CHAPTER 18

Sarah glanced back at the five horses she was leading and sighed. It looked like a train. Sarah stopped at a few farms and inquired if they needed a horse because these were lost, and they could use them. She got rid of two, giving them to the farmers. Sarah plugged away until nightfall, when she reached the city of Cacwn.

Sarah stopped at the first stable she saw and asked if they would like to buy all three horses. He bought two of the three after looking at them. She received twenty gold. Sarah took the horses down to a stable next to an inn and took her baggage in with her, wishing it lighter. She got a room for a week. She had to sell jewelry. Sarah locked the room and wished it to be secure. She boarded Shadow and sold the other horse for ten gold to the stable's blacksmith.

Sarah went back to the room and settled in getting the kittens litter box set up, which they flew to get to it and their water bowl filled. She pulled out her dirty clothes and set her bath stuff on the foot of the bed. She fed the kittens and put their balls on the bed. When they got out their energy playing, Sarah placed them in the pouch and in her cloak. She went downstairs to the counter.

The fae innkeeper looked at her, wondering who was under that hood. He asked, "What do you want?"

Sarah said, "Dinner and wine, please?" She slid him the coppers. He took them and poured her drink and got her a bowl of mutton stew. It was savoy, and the meat melted in her mouth. Sarah's kittens begged for a bite, and she gave them the stew gravy on her glove fingertips. The innkeeper commenced asking her questions, and they were a bit personal in nature. She started grunting, and the innkeeper knew he wouldn't get much more than where are you from, what brought you here and such. The questions he asked were, "Why do you keep your hood up? Are you hiding for a reason?" Sarah was getting uncomfortable.

Sarah ate and went up to her room and tied a scarf to the doorknob. She started heating water, took a bath, and washed her hair. Sarah made a cup of tea and nibbled a couple of cookies before she laid down to sleep. The kittens crawled up and snuggled with her.

The fae downstairs kept trying to view her in his crystal, but it was black, and he didn't know why. He gave up for now.

—--53 days

Sarah woke up the next morning to her kittens licking her eyelid and tip of her nose. She was giggling at them. She grabbed each of them and started kissing each of them all over their faces.

Sarah sat up and cuddled them both and said, "I love you, my sweet Magus and Merlin."

Suddenly, she felt her veins everywhere were heightened with magic, but it felt like electricity.

Sarah thought, 'Gaia.'

Gaia said, 'Yes, my champion?'

Sarah thought, 'Something happened last night while I was sleeping. I was told the day before that it would happen by Elora, Dalanna and Zenthea, the fairies I met with a magic pool and waterfall. They mentioned I had fairy venom in my blood from the bite I got before I entered the labyrinth thirteen years ago from a queen. They claimed it took time to spread because it stays dormant until exposed to magic. I felt it when I changed fae, but this feels like it is running through my veins.'

Gaia said, 'That is correct. Your magical capacity has increased. Do you have the fae knowledge on magic now? I feel your connection is much stronger.'

Sarah thought, 'Yes. Rudimentary, mid-level and advanced. Why can Jareth transport and probably do other things than other fae?'

Gaia said, 'It is exclusively labyrinthian magic. You will need training on how to use it.'

Sarah thought, 'Jareth has contacted me through a dream to get to the castle to stay protected from the High King hunting me down. I have already gotten rid of nine bounty hunters. Jareth promised he would let me come and go, but I'm afraid to trust him.'

Gaia said, 'My king cannot lie, and he will stand by his word. He will be better able to help keep you safe here because I am here to protect you as well. So, he is correct.'

Sarah thought, 'They are using it as an excuse to sell humans to the ogres and centaurs, while hunting for me.'

The labyrinth said, 'Come to the castle, my champion.'

Sarah thought, 'I will when I'm done here in six days. Thank you, Gaia.'

Gaia said, 'Be safe, my champion.'

She fed the kittens and got dressed with freshly braided hair. She wore her brown leather outfit with her pirate boots. Sarah felt more masculine in her leather outfits.

When Sarah and the kittens were ready, she went down to get breakfast. The innkeeper was still on about who she was. Sarah said, "I don't like to talk." She fed both her kittens yolk off her glove. The fae innkeeper thought she was strange.

Sarah strapped five bags of various assortments of jewelry in each bag. She took her horse to spot the different jewelers around the city and started selling on the opposite side of the city and worked her way back towards the inn to get rid of it when she had too much gold on her.

Later in the week, once, she hit every place in the city as a man. She would go around to them as a woman. Then, she would change her appearance each time and the color of her hair hanging out of the cloak. She even changed the color of the cloak.

At the conclusion of the week, Sarah sold all the jewelry and all the jeweled daggers but two, the one she put in her jewelry box and one in her boot. She had accumulated 15,453 gold from all ten bags of jewelry. Her ring totaled 54,671 gold, 2,493 silver, 267 coppers.

Sarah packed up everything the night before the end of the week. She was ready to call Jareth once she was outside the city. The kittens were completely weaned at eight weeks, only eating their chopped meat now and bottles for lunch if she was riding.

