The twilight air was very brisk, so Toby imagined coats for the two companions before they went outdoors in order to depart. He looked to his flying companion, a confused look on his face. Gazing into the sky, he bit his lip and put his finger to his chin. "Um, you know, I just thought of something."

"What’s that?" the bird asked, fluttering to his side.

"I don’t exactly know how to go about flying."

"Why do you need science now? Just count on the magic for everything. You don’t have to know how to fly. The magic does."

Toby smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, here goes, then." Reaching his arms out to the sky, he lifted gradually, giggling as he did so. "Gee, this is so cool!" Rattlebeak was close in the rear, catching up to his soon fast-flying body.

"Gosh, kid! You’re a natural! You’d think you’d been flying before! You sure you’re not scared?"

"Nope!" Toby sped back toward the bird and around, making a half arc as he did so. "I really feel like I’ve flown before. I can’t believe I’m doing this!"

"Well, you are!" Rattlebeak made a nervous glance to the ground below. "You know, kiddo, I think we should be careful of people seeing us. From what I’ve heard, people Aboveground ain’t so accepting."

"Yeah, you’re probably right. We’ll go down the highway, over the forest. Maybe we can fly above the clouds..."

"You probably don’t wanna do that," Rattlebeak replied. "Take it from me; in weather like this, the air high up is bound to be colder than a witch’s castle in the middle of December."

"Okay, then we’ll just stick to the treetops." Toby took one more awed look at the passing housetops and wondered just how much better the day could possibly get.

*       *       *

Leah stepped through the mirror that led into her bedroom and turned around to see her reflection. How much worse could the day possibly get? A nice red spot on her new dress where some drunk gnome had spilled wine on her and some grass in her hair from the time the clumsy beast had knocked her over into a pile of hay. Had she not had to deal with Sarah and her stupidity, she would have been able to laugh it off. Why did it seem that every time Leah came back into Sarah’s life it was at a time of high drama? Maybe she was just perpetually over the top. God only knew how the woman could live like that.

She stepped into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of her own favorite rum and coke. Taking a swig, she walked back through the living room to head back to her bedroom. Leah was just beginning to untie her dress when she heard a strange sound. She turned to the source and found her pager buzzing on the couch. Bending over, she lifted it up to her gaze. "Fifteen calls? In two days? Jeez, why can’t they leave me alone long enough to have a vacation? I told them not to call me..." She headed toward her room. "Probably want me to go to New York to sort something out for the conference. I wonder what Jack messed up this time." She unzipped her dress and tossed it to her bed, continuing to talk to herself in the process of undressing. "I told him where all of the figures were and how to put together the lecture on the water filtration systems. He better not have lost them already." Plopping down on her bed, she picked up the pager to examine it. She scanned them one by one. "Jack...mmhmmm, I knew it... Lorraine, Jack again, and again, and Dad.... I wonder what he wanted? Here, he called again... And again... The rest of these are all from him.." Her facial expression transformed from one of irritation to worry as she flipped through the pages. The very last one included the numeric message "911". Leah had an idea of what was wrong before she even dashed to the living room to check the answering machine.

"Toby. What have you done now, silly boy?"

*       *       *

Sarah felt anxious, tired, frightened, angry, elated. She tied up the few loose ends for the evening, the part of her that wanted to chase Jareth into the bedroom and drag information out being suppressed by the part that desired to lock him up in her dungeons for the rest of eternity. Endless sleepless nights, oceans of tears passed through her mind’s eye in memory as she thought of all the pain that had come of his leaving. Dealing with remaining matters with a somber face, she trudged into the castle, a small retinue in her wake. Once inside the throne room she was greeted with a hushed silence, an abrupt change from the city hubbub. It was not to remain so for long, as a fiery and a goblin pushed through the crowd, their hands gripping the wire frame of a cage. Inside were two gnomes, and neither creature seemed too fond of the idea of letting their prized little men go. "We must speak to the queen!" they demanded.

