Chapter 3

Approaching the entrance to the new cavern, Sarah looked cautiously inside. What she saw caused her to throw caution to the wind and step through, looking around in awe.

The walls were etched with glowing runes and covered in complex, knotwork carvings. Growing over it all were thick vines, clinging tenaciously to the stonework and blocking some of the light from the runes. The entire effect was one of breathtaking beauty and ancient power, all written on the very foundations of the Labyrinth itself.

Realizing that she had been holding her breath until her lungs ached, Sarah let it out in an explosive puff. She wandered around looking closer at the walls for a few minutes, wondering what it meant and wishing that she could decipher the runes.

A sharp crack of thunder startled her and she climbed a nearby ladder. Coming out through a shattered pot, Sarah looked up in alarm to see that the roiling clouds that had been sitting ominously in the distance were starting to spread. Taking a deep breath, Sarah descended the ladder again, hurrying toward the center of the Labyrinth and the seething clouds above it. Her instincts told her that the source of the problem could be found at the core of the storm.

Her anxiety made her sharper than she meant to be. "Tell me what happened over the last week, every detail you know of- and leave nothing out," she barked at the worm who'd since settled in the front pocket of her shirt.

This wasn't a game any longer.

The Missus had very little little gossip from the castle to tell. All she was certain of was that her husband had been very worried.

"He wasn't his usual jovial self, if you understand my meanin'," she confessed to Sarah. "It worried me, 'specially when he started refusin' his daily cuppa!"

Sarah sympathized, but didn't see how the domestic habits of the Worms could be helpful. "Are you sure there wasn't anything he might have mentioned? Anything at all?"

The little, pink worm sniffled slightly before answering. Sadness tinged her lilting little voice as she spoke. "Mr. Worm- he never, ever refused a cuppa tea. In fact, I would dare say he lived by it. I just knew in my stomach there was something just not right, but he weren't sayin'. Too much of a gentleman, my Mr. Worm."

Sarah sighed, continuing deeper into the rune covered caverns. She had to get to the source, and she doubted there would be thirteen hours in which to do so. Still, she was in the Labyrinth. Things were not always as they seemed here. A small determined smile lit up her face and she held her head high. This would be a piece of cake.

Despite her gowing determination and confidence, Sarah knew that she would have to be careful. She didn't know what she was capable of doing to help Jareth and the others, but she would do her best. Just being around the runes somehow made her feel stronger, as though she were more than she had been when she arrived Underground.

The cavern finally emptied out into a great open area and Sarah started noticing goblin bodies cluttering the floor. Her hurried steps faltered and Sarah went still, looking around in horror. The worm in her pocket continued to ramble about the odd changes in the Labyrinth as the human woman focused on their surroundings, not noticing the carnage around them right away.

"There was this horrible storm, y'see, which was odd because we don't really have them, almost forgot what they felt like it's been so long, and that's about when the Mister wouldn't take his cuppa tea, too busy hurrying around the outside, talkin' with that grumpy gardener. That's the last I saw him..." the Missus trailed off, her voice falling silent as she finally took in their surroundings from her perch in Sarah's pocket.

"This...oh no! It's the Heart of the Labyrinth!" The Missus burst into terrified tears.

The entire area was cast in shadows, except for the illumination provided by the runes and glowing shards of crystal scattered among the debris and bodies surrounding her. Sarah shied away from looking at the bodies, trying instead to examine the surrounding details.

"The what?" Sarah blinked, studying the glowing crystal network that seemed to stretch for miles like veins. In the distance, up on a hill, they all converged in a standing stone shaped like a woman. However, it appeared there was a giant fissure down her center and something was missing. Beside it, out cold, was the Goblin King.

Sarah's first instinct was to run to Jareth as fast as she could, but she held back, forcing herself to proceed carefully. There was no denying the damage was extensive. The closer she got to the statue, the more bodies she saw. Steeling herself, Sarah started checking for pulses. Those she checked were alive, but deeply unconscious.

As she moved from body to body, Sarah's heart broke over and over. So many of the beautiful and unique creatures of the Labyrinth were sprawled, broken and battered, on the ground. Most were just barely hanging on, clinging to life by a thread.

There was no time to check everyone, but Sarah tried to find as many of her friends as possible. She cried out in sorrow when she came across Sir Didymus. Her hands shook as she checked for signs of life. When she felt his pulse under her fingers she let out a sigh of relief that sounded more like a sob. Gently, Sarah shook the little fox knight, trying to wake him. Despite her efforts, Didymus showed no signs of life, save for the steady throbbing of his pulse. Sarah checked nearby for Ambrosius, but he was nowhere to be seen.

The next familiar body she saw was Ludo. He was slumped against a boulder, surrounded by smaller rocks. Sarah knelt next to his massive body, softly petting the fur on the back of his hand as tears streamed down her cheeks. A single tear fell into his shaggy red fur as Sarah wiped her face, still trying valiantly not to let any of this get to her.

Standing, she sorrowfully left Ludo lying amongst his rocks and continued on toward the center, glancing at each body she passed. Finally, Sarah found what she was looking for. With a cry she threw herself down beside Hoggle. She held her tears back until she saw that Hoggle still sheltered the little body of Mr. Worm in the crook of his arm. Then, the tears dropped unheeded down her face as she gently set the sobbing Missus down next to her unconscious husband.

Checking Hoggle frantically, Sarah was relieved to find that he had the same slow, steady pulse as all of the others she had checked. She shook him, calling his name over and over through her small sobs. To her joy, his eyelids fluttered and he attempted to focus on her.

"Little Lady is that you? You shouldna be here," Hoggle rasped. "It ain't safe, even for-"

He coughed weakly and his voice dropped to barely a whisper. Sarah had to lean close to hear his words. "Not safe- even for the Labyrinth's Champion. Turn back…" Hoggle fought to maintain consciousness, but Sarah could clearly see that he was slipping away again. "Turn back before it's too late and you- you are taken... too... If they find- find out... you've... returned..." He lost his battle, passing out before he could finish.

Sarah wanted to shake him awake again, but resisted. "No, Hoggle." she sobbed brokenly. "I won't turn back, no- no matter what. Through dangers untold and- and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the Heart of the Labyrinth, and I will find a way to help you all."

As she spoke, her voice grew stronger and her tears stopped. She gently let go of his vest and cupped his cheek gently. As much as she would have liked to have his company and his council through this fight, she knew that he could do no more.

Sarah stood resolutely and looked around, dashing away the remains of her tears. Looking down one last time, Sarah spied the worms.

"Will he be okay?" she asked the Missus, who had curled herself up next to Mr. Worm.

"I think so, Champion. You must go. Help the King!"

Sarah smiled briefly down at the worms and the made her way to the Goblin King. Swallowing nervously, she knelt by his side.

She reached out to check him for signs of life as she had the others. Her hands shook badly and she had to pause to clench them together tightly, taking several deep breaths to steady herself. Seeing him like this, no matter their past history, broke her heart. Despite her resolve to be strong she sobbed once again, tears rolling down her cheeks and dripping off her chin to land on Jareth's face.

Unseen by Sarah, the tears soaked into Jareth's skin. His eyelids fluttered and he trilled weakly as more and more feathers began growing out of his body.