Slime and Snails
Hoggle led the way as the companions walked down the hall-like passage that Sarah remembered treading on her first visit to the Labyrinth. It was very different from her memory.
Thick yellowish slime oozed down the crumbling brick walls and gathered in stagnant pools on the uneven footpath. The eyeball lichen had been replaced by barbed angry looking red-purple plants. When Sarah got too close to one, she cried out as a dozen of the barbs shot out, digging into the skin.
"Idiot!" Hoggle rushed to her side, using a pair of tweezers to pull the barbs out. "These are bad. They burrow into ya and start cutting ya up from the inside out. Nasty way to go."
Sarah shuddered. "Get it out."
"I'm workin' on it. Hold still."
A few moments later, Hoggle removed the last barb. It had almost disappeared completely into her arm, but he caught the end of it and coaxed it out.
"Thank you," she said, looking at her bloody arm for any signs that a barb might have escaped.
Hoggle gave her a nod. "Th' Labyrin's a lot more dangerous now. Be careful." He took a bandage from a pouch on his belt and wound it around her arm.
They started walking again, staying near the middle of the path. Hoggle picked up a handful of rocks and tossed them at the walls ahead of them, triggering the spiny red-purple plants to fire their barbs before the group got too close.
"Who was that guy? Iribo?" Sarah asked after a while. Every so often, when she was sure the spiny lichen had been disarmed, she reached out to touch the wall. She was looking for the space that the worm had shown her on her last visit.
"Calls 'imself the Demon King," Hoggle said.
"That's it?" she asked after a moment of silence.
"He came 'ere a few months after you left," Hoggle continued. "Jareth 'ad disappeared an' th' Labyrinth was a mess. Monsters running everywhere, th' Bog growing and smelling the place up. Iribo said ee'd bring order back to th' Labyrinth. Most folks was happy to have someone in charge again. But then strange things started happenin'. Th' Bog stopped smellin' and started eatin' people. New monsters appeared, an' th' Labyrinth started to decay."
"A few of us rode to the castle to ask the Demon King to leave," said Sir Didymus, "but he killed most of that brave company. No one has dared go back to the castle since."
"Labyrinth scawee," Ludo rumbled.
Sarah reached over and patted his massive hand. He smiled at her.
"Now that thou hast returned fair maiden, I believe we have a chance to defeat this usurper and restore the Goblin King to his throne," said Sir Didymus.
Sarah nodded thoughtfully as she digested this new information. So this 'Demon King' character had taken over Jareth's kingdom. And where was Jareth? Why wasn't he here to protect what was his?
She gave a sudden squeak of surprise as her fingers met empty air. She'd found the trick wall.
"What happened?" asked a wide-eyed Hoggle.
"Art thou injured my lady?" asked Sir Didymus.
Ludo just rumbled unhappily.
"I'm alright. Come on," Sarah said as she began walking down the hidden path.
"Whatter you goin' that way for?" Hoggle asked.
Sarah walked back to where she could see her friends. "A little worm told me this was a good way to go last time I was here."
Hoggle bent double and hooted with laughter. Sarah frowned.
"I don't see what's so funny," she said indignantly.
"One of the most harmless creatures in th' Labyrinth," Hoggle said wiping tears from his eyes, "an' 'ee did the most harm." He started laughing again.
Sarah turned to Ludo and Sir Didymus for an explanation.
"The path we're on leads straight to the castle," Sir Didymus said.
Sarah's eyes grew big at the news.
"I'm sure 'ee meant well," Hoggle said as he got himself under control. "We was all scared of Jareth back then an' th' worm wouldn't 'ave sent you straight to 'im out of concern for yer safety."
"Well out of concern for my safety I don't think we should stay on this path," said Sarah.
"What doest thou mean?" asked Sir Didymus.
Sarah pointed and her friends turned. A huge spider had settled in the middle of the passage way that they'd been walking. The spider scuttled toward them, revealing large fangs dripping with poison.
"I like Sarah's way," said Hoggle as he brushed past her.
Sir Didymus stood in his stirrups and brandished his lance at the spider. "Halt, fiend!"
Ludo followed Hoggle's lead and took off down the side passage.
"Ambrosius, come!" Sarah called, following her friends.
She heard Sir Didymus yelp as his faithful steed ran after Sarah.
Iribo appeared in his throne room and collapsed onto his throne.
"Richard!" the Demon King yelled.
A tall man dressed in long grey robes came into the throne room.
"You have need of me, my lord?" the man asked.
"That girl hurt me. I need your healer's skills."
Richard bowed, left the room, and returned a moment later with a black medical bag. He walked to the throne and helped Iribo remove his cloak and shirt. Despite Richard's care, Iribo gasped as the dark-haired man began cleaning the wound. The Demon King looked at his shoulder and cursed. That little witch had really hurt him with the crystal ball.
There was a perfectly round burn mark on his shoulder and it hurt like hell. Usually he could heal wounds in a flash, but this one lingered. He sensed Jareth's power behind the wound. Richard placed a salve over the wound and then a clean bandage. Iribo irritably pulled his shirt back into place and summoned an obsidian scrying orb.
Iribo's mood improved a bit and he smiled. Sarah and her little band were already meeting some new denizens of the Labyrinth. Spiders as large as ponies were chasing the group, herding them toward the enormous queen spider. Richard watched the small group with a small frown on his handsome face. Iribo caught the frown and banished the orb.
"You disapprove of my sport?" the King asked.
"It seems hardly sporting, my lord," Richard said. "A woman, a dwarf, a fox-terrier knight, and a beast against all of your creatures and a corrupted Labyrinth."
Iribo gave Richard a sour look. "When you put it that way it does sound unsporting. However, I don't intend to let Lady Sarah die just yet. She has something to do for me. Something only she can do."
"And that is—"
Iribo tapped the side of his nose with a gloved hand and smiled. "That is my little secret."