—--58 days

Sarah woke up her kittens and did her morning routine and fed them. She got dressed in her black leather outfit and dumped the litter box out the window and cleaned it up. She put it in its bag and left her bow and arrow on the bed. Sarah went down for breakfast. The innkeeper didn't question her anymore. The counter was full, so she picked up her plate of food and tea and sat out of the way. Sarah didn't see the innkeeper talking to the three men at the counter that glanced at her.

A little while later, Sarah had Shadow all packed up and mounted him. She rode out of town. She stopped and got off her horse. Three fae came up on her instantly and cast spells. One to bind the hands, one to freeze your legs from moving, and the third to muffle her. Sarah didn't have time to call for Jareth.

The leader fae said, "Look what we have here, men. Unwrap our little prize." They yanked her cowl hood down. Sarah glared at them.

The one said, "My, my, where do you come from, pretty dark haired green eyed fae girl?"

The third fae declared, "I don't care where she is from. I want a piece of her before we turn her into the High King." He grabbed her boob through her jerkin.

Sarah screamed in her mind, 'GAIA! Help me! They intend to rob and rape me! I was about to call Jareth!'

Gaia said, 'My champion! My king is coming to your location now'.

The leader said, "Bring her horse, and we can take her to the woods over there and tie her to a tree and take care of business, then take her to the High King."

Jareth appeared right then and incapacitated all three fae. He unbound and unmuffled Sarah. She took off her pouch from around her neck and dove into his arms, almost knocking him off his feet, and buried her face in his chest and started crying from the anxiety of being vulnerable.

He held her in his arms and said, "It's ok, precious. It's ok." He put his head on top of hers as she calmed down, clinging to his clothing. Her kittens started crying. Sarah pulled herself together and wiped her eyes on her cloak. She cuddled her kittens to her neck.

Sarah said, "They knew I was coming and way-laid me. They were about to tie me to a tree and rape me, then take me to your father."

Jareth saw red. He said, "I think your sentence you said you did to those others is fitting. I 'wish' these three fae men would be stripped of their magic, turned into naked human women, and be sold to the centaurs." They screamed and disappeared. Their clothes and horses were left behind.

Jareth turned to Sarah, pulled her close while cuddling her kittens, and kissed her in a passionate and consuming way. She was melting. When he stopped, he stated, "I have waited a very long time to do that twice now."

Sarah asked, "What should we do with all their gear and horses?"

He replied, "I'll take them too." She put the kittens in her pouch and picked up all their gear. She shoved it into the saddlebags of each horse. Sarah left the clothes, blankets, and tents in a pile. She wished them to people who need and deserve them. She collected all the bags and saddlebags and put them on her horse. Sarah strapped a long sword to her belt and walked over to Jareth. He opened his arm and wrapped it around her, and he took all four sets of reins in his other hand. They all disappeared in a great glitter swirl.

—--

Sarah was clinging to Jareth after transporting. It was disorienting. She was finally getting her balance and looked around herself. She was in an elegant Victorian bedroom.

Sarah asked, peering up at him, "Where are Shadow and the other horses?"

Jareth said, looking down softly at her, "They are in the royal stables being tended to. I hope the accommodations are to your liking?" Sarah saw her things and the robber's things on the floor in a pile in front of an antique trunk at the foot of the bed.

She said, "It's a beautiful room, Jareth." It was done in muted seafoam colors and ivory silks and stains with baroque style carved chairs, settee, headboard, mirror on the dresser, and a standing long mirror. The carpeting was thick plush ivory with soft seafoam oriental rugs on top in certain areas, like in front of the fireplace with an antique mantel. A rug was on each side of the bed. There was an armoire, dresser, and accent chairs. By the fireplace was an ivory Victorian couch, a settee, and two large wing back chairs with an ottoman.

Jareth showed her where the huge bathroom was. There was an adjoining sitting room between his bedroom and hers. Sarah was putting a chair under that doorknob. She was still wary of him. He showed her the snowy balcony.

Sarah started setting up the litter box for the kittens. The duvet on the bed reached the floor, so the kittens could climb up and down. She set the kitten's litter box in a little corner where the wall and the dresser were. Sarah sat the pouch on the bed and picked up the kittens and put them in their box, so they knew where she placed it.

Jareth said, "Are you hungry now? Or will you join me in my salon after you settle in for lunch?"

Sarah said, "I can wait for lunch. I had breakfast. Jareth, I think the innkeeper had something to do with those men. All this week, he had been asking intrusive questions. He suddenly stopped my last day, which was suspicious behavior for someone harping on me for answers. What are you hiding? Why are you always covered up? Is there someone you are afraid of? It was so personal to be saying things like that over and over, then suddenly it ended."

Jareth said, "That does sound strange and unusual, love. I'll leave you now." He turned to leave out the door.

Sarah said, "Jareth?" He paused and looked at her. She said, looking down then back up at him, "Thank you for coming to help me and for this."

Jareth smiled a sharp, toothy smirk and said, "You are welcome, precious." He left out the door.