Chapter 38.
Sarah was dressed by the time Meep came racing into the chamber. "Sarah." He cried. "Oh, there you are." His little Pixie eyes narrowed. "Why didn't you wake me?"Sarah looked up at him. "You looked so tired." She lied.
Meep looked at her, "You been playing kissing games?"
Sarah blushed, "Maybe."
"Shameless hussy!" Meep accused following her into the hallway. He didn't like the way she was giggling.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Anne had gone alone for a ride. Ryan knew she would be safe in the company of her dragon. He joined the others as they gathered in the family breakfast area. "Good morning."
Giles and Celestia were talking to Robert and Karen. Sarah thought it was funny how quickly her father had suddenly adapted to life in the Underground. Had it been only three weeks?
Anne having changed after her ride was ready to join everyone for breakfast. "Good morning." She greeted them all.
Cairbre and his wife were invited to join the family, and they too were seated. The King was the last to arrive. The meal went quietly, pleasantly. When it ended Robert excused himself, and Karen took the children down to the play yard.
Cairbre had held his tongue, now spoke. "I take it you've not informed them of the unusual circumstances of your situation."
Quinn frowned, "No, we've not."
The Bard nodded, "I thought not. Sire," he addressed the man with civility. "We've made some progress."
"Good." Quinn looked at Anne, "Scribe are you satisfied with the progress?"
Anne suddenly glared at him. "No, I'm not…I'm not satisfied with any of this."
She stood up. "I've a lot of questions, and only you can answer them…Quinn."
"Shape tongued as ever I see." He mused. "Alright Anne, I'm at your disposal." He rose from the chair. "Where do you want to take this? Your office or mine?"
Sarah stood up. "What are you doing?"
Quinn placed a hand on her shoulder and gently guided her back toward her seat. "Sarah, this is between Anne and I. Or rather Anne and Us."
"My office." Anne said. "I want to be somewhere I feel comfortable." She moved away from the table.
Cairbre was speechless; he looked at his wife who gave him the 'not now' look.
Ryan sat quietly looking over at Giles. When Anne and Quinn left the room Ryan sighed. "I may be a widower by evening."
Giles shook his head; "Quinn won't kill her…he's had plenty of opportunities, and past them all up."
Solea excused herself; she headed for the rooms provided to her and her husband. Focusing she opened the Scrying Pool and watched, knowing her husband would need to know what took place in the closed room.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Anne tapped her fingers on her desk; Quinn entered and took a seat. "I've told my staff to find things to keep them busy so we can talk."
"I see." Quinn's face was stony and devoid of emotion. "What do you want to know, Anne?"
"I want to know what you think you're doing?" She placed her hand flat on the desk. "Sarah belongs to Jareth! Not to you Quinn."
"Whom do you see before you?" the man asked.
"I see an image of Jareth, the Goblin King…but an image is not the real article!" Anne said feeling all her anger rise.
"I see." Quinn stood up. "Anne I am Jareth, to all intents and purposes." He headed toward the door.
"What did you do that messed up the merge…Did you mess it up on purpose?" She snapped bitterly. "Was it your plan to steal the Kingdom all along? Or was it Sarah you planned on pilfering?"
Quinn halted at the door, turned to look over his shoulder. "I never wanted the Kingdom."
"You're the one who called for a Tourney, Quinn of Tarsi!" She shot at him with venom. "You're the reason Ryan was nearly killed!"
Quinn walked back into the room and gripped the back of a chair. "I never ordered any of those actions as you well know! Yes, I called for a Tourney, but it was not the way you think it was miss know it all Scribe! Jareth and I both knew a plot was afoot…and rather than go begging the High King to protect us, we decided to take matters into our own hands."
Anne seemed at a loss for words. "Is this true?"
Quinn drew back, "You yourself know we have a code of honor! Did I once during the Tourney do anything to give you the impression that I was part of the plot to kill us?"
"No," She answered quietly. "You did however spend a good deal to the time chasing after Sarah! And you made her bargain for Jareth's life."
Quinn nodded, "Yes, I did chase after Sarah…at the time I was under the impression she was but a human female, and therefore unworthy of the Fae Throne! Sue me! I am biased. You've dealt with the Fae Kingdoms long enough to know how many of them feel." He snapped. "Yes, I wanted to break the bond between Jareth and Sarah! Yes, Yes, Yes."
"You admit it?" Anne glared.
"It's common knowledge. Even Sarah knows." Quinn stated. "However, Anne, and I stress this, I would never have done anything to harm my brother! He is my other half."
"You coveted his consort!" the words were out before she could stop them.
A huff sound escaped Quinn's lips. "Can you blame me?"
