Chapter Thirteen

"The answer," I said, rolling my eyes. "Is man. He crawls as a baby – he walks upright as an adult, and leans on a cane in old age."

"That's one of my hardest ones!" groaned Lester.

"Let me guess – it's a classic one among sphinxes?" I offered. To pass the time while walking, Lester was trying to challenge me with his riddles.

He turned sharply. "How did you know that? You don't have a copy of the Code, do you?"

"No, I don't," I emphasized yet again. "A infamous sphinx Aboveground said that riddle to Oedipus – the answer was written down. Nearly everyone knows the answer to that riddle – and all the others you'vegiven me so far." I paused and thought for a moment. "The first one you gave me before I fell into the oubliette was the hardest of all of them."

"Well it is a not heard often one," said he hedging. "I made it up."

Oops. Now I really felt guilty. "It was a really good riddle," I offered. "I barely got it."

He still was drooping his head slightly. Oh great – that guilt was still welling up in my stomach. "Um, er, are you any good at riddles, Lester?" I asked.

"I am," He said a little grumpily still. "I have to be."

"Well," I said. "There's a riddle that's puzzled the Aboveground for years. Maybe you could solve it?"

There was a hesitant pause. "I'll try." He tried to sound grumpy again but he gave away his eagerness.

"Okay," I said. I cleared my throat and asked, "How is a raven like a writing desk?"

Silence. I left Lester to his own thoughts as he worked on that riddle. We came to a fork then and we stopped, waiting for Glaw to come back. He'd gone off to look ahead awhile ago. He tended to come back to Lester and me around the forks and he helped us on choosing which way to go.

The sound of wings was not present so I looked at the forks myself out of curiosity. The path to the left led to a dark hole and what looked like stairs winding around it. The right path seemed to lead to a large meadow where the glimmering of water could be seen in the distance and the slight wisp of smoke. But best of all was the Castle that rose behind it – though still as far as ever.

It was then that Glaw's wings and cackles could be heard. He received such a joy from just the sheer of act of flying he couldn't stop the cackling. I was already becoming accustomed to it and we'd only been walking/flying the three of us for an hour at most. Lester was too busy with his riddle to complain as usual.

I bit my lip and stayed very still as Glaw came swooping down and his claws grabbed my shoulder. He had also decided that I was a decent landing zone. I decided to just suck it up and that I was going to be visibly bruised after this journey.

Hey, if I got any scars at least I'd have an interesting story to explain them! Yeah right – my mom was going to kill me when she got home. She's going to think I had snuck out or something but I really couldn't do anything about that now. Instead I just winced at Glaw's claws and the bad rhyme.

"Good flight?" I asked still wincing. Glaw relaxed his claws somewhat and then said in that odd, bouncy, way of his, "Oh yes. Very good. Wind's just perfect. I was almost able to complete a double back flip changeover when I was able to see – we're more than half-way to the castle!"

"We are?" I asked in disbelief. "That's brilliant! So we're on the right track then?"

"Sort of," said Glaw hedging. "We have two choices – we can take that route on the left." He gestured with his tail towards the stairs that led below. "That will take quite a while – nearly the rest of your time." I shook my head. "The other path is not much better. There is a hermit who guards the stream up ahead. None who have tried to pass her have survived."

I looked to Lester to find out what his opinion was but apparently that riddle still had him completely confounded. Darn, that left me to pick between the two directions. And I didn't think 'Eeny, meeny, miny, mo' would work in this situation.

So which way to choose? The safer path that could take too long to finish or the nearly certain death? My pre-Labyrinth self was inching towards the stairs saying that at least I had an adventure and that Case and Jen would at least have an amusing life as goblins. My newer self – which I was starting to confuse with my conscience - was saying something along the lines of '&# this! Go and kick some hermit butt!'

On second thought – my conscience tends to not swear profusely. And also tends to blush at the mention of any nether regions of the body. Definitely not my conscience.

"We head to the stream," I said in as steady a voice as I could muster.

"Did you hear me?" squawked Glaw. "None that have tried to pass her have survived!"

