Chapter 41. Killing two birds with one stone
Sir Didymus frowned as he paced the fine hair on the back of his neck rose, alerting him to what his nose could not. He was being watched. Gritting his teeth, he could feel the snarl gathering in the back of his throat. He stood at the ready, if the attack came, he was ready.
--
Master Sade watched as Sarah was carried away to her tower by the Goblin Daisy on the little griffin she rode with pride. He was pleased at the progress that Sarah was making, even as she worried over the missing Harpy. He knew it would not take long to train the girl to learn the things that the King felt she needed to know.
--
Jareth leaned on the frame of the window, the sky was darkening and the Harpy was missing now for a full day. He prayed that Talagon had the sense to feed the creature; a dead Harpy was of no use to either of them. Mother Iris had come to the Goblin Palace, and she looked out the window toward the boarder. "If he survives, he is ours." She murmured darkly.
"Della may have something to say to that, Iris." Jareth sighed. "She's going to want the first strike and it is her right."
"You'll not interfere?" the Matron asked.
"No," he replied just as darkly turning from the window. "I'll not interfere."
--
Sarah paced the tower, disturbed by some inner sense calling out to her. The abduction of the Harpy was not a slight; it was an all out declaration of war. She understood decorations of war, far better than most cared to know. Hostage taking was not a spar of the moment decision, and taking a Harpy hostage must have been very well planned out.
Daisy had gone in search of sustenance for them, when she returned she found Sarah as she'd left her, pacing. "You're wearing a path in the stones," she warned as she spread the food on the table.
Sarah stopped pacing and looked at the table. "Della has not fed," she said with certainty.
The Goblin Guard looked over at the woman. "I beg your pardon?"
"Della has not fed," Sarah repeated.
Goblin eyes widened, "How do you know?" her voice was questioning in a calm but low tone.
"I don't know," Sarah stated placing a hand to her midsection. "Call it a gut feeling."
The Captain of the guard cocked her head to one side. "You can feel her?"
"Something like that yes." Sarah nodded as she focused her thoughts on the Harpy. "I know she's not fed…." The woman looked at her guard. "Daisy, after we've eaten, I think I'd better go to the library."
Daisy nodded, "As you wish, My Lady."
"This is all wrong…" Sarah said taking a seat. "Taking a Harpy is… stupid…" She looked down at the food on the table, as if it were completely foreign to her.
"Not when the Harpy is one of the guards of the Tagaan or Rhuukarlaan," Daisy countered with carefully chosen words.
Sarah looked up from her gazing at the food. "Daisy," she blinked rapidly and gripped the table. "Did you just say that in Goblin?" The guard nodded, and Sarah reached into the opening of her shift. The Babel was not at hand there. Sarah swallowed and asked softly, "Am I speaking in English or in Goblin?"
"Both," answered the guard lifting her goblet to her lips. "To your health Tagaan."
Hands shaking, Sarah lifted the goblet before her to her lips. The contents of the cup tasted odd, and she looked over at the guard. "What's happening?"
"Conversion," Daisy stated as if she were speaking of an everyday occurrence. "You're body, mind and soul are transforming… accepting your new status… You are becoming Goblin."
"How?" the girl lowered her goblet to the table, fearful the contents would spill if she kept it in her hand. "How is this possible?" She lifted her hand to her face, relaxing when she found her features had not altered.
"You are not being turned," Daisy said eating easily. "You are becoming… there is a difference."
"Daisy," Sarah looked at her in confusion. "How is this possible?"
Urging the less and less mortal girl to eat, the guard smiled. "Because Sarah Williams… you are the Tagaan or Rhuukarlaan," the Goblin woman sipped from her cup again. "Soon, the transformation will be complete…and there will be no going back for you any more than there is for the King."
Sarah sipped from the goblet once more. "Does this happen to everyone… to all mortals who stay here?"
