Chapter Two: Throne Room
Jareth, dressed in his black goblin armor, paced agitatedly back and forth in a throne room filled with dozens of floating crystals. Each one was showing a different Labyrinth scene, and hundreds of voices from the crystals filled the air like white noise. The King stopped abruptly, dragging his cape to the side with one hand, while conjuring a crystal in his other.
"Move the Kerigon army to defend the south," he ordered into the crystal. His look was serious, angry. He almost looked like he had when he'd been ordering his goblin army to stop Sarah from reaching his castle.
"We need reinforcements, Sire," a voice crackled from the crystal in his hand.
"Consider it done," responded the King. With a flick of his wrist the communicating crystal disappeared, and was replaced by a new one. The new crystal began to fill with thick red liquid. Jareth threw it like a baseball out the window. And as it disappeared in the distance at least a third of the goblins sitting in the throne room vanished with it. Jareth's numbers were quickly dwindling. The remaining unnaturally quiet goblins knew their companions were now the reinforcements. They silently watched their King, and the war playing out in the crystal spheres floating around them.
Geg, a medium sized puppet-like goblin dressed in grey armor and a horned helmet, ran into the thrown room intent on speaking with the king. "Your majesty." He bowed abruptly, nearly losing his helmet. He was the same goblin who had informed the King Sara had almost made it to the castle.
"What is it?" asked Jareth.
"Sire, I have news from above."
"Wait." Jareth held up his hand to motion for the messenger to stop. He conjured a new crystal, and listened.
"Sire, it was a trap!" shouted the voice. Jareth knew it was the yestronian army fighting in the hedge maze. "We've been surrounded by anthros, and haven't enough magic to hold them off."
Jareth conjured a new crystal, and smashed it in the center of the circle in the throne room. A blond man, tall and regal, stood up from a crouching position. The crystal had brought him there. He stood tall and turned to face his king.
"Your Majesty?" The man addressed Jareth.
"Anthros are destroying my hedge maze," the King explained. "Go there. Use your magic, and unmake the rock monsters."
"Yes, Sire," answered the man. "But what of the Firey forest?"
"A sacrifice we'll have to make," answered the King.
The man motioned to leave.
"Trin..."
He stopped and waited for his king to continue. "Yes, Sire."
"Kill them all. No prisoners."
"Yes, my King," Trin answered with a nod, and he was gone.
Jareth turned his attention back to the messenger. "What news?" he asked.
"The Aboveground army has captured most of the rebels, Sire. Shall we begin harvesting the..."
"Which rebels are still at large?" the King cut him off.
"Which rebels, Sire?" The puppet-like goblin was instantly nervous.
"Yes. Which rebels?" Jareth repeated his question.
Geg swallowed. "Niche and his followers, your Majesty."
Jareth grimaced only a moment before a look of anger overtook his face. The King's stare turned the goblin's blood to ice. "Find them," ordered Jareth. "I want them alive." The King turned to look at one of the magic bubbles floating in the air near his throne. Glancing at it, he quickly conjured three crystals of different colors, and blew them toward the other crystal. The new multicolored crystals were quickly enveloped by the one hovering. He turned back to the messenger. "Well?" he demanded. "What are you waiting for?"
"Commander Ciel wishes to know if they can begin The Harvest, your Majesty."
"Is Sara Williams in custody yet?"
"No, Sire."
"Then no Harvest," the King pronounced, turning his back to Geg. "I will have her first." Jareth wore a hard look. He reached out, snatching a crystal from the air. "Glorsh, fall back to the Garden Palace. Assist the dwarves there."
"Your Majesty." The goblin messenger swallowed, interrupting his King once more.
"What is it?" The King was quickly losing patience with his subject. He needed to be focused on the battles destroying his Labyrinth not this irritating little scab of a goblin.
"The girl..." Geg took a deep breath, glanced up at the kings face, and quickly removed his helmet. The goblin nervously bowed his head once more. "The girl we're hunting?".
"What of her?" The frustration in Jareth's voice was more than evident. Why couldn't this goblin get on with it? Couldn't he see Jareth had more important matters!
"Sire. She's died, sire."
Jareth stopped moving. He stopped doling out orders. He stopped breathing. And everyone in the room stopped with him.
Everyone, that is, except the messenger. The messenger started to tremble. He started to shake. The sound of his helmet nervously clanging against his armor sent out a warning alarm. What would the king do now?
The King whirled back around to face his subject. "Tell me," he ordered.
"Her building... It was called a school, your Majesty. It caught fire during the first wave, Sire. It exploded when she was trying to escape. She didn't make it, my Liege."
Jareth took one quick step toward the messenger, grabbed him by the front, and hoisted him up to eye level with one hand. The goblin dropped his helmet, and it clattered to the floor. He shook with fear.
"What evidence?" the King demanded.
"Commander Ciel has her friends in custody, my King. They were traveling together, and were with her when she died."
Jareth dropped the goblin messenger, and stumbled back. The messenger kept talking, but the King didn't hear him. Stunned, the King of the Goblins lowered himself to his thrown. Dead? How could she be dead? Like the messenger the crystals chattered on, many of them calling for help. But the King didn't hear any of them. He didn't even notice the chicken scratching at the floor near his feet. The only thing he could hear was the pulse of the blood rushing through his ears. He closed his eyes. The only thing he could feel was numbness... and anger.
Oh! Could he feel anger! He was angry at the messenger for tormenting him. He was angry at Commander Ciel for not capturing her like he'd ordered. He was angry at the rebels for their disobedience. But most of all he was angry at Sarah. How dare she die! How dare she not live long enough for him to take her!
The Goblin King opened his eyes, shifted in his throne, and faced the messenger. The King's subject's ramblings caught in his throat. The only other time Geg had seen a look like that was when the girl had beaten the Labyrinth.
"Bring me her friends," ordered the King in a dark voice.
The messenger nodded a quick bow, and turned to leave. He wanted to get away from the King as fast as he could. But before he could leave, Jareth's voice stopped him.
"Messenger."
"Your Majesty?" answered Geg.
"Begin harvesting the humans," the Goblin King added.
The myriad of little goblins in the throne room let out a cheer. Some of them jumped up and down excitedly. Some of them smiled and licked their lips in anticipation. It had been so long since the last Harvest.
Jareth stood up, back to his regal self. "Quiet." He let his eyes flash around the room. The little puppet-like goblins collectively inhaled, and were silent. "Tell Commander Ciel to take as many as he can," Jareth continued. "Keep to the rules. Obey my law, and take all who can be taken. We're going to need them."
Geg scampered from the room, grateful to get away with his skin intact. The rest of the goblins continued quietly celebrating. War or no War, a Harvest was something to be enjoyed.