Starting to walk – though somewhat slowed due to the weight on my shoulders -- I said, "I heard you. But there is a first for everything." I turned, and kept walking but backwards. "Lester! Are you coming?"

He nodded vaguely as he began to follow me not really noticing where he was going as he muttered about feet and holes. Satisfied that he was coming along, I turned back and continued onward with Glaw still perched on my shoulders.

I walked, unbalanced like that for a while before I piped up, "Aren't you going to fly ahead Glaw?"

"Not a chance!" He said. "You can go first – I'm not going to be the first one there."

"I thought things weren't what they seemed here?" I asked.

"Some things aren't but a few are – the hermit is one of them. After all-" he broke off suddenly.

"After all, what?" I repeated. "What do you mean?"

Glaw didn't answer. He stayed the way he was for several minutes. I stopped as well and turned to Lester to see if he knew what was going on with the dragon. He was of little help though for he had taken up the same expression as Glaw – as if he was listening to something far away and had to strain to hear it.

I bit my lip and tried to stay still, annoyed that the two of them were part of some-thing I wasn't. But then again, I was from a different plane of existence.

The two of them suddenly shook their heads fiercely and returned to their normal state of beings. If Lester's normal state was deep in thought over a solution-less riddle.

I started to walk yet again, Lester trailing behind again. "Care to explain the randomness moment, Glaw?"

He shifted his position, digging his claws into my shoulders yet again. As I sup-pressed a yelp he said, "It was another one trying to wish a sibling away."

"Huh?"

"Do you think you're the only one that has wished away somebody?" He asked. "Ever since the movie millions have tried to wish away people."

"I didn't think I was the only one…I thought loads had until I said the words in the movie." I said.

He cackled. "It's rather funny – they all throw fits. All crying about how they'd be perfect for Jareth and they are his one true love…"

"Except me," I said softly.

"Exactly!" He said enthusiastically. "You're the first to say the right words since the Last Champion."

"His Majesty told me," I nodded. A question came to mind. "So you were able to hear the wishing away then?"

"Yes, yes," said Glaw. "Those who live in the Labyrinth – most – can hear those who are about to wish away. Even if the real words aren't said. The goblins and those in the castle can see it too I know. Happened to me once when terrorizing some chickens…"

He started to recall his tale and I half-listened while focusing on the little grass shack up ahead. The bit of smoke I had seen before was coming from its chimney. I could just see the stream behind it.

We trooped onward as Glaw told his tale, and Lester mumbled incoherently. Just as we were a hundred or so feet before the house Lester returned to normality and stopped his odd mumblings.

"Did you solve it?" I asked.

"Solve it?" He scoffed. "I solved it ages ago, minutes after you told me it. I was trying to figure out who it was that told it. It was a long time ago though it definitely had some Alice characteristics."

I stared at him shocked, while trying to come up with an answer to that statement. None came to mind and I was pulled from my racing thoughts by Glaw's yells.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!"

I halted abruptly, and nearly toppled into the stream. I shrieked and waved my arms wildly trying to regain my balance before falling backwards onto my bum, toes a centimeter from the water.

It took me a moment to regain my breath and natural sanity before saying firmly, "You know – getting wet isn't the end of the world."

"Maybe," said Lester who nodded towards the water. I noticed he didn't seem to have had the problem of being so absent-minded, that he didn't notice the obstacles before him, like I did. "But what's in there could."

Alarmed, I looked at the water and saw nothing. Sure there were some ripples in the water but that was it. I stared quizzically at the water about to say there was nothing besides fish – which I wasn't going to admit I had a huge fear of – when I saw a long and skinny shadow weave its way through the water.

I shoved myself backwards and whimpered. I hated unknown things that people say are dangerous and that I had to face!

"I don't think I want to know what that is." I said shakily.

"Then I suggest you get away from my stream."

I shot upwards – Glawhad finally gotten off of my shoulders, and he now circled above Lester and me. I turned towards the crisp voice to see an odd creature. The voice's owner was a female, about three feet tall. Her age was hard to place as her face was incredibly round and she had large blue eyes that took up most of her face. She had straggly red hair and held a spear in her hand, while being clothed of a knee-length blue dress that looked like it was made out of leaves.

