Chapter 15: Quicksilver

"Jackie! NO!" Jareth's voice called out, but it was too late. She'd touched the small blooming purple flower, just a gentle caress, but that was all that was needed. A seemingly dead vine suddenly shot out and wrapped around the wrist of the hand touching the flower. Jackie gave a startled yelp and attempted to pull back, only to find she couldn't as vines snaked up her legs, binding them together. "Jareth!" she cried out a desperate plea as the vines circled about her arms, making their way toward her neck.

Jareth rushed to her side, his Bowie knife already pulled out of his pack, and he began to hack at the vines that seemed intent on suffocating the woman before him. He managed to free her arms and was just getting started on the vines that had circled up her legs to her waist when another vine shot out and circled around the wrist of his free hand. Surprised, he hesitated a moment too long and it resulted in his other wrist being captured as well. He let out a furious yell and tugged against the restraining vines. Jackie, whose hands were still mercifully free after Jareth's efforts, grappled for the dropped knife and used it to cut away at the vines that had snuck further up her waist. She got as far as her knees, when the vines wrapped around her arms again, pinning them to her sides. She struggled to no avail and glanced over at Jareth only to find that he was being consumed by the vines as well.

Jackie let out a choked sob at the thought of her impending death, but was startled into silence when she felt the slight breeze of a knife flying past her face. The blade sliced through the vines around her torso, also freeing her arms. She looked wildly up at the owner of the knife, but only saw a brown and tan blur as the knife came flashing down again, this time slicing through the vines about her legs. "Move!" a familiar voice commanded and she lost no time in scrambling to her feet and moving away from the vines.

As soon as she figured herself to be far enough away, Jackie turned back to find the blur cutting Jareth free as well, moving too fast for her human eyes to focus. A second later, Jareth was pushed away as well. He stumbled to a stop beside Jackie. They both turned to look at their savior. He looked just as he had the previous night, even down to the smug grinning face. Puck stood before them, a long knife in his hand, his chest rising and falling rapidly from his exertions. "Do you realize how lucky you be?" he complained.

Jareth nodded, speechless for the moment. "How did you know?" Jackie asked for him.

Puck scoffed, "One mortal and one fae with his magic cut off trying to get through a labyrinth that has taken a decidedly darker turn since I last saw it? T'was only a matter of time before you would need my help. I kept watch."

"But… how can you… how did you move so fast?" Jackie asked, eyes wide with amazement.

Puck arched an eyebrow, "Have you not read my Lord and Lady's history? 'I shall put a girdle round about the earth in forty minutes'."

Jackie's eyes widened even further as she realized Puck was quoting directly from the play A Midsummer Night's Dream. "Wait, you mean that actually happened?" she asked, her voice an octave higher than normal. "I thought that was all just a big story William Shakespeare made up!"

Puck scoffed and Jareth chuckled. "And just where do you think he be getting the idea?" Puck asked.

"William, or Will as we so affectionately called him here, visited the Underground numerous times. The first being when he wished away his sister."

"Shakespeare had a sister?" Jackie asked.

"He used to… he wished her away and didn't win his run through the labyrinth. However the human belief in magic and the supernatural was much stronger back then, so it was easier to call upon the fae for favors or open portals to the Underground. After the first visit, he called upon me again because he was worried about his sister. Back then we didn't wipe the memories of the people who ran the labyrinth," Jareth explained. Jackie was having trouble processing the fact that she was talking with someone who had literally known William Shakespeare and as a result remained silent.

"Thank you by the way, Puck," Jareth said changing the subject. "I appreciate your efforts however I have a favor to ask." Puck raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips, waiting. "Would it be possible for you to perhaps travel ahead of us to find those we seek? I should like to know if Sarah is alright."

Puck seemed to consider then nodded, grinning. "I shall put a girdle round about the earth in forty minutes," he quoted again then disappeared faster than Jackie could blink.

"Come on," Jareth said continuing their trek.

"Shouldn't we wait here for him?"

"He'll figure out where we are. Besides, I doubt we could move fast enough to lose him."

Jackie shrugged and followed him down the path. "Just out of curiosity, how close are we?"

"Very, which is what worries me."

"Because we should have caught up with them by now," Jackie said catching onto his train of thought.

"Precisely… I fear that this means they've made far better progress than I would have hoped."

"What about all those traps Sarah told me about?"
"The labyrinth is dying. It doesn't have the energy. I'm surprised the creeping vine was able to move so fast. It probably put a lot of energy into that one attack against us."

"Hey, look on the bright side. At least we know Sarah is probably okay."

"Yes, but with Todd?"

"Ah, yeah…" Jackie rubbed the back of her neck. "So if they're already in the castle, how do we get in without being noticed since you want to stay incognito?"

"There are side entrances. I know all the ins and outs of my castle, believe me, we won't be seen."

