Howl's Moving Castle Fan Fiction ❯ Beyond the Indigo Veil ❯ Chapter 1: Sorrow and Joy ( Chapter 1 )

This is the first fan fiction I've ever shared with anyone. I'm a bit shy about what I write. Please forgive the mistakes.

I'm mixing aspects from both Miyazaki's movie and Diana Wynne Jones' novel. However, this story takes place in the aftermath of both. Be forewarned that I have taken some liberties; I tend to let the tale go where it will. I promise I've tried my best to stay true to the characters, but if you see them acting differently perhaps it's because they've grown in light of their circumstances. I do try to strive to balance both happy and sad elements in what I write. Equally, I'd love some feedback, good and bad!

Update 3/15/06: I just started work on a sequel to this story. Keep an eye out on the horizon for a new story.

Beyond the Indigo Veil: Part I of the Wallmaker Saga

Chapter 1: Sorrow and Joy

The rose was quite beautiful, barely a blossom; its velvety petals just opening in the crisp early morning. White as a first snow, the dew fell from its leaves as Sophie gently trailed her fingers over the bloom.

“Blue…” She whispered, “Be blue, like his eyes.”

A gust of wind trailed past the silver haired woman, causing the flower to tremble as a hint of cerulean crept into the petal tips. Brown eyes stared wide in consternation as the rose became the exact shade of Wizard Howl's eyes.

It was magic. Her magic.

“Be white! Oh, please be white!” Sophie murmured anxiously.

The rose faded back to its original color, then wilted and turned brown in response to her blazing terror. Sitting back on her heels, the young woman almost began to cry as she gazed upon the ruined bloom. Sophie's anxiousness swallowed the tears as she straightened. Another gust of wind plucked at her long skirt and apron as a mist of clouds enveloped the courtyard of the flying castle.

The castle, Howl's Moving Castle, had long since taken to the air. It was much easier to see the world from on high, Howl had grinned with a capricious laugh. Not long after their curses had been lifted, Howl got a wild hair and suggested that they go on a vacation by way of the sky. Calcifer, who had long been confined to the kitchen fireplace, was all for the idea. The former shooting star retained the wanderlust of his earlier years and steered the flying castle completely by whim.

With the fire daemon at the helm, Howl plenty of time to pursue his inventions, his magic, and make improvements to the castle. Although it had sprouted wings, the great junk heap still looked ready to fall apart at any moment. Off of the kitchen, the raven haired wizard had built the small garden. The green lawn, cozily encircled by a stone banister, was flanked by fruit trees and trimmed with flowers of all kinds, especially roses. Howl loved roses.

Howl…

In the months that followed the War, Sophie had spent her time filling their home with love. Every tender moment, every smile and every touch was filled with love. In many ways the wizard Howl had not changed since she had returned to him his heart: a child's heart. But in other ways he had grown surer of himself, more content and less artificial. It was the little things that Sophie noticed; Howl still spent two hours in the bath, but no longer emerged smelling like a perfume shop and sparkling with glamour magic. He dressed simply now, with fewer jewels and spangles. Howl had always been easy to smile, but now he glowed all the time.

It all seemed a dream and she was terrified she might wake up.

Dreams…

It had all started with dreams. It was like the dark place the front door opened upon when the knob was turned to the black mark. When she had gone to find Howl during the War the shadowed place had been melancholy and troubling. But it was not the cold place full of terror she now saw in her dreams. Sophie realized that she had carried something back to the mortal world when she and Heen followed a path of tears to save Howl.

It was almost as though she had been marked by magic when the curse had left her hair silver. A seed of magic had somehow lodged within her heart and was growing. That budding magic gave her a feyness she had never before felt, and it was warning her that something was coming. After having been so plain and normal for so long, the thought of having such abilities terrified her.

A crash of thunder shook the brown eyed woman out of her reverie. Looking up at the darkening skies Sophie caught a flash of lightning just as the clouds opened and began to pour down rain. With a squeal, the silver haired woman tore back into the house, a gust of wind at her heels.

“Whoa!” Calcifer yipped as the castle banked in a particularly strong wind. The fire daemon has been sleeping soundly as Sophie snuck past him in the grey dawn. She could always tell when he was sleeping by his color, which flickered a pale yellow.

“Good morning, Calcifer,” Sophie smiled a little more brightly than she felt. The storm had caught her off guard as well. Somehow it seemed like a bad omen.

“Where did this come from?” The little red being crackled in annoyance, tinting an unhealthy green, “Blah! I hate the rain. It's just like Howl not to warn me about the storm. The idiot's had his head in the stars all week. This is a powerful gale; I'll need to set us down somewhere. Oh, good morning by the way.”

The castle listed to the side once again under a powerful gust and Sophie scrambled to grab a hold of the stone fireplace. A huge crack of lightening brightened the kitchen and a thunderous boom followed shortly. Overhead a door slammed and the quick patter of tiny feet alerted her to the fact that Markl was awake. The young apprentice tore down the stairs and threw himself into the young woman.

“Sophie!” He cried in terror. Markl was always such an even tempered little boy. As a wizard's apprentice, he had seen some thing that would curl the toenails of a normal child. However, he was scared to death of the simplest things, like thunder.

“Don't worry, Markl,” Sophie smiled gentle as she hugged the little boy. He cowered into her arms as another flash and boom shook the kitchen, “Calcifer is bringing the castle down to the ground.”

“Sophie… You're soaked!” The boy drew back and looked at his damp nightshirt. They both giggled and he squirmed as she squished him to him and let her hair drip onto his head.

“I was in the garden early this morning and the clouds crept up on me,” Sophie let him go and sidled closer to Calcifer. The little flame glanced at her when she shivered and then reached for another log.

“Oh, a storm,” murmured the old witch as she emerged from her room as the ragged little lap dog circled her feet restlessly.

Taking her chair beside the hearth, Heen wheezed and hopped about as another crash rattled the kitchen windows. Markl grabbed a hand full of Sophie's skirts in spite of how they dripped. Even the dog cowered and hid under the old witch's chair. The former Witch of the Wastes chuckled and gazed with glazed eyes at Calcifer, “Oh, what a pretty fire. What a pretty, pretty fire.”

“I've almost got us to the ground, Markl. There's no need to be fussy,” Calcifer crackled in amusement.

“But won't the lightening be more liable to hit us on the ground?” The apprentice's voice trembled slightly as he looked from the fire daemon to the silver haired woman.

“You helped Howl put the lightening rods on every gable of the house, didn't you Markl?” Sophie pointed out as she mopped at hair and clothes with a towel from the kitchen.

“Yes,” The boy admitted tentatively, “But what if it actually hits us?”

“We'll be fine! I'll eat the lightning with a side of eggshells. Happy?” Calcifer gritted through his sharp little teeth. The Castle gave a gentle shudder and the little red flame stretched and relaxed, “We're on the ground now.”

“You might want to go and get dressed while I make breakfast, Markl,” Sophie stifled a grin as the little boy realized he had torn downstairs in his nightshirt. He gave a small eep and ran off up the stairs, in the distance she heard his door slam.

“I'm surprised that Howl isn't awake with all the crashes, bangs, and booms going on this morning,” Calcifer mused as he chewed on a smoking splinter.

Sophie suddenly sneezed explosively and the little fire daemon crept towards her with concern glowing in his small voice, “Are you warm enough, Sophie?”

“Don't catch cold, dear,” the old witch murmured, consoling Heen who had jumped up into her lap.

