Chapter 4
The Newest Runner
Jareth woke in an uncomfortable position with a very bad headache. Blinking away the blurriness in his eyes, he tried hard to think back at whatever had happened. He'd kissed Sarah… a thrill in his stomach suddenly swept over him… and she'd—
She had grabbed the crystal. My source of power. And it exploded.
Jareth groaned as the throbbing pain on the back of his cranium doubled in amount, and wondered vaguely if he was dead.
A laugh… Sarah's laugh… echoed through the room, and he must have wondered aloud, because she said with a sneer in her voice, "No, Jareth, you're not dead. But you're going to wish you were very soon."
Jareth forced his eyes open.
He was propped up against the wall in his crystal ball room, and yet he was in some sort of crevice in the wall that hadn't been there before, no doubt made from his impact in the explosion. Sarah was standing in front of him clutching the red crystal ball with a pose that did become her: mighty and powerful, with just a hint of that singer-celebrity cockiness she'd been flaunting around. But something wasn't quite right… there was something different now, but Jareth couldn't quite put his finger on it. Then she leaned in close to smirk, and Jareth saw what was different.
Her eyes that were so unkind to Jareth, those deep green eyes, were now mismatched; one brown, the other green. Jareth was confused. How could that have happened? He was the one who owned that feature.
Not only that, but she had also stolen the elegant black eye marking that stretched from her lids to her eyebrows.
"Haven't you figured out what's going on yet, Jareth?" Sarah said amusedly. "No, well I wouldn't expect you to… since you're only human."
"Wha…?" Jareth mumbled stupidly, before matching her gaze with an astonished look.
She had taken the crystal. Sarah had stolen his power right out from under him, and now he was nothing but a defenceless, powerless mortal. A human.
"You understand now," she said swiftly. "I certainly feel your… connection, as you'd put it, to this crystal. It does bond you quite close, doesn't it?"
Jareth could only gape. The woman he loved had deceived him, stolen from him… all after such a passionate kiss.
"Srraaahh…" Jareth moaned out, wondering why, why had she done it?
"Obviously the blow to your head was a lot worse than I thought," Sarah said crossly, crossing her arms. "Well if it were you in my position and I in yours, you would carry me. But I'm not going to do that, even though I am in your position."
She smirked. "Stand up and prove to me that you're a real man."
"Such cruel demands to match those eyes," Jareth muttered, but nevertheless with winces and groans hoisted himself up to stare down at her. She half-smiled and strode around him to examine his wound.
"Hm," she said lightly, and with a sweep of her hand Jareth's head stopped spinning and he could see the room again.
"There," Sarah said firmly. "Now that gives you the ability to complete you task."
"T-task?" Jareth stammered, wondering why on Earth he feared her words. The Goblin King would never fear anything. But he wasn't the Goblin King anymore, was he?
"Yes, you're going to get me out of here," she said airily, stroking the red crystal with her palm. "You told me that the only way for me to get back home is if somebody runs the Labyrinth for me, and since you're the only one who knows I'm here, you're going to be the one to do it."
"And why would I do that?" Jareth scoffed. "If you force me, I'll merely waste as much time as possible, ensuring your captivity."
"No, I don't think you will," said Sarah, smiling with a flash of triumph. "Because you see, if that happens, then you'll never get your powers back. And you'll be stuck here being the weak one…" Sarah reached over and stroked his cheek with the tips of her fingers, making him shiver. "… and I certainly know how much you'd hate that."
Jareth scowled, but also raised his eyebrows, impressed at how bold his Sarah was.
"I don't need to explain the rules, since you of all people already know," Sarah said smartly.
"Have you not yet realized that I can beat this Labyrinth in under an hour?" Jareth said hotly. "I've seen hundreds of runners, and I know every path there is to know."
"And now that I have your power, I can see those paths too," Sarah said, putting her hands on her hips. "You'll also be inclined to know that those paths are useless to you, except for one. The Labyrinth has rearranged itself, so for all you know those annoying Helping Hands could be in the Goblin City now."
Jareth chuckled and mumbled under his breath, "You cunning minx."
With a quick wave of her hand Sarah and Jareth appeared on the dusty plain overlooking the Labyrinth. Jareth's heart sank as he noticed that the hedge labyrinth, normally to the left, was now at the far right. Sarah had definitely changed things.
"And you might want to be cautious, Goblin King," smirked Sarah. "The Labyrinth is more than a labyrinth… it's a test to see if you're worthy."
She stepped back as the old clock appeared over her head. Except this time, instead of having thirteen hours, there were only eleven.
"You have eleven hours to complete the Labyrinth, Goblin King."
"Why only eleven?"
"That's how long it took me to complete the Labyrinth, since you took away two hours from me before setting the Cleaners on Hoggle and I."
Jareth grinned at the memory and said quickly, "I hope you realize that the Cleaners would never have hurt you, or the annoying little dwarf Higgle."
"Hoggle," Sarah snarled. "And you are lying. The thing is made of solid metal with pincers strong enough to rip a human limb from limb."
"And did you not observe how the wall seemed to fall the moment the contraption seemed near?" Jareth said lightly, turning to look at her with his eyebrows raised. Sarah scowled and said, "Don't expect me to grant any favours because of it."
"I expect nothing except to be battered and bruised by an exciting challenge," Jareth replied, giving the Labyrinth one last scan.
"Flattery will get you nowhere," Sarah said sharply. "Enjoy your challenge, for you are the newest runner of the Labyrinth."
With a sweep of her arm she was gone, and Jareth was left at the hilltop.
A/N: Thanks go to Jessica Bowie and SabertoothUnicorn321 for their lovely reviews :)