CHAPTER ELEVEN

Into the Darkness

"Deep into that darkness,

peering,

long I stood

wondering,

fearing,

doubting,

dreaming dreams no mortal

ever dared to dream before."

-Line from the story "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe

Sarah jumped to her feet and spun around, frantically looking for what had moved behind her. The only thing she could see were more mirrors and her own scared reflection staring back at her. Sarah pressed a hand over her violently trembling heart, trying to steady it. It felt as though it was about to jump out of her chest.

Just as Sarah was managing to calm down, she caught something moving in her peripheral vision, and she turned wildly once more, and once more she just met her own reflection. Sarah laughed shakily. She was being unreasonably jumpy. The disjoined reflections cast by the mica mirrors were causing her to go just a tiny bit insane, her heart beating in a terrific overdrive. She would have a heart attack from all of the paranoia she was experiencing before she had ever made it to the end of this damnable mirror maze.

Sarah's mood darkened, her paranoia sweeping over her once more. Whatever had moved had done so noiselessly, and that unnerved Sarah even more. What creature could move so quietly and so swiftly without being noticed? Surely it did not mean to harm her, for it would have done so long ago, would it not? Why toy with her?

Sarah gathered up her frayed nerves and walked on, listening hard and casting surreptitious looks about, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever it was that was stalking her.

She was ready the next time she saw something moving out of the corner of her eye, and she whipped her head around to catch a glimpse of what it was. As Sarah had learned a few days ago, things were not what they seemed in the Labyrinth, and that the normal earthly rules of science and fact did not work quite the same in the Goblin King's realm. You would think that Sarah would be accustomed to the strange and bizarre after spending time in the Labyrinth, and yet every new thing that she encountered seemed to disarm and alarm her to no end.

It was only her reflection that stared back at her, this much was true, but at the same time, it was not her reflection. It could not be. Sarah could not understand how this was possible. As Sarah stared at herself in the reflective mica, her mirror image moved, though Sarah was standing stock-still. She blinked rapidly a few times, trying to make sure that she was not just hallucinating and watched in horror as the mirror Sarah grinned wickedly at her and waved her hand.

Sarah blanched and took a few harried steps backward, colliding with the mirror behind her. This…this was impossible! All of Sarah's reflected selves stared smugly at her distress.

"Y-you are not real!" cried Sarah wildly, trying to convince herself as much as her reflections. "What are you?"

The Sarah doppelgangers laughed in an eerily disembodied voice that sent shivers racing down Sarah's spine. Sarah was utterly terrified. Either this was some kind of horrific joke, or she was going to have to reevaluate her worldview once more since entering the Labyrinth. Sarah then did what any sane person would do when faced with something unexplainable and terrifying: she ran.

The funny thing about your reflection, however, is that so long as you stand near a reflective surface, it will be there too. Never the less, Sarah ran, trying in vain to distance herself from this strange new labyrinthine phenomenon. Unfortunately for Sarah, she ran into a dead end. She had nowhere to go.

"You are trapped," said the ghoulish doppelgangers, the mirror Sarah's voice soft and beguiling. Sarah was unnerved to hear her own voice come from a mouth that was not her own. "There is no way out…you are trapped…all is lost…"

"Who are you?" asked the real Sarah, clearly panicked, "What are you? What do you want with me?"

"Why, we are you," sighed the doppelgangers knowingly, a few of the ghostly voices chuckling at Sarah's terrified confusion, "We are you."

"How on earth can you be me?" challenged Sarah, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. "What are you?"

"We are but your reflection, Sarah. We are the truth, we are your past, your present and your future, we are what you aspire to be and will never be, we are you."

"But-but you cannot be! What kind of cruel trick is this? I ask you again, what do you want?"

"Merely to reflect. That is what we do. We are you, after all, and neither of us can exist without the other."

"Why are you so determined to run the Labyrinth?" her reflection taunted in a low hiss, though its face was the picture of innocence. "Why not just give up? No one misses you, not even your parents. They have your brother now, the prodigal son. They have forgotten all about you. Why not fulfill your part in this curse?"