“I'm fine,” She smiled, and again it felt false. Rubbing her hands together over Calcifer, she set a kettle on and went about making breakfast. Shortly Markl came back down and quickly set the table as the silver haired woman began flipping pancakes onto a tray. Eggs and bacon followed, although she made sure to drop a couple into the waiting mouth of the fire. Just as the kettle began to whistle, a door overhead shut and Sophie recognized Howl's brisk steps.

“Good morning, all!” The lanky man chimed brightly as he swung around the landing and glided to his place at the kitchen table. Sophie could always tell when Howl was in a good mood. Like Calcifer, he glowed in the morning light. His sapphire eyes were warm and alive, and with every brisk move he seemed to float. The 90 year old woman that still lurked inside her mind clucked her tongue at Howl's skinny frame. As a good measure, Sophie added two extra pancakes to his plate.

“Mmmm, pancakes!” The wizard began to devour his breakfast, then blinked in surprise as thunder crackled overhead, “It's raining!”

“You finally noticed, eh?” Calcifer grumbled from the fireplace, still a greenish color as he hunkered down in the ashes, “Nice of you to warn, us. Sophie got soaked in the garden this morning!”

Howl's face took on a serious expression, colored with genuine surprise in spite of the fact that his mouth was full of pancakes.

“That's strange. It shouldn't be raining. I didn't see anything that would indicate a storm this direction.”

Sophie sneezed again where she stood cooking at the fireplace, and all eyes turned on her.

“Don't catch cold, dear,” The old witch murmured again as she dropped a bit of pancake for a waiting Heen.

“You're soaked, Sophie!” Howl pushed back from the table and stood over her, peering at her with concern. “Why didn't you use a pinch of drying powder? Here, I'll get you some.”

“I'm fine!” She insisted in annoyance.

Reaching out, she caught Howl by the elbow as he turned to fetch the powder from the bathroom. Accidentally, she turned out the contents of the pan into the ash of the fireplace.

“Damn!” Sophie swore violently, her true mood seeping through. All eyes in the kitchen once again turned on her again. Howl blinked in surprise and frowned, Sophie never lost her temper. Ashamed of herself, the silver haired woman dropped her hand hid her scarlet face by looking at the floor.

“It's alright, Sophie,” Calcifer chirped picking up the ash coated pancake and munched it happily, “It still tastes good to me.”

“I'm going to go change my clothes.” The brown eyed woman murmured softly, pushing past Howl as she quickly retreated up the stairs to her room.

As she shut the door behind her, tears blurred her eyes but she refused to give into them. She felt guilty for killing the flower in the garden, for letting it affect her mood and for the outburst in the kitchen. Howl was only trying to help; she was being silly for refusing a sensible solution to her soggy clothes. The truth was that magic, even simple drying power, terrified her at the moment. She moved to sit at the tiny dressing table next to her bed. Rain pattered steadily on the windowpane, making her feel even more melancholy.

Sophie insisted that her room be small and practical. It was barely the size of the huge bathroom that housed all of Howl's potions. The raised bed was narrow, but warm and soft. Directly over the head was a small window that angled slightly so that she could watch the stars as she fell asleep. At the foot of the bed was a wardrobe and on the floor was a rag rug Sophie had made herself. Her only vanity was the small mirror on the dressing table and a vase of flowers she replaced daily.

She glanced at her reflection in the tiny mirror almost expected to see the wrinkled and liver spots of her former face. Instead she was confronted by the face of a stranger. Her silver hair had grown longer since the end of the War. She pulled it back into a short ponytail at the back of her neck. The smooth skin of her face was foreign to her, but what disturbed her most where the eyes that looked back at her. They were not her own, which were large and brown, fringed with black. These eyes were cold and grey, almost cruel. The face suddenly smiled evilly. Sophie shuddered as she looked at the reflection as a deep revulsion seized her.

This was not her face!

She knocked the mirror over and half stood. With trembling fingers she lifted the glass and gazed at it once more. The eyes that stared back were hers again, but her heart still hammered in her chest.

A soft tap at the door brought her out of her brooding and the latch gave a click as it opened. Gentle arms folded themselves around her, dissolving all of her melancholy just as a sunbeam gently filtered through the square window over her bed. But the cold knot of fear sat like a stone in her stomach.

“Sophie? Are you alright?” Howl's voice was soft and tender as he rested his chin on the crown of her head. Sophie wanted to tell him about her dreams, about killing the flower, about the dark foreboding feeling she was experiencing, but most of all she wanted to talk about magic. But she couldn't. It was like when she had tried to talk about the curse that made her an old woman. Her mouth clamped shut and her throat closed and not a word could escape her. It was like she had been cursed all over again.

“I'm fine, just in a bad mood this morning,” She murmured softly, sinking backward into his arms, and then sneezed again. Howl hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head.

“I'm sorry I haven't been paying much attention to you recently. I'm a silly wizard who gets too caught up in his toys,” the genuine remorse in Howl's voice melted her heart. She realized he thought that he was responsible for her bad mood. Turning she looked up into his face smiling with all the love in her heart.

“Silly wizard! I'm not mad at you. You haven't done anything wrong. I've enjoyed watching you and Markl climb all over the roofs putting up those lightening rods. Honestly, I'm just out of sorts right now.”

She watched as relief flooded into Howl's features. The raven haired man sat on the edge of her bed and beckoned a shawl from her closet with a flick of his hand. As he wrapped it around her, Sophie hid her face in her arms as she leaned on his legs. She loved this man so much it made her heart ache.

Over the months that followed the War, Sophie and Howl began to discover the meaning of happily ever after. But they had taken things slowly. They kept their separate rooms in spite of all their passionate kisses. They both needed time, which was something that they had plenty of.

“You obviously don't understand the meaning of vacation, dear Sophie,” Howl chuckled tenderly, stroking her silver hair, “You're working much too hard when you should be relaxing.”

“I enjoy my work,” Sophie mumbled into her hands and Howl laughed, lifting her face to meet his melting gaze. His black hair had fallen into his eyes, and he let it hang there, peering lovingly from beneath the strands. When he looked at her like this she could not image how she had come to be loved by this man. She felt unworthy.

“You're wearing yourself out,” he lightly tapped her nose then rubbed his hands together as a look of pure glee brought his features to life, “Hence I have a surprise! Today we're going out, just you and I! If you can't take a vacation on your own then I'll have to take you on one myself.”

Howl spread his arms wide and another ray of sunshine filtered in from outside, catching the green jewels that hung from his ears like the points of Calcifer's fire. Again, the wizard seemed to glow and his enthusiasm was infectious. Sophie laughed genuinely, her worries forgotten.

“What? And leave the dishes undone? And the floors upswept, and…”

Howl silenced her by placing a hand on her lips, an impish look on his face. He arched his eyebrows and wagged his other finger.

“None of that! From this minute forth you are on vacation! I had Markl and Granny Witch take care of the dishes today. As for the dust bunnies, they will have to wait.”

Sun began streaming in from her window, filling the whole room with light, “See? Even the sun agrees with me. I insist that you cannot argue.”

But Sophie tried to anyway and this time Howl leaned down and silenced her with a kiss. Tender and gentle, he stole away every possible reason she could think of for them not to go out. When Howl drew back, Sophie murmured happily, “Where are we going?”

