AN: yeah an evil ending, I know I know, but it'll all make sense in the end, I promise.
Also I'm sorry if any of you find my deviating from a pure j/s story, I personally enjoy a larger cast and broader world, and that is what I writhe.
Chapter: 53 By My Will and Word.
The first glow of cold winter light peaked through the heavy brocade curtains, to cross the red and green tiled floor and wash across the pair sleeping peacefully in the massive jumble of fur. Pale flaxen hair mingled with midnight locks creating a pattern of shadows and light that shifted and moved ever so slightly with each deep sleeping breath. Just looking at them now no one would ever believe that they held the power of life and death in their entwined hands. No one would think that blood had been spilled for them to lie here slowly waking up as the cold light entered their dreams, heralding the dawn of an utterly new day.
Shuddering as if cold, the pale king drew his dark queen even closer, pressing their lips together in a kiss laced with passion and pain. Holding her captive with his tortured gaze Jareth murmured quietly: "I thought that I had lost you.. I thought..."
Her hand still held a faint trace of deaths bitter cold, as she cupped his cheek and smiled a soft sad smile: "You almost did... I was there, at the gate... I saw my family and I saw the glory of the next realm."
Her lips were soft as she rose up to kiss him and stroke her fingers through his wild hair. Like the kiss that had woken her this one was full of emotions, there was joy, and relief in it, but also fear, and she could not stop scalding crystal tears from spilling as she savoured the taste and feel of his lips against hers. She had been so close to losing it all, she had done it willingly to save Jareth and their world. And given a choice she would have made the same decision, yet that did not make her any less grateful as she melted into him letting their joined relief find a physical release.
He fought for you, her soul sang, he fought just as you did, and he won.
He won, and now they would fight on together, and they would win she knew that deep in the pit of her raw and vulnerable soul. There was no other choice, death was too horrible a possibility.
Pulling back a little Sarah gazed up into his painfully naked eyes: "But I couldn't stay there, not when I felt you calling me. We are two side of the same coin, you and I. We can't live without each other, so I had to come back to you."
Tears glistened in the corners of his eyes as he whispered brokenly: "I would have had no choice but to go on without you, but it would not have been a life. It would have been a punishment worse than any Titania could have ever devised. And one that I could never escape..."
"I know... ": Reaching up she softly wiped the tears away before they could fall and flashed him a loving smile: "But it's over now and nothing is going to separate us again. Ever."
The haunted light remained yet a faint ghost of a smile curled his lips as he nodded: "As you command my queen, and may the great mother hear you."
"Yeah, she owes us for all this..."
They stayed in their warm nest for as long as they dared, just holding on to each others warm bodies. But the drain of the dying realm drove them from their sanctuary and saw them gliding through the silent predawn of the still sleeping village more like ghost than conquering rulers returning to their thrones. But how they looked was the farthest thing from their minds, as they entered the wide garden passages surrounding the village of her salvation. Gone was the warm vapours that had given the area it's emerald glow, and in it's place hung a frigid fog. Crystals of ice clung to even the tiniest leaf, robbing them their life as the dying magic cooled the hot springs that had sustained them.
Clamping her hand to her mouth Sarah stifled a shocked outcry as she took in the dying plants: "Oh Goddess the drain has sped up. Look at this, they are dying..."
Stepping up to the wall Jareth's face was an unreadable mask as he pulled his black leather glove from his hand and caressed a quickly withering vine still bearing a crop of shrivelled green grape: "Yes everything has a price... What I did this night. Yes the ritual of blood generated an immense cash of power, but also... It sped up the plants magical metabolism."
Reaching up he gently plucked a bunch cradling them in his naked hand as he turned to level dark eyes on her: "What I did for us will cost our Kingdom dearly if we do not succeed... We no longer have days to reach the summoning stone we have today. No more."
Her stomach clenched in terror as the price of her life suddenly slammed home. He had offered not just a single life but every life bound to this realm as a price for her life. He had offered it all. Her mouth fell open as she was preparing to scream at him to berate him for his foolish and egoistic choice, because how dare he put such a price on her life, how dare he risk so much for so little. How... And yet she knew. She knew why, because without her he was just one side of the coin, he was light and he needed her darkness her side of their coin to be able to do what had to be done. And seen in that light his choice made perfect sense. Even if it accelerated the death they were running to prevent.