"Well then… lead on mon capitaine," she waved a hand.

Jareth smirked at the human beside him, but continued walking. They were very close to the castle, just on the outskirts of the junk piles when Puck caught up to them. He skidded to a halt, his hooves throwing up dirt. "Lord Jareth!" he gasped as he stopped.

"Puck, the last time you addressed me properly my uncle caught us spiking the punch at Samhain a couple hundred years ago."

Puck waved a hand absently, "Yes, the two you sent me to find… they're already in the castle."

Jareth's face dropped and he started shedding his pack. "What are you doing?" Jackie asked.

"Running," he said seriously.

Jackie's eyes widened as his pack hit the ground and Jareth took off. She quickly rid herself of her own pack then took to her heels after the fleeing fae.

o O o O o O o

"The Escher room?" Sarah asked as she was pushed forward into the bizarre room.

"You've been here before and did not see the object?" Todd asked coming to stand beside her.

"Yes, my final confrontation with Jareth was here. I didn't see anything that would represent the human race's belief in magic though."

"That's because you didn't know where to look," the dark fae sneered.

He pushed Sarah forward again as they started off into the room. It hadn't been very difficult getting into the castle. In fact, it had been easier than the last time she'd been there, seeing as they didn't have the goblin army trying to kill them. They'd slipped in a side door, avoided the throne room, and had discreetly made their way to the Escher room. Sarah watched as Todd stepped over the edge of a pathway to walk along the bottom of it. He peered back over when he noticed she didn't follow. "Come along, then!"

"I can't! I'll fall," she said backing away from the edge.

Todd rolled his eyes and shook his head; "Stupid mortal, gravity is relative in this room. The fact that I'm standing on the bottom of the same path you are standing on top of should make that evident!"

"But… I don't have magic," she hedged.

"You don't need it. This room provides the magic for you, so even a foolish mortal such as yourself can bend gravity to their will. Now you will follow me or the collar will make you."

He turned away and Sarah felt the collar tighten slightly as he continued moving. She gasped for air as it slowly continued. Closing her eyes, she stepped over the edge of the path and felt wind blow through her air as she swooped around to stand on the bottom of the same path. She opened her eyes and felt slightly nauseous when she realized it had worked and that she was now upside down from her original position. The collar tightened again and she ran off to follow Todd.

He led her over several more edges and through a couple of arches, but what really threw her was when he ran up a set of stairs only to walk over the ledge at the top and traverse the same set of stairs on the other side. She ran to keep up with him. "Do you even know where you're going?" she asked, slightly winded from her jogging.

He turned on her, a glare evident on his face. "Of course I do! This room changes though and it takes a while to navigate."

He continued his journey and Sarah rolled her eyes… Men! Never ask for directions! However it was shortly after when Todd let out a triumphant shout and rushed forward toward a particular arch. Sarah followed, curious as to what the object would look like. She entered the room behind the dark fae, keeping slightly behind him as she looked around the room. It was a very plain circular room, made of the same stone as the Escher room, but there were glyphs carved into the wall running along the perimeter at eye level. The ceiling rose into a black oblivion. If Sarah hadn't known any better, she would have said she was standing in a stone silo.

Todd shifted to the side, allowing her to see what was in the center of the room. She gasped as what she was seeing registered in her brain. Floating about five feet off the ground was a spherical object with a silvery sheen to it. It was about the size of a basketball, but looked to be quite smooth and had no identifying markers. "What is it?" she whispered to Todd.

"What we're here for," he replied, but didn't make any move toward the sphere and instead continued moving around the perimeter of the room.

"So… are you going to get it?" she asked still standing in the same place as when she'd first entered.

"No, you are."

"What?" she deadpanned.

"I cannot touch it, which is part of the reason for bringing you along."

"Why can't you touch it? "

"Because it is uncertain what will happen when it is touched. It's been here for centuries, but very few know about it."

"How did you find out? I mean you don't seem like the kind of fae the High Council would trust with this thing."

He glared at her, "It doesn't matter how I found out. You are going to get it for me."

"Oh sure, send the mortal after the strange floating sphere in the middle of the room…" she mumbled.

Todd turned toward her and raised a hand as though to grab her neck, but he was half way across the room. His fingers tightened slightly and Sarah felt the collar mirror the motion. She dropped to her knees gasping for air as his hand continued to close. Who the hell is this guy? She thought frantically. Darth Vader?

Abruptly, the pressure lessened and she choked as her lungs tried to greedily suck in air. "Any more protestations?" he sneered. Sarah shook her head violently as she struggled to catch her breath. "Good, then you will fetch me the sphere, now!" he demanded.

Sarah rose shakily to her feet and slowly made her way toward the sphere. She moved slowly, mindful of what Todd had said about being uncertain what would happen to it when touched. She could feel sweat forming on her skin as she got closer. Why her? What had she done in life to deserve this? As she got closer she could see that the silver seemed to be moving, like quicksilver. It made the sphere look molten. She reached out a hand toward it, her fingers inches from the silvery surface. "DO IT!" Todd yelled.

