Chapter 8

"They're still not back yet. I can't believe we just let them go," Sireth said.

"They'll be alright. Your mother can take care of herself. She's saved me more than once."

"I know," Sireth said. "But I still worry."

"So do I."

"You'd never know it."

"I've become very good at hiding my emotions over the years."

"But I can't just sit here and wait."

"We won't be. We have to find out what's going on in the Labyrinth. Who attacked Janine and why?"

Jareth heard Sir Didymus barking before the fox reached the throne room with Hoggle telling him to 'be quiet and shut up!'. Ludo was bellowing something then Ambrosias started barking too.

"What's going on?" Sireth asked and they all started talking at once.

"Quiet!" Jareth yelled and silence fell immediately. Ambrosias was shaking and hiding his face in his paws. "Hoggle," Hoggle still couldn't get used to the Goblin King actually saying his name right, even though it had been years. He had Sarah to thank for that. "Tell me what's going on."

"Well we overheard some goblins takin' and they said they're gonna kill Janine so she won't talk. They were on their way to find her."

Just then Jareth got a stabbing pain in his side that made him double over, followed by a sharp pain in the back of his head not long after.

"Your majesty?" Sir Didymus inquired, as Ludo grunted his question.

"Dad?" Sireth asked.

Jareth forced out the pain and called upon a crystal. He saw Toby laying in the Labyrinth, badly injured. "Too late," Jareth said. "They already have them." Jareth tossed his son the crystal, then disappeared in front of their eyes.

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Sarah and Jennifer arrived in the park "Where should we look first?" Jennifer asked.

"Let's look around the park first. I told Crystal about it so many times. It was my favourite place to go."

"Mine too. It seems so long ago that I first met Sireth here. He kissed me under that tree," She pointed.

"Really? It's strange, but I never realized that you were from the same town as me. You guys were right here while Jareth and I were staying at Toby's."

"Yeah, small world, isn't it?"

"Well, they're not here. Let's go by my old house, then the high school."

"Okay."

After finding nothing, they decided to go up and down the streets looking for them. "What if they're in the hospital? Someone might have found Reineth without his powers and taken him there. If he's not with Crystal."

"Jareth thinks they're together . . ." Sarah hoped he was right, but it was beginning to look hopeless. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Jennifer. This is all my fault. Crystal's been begging us to bring her here and I know why. She wanted to find HIM, The One, but it just seemed too soon to me. I didn't want to let go of her yet. We had so little time with Sireth . . ."

"I know. It's not your fault. Don't worry. We'll find them."

They looked everywhere but there was no trace of them. "What do we do now?" Jennifer asked.

"I don't know," Sarah said. "I really don't know."

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"Crystal!" Reineth cried as he staggered into the small bedroom with David's help.

She opened her eyes. "Reineth, what's wrong?"

"I was looking for you and I guess I stayed here too long."

"Oh, I'm so sorry Reineth. This is all my fault. I've been so stupid."

"No I was stupid," David interjected. "I should have believed you in the first place. Then none of this would have happened."

"And I shouldn't have brought you here to begin with, but I don't understand. Why haven't you healed yourself?"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I'm just a normal girl, remember."

"Come on. Look at the power your mom has and your dad's The Goblin King for Pete's Sake! You can't tell me you have no powers."

"The Goblin King?" David raised an eyebrow.

"I'll explain later," Crystal said. "Reineth take my hand." Whether it was true that she had magic flowing through her or not, she would at least try to keep Reineth alive. She could try pouring whatever energy she had left into him. "We'll be okay until mom and dad come. Just let me rest." She closed her eyes.

David lowered Reineth to the floor, then whispered to him. "Why won't she heal herself if she can?"

"Let me think. Grandma, her mom, used her power to save my Grandpa twice. Maybe because she cared more about him than herself. Crystal loves you. Have you told her you love her?"

"How can she love me? How can I love her? We just met."

"It doesn't matter. Do you?"

David thought about it. She understood him, was the only person who ever had. The thought of her dying, tore him apart. Even the thought of her going back to her world where he'd never see her again, was too much to bear. He couldn't live without her, he realized. "Yes, I love her."