Meeting his crystalline eye's Sarah let her understanding and acceptance of the situation show: "Okay then what do we do? We are too far from the great plaza to reach it that quickly by foot and we have no horses."
"No": He agreed as a thoughtful frown furrowed his brow: "We do not. But we may have something even better, if more dangerous."
"Dangerous? How so?"
Pointing to the rapidly cooling stones beneath their feet Jareth said: "Below us runs a warren of tunnels, these tunnels are inhabited by all manners of fire dwelling beings. From salamanders to what you would label as hell hounds, and dragons. Some are sweet and playful spirits who wishes no harm on anyone, others are cold and cruel wanting nothing as much as to see the world engulfed in fire."
Looking nervous Sarah liked her lips: "Okay and you want us down there why?"
"Because those tunnels run through the Labyrinth like spokes through a wheel. And they will provide us with a straight path to the great plaza. But they are dangerous most especially to you. I cannot be touched by flames, but you can . You could burn if we encounter the wrong kind of beast down there. And after what I just went through to keep you with me I..."
His words caught in his throat forcing him to fall silent as Sarah digested the risk she was about to face. If they fucked this up then everything that Jareth had sacrificed to save her would be worse than in vain, it would be the nail that sealed the coffin on an entire realm. But what else could they do? The other roads would take too long, effectively removing them from the equation. No the decision was already made, and they just had to roll with it.
"Yeah we have no other options, so we just gotta run with this.. So how do we get down there?"
"Well that at least is not hard. We enter through a vent. Once we are down there we simply have to follow the tunnel to the end": A thousand thoughts flowed through the depths of his eyes until a steely determination won out and made him stand tall and proud: "Then we have to leave now. And may the goddess grant us the mercy we need."
Finding a vent was easier than Sarah had expected it to be, and so was getting down through its jagged tear and into the surprisingly wet and humid tunnel below. As for that it was all that Sarah had expected, but that was where it ended.
The tunnel was wider that she had thought it would be and it was not hewn through coarse dull stone, or even dark soil, no. Instead it seemed to have been melted through jet black obsidian in the same way as water melted through solid glaciers creating magical flowing shapes. Turning slowly she let her fingers glide over the mirror smooth surface as she took in the sheer alien beauty of the strange place, and it's black ice world.
"Wow this is so not what I was expecting, it's so beautiful. But it looks like water made these tunnels, and not fire..."
"Well in a way you are right, fire can act in much the same way as water. It depends on the pressure and nature of the fuel, giving it life. And yes these tunnels do look like ice caves. But come we must hurry even by these paths it will take us most of the day to reach our goal.
Nodding as he tugged gently on her hand, Sarah simple followed him as he set off. At first the tunnels were cold and moist, making their footing precarious and causing them to slide every so often. But that changed as Jareth lead them further and further into the growing darkness, and the cold moist air turned warm and dry. It didn't take more than an hour, before they had both shed their heavy outer layers, leaving only the thinner and much cooler linen layer they had both opted for. Yes it was dangerous to forgo the protection of their leathers but dropping with heat exhaustion wouldn't exactly be beneficial either, so linens it was. And Sarah had to admit that the sight of Jareth in fitted dark brown linen pants and a white frilly shirt didn't bother her at all.
They had walked barely two hours, when the first signs that they were not alone appeared. At first it was a change in the atmosphere the air though no dryer seemed strangely dead and the russet fairy light felt dimmer. Pausing Jareth pressed his hand against the blackened wall and closed his eyes as a concentrated frown creased his forehead.
"What's wrong? Is it a dragon?"
Keeping his eyes closed Jareth shook his head lightly: "No It's... possibly better, but just as dangerous."
A faint shiver raced up Sarah's spine at the mentioning of danger, hadn't they faced enough already?: "Dangerous, how so?"
Opening his bicoloured eyes slowly Jareth breathed: "The Fire spirits."
"Fire spirits? ": The question was clear in her voice as she craned her neck to see what had Jareth thinking that they were about to run into any kind of spirits...
"Yes": Letting his hand drop, he sighed and turned to face her: "The Fire spirits are incorporeal beings who assume a firey form. They are capricious and mercurial at best and downright cruel at worst. But they are beings of magic, and they will have realized what is about to happen to our realm. And that is what may prove to be our salvation..."