"Why are you saying this?" asked Sarah, her temper flaring. Though Sarah would not admit it, not even to herself, some part of her reflection's words had touched upon some of Sarah's more private thoughts, fears, and her unspoken desires. What sort of dark magic was this? How could it possibly know such things?

"Why not become the queen?" Her reflection stared knowingly at Sarah, watching as she took in her reflection's seductive proposition.

"Power, respect, adventure; everything that you have ever wished for and more shall be yours. Give up, Sarah. Give in. You will never find your way from these caverns. Even if you did, you would never find your way through the Labyrinth, it is folly. Are you not tired? Do you not wish for someone else to make the decisions for you? Do you not want more from your quaint mortal life?"

It looked as though someone was walking closer to Sarah, for there was a second reflection drawing nearer and nearer. Sarah spun around, trying to see who was coming, but no one was there, save for Sarah and her reflections.

The shadowy figure resolved itself into someone who made Sarah's blood run cold and set her anger aflame in one swift glance.

The Goblin King.

Sarah looked wildly about once more, but he was not there, at least not physically, and yet his reflection was there, standing beside hers.

It was quite eerie, seeing the reflection of someone who was not there. Sarah was a little relieved that the Goblin King was not there, as whenever the Goblin King showed up in Sarah's life, he had the knack of complicating things, and things were quite complicated enough as they were without the Goblin King's presence.

"My, my, Sarah, you have come far," said the doppelganger Goblin King, both his expression and his tone both haughty. "Not far enough, I am afraid. There is still quite a long ways to go as of yet."

"Give up," repeated Sarah's mirror image, who looked up at the Goblin King and smiled. The mirror Sarah reached out and touched the doppelganger Goblin King on the arm.

"Stop that!" said Sarah angrily, clenching her fists. She was beyond distressed at what she was seeing and hearing. "Quit saying that! I would never do that! I cannot give up! I will not!"

"Oh, but you will, Sarah," said the reflection of the Goblin King in a smooth tone, "You must. You must fulfill the curse."

"NO!" Sarah screamed, clutching her head in frustration. Her shout echoed in the clammy caves, dissipating into the darkness. She turned to run back up the passage from whence she had come before, but froze as a steady clicking noise met her ears.

A figure, real and corporeal, drew closer, the light from Sarah's lantern slowly illuminating the person.

"Aah, what have we here?" said the Goblin King, stepping forward into the lantern light.

Sarah did the only thing that she was capable of at the moment in her extreme duress. She mutely stared at the Goblin King, her brain sluggishly trying to catch up with the erratic pace of current events.

"Thinking of going somewhere?" asked the Goblin King, flashing his distinct brazen grin at her. Sarah glanced to the mica mirrors, and saw that the doppelganger reflections of she and the Goblin King had vanished and had been replaced by normal, everyday reflections. Sarah's heart dropped as she realized that her exit was blocked by the fae. By the look on the Goblin King's face, Sarah knew that this was a deliberate move by him to hem her in.

"Let me pass, Goblin King." Sarah was pleased of how coolly proud and inflectionless she had been able to sound after having a shock such as this. Damn him…

"Had enough fun yet, Sarah? Are you not tired of my Labyrinth?"

"Hardly. I have only gotten started, you know. What, have you grown tired of waiting for me to come and destroy your curse?" Sarah quipped.

"I am tired of waiting for you to give up," replied the Goblin King, with equal aplomb.

"I can solve your Labyrinth with no problems, Goblin King," said Sarah, her temper rising.

"And yet you have managed to get yourself into this situation." He gestured at the labyrinth of mirrors that surrounded them.

"And I am sure that you had absolutely nothing to do with me getting stuck down here, did you?" asked Sarah sarcastically, placing her hands on her hips, staring at the Goblin King accusingly.

"What other job does a king of the goblins have but to meddle?" shrugged the Goblin King, trying for a look of innocence and failing miserably.

