Chapter Forty Three

Winds of Warnings

The tensions in the castle were high and everyone seemed to sense danger. The Goblins were on edge, and snapping at every little sound. Even Willa, who always seemed the soul of peace and calmness, was jumpy.

Jareth brought the children in to the bedchamber for the evening story, but took the book from Sarah's hand. "We need to talk," he said with concern.

Jenny and Gwynn snuggled into their mother and looked at their stepfather with rapt attention. "Jenny darling, Sir Didymus came to me." The little girl looked away. "Child your mother and I both told you if you have questions to come to us."

Sarah looked from Jareth to her daughter. "What's this?" When the little girl refused to look at her mother, Sarah looked at Jareth.

Jareth sat on the edge of the bed, drew a crystal from the air and handed it toward the child. "Jenny, look into the crystal," he instructed.

Sarah looked at the crystal at the same time. What she saw filled her with dread and pain. It was showing the night she had wished Toby away. She looked at Jareth his face was solemn. Sarah looked at the surface of the clear sphere.

Jenny saw it all, Sarah in the park, and the owl watching over her. She saw her mother as a teen running home in the rain with a huge dog. The fracas with her Granny K, and the screaming Toby as Sarah held him up in the air saying words from a Fairy Tale. Then she heard her mother say the words…

"Aah," she moaned helplessly. "I wish the goblins would come and take you away

... right now"

Sarah looked at herself in the sphere in her daughter's hands and whimpered. "I didn't mean it." Years of guilt set tears flowing. "I didn't…."

Jareth pointed to the sphere, and both Jenny and her mother looked into its heart.

"You're ... him, aren't you?" You're the King of the Goblins."

He bowed. "Jareth."

She resisted the ridiculous impulse to return a curtsy.

"I have saved you," he said. "I have liberated you from those bonds that distressed you and frightened you. You're free now, Sarah."

"Oh, no. I don't want to be free," she answered. "I mean, I do, but -- I want my little brother back. Please." She gave him a tiny smile.

"If it's all the same to you."

Jareth folded his hands on the top of his cane. "What's said is said."

"But I didn't mean it," Sarah replied quickly.

"Didn't you, now?"

"Oh, please. Where is he?"

Jareth chuckled. "You know very well where he is."

"Please bring him, back, please." She heard herself speaking in a small voice. "Please!"

"Sarah ..." Jareth frowned, and shook his head. His expression was all concern for her. "Go back to your room. Read your books. Put on your costumes. That is your real life. Forget about the baby."

"No, I can't."

For a moment, they regarded each other, adversaries trying to size each other up at the outset of a long contest. Thunder rumbled.

Then Jareth raised his left arm, and made a large gesture with his hand. Sarah looked around, thinking that he was summoning assistance. When she faced him again, a glowing crystal had appeared in his hand.

"I've brought you a gift, Sarah," he said, holding it out to her.

She paused. She could not trust him. "What is it?"

"A crystal, nothing more. Except that if you look into it ... it will show you your dreams."

Before he could produce the crystal, Sarah told him, "No." She paused. "Thank you all the same, but I can't do what you want. Can't you see that? I must have my brother back."

"You will never find him."

Jareth's voice came from behind her. "Turn back, Sarah. Turn back, before it is too late."

"I can't. Oh, I can't. Don't you understand that?" She shook her head slowly, gazing at the distant castle, and to herself, quietly, repeated, "I can't."

"What a pity." Jareth's voice was low, and gentle, as though he really meant it.

She was looking at the castle. It seemed to be a long way off, but not impossibly far to travel. It depended on what she would encounter in the valley, how easily it could be crossed. Was the darkness down there perpetual? "It doesn't look that far," she said, and heard in her voice the effort she was making to sound brave.

Jareth was at her elbow now. He looked at her, with a smile that was icy. "It's farther than you think." Pointing at a tree, he added, "And the time is short."

Sarah saw that an antique wooden clock had appeared in the tree, as though growing from a branch. On it were marked the hours to thirteen, as on the nursery clock in the lightning.

"You have thirteen hours to unriddle the Labyrinth," Jareth told her, "before your baby brother becomes one of us."

"Us?"

Jareth nodded. "Forever."

Jenny glared at her mother. "You wished Uncle Toby away!" her voice rasped with anger.

Jareth answered before Sarah could. "Jenny, you mother didn't know that I would take her brother. She was young and foolhardy, and angry at what she felt was an injustice done to her. She never meant to have your Uncle whisked away. Now look into the crystal again." The images came quick, the doors of the Ruse, the shaft of hands, the oubliette, and Jareth in the tunnel. All the images became a flood and then stopped abruptly after the bog. Jareth spoke softly to the little girl as he tipped her face up to look at him. "Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, your mother fought her way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City, to take back the child." He looked from daughter to mother. "Only Sarah ever completed the Labyrinth. Only Sarah ever matched and out matched me."

Jenny placed the sphere down on the bed. "You said you knew each other before… daddy…. But this is…."

Jareth held the sphere up for one more image. It was the crystal ballroom, Jareth moving past other women to take Sarah into his arms and sing to her as he waltzed he down the steps. Jenny heard the words but not clearly. Jareth looked at Sarah and said them once more. "I'll be there for you, as the world falls down." He looked back at Jenny. "I've shown you these images so you will understand. There are parts of your mother's story that belong only to her and to me. No one, not even you have a right to that." Jareth tossed the sphere into the air where it disappeared. "You want to know something, ask us."

