CHAPTER 1

Sarah had just got home after finishing and graduating from Yale University with a double master's degrees in Archeology and Celtic Studies. She had a 4.0 and a 4.2 GPA. She was soon to move to Ireland and start going on digs in England, Scotland and Ireland looking for relics and information on the ancient sites. Sarah had her tickets paid for already and was leaving in a week. She secured a studio apartment near Cambridge University in England. She was working for the university as a Research Assistant in the Research and Relics department.

Sarah was taking her mirror with her packed in a major amount of bubble wrap in an extra suitcase of clothes. She was leaving the next day and was ready to wrap it up. She just wanted to make a call before packing it up.

She had kept in touch with Hoggle and Sir Didymus for the last ten years. She had even spoken to Jareth from time to time through the years. He was always busy of late and she found out why recently. He had a new girlfriend that everybody hates called Lady Zinthea. Sarah didn't exactly want to hear about Jareth's dalliances with women over the last decade, but from what her friends told her this one was a lulu.

Zinthea had thrown out all the goblins from the castle. She was nasty to the humans that work there too, but played it off like she was so nice in front of the king. She was taking over the castle and Jareth wasn't paying attention because he was involved with planning and negotiating the building of a dam.

It was on the eastern side of the Goblin Kingdom. Jareth wanted it for controlled irrigation of the crops from the high mountains of the spring fed lake that feeds a river. Controlling the flow will allow the building of irrigation canals to the larger producing crops in that region. He was going to have the overflow rerouted to the more southern part of the kingdom that needed the resource also. So, Jareth was involved and distracted in his own little world of huge project planning while Zinthea was creating chaos behind his back.

Hoggle said even his advisor was running around trying to put out the fires she was causing and reshuffling people to placate her from driving everyone crazy. Sarah was sitting in front of her mirror after calling Hoggle. It took him a while to get to the mirror. When his reflection appeared he looked tired and rundown.

Sarah asked, "Hoggle you look tired, what happened?"

Hoggle said, "Zinthea wantin' me ta pull the flower beds on tha right side of the back gardens. She be wantin' all purple roses ta be planted there instead. I be askin' her if the king approves of tha change in his own personal garden? She hauled of an hits me with a crystal ta make me tongue swell up! Took an hour before it were down ta normal again. So I's been digging up the flowers ta move to a differnt place."

Sarah said, "She sure is a piece of work. Wonder what he sees in her?"

Hoggle said, "While tha rats away, tha cat will play. She must 'ave magical underwear or sumpin'. I canna stand 'er." Sarah started laughing. She knew what he was referring to, sex. She loved how he words things without actually saying it.

Sarah said, "I'm leaving for England tomorrow. I'll contact you once I get settled. I have two weeks to get everything unpacked and settled so I'll talk to you within that time. Be safe and avoid her as much as possible."

Hoggle said, "Ye be careful ta not get lost flyin' in tha big metal bird. I be seein' ya soon, Sarah." Sarah smiled and waved goodbye.

A week later, Sarah had got a little used 1993 MarkVI British mini car to get around in and had her studio apartment set up real cute for herself. She was starting her new job next week and was going on a tour of the Newgrange Mound tomorrow. She was excited to see the real interior of it instead of just pictures.

Sarah had her mirror on a wall by her bed. She sat down and called Hoggle. He appeared and looked tired still. Sarah asked, "You look even more tired than a week ago. What's going on now?"

Hoggle said, "Well, hello ta ya too little missy. Zinthea be on my back more. She been sayin' that she were makin' the gardens her special project." He groaned. " She be having me diggin' up everythin'. She be 'aven me ta move this here, that thar, no not thar, over thar. It be divin' me crazy." Sarah shook her head feeling sorry for her friend.

Sarah said, "How much longer is Jareth going to be gone?"

Hoggle said, "They should have it all underway by next week. He be hittin' the roof after he be seein' what she done ta his garden. He be fussy 'bout things like that."

Sarah said, "I hope he lets her have it but good and gives her the boot."

Hoggle said, "You an me both."

Sarah said, "Have a good night Hoggle."

Hoggle sighed and said, "You too little lady." Sarah went and made dinner and got ready for her tour the next day at 11am.

—--

Sarah lined up with all the people to get off the bus at the Newgrange Mound. The tour leader led them into the mound. Sarah had her backpack on which she called her survival kit. It had everything in it. She put on her head light that was a flashlight strapped to her forehead. She was looking at the walls of the huge slabs of stone used for the wall structure and the small carving here and there. Sarah had her book and pen out taking notes on the symbols etched in the stones. She was in her own little world.

The group went straight and she turned right down a short tunnel that had a huge slab of stone at the end. There was a small divot in the center like a hole. She used a sharp tool and was digging the dirt out of it to see how deep it would go and cut her index finger. It started to bleed just a tiny bit. She stuck her finger in the hole, it was an inch and a half deep.

