Chapter Eighteen, part 1: The Ride of a Lifetime
"Not even twelve days left and I've only managed to find one dead orb. This might be even harder than I anticipated. How am I supposed to get into a lake and talk to mermaids? Oh, sorry, Mirameds!" Sarah moaned as she trekked through an extremely overgrown section of the forest.
Thick bushes blocked her path and she only managed to get by them by wiggling beneath or climbing over. They scratched at her face and pulled at the soft fabric of the dress and sweater. Of course, trying to climb, hike and crawl in a dress was a feat in itself. Once again, Sarah wished that Leader had considered practicality over femininity when it came to choosing an outfit for her. It was a comfortable dress, but still not very useful.
She stopped before a large thorned bush that loomed ominously in front of her. There was no way around, for it appeared to stretch on and on in both directions. It reminded her slightly of the first section of the Labyrinth. Perhaps there was a secret hidden within this horrid bush.
"Yeah, I'm really going to feel over this with my hands," Sarah mocked.
She looked the brier bush over a bit longer and then relented. She would just have to head the other way. Leader had not been kind enough to provide her with a compass and some useful directions. He would have probably just said that she needed to figure that out for herself. It sounded like something Leader would tell her. Sarah smiled bitterly at the memories of the night before and all the questioning Leader would avoid with a riddle. He was a tricky old guy.
Sarah turned away from the bush reluctantly. It didn't appeal to her to suddenly change her direction, but perhaps it was for the best. Maybe she had been going the wrong way and the bush was put there to stop her from making the mistake. It sounded like something Jareth might do, but he was losing magic quickly. Why would he want to waste what little he had left? Sarah dismissed the thoughts and started to head left alongside the shrubbery.
There was no change in the thickness, nor height, nor thorns of the large foliage. She would not be able to pass it by. There was no end in the near distance. However, there was something strange far up on the horizon. Sarah squinted and tried desperately to see what was making the bluish sparkle. It was still too far away, but she would certainly find out.
She turned her lazy walk into a brisk jog. Her muscles needed to get used to being worked, after all. She would probably be jogging through half of the journey, just so she could reach everything in time. Sarah thought about her time constraints and moaned.
The shimmer ahead of her was like a beacon. It glimmered like a thousand of Jareth's crystals all placed together in the sunshine. A cool breeze offered her the scent of water and wet soil. Sarah breathed in deeply and savored the sweet breeze that cooled her sweaty brow. She laughed, despite her short breaths, for she knew what lay ahead of her. It was the lake that Leader had spoken about.
"I can't believe it! The bush did help me!" Sarah exclaimed.
She leapt over a large rock and found herself face to face with something. It moved too fast for her to get a good look it. However, Sarah skidded to a halt and nearly fell flat on her face. She glanced about her and noticed nothing out of place. She had seen something and now it was hiding from her. Sarah was shocked with the thing's speed. Was it a friend or enemy? Sarah bit her lip in fear and hoped that the animal or creature was indeed a friend. She would not be able to outrun something of such great speed. The mysterious beast would probably be able to easily race beside the blindingly fast furrygatherers.
"Hello?" she called with a bit of a waver in her voice.
There was no answer. She couldn't even hear her own echo. The forest was strangely silent all about her. There was not a sound from the birds singing. There were no grasshoppers or crickets that had decided to stick around and serenade the morning. There was no lapping water from the distant lake. There wasn't even a hoot from a nearby owl. At that point Sarah didn't even mind if the white owl appeared before her. At least it would be some sort of noise. The silence was terrifying, especially after seeing the animal she had very nearly run over.
A twig cracked in the near distance and Sarah spun to face it. There was nothing in front of her. A deep breath was taken from behind her and she twirled back around. Still, no sign of the creature. Sarah turned in circles, trying to observe all her surroundings at once. She spun faster and faster, sure that the thing would sneak up behind her when she wasn't looking. Her head was washed over in dizziness and she lost her balance. Sarah staggered a few shaky strides to her left and collided with the brier bush. Sarah fell to the ground beside it, the world moving in strange waves and spirals about her.
