Chapter 55.

Dull pain greeted Phineas when he opened his eyes. He was still in the gazebo and the woman was beside him on the lounge. He felt the thread; it was weak, very weak. Something or someone had interrupted the flow of mental images. Phineas focused all his energies, only to find he could not get answers. What he was getting was tremendous pain. Then it hit him that faint scent that only Dragons carried. "No!" he roared as he got off of the lounger. "No!"

Millicent raised her head, "Is it morning?" She rubbed her eyes. "What happened? I feel so strange."

"Get dressed you stupid creature!" ordered the Healer. "I have to find your father. WE must return to the Kingdom of the Goblins before it's too late."

"Too late?" Millicent asked as she yawned. "Too late for what?"

Phineas grabbed the woman by her long fallen hair, "If you still have any aspirations of being a Queen I suggest you move your ass and do it now." He released her, and stalked off toward the guest quarters.

Millicent watched him go, rubbing her head and pouting. "Beast." She whimpered.

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Sarah followed the trail of blood from the wound she'd inflicted on Angus. "Come out come out wherever you are." She called.

She had been invited into the cavern on occasion. She'd come here to hear Dragon Song. Now she was feeling spun round and a bit lost. The drops of dragon's blood on the carved rock floor were the only thing that kept her going the right way. She could feel the eyes of the others in the clutch watching her as she moved deeper into the cavern. "I'm not leaving here without the King, Old Man!" She called out. "Angus I will fight you for him!"

"Will you fight yourself for him?" A voice cried out and echoed.

"Which part of him do you really desire, Mystic?"

Sarah knew they were testing her, "I want all of him… both sides of the shattered soul must rejoin."

"Then come deep into our lair, come find what ye seek." The old Dragon's voice was mocking. "But know this Sarah Williams, if you fail, you die as well."

"Yeah, Yeah…" she nodded. "I survived the Labyrinth! I survived Robin, and Elise…you think an over grown lizard is going to do me in? Think again!"

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Anne paced, nervously. "I wish we could have gone in there with her."

Giles, his arm bandaged, looked over at her with disdain. "You know she has to face this battle alone. You got her good and riled, don't you think she's up to it?"

Ryan muttered as he took a seat on one of the rocks. "I'm more worried about what Sarah is going to do to poor Angus."

Anne looked at him. "Poor Angus is holding our King, remember?"

Giles smiled. "Anne we all have parts we must play."

Anne looked to where Cairbre and his wife were watching a Scrying cup. "I suppose asking them for information is out of the question."

Ryan sighed, "They don't know anymore than we do, Anne."

Anne bit her lower lip, "Part of the prophecy says that 'The dragon reborn must bow to the Nephlim…'" Anne looked to Giles who was more up on Lore than Ryan was. "How does a Dragon get reborn? I mean they hatch…they don't rise from ashes like a phoenix."

Giles shook his head. "I'm not sure. Jareth and Quinn were more knowledgeable about Dragon Lore."

Anne paced again. "Ok, the prophecy is in full play…Where is the High King? One would think he'd be somewhere around to keep an eye on things…Jareth…is his fair haired boy is he not?"

"I'm sure the High King is near." Ryan said smoothly. "He seems to have a knack for turning up when things are breaking."

Cairbre left his wife to keep watch. "The High King is near." He confirmed. "He will make his presences known when he wants it to be known." He looked to the opening of the cavern. "She is making her way to the heart of the lair."

Anne nodded. "Thank you Cairbre."

The Bard reached out his hand, took the younger Scribes chin into his fingers. "Have faith, Anne."

"I just sent my best friend into the Lair of a Dragon, a Dragon that she's cut with a crystal sword." Anne frowned. "Forgive me if I don't seem to jump with joy."

"She must fulfill the prophecy." Cairbre stated. "She is going to free the captured soul."

Anne shook her head. "Does that mean free the King from the Dragon, or Free Jareth from Quinn?"

Cairbre was taken aback. "Anne, Quinn is not holding Jareth Captive."

"Yes he is." Anne sniffed and kicked a stone as she crossed her arms. "At least that's how it feels."

"What hold Jareth captive, and Quinn as well for that matter, is the fact that the merge is not complete." The Bard corrected his former student tolerantly. "When the merge is completed, there will be but one man."

"Jareth, right?" Anne said hopefully.

"No, Anne…not just Jareth…the man who will immerge will be both sides of the shattered soul restored." The Bard said softly. "He will most likely look like the Jareth you've come to know since the merge started. Having aspects of both brothers and physical features of both…but inside he will be complete."