"No," Daisy informed the girl. "This happens only to they who open their heart to the Labyrinth…. To those she accepts." The guard urged the girl to eat. "Eat Sarah Tagaan or Rhuukarlaan," she said compellingly. "You will need your strength for what awaits you in the halls of the Scribe."
Green eyes filled with worry.
--
Sir Didymus could feel the unseen interloper, he could smell it also. It was not Goblin, nor was it Fae. It was something foreign, something alien to the Kingdom. Something forbidden. His lips curled as he felt the growl grow in his throat; still he kept it from escaping. Someone had gone to a great deal of trouble to march into Goblin lands, raiding was not a willy-nilly thing. It took planning, it took strategy, it took… careful preparation and that meant they would be dealing with someone with intellect. Every fiber of the little knight went on alert.
--
Daisy delivered the Tagaan or Rhuukarlaan to the Scribe's rooms. She stood back as Lutin moved to place the scroll on the table for the Tagaan or Rhuukarlaan, "I believe this is worth your attention," he said softly.
Sarah looked at their faces, the Goblin woman Captain of the guards and the Goblin Scribe and she suddenly saw so much more than she'd expected to. "You're related," she gasped.
Lutin gave her a wistful smile, "Of course we are Tagaan or Rhuukarlaan," he bowed to her before exiting the reading room.
Daisy nodded, "Yes."
Looking down at the scrolls Sarah whispered. "Don't I need the Babel to read these?"
"Not any longer," Daisy's voice was kind, gentle and serene. "You are one of us now; you can read, write and most importantly think in Goblin." She picked up the scroll that was lying atop the others. "My Lady, you'd best read."
Sarah sunk into the chair, hands trembling as she accepted the scroll from the Goblin Captain. She looked at the words, words that just a few months ago would have been foreign to her. Words she should not have understood now jumped off the page and shouted to her. She looked at the words and the lineage of the last great King. One name on the list stood out, the name Jareth Tuatha Dé Danann. Upon reading that name, Sarah whispered. "Goblin King…."
Daisy picked up another scroll and handed it urgently to the girl who was looking like she was about to have sensory overload. "You'd better read this as well."
Sarah heard the clicks and sounds only a Goblin could make when speaking in their native tongue. "I don't want to," she whispered in what she'd prayed was English. Her ears heard the clicks, the inhuman tones and the nuances that were Goblin alone.
"There is no going back," Daisy confirmed Sarah's worst fears. "Read, learn, prepare."
A shaky hand reached for the offered scroll, and Sarah began to read the linage of the first and only other Tagaan or Rhuukarlaan. The list was long, starting just prior to the woman. It started with a name that Sarah knew well, a name that brought pride to all Celts, Boadicea the Warrior Queen. The name of the Queen was followed by the daughters who had been defiled by the Romans. Under those names were also the names of a son and daughter who had been fostered and spared the humiliations at Roman hands. Sarah stared at the name that had once been given to the one who was referred to here as only Tagaan or Rhuukarlaan. She looked up at Daisy and whispered in a voice that sounded like a throaty strangle. "Sorcha."
"Read on," urged the Goblin woman. "Read on…"
Sarah lowered the scroll, "I don't need to," she stood up and closed her eyes. "I know the rest." She opened her eyes. "I'm descended from the son of Boadicea, whose sister shielded him… so that he would not be taken by the invaders… I'm named for her… Sorcha is the Celtic equivalent of Sarah…."
--
Della watched the Fae man who delighted in tormenting her. She wondered if the fool knew what he'd done; by the scent of his pheromones she doubted it. Talagon laughed as he passed the cage. "Fool Fairy," she sniped.
Circe, standing off to where she was out of the sight of the Harpy found herself agreeing. Soon enough she'd find a way to rid herself of the boat anchor that her father had become. Perhaps the Harpy could be pressed into service and help her rid herself of this foolish man. For too long he had stood in her way, and now she saw a chance to end his interferences.