Suddenly, the wall disappeared and Sarah fell through landing on the ground face first. The ground was dirt and it was a cave with dripping sounds and silence. Sarah looked back at the wall and ran up to it to see if there was another divot or something to get her back. There wasn't anything on this slab. Sarah started to panic. Her whole life was back in Newgrange Mound. 'Where the hell am I?', she wondered.

Sarah was terrified to find out where she was, but crammed those emotions to the back of her head because she had to stay rational. Her training in self defense and survival said to never show fear or let it take control. You need a level head to use your training to survive. She was looking around at everything in fascination. There was a light reflecting an array of colors inside the cave. The lights ripped across the walls.

Sarah knelt down looking into the pool. There was a reflection of swirling colors. It was mesmerizing Sarah. She took off her backpack and sat it beside her. She leaned in trying to see the figures beyond the colors. A hand made of water grabbed Sarah and she fell in head first. Sarah was fighting trying to right herself. A voice said, "You can breathe in here child. Your body will remember that it lived in a liquid environment for nine months."

Sarah struggled in fear she saw mermaids surrounding her. Sarahs was semi conscious and air let loose from her lungs and felt like she was drowning. Her body jerked and shook until she took that first breath of water through her mouth. She couldn't believe it worked but it felt so weird.

A mermaid came up to her and said, "You are in The Pool Of Destiny. You can't speak in here because of the water and how people on land's throats are different. You are to be judged to see if your life is worthy of continuing your new path you have chosen for yourself. Come this way." Two mermaids took her arms and they moved faster through the water than she ever could. The space underwater was vast. It confused her that she only fell through a small hole compared to all of this.

They were taking her to a building that looked like a monster size conch shell with barnacles and colorful coral growing on it. They went inside and around the circular shape into a room of merpeople. There was an older man with a blonde long beard that had small braids floating around in it with small cowrie shells and beads of some kind. He had a silver rainbow effect on his fish half and a gold crown on his head with a trident. The others were green or blue.

The king said, "You are Sarah Williams of the Aboveground?" Sarah nodded her head.

He said, "You are to be judged on your path of destiny. The Fates have woven you into the tapestry of the Underground. You will allow Gillda at your right to touch you?" Sarah slowly nodded.

A mermaid came up to her with long reddish blonde hair floating around her head. A light shone down on her and she floated up towards the high ceiling with her arms out to her sides and in a trance. Her hair fanned out and swirled around her face and body. There were orange fish being released from her head or hair. They swam around her for a moment and went out of the room. The mermaid snapped her eyes open and they glowed with a green aura.

The mermaid said in a disconnected sounding voice, "This one before us is destined by the Fates and Danu. She will fix errors the fae have caused and correct the balance in the Underground. Her heart is kind and she is aristocracy bound. She must be changed to follow the path. Her current state of being human makes her vulnerable. She will be a human slave if she is not."

Another mermaid moved forward and gave Sarah a small potion bottle. It had a bright purple liquid. The mermaid in a trance said, "When you are put back in the dry ground, you must drink the potion quickly. It will change you to being a fae. Your fairy venom in your blood will cause the gradual transformation to occur quickly. Show me the fairy bite?"

Sarah held out her fingertip and the mermaid examined it. She said, "This was from a queen. She has used her incisor teeth. You are injected with royal fairy venom. Your destiny was changed at that very moment. No wonder your destiny is so clearly written. How long ago was the bite given?" Sarah held up both hands as ten.

The mermaid said, "Ah, I see it has been spreading and lying dormant in your body in the Aboveground. Now that you are here you will discover after the transformation there will be traits surfacing that will enable you to improve your skills in magic. Like better understanding, focus, and the expanded magic storage you will receive. Your destiny is mapped out. Sire, she needs to be returned to dry land to take the potion immediately. She is the Labyrinth Champion, Lady Sarah. It is imperative." She turned and said the last part to the king.

The king said, "Young lady, it seems you are very worthy of your destiny and your status. Remember us in the water. We will send you back to the cavern above. Take care and drink that potion immediately it will lose viability quickly in the air. Send lady Sarah back to the obscure portal entrance." He struck his staff twice. The mermaids grabbed her by her arms and swam back to the hole above them. Sarah was about to be lifted up. A mermaid said, "I have put a drying spell on you and your clothing so you will no longer be wet, Lady Sarah." Sarah smiled at her and waved to them all. They swam her up to the hole and boosted her up and through the hole. Sarah came out dry and started purging the water from her lungs and was coughing violently. Once she was able to breathe, she uncorked the potion and drank it down completely. She laid back on the ground and closed her eyes. Her body started to tingle. Until her whole body felt numb. At some point, Sarah fell asleep.