"But will he be Jareth?" Anne harped on.

Giles looked at her. "Yes, He'll be Jareth… But he will also be Quinn."

"So it's still going to be two men in one body? Which one will be the dominant?" Anne paced. "It has to be Jareth."

Ryan looked at her. "Anne you are making this harder on yourself."

"I know." She said pacing. "I can't seem to help myself…I'm like… overloaded with thoughts…and mental images."

Cairbre halted her movement. "What did you just say?"

"That I'm overloaded with thoughts and mental images?" Anne repeated quizzically.

Cairbre grabbed the girl and dragged her back to where the scrolls were with his wife. "I'm a fool. Solea! Anne is being bombarded with mental images. Scry into her mind, see the thoughts." He turned to the Court Scribe. "This won't hurt."

"Oh sure." Anne took a seat and closed her eyes. "Just give me a migraine."

Solea touched Anne's arm, "Just relax. I'm only going to open a window to see what's what."

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Meep had gone to the windswept hillside; he was not surprised to find the other members of his clan including his brother Bann standing there waiting and watching. He took a seat and sighed, "I've never seen the walls of the Labyrinth look like that."

Bann took a seat beside his younger brother. "Nor have any of us. We came because we felt the fabric move."

"The High King is here." Meep said putting his chin in his hands.

Bann placed a protective arm over his younger siblings shoulder. "We know."

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Sarah, still following the trail of blood wondered how deep the Lair went. Her sense of direction was gone. "Angus, where the hell are you?"

"Come closer, Mystic. Come closer." His old voice rasped invitingly.

"Give me the Child!" she demanded.

"Think Sarah, think…" he droned. "You could have your dreams…."

The walls of the deep lair began to glow. Sarah lowered her sword and gazed on what few if any had ever seen before. "It's a crystal cavern." She muttered.

"Aye, Lassie. Ye have reached the heart of the Lair." The old Dragon Lord's voice boomed.

"Give me the Child." She demanded again.

A voice from the past answered her"Wait! Sarah, look -- look what I can offer you." He raised his left arm and made a large gesture with his hand. A glowing crystal ball appeared in it. He spun it around in his fingers, smiled wanly, and said, "It will show you your dreams. You remember."

Sarah looked at the wall she was standing beside. There she saw Jareth as he had been in the Escher room. Holding that orb out to her, with pain and hope on his face.

"He offered ye yer dreams, and ye rejected him." The dragon accused.

Sarah turned away from the image on the wall. "I was on a mission. I had to correct my mistake. I misspoke and placed my brother in danger because of it."

"Danger?" The old dragon laughed. "Look that the danger he was in." Another image played on the wall, one of Toby in his striped pj's dancing and playing with the Goblins as Jareth sang to him. The look on Toby's face was one of bliss. "What danger do you see?"

"He didn't belong here." Sarah argued.

"Oh he didn't, did he? Where is he now, Mystic?" The voice in the depth of the Lair taunted.

Sarah turned from the second vision. "Give me the Child!" she called out. "I will not be put off or mislead by images of the past. Give me the Child of Oberon!"

"Which of the sons do ye really want Sarah?"

"I want both sides, united." She said with conviction.

"If ye can have but one, which would it be?" the voice teased. "Look Sarah, look what I offer you…." The crystal walls on either side of her suddenly showed one of each of the sons of Oberon on either side of her. To her left was Quinn, handsome, slightly arrogant and with eyes that ripped your soul apart. To her right was Jareth, also handsome, but playful and beckoning. "Choose one."

Sarah looked at the images, "I love both sides of the one man, old Dragon. I love them both."

"And if ye can have but one?"

"Then it will be the Two MADE One!" She announced. "Now give me the child!"

The Dragon appeared he spread his wings and blood dripped. "Ye are a worthy opponent, Sarah Williams."

The image on the wall changed, Jareth was waiting for her with his arms folded. He was frowning at her as he had been in the Escher room. The Image of Quinn mirrored the stance.

The Dragon moved and Sarah could see a body lying on a makeshift bed. "If ye can have but one…"

Sarah moved forward. "Then let it be the Two made one." She thrust out the crystal sword, it cut deep into the dragon. Angus shrieked in pain, his blood spilled on the man beneath him. A shimmering light enveloped the heart of the lair. The crystal walls filled with images of the ages. The dragon began to glow, his shape began to change and he was pulled into the sword.

