~Chapter Four~

Sure enough, Catrina was right. Fae was a huge place. But it was far more.

Beautiful, enchanting, mysterious.

Stay focused, Sarah, she told herself firmly. This is exactly what happened with the Labyrinth.

Only...

It was different this time. Sarah didn't feel drawn to Fae. And she was glad.

"The Cavern of Thought." Sarah rolled the words around on her tongue. All she had to do was find it, and she was one step closer to finding Trevor. But what would she do once she found him?

Sarah stopped dead in the wood she was walking through and drew in her breath sharply. She had no idea just where Trevor was. Sure, she had solved a Labyrinth full of dangers untold, but Fae was different. It would be like starting all over again; not having any experience at all.

And the fairies themselves; what would happen if she were caught? They had magic. Without her crystal, Sarah had none. "I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it." She swallowed.

A raised branch unnoticed caused Sarah to stumble and fall to her knees. "That's the third one!" She yelled, then stood and brushed herself off. A small, stinging pain made Sarah wince. She looked at her left hand and quickly shut her eyes tight.

A long scratch made its way from her ring finger to her palm. This, too, was the third; the third scratch she'd received from the many uprooted branches and thorn bushes. Her white blouse and cream-colored pants had been torn as well, but a small price to pay for getting closer to the Cavern.

And soon enough, there it was. The Cavern of Thought wasn't very big, and its dull greenness was no more eye-catching than that of the trees and shrubs around it, but Sarah knew what it was almost instantly. She eagerly ran to its entrance and sighed happily.

* * * * *

"She's here!" Shrieked Lydia, running into Mystina's chamber hastily. "The human was at The Cavern of Thought, and then, she disappeared! Now she's here!"

"Calm down, Lydia!" Ordered the queen angrily, turning to face her. "I'll take care of her...or rather, you will."

"No way, Mysti! I hate humans! I hate having to bite them. They taste disgusting, and-"

"Just DO IT!" Mystina snapped. The queen composed herself, then whispered something into Lydia's pointy ear. She nodded. "I'll watch the boy, you bring the human to me. We'll murder them both. Got it?"

Lydia sighed, then, too, nodded.

"I'll give it a try, Mysti." She faded away before the queen could correct her.

* * * * *

Wherever she was now, it was dark. Sarah had spent the last ten minutes trying to find her way to Trevor, but to no avail. Her cuts still stung; the tears in her clothes enlarged. There was something sticky and warm coming from her forehead, and Sarah hoped it was only sweat.

A strange glitter appeared out of the darkness that lit up the area around her.

"Who's there?" She mentally hit herself as soon as the words were out.

"I'm Lydia." In the glitter and light, a tiny fairy materialized. She had her thin, pale arms around herself and looked frightened. "Thank goodness you came!"'

"Why? What's wrong?" Sarah asked worriedly.

"The young Goblin Prince! They're going to kill him!"

"What do you know about the Goblin Prince?" Suspicion took over immediately.

"My queen, Mystina, she...oh, it was horrible! She forced us to kidnap him as part of her revenge. We had no idea she would resort to this!"

"So you're against your queen's plans?"

My, aren't you a quick one, thought Lydia, but she only nodded.

"Please say you'll help me stop her!"

Sarah's suspicion was now replaced with hope. With this fairy by her side, she might have the magic she needed to get Trevor back.

"Okay, I'll help you." Sarah agreed, smiling.

* * * * *

Mystina slipped quietly into a small. Stuffy, barely lit room. Trevor was being held here, chained tightly by the arms to the wall.

"Well, little one, do you wish to see your father?" she asked sweetly, hidden hate in her voice.

"Yes," was the hardly audible whisper, as the boy was weak from starvation over the last few days.

"Very well."

The queen raised her arms to the ceiling, and mumbled an incantation, Within seconds, Trevor saw his father, mother, and sister projected on another dungeon wall.

"Daddy!" He whispered excitedly.

"Your majesty!" Mystina's voice echoed in the room, and Jareth turned. He gasped when he saw Trevor chained to the wall.

"Mystina, you will release my son THIS INSTANT!" Jareth raged, and Ana jumped up to hold him back.

"Why, Jareth, you didn't even say hello." Mystina shook her head. "I honestly don't think, with manners such as yours, he wouldn't grow to be a good King, and, of course, you'd be to blame. You wouldn't teach him properly."

"Your highness, please," Ana pleaded softly, "my son has never harmed your land or your people. Please let him go!"

"Never hurt my land?" The queen repeated, blinking. "By being born, he hurt my land. My true land! And as far as hurting my people, do you realize that when our land decreased, my people decreased? We hardly have any food, water, or shelter from the harsh winds that come so often! And that's his fault!" She pointed to Jareth. "And your son's fault as well!"

Ana started to cry, and Catrina hugged her, telling her to stay calm.

"I'll give you anything I have. Do anything within my power!" Jareth pledged.

"Mmm, my original lands would be wonderful." Mystina told him.

"Fine," Jareth said after a moment. "But I expect my son to be totally unharmed!"

"Well, I'm sorry, Jareth, but I've changed my mind." Mystina smiled wickedly; the King gasped.

"NO! You can't do this!"

But his efforts were in vain. Mystina's spell ended and the image of Trevor's family faded. He, like his mother, began to cry softly, then fell asleep from exhaustion.