Running his hand over his sweat beaded brow, Jareth continued: "If the spirits ahead are still able to see reason then they are able to help us reach the great plaza far faster than we can hope to do it ourselves. But if they have been driven mad by the drain then they may very likely unleash a terrible conflagration upon us, burning all our hopes of salvation to blackened cinders.
"Okay...": She might look calm on the surface, but the thought of dying in a sudden flash of fire had her truly shaken. And that fear caused her to scan Jareth's seemingly calm expression for any sign of the terror that she knew he had to feel at the thought of a fiery death.
"Jareth?"
"What? Are you concerned that the prospect of dying in the flaming embrace of an elemental force will cause me to be less than I am, that it will make me hesitate?": There was a strange dark determination in his eyes as he spoke: "Well it will not, I have conquered that fear, and I will do what must be done to save this realm, now that may require me to say or do things that you may not understand or condone, but I will need you to trust me, even when you do not see the method behind my madness... Can you promise this?"
Trust, after all that they had gone through together, this was what he asked for trust? As if he didn't already have that and more. Facing him completely Sarah smiled softly at his worried frown: "After all these trials you ask for my trust? Really Jareth? That is the dumbest thing I've heard from you in a few months. Of course I trust you, you idiot. Now lead the way we have come too far to stop now."
His frown turned into a grateful smile as he nodded: "Yes you are right, let us tarry no longer."
The tunnel turned in a sharp ninety degree bend before narrowing to a mere three feet wide and eight feet tall. And as if the claustrophobic confines of the tunnel wasn't enough, then there was the heat, oh sweet goddess, the heat. Waves of desiccating desert heat rolled over them, making their eyes burn and water at the same time and forcing them to match their breath to its punishing roll.
Sweat rolled of them both as they pushed on in strained silence while the seconds stretched into infinity and the heat soared until each breath felt like molten iron in his chest, and panic nipped at the edges of his conscious mind, as a far to familiar voice laughed softly: "The fire warms good yes, have you learned yet hmm? To keep them mongrel eyes open? Hmm No? Well fire will teach you, yes Fire! Now you hang and think yes, think and scream..."
"Jareth? Sweet goddess your are shaking! Jareth please answer me, Jareth what's going on? Jareth!"
Her hands were cool against the flaming heat of his cheeks as he blinked tear-filled eyes that felt strangely dry, trying to regain a focus that he had not realized that he had lost.
"Sarah? ": His hand trembled as he gripped her slender fingers pressing them firmly against his cheek as he drew in the softly floral scent of her skin: "I...what? "
"You fell! You just dropped and started whimpering, damn it Jareth what happened?"
"I... The heat it felt... It felt like it was burning me and that...": Sitting up he rubbed his face, momentarily hiding his haunted eyes from sight: "I am not as strong as I thought I was... Fire, even just the thought of it still has a hold of me. A strong one."
Her voice was soft as she gently pulled his surprisingly cold hands away from his face: "If you can't do this Jareth then I'll do it, or we can find another way. We don't have to ask these creatures if they are that terrifying to you, we can do it without..."
"No."
Just one word but with it he reclaimed his strength and reformed his shattered pride as he straightened and looked her straight in the eye.: "No we continue, for each moment we tarry another soul is put in jeopardy. And I will not allow my irrational fear to do that. I am their king Sarah and as such I do not have the luxury of bowing to my personal fear. So no we push on. We need their help, and the time that they can grant us...And what is more, I owe them a debt"
Squeezing her hand softly he flashed her a pale but determined smile before pushing up from the warm stone, pulling her with him.
"Come our time is wasting."
Taking those last few steps around the last bend was more difficult than Jareth would ever admit out loud, not that he would ever have to. No her soft warm hand in his was all the sign he needed that she saw and understood, and that she would always would be by his side, no matter how dangerous the path.
And it was a support that Jareth needed more than he would ever admit out loud. As the tunnel suddenly flared out, becoming a vast cave bathed in the flickering light from the vast pools of fire that filled close to a third of the room. Drawing in a deep breath he slipped on the mask of goblin king and with a last reassuring squeeze of her hand he released her, and strode down the wide slope that lead to a raised central dais, calling out: "Sisters of fire heed me and come now as I call you in this hour of need."
At first his words were meet by a booming silence, then the already rolling fire seemed to come alive as three soft disembodied voices echoed around the cave.
"Great king... you call and we come... Sssspeak tell usss what you neeed.."