Sir Didymus was running after them, catching up, short of breath. "I tried to stop them, Your Majesty, but they were too fast for me, and Ambrosius drank of a puddle of brew and has gone gallivanting about I know not –"

Sarah put up her hand to silence him, her face weary, but showing a spark of life at a new distraction. "Let them speak Didymus, it is alright. What would you two fellows have of me?"

The goblin spoke first, holding the cage tightly, apparently trying to jerk it from the grip of his fiery cohort. "These here gnomes were makin’ trouble a little while ago, making me lose my britches and whatnot, so I went to catch them --"

"That’s not true!" the fiery interjected. "You didn’t try to catch them, no sir! I caught ‘em, fair and square, and they aren’t troublemakers, just a couple of fellows looking to have a good time!"

The gnome who wore the fedora hat motioned agreement with a wave of his fist. "You tell’im, sir!" His curly-headed companion merely belched and fell to the floor of the cage. "I knew I liked fieries for a reason!"

"I was talkin’!" the goblin exclaimed vehemently.

"Let our goblin friend speak, please, and then you shall have your turn," Sarah said to the fiery, turning as she did so to face the goblin. "Now you may continue."

"Well, as I said, he stole’em, and, as you can see, they’re both part leprechaun, and they’re rightfully mine. I deserves them for all the trouble they done caused me!"

Scotty, the one with the hat, crossed his arms and snuffed his nose at the whole onlooking crowd. "You’re a fine one, hehe! We be special leprechauns, as you can have no ownership of us, and won’t be gettin’ an ounce of our gold." He looked disgustedly to his drunken companion, and yanked on his ear, to which the little man replied with exaggerated howls of pain. "If this’n hadn’t gotten so drunk, aye, we would have gotten away!" Scotty crossed his arms and sighed. "Though it beats the Hell outta me how’s this one knows we be part leprechaun..."

"Alright, dear fellow, I think that’s enough." Sarah shook her head and smiled wanly at the silliness of it all. In all truth, she did not feel like dealing with such a trivial situation when larger matters were on her mind, so she came up with the easiest solution possible. "There are no prisoners in our kingdom, so we shall let them go. But not without punishment for being so harsh on you." She nodded her head to the goblin. "You fellows will get to help wash dishes after tonight’s feast. That shall be your punishment. And don’t try sneaking away, because you know I have my ways of finding people..."

"But, Your Highness!–" The cry came from three mouths: the fiery, the goblin, and Scotty. Fred merely applied a hearty belch to the exclamation.

"That’s it! My mind’s made up. Now, if you will excuse me, I have other matters to attend to." She bent down to speak to Scotty. "And I’m sure that the red hair and Irish accent had something to do with them thinking you were leprechauns."

"Aye, but goblins aren’t smart enough to be figurin’ that out," Scotty mumbled.

Smiling slightly, she turned around, leaving the group to bicker amongst themselves, Damion taking it upon himself to make sure the gnomes found the kitchen sink without any trouble.

As Sarah was beginning to head upstairs, Delina and Benedick stopped her. "There she is!" the dwarf queen cried. "We’ve been looking all about for you, dear girl!"

The two were arm in arm, glowing with wine and eagerness. "Yes, Sarah Lass, we wanted to tell you about a marvelous plan that Eberon had... We think it’s a good cause for a meeting. It’s about our little bird problem."

"Yes, it was such a grand idea! We want to share it with everyone, in close quarters, of course," Delina added.

"Very well, then," Sarah replied, looking for all the world that she wanted nothing more than to escape. "We will hold a meeting after dinner. Would you two be so kind as to inform the others? I am sure they will be happy to know we have a plan in the workings. If you need anything, please see Damion. He will be glad to help you with anything you can think of."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Delina said, concern showing on her face. Sarah didn’t give her time to inquire. She began her ascent of the stairs, leaving Delina and Benedick behind to look at each other in confusion. Benedick merely shrugged his shoulders and led his friend to more enjoyable company.

