Disclaimer: I own nothing. Again credit to Charles at Yahoo Answers for the ideas for Ella's dreams.

Author's Note: Getting really close to the end of this part of the story. I'm hoping you like it so far. I know I do. If you haven't done so yet you may read the prequel to this if you like. It's called If This Was a Movie. Only two chapters. Not really much but it is an important part of the story.

Ch 11. Negotiating Price

The owl flew high above the trees. It was dark and she couldn't see as well as other owls did at night. That was probably because she wasn't a real owl. Just a little witch in her animal form.

She was enjoying the gentle breeze when she heard an awful noise. Looking over her shoulder she saw two angry crows flying right at her. Somehow she felt she knew them. The faces of her grandparents crossed her mind. She wasn't sure how it could be them as they were mortal but she knew it was them. It just made sense to her without reason.

As they chased her she wondered how they could see. Crows were daylight animals. They shouldn't be able to see at night. A quick glance at the sky showed no stars. Then she knew it was day. Something was wrong with her sight.

A meow was heard from the ground and she swooped low, recognizing the call of her familiar. She sped past Yuki as the small Siamese tried to jump at the pursuing crows but missed. She tried circling around to the cat several times but to no avail. The crows stayed to high for the determined feline.

Just when she feared she was on her own she saw three eagles joining the group. In her mind a vague recollection of eagles being a type of cavalry flashed and disappeared as fast as it had appeared. Recognition set in as it had with the crows. Her Father, her Mother, and her uncle had come to help her.

As she moved to circle around to get the eagles between her and the crows the sun passed in front of her eyes. Suddenly everything looked white and her head throbbed. She couldn't see and felt a crow collide with her, scratching and tearing as she fell. The sensation of being clawed stopped as she morphed back into her human form and landed on what felt like sand.

She tried to open her eyes but the pain was just too much. The injuries of the scratches still remained. She knew somehow that she needed to get to the water. Unable to see she crawled in a random direction. Suddenly her hand was in searing pain around the scratches. As long as she was hurt, her magic was too hard to control at her level of training. The fire hurt and she could feel blisters forming from the burns. She cried out and rolled away from the unseen flames.

Changing direction she knew that if she moved away from the fire she would eventually find the water. It was hard and painful with the sand getting into open wounds and it felt like it took forever. Finally her burnt hand came in contact with the water and she felt it travel up her skin and heal her wounds before returning to the ocean. She blinked in relief to be able to see again.

She stood and looked behind her at the thin trail of blood she'd left behind as she crawled. These nightmares felt too real and they were getting more and more dangerous. She knew now what the spirit had meant when he said that sorceral beings were one of the few whose dreams could damage the soul itself. The more real they felt, the more damage they could do and they were especially dangerous in times of illness. Shaking off her creeped out feeling, she turned her back on the blood trail and walked down the beach, only stopping when the blood could no longer be seen.

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Malachai waited patiently for his brother to wake. His interest was drawn from the book he was reading as he saw the goblin king stir and sit up a little in his peripheral vision. Jareth sighed and struggled until he managed to sit up against the headboard.

"I'm hungry. Bring me my fruit," he ordered the goblin servant at the door.

The servant nodded and left the room. The elder brother marked his place in his book and set it aside. They watched each other in silence for a long moment before either one spoke.

"The medicines for your daughter are not easy to make. I will expect fair payment of course," Malachai finally said.

"What kind of payment do you ask for," Jareth asked calmly.

"I'll let you make the first offer," the Mundite king leaned his chin on his hand in a thoughtful manner.

Jareth glanced at his daughter and made his first offer, "Fifteen wished aways."

Malachai gave a small nod of approval, "A generous offer but I want Ezmerilda."

Jareth raised an eyebrow, "You're joking."

Malachai gave him a serious look, "I think not. She's in love with a servant of mine. I intend to let them be together. You can keep the children if you wish but our sister's fate is not negotiable. She will come to Mundite with me."

The distressed parent looked sadly at his daughter and decided that he would sacrifice anything for her life, even the guarantee of his sister's safety, "The children and our sister. You may take her and go once Ella is healthy again."

"Very well. You may take your time on delivering the children. I know they are your most valuable resource and you have other allies to send them to as well," he stood and took his book before exiting the room.

Now alone with his child Jareth checked on her and was relieved that her shields still held strong. Her skin even felt less fevered. The servant returned with a bowl of fruit. The peach slices complimented the raspberries quite well in his opinion. To him this was more than fruit. It was the love between him and Sarah in a form he could still access while awake. This and the candles and Ella, whom he hoped would be safe soon.

TBC…

AN: I know it's a little shorter than the other chapters but I hope you liked it anyway. Any questions? I'd be happy to answer. Comments are welcome. Constructive criticism will be considered of you have any.