XXX

Village Chipping spread out before them, and Sophie was delighted to see so many familiar faces. Howl had created a temporary portal to the city through the closet under the stairs, which open up into the city out of a random door in the end of a hidden alleyway. She had put on her best outfit, a soft silk yellow dress she knew Howl loved. Sophie had even tied a yellow ribbon in her hair.

Together they visited the old hat shop, which had been rebuilt after the War by her stepmother. Honey still made a living making fancy hats for the country folk, but it was more out of habit than necessity. Sophie's stepmother had remarried into money, and she lived happily with her new husband.

It was nice to visit with family again. Over tea they chattered about Martha, her youngest sister. Apparently she was doing in very well in her apprenticeship with Mrs. Fairfax, a renowned healer and herbalist. Her sister now lived north of the wastes in Folding Valley, and rarely had time to visit. Honey absolutely adored Howl, who was a vision of gentlemanly behavior, and the two gossiped notoriously. While Howl and Honey nattered on about the mayor's daughter, the silver haired woman had been able to spend some time talking with her mother's mustached husband. Mr. Hausa was bald and round as an egg, with eyes that disappeared into his smile. Sophie knew they would be quite happy together.

Next she and Howl visited her middle sister Lettie, who had married the son of the bakery's shopkeeper. She and the young bread maker had literally fallen in love after tripping over each other on numerous occasions in the kitchen. Lettie proudly announced the joyful news that she had a bun in the oven not long ago, and Sophie was so happy to see how well she was doing. Howl bought some sandwiches and cakes for a picnic lunch and the two left the shop with a shower of goodbyes and promises to return.

Sitting on the edge of on of the stone bridges spanning the Chipping River, Sophie and Howl ate their lunch laughing at silly stories they made up about the clouds overhead. As the sun sank well past its zenith, the couple began making their way back to the magic door.

On their way Sophie noticed a new shop she had never before seen. Tucked away in the corner of the main square was a glass storefront stuffed to the gills with antiques and oddities. She could see a series of old kettles of various sizes, gilded furniture, and stuffed animals in the front window. But mostly what caught her eye were the rows of books along one of the walls. The purple paint of the exterior was shiny new and even the triangular panes of the windows glittered invitingly. This was exactly the kind of shop that Howl would enjoy.

“Look, Howl. A curiosity shop. Doesn't that look like fun?”

“Wonderful! Let's have a look, yes?” Howl beamed brightly.

Once inside Howl literally became glued to the wall of books, perching birdishly on top of the rolling ladder that provided access to the topmost shelves. Sophie's heart was light and full of love for Howl at that moment, and she chatted with the store's owner. The small grey woman reminded her of herself in a time not too long ago. Mrs. Goose, as the shopkeeper introduced herself, could have lived inside a shoe. Her wire-rimmed glasses and white ruffled collar gave her the spitting image of a nursery rhyme. The old woman chuckled at Howl from her chair where a cat sat in her lap, pinning her in place.

Sophie began to wander about the shop when she realized Howl wasn't liable to move for quite some time. The store was indeed quiet large, with narrow aisle due to the fact that it was stuffed to the gills with odds and ends. Suites of armor stood as if waiting in line at the market along with great chairs, and tables. Rugs, tapestries and silks lined the walls in yards of soon to be dusty fabric as boxes and baskets of spangles and bangles glittered on surface. A flash of light caught Sophie's eyes and in the back corner of the store, almost hidden by a series of huge wardrobes, she discovered a miniature maze of mirrors.

At first she was amused. The various mirrors had been arranged in overlapping sizes and frames to create a solid wall of reflections. As Sophie perused the mirrors, she began to feel strange. The space had been tiny, but now it opened up before her like a vast ocean. The cold fear that had been gnawing at her crept like a mist into her mind.

Turning, she was faced with a gigantic mirror that held her entire reflection. The huge rectangular glass was the exact size of a door, and even the frame seemed to suggest that the surface could swing outward at any moment. Once again she realized in horror that her reflection was not her own. The figure could have been her, but it moved of its own accord and its cold eyes were silver grey. Reaching out it placed its hands on the glass surface as though it were a window. Its cruel eyes rooted Sophie in place, robbing her of movement and of her voice. Its lips moved in speech although nothing came out, but Sophie heard it all the same in her mind.

I found you. The figure beat its fists against the glass in a sudden furry, its eyes locked onto her with a hungry need.

I found you. I found you. I found you. I found you.

Jolted out of her paralysis by the sudden violence of the shade, Sophie brought up her arms and shrieked, “Go away!”

The glass cracked and the figure vanished.

“Sophie!” Howl was suddenly at her side and the brown eyed woman realized she was once again staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was white as a sheet. Howl grabbed a hold of her and forced her to turn and look into his eyes.

“Sophie, are you alright? What happened?” The sound of his voice brought her back into herself.

“I scared myself, that's all.” She managed a shaky laugh that once again sounded false. Howl looked at her with a serious face, his eyes skeptical. He hugged her to him as he stared over her shoulder at the mirror, a fey look in his eyes.

“Everything alright over here, my dears?” The old woman had hobbled over with her cane, a movement too familiar to the shaken Sophie whose nerves were already frazzled.

“Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry for the trouble but somehow I managed to break this mirror.”

“Eh? Oh, not to worry dear, that mirror's always been broken.”

Sophie wilted in Howl's arms and murmured softly, “I'd like to go home now, Howl. I think I've had too much vacation.”

XXX

Howl closed the closet door behind him and watched Sophie retreat to her room without a word of hello to the household. Markl was still working on the puzzle spell Howl had left for him and Granny Witch was sitting by the hearth kitting a sock and keeping Calcifer company.

“Is Sophie okay?” Calicifer asked. The little flame tinged blue with concern as he zipped from the hearth to hover above the stair's banister, floating just high enough so as not to scorch it.

Markl frowned, “She didn't say hello.”

“She's just a little under the weather today,” Howl replied in a cheerful voice, “Perhaps we shouldn't have gone out.”

“She's caught a cold, a nasty cold,” murmured Granny Witch.

“Let's just let her have some rest, yes? I'll bring her some warm milk later.”

That seemed to settle everyone down, and Howl went over to have a look at Markl's progress on the puzzle. The wizard was a bit more distracted than normal; his thoughts kept turning to a certain silver-haired someone. Sophie's behavior had become increasingly strange over the past few weeks. He had chocked it up to the fact that she was annoyed with him for not spending more time with her. But that wasn't it.

She was very jumpy as of recent and did not appear to be sleeping well. According to Calcifer, she was always up at an inhuman hour of the morning and spent a great deal of time in the garden staring at flowers. Plus, she had become increasingly stubborn about certain aspects of the housework. She flat refused to use any magical shortcuts, almost as though she were repulsed by the idea.

And then there was the time spent between them. Howl almost felt as though he would burst into flames for the strength of his love for the brown eyes woman. At times he found it hard to reign in his frustration for the slow pace at which their relationship was moving; other times it frightened him how quickly things had progressed. Howl understood how delicate Sophie could be, in spite of her fearlessness. But she kept he own council, and that was what worried him. She would never trouble any of the family with her problems. It was as though she thought that the curse was still upon her, preventing her from talking about what was bothering her.

Something was indeed bothering her, and Howl had only just received and inkling of what that was. In the shop earlier that day she had gone white as a sheet in front of a cracked mirror. At first he thought she had mistakenly seen the reflection of her old self in the mirror and panicked. But there was more to the story. The cracked mirror in the shop had a faint aura of magic, darker magic, and it unnerved him that it had been so close to Sophie. There was something going on, he could feel the stirrings of magic deep within the threads of the otherworld. He considered perhaps Sophie could feel them as well.