The churning of the flames grew more intense and almost frantic as three strangely broken female forms rose from the inferno, to stand with heads bowed as they held their chained hand demurely in front of them.
"Sisters of my soul I come to ask a great service and to right a horrific wrong. Come to me that I may undo the chains that have held you here for so long."
"Undo? Brother?": It was like watching a mirror image as the three forms simultaneously looked at him with a desperate hope in their identical faces: "Is this truly you? Have you at long last shed the web that dimmed thy fire? Brother how?"
A pained look darkened his markings as he reached into the flames to cup the face of the female in the middle: "I... I... Can you ever forgive me? Because of my weakness you have not seen the sky in neigh on two thousand years. My weakness trapped you here in dank darkness. I caused you hurt that I have yet to alleviate and yet I stand here about to as you to risk your lives... Fiora.. Please"
"No My lord, brother": It seemed strange to Sarah to say that she saw emotions on a face that was composed entirely out of reddish golden flames, but regardless of that there was no doubt that both resignation and determination warred with sadness and fear as she continued: "Ask not for our forgiveness, there is nothing to forgive. Your actions were not your own, your mind enslaved by the gossamer witch. But now..."
Beaming up at him she covered his hand with her own, ignoring the tightness in his shoulders: "You are once more free and we will do anything that you ask of us... Anything."
Hiding the sharp stab of panic that flared through him as the flaming hand of Fiora enclosed his, behind a slightly wilted smile Jareth mobilized his tattered self confidence and pushed on: "You may wish to say no once you hear my request."
Letting her hand fall, mercifully releasing his, Fiora nodded: "Very well if it is your desire then we will hear you out.."
Trying to keep his panic from manifesting in a trembling hand, Jareth let it fall and stepped back enough that his pulse settled down a little before he spoke: "I need your wings..."
"Our wings? But that may..."
"Yes I know, but if we do not reach the summoning stone before sundown then we all will perish. Our realm will die and the realms that we were born to keep separated and safe will once again merge into one."
The three moved as one their shackled hands covering their crooked fang filled mouthed as they stared at him in wide-eyed horror filled confusion: "No."
Shaking their heads in denial the three said: "No this cannot be so... You lie."
There was such sadness in his voice that even the terror the three elemental beings felt had to flee before it: "But it is, Titania and Oberon tried to end my life first by magic and when that failed then poisonous iron and a cold blade..."
Pulling his left sleeve up Jareth bared his prosthesis to the flickering light, setting the inlaid gold ablaze: "This was the price paid for my survival. Titania poured liquid iron down my throat, and Sarah was forced to cut off my hand to save my life. The pain..."
Drawing in a deep shuddering breath Jareth let his gaze drop to the twirling lake of fire at the women's feet as he struggled not to dwell on the remembered pain. Then after what felt like years of struggling he released the air from his lungs and looked back up at Fiora: "If there was another way I would chose that but we have no time..."
A grim look of resignation darkened the alien females face much like a fire burning low, as they let his words sink in and their gravity fully register: "The damage runsss thissss deep?"
Nodding Jareth answered simply: "Yes."
"And there is no other way, no miracle that may save us barre this? "
"No": Great goddess of mercy but he wanted that to not be true. Because to free them only to risk their lives seemed too cruel, yet that did not change the reality of the situation and what he had to do to save the realm: "You are our only hope if we are to undo the damage wrought by those who betrayed us. And I though I can simply take what I need, I will not deprive you of choice as I was. "
"Would you allow this realm to perish? Allow every soul bound to us to pass through the veil instead of simply taking that which you need from a single being ": All three fiery women cocked their head and frowned in identical expressions of disbelief: "Truly?"
Nodding slowly Jareth answered: "Yes, being released from the web has opened my eyes in more ways than one. And as I said I will not rob another being of choice."
The three nodded in unison yet only Fiora spoke as the two other females folded into themselves seemingly turning liquid and melting into the fire from where they had emerged: "Then take what you need and save our realm. And we will pray to the great mother that we too will see the great wonders that you will bring."
The chains around her wrists jingled ever so slightly as she held them out to him with a soft smile on her face: "Please if I am to die, then at lest let it be in freedom."
"Of course": Passing his hand over the coarse metal Jareth simply willed it out of existence, making the metal dissolve into blue and gold dust: "There, the chains are no more, you are free now in every way..."
"Thank you brother, and now."