Sarah jumped, and her fingers brushed the surface of the sphere, which shuddered at her touch. The entire room started to shake and dust fell from the unseen ceiling. "SARAH! NO!" a voice shouted from the doorway behind her.

Sarah turned sharply to see Jareth and Jackie standing the doorway, chests heaving as though they'd just run a mile non-stop. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open at the sight of them both. "How?" she asked, her voice higher than normal.

A loud snort from behind her cut off her thought though and drew her attention. Turning, Sarah found herself face to face with at what appeared to be a Chinese dragon. The long body looked to be made of the same quicksilver that the sphere had been. She stood completely still as the head of the creature, much larger than her own, lowered and its opalescent eyes stared into hers. She couldn't help but stare back at the creature. The enormous head rested on a serpentine body that was supported by four muscular legs ending in taloned feet that looked like they could easily cut through the surrounding stone. Its long tail ended in what looked like a spade and it gently swayed from side to side.

Not a sound was made from any of the beings in the room. Todd stood against the far wall, his mouth hanging open and his eyes bulging; Jareth and Jackie were rooted to their place in the doorway; and Sarah stood only feet away from one of the most deadly creatures she had ever seen. She could feel the warm breath puffing out of the nostrils of the beast. It seemed like hours that Sarah stood, not blinking, not moving, scarcely breathing before the creature that stood just as still before her. "Sarah, back away slowly," Jareth whispered from behind her.

She didn't acknowledge him, but merely lifted her foot and took a hesitant step back. The moment her foot touched down again, the serpentine dragon made its move. It darted forward with a low growl, weaving around Sarah, trapping her in a scaled prison. She let out a startled yelp and struggled against the tightening coils. "Jareth!" she shouted desperately.

Jareth launched himself forward, magic or no he would not allow this creature to take Sarah away from him. He jumped over the tail of the dragon and reached for Sarah's outstretched hand, barely grasping onto it before a solid wall of scales in the form of the dragon's tail whipped around and flung him against the stone wall. He slid to the ground, his head lolling on his neck. "JARETH!" Sarah screamed, more worried for him at the moment than for herself.

She pushed at the muscled body wrapped around her and managed to squeeze out of the coils. Dashing toward the fallen fae, she was stopped short when the dragon's tail swept forward again, knocking her legs from under her. She sprawled on the floor face down, groaning at the throbbing in her head from where it had hit the stone. She tried to get back up, but was pushed back down when a taloned foot landed on her back. The dragon used just enough pressure to keep her pinned, its talons digging into her skin slightly through her sweatshirt. "Jareth," she called out again, looking up at the fae who was still dazed and confused.

Out of her peripheral, Sarah saw Todd's booted feet making a silent retreat towards the door, but her attention was drawn away as she felt the dragon's muzzle drift over her, its nostrils flaring as it took in her scent. Its long neck allowed it to curve around and look at her face again. Sarah could swear that if dragons could smile, this one was. Pearly white fangs gleamed at her from the dragon's grinning mouth. Without warning, the talons on her back pierced her skin. A gasp was heard from the suddenly motionless Sarah as the talons sunk into her body.

A loud scream was heard, but she didn't understand it as pain flooded her body and overwhelmed her senses. She felt every nerve tingle and stand on end. Nausea swept through her, but she didn't dare move for fear that more damage would be done, as if enough hadn't been already. Then in the muddy haze that was her thoughts she could feel the dragon. Its mind connected with hers and the pain melted away until she only felt the soothing purr of the beast before her. She closed her eyes and laid her head on the stone floor as the strange communal continued.

Images floated across her consciousness, never anything solid, but blurry shapes that would leap away from her just as they started to become clear. Strange colors like she'd never seen before floated before her against a starry background. She could hear muffled sounds, but none of them made sense. The feeling that everything would be all right washed over her and she relaxed. A large presence floated above her and she heard in the depths of her mind a bell-like voice intone, "Mistress…"

o O o O o O o

A/N: I know, I know… you guys hate cliffhangers. Deal with it…

No really I love you guys, please review! *kicks self* god I'm such a suck up…

So anyway, the first half of this chapter was difficult to write, but then I got a plot bunny rush and wow... let me tell you it's way better than an adrenaline rush! lol… Gotta love those little buggers sometimes! (They're responsible for the quicksilver dragon… or rather, what the dragon does to Sarah… the fact that it was a dragon was my idea. They thought I should have gone with a giant crystal spider… psh!) Oh and sorry for the short length... I don't really have an excuse for it.

Labyrinth (c) Jim Henson & Co.

Darth Vader (c) George Lucas

Puck, Titania, & Oberon (c) William Shakespeare