Howl fiddled with one of his earrings as he leaned back against the wall next to Markl. He stared idly at the shadows of the hearth, watching them deepen as the sun outside began to set. Something was coming, he could feel it, and the fact that they were on vacation would not change that fact.

“I'm going out,” Howl announced as he shot to his feet so suddenly that he started Markl, “I'll be back soon. I need to check on something.”

Before anyone could ask, Howl had glided to the door and turned the knob to black for the first time since the War. Opening the portal to the other world he disappeared into the shadows beyond.

“He'll catch a cold too,” Granny Witch mumbled and Heen wheezed in sympathy.

xXx

Sophie emerged into the castle in the middle of the night. She had thrown mirror on her dressing table out her window the moment she entered the room. The rest of the evening she had spent listening to the sounds of the house. She felt a sharp stab of guilt for not coming down to cook dinner. Although, she had heard the front door open and close shortly after having retreated to her room.

Howl.

He must have gone back out after they had returned. Another pang of guilt filled her. She had ruined their day by forcing them to return home early after the incident at the curiosity shop. She had barely spoken a word to Howl on the way home. The wizard had walked with his arm around her shoulders and she held his hand tightly, hoping that the contact would communicate to him what she seemed incapable of voicing. She was alienating him and she knew it. The cold knot in her stomach seemed to close over her heart at the thought of loosing the wizard's love.

“No!” She whispered to herself emphatically, “This will stop!”

Shooting to her feet, she changed out of the yellow dress she had been wearing earlier. Clad in her usual grey, she pulled on her boots and wrapped herself in her warmest shawl. She pulled the yellow ribbon from her hair and put it on the side table. For some reason she paused and then tied the ribbon back into her hair. Somehow it gave her strength.

Creeping out of her room, she whispered to herself, “I am completely silent. I am not here.”

Had Sophie been watching herself at that moment she would have been surprised to see herself disappear. Under the influence of magic, she moved soundlessly down the closet under the stairs. She could hear Granny Witch snoring behind her curtain. Even Calcifer was asleep in the hearth, his dreams tracing shadows around his warm yellow glow.

As she had expected, Howl had not yet removed the spell from the door. Glancing at the front door, her heart froze as she saw the knob turned to the black mark. Howl had gone into the otherworld. A fey premonition told her that this was not good. Quickly, she opened the closet door and hurried out into the streets of Chipping Market.

At first she was not sure where she was going. But her feet bought her to the curiosity shop where she had earlier encountered the shade. She knew the door was locked, and looking above the shop she knew that Mrs. Goose was fast asleep with a fat cat sitting on her chest. She looked at the lock and spoke sharply, “You are not locked!”

Her heart skipped a beat at the soft click. With a trembling hand Sophie reached out and opened the door.

Magic… Her magic.

In the daylight the shop had been inviting, a cozy clutter of odds and ends. Now the darkness gave it a sinister feeling and each step she took filled her with dread. In the back of the shop the mirror galley sparked in the faint light from the moon outside. Sophie crept forward, her anger stealing courage from the cold fear in her stomach. Coming to stand in front of the cracked mirror, she stared at the many Sophie's who looked out at her from the splintered space.

“Where are you?” She whispered to the mirror and placed her hand on the surface. She was surprised to find that the crack was sharp and she cut her finger on it. Snatching back her hand, she placed her finger in he mouth, staring at the red stain on the surface.

Here. It replied in a voice that could have been hers. In the smaller fragments of the mirror, cold grey eyes stared out at her with pure hatred.

“What do you want?” Sophie hissed, recoiling from the intensity of the stare.

Hate you.

“Why? What did I ever do to you?” Anger filled Sophie and she turned away from the mirror, but another reflection of herself stared back at her with cold grey eyes.

“Go away!” Sophie whispered weakly, but power in her words was not there and she felt her strength was draining away. On the other mirror the red smudge on the cracked seemed to pulse.

Hate you. Hate your world. The reflection said again.

But now I have you.

Icy fear turned her legs to water as a splintering sound made her turn back to the broken mirror. The smallest fragment of the mirror, out of which the eyes had stared, had fallen to the ground and shattered. Where the backing of the mirror should have shown there was only a gaping darkness that suddenly oozed forward and began pooling on the floor. Sophie choked on the rotting stench that filled the room, but horror held her rooted in place. Tendrils, much like arms, reached up towards her, clutching and unclenching obsidian claws that form from the vile substance.

Sophie turned and ran though the shop. Behind her she heard the mirror shatter and she could smell the evil torrent of black that was pouring out of the mirror in waves.

“Open!” Sophie screamed and the front door splintered beneath the weight of her need. She silver haired woman tore out of the shop. The windows shattered as arms of black ooze shot out after her, snatching at her as she dove and weaved through the central square.

“Faster!” She told herself and she began to glide over the ground. In her mind she could hear the dark substance shrieking. Loud crashes and explosions sounded in her wake and she knew the Dark was just behind her.

MINE! MINE! It called in a chorus of metallic voices that no longer belonged to her.

Like a shooting star, Sophie took a hard right and flew down the alleyway's twists and turns. She could see it, the backdoor of the café that lead to home. To Howl.

Sophie slammed against the portal and nearly passed out in pure terror as she found the door locked. Sophie saw a dark arrow of movement shoot out of the corner of her eye and in the nick of time she threw up her arm. Pure acid pain lanced through her body as the black substance closed around her wrist.

“Open!” She screamed.

GOT YOU! The metal chorus crowed triumphantly. But its glee turned to a shriek of pain as the Dark around her arm dissolved in a familiar burst of purple flame.

Calcifer, Sophie's mind reeled with relief and she tumbled backwards into nothing.

xXx

A silent shape glided through the midnight veil of the otherworld. Howl silently gazed at the star-strewn world below him. Unlike the mortal world, the beyond had no stars; although the glimmering lights below were as bright as the night sky. This realm was sacred. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen beside the face of a certain silver-haired someone.

But the lights were not stars, they were people and places. Each person comes into the world with an inner light, their own piece of magic that dwells within their soul. Sometimes things and places take on the lights of the people that once lived around them, but who have long since left the world to a place where even Wizards cannot go. The otherworld is where magic comes from, fueled by the great ocean of light that lingers here once the corporal world fades. The stronger the light, the more powerful the magic.

Beyond the black knob was a world that existed between worlds. Like water gathered beneath the ground, the world of the indigo veil pooled in between the mortal realm and the mysterious beyond. Wizards are able to tap into the magic of the otherworld in the same way that a well brings up water from far below. Some sorcerers are powerful enough that they do not need anything more than the strength of their own light to create magic.

Like the surface of a pool of water, the otherworld reflects the ripples of magic used in the mortal world. It was for those rippled that Howl was searching.

In his childlike way he had hoped that the hardship of War had passed, and had even tried to ignore the tight anxious feelings he sometimes received. As a wizard he knew better; sorrow, like joy, always came in three's. The warnings had been easy to ignore until recently. He had been observing from on high for quite some time now, and suddenly he saw what he had been waiting for. The sight chilled him.

There is no sound in the otherworld, only a constant silent wind. However, change was often heralded by a slight building pressure, like the calm before the storm. It felt like a hand had closed around his heart and squeezed gently. In an area below, the gentle greens and mellow whites of an area of lights dimmed slightly, and then one by one they winked out. But suddenly, out of the consuming darkness a light so bright it could have been beacon flared into being. Howl watched in horror as the Dark turned and rippled after the fleeing light. It moved like a flood, consuming even the brightest points of illumination that fell into its wake.

