Outside, the storm had come to a rest, the darkened sky still thundering every once in a while to remind those down bellow of its presence. Sarah ran down the dark streets, the goblin and gnome close on her heels. She had only bothered to pull on a raincoat and boots over her nightgown. A cold wind blew past her. Shivering, the girl pulled her coat closer to her, but continued her frenzied pace, running in the direction that the ring pointed, scanning the skies and trees for any sign of a while owl.

After five blocks, the three came to the park. Usually filled with children playing happily on the playground, it was now desolate and bleak, and the only noise came from the swings creaking in the wind. The golden owl shifted slightly to the left, and Sarah hurried in the new direction. The park gave way to the old bike trail; the bike trail melted into the street, but still, there was no sign of any birds at all. Sarah felt doubt begin to trickle into her heart.

This is ridiculous. Who knows how far away he is? He could be in the next city by now, or even the next state! Maybe the ring doesn't work at all, and it will just lead us in circles…

The girl shook her head, quickening her pace. No; she couldn't afford to think like that. Her friends were counting on her. She would find Jareth. If it took all night, and she had to run all the way to the next county, she would find him.

As another fifteen minutes passed, that began to feel like a distinct possibility, until the owl on the ring spun again, and they veered sharply to the left, and into an old cemetery. Seeing that her companions were wheezing and panting trying to match her pace, Sarah kindly slowed to a brisk walk, allowing them to regain their breath.

Turnok looked around, shooting each tombstone with a suspicious glare.

"What is this place? Why are all these carved stones here?"

"It's a cemetery," Sarah replied, stepping over a bouquet of flowers someone had left for a loved one, "It's where humans bury the dead."

"We're walking on top of dead bodies?!" Turnok spat, "Disgusting!"

"You plant them, like seeds?" Leija said curiously, looking over at a marble angel, "Do they grow into new humans?"

"Uh, well, actually…"

"Of course not, you silly girl!" Turnok huffed, "They must grow into these stone sculptures!"

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, looking very ill.

"Wait…if the Insignia Ring brought us here…does that mean that…that His Majesty…?"

"No!" Sarah said firmly, pushing her way past a shrub, "No, it doesn't. Now keep looking!"

God, I hope not…she thought to herself, nausea turning her stomach. No, he isn't dead. Geeze, why am I so worried about him, anyway?

It was absurd, being so concerned about someone who was so selfish and vain. He had kidnapped Toby, after all, and had tried everything to stop her from getting him back…including her attempted homicide. But then again, it had been her fault for wishing her brother away in the first place…

No. Bad Sarah, she rebuked herself, It's Jareth's fault. You didn't really think it would work. Jareth's fault. Bad, evil, stupid Jareth.

Sarah was busy trying to brainwash herself when she caught sight of something on the ground. It was moving around, flapping futilely. The girl approached cautiously.

It was an owl, a white one. It was dragging its left wing, and seemed to be dazed.

The girl looked down at the ring. Yes; the golden owl seemed to be pointing directly at it. She walked a few steps closer and bent down.

The owl turned around and looked up at her. They starred at each other for a few moments.

"Jareth?" Sarah asked quietly.

The owl nodded. Since regular owls do not nod, she had no reason to suspect it was lying. Leija and Turnok, who had seen the owl only moments after Sarah, ran over.

"Your Highness!" Turnok croaked, bowing low before him, "Thank the gods you're alright!"

The owl seemed a little shocked to see the goblin and gnome, but quickly recovered. He opened his beak to say something, but paused, and shut it again.

Leija stepped forward.

"Milord? What is wrong? Can you not change back?"

He ruffled his feathers, but remained silent. Both of his subjects stared at each other in dismay. Sarah was about to have the same reaction, when she remembered the ring. She slipped it off of her finger.

"This is yours, isn't it?" She asked, holding it out to him.

The white owl's large, mismatched eyes widened as he recognized the ring. He quickly snatched it in his beak. Within moments, the ring was glowing a bright blue. Sarah watched in wonder as the owl began to change. Its spread wings elongated, its pinion feathers shrinking into thin fingers. Its body grew and uncurled into a torso and legs, the talons growing and dissolving into feet. The beak disappeared, replaced with a nose, and lips and ears appeared. The white feathers splintered into long, flaxen hair. Only the eyes remained unchanged.