Sarah walked up the staircase straight-backed, her face composed and stern. Once she reached the height of the ascension, she turned a corner, looked around, and upon ascertaining her solitude, she fell into the wall, raising her arms above her head. She felt the cold stone prickle the hairs on the soft warm flesh on the underside of her arm. She stared into the gray stone, immersed in her shadow. Gold-orange light danced off the stone and mortar in her peripheral. She waited for tears to come. She wanted tears to come. She felt so bewildered.

Think, Sarah, think. Her mind could not focus. No matter how she tried, everything spun about endlessly, with no resolve. Only three sentences echoed in the background...

He’s in the castle. He’s here right now. He has returned.

She spun around, her back against the wall. She looked into the ceiling, dizzy and crazed. She would have remained there for hours had she not heard a familiar voice echo through the castle, in search for her.

"Sarah," Hoggle’s voice pleaded from everywhere and nowhere. "I need you."

She quickly noted the tone of sorrow in the dwarf’s voice and stood straight. "Where are you, Hoggle?" she asked, looking into the glowing candelabra across from her.

"Pa’s room."

"Oh no," Sarah whispered to herself. She forgot her search for tears and pulled out a crystal, easily making the transformation that would take her quickly to where she was needed.

*       *       *

Kaleb sat in the shadows of his chambers, a glass of wine glistening slightly as it hung from his two extended fingers. There was a deep scowl on his face, his eyes mere slits.

A resonant, masculine, but cracking voice spoke from the shadows, large brown feathers rustling in the wake of warm breath. "What is your plan, My King?"

Kaleb downed his wine before throwing the empty glass violently against the wall. It shattered loudly, but neither the owner of the question nor the king flinched. "I have already begun my plans." A smile passed fleetingly across his face at his next statement. "The chaos has begun. It should distract her... for awhile."

"When shall I call the troops to surround the city?" A large Spangore sauntered from his hiding place in the shadows, his beak long, sharp, and lean. The edges of his feathers were soft and gray with age, his body muscular, bone structure strongly visible wherever it came close to the feathery flesh. Eyes that were black and small peered from beneath a brow bushy with full, black feathers. He wore a black, alloy gauntlet about his haunches.

"Tell them to be ready at five in the morning, in case I must make an early approach. Unless, I say so otherwise, the attack shall begin at noon. Everyone will be in the square by then. Anyone who is not, we can gather up easily." He remained silent for quite awhile, walking about the room and analyzing it as he went. He picked up objects, looked at them, then put them down with disinterest, as if turning his nose up at the work of the interior designer who had seen fit to put the room together as they had. Finally, he looked up at the patient bird. "Tell me, Claw... How did I err so greatly in my estimation of him?"

"Sire, I know no words of mine will cool your anger," the bird said matter-of-factly as he stared unflinchingly into the eyes of his king. "You judged the situation well for the information you had. Jareth has been hiding as a coward for four years now. He has surfaced at these celebrations year after year, never making his presence known. The man has been a scar to your true name. What indication did you have that he would find the stupidity to muster what was needed to approach Sarah? If you had been presented with any clue hinting to his action, you would have looked into it. I say that we just must be more cunning. There is much remaining worth salvaging."

Kaleb rested his hand on the mantle. "Yes, Claw, these things are true. What is most foul that I still have no idea how he has managed to elude me when traveling to his home these four years. He possesses no magic without me, without the crystals. He is an empty shell, yet he continually eludes me. Had I been able to keep watch over him, I would have seen this coming."

"Yes, Your Majesty. But you can keep an eye on him now."

Kaleb closed his eyes thoughtfully. Upon opening them he stood straight, returning to his seat. "Yes. In this, as all things, you are correct. There is no time to delay. We only have but to keep Sarah occupied for four more hours. Perhaps not too much damage will have been done before I have followed through with my plans for this evening."

"So you know where the final shard is, then?" the bird inquired with slanting eyes.

"Oh yes. Once I have Sarah in my power, I will be more powerful than all... And I will have beaten Jareth completely."