Suddenly, the ring on his right hand sent a line of red light toward the fleeing beacon, which halted abruptly and wavered.

Sophie!

Howl tucked his wings and plummeted from the sky like a meteor from the heavens. His magic sparked in angry reds about him as he called up the doorway that led back into the mortal world. A rectangular outline of burning white opened before him and he shot through it a second after it came into being.

Howl flew into the Castle through the front door just as Sophie tumbled backwards onto the floor from the closet doorway. He took in the smoking black mark on the woman's arm and the wriggling tendrils of dark that were dissolving into nothing. Casting his eyes through the purple fire that guarded the doorway, Howl could see the great wall of Dark that rushed towards them.

“Calcifer, inside now!” Howl shouted. The fire daemon fled inward just as a wind of light and power lifted the wizard from the ground. His sapphire blue eyes blazed as the Dark came to a halt inches from the door.

MINE! The metallic chorus howled in anguish and frustration, and then shrank from the blinding aura that consumed Howl. The closet doorway slammed shut and then splintered under the weight of the wizard's eyes, severing the portal to the village.

Granny Witch came fumbling out of her room with Heen on her heels and the old woman screamed as she caught sight of Sophie on the floor. Howl swept the limp form of the silver-haired woman into his arms.

“Calcifer, hot water!” The wizard shouted and nearly trampled Markl as he bolted up the stairs.

The door to the bathroom splintered before the raven-haired man and the hot water faucet nearly wrenched off as water began rushing into the tub. Howl deftly avoided some of the Dark. It dripped past his arm and fell to the ground, burning a mark in the floorboard. Casting a fearful look at the woman in his arms, he noted that she was not breathing and his face went blank.

“Markl,” Howl barked and the blond apprentice appeared at the doorway, his face a mask of terror.

“Bring me a small mirror, a piece of bone and a knife!”

The young boy disappeared and returned with the items just as the water in the tub spilled over the edges. Markl had never seen his master like this before, and the young boy was awed by Howl's power. The great nimbus of light pulsed around him, swirling through whites, purples, pinks and blues. His clothing and his hair fluttered about him in the otherwind that blew from the world of magic.

“Calcifer!” The flame daemon zipped into the room and hovered over Howls head, burning a sick green color.

Howl let go of the Sophie and she floated weightlessly in the air. Taking the knife, he gouged his finger and smeared the blood on the bone then took hold of Sophie's burned arm. He spoke a spidery word and the bone to turn to silver with a flash. Touching the object to the hurt, the ooze absorbed into the talisman leaving behind only an evil looking black mark the exact shape of a hand. Tossing the bone into the air Calcifer devoured it, flaring purple white for a moment.

Snatching the bloody knife and the mirror from the air where they suspended magically, Howl etched the glass with a series of red concentric circles and triangles. In their center he traced a strange mark that seemed to crawl with a life of its own. Sophie lifted up in the otherwind to float over the bathtub; Howl held the mirror directly underneath her and dropped it. As the mirror hit the water its surface turned to ice and Sophie let out a great scream in a voice not her own. The multi-toned shriek was voiced by a metallic chorus with which the Dark had spoken. Her eyes flew open and Markl could see that they were completely black. The wind ceased and the silver haired woman plunged into the tub, smashing the ice which splintered like a great mirror and the water consumed her.

Howl reached in as the liquid turned ink black and hauled Sophie out. She coughed and sputtered, gasping for air as she cast her wide brown eyes about the room. The black water boiled and thrashed, then went still and clear. At the bottom of the tub the splinters of the mirror could be seen. They had turned black.

Wordlessly, Howl gathered her up in his arms and carried her into his bedroom. The door slammed shut behind him leaving an anxious apprentice, a faded old witch and a somber green fire daemon to wait.

xXx

All Sophie wanted to do was scream, but her voice was no longer her own. The Dark had her. She could feel it trying to consume her, the icy cold invaded her body. It felt as though she had become sand within a great time piece, and she was slowly slipping away into nothing. But she fought against the dizzy pull that threatened to drag her down into the icy nothing beneath her feet. Suddenly a great white light exploded above her, driving back the Dark, which shrieked and cowered before it. She was drawn upward.

Her eyes were open and she was drowning. The water was all around her but strong arms reached in and pulled her into the air. She could see the ceiling and recognized it. She was in the castle. Howl's anxious face floated before her eyes and she caught sight of Calcifer, Granny Witch, and Markl. Then there was only Howl.

Sophie didn't remember much after that. She remembered the Dark and had struggled violently. But she settled and knew that Howl was with her and she was safe. A different kind of darkness came for her then, but it was only sleep.

When she woke, she was pressed again Howl's chest, his arms holding her tightly to him. She could smell the faint hint of the old perfumes he wore, hyacinth and rose. The glittering bangles and various objects in his room seemed dull and dark in the early morning light. It was almost dawn and the normally bright greens and golds of his bedroom were somehow muted. A terror seized her as she caught sight of the shadows in the room. Howl tightened his grip on her as she nearly climbed the wall.

“Sophie! Sophie, its okay. Everything is fine. You're safe,” Howl's liquid voice permeated the irrational thoughts of her mind and she went limp for a moment.

Seeing the mark on her wrist where the Dark had seized hold of her filled her with paralyzing terror. Howl turned her face with his hand to stare fiercely into her eyes. All at once Howl kissed her with all the passion and love within his soul and they clung together as though the entire world were trying to tear them apart. Suddenly Sophie realized Howl was crying and it was her turn to comfort him.

“Howl! Howl, what's wrong?” Sophie tried her best to soothe the raven-haired man.

“For a moment, you were gone,” The wizard murmured in a heartbreaking whisper.

“Silly wizard, I love you and I will never leave you,” Sophie spoke with such conviction that Howl drew back and searched her face only to discover that it was true.

“I love you, Sophie Hatter,” and delivered her into another kiss that would never end.

xXx

Some time later, Howl opened his door to find Granny Witch and Markl asleep against the wall outside. Sophie was nearly soaked by each of them as they tearfully hugged her till she couldn't breathe. Even Calcifer cried little bits of steam.

No one spoke of what happened. Granny Witch and Markl had cleaned up the splintered messes left behind in the wake of the previous night's events. They all went down stairs and ate a quick breakfast of bacon, eggs and bread, which Howl cooked. Sophie had tried to reach for the pan at first, but the wizard simply scooped her up and deposited her next to Granny Witch. Heen leaped into her lap and pinned her in place while the old witch stroked and squeezed her unmarked hand. Markl rushed around wordlessly setting the table and fetching things for Howl.

“There, all better now. Yes, much, much better,” the old witch murmured as they ate their meal.

Howl placed a plate in front of Sophie and practically fed her, keeping one arm around her at all times. The entire family jumped and Calcifer flared up purple as a knock came at the front door.

“It's the King's Messenger,” Calcifer spoke.

Markl jumped up and grabbed his disguise cloak, becoming a short breaded man. The young apprentice threw open the portal snatched up the scrolled held out by the messenger, glanced around twice, and slammed the door. Howl took the message and red it quickly then tossed it to Calcifer who devoured it in a plume of back smoke. Not leaving Sophie's side, Howl flicked out one of his hands. A cabinet on the wall flew open and a silver lockbox flew off the shelf over to the apprentice.