But leaves weren't ever blue, right?

I blinked a few times at the little person before saying, "Your stream? I thought it was the hermit's."

"I am the hermit," she said snottily.

Repeat the vague blinks. "Oh," I said. "I didn't know."

"You're not supposed to," she said, gesturing with her spear. "Jareth spread the rumor about enough that as long as I keep the smoke going in the shack, everyone will stay away." Her huge eyes narrowed. "Except for foolish ones like you."

She jumped forward and held her spear horizontally as if to bar us from passing. "None may pass, unless…" she trailed off leaving the threat hanging there.

"Unless, what?" I asked in confusion.

"Unless you wish to face the waters on your own." She said coolly.

I glanced back at the stream again. It wasn't that wide I supposed, maybe twenty feet at the most but it looked deep. The shadows in the water lurked still.

I turned back to petite hermit. "What exactly would happen if we faced the waters?"

"In the water is a rare species of eel – an electric eel to be exact." She said somewhat proudly.

"Rare?" I scoffed. "They're common enough back home."

"Yes, but not here." She said sternly. "As they are so rare and aren't a natural part of Underground waters they cause a reaction in the water. If you enter the water you'll become electrocuted."

I winced and turned towards Lester. He seemed to be confused so I said, "It's not good."

Glaw decided at that moment to land next to me. Dust kicked up from the landing and surrounded most of the hermit.

"Ugh," she groaned. "Keep your dust to yourself, Dragon-boy." She patted herself down.

He ignored the hermit and turned to me and Lester. "I've been here – before I was caught – since it's here this journey you have to cross it. It's wider up and downstream though. "

"So we have no other choice but to turn back here or cross." Said Lester glumly. "Why didn't you suggest going the other way?"

"I did," Glaw said. "But did Elisa listen? Nope!"

I was thinking though on what the hermit had said and then asked, "Well – isn't there a way to cross? If this is your river – and you are the guardian of it, don't you have to cultivate it? How do you cross?"

"I have my ways…" she said trialing off. "And don't think I'll let you by or my name isn't Aquina of the Backwaters!" She said fiercely.

"That explains things," growled Lester. "She's a pixie, captured and away from home. Usually you don't see them as slaves in these parts though."

"That's none of your business," Aquina snapped. "It's not often that you see a sphinx abandoning his post."

Sensing a fight, I intervened, "Well would you accept any form of payment? I have to get to the castle soon."

"Do I look like the sort that takes bribes?" she sneered. "No, definitely not."

I sighed. "This is hopeless. We better head back now. Maybe if we run we'll get there in time." I grabbed a lock of my hair and pulled, trying not to let my frustration show more than that. Unfortunately, I grabbed the chain of my necklace and practically choked my self.

I coughed, and let go, causing it to fall out from my pajama top. The look on Aquina's already wide eyes was priceless.

"My lady! I had no idea!" She said quickly. "I'll have you across in just a moment! Apologies!" She prostrated herself in an odd bow that had her head on the ground and he arms stretched before her.

With no idea what to do, I just stared at her with a look of confusion. Glawnudged me from the side and I gave myself a slight shake before saying, "You do that then." I nodded as she jumped up and practically ran over to the stream.

"I guess the necklace was a good idea," I whispered to Lester and Glaw. "But I can't let her believe I'm some lady of some sort."

"Do you want to cross?" hissed Glaw. "I can get across on my own but you and Lester can't."

"I know," I said, starting to follow Aquina who was at the bank of the stream waiting for us. "But I hate being thought of as a Lady. I feel like a Sue."

"Sue?" questioned Lester.

I shuddered. "The world's evilest creation – the Mary-Sue."

"Really?" asked Lester. "I always thought that it was a Hydra or the Bog."

"Hush!" I said. I turned to the pixie – odd I had never pictured them as such. "If you'll let us across now…"

"Of course!" she said nervously. She turned back towards the water and stood at the edge. With her toes just over the edge she did a sudden front flip off and stabbed her spear downwards in front of her.

