A/N: I have edited Chapter 6 to better lead into 7. If you have not read Chapter 6 in a while, please go back and do so in order to get the full effect. Thanks!

The Castle at the Center of the Labyrinth

Iribo held the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off a headache.

"Richard!" he called.

Richard hurried into the room, Ashley in his arms. The Demon King watched him set the little girl in the pillow lined pit before moving to kneel in front of his lord.

"I know I told you to take the child out of my sight, but I really didn't expect you to take her to her mother."
Iribo's mismatched eyes fixed Richard with a hard stare. The man swallowed nervously and stared at the floor.
"It wasn't my intention to run into Sarah—" Richard began.

"Sarah?" Iribo asked, standing up and pacing the length of the dais. "Sarah? Suddenly you're calling her by her name?"

Richard cringed. "I didn't know her name before. It seemed proper to use it, now that I know."

"It's not necessarily a bad thing that she met you," the Demon King muttered, still pacing and thinking aloud. "She thinks you're her husband and I can use that against her." He stopped and looked down at Richard's kneeling form. "I forbid you to leave the castle again. You will take care of the child and tend to me as I need you, but you will not venture into the Labyrinth again."

Richard bowed. "Yes, my lord."

The castle looks better than it ever did when Jareth ruled, Sarah thought.

If she were truthful with herself, she'd admit she had only seen the throne room and the Escher room, and a few connecting hallways. It was possible that Jareth had kept other portions of the castle in better shape. But she'd bet that it had never looked quite this grand under the Goblin King's rule.

The walls of the hallway Sarah walked along were made of onyx with rubies glittering in the polished black. Even the floor and ceiling were made of onyx. Every surface was so highly polished it was like looking in a mirror. Sarah kept pace with an endless entourage of herself for company.

This had been Jareth's last gift. He'd dropped her in some deserted room of the castle. Sarah had dug frantically into her pocket, looking for the crystal orb when she first woke. When she'd pulled it out, it was the size of a pea. That terrified her. Was this all the power Jareth had left to fight Iribo with?

She wasn't sure what to do. Should she seek out the Demon King? Find a way to let her friends into the castle? Curl up in a corner and cry?

The last option didn't appeal to her. She'd done a lot of crying since Richard died, and she was determined to stop. No more crying, she told herself firmly.

Sarah peeked into a couple of the rooms along the hallway, since it didn't show signs of ending anytime soon. The rooms were mostly empty, though a few held sheet-draped furniture. Once, her heart had nearly jumped out of her chest when she spotted a pale face staring back at her, but a moment later she'd realized it was only a mirror.

"What an empty, lonely place. Was it like this for you, Jareth? Did you ever hold balls and feasts, or did you just brood here with only your goblins for company?"

"So, she's finally come," Iribo murmured. "Is this your doing, Jareth?"

Around him, his demons hissed and snarled, a seething mass of living shadows.

Iribo formed an onyx globe on his gloved fingertips and stared into the depths. Sarah's face appeared. She looked unconcerned; even curious.

"Where do you find such resolve?" he mused.

"Eat her," the demons hissed. "Crush her. Doom her."

The Demon King waved their words away. His smile melted into thin-lipped irritation. "I think one final illusion. I grow weary of our games."

He cupped the orb close to his mouth and whispered, then opened his hands. The orb hovered before him for a moment, then whizzed away into the castle.

Ahead, Sarah heard faint music. There was something familiar about the melody. She hummed absently as she walked, trying to find which room the music was coming from. She didn't notice the black orb suspended a few feet above her head.

The door from behind which the music emanated was white oak, inlaid with gold and mother of pearl. It was almost blinding set in the obsidian walls. The ornate golden doorknob looked like an owl's head. The open beak was a large keyhole and when Sarah crouched down, she could peer through it.

The room was full of people, apparently having a party. Women in long frilly dresses, and men in tight breaches and frock coats wore masks and danced around the room. They all seemed to be having a wonderful time, and Sarah found she ached to join them. She backed away from the door, rubbing her arms as a sudden chill hit her. What was she doing, longing to go to a party in enemy territory? She should move on. She had to find Ashley and Richard, and confront Iribo.

Unnoticed, the black orb floated closer, settling on Sarah's shoulder just out of her peripheral vision.

She moved back to peek through the keyhole again. Maybe Iribo was in the room. Would she be safer entering a room full of people with him, or should she confront him alone?

A flash of silver caught Sarah's eye. A young woman with dark hair in a mass of soft curls moved through the crowd. Ribbons of silver and pearls were threaded through her hair and a snowy owl mask hid her face.

There wasn't a mask last time, she thought. Then she shook her head. What was she thinking? Last time? She'd never been to a party this fancy—had she?

The young woman in the owl mask hurried around the ball room, trying to find someone. Her date? Her lover?

And then Sarah saw him, pressed between two women who hung on him adoringly. His golden locks tinted with purple and green. His green and blue eyes glinting mischievously.

Sarah flung the door open.

"Jareth!"

The crowd of dancers stopped and stared at her. Sarah felt her cheeks heat and stared down at the black and red ball gown she wore, picking at a beaded pattern with a silk-gloved finger.