She felt her life flash before her eyes. The future she would never have, appeared with the rest of her memories. Sarah thought of everything she had kept hidden for so long. Now, she would never be able to ever inform anyone about her deepest secrets. They would go with her to her rather sudden death. The Underground was doomed and her stupidity was to blame. Everyone depended on her and she had let them down... even Kyper! The poor little furrygatherer. It seemed to take an eon to see her life, but in reality, it only lasted a few short moments, the amount of time it took Sarah to attempt to stagger away from the thorny bush.
"Ouch," Sarah muttered.
Her hand had been cut up from the thorns. Luckily, none of them had decided to stay with her. She held her hand tightly and still tried to look around her. Her sight had somehow slowed down. She turned her head, but the forest wavered until she stopped her gaze from moving. Sarah closed her eyes and then snapped them back open, but nothing had changed.
Nausea snuck over her and she held her stomach tightly. She was going to lose her breakfast. She was sure of it. Sarah begged her food to stay down. She hated throwing up. Her stomach slowly calmed and she lost the urge. Sarah relaxed a bit and waited for her dizziness to subside.
"Who are you?" a shaky voice asked from behind her.
Sarah could not bring herself to look. Her vision had still not become normal. Instead she closed her eyes and waited for the animal to eat her. Something that was that large and so fast would certainly be a predator. She would just give up easily and hope for a quick death.
"I asked who you where!" the voice reminded.
"It doesn't matter who I am. I suggest that you just kill me and get it over with. I'm too dizzy to try to get away so I guess I'm easy prey. You might as well come over here and let me see you before I die. I don't want to be eaten by something I haven't ever laid eyes on," Sarah said in a slow voice.
The creature behind her erupted in a wonderfully musical laugh. It billowed air out onto Sarah's neck, forming goosebumps. She shivered slightly. However, the animal's laughter was all it took to convince her that she was not going to be eaten. Sarah allowed herself to relax a bit more.
"I'm not going to eat you! Why would I ever want to do that?" the voice asked.
It was a strangely familiar voice, but Sarah couldn't quite place it. She had heard the thing before, but it had sounded differently. Or maybe, she was just trying to figure too many things out and she had never heard anyone like it before.
The animal snorted a bit and nickered gently. It's warm muzzle nuzzled against her hair and then it brought its long head around to gaze at her. Sarah was shocked. She jumped back and ran into the animal's long, sturdy legs. It stepped back a little to allow her more room. Its wide eyes were ringed with blue and Sarah was sure that they, if not the voice, did look familiar. Once again, she could not place it.
She was face to face with a horse. The purest white-gray horse that she had ever seen. It was far more intelligent than any other equine she had ever known before. However, all the others hadn't been able to talk. It nickered again and flared its nostrils to take in her scent. Sarah reached out tentatively and stroked the warm gray muzzle. The horse bowed its head and allowed her to scratch his ears.
"Wow," was all Sarah could manage.
The horse whinnied and lifted his head up. He walked entirely before Sarah and once again she was shocked. It was not just a plain horse she was looking at, but a Pegasus! Its billowy feathered wings looked as soft and white as a cloud. They fluttered slightly in the breeze and sparkled as if they had been covered in glitter. Sarah marveled over the animal. It was everything she had ever imagined in her most wonderful dreams. She rose to her feet and tentatively touched one massive wing.
"Well, we haven't got all day. Do you want a ride or not?" the animal asked.
Its eyes twinkled slightly and reminded her of Leader. Was it Leader? Had he disguised himself using the magic? Sarah nearly laughed at her pathetic assumptions. This was not the old furrygatherer. This was a majestic horse. Besides, Leader hadn't had any magic left to use. His orb had died and so had most of his powers. Her mind was just trying to match those interesting and wise eyes.
