. Her eyes were wild as she peered out the rain-streaked glass, looking for the source of the sound.
With a nervous laugh, Sarah forced herself to relax and turn away from the window. "I'm being ridiculous." She said aloud. Her voice was loud and awkward in the silence that had once cloaked her apartment, but it made her feel better, stronger. "Maybe I should just take some Tylenol PM and go to bed…"
The scratching came again.
Sarah stiffened at the sound.
Don't turn around. You're only working yourself up more than need be. Just keep walking, go to bed…
She was not sure what it was that made her turn around, but she did it anyway.
And nearly screamed in surprise as lightning cracked.
Sitting on the flower box outside her window was a large black raven, staring at her.
The sudden famous story came to mind. "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary…" A sudden cold sweat broke out on Sarah's brow that made her pause. What was so afraid of? It was just a raven, sitting on her flower box, the rain sliding off its slick feathers, those dead black eyes that reflect no light or cast no reflection staring at her…as if it knew something that she did not…
Suddenly the raven took flight, hovered in the air, and dove into her window.
Sarah did scream this time as broken glass rained down around her, cutting at her face, knocking her backwards. God, that thing was in her house! What should she do? Call the police? The animal control? Chase it out with a broom? She opened her eyes, finding herself on the floor, and was about to get up to look for the nearest batting tool when a dark shadow crossed the floor in a flash of lightning.
It felt as if Sarah's heart froze in her chest as she followed the shadow back to a pair of booted feet, dark leggings, a long black cloak with feathered hems and neck, up to a deathly white face framed by fine, silken black hair. His eyes…there was something unsettling about his eyes, as if having a strange man standing in her living room was not strange enough. They were the same eyes as the raven.
Then he smiled, showing perfect white teeth.
"Hello, Sarah." He said smoothly, almost sweetly.
The world suddenly went dark.