Chapter 60.

Upon returning to the guests rooms, Millicent pitched a royal fit. "He had her attend to our rooms!" she shoved a carved table over, spilling the contents of its top to the floor with a loud crash.

Hawthorne gripped her upper arm, and shook her. "Behave yourself, this is not your palace just yet, you fool."

Millicent growled at him. "Unhand me, Father!"

Phineas placed a hand over the one her father had hold of her with. "Listen to your father girl." He said in a reasonable tone.

The wounded Fae girl pouted. "He didn't even see to us himself." She moaned. "And vanishing just as I was about to touch him…"

"He was summoned." Her father corrected as he released his grip. "He is the Goblin King and has duties. They don't end at dusk," he reminded her. "If you are expecting him to drop everything for the sake of being with you, then you will be sorely taken by surprise."

The Healer began to pace, "We need help."

"Yes but who could help us now? Your friend the Scholar is not going to show his face in this palace." Hawthorne commented with condescension.

Phineas tapped his chin, "He does not have to show his face. He told me he knows of a place in the palace that would be safe for us to meet in privately, without knowledge of his even being here."

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The Goblin King and his Consort sat quietly, even after the evenings proceedings had drawn to a close. He didn't appear to want to move, and she was only to happy to keep him company.

"Sarah." He said at long last; "That woman, that Millicent does not love me, she loves my crown."

"You once told me that although our Kingdom was not the most desirable of places to most Fae; a Kingdom was after all a Kingdom." Sarah turned to face him. "You referred to yourself as an attractive carrot being dangled before a herd of donkeys."

"There are strange thoughts plaguing me." He confessed. "Things in my head are so muddled."

"It will clear." She promised.

"Do you know why I'm so confused?" He asked.

She looked away. "Yes, but don't ask me to tell you…I can't, not just now."

Gloved fingertips tilted her face back to his. "Just answer me this, does it have to do with the reason I've been…ill?"

"Yes, Sire." She answered honestly.

He made a slight grimace then softened his look. "I trust you."

Sarah rose from the stair. "It grows late. You need your rest, Sire."

He stood beside her. "I grow restless."

"Soon, my King…soon." She promised with out words.

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Sarah headed toward the Wyrn; the morning light had not yet reached the grounds of the Dragons cavern. She saw the grooms standing at the entrance. "What now?" she asked head groom.

"We don't know," he stated as a howl came from the bowls of the cavern. "But that sound started about an hour ago."

Sarah looked toward the heavens. "God, that's an awful sound."

The head groom nodded. "Not one we've heard before either. It's not a lament; it's not a death howl either. We just don't know what it is."

Sarah placed a reassuring consoling hand on the man's sleeve. "I'll take care of this."

Fear entered the groom's eyes. "You're not going in there?"

"Why not?" She asked.

"You killed their Lord!" One of the other young Hobgoblins exclaimed.

Sarah didn't bother telling them that was not true, for now it worked to her advantage to have everyone thing that she had slain the Dragon Lord. "All the more reason I have to go in there." She squared her shoulders and called out. "Ready or not, here comes Sarah!" She took the torch that the groom held and entered the mouth of the cavern.

The howl continued, until Sarah reached the heart of the cavern. Waiting for her was Talon, The dragon a strange greenish gold, and wild eyed dragon that Sarah knew well. "Talon." She greeted her one time steed respectfully.

"Lady of the Labyrinth." The dragon was also respectful, if more formal then before.

"You sent for me?" She asked.

"WE did." The dragon sat down heavily. "We need to know if you intend to make your claim."

"My claim?" Sarah shook her head. "My claim on what?"

"Your heritage, Daughter of the Flames." The dragon stated.

Sarah blinked. "Daughter of the Flames?"

Talon gazed at her with whirling eyes. "That is one of your many titles."

"I'm gathering titles like nuts in May." Sarah muttered. "Ok, what exactly makes me a Daughter of the Flames?"

"Your mother's line is the House of Flames, they are protectors of the Dragon line and lore." Talon stated. "Will you now make your claim?"