Sarah finally snapped out of her thoughts. This Pegasus had offered her a ride and she was only staring at it like an imbecile. Of course a ride would be marvelous and exhilarating. She had always dreamed of riding upon a flying horse. She had never expected the dream to come true, for most everyone knew that these animals were pure fantasy. However, Sarah had thought goblins, fairies and talking foxes were fantasies as well (not to mention a seductive Goblin King).
"I would be very grateful for a ride. Please, what is your name so that I don't just call you 'you'," Sarah said as she walked up to the majestic steed.
He nickered slightly and tossed his noble head. His lush mane that very nearly swept the forest floor, floated through the air and sparkled brilliantly. It was as white as he was. His tail swished and swatted a few insects away from his hide. The remarkable creature observed her with his knowledgeable eyes and flared his nostrils slightly. He was very alert about his surroundings. It probably came from being an animal of prey, as were most horses.
"Call me Charm, Sarah," he answered her.
Sarah was surprised to hear the animal speak her name. As far as she knew she hadn't informed him of her name. Perhaps, it was common knowledge throughout the Underground. It seemed like Sarah was well known wherever she went. She certainly didn't understand why, but she understood very little as of lately. Sarah would just have to accept the strange events and move on.
Charm lowered himself to his knees so that Sarah might be able to mount him. She did so very clumsily, for she had never had proper lessons. In fact, her riding career was limited to a few short trailrides she had taken on a pony when she was in junior high. However, despite her novice riding skills, she was not afraid of falling off. Sarah believed that Charm would be smooth as silk as he glided through the wind. Sarah would just cling to his flowing mane and close her eyes.
"Ready?" Charm asked as he glanced back at his passenger.
Sarah checked her pack to assure herself that everything was in its place. She wrapped her hands tightly through locks of his pure white mane. She bent down close to his neck so that some of the wind might be directed away from her. Sarah nodded her head a little reluctantly. The fear was beginning to catch up to her.
"Charm, is this going to be very bumpy?" Sarah asked carefully.
Charm simply nickered in reply. He tossed his head in excitement and Sarah nearly lost her hand hold. Charm leaped forward and flapped his powerful wings about her. They created a wonderful wind that smelled vaguely of flowers and rain. Sarah closed her eyes and imagined herself in a meadow after a spring day. His feathers fluttered about her and swept across her face. They were as soft as down and twice as white.
He rose into the air with a great leap. The illusion of weightlessness swept over her and her stomach jumped awkwardly. His wings beat furiously and stroked her face. Sarah loved the feel of the feathers. They had a soothing affect on her. She even opened her eyes and glanced at the ground below her that was very quickly falling away. Sarah looked at the long thorn bush and marveled at how far it stretched. She truly never would have reached an end.
Sarah gradually lifted herself up to enjoy the rush of the cool breeze sweeping against her flushed face. It was exhilarating and made her feel as free as a bird in the sky. All around her were light downy clouds, drifting lazily by. She shook her head and allowed her hair to flow about her like a banner. Sarah laughed excitedly and removed her hands from his thick mane. Charm looked at her, worried that she had fallen. He nickered to her and Sarah responded with another excited laugh.
The world rushed by her, and she never wanted to get off. She loved riding the large horse through the air. His warm wings brushed over her and offered a sort of barrier against the sky all around. Sarah never even thought once about a fatal fall. She knew that Charm would not allow her to plummet to her doom. He would scoop her back up, if she should happen to fall. Sarah trusted the horse with her life.
The lake passed below them and Sarah realized, if with some regret, that Charm was beginning to descend a little. He moved his legs to control the direction and ease the landing. Sarah nearly felt like crying. She wanted to ride all day. Charm could prove very useful to scale the mountains. He would also be very fun! His warm wings only spread out, gliding them downward. They no longer brushed against her face giving her the wonderful flowery scent.