Della turned her back on the Fae male, took a light sniff of the air and knew they were being observed by a crafty and cunning female of that breed. The scent was one Della had experienced before, and she knew it was Talagon's most deceptive and dangerous daughter. The Harpy knew the Fae was not aware of her perceptiveness, and for the moment it was best to keep them unaware. She turned and glared at Talagon, "I'm going to gut you three ways to Sabbath," she warned. "I will delight in digesting your entrails."
Talagon huffed, "You'll do as you'll be trained to do."
--
Sarah had abandoned the table and the scrolls and now stood silently looking out the window. "Does…Jareth… know?" She questioned at long last.
"Some," Daisy stated coyly. "We are not sure of what exactly he's learned. He's not exactly forth coming with that information."
Sarah looked over her shoulder. "Those who don't learn from history…" she mused.
The Goblin woman joined her at the window. "You don't have to be doomed to repeat it, Tagaan or Rhuukarlaan. You and he can forge ahead…"
The woman who was once mortal looked once more out into the wilderness beyond the castle walls. Wars had been fought and lost within the boundaries of the Labyrinth. Yet, as savage as the living creature that comprised the lands of the Goblins could be, Sarah found herself compelled to also see the beauty. "I am the Tagaan or Rhuukarlaan." Her voice was no longer shaking with fury; it was stronger than it had ever been. She looked at Daisy, and sighed. "Drarec Rhuuluur," she addressed Daisy by the Goblin form of her given name. "A akaagac."
The captain of the guard moved forward, holding out a hand to the girl. "You need have no fear, now."
Sarah took hold of the hand, no pain accompanied the touch. "How is it possible?"
"It is the will of the Labyrinth," Daisy stated. "She is a jealous mistress… but a loving one. You are now her child… just as the King is." The woman stated with pride. "You are Goblin now, and therefore the laws of the Fae no longer bind you, just as the spells of a Fae could not bind you."
"Mortals bound to the Labyrinth are not subject to Fae Laws," mused Sarah thinking of how she'd been able to hold the child Jareth had returned with.
"You were never just an ordinary mortal girl," Daisy mused in sympathy. "Even before the King made you his Tagaan or Rhuukarlaan."
"And what are you, Drarec Rhuuluur," Sarah asked the other.
"I am a proud and humble Goblin," the woman answered. "I have the honor of protecting that which is most important to my King… the woman who is his equal."
"A slave is the equal of the King?"
"An ordinary slave would never be the equal of this King," assured the Goblin woman with a wicked grin. "You however are no ordinary girl."
Looking back out the window, Sarah saw movement and knew the Labyrinth was alive and thriving. "No," she agreed readily. "I'm no ordinary girl… I'm the girl who won back a wished away child… at the cost of her dreams."
"Did the loss cost you your vision?" Countered the Goblin.
Sarah, rendered speechless stared out the window. Vision?
--
Jareth stood on the windswept hillside, looking at his lands. His eyes were drawn to his castle, and he knew the woman was watching the Labyrinth as closely as he had been watching. His heart pounded, recalling the words that had caused her to reject his latest offer. Crossing his arms he wondered how to end this dilemma. He wondered where to seek counsel from. He could not take this problem to the High King, not without making himself subject to his father's will. He doubted anyone living could give him an answer. He began to walk, not down, not toward the gates of his beloved Labyrinth. He walked past the dead tree where once an antique clock had hung to give hours to the girl who had run his Labyrinth. He walked to the place where the long dead of the kingdom had been laid to rest.
Something in one of the crypts seemed to shimmer. Jareth had never seen anything quite like this, and wondered what it could possibly be. He moved toward the strange little building that was in the center of the burial ground. It was different from all the others in this graveyard; it was dark, foreboding and dangerous. The markings on the stone were old, and read the name of one with whom the Goblin King was most familiar. He looked into the open archway, the sepulcher in which the body of what had been the last Great Goblin King seemed to glow with an eerie irradiance and beckoned him to enter. Forgetting the world, and the woes, he ducked his head and moved through the arched entry. "Zoltarie," he evoked the name of his predecessor.