"Sorry," she mumbled and moved to an inconspicuous place near the wall.

The music struck up again, and soon the crowd was laughing and dancing, her outburst forgotten. Sarah looked around for the man she'd spotted. She couldn't see him anymore. Who had he been anyway, and why had she reacted so strongly?

"May I have this dance?" a voice asked next to her ear.

Sarah turned, finding her gaze captured by a handsome man in a devilish mask. Ivory ram horns pushed through his red streaked black hair to curl around his ears. The eyes behind the mask seemed to shift from warm brown to burning red. She thought his eyes should have frightened her, but she was only intrigued.

"I'd be honored," she said, offering her hand.

Her mysterious partner pulled her close and swept her out onto the dance floor. She knew the grin on her face was far from demure but she didn't care. Her partner was handsome and an amazing dancer, and she saw several of the women giving her envious looks.

"You are beautiful, Sarah," her partner whispered in her ear. "Enchanting."

"You have me at a disadvantage, sir," she said breathlessly. "You know my name, but I don't know yours."

"Iribo," came the seductive murmur. Warm lips brushed her neck.

Sarah shivered and closed her eyes as he spun her gracefully across the floor. She didn't know how long they wove their way through the other dancers. One song flowed into the next and into the next and so on, until she lost all sense of time and place. All she knew was the feel of Iribo's arms around her, and his voice humming in her ear.

When she opened her eyes again, they were in a dim alcove, away from the other dancers. Iribo spun her out to arm's length then pulled her to him, her back against his chest. His arms went around her waist, and she laid her head against his shoulder.

"Look," he said.

Sarah looked. There was a mirror in front of them, and she had a chance to see her mask. It was black with ruby chips around the edges. Diamond shards circled the eye holes, and from the brow rose a slender, spiraled, ivory horn.

"I'm a unicorn?"

"You are the maiden who tempts the unicorn," Iribo murmured in her ear. "The sweet nectar that calls to the honeybee. You are so tempting, sweet Sarah."

She turned in his arms, her eyes searching his. "And what are you?"

He smiled, flashing his teeth, and said, "The sleeper who dreams the nightmare."

His words made her shiver, but not with the sensuous arousal she'd felt before. There was something dark and hungry in his voice. She turned away from him and took a step toward the mirror. He let her go.

A thought niggled at the back of her mind. She'd been looking for something. For someone. She didn't have time to dance and flirt. Sarah stepped closer to the mirror and a sparkle at her throat caught her eye. Around her neck hung a fine gold chain from which dangled a pendant. A golden owl's claw clutching a tiny crystal ball.

"Stay with me, Sarah," Iribo whispered in her ear.

"What do you offer me?" she asked.

This situation felt so familiar. Hadn't another king offered her everything he had, everything he was, if she would but worship him?

She stared deeper into the mirror. Out on the dance floor, a couple caught her eye. A tall man with blond hair dressed in a violet jacket with a silk cravat at his throat, and his partner, a young woman in white and silver. Sarah felt a sudden stab of envy at the adoration on their faces as they stared at each other.

"I had that once," she murmured. "Didn't I?"

She reached up to touch the mirror, but Iribo caught her hand.

"You can have that again. The affection. The devotion. Just say you'll stay with me. Be my queen, and I'll give you everything your heart desires."

Sarah's gaze refocused on Iribo standing behind her. His hand slid across her stomach as the other came up to caress her cheek.

"Say the words, Sarah." His lips brushed her ear. "Give yourself to me."

The pendant at her throat flashed, and words filled her head.

Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered . . .

"No!" Iribo let her go and jumped back as if she'd burned him. "Not those words!"

She stared at his reflection; his face—suddenly unmasked—twisted in rage and horror.

I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City . . .

Around her, the ballroom began to crumble, like a sandcastle caught in the rising tide. The dancers stood frozen, turned to stone. The bright decorations were dull and lifeless grey.

"This is your last chance, Sarah," Iribo said. "If you finish the words—"

To take back the child . . .

"—You'll never see your daughter again."

Sarah's hand flew to her throat, closing around the crystal ball pendant; the light it gave off, snuffed by her black-gloved hand.

"Give me my daughter," Sarah whispered.

Iribo smiled, and Sarah whirled to face him. Behind the Demon King stood Richard, holding Ashley in his arms. Around them shadows with red eyes and white fangs writhed and slithered. Sarah bit back a whimper.

"Give me the pendant, Sarah," Iribo said. "I'll give you your husband and daughter. You can stay here, or go back to your home. It's your choice. Just give me the crystal."

Sarah jerked on the pendant, snapping the golden chain. She looked at the crystal. It glowed warmly, seeming to promise safety. Her eyes flicked back to Iribo and beyond him, her family.

Trust me, Sarah, Jareth's voice whispered in her ear.

Sarah held out her hand, palm up, the crystal resting in her palm

Iribo grinned and walked toward her, reaching.

"You have no power over me," she said.

Iribo's eyes flew wide. "No!"

Sarah flung the crystal against the unforgiving flagstones of the floor, where it shattered.

Blinding white light ignited the room and screams filled the air.