Sarah held up a hand, "Wait Talon, before I answer you, tell me this. Does this have to do with the prophecy?" The dragon cocked her noble head to one side and looked at the girl but gave no answer. "Of course it does." Sarah answered herself. "Ok let me do this right. I Sarah, Daughter of the Flames do here by affirm my claim to my heritage."

"Well said." Talon turned. "Come child of the Fire. Enter the lair." All the dragons gathered around Sarah as she moved deeper into the lair. Talon came to a stop, turned and spread her wings; the others surrounded Sarah as well and also spread their wings. Tip to tip the wings touched forming a circle. "Receive now, our wisdom."

Sarah closed her eyes as the crystal walls of the cavern began to glow. She felt the warmth and the electric charges that penetrated her being. The dragons surrounding her began to hum. Sarah opened her mouth and the sound that came out of it was foreign to her.

Wings closed, Sarah opened her eyes and looked at Talon. "Thee is now as thee should have always been. Queen Sarah, secret Queen of the Labyrinth Clutch."

"Talon," Sarah found it hard to find words. "Is what I'm seeing in my minds eye…real?"

"Indeed." The Clutch Mother nodded. "It is the deepest secret of our kind."

"Then you all knew?" Sarah asked.

The Clutch Mother looked at the girl with understanding and tolerance. "We did."

"And that howl just now was just to get me here to the Wyrn?" Sarah scratched her head. "You could have just sent word…"

"We did, we sent you word…in our way." Talon snickered.

"You dragons are a twisted lot." Sarah muttered.

"Aye, we are lassie." One of the others commented. "Perhaps that's why we loved the world of man so. They be as twisted as we."

Sarah paced. "Just one more piece of the puzzle." She said as she began to tap her chin. "And we don't dare give our enemy the chance to find out. Talon, keep the clutch secluded. I don't want one dragon to show its face until I've my final facedown with the Fae Millicent. They need to believe I'm still powerless against them."

"Giving them enough rope?" Talon asked.

"No, I'm dangling a carrot." Sarah quipped. "A handsome virile carrot."

"That carrot has been dangled before," the Dragon warned.

Sarah looked at the clutch. "I vow to you all, I'll not let Millicent win."

Talon moved her wing, allowing a tip to but touch the face of the new Queen. Razor like edges that could easily slice though her skin, softly touched the girl. "It is not just the woman you must battle; it is the seeds sown long ago. Both sides of the Shattered Soul have seeds sown that could foul the final man."

"I have faith in the men who were and are the Goblin King." Sarah said firmly. "I have faith."

Talon bowed. "We obey the will of our Queen."

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Sarah emerged from the Cavern, and the grooms bowed to her. "Lady Sarah, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She assured them. "The dragons will be quiet now. Don't disturb them." She walked away from the Wyrn and headed not to the castle but to the Labyrinth. She needed time to think, to digest what had just taken place. Entering the Labyrinth she began to wander about, knowing she would not be disturbed. The wisdom and secret knowledge of the Dragons was filtering into the depth of her mind and soul. Things she'd wondered about, she know knew and understood. "Clutch Queen." She said aloud. "Now who would have thought?" Thunder sounded over head, and the girl ignored the signs of the impending storm.

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Linda was going though box after box, Karen had offered to help her. Both women were up to their knees in the storage area the King had set aside for the belongings of the actress. Boxes that were already gone though were marked and discarded.

"How could you not remember where you put it?" Karen asked sarcastically.

Linda shot her a look. "Have you any idea of how many scripts I've received, let alone used?"

Karen confessed red faced, "No, I never spent all that much time keeping track of your career."

Linda stopped searching and laughed. "Oh Karen, that's so you! So honest."

Karen shook her head, "It has nothing to do with honest. I…feared if I …I was worried that Robert still…cared for you."

Linda looked surprised, "Karen, Robert loves you…in ways he never loved me…I was pretty and fed his vanity. He has that Fae trait…as do I….but he never loved me as he loves you."

The blond looked at the actress. "It still plays in the back of my mind."

"I'm the past…you are his present and his future." Linda said pleasantly. "Besides, I've got Jeremy…and he and I are cut from the same clothe." She pointed to a box partially hidden. "Try that one."