Charm landed gracefully. He trotted a little to the water's edge and then halted. Sarah waited for Charm to lower himself to his knees once again. She slid off, careful to avoid his large wings and then stood before the lovely horse. Charm whinnied and pranced. His alert ears twisted about to take in all the noises surrounding the lake. It really should have been called an ocean. It was big enough.
"Thank you, Charm. Are you going to be staying with me for the rest of my journey?" Sarah asked hopefully.
A sad gleam formed in Charm's blue-rimmed eyes. He let out a sigh that sounded almost like a nicker. It was hard to discern horse noises from one another. However, she was quite sure that Charm would be leaving. The sadness in his eyes was proof of that. Sarah was shocked at the extent of his sadness. If he had been human he probably would have broken into tears on the spot.
"I have other duties to attend to," Charm replied simply.
Sarah nodded in response. She had seriously doubted that Charm would be able to stay with her, but it had been worth a try. He had already been a lot of help. After all, he had brought her to the lakeside. That had shortened the amount of time it would take Sarah to reach the next orb. How she would reach that crystal was another matter entirely. Charm certainly couldn't help her with that aspect of her journey. He probably couldn't swim very well with his feathered wings. It would be extremely hard to fly with them weighed down with mucky water.
"I really appreciate the help and the fact that you didn't eat me," Sarah teased.
Charm nickered at her joke and then turned to raise back into the air. His long tail swished in the wind and whipped Sarah in the face. She batted it away carefully and watched as Charm glanced back at her. She just couldn't let him go yet. Sarah rushed up beside the horse and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Sarah, what?" he stated in surprise.
Sarah buried her face in his sweet mane of hair. She only wanted to hold on to him forever and beg the horse to never leave. She loved to ride him too much. She had already grown attached to the animal. Charm looked at her in shock and then a sort of endearment passed over his features. He placed his head in her own hair and nuzzled against her shoulder. His warm breath coursed down her back and sent shivers down her spine.
"Thank you for everything, Charm. I'll never forget that ride," Sarah said with a warm smile.
She pulled out of the embrace with quite a bit of willpower. The horse remained standing by her, gazing lovingly into her eyes. He had a strange expression upon his long face and Sarah found herself feeling awkward. She stepped away from him and nervously adjusted her pack. The horse finally shook his head and turned to leave.
Sarah also turned. She had a crystal to find and she was only wasting time by saying good bye twice to a horse she had only just met. So why did it feel like she had known Charm forever? Why did she feel so safe around him the moment after he first laid eyes on her? It was strange and Sarah was sure that it wasn't going to be the last peculiar thing to happen to her on her journeys.
She knelt by the water and gazed into its clear and glassy surface. Sarah was reminded of the mirrors in Jareth's castle. He had used them to observe so much, and now he could do very little with his magic. She felt sorry for him, despite her better senses, but he was suffering more than anyone should ever have to. He was tied to a doomed empire that was crumbling all about him and all he could do was watch silently from his darkened corner.
The water looked surprisingly deep, especially since she was sitting on the shore. It almost seemed as if it just dropped off where it started. That was another strange thing and Sarah was sure that it did drop off. She scooted away from it, being on the safe side in case she actually was right about the depth.
"I guess that I need to do something," Sarah muttered to herself.
She touched the water and was very relieved to find out that it was cool and completely normal. She had half expected the water to simply be a large mirror. However, that was even too weird for the Underground. Water was water. Sarah edged back up by it and ran her arm through its cool surface. The water felt wonderful against her bare skin. If it hadn't been so open and deep it would make a wonderful place to bathe. However, she wouldn't do it on the slight chance that Jareth could still use his mirrors.
Something brushed against her arm in the water and Sarah snapped herself away from it. She couldn't trust anything. She had to continuously remind herself of that. Anything could be dangerous now that the magic was dying and warping itself around as it disintegrated. Sarah gradually brought herself closer to the water and gazed into its depths. There was nothing other than the cool, clean water.