Soon, the transformation was complete, and where the owl had been now stood the Goblin King. His impressive clothes were dirty and torn, and there was a large gash across his cheek, but Sarah still felt the air leave her lungs at the sight of him.

"Sarah," Jareth said, notes of surprise and anger in his voice. He spun around to the goblin at his feet.

"Turnok," He said slowly, fixing his subject with a withering glare, "Would you mind telling me why my Captain of the Guard, who I instructed in short, easy to understand words to not, under any circumstances, leave the castle, decided to come Aboveground and gaily frolic around with the human girl who led a coup on my kingdom?!"

The poor goblin had gone white as a sheet, and was trembling so violently his armor was clanking beneath his cloak.

"I-I…but it…they…"

Taking a deep breath, the gnome girl stepped forward.

"It…it was my idea, milord. The girl was the last one to see you before you went missing. Please, don't blame Turnok."

His face, which had softened as she spoke, turned angry once more when he looked back at his captain.

"And you dragged poor Leija up here as well?! To take responsibility for your misadventures?!"

"B-But, sire!" Turnok yelped, "She's telling the truth! This wasn't my fault…!"

"Wrong!" Jareth snapped, seizing the goblin by the scruff of the neck and shaking him violently, "You are my Captain of the Guard! Therefore, if anything goes wrong, you are the one to blame!"

'Merciful' and 'Just' my butt, Sarah thought to herself, watching as the goblin jiggled helplessly in the Fae's clutches.

"B-B-B-But Y-Y-Your M-M-M-M-Majest-t-t-ty!" The goblin stammered midair, "T-T-T-The T-T-T-T-Trolls a-a-are…!"

Jareth's face went white. He dropped Turnok to the ground in shock.

"Trolls…?" He repeated.

"Yes, milord!" Leija insisted, trying unsuccessfully to heave her groaning companion to his feet. "That's why we came! Turnok's men saw them! Hundreds of them! They're marching towards the kingdom!"

Jareth clenched his teeth.

"Those conniving vultures!"

"The Troll Lord must have heard of your absence, sire," The goblin managed, still reeling from his King's wrath, "He's already sealed off the Mirror Portals to the kingdom!"

Not bothering to look at Turnok, he shook his head.

"No, that's impossible," He murmured, "You can only close them off if you are already in the Labyrinth…"

Realizing what he had just said, Jareth's face took on a look of horror. The Goblin King whirled around, pulling his cape over Turnok and Leija.

"You two! Hold on to me!" He ordered. "Sarah! Come here!"

Sarah opened her mouth to protest, but Jareth didn't wait for an answer. He grabbed her hand and pulled her against him. The girl made another attempt to object, but found that the breath had once again left her. The Insignia Ring glowed blue on Jareth's finger, and soon they were engulfed in swirling magic. The ground fell away beneath their feet, and the familiar feeling of flying came over Sarah again.

It's just like last time…she thought.

Without warning, a shock of electricity shot through her. She looked over to find green sparks dancing on her arms. They were on everyone. Jareth seemed to get the brunt of the assault, and was gritting his teeth in pain.

"He's put a barrier spell on the castle!" He shouted over the sizzling of electricity, "We must-!"

Something invisible crashed into them, causing Sarah to cry out. She watched in alarm as Turnok and Leija were knocked from Jareth's side and dropped into the chasm of sparks bellow. Another magic blast hit, and ripped Sarah from the Fae's grip. She screamed as she fell, arms clawing at the air to find something to grab on to. But there was nothing there. Down, down she plummeted. The girl squeezed her eyes shut.

A hand caught her.

Her eyes flew open. Jareth had managed to grab a hold of her wrist. She found herself staring at his face. His eyes - one green, one grey –were piercing.

"Don't let go," He ordered.

Sarah didn't need to be told twice. She seized his arm with her other hand and held on as tightly as possible. Suddenly, a white glow appeared at the bottom of the green sparks. The Goblin King dived towards it, pulling Sarah along with him. And soon, they were swallowed up by the bright sunlight.

Woot! I can't believe I got another chapter done, especially since I had work today…anyway, the next chapter should be out sometime in the next few days. In the meantime, enjoy, and PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF COOKIES REVIEW!!! Suggestions, comments, and constructive criticism are treasured more than you could imagine! ^_^v