“Markl, would you go up to the bathroom; put the pieces of the mirror in this box and lock it after ever last bit is inside. Be careful not to prick yourself on the shards.” At the sight of his apprentice's white face Howl smiled warmly.

“Everything is fine, Markl. It's perfectly safe. Calcifer, would you go with him?”

“Sure!” The fire daemon crackled and took off up the stairs, a wary blond apprentice in tow.

“Granny witch, would you clean up please? Sophie and I need to go to the palace,” Howl glowed with the full power of his charm and the old witch chuckled and smiled bashfully.

“Now, dearie, no need to charm this old hen. The dishes will be waiting for you when you get home.”

At this Sophie couldn't help but laugh, and suddenly all was right with the world. As the old witch stood and shuffled off, Heen scrabbled over the landing above the front stairs and wheezed three times. Once it was quiet, Howl looked up towards the bathroom and spoke, “Wizard Suliman has requested our presence.”

Sophie's face must have shown what she thought of Wizard Suliman and Howl laughed.

“I may be terrified of her, I may not agree with they way she gets things done, but she's one of the most powerful sorceresses alive. She will know what to do and for that I am willing to face her.”

Howl's conviction made Sophie feel much braver, but still she began to tremble as Howl stood up. She longed to cling once more to the wizard she so dearly loved, but a terrible sense of responsibility gave her the strength to stand alone and fetch her shawl.

Markl came stomping down the stairs at full tilt. He tore over to Howl with the silver box held at arms length, face white as a sheet. Once the Wizard had taken it carefully, Markl turned on his heels and tackled Sophie around the waist. She squeezed him back as hard as she could. No one needed to say anything; they were all aware of how quickly the world changed. Heen scrambled in a circle and wheezed with impatience.

“Be a good boy and finish your lessons before we get home, alright?” Sophie smiled down at him, her eyes full of love. The blond little boy hadn't the verve to speak and he simply nodded his head sharply. Howl came over and ruffled his apprentice's hair, giving him a series of instructions about his assignment. Taking Sophie's hand, the wizard paused to ask Calcifer to take the castle into the sky and avoid any bad weather.

Together the wizard and the silver-haired woman walked down the front steps followed by Heen, who scampered clumsily after them. Sophie reached out and turned the dial to Kingsbury, and the three of them disappeared through the door.

xXx

Sophie had never liked the castle. It made her extremely nervous, but not nearly as nervous as Wizard Suliman made her. The royal witch's cool demeanor and piercing gaze unnerved Sophie more than anything.

However, the frantic scrambling of people in Kingsbury and the terrified whispers of the common people filled Sophie's heart with courage. This was somehow her fault and instead of shrinking from her responsibility, the silver-haired woman accepted it whole-heartedly.

Hand in hand, she and Howl zipped up the long stairs she had labored so hard to surmount as a 90 year old woman. At the top Sophie did not feel quite so old anymore. The castle attendants folded like cards before them and they were shuffled through so many doors that even Howl had no idea where they were. At last a familiar portal loomed before them and the pair entered the palace Greenhouse. Wizard Suliman sat almost exactly as they had left her, smiling calmly in her cushioned chair beside a small table. Heen scrambled on his belly past the two and settled beneath the table. Suliman looked down at the little dog, who glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and wheezed a long sigh.

Suliman then turned her piercing gaze on Howl. He did not flinch but instead reached for Sophie's hand. Suliman's gaze then settled upon Sophie and the woman's smile faltered for a moment then resumed its place.

“You have had an excellent effect on dear Howl, Sophie. This is the first time in a very long while he has actually come so see me with prompt manners.”

“It's nice to see you again, Suliman,” Howl smiled charmingly with genuine affection.

“My, how you shine, dear Howl,” The old witch smiled and tiled her head to the side with genuine happiness, “I'm so glad you finally found what you lost.”

“I don't mean to be rude, ma'am. But you are aware of what has happened. I have no doubt that is why you summoned us here.”

Howl's voice took on a serious note in spite of the handsome smile on his face. He reached into the large sleeved jacket he worn when he and Sophie first met, pulling out the small silver lockbox.

“Indeed,” Suliman held out her hand and the box flew to her. Under her gaze the key turned and the lid opened. She gazed calmly into the box then the lid closed and locked with a click. She sent it back to Howl's waiting hand.

“Keep those. They might be useful.”

Suliman's eyes turned now to Sophie, who flinched lightly.

“You bear marks of great magic. Show me your wrist, child.”

Sophie drew back her sleeve and was about to walk closer to show the Wizard but Howl held her back.

“Don't be childish, Howl,” Suliman spoke as though she was talking to a petulant child, “I have no quarrel with you any longer. You and the girl both have good hearts.”

It took a moment for Howl to let go, but once he released Sophie's hand the young woman went forward timidly, a froggish look on her face. Suliman seemed amused, but started intently at the mark and then into Sophie's eyes.

“Funny how the best of intentions can cause the worst tragedies,” Suliman murmured cryptically.

The grey eyed woman ran her hand over a small crystal orb that lay in her lap, which showed a ruined and burning village a long a wide river. Sophie gasped in horror.

“The village of Chipping Market has been abandoned,” the royal Sorceress spoke evenly, “The Dark now stalks its streets.”

“I did this,” Sophie murmured in horror, gazing at the image in the orb, “I let it out!”

“Yes, child; you did let it out,” Suliman replied coldly.

“Suliman! That's uncalled for,” Howl's face showed his anger plainly and the raven-haired man was about to start forward when the old sorceress pinned him in place with her steel gaze.

“Don't interrupt me, Howl. Sophie did let it out, but it's not intentionally. It is simply a pity for her that she came out of the otherworld with a light is so bright that it can give even the darkest of daemons entrance to our world.”

“But, my family! The people!” Sophie sobbed in anguish, gazing at the fire in the orb. Suliman cleared the globe with another pass of her hand, seeing how it upset the woman so.

“You're family is safe and most of the people escaped unharmed. But the Dark is growing stronger on the fear and suffering of others. Soon it will not be bound to the streets of Chipping Market and will be free to roam anywhere it pleases.”

“What is it! How did I let it out?” Sophie demanded, anger drying her tears.

“The Dark is the embodiment of hate, death, and suffering. It was made a long time ago…”

Suliman's voice faltered here, as though she was unsure of herself or how to go on. She cast her eyes at Howl, sorrow plain on her face, then beginning anew.

“You cannot fight with magic in this realm without there being consequences in the otherworld. Normally these things simply fade with time and loose their power. However, sometimes they linger waiting for a chance to enter the mortal realm. It has found access to this world through your magic, Sophie,” Suliman replied simply.

“What?” Sophie came up short, “What do you mean my magic?”

“Don't play simple with me, child. We all have a light of magic within us, child. But when you went into the otherworld in search of Howl, your love was so strong that it transformed you. It gave you the magic you would need to save the ones you love. And it is through love that your power has grown.”

“What does the Dark want?” Howl spoke up suddenly holding out his hand to Sophie, who returned to his side.

“The Dark hates the light, and it will do anything in its power to destroy all that is good. More specifically, it wants Sophie. She is the portal it must use to enter this world.”

Howl's arm tightened around the silver haired woman's shoulder at that revelation and Heen wheezed softly.

“How do we send it back?” Howl continued with brisk determination.

“You can do nothing, Howl,” Suliman retorted cryptically, “This must be done by Sophie's hand.”

“Can you help us?” Sophie asked pleadingly.