"But have you told her?"

"No."

"I think she feels she has nothing to live for and has given up. Without you in her life there's no point in going on."

"But what about her family?"

"She's hanging on for them, waiting until they come. But if they don't . . . I don't think she can keep it up forever."

There was a knock on the door and David nearly jumped out of his skin. "David, you're going to be late for school!" It was his mother.

"I'm not feeling well today. I'm gonna stay home."

"Alright, your father and I will see you after work."

David was relieved but angry at the same time that his parents didn't bother to even try to come in and check on him.

"That was close," Reineth sighed. "Now we have to convince Crystal that she's got more to live for . . . and that time is running out. We can't depend on . . . our parents," Reineth finished before passing out.

David woke Crystal up. She could barely keep her eyes open now that she was using more energy to keep Reineth alive. "Crystal, listen to me. You can't give up now."

"I'm not giving up."

"But we can't wait until your parents get here. It might be too late. Do you want your nephew to die?"

"No, but I can't do it. I don't have the magic in me."

"Yes you do. I believe it. If you won't do it for yourself, do it for me."

"You?"

"Yes, I can't live without you. Even if it's just because you go back to your world, but it would be so much more painful if you didn't make it. So don't die on me."

"You're just saying that. You can't mean it."

"I do. You have to believe me like you asked me to believe you."

She wanted to believe that he cared for her, but doubt about his sudden change of heart, still clouded her eyes. He saw it and knew he'd have to prove it to her. He slowly leaned down and kissed her. It was so soft and tender Crystal wanted to cry. All his love poured into her soul. Then the kiss turned hungry, in his desperate need not to let her slip away from him.

Finally he tore himself away from her and they were both gasping for breath. "I love you." He said with utter conviction and she had no doubt now that he meant it.

"I love you too." She felt it then, the power surging though her. David watched in amazement as her skin seemed to glow. The cuts and wounds started to heal. The light became brighter until finally it stopped.

David looked at Crystal. She seemed completely healed. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just extremely tired, but I think I'll be okay now. The only problem is I can't do anything for Reineth. I don't have enough energy left. I'd have to rest for a couple of days, then I could probably restore his powers so he could get back to the Underground at least, but I don't think we have that much time."

"So what do we do?"

"You have to take us back to the park."

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Toby awoke to find his hands and feet tied. The goblins were dragging him behind them with the excess rope from around his wrists. Janine was walking beside him, her hands also tied, the goblins stabbing her with spears if she refused to walk. Toby couldn't form a crystal with his hands tied the way they were, and the blow to the head he'd suffered made it too hard to concentrate on any magic anyway. He had to concentrate to just keep from blacking out. He didn't have energy to waste healing himself either.

"Alright," the new goblin that they'd met up with said. "I've decided a nice dip in the Bog of Eternal Stench is the best thing for them."

"Duh, but won't that just make them smell bad? It will just make it easier for the Goblin King to find them."

"No, you idiot! I mean we'll dump them in it. Underneath the surface that swamp is so thick, they won't be able to swim out no matter what. Especially with their hands and feet tied. It will just suck them down," he laughed.

"No!" Janine cried. "Toby you have to wake up!" Toby was pretending he was still unconscious, wanting to catch the goblins off guard, and as the goblins started poking and pulling them up a hill to one side of the Bog of Eternal Stench, Toby sprung into action.

He yanked on the rope, causing the goblins pulling him to tumble to the ground. Then he swung his legs around and knocked the feet out from under the goblins around Janine. "Run!" Toby yelled to her.

"I can't! Not without you!"

"You have to!" He winced at the stabbing pain in his side. Janine crouched down beside him. "Janine, no!"

"I'm not leaving you," she said to him before addressing the goblins who had now regrouped. "Listen. The Goblin King knows what you did to me, and what do you think he'll do to you if he finds us dead?"

Most of the goblins glanced around in fear, expecting Jareth to appear and strike them down where they stood. "She's bluffing," said the head goblin. "If Jareth knew, he would already have us. Now bring them up here so we can be rid of them once and for all." The goblins looked around nervously. "Well?"