—--

When she awoke, she was very groggy. Sarah looked in her backpack for her little compact mirror she kept in there. She had pointed ears, slanted eyes with blue green markings. Her hair was still dark, but her skin was translucent and her body hair was gone or at least it's in her clothes. Sarah pulled out as much hair as she could from her clothes. She put on her backpack and started looking around for an exit which was a feat. Her head light didn't work after being wet.

Sarah wandered around the cave and maze of tunnels in the dark feeling the walls, until she saw a light ahead. She tripped over something hard and heavy like a stationary rock. She could barely see. Sarah reached down and felt a pot. It had a thick layer of soft dirt on top. She scooped the dirt off and it was filled with coins. She grabbed two-two gallon bags from her backpack. Sarah filled the bags with coins trying to leave out the dirt. She was smiling at the amount of gold there was. She had to get two more bags and stuffed her pocket on her cargo pants. Sarah stuffed the gold into her backpack, squishing everything together. She hefted the heavy backpack on her back and wandered to the dim light. It was an overgrown entrance. She had to hack at the vines to squeeze through. When she was finally out of the cave, she saw nothing but green fertile plants everywhere. It was incredible the mossy lush beauty she was looking at. It was almost like a tropical forest. It smelled good of fresh plants, decaying wood and humidity. The trees were very gigantic and as old as time itself. Sarah was in awe looking at it all she had to get moving because she didn't want to be so exposed when it would get dark.

Sarah walked through all the ferns on the ground and was looking for a path. Sarah said out loud, "I 'wish' I had a smart beautiful horse I could travel much faster with." The magic swirled and a horse instantly appeared right in front of her. Her mouth dropped open in shock. She thought, 'Oh my God, I haven't wished in years and look what just happened. This place is so surreal. I hope I can find my way home but for some reason I feel like Alice in Wonderland. Curiouser and curiouser.'

Sarah walked up to the horse with a saddle and saddlebags on it. She touched his nose and he nickered. He was a beautiful white stallion with a long black tail and black glossy mane. He was incredible like out of a fantasy novel. Sarah petted and stroked the horse. Sarah said, "I think you're the most handsome horse I've ever seen. I'm going to call you Dathúil. It means handsome in Irish Gaelic. I want to be friends with you sweet Dathúil."

Sarah led the horse through the forest until it opened up into a beautiful meadow of white and purple wild heather. She thought that wherever this place was it was incredibly beautiful. A bug flew into her face and it had a glow to it. Sarah looked closer and saw it was a tiny fairy smaller than the ones she saw Hoggle using repellent on outside of the labyrinth. At that moment she knew where she was. The Underground.

The little fairy fluttered into her face again. Sarah said, "I am sorry to intrude, but I am lost and need help to get to a town or village. May I ask permission to pass? I don't want to cause your people a problem. Can you show me where to go so I don't harm anyone?"

The fairy flew down to her finger on her right hand. Sarah put it out for her to look at. Sarah said, "I was bitten by a bigger fairy than you were about ten years ago." The fairy landed on her palm and looked at the tiny scar on her fingertip that never went away. The fairy touched it and flew up in front of Sarah. Sarah asked, "Is it ok if I follow you with my horse so we don't cause a problem?" The fairy flew up and down and started flying in a direction. Sarah followed her. They navigated through the meadow slowly across to the other side.

Sarah smiled and said, "Thank you for your help, my friend. Be safe and blessed be." The fairy waved at her and Sarah waved back. The fairy flew back to the meadow. Sarah and Dathúil her horse traveled through more forest and trees until they came to a road. Sarah mounted Dathúil and they started riding down the road.

Sarah came upon an encampment on the side of the road and rode by glancing in their direction. They looked like three dirty grisly looking human men. They hollered at her to stop. She kicked her horse into high gear and ran. Two were in pursuit of her. When they caught up to her they grabbed the Dathúil's bridel and the other yanked Sarah out of the saddle to the ground and she whispered, "I 'wish' that you three men were all bound, muffled and all of us, horses included, were back at your campsite." They all appeared at the campsite. Sarah couldn't believe it worked.

The third guy was on a log sitting bound. Sarah went through their belongings and things. They had four bags of jewelry, three of their own boxes of jewelry, and each had a large bag of coins of different denominations mixed up in each. She took what was on them off too, like coin purses, gold pocket watches, and a small bag of cut gemstones. Sarah put it all on her horse, in her saddle bags with a good size leather valise she dumped out on the ground to contain it all. She took a blanket too.

Sarah said, "You idiots came upon the wrong person to steal from or whatever you were going to do. I 'wish' all of you were human women and couldn't leave the perimeter of your campsite for two days." Sarah saw they had enough food to last them. She rode off and released them after they changed to women. She laughed while riding away.