"Don't worry, your young highness. Your death shall be slow and painful, I assure you!"

The door to the dungeon swung open and Lydia brought in a struggling Sarah.

"Cryps, Mysti, you never told me humans were so easy to fool!" The blond-haired fairy complained, using her magic to force Sarah further inward. "That was almost no fun!"

"Quiet!" the queen commanded. "I was just about to kill the little brat!"

"No!" Sarah's head shot up.

"Oh, please!" Mystina rolled her blue eyes. "If the King of the Goblins can't stop my fun, you sure as hell can't!"

"What do I do with her already?" Came the ever-whining voice again.

"She can watch," Mystina offered. "The son of one of her former best friends, die by the hand of his enemy. That should be quite the show!"

"You can't!" Screamed Sarah, buying time.

"Says who?" Lydia flew over to face Sarah, her back to her queen. It was because of this that she didn't see the rays of magic shoot from Mystina's fingers, making her disappear.

"Damn girl...can't keep her mouth shut..." Mystina sighed.

"What did you do to her?" Sarah inquired, surprised by her sudden concern.

"Just put her in a cooling-off cell of my dungeon. Apparently, she's used to it." The queen smiled. "Now, back to the matter at hand."

"Don't kill Trevor..." Sarah swallowed over a lump in her throat. "You can't..."

"Would you rather I risk repeating myself? By killing him, I regain the real Land of Fae-all of it. Which do you think would make me happier? Having my lands, or letting this brat live?"

"Let him live," Sarah began softly, "and take me instead."

"You?" Mystina blinked in both amusement and shock. This human was willing to give up her life for the son of a man who was just as willing to see her die.

"Yes, me. I owe it to his father."

"And just how would that help me acquire what I want?" Demanded the queen, eyebrows raised.

"Tell Jareth that if he doesn't surrender the Underground to you, I'll die. Let him take his family-his whole family-elsewhere."

"That won't do a bit of good!" Mystina laughed. "The King doesn't care for you, I've noticed!"

"Well, that's where you're wrong." Sarah told her matter-of-factly. "We've fooled you, it seems."

"Fooled me?" The queen rolled her eyes again. "How, praytell, have you and the King fooled me?"

"When Trevor was kidnapped, we made a plan to pretend to hate each other." Sarah amazed herself by how well she could tell a story. "He didn't plan on my getting kidnapped, too."

"Hmm, I've never killed a human before." Mystina grinned. "Might be fun."

In an instant, the once small Fairy Queen grew to human size; a knife was held to Sarah's neck.

"What are you doing?" Sarah struggled carefully, bewildered.

"Since we've not had humans here before, our magic has not been 'trained' to harm them. Therefore," Mystina tightened her grip around Sarah's neck, holding the knife closer, "might as well do it the 'old-fashioned way', as they often refer to it!" She laughed coldly.

This is it, thought Sarah as she stopped struggling. I owe it to Jareth for almost killing his son.

Mystina raised the knife suddenly, preparing to strike.

Sarah closed her eyes and took her last, big breath.

"Mystina, you'll not touch her any further!" a familiar voice called out. Sarah's eyes flew open and she blinked as Jareth stood before her and the Fairy Queen.

"Why shouldn't I, Jareth?" Mystina held the knife high, ready to kill Sarah at any second.

"It's me you really want to do away with," Jareth reminded her sternly. Mystina narrowed her eyes and let go of her death-grip around Sarah's neck.

"You and I, Jareth. The loser shall die."

Flashes of bright, violent light filled the dungeon; magic exceeding imagination overpowered one mage, then the other.

Sarah stumbled over to where Trevor hung and shook him gently.

"Trevor, honey, wake up. Auntie Sarah's here to take you home."

"Auntie Sarah...?" Came the soft response.

"Yeah, sweetie, can you help me get you down?"

"How?" The light dimmed, but both mages still fought strong.

"Did the queen chain you up here with magic, or with lock and key?"

There was silence for a moment, and Sarah thought Trevor had fallen asleep again.

"I think it was lock and key." He answered finally, obviously worn out.

"Okay, Trevor, I think I can get you down." A smile again crossed Sarah's long guilt-stricken face.

"You can't win!" She heard Mystina shout. "My powers succeed yours!"

"You're mad, Fairy Queen! This is no way to settle our personal dispute!"

Sarah felt around for something-anything-to pick the small lock she found holding Trevor's chains.

"You can use my crystal, Auntie Sarah." The Prince whispered. Sarah blinked.

"You have a crystal, Trevor?" She questioned. "Why didn't you use it to escape, sweetie?"

"I'm not old 'nuff. Don't use magic yet."

"Where is it?"

"In my pocket."

"Just give up, Jareth!" Mystina rage behind them.

Hurry! Sarah yelled to herself. She grabbed the crystal from Trevor's pocket and imagined a small, thin metal bar. She felt the round crystal become that bar and worked it around in the tiny lock. Sarah heard it click open and pulled off the chains, then caught the young Prince in her arms as he fell limply forward.

"Sarah get my son OUT of here!" Jareth ordered.

The woman did as she was told; she ran out of the dungeon with the boy and set him down thirty feet or so away.

"Can you sit up, honey?" Sarah asked. Trevor sat up, then opened his eyes again and smiled.

"Thank you for saving me, Auntie Sarah."

As if she didn't believe this was real, a rush of emotion swept over her, and Sarah blacked out.