"I must be imagining things now. Makes sense, I suppose. If I am really on my way to going nuts I guess I should start seeing things and feeling things any time now," Sarah thought to herself.
She reached her hand tentatively back into the water. There was nothing in there. There was nothing to touch her nor nothing to be afraid of. The lake was strangely devoid of fish and other aquatic life. Maybe the Mirameds were the only things that lived there. Maybe they had touched her. Sarah reached further in and scooted closer to the edge. She peered in, trying to catch a glimpse of the people who lived beneath the surface.
The thing brushed against her hand once again and this time something grabbed her. Sarah's heart skipped a beat as she felt herself pulled forward into the water. Her pack toppled off and landed on the shore. She reached for it, but missed. Whatever had a hold of her, had a strong grip. Sarah pulled back with all her might, but the thing dragged her into the deep water even further.
Her voice felt paralyzed deep within her throat. She was not able to even emit a single plea for help. All she could do was make a low guttural sound, almost like growling, that was nearly too quiet even for her to hear. She was stunned and could only allow the thing to drag her into the water towards certain doom.
The thought broke her frozen state. She would not go easily. She had to fight with every breath in her body. Some strange thing was not going to force her into the lake to die! Sarah pulled back more violently and whipped her captured hand about violently. However, the thing remained gripping her as tight as ever. There was no hope.
"HELP!! CHARM, someone!!! Anyone!!" Sarah begged as she slipped the rest of the way into the lake.
She treaded water for a short time, before the thing began to pull again. It pulled her below the water and Sarah struggled to regain her position on the surface. She bobbed up for a brief moment and gasped for air. Something caught her eye to the side. Sarah looked over and noticed a white flash had landed beside her. Her eyes were still blurred from being filled with Lake water when she was dragged under. Charm had returned to help her.
"Charm I..." Sarah couldn't finish.
The monster beneath the surface dragged her back under. She gasped and then drew in a deep breath. Sarah struggled against the thing, kicking and pushing it with all of her might. But it didn't help, the thing pulled her further and further away from the surface. The sun's light only appeared in waves of crystallized shines. She looked below her and kicked the thing repeatedly. It only wavered slightly, but Sarah took advantage of the weakness. She wrenched her arm and pulled herself free from the grasp.
Sarah could feel her air drawing away from her. Her lungs were on fire and begging for oxygen. The surface neared slowly, but she knew that she could reach it in time. All of her swimming lessons had actually done a lot of good. She swam as fast as she could and prepared her lungs for a wonderful, lifesaving, breath of air. However, it never came.
Sarah struck the surface of the water and was pushed away. She reached up and touched the surface, but it had turned hard, like glass. Sarah lost her last bit of air and sputtered slightly as her mind ran with a million thoughts at once. Her time was short and she had run out of ideas. Sarah was sure that she was doomed.
Charm looked down at her. Worry covered his long face. He touched the surface with his hoof, but it never penetrated to her. He walked on the water, because it had turned to glass. Charm couldn't do anything to help her. She was trapped in a watery grave. Her quest had ended early and she wasn't able to do anything about it.
Sarah placed a shaking hand upon the glassy surface. Before her eyes a strange thing was happening. Charm was changing. He lost his large body and flowing tail. His wings faded away and formed into a black cape. His face shortened and became Jareth's. He bent down to her and clawed at the mirrored surface of the water. A frantic expression had covered his face and he looked nearly insane with fear. Sarah could only look at him with no hope of ever being rescued.
Jareth laid his hand atop her own and looked into her eyes. Sarah looked back at him and saw what the Goblin King had tried so long to hide from her. There was something within his eyes. Could it actually be love? Sarah couldn't watch for very long. She lost her struggle with the lack of air and began to slip further below. Jareth went crazy as he watched her slip into the darkness. He banged wildly on the glass, but nothing would give. He was doomed to watch Sarah fall to her death in the dreaded lake.