"How about lifting horrific curses that one placed on a family generations ago? How about finding a Goblin Queen based on the merits of love and attraction and integrity instead of stealing a girl and forcing her to take the role? How about leaving me alone?" Sarah finished heavily, her breath coming in short gasps from the aftermath of her impassioned speech.

"I seemed to have touched a nerve." The Goblin King could not help but let a note of glee enter his carefully structured demeanor.

Sarah ignored him, trying to see if she could somehow get around him so that she could continue on her way. Maybe she could distract him or hit him or something so that she could get back down the passage of mirrors. The Goblin King noticed her calculating looks and understood immediately what she was thinking.

"Would you like to get back aboveground?" he asked casually, folding his arms across his chest and cocking his head.

"Are you trying to help me?" asked Sarah, instantly suspicious. Accepting help from the Goblin King was akin to accepting help from the devil himself. There was always a caveat, always a great and terrible price to pay. "If you are, this is not how you help a person. One typically helps people by doing good deeds and not expecting anything in return. You, on the other hand, try to help people by tossing them underground and making them get even more lost than they were already and by intimidating them!"

"I intimidate you?" said the Goblin King in a strangely curious voice, which was predictably tarnished by a veneer of smug satisfaction.

Sarah flushed. She needed to be more careful of what she said. "Do not try to change the subject."

"Hmmm…" apparently Sarah's words had given the Goblin King something to think about, and this made Sarah very nervous. She continued speaking, trying vainly to distract the Goblin King from her verbal blunder.

"What is your ulterior motive? You cannot simply want to help me. Not only does that go against your woefully tarnished character, but that would also mean that you would be helping me to defeat you! It makes no sense. You make no sense!" Sarah was quite passionate now, words flowing from her mouth with reckless abandon. Sarah was not censoring herself as she usually did when talking to the Goblin King. She had forgotten all his warnings, and that would be her downfall.

"Of course, I am trying to help, Sarah," said the Goblin King placidly, flicking a speck of dirt from his pristine armor. "Do you not remember how utterly generous I am? Has it only taken a few days in my Labyrinth for you to forget about me? How disheartening."

"I wish," spat Sarah vehemently.

The Goblin King took a few steps forward, hemming Sarah back even further against the dead end of the mirrored maze. Sarah scowled at the Goblin King as she hastily took a few furtive steps backwards in retreat.

"Yes, precious, what do you wish? I am ever so fond of wishes, as you know," his voice was low and edged with an air of danger that made Sarah instantly regret her words. She was so stupid! In her anger she had forgotten all of the strange rules of the Labyrinth. Words have power here. Did her ancestor not start all of this insanity from a mere wish she made to the Goblin King?

"Nothing. I do not wish anything," said Sarah hastily, trying to take another surreptitious step away from the Goblin King. Her back hit the cool mica wall behind her. Damn. She straightened her spine and tried to gather her scattered bravado. "I merely wanted to express how I would have liked none of this to happen, and for you to have never invaded my life like a plague."

"Pity," replied the Goblin King, retreating a step or two away from Sarah. "You are quite sure that you do not want to give up now? I would most certainly not begrudge you if you did, my dear."

"Quite certain," replied Sarah succinctly, "Now, if you will excuse me, I must be getting on. I have a Labyrinth to solve and a Goblin King to thwart.

"Another Goblin King? Dear me, Sarah, it is almost as if you are trying to make me jealous," drawled the Goblin King, placing a gloved hand over his heart in mock display of hurt feelings.

Sarah merely snorted and ignored the Goblin King's japes, trying to focus on getting away and getting back on track.

The Goblin King, of course, had other ideas.

"Turn back, Sarah," he said, stepping forward and placing a hand on her shoulder, "Turn back before it is too late."

"Never," fumed Sarah, jerking her shoulder from the Goblin King's grasp. She was tired of being bullied and intimidated. She was going to solve the Labyrinth, and nothing the Goblin King could do or say would change her mind, ever.

The Goblin King chuckled, his laugh high and terrible.

"You are no match for me, Sarah."