Sarah had not expected that turn of events and stared at the sword with the Dragon captured in its heart. "Ok." She said sarcastically. "Now, I've got a Dragon in a crystal sword… I hope this is part of the prophecy." She looked down at the man covered in dragon blood on the makeshift bed. He looked like he was dead. "Don't let me be too late." She raised the sword and began to sing in Dragon Song. The other dragons came into the heart of the lair, looked at the girl and lifted the bed to carry it out of the Wyrn cavern. Sarah followed the bed.

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Phineas appeared in the clearing with him was Hawthorne and his daughter. "What have you done?" he demanded looking like a demented soul. He glared at the champions standing about. "What have you done?"

"The prophecy takes from." Anne said firmly. "What is to happen comes to pass."

"Where does it say the King is taken by dragons? That's not part of the written prophecy!" Phineas bellowed.

Cairbre scoffed. "How would you know? You don't even know what the entire prophecy says."

"Do you?" The Healer made no secret of his dislike for the Bard.

"As a matter of fact…I do." He produced a written copy of the entire prophecy on parchment and handed it over for inspection to the Healer. "The Mystic does battle for the soul even now."

"I don't believe it!" Phineas grumbled. "This can not be." He flung the page back at the Bard. "The High King will know of this. And the insult given me…his official, here at the hands of mortal children play acting."

"The High King knows." A voice said as the High King materialized.

Cairbre bowed. "Sire."

Oberon looked at the Healer. "You've a grievance?"

Phineas pointed at the champions. "They have all been obstacles in my way. I have not been able to…"

"Obstacles?" Oberon interrupted. "Is that how you see these who protect my son?"

The healer's mouth opened to protest. "You think I'm not aware of what you've done?"

Phineas glared, "I did what I had to do to keep the child alive." He snapped. "A child you never wanted. One you cast aside in favor of a fair haired weakling. I stepped aside to allow you passage to his mother. I stood back when you punished her father for your lusting. I watched as you sent her into exile! She who was blameless and you destroyed her mind and her soul. I kept her child alive, Oberon. I who should have been his father!"

Oberon never got a chance to defend himself. Anne spoke up.

"Healer, you did no more than Mother Universe asked of you. You played your part, as did the High King. It was foretold long before the seed was planted." Anne stated now holding the parchment with the prophecy. "And if any of you high and might Fae ever got your heads out of your asses long enough to look you'd have seen it."

Cairbre saw the movement at the entrance of the Wyrn first. "They come."

Four young dragons carried the litter holding the blood spattered body. Behind them walked the Mystic cradling the crystal sword. The look on her face was grim.

Oberon moved forward. Phineas began to move toward the litter, but was halted by the wall formed by Anne, Giles and Ryan.

"Get out of my way!" Phineas bellowed at the mortals. "The King needs his healer."

Talbot appeared, "And he shall have his healer." He walked to the litter, to examine the man.

The Fae Healer growled. "I am the Healer from the High King's Court, let me pass."

Sarah stood at the end of the littler, stretched out the sword and stated. "Take one step and it will be your last, you snake oil salesman." She then looked to Talbot. "Does he live?"

"He does."

The man on the littler stirred, mismatched eyes opened, and lips parted. He looked frightened for a moment, and then looked up at the people staring down at him. "Where am I?" he rasped.

"Sire, you are in the Wyrn grounds." Talbot said. "Do you remember what happened, or how you got here?"

The blood spattered man shook his head. "I recall nothing." He looked distressed. "And no one."

Oberon moved forward. "Does thou know me?"

The man shook his head, "No." He looked around, "I don't know any of you."

Sarah steeled herself.

Phineas had a look of gloating on his face. "He is reborn, with no memory."

"The merge is not yet complete." Talbot announced. "The soul is forming."

Oberon turned to Phineas who was now flanked by Hawthorne and Millicent. "It shall do so without your interference."

Phineas gloated. "As the soul forms the bond that was betwixt the King and the Nephilim is severed. He can choose a new bride." The healer shoved Millicent forward. "We claim the right to present our case to the King."

Millicent began to move toward the littler, but Sarah, sword outstretched prevented her from coming near. "Get back you scum!" Millicent demanded.

"If and when the King chooses it will be when he has had time to clear his thoughts." The Mystic stated. "Until then he will be in the care of his healer…the Goblin Court Healer, and only his Father shall have access to him." Sarah shouted something in Goblin and the horde appeared. They carried the litter away from the Wyrn with Oberon in attendance. "Now I suggest you take your whore back home, Hawthorne…And I suggest you two take a bath! I can smell your scent on each other." Sarah turned and followed the littler toward the castle.

Phineas stood with his mouth wide in surprise at the accusation. Anne looked at him, "You screwed the pooch, Healer." She quipped.

The man roared.