Anne looked as if she'd just seen a train wreak. "You want her still."
Mismatched eyes turned darker, looking more Cerulean almost to the point of being Azure in the depths. "Yes, I want her." He said darkly. "I want her with every fiber of what I am and was."
"What did you do, Quinn? How did you mess up the merge?" Anne accused again.
"I didn't!" He growled. "I did everything right!"
"Then what went wrong?" Anne demanded.
"I don't know." Quinn collapsed into a chair behind him. "I just don't know."
Anne watched him for a short time; "I don't trust you." She said flatly. "And I'm going to make sure Sarah knows it! If I find that you did anything that caused the merge to fail, you will wish it was you who was dying in that cavern!"
Quinn watched her leave, and wondered to himself if he had done something.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Sarah met with Mycroft and Lusha, discussing castle business. From the time that Jareth had placed the running of the castle in her hands, she had made efforts to keep on top of situations in the palace. The Butler and his wife had always given her every bit of help they could. She left the lower level of the castle where the housekeeping staff were busy directing maids and footmen.
Quinn was coming though the hall, his face showed that he was not in good spirits. Sarah called to him; he paused then moved toward her. One hand cupped her chin tipping it upward, as the other hand found the small of her back. Hungrily he kissed her as he pressed her body to his. He raised his head and looked at her.
"What the hell happened in that meeting?" Sarah asked breathlessly.
"Anne accused me of doing the merge wrong on purpose." His voice trembled with dark emotions. "She thinks I want you badly enough to…destroy my brother." He moaned softly. "And damned if I don't wonder the same thing."
Sarah moved closer to him, her head at his heart. "No, Quinn, no." She murmured softly. "You would never try to destroy Jareth…You love him…maybe even more than I do."
Quinn let the façade of control melt; he clung to Sarah and wept. "What if I did something wrong? What if I can never fix this…Sarah…How do I live with that?" He looked at her, his eyes filled with sadness. "Did I covet you so much that I could have messed up the merge?"
"No. I don't believe that." She said firmly.
Hunger filled him, "I did…I do covet you."
Touching his face with her fingertips, she soothed him. "Quinn, do you really think you could harm Jareth? You've fought so hard to keep him alive."
"Have I?" He asked.
Sarah nodded. "You and I both know how far you've gone to keep him alive…not a memory…You gave up your life…Does that sound like a man who'd mess things up on purpose?"
"It should have worked…" He moaned. "I should be nothing now…just memories and …dust."
"I doubt that you'll ever be just Memories and dust, Quinn." The green eyed girl said softly. Then she blushed. "You…covert…me?" She giggled. "That's a word you don't hear much in my world…unless you're in church."
"It's a good word, too bad it's fallen on hard times." Quinn sighed pulling himself together. "But then so many good words have fallen on hard times in the world of men." He stood upright, "Thank you, my dear…"
"What's a consort for?" She teased.
"I can think of other more… pleasant functions of a consort." He murmured.
"Pervert." She teased.
He nodded with a wicked smile.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Cairbre was in the war-room going over the words of the prophecy again. "In arrogance of a High King is born a Shattered Soul.
One fair as the sun, the other of a darker nature.
Side by side, even when not together.
Two roads before them, one to death beyond dying, one to life eternal.
One to live, and one to die when the sacrifice of life is given,
That which was separated shall be joined,Two-made-One
The Time of Change will come For The Two-made-One.
The man who channels both souls stands alone." Ryan and Giles sat and listened to him speak them out."The Shadows now course, and kill.
One did live, and one did die, but both are.
The Time of Change has come.
The man who channels stands alone.
When Healers seeds come to fruit.
When Scribes words tear at the soul.
The great silence will be heard.
The Battle for the Shattered Soul Begins.
Two roads before him, one to death beyond dying, one to life eternal."
Anne read the last part. ""When Earth, Wind, Fire and Water meet.
When Fallen and Righteous join. Daughter of the Fallen will battle both Healer and Scribe.
In her alone can the Shattered Soul stay alive.
We will know her when we see her, for she will be marked.
She will come from the west, beyond the Vortex of the World, but be of our blood"
The Bard nodded. "That's it."
Anne frowned. "But what does it mean?"
Ryan leaned forward. "What kind of a battle are we talking about?"
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Quinn and Sarah walked side by side toward the war-room. "Anne's out for blood." Quinn warned her. "She will not be happy with us entering together."
"I'm the consort of the Goblin King…I belong at his side." Sarah said resolutely.
He took her hand into his, "Then let us face what comes, together." He led her into the war-room. "Cairbre, Scribe…what do you have for us?"