Suliman let out a deep sigh, sagging into her chair as she raised a hand to her head. Her voice was brittle as she spoke.

“I wish I could child, but this fight is beyond me. I have my hands full dealing with the kingdom. The recent war has taxed all of us. But I will do this much: take my staff.”

Suliman held out the long pole, its wood spiraled gracefully into a lazy twist toward the top. Sophie ventured forth once more and took it, for a moment it felt like fire in her hands. Suliman reached out and took hold of her wrist. Another shock passed through her and the sorceress took back her hand, shaking it as though she had been burned herself.

“You have great power, child. The daemon cannot stand before the strength of your light. Remember that and take courage.” Suliman looked past the young woman to gaze at an anxious Howl.

“After you both get through this, in which I have no doubt, it is your responsibility to see that she is properly trained. I remind you, one day the seat in which I reside may fall open to you.”

By way of an answer, Howl gave an acquiescing bow that could not be interpreted as a yes or a no. With that he and Sophie retreated from the room. The door remained open and it was Suliman's turn to gaze at Heen out the corner of her eye. The dog winced and scampered out of the room after the two wizards with a flurry of clicking claws.

xXx

On their way home Howl picked up every fantastic and luxurious food and treat they could fine. Cakes and sparkling wine created a sumptuous dinner for the family, filling the castle with of laughter. Long after the rest of the house had gone to bed, Howl, Sophie and Calcifer sat up together discussing the Dark. They all knew that tomorrow was going to be an eventful day.

“It's a nasty daemon, far more powerful than anything I've ever seen,” Calcifer crackled moodily.

“Sorrow is a powerful thing,” Howl mused rather moodily.

“I don't see why it should fall on you two to fix the problems from a war caused by other people!” Calcifer crackled a bright crimson in his irritation with war and other nasty things.

“Sorrow, like joy, often comes in threes. If we ignore our responsibilities, bad things will continue to happen,” Sophie murmured as she fiddled with Suliman's stick. Howl looked at her sharply out of the corner of his eye, a frown plain on his face. She had just echoed his thoughts and he took that for an omen. Calcifer did not miss the look, but instead eyed the stick hungrily.

“I bet that tastes really yummy. It's probably chock full of magic, knowing Suliman. Can I have just a little taste, just a tiny scorch? Please, Sophie?”

Sophie's clear laughter brightened the whole room, making Calcifer turn a rosy shade.

“Perhaps after we've dealt with the Dark; right now we need all the help we can get.”

The silver box that held the fragments of the mirror Howl used to banish the Dark from Sophie stood in the middle of the table. The wizard was fiddling with the key as he watched Sophie play with his former teacher's staff. The staff was a tremendously powerful magic artifact, and he wondered if Sophie realized what a treasure she held in her hands. His attention perked up as Sophie suddenly spoke.

“I can't stop thinking about what the Dark said to me,” Sophie faltered slightly, as though she were afraid to speak of such things.

“Go on, Sophie, these are important things we all need to know,” Howl said encouragingly.

“When I first saw the Dark in the mirror, I saw myself. But it's wasn't me. It seemed excited that it had found me, like it was hungry,” Sophie shuddered.

“That makes sense,” Calcifer mumbled around a bit of kindling that was smoldering with curls of grey smoke, “You may not want to admit it, but you have a powerful gift of magic. The daemon was excited to find you because your power acts as a gate between the mortal and otherworld. Currently it exists between the two planes. In order to become permanent in the mortal realm it basically needs to become you. To do that it needs eat your light.”

Sophie shuddered again and looked at the fading mark on her wrist. She did not remember much from the ordeal, but she did remember the Dark invading her body in the cold black somewhere.

“What do you mean, my light?”

“Your heart and soul, Sophie,” Howl spoke softly, his face hidden beneath his bangs. She glanced at him and his defensive posture. The wizard was leaning against the wall close enough to touch her, but had his arms crossed on his chest and his face turned toward Calcifer. He was worried for her, Sophie knew it.

“All living beings have magic, Sophie,” Howl continued looking up into her eyes, “In the otherworld they glow like stars because of the magic that fills them.”

“The otherworld," Sophie murmured, "You're talking about the place beyond the black mark, where the stars were on the ground instead of the sky?”

“Yes, that's the place. It's another way of looking at the universe, both ours and that of magic.”

“But how can such horrible things live in such a beautiful place?”

“Magic comes from all living beings: me, you, Howl, the castle. Everything makes magic,” Calcifer crackled softly, “But magic comes from love as much as it comes from hate.”

“I liked being normal much better,” Sophie grumbled and thumped Suliman's stick on the ground. Howl winced and grimaced at the sound, as though relieving some unfortunate memory from his childhood.

“I really hate that stick,” Howl grumbled.

“May I see the pieces of the mirror, Howl?” Sophie leaned the staff against the wall and swiveled to regard the silver box in the middle of the table.

“Suliman said to keep the shards, and that they would be helpful,” Sophie murmured. Howl placed the box in front of her and unlocked the lid. Sophie looked in at the dark pieces with much trepidation. She half expected to see the cold grey eyes staring back at her. But all she saw was darkness, a familiar emptiness that reminded her of something.

“That's it!” She cried causing Howl and Calcifer to jump in surprise, “The mirror!”

In her excitement Sophie had momentarily taken on a nimbus very similar to the one that surrounded Howl when he worked magic. The wizard stared at her with wonder and renewed love as the silver-haired woman shined like the earthly star he had seen in the otherworld.

“Eh?” Calcifer crackled, used to such magical displays.

“The Dark came through a mirror in Mrs. Goose's curiosity shop. There was a huge rectangular mirror with a crack in it. A shard fell out and shattered into tiny pieces. Then the black stuff started oozing out of the hole it left behind. I must have made the mirror into a door when I touched it.”

“Mirrors are dangerous things,” Calcifer agreed sagely, “It makes sense for that is has become a gate. You have to fix the mirror using one of these shards. It will sever the doorway and cause the Dark to go back to the otherworld.”

“But how do I fix a broken mirror?” Sophie sank in dismay.

“Magic, silly!” Howl beamed and pointed at Suliman's stick, “You may not be trained, but that staff will help you do things that only an advanced sorcerer could do. Besides, I will be with you.”

“And so will I!” Calcifer shot from the grate and hovered over their heads crackling a bright crimson.

xXx

In the grey hours of the dawn, not long before the three had agreed to leave for Chipping Market, Howl woke to the sound of his door latch turning. Wordlessly he lifted the covers and a silver-haired woman slide into bed next to him. They lay there for a while in each other's arms listening to the soft tinkle of the various wind chimes in Howl's room.

“Are you afraid, Howl?” Sophie asked in a small voice.

“Yes. Are you?” He replied as he stroked her silver hair.

“Yes.” There was silence for a while then Howl spoke.

“What do you want to do tomorrow, Sophie?”

“I think I'll make you a new shirt for summer. Something light and airy, with the split neck you like so well. What about you?”

“I'd like to marry you,” The wizard Howl murmured ever so softly into her hair. Sophie snapped her head up and gazed into his eyes with such shock that Howl had to smile. Complete sincerity showed in his blue eyes, matched with absolute love.

“How about it, Ms. Witch? Will you marry horrible wizard Howl and spend the rest of your days in a flying castle full of magic?”

Sophie's answer was an endless kiss of epic proportions.

xXx

The three of them crept out of a random doorway into the early morning light. Markl and Granny Witch would be very angry at them for not saying good bye, but this perhaps was the best way to leave on such an occasion. Chipping Market greeted them with only gloom and silence.