"I am stronger than you think, Goblin King. Have you never heard any of the tales where the villain underestimates the hero? I will give you a hint as to how that turns out for the wicked kings: the hero always wins." Sarah was drunk on her own bravado, not caring that she was walking the thin line between bravery and stupidity.

"You forget that you are not in a typical fairytale, Sarah. This is my domain, and everything goes according to my rules. I would not be so unrelentingly certain about your chances of success."

"Ha," replied Sarah, letting out a sharp bark of humorless laughter, "That is what the villain always says."

"Are you quite so sure that I am the villain, Sarah?" asked the Goblin King quietly, a hard edge to his voice.

"How can I ever believe anything that you say?" spat Sarah vehemently, "When everything that you have ever done has been to destroy my life in some way or to manipulate or trick me?

"What other choice do you have, Sarah, but to trust me?"

"I do not have to trust you, Goblin King, only beat you at your own game. Now, if you will excuse me…" Sarah attempted to brush by the Goblin King. Quicker than Sarah could see, he had grabbed her upper arm to stop her.

Sarah growled at him. "Don't touch me. Let me go!"

"I am not finished with you," he replied, some of his breezy indifference marred by a touch of anger and annoyance.

"I think you are, actually. At least, I am through with you. Let me pass."

"No," said the Goblin King evenly, speaking as though to a spoiled child. "Even if I did, my dear, you would not escape from here." He gestured at the mirrored maze. "I presume that you have noticed that there is a distinct lack of doors down here."

Sarah could not take it any longer. She knew what the Goblin King was attempting to do; he was wasting more of her precious time by encouraging her to argue with him, thus deterring her from solving the Labyrinth! That bastard! She should have realized this earlier, but the Goblin King was far too adept at manipulating her emotions to work against her in his favor. It was time for her to finally do something about that, and to get as far away from the destructive influence of the Goblin King as she possibly could.

In one quick motion, Sarah slung the heavy metal lantern that was in her hand in a great arc and brought it down hard on the mica slab that blocked her way. It shattered spectacularly, extinguishing the lantern and throwing the cavern into total darkness.

As Sarah scrambled through the rent in the wall that she had created, she vaguely heard the Goblin King speak, though the blood pumping in her ears and the general din that she had caused made it impossible to hear exactly what it was that he said.

Sarah scrambled away in the darkness, stumbling and tripping in her haste, tearing her clothes and bloodying her hands from the rough stones that littered the ground. She groaned as she heard her pack rip and felt it lighten even more as things spilled out of it. Sarah did not dare to go back to grope for them in the darkness. She must get away. Suddenly a peal of mirth broke the air, and Sarah jumped. It sounded as though the Goblin King was close behind her. She frantically increased her pace.

The maniacal laughter of the Goblin King dogged her footsteps as she hastened away, hoping beyond hope that the he was not following her. After a while, Sarah noticed that the floor had begun to slope upwards as she made her way blindly in the darkness, and she wished fervently that this meant that she was making her way out of this hell hole and back to the Labyrinth above.

Sarah suddenly thought that she saw a light before her and that the way ahead was growing lighter. She prayed that it was the way out and not just another one of the Goblin King's tricks.

Sarah emerged from the cave, bruised and bloodied, her half-empty pack dangling from one arm and her eyes wild from a thrilling combination of fear, excitement and anger. Unfortunately for Sarah, she was not alone. It was also quite unfortunate for Sarah that it was not merely the Goblin King who stood before her.

AN: ...Did I mention that I love writing cliffhangers? Mind you, this story seemed to consist of fewer cliffhangers than BatB: A Labyrinthine Retelling, but I threw a few in this story just for good measure! I don't mean to torture you so, dear readers, I just did as the story needed! ;) Also, we are now half-way through this story! As always, I love hearing feedback from my loyal readers! It helps me to see what is working with my writing, and what needs to be improved!

Disclaimer: Labyrinth and its characters do not belong to me. Quotes from the movie belong to Henson, Froud, and Lucas. Quotes from the book belong to A.C.H. Smith.