Anne looked at the pair and felt her temper rise. "We have a better understanding of how this thing was set up… and the reason it was never deciphered right. It was jumbled up…Sire."
Quinn would have liked to taunt the young woman, but turned to the Bard instead. "Jumbled up?"
"So it would seem." The Bard acknowledged. "The First part was given many years before your birth…the second part was given shortly after you were born and of course you were there when Lady Laurel gave us what we thought was the end."
Anne moved to the board. "We laid it out and moved it about until in made some kind of sense."
Quinn read the words now reassembled. "Well it does flow better."
Giles handed a parchment with the events that had taken place put next to the words. "The conclave has occurred, as has Healers seeds coming to fruit, and the Scribes words…We are now in the great silence."
"The birds having fled." Quinn said as he read.
"We are not sure what kind of battle we'll be looking at. Physical, mental, spiritual…" Anne sighed.
Quinn looked at her thoughtfully. "Most likely all of the above Anne." He handed the page back to Giles.
Anne made a face. "Do you think your father is aware of the words of this thing? Why would he send the very Healer who was going to kick start this sucker?"
Quinn snorted. "Father is not one to buck the system…that was Jareth's and my gig so to speak. We were always trying to rewrite things to suit us. If Father knew that Phineas was the Healer in question, or if he suspected it…it would be reason enough for him to send him here."
"That damned cold blooded." Ryan accused.
"That's the Fae way." the Fae King corrected. "It's not easy, it's not kind. It just is."
"He was watching over you when you two made up that phony Tourney." Anne commented. "He knew things were already setting into motion."
Cairbre sighed. "I wonder if he'd have allowed it to happen had he known the prophecy was scrambled."
Quinn looked at the words on the board, and read them aloud. ""In arrogance of a High King is born a Shattered Soul.
One fair as the sun, the other of a darker nature.
Side by side, even when not together.
Two roads before them, one to death beyond dying, one to life eternal.
One to live, and one to die when the sacrifice of life is given,
That which was separated shall be joined,Two-made-One
The Time of Change will come For The Two-made-One.
The man who channels both souls stands alone
The Shadows now course, and kill.
One did live, and one did die, but both are.
The Time of Change has come.
The man who channels stands alone.
When Healers seeds come to fruit.
When Scribes words tear at the soul.
The great silence will be heard.
The Battle for the Shattered Soul Begins.
Two roads before him, one to death beyond dying, one to life eternal." He took a deep breath. "One to death beyond dying, one to life eternal…. Yes…He'd have let it happen anyway. He'd mourn the cost…but he would not stand it the way."
"Why?" Anne asked softly. "Why would he do that?"
Quinn looked at her. "Because he's the High King, Anne." He looked at the words again. "Death beyond dying." He whispered. "Jareth…is that where you are?"
Ryan shook his head, "Makes one long for the days of doing battle with Robin."
Sarah was reading the part of the prophecy that seemed to deal with her. "When Earth, Wind, Fire and Water meet.
When Fallen and Righteous join.
Daughter of the Fallen will battle both Healer and Scribe.
In her alone can the Shattered Soul stay alive.
We will know her when we see her, for she will be marked.
She will come from the west, beyond the Vortex of the World, but be of our blood"
Quinn stood behind her, resting his hands lightly on her shoulders. "Is something wrong?"
"It's incomplete." Sarah said quickly. "There's something missing!"
"Are you sure?" Anne asked.
Sarah turned to her; "I'm the one who had my nose in storybooks for years! Remember…I may not be a prophet, but I know when something is unbalanced… and in my experiences here in the realms of the Fae, balance is almost a religion!" She looked at Quinn over her shoulder, "what was it you said to Anne when Solea told us about the prophecy?"
"WE never have but one person involved in the keeping of secrets." He looked down at Sarah. "Beauty and brains," he growled in the back of his throat. "The Goblin King is one lucky man."
Sarah smiled.
Anne snapped the quill in her hands. "Okay…who would have the rest of this?"
Cairbre had pulled out a scroll from the air. "Let's see who had the portion dealing with Sarah in the first place."
Anne blinked. "Sometime, you really must show my your system of keeping files."
Distracted the Bard looked up, "It takes time to learn." He teased, as he looked back at the scroll. "Here we go…the first portion and the last were given to the Oracle of the wood….The second was given to…" He frowned.
Quinn looked at the Bards face. "It can't be as bad as all that." He moved forward, read the words and groaned. "Or can it?"
Anne moved forward, "Who holds the second portion?"
"The second portion was given to the safe keeping of a Fae princess." Cairbre said softly.
"Which Fae Princess?" Anne asked knowing she was not going to like the answer.
Quinn shook his head, looked at Sarah and said quietly. "Elise."