"I don't know. I don't want to make Jareth any more mad," one said.

"Me either." The others shook their heads.

"Oh, if you won't do it, I will." He pulled Janine to her feet and grabbed Toby by the wrists, dragging and pushing them until they were at the top of the hill which overhung the Bog of Eternal Stench.

Janine struggled, but the goblin was intensely strong. Toby felt so weak and drained. He hoped he could pull together enough strength to save them from this. "Janine, I'm sorry."

"For what? This is all my fault."

"For not protecting you. I love you, Janine."

Her eyes filled with tears. She didn't think she had ever heard those words spoken to her in her life. "I love you too," she whispered back.

"Enough of this!" The lead goblin shouted. "Now, ladies first." The goblin grabbed Janine and shoved her over the edge. Her scream echoed through Toby's mind, and he was sure it would haunt him for a very long time, if he were to live long, that is.

Janine fell over the edge, then stopped. She was suspended in mid air. It was agony. She knew Toby had done it, but also knew he couldn't hold out too long with his injuries, not to mention what the goblins would do to him now. Then she heard him scream. The goblins couldn't have hurt her more if they were physically torturing her instead of Toby.

The spiked mace came down on his shoulder after the goblin discovered that Toby had prevented Janine from falling. The pain in Toby's brain from trying to keep Janine from falling while being struck, was equal to the pain he felt in his shoulder. He knew he wouldn't last another blow. The mace came down again and his strangled cry came the same time as Janine's as she fell towards the Bog. But amazingly again she stopped, then suddenly she was on solid ground. Her legs gave out beneath her.

Sireth appeared on the scene and upon seeing what the goblins were doing to Toby, was filled with uncontrollable rage. He knocked the goblin striking Toby away and the rest of the goblins scrambled.

Jareth appeared. The look on his face as he approached, terrified Janine, but she stood her ground. "Don't you hurt him."

"Don't worry. I'm Jareth."

"You're the Goblin King?"

Jareth tilted his head and gave a half smile in answer. Janine was surprised by how beautiful he was, but even knowing that he was there to help. The look in his eyes still inspired fear.

As the head goblin scrambled back up the hill, Sireth came after him. Grabbing him around the throat and lifting him high into the air above the Bog. "You don't deserve to live," he said as the goblin pleaded with Sireth to put him down. Sireth tossed him over the edge.

"Sireth," Jareth called, stopping the goblin's flight. "It's okay, Sireth." Jareth said putting a hand on his shoulder. Sireth took a big calming breath. "Heal Toby. I'll take care of them," Jareth directed.

Sireth nodded, knowing he had lost control and gone too far. He turned and walked back down the hill.

Janine crawled over to where Toby was lying on the ground. Jareth had now suspended all the other goblins over the Bog as well. "Oh, I'm so sorry." Her hands shook, afraid to touch Toby, not sure what to do. Sireth reached them and introduced himself. He looked just like Jareth only with dark hair. He was also just as intense. He knelt and examined Toby as Jareth joined them.

It pained and angered Jareth to see Toby this way. He kind of thought of Toby as a son, his first son. He didn't understand how such evil could exist in the Labyrinth, especially since Sarah had come here. She took away the darkness that had filled the Labyrinth and the edition of Jennifer should have helped even more. Or maybe they just balanced the darkness and the more light that came here the more darkness took over. Maybe the darkness just lived in some creatures of the Labyrinth and it could never be removed.

Sireth had stripped off Toby's jacket and shirt. He healed Toby's shoulder while Jareth healed Janine's raw wrists and made sure she was alright. Sireth had finished with Toby's shoulder and was about to heal the stab wound in his side when Toby woke up.

He grabbed Sireth's arm. "Janine?"

"She's alright." Jareth replied.

"I'm here." Janine knelt on the opposite side of him.

Toby looked up at her, his eyes faded and pained, but also relieved that Janine was alright. "Remember, I love you," he whispered then, looked at Jareth and Sireth. "Take care of her," he said before his hand dropped from its fierce grip on Sireth arm, and he was gone.