Like Moses crossing the Red Sea, the water suddenly split on either sides of her so that only the dry river bed was before and behind her. The water rose up high above her head, held up by some magic, on either side of the pathway.

"Quickly!" she called back to us, spear still stuck firmly in the river bed.

I didn't stop to wait for my companions, but instead just ran across, shielding my head somewhat from the slight spray that reached me. I weaved around Aquina and made it up to the permanently dry land. Lester came up moments later, while Glaw opted to fly over.

Aquina then started to walk backwards toward us. Her spear remained buried in the ground, and she dragged it as she carefully moved back towards this bank. As she reached the incline she suddenly jumped backwards, pulling the spear from the ground. She landed between Lester and me and the water flooded back so that the stream was normal again.

Still a little shocked by this turn of events I said, "Well, that was neat."

"Neat?" asked Glaw, hovering again. "That wasn't clean."

Wrinkling my brow I tried again, "It was interesting."

"Ah," said Glaw shutting it.

I turned to the pixie. "Thank you so much for that. We're really short on time though so we have to go now."

"You're not going to tell him that I wasn't going to let you across, right?" Aquina asked worriedly. "I had no idea – you never said that you were under the protection of his Majesty."

I suppressed a slight laugh, "I think I'm as far away from being under his protection as possible. He's tried to hurt me too many times to count since I got here." Pause. "That might have been because I knocked him unconscious but you never know…"

"Wait – you're a runner?"

"Yep," I nodded. "And I've used up way too much of my time already."

"No!" she wailed, sinking to her knees. "You can't be! You can't!"

"Um, I am," I said. "What's so wrong with that?"

"You had his sign," Aquina moaned. "Oh, I'll never return home now!"

I felt guilty suddenly. "Here, you can have it if you want," I said giving her the necklace. "I'm sorry and all but I have to go…"

"I wasn't supposed to let anyone pass – especially runners!" she cried.

"That could be a problem," said Lester sarcastically.

I ignored the wolf and turned back to Aquina, "I tricked you, - maybe it doesn't count then." She shook her head, her big eyes filled with despair.

"You don't understand! His Majesty ordered me to guard this river. He said if I let none pass that he didn't want to pass for five years I'd be free to return home!"

My eye-brow rose.

"Terms of slavery are usually thirteen years, Elisa," said Glaw. "Pixies hardly survive that long if they're put to work indoors. Aquina here fell into a nice job before she blew it."

She let out a heart-wrenching wail then. I have to say that even though she was being a bit over the top, I felt sorry for her.

"Look," I said. "We're all heading to the castle. Why don't you come with us? Maybe I can explain to him that I tricked you."

"Would you?" she asked hopefully.

"I'll do what I can," I promised. "But only if we can leave right now. We've wasted enough time as it is. Are we cool then?"

"Cool?" they all asked at the same time.

"Um," I fumbled. "Are we all good to go?"

"Why didn't you just say that?" growled Lester, turning and walking towards vaguely woody area that was before the castle. The next section looked like an attempt at a forest, but failed in how sparse it was. Unlike the rest of the Labyrinth I had ventured through, it looked dried out and pale.

I turned back to Aquina and Glaw but the latter had already take off after the wolf. Motioning to follow, I turned back and followed the male half of the newly founded quartet.

Aquina, despite her small size, was keeping pace with me in an instant. There was an uncomfortable silence as we caught up with Lester. I tried to think of a suitable thing to say that wouldn't cause more trouble when I realized proper introductions hadn't been made. I did that then, and Aquina repeated her name, before reverting to her silent self. A conversation or two would sprinkle up, mostly between myself and Lester. Glaw's far-off flights though grew less and less frequent, and instead he moved towards just flying over our heads at a slow speed. I didn't know why he chose to do this – yet I had a suspicion he wasn't fond of the pixie, or at the very least didn't trust her. Nothing changed, and so we moved onward.

That is until Jareth showed up.

A/N: Thanks again to my wonderful reviewers and my fantastic beta Sennethe.

So, what do you all think of Aquina? And did you recognize the riddle? And how excited are you to learn that next chapter will explain what's been going on in Jareth's fluffy head?

Posted: 7-17-08