Karen opened the box. "I think this is it!" she pulled mementos from a play out of the box. "This is it!" She held up the script, it was dog-eared and had scribbles over many of the pages. Karen waded though the rest of the boxes. "We'll have someone repack this stuff….yes, this is the script."

Linda took the script into her hands. "It was a lousy play!" she teased. "And I had a rotten part…but it was a part." She turned though the pages. "We'll take this to the war-room and the Bard and the Scribe can go though it."

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Millicent resented that Jareth was not spending time showing her his palace. She disregarded the words of her father. Of course he should stop what he was doing…she was far more important than some stupid bridge being built or some mill. Instead of spending time tempting him with her flirtations she had to entertain herself. Making a private tour of the palace she was making mental notes of what changes she would demand once she was crowned Jareth's Queen. The servants were very respectful and she was sure it was because they understood just how important she was. They seemed only too happy to serve her every wish. Millicent enjoyed being the center of their attentions.

The long halls of the working rooms didn't interest her at first. Then she noticed the two women, one clearly Fae, the other a blond mortal, walking toward the work room. In the hands of the Fae was a manuscript. That item interested Millicent. She discreetly followed the pair, hiding skillfully in shadows. The pair entered a door and the Fae woman listened from the hall to the conversation within.

"Anne, we found the script." Linda announced. "It was buried but here it is." She handed the script over to the Scribe. "Best of luck to you deciphering it! Robin was never a good writer. The play bombed. It was open less than a week. Total waste of investors time and money. "

The Fae woman in the corridor eyed the pages. "Robin." She whispered and watched as the Scribe put the manuscript on the working table.

Cairbre turned to the Fae Actress. "You actually met him?"

"Well I was never formally introduced to him," Linda explained. "I was not one of the stars. I was but a character in the background."

"Still you were in the same space as he and he never suspected you were Fae?" The Bard was amazed.

"Dear Bard," Linda waved it off, "we were very adept at keeping our wards up. Both Jeremy and I."

"Still." The Bard looked at her with admiration.

In the hall Millicent was watching carefully to see where the script would be kept. When she was satisfied she rushed off to find her father or the Healer. Finding Phineas in the rooms alone she rushed to him and said boldly. "I think we may have had a stroke of luck befall us!"

Phineas looked to see if her father was about, he smiled invitingly to her. "Yes, your father is out of the rooms for now, care to entertain me?"

"Maybe later." She said off handedly. "This is more important than playing with each other. I found out they have a script by Robin in their keeping."

Phineas cast his lust aside, "A script by Robin, are you sure?"

"I saw it for my self. Not only that, but I know where they are keeping it." She announced proudly. "I've a feeling they think it will tell them some of the answers of the riddles in the Prophecy."

Phineas smiled, "Then we must destroy it, before they can find the answers…we've only a short time left before the girl turns eighteen. If she has not won her battles, if the king can be turned to a new lover, and if we can end any chance of her finding that mythical crystal throne…Then you my vixen will be Queen."

"I've never not gotten what I've gone after." Millicent stated. "And although I've had Jareth before, having him again and being his Queen is a thought that pleases me." She turned, walked prettily down to her bedchamber.

"Too bad it will be Quinn and not Jareth you will be wed to you stupid cow." Phineas ridiculed with a sneer. "I'm sure my Quinn will not mind sharing his pretty queen with his mentor. Once he's had enough of you. Perhaps we call all play some delightfully evil game together."

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Solea entered the war-room with a look of dismay. "The Scrying pools have gone silent."

Cairbre didn't look nearly as disturbed as he should have. "I was expecting this." He said. "Happened a few other times. Things are happening that are to remain within the secrets of Mother Universe."

Anne shook her head. "Seems like just when we catch a break, something else goes wrong."

"It's not wrong." The Bard corrected. "It's just the way it is."

"Yeah like Sarah facing the Dragons alone?" Anne paced. "There's an awful lot going on that we don't seem privy to."

"Welcome to my world." Cairbre said with a swagger. "Where what you know is not always what is true."

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Sarah watched the storm clouds gathering, she felt the wind turn and begin to howl. "It begins." She said. "I'm ready." Standing up she looked into the heavens. "You hear me, Mother Universe? I'm ready!" Sarah Williams stood proudly as the lighten began to flash. "Hit me with your best shot!"