The sarcophagus was made of solid amber that was now glowing and humming with energy. Unable to prevent or obstruct himself, Jareth reached out and touched the caved face that was glowing. It was a likeness he was well acquainted with, for it was his own image. "Zoltarie?"
The room filled with light as the essence of the once great King appeared before the new King. "You were expecting someone else?" The life force of the King looked like a mirror image of the younger king, save for his age and his ectoplasm manifestation. "Who are you that you call upon me?"
"Jareth Tuatha Dé Danann Huukec Mec, Warrior King," he answered carefully.
The long dead Goblin moved closer than smiled. "You must be of my line; you look like me Jareth Tuatha Dé Danann Huukec Mec, Warrior King." Seeing the trouble in the mismatched and stormy eyes, Zoltarie mused. "You look like a man with a woman problem."
Jareth moved back to lean on a wall, "More a Fae laws problem," he confessed.
"Fae laws," scoffed the long gone Goblin.
"This is a serious problem," Jareth interrupted before the other could get started on a tirade. "The enactment of a law that will prevent me from…" He paused, not sure why he was spilling his spleen to this spirit.
"What title do you hold," challenged the spirit.
"Goblin King," Jareth said with uncertainty.
The mismatched eyes of the apparition mocked the young man. "Are you sure?"
Thinking on his answer, Jareth nodded. "Yes."
"Then behave as if you are The Goblin King…. What do you care about Fae Laws? Are you a Fae or a Goblin male? You have to choose to whom your allegiances belong." Cautioned the specter of the last great Goblin monarch; "If you are Goblin, and if you are their King, then you are the law…" Zoltarie gave his younger progeny a bold smile. "Be that which you are at heart boy."
Jareth smiled back, wickedly. "Tell me old man… just what did you plan to do with your Tagaan or Rhuukarlaan?"
The phantom of the King of the Goblins wore a wicked smile, "I planned on breeding her," he winked. "And I would have too."
"I have a Tagaan or Rhuukarlaan." Jareth stated.
"Does she have a name?" inquired the wise spirit.
"Sarah," Jareth said sounding as if he were caressing the name.
"Sorcha," Zoltarie's tone mimicked the younger King's.
"And the Fae law that holds that no child born of a slave can rule?" Challenged Jareth.
"Fae Law," mocked the apparition; "What care we, we Goblins for the stupid misunderstandings of beings who do not understand our language?" The hand of the ghostly King reached out to touch the face of his descendant. "Tagaan or Rhuukarlaan," he explained gently. "Does not mean merely a slave whose body gives us pleasure… it means something far deeper. It means someone who is bonded to us in the deepest manner. It means she who shares our soul."
Jareth blinked. "I can breed her…"
"Of course you can," Zoltarie nodded. "That is unless you allow yourself to be fooled as I was."
"I can breed her," growled the delighted Goblin King thinking of dozens of ways to impregnate the girl.
Zoltarie gave his childe a knowing smirk. "Do so, you are after all… Huukec Mec," the words were spoken in perfect Hobgoblin, with the accents and pride. "Take care, trust no one, not even her."
"Dac o, Dhakhaar." Jareth shrugged off the sulkiness that had plagued him. "I will not forget this."
"My son," the specter began to ebb. "Never be ashamed to be called… Goblin…."
--
The moment he stepped out of the tomb Jareth Tuatha Dé Danann Huukec Mec, Warrior King faced his greatest challenge. Keeping his true identity under wraps until he was ready to spring his traps on all who had plotted against him. The most essential and crucial of which would be the trap he planned to set for his beautiful and crafty Tagaan or Rhuukarlaan, the witch who held his heart just as surely as he held her dreams. A haughty smile from the past he painted on his lips as he headed back to the windswept hillside. Once there he looked toward his castle, "If I must choose a side, then it will always be that of Goblin," he promised the land that he knew was listening. "I am Jareth Tuatha Dé Danann Huukec Mec," he growled in the back of his throat. "And I belong to the Labyrinth."