It would never cease to surprise Sarah how little ceremony there was to the truly powerful magic of the underground. It always seemed that something was missing when monumental magic was done without some sort of ceremony or rite. And it was the same as Fiora held up her elongated hands and made the fire that made up her form grow wild and uncontrolled as the flames surrounding her rose up like huge serpents wrapping around both Sarah and Jareth before they had the slightest chance to utter a word of protest. Not that either of them had the presence of mind to notice the lack of ceremony as their bodies began to glow and lose their integrity.
Fire erupted through their skin as if they were burning yet there was no pain nor heat. Just flames that seemed to make up everything, not just their bodies. But the walls of the cavern and the air that filled their lungs. Everything.
And with that fire came power, raw primal power born in the first fire lit by man. Power so strong that the reddish gold flame of it eclipsed the light of their cores and swelled their bodies until they were not just two beings but every fire and spark ever lit in the darkness. They were the fire that dwelled inside every goblin and monster born or brought to this realm. Their essence spread out to cover every life in the realm as the siren song of the newborn stars drew them up through the clouds of the ever changing Labyrinthian sky, up and into the cauldron of Gaia, the birthplace of every planet and star of every realm and world. Up they rose, higher and higher as the song of the new worlds and their fledgling flames lured them further away from the heat of their own realm...
The space around them sang with their power and yet it felt lesser and colder the further they moved. Gone was the familiar hum of life, the soft call of every heart bound to them, and the absence left their twin souls cold with longing.
There were no words between them only a single burning need, that filled them until there was room for nothing else in their eternal bodies.
Wings bust forth as they became phoenix's destined to see their realm reborn, speeding back guided by the song of their home.
One moment they were streaks of living fire the next they burst through the winter clouds cradling the intricate curves of the Labyrinth, to speed along its winding paths with only one goal in their minds. The stone of summoning, resting at a magical linchpin. The one place from where this war could be stopped with a minimum of bloodshed.
The plaza teemed with life thousands of souls born of another realm, all ready to follow the orders of a king that would mean the death of millions. And yet not one realized that the war was over.
Fire erupted around them like an explosion as two bodies reformed at the very centre of the stone. Two gods from an ancient past. Jareth stood tall his tattered cloak of shimmering midnight blue billowing out as his voice filled not only the plaza but the minds of every sentient being within the Labyrinth and the realms of the underground.
"STOP! I will have NO MORE BLOODSHED! By my word and the power of this realm I bind you all to my will... No weapon will be raised no spell be spoken against any denizen of the underground save those I name."
The words moved like ghosts in the night, gripping the will of every being forcing them to stillness as their king spoke. Swords and axes. Spears and guns clattering to the frozen blood soiled ground as their wielders found themselves bound to a far greater will than their own. For there was no defying the will of the Goblin king. The battle for good or ill was over, yet Jareth was not done, no. The treason committed by Oberon and Titania needed to be addressed too if he was to ensure that this would never happen again.
And so Jareth called: "OBERON! Horned lord of the seelie realm! I call you forth and charge you a breaker of oaths. I challenge you under the old laws of kingship, to answer for the treachery you have committed towards not just me but the entire underground. Oberon I Challenge you to answer with blade and blood. I challenge you to combat... I challenge you for your right to rule... Oberon Forest lord I summon you... Now."
Power surged through their bodies and down into the fabric of the realm itself spreading out like rings in a pond searching of the fey named. And there was no resisting that power as it gripped him without mercy, transporting him through the mists of the veil to stand in the one place he had feared since embarking on this venture.
Turning to face the couple atop the massive stone the horned lord held his head defiantly high ad he sneered: "Had not the ancient spells given your words power I would have given you no more heed than a sting fairy. But as my hands are bound by the spell I have no choice but to accept this pitiful challenge and set terms... By noon in three days we fight here, through strength of arms alone. And he who triumphs shall rule unchallenged and set the fate of the defeated as he wills...
A cold leer spread on Oberon's regal features as he continued: "And The Queen of the defeated shall share his fate..."
The last part had obviously meant to shock Jareth and force him to retract his challenge, and so the almost nonchalant: "Agreed": Left Oberon in stunned silence.
Keeping his voice level Jareth held Oberon's suddenly uncertain gaze as he said: "Now go! Take your troops from this place. We will meet here, three sunrises from now. But know this if any creature lifts a weapon, fist, claw or fang against any being living or dead who calls this realm home, I will make a fearful example of not only them, but you! Keep your hounds on a leash Oberon or I shall draw their claws..."