"Sir Didymus said that only a wisher could save the wishee." Jenny whispered. "Mommy should not have even known we were gone."

Jareth nodded. "That's true, in most cases. However, you mother is not most cases. Your father wished you into my hands, and I offered your mother a chance to live here with you." He looked at Sarah, his eyes warning her not to contradict him.

Jenny moved across the bed, into the arms of her stepfather. "Thank you for bringing Mommy here!"

Jareth kissed the child and soothed her. "Now Jenny, there are reasons Mommy and I have been having you and Gwynn learn the Labyrinth. Things are not always what they seem, remember? Someday, we may have people here who are strangers."

"Bad strangers?" Jenny asked, "Like that man who rode into the garden and nearly trampled Gwynn?"

"Yes, him, or others like him. If you ever see him, hide Jenny, hide fast." Jareth warned. "Take Gwynn and go to Gorsin or Hoggle or to Sir Didymus and stay hidden until your mother or I come for you. You go only with the ones you know. If you see a creature in the forest you've not met, hide!"

Jenny looked at both parents, "I will," she promised. "I'll hide with Gwynn."

Jareth reached behind him and handed the book to Sarah. "Read the passages I've marked."

Sarah read from the book, while her family looked on and listened.

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Jareth returned from putting the children down and entrusting them to Willa's tender care. Sarah was pacing, wringing her hands as she walked back and forth. Jareth sat with his hands clasped, leaning on his thighs and waited.

Sarah stopped. "Jareth, call Gibbs." She let herself descend to the floor slowly.

"Gibbs!" Jareth cried out as he moved toward his Consort. "Sarah, are you in any pain?"

She shook her head, "No, but I feel…strange…"

Gibbs entered from the hall. "You called, Your Majesty?" He frowned seeing Sarah on the floor, "My Lady," he moved to her side and helped her to stand. Looking into her eyes, he said calmly. "Tell me your symptoms." He guided her back to her bed.

"It sounds silly…I'm feeling so strange… and I'm hearing things… humming…no make that a buzzing noise…and I get flashes of images…" Sarah closed her eyes and lay back on the pillow. "I'd trade morning sickness with this any day! At least with morning sickness I had warning."

Jareth looked on with concern. "Gibbs?"

"Ma'am, have you had premonitions? I mean before you returned here to the Goblin Kingdom…" He opened one eye at a time and looked deeply.

"Well, sure, everyone does." Sarah dismissed the thought.

"Not everyone is aware of them, Lady Sarah." Gibbs looked at her patiently. "Nor have many of your kind journeyed here and back again."

"Gibbs what is it?" Jareth asked again.

"It would seem that she's naturally receptive to physic abilities… or what her race calls physic… and your son is sharing his… abilities with her." Gibbs smiled. To Sarah he said, "I'll leave you a potion to calm your nerves."

On the way out Jareth moved into the hall with Gibbs. "And after the child is born?"

Gibbs looked at the King with a stony glare. "You were warned. You knew she would be changed. She will never return to an ordinary mortal…if she was indeed ever ordinary to begin with."

Jareth griped the arm of the Healer. "I gave her Fae food on her first visit, and marked her, would those factor in?"

"Fae food? You never told me she'd eaten Fae food." Gibbs' jaw tightened.

"It was never supposed to be common knowledge. There are only a few who know." Jareth sighed. "Does it factor in?"

Gibbs shrugged. "I don't know. I must consult my books and scrolls…."

Jareth watched the Healer vanish. "You do that." He entered the room and looked at Sarah still wincing. "Drink the potion."

"No," she said defiantly. "I won't."

Jareth moved toward her. "Drink the damn potion, I won't see you suffer."

Sarah, hollow eyed and pale stared at him. "What's happening to me?"

"Transition," Jareth picked up the goblet and held it out to her. "Drink this or I'll pour it down your throat by force."

Sarah looked at him, "What does Transition mean? Am I becoming a Fae?" there was fear in her voice.

He sat beside her on the bed, and held the goblet to her lips. "Drink." She hesitated, and he teased. "I'm not going to poison the mother of my child."

With a grimace she took a sip, made a face and took a deep drink. "That's vile."

"It will keep you calm, and give you rest," he whispered. "Tell me what your visions are."

"They are all muddled." She closed her eyes, "like in a kaleidoscope."

He removed his gloves and placed his fingers to her temple. "What do you see?"

"Grizbine… his plans for the kingdom…. For his mother…for Tatiana…. He's a monster!" her eyes flew open. "He wants to kill us all. Horribly." She raised a hand and placed it to Jareth's face. "He wants to enslave the Goblins…he wants to kill your father and place a bastard out of Tatiana on the throne."

"His bastard?" Jareth gasped. He lowered his hand, "Sarah…"

"No… not now… no explanations, no excuses," she pushed him away.

Fire jumped into the mismatched eyes. "Is this the Sarah Williams who defied me all those years ago?"

A strange calm came over Sarah. "No, this is Sarah Goblinshimmer, and I want revenge!"

Jareth placed the goblet on her nightstand. "Now those kind of words are music to my ears."

"No one plots to harm my family! Or my Kingdom." Her eyes became slits. "I feel him near…plotting our end…. I say we give him a taste of Labyrinth Justice."

Jareth raised her hand to his lips, and kissed the palm. "That's the woman I remember."