He was stunned, no other word could describe the open mouthed silence that muted Oberon as Jareth turned to Sarah dismissing the horned lord like one would a servant no longer required.
They remained there still and distant as the Seelie forces rushed about clearing out their camp under the wrathful command of Oberon. It took barely minutes but as the moons slowly rose they were finally alone.
Alone with the destruction and the dead.
Ice crunched softly underneath his boots as he descended the worn steps. Yes it was darkening yet the goblin king didn't need light to see the piles of mutilated bodies left behind by the Seelie forces. Nor did he want it...
Kneeling in the frozen blood he gently closed the blindly staring eyes of a goblin child no more than 6 years old: "Forgive me Wheeze, I failed you.. but I swear that I will make them pay for every cruelty they have visited upon you. Every single tear will be repaid in kind and your soul will be reborn to a world of happiness and peace... I will make them pay."
Turning haunted eyes up at Sarah Jareth blinked barely holding back stinging tears: "But he will not be the last... Three days is too long, and Oberon knows it! "
Anger burned clear and bright within him shining through his flame red markings as it burned the sorrow away leaving him with nothing but pure anger as he stared blindly at the still boy in front of him: "Even if we could reopen the gates without killing every being bound to us there is no way that we could risk the human world... Great mother what do we do?"
"We open the gates": Kneeling beside Jareth, Sarah gently pulled the boys burned cloak up to cover his still face hiding him from the world that had killed him: "I am as bound to this realm as you are, and it in turn is bound to me, can't you feel it? The change? Yes the glade is destroyed but we do not need it, not anymore ": Her delicate hands moved in quick hypnotic patterns as she called forth a gleaming crystal, and held it forward for him to gaze inside: "Look it's a miniature portal into our world, this is our glade, this virgin world can filter the raw magic and more than that it can pour fourth its own magic which need no filtering. Come."
Grabbing his hands she had them pressed against the orb before he could even formulate a response as to why this would not work. Looking up Jareth tried to speak but the sheer strength of the magic held within the deceptively fragile looking object stole his breath and any objections he might have had leaving him to simply nod his agreement.
Relief tinged with fear cast Sarah's markings in a dull greyish gold and before Jareth had any chance to reconsider she said: "Then let magic once more fill this realm with life ": As she ripped the flimsy veil between the worlds open.
To close the gates had felt like closing a fist in anger, easily done in the heat of her pain. But opening it was like drawing in a deep burning breath after drowning in frigid darkness.
Magic rushed in through the veil washing over and through every being, absorbing into them like water into the sleeping soil after a drought. And like that soil the inhabitants swelled and filled with life and light, a light that filled the realm infusing it with a vibrant hum, like a song half forgotten during a long night.
Letting out a soft half sob Jareth pulled the golden light suffusing everything into himself reviving his core, filling not just him but Sarah as well, swelling all four cores until they glowed like newly risen suns. The strength of their power was unheard of, nothing would be impossible under these four suns nothing but the one thing he wanted most in that one bittersweet moment. Letting go of the orb to run his warm fingers through the hoar covered tresses of the still boy child Jareth whispered gently: "Sleep child until you return to live again, and know peace."
Golden light glowed beneath his hand, illuminating the frozen body from within as it slowly lost its mass dissolving into glistening flakes that melted into the newly awakened soil.
Jareth stayed there kneeling as first the child and then every still cold body in the plaza turned to golden snow melting into the stone. Only when the very last glowing fleck had vanished and the plaza once again returned to it's cold starlit darkness did he rise and turn to face Sarah taking her soft hand in his: "We did it, we stopped the decline before it was too late... If only that was enough."
"It will be": Squeezing his fingers in gentle reassurance Sarah smiled: "He thinks that you're still weak from the poison and won't be able to stand against him in a physical fight. Well we'll show him just how wrong he is and then we will make them pay for every ounce of pain they have caused."
"Yes": Nodding grimly Jareth looked past her to the far end of the plaza where the tall forms of nightgoblin warriors were filing in obviously looking for their rulers now that the fighting had been stopped: "But until that time we still have an army to command. Come let us meet with Rzush and Neuru before we do anything else."
Nodding as the crystal in her hands shrunk until it would hang easily from a chain Sarah agreed softly: "Yes let's get this show on the road."