Much to Sophie's surprise the city was not in ruins, it was simply empty. The villagers had fled the black magic that had taken their town without taking a single thing. In Kingsbury, before they left the palace, Suliman had assured her that the King and Prince were seeing that the refugees were being well cared for.

But this morning dawned strangely. The city streets that Sophie had known all her life twisted in foreign mazes before her. She carried Suliman's staff in her right hand and wore Howl's ring on her left. Beside her Howl carried the silver box and held her left hand in his right.

Calcifer crackled dimly above their heads, darting to and fro nervously. As they finally reached the city square, the mists thickened overhead. Suddenly, a huge wall out of the darkness loomed. Sophie's heart almost leapt out of her chest as she caught sight of two figures. But the shapes resolved into familiar figures. Howl and Sophie paused in front of the enormous mirror that divided the city in half.

“The shop is on the other side of this thing,” Sophie spoke as she glanced around anxiously. The little red flame zipped over the wall and came back.

“I can see it,” chimed Calcifer.

“This is too easy,” Howl muttered darting his eyes about. The wizard stepped lightly into the air and reached for Sophie. Another hand darted out from behind Sophie too quickly for her to react and took hold of Howl just as another pair yanked the silver-haired woman backwards through the mirror.

“Sophie!” Howl cried as she vanished into the wall.

The hand that latched onto his turned obsidian black as its reflection formed in the mirror. It could have been Sophie, but the eyes were cold and cruel. Calcifer dived from the sky and engulfed the arm. With a screech it retreated into the mirror and the image stood glowering at him.

In his other sight Howl could see through the shape of the woman to the Dark that loomed like a wave of black water beyond the mirror. He could see now that this mirror wasn't just a wall; it was a physical embodiment of the Dark's boundaries. On the opposite side was the otherworld, into which the Dark had taken Sophie.

“Let her go or I will destroy your link to this world!” Howl shouted at the smirking figure, bursting into an angry aura of red and sickly purples.

Smash us and she will be ours, ours, ours! Laughed the reflection.

“She has Suliman's staff. It will protect her,” Calcifer stated convincingly.

But Howl felt the weight of the silver box in his hand like the weight he felt in his heart. The premonition he felt earlier crept up on him too clearly: sorrows always come in three's. Sophie had almost lost him when she broke his curse, He had almost lost Sophie when the Dark had tried to take her light, now she had gone too far beyond for him to protect.

“Sophie needs the shards,” he spoke softly, never breaking his gaze from the reflection. The shape in the mirror stood arrogantly for another moment or two, then nervously flicked its eyes at the box.

“Gotcha!” Howl smirked fiercely and he lifted the lid just as the shade looked at the box.

The figure shrieked as it saw the black shards where a piece of itself had been banished back to the otherworld and it vanished along with the wall. The curiosity shop appeared in the mists beyond, although it was much more for wear. All the glass in the windows was smashed and much of the contents had been strewn into the street. Howl flew through the doorway and tore back the mirrors until only the rectangular frame remained.

The surface showed into the otherworld, but instead of the vast ocean of serenity it displayed a dark corner filled with dim red lights of suffering. The indigo veil of the empty heavens filled the sky above, but it took on a bloody color as though it too had been burned. He could see the crack in the mirror clearly and the hole through which the Dark had come into this world. Opening the box he looked in and saw that one of the shards showed the red lights of the otherworld. He picked it out and saw that it fit perfectly. Fate had an odd habit of making things work.

“Calcifer, can you find Sophie in there?” Howl looked up at his fire daemon friend, his face white and drawn with worry.

“I can try!” The little spark dove through the hole and disappeared into the otherworld leaving the wizard behind to wait.

xXx

Sophie remembered this weightless feeling from the first time she had ventured into the world beyond the black mark. But this was different. This was a place where suffering and hurt seeped in and putrefied like a pool of rancid water. Her feet suddenly touched down on barren ground. Looking up at the empty sky Sophie felt alone and despaired.

“Sophie,” She heard someone call her name in the distance and looked out over the great plain of twisting red lights. The voice faded as she realized that these were the lights of people who had suffered during war and many other tragedies.

“So many…” She murmured to herself in despondency. Sinking to her knees, the sliver haired woman let go of Suliman's staff and hid her face in her hands. It was awful; so much sorrow, so much loss in the world. It was too hard; she would never be able to make it home. She might as well give up.

“Sophie!” The voice called again. It sounded familiar. Looking up she placed her hand on the staff to use it to stand up.

NO! Shrieked a chorus of metal voices from behind her.

Sophie scrambled to her feet as the Dark towered over her like a great black wave. She held up Suliman's stick and the flood parted over the shining white aura that enveloped her. The screaming torrent crashed around her in oozing tendrils of smoke and wriggling horrors. She realized in that moment that the Dark had brought her back to this place to make her week, to slowly sap away her will to fight so that she would be easy to consume. Standing tall she fought against the melancholy that had once seeped into her mind.

“Sophie!” Called a red light in the distance. However, this one circled and girated, changing to greens and purples as it came closer.

“Calcifer!” She cried.

“Run, Sophie!” The fire daemon called and the silver haired woman sprang forward.

The Dark parted before her as she sprinted across the desert, but the evil torrent withdrew just like black water and built for another attack.

“Follow me, Sophie,” called Calcifer as he streaked ahead, guiding her across the endless black sands.

“Faster,” Sophie commanded herself, and Suliman's stick brought to life her magic.

She felt herself speed ahead of the wave, flying on silver wings that were her own. The ground flew beneath her feet and she passed Calcifer as her sharp eyes caught sight of a point of light in the distance. Behind her the screams of the Dark became muted and distant as she sped before it. A great rectangular shape reared up before her and she saw Howl's dim outline through the mirror's frame. The hole to the mortal world was as tangible as a hole in a screen, and Calcifer shot through it, hovering above Howl's head.

“Sophie!” Howl cried in mix of joy and panic. He shoved his hand through to take hold of hers. Drawing back she lowered her face to the hole and kissed him through the mirror.

“Quick, Howl,” Sophie passed her open hand through, “Give me the shard!”

It took a bit of wiggling but finally the piece fit through. Then it dawned on Howl what he had just done. In the distance they both could hear the Dark's hellish chorus.

“Sophie, you have to come through. If you heal the mirror from inside you'll be trapped!” Howl frantically paced back and forth in front of the glass.

“There's no time, the Dark is almost here. It's too small.” Sophie's stared through the glass and Howl did not like the resolved look on her face one bit.

“I'll make it bigger,” Calcifer argued.

“No! If you make it bigger the shard won't fit.” Sophie replied

Howl tried frantically to think of reasons why this made no sense, but Sophie's calm voice reached him through his panic. It quavered slightly but the love that filled it stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Silly wizard. The shard is this size for a reason.”

“Sophie, no!” Howl cried in anguish.

But the silver haired woman had already fit the piece in place. The crack in the glass glowed white for a moment then filled seamlessly. He could still see her through the tears he did not notice. She smiled at him, a perfect angel bathed in a white light. She pressed her free hand to the mirror's surface and mouthed three words. Suddenly she looked over her shoulder, resolution plain on her features as she pressed her back to the mirror. Then the surface went blank and showing only Howl's his anguish stricken face.

A moment later the mirror shattered into a thousand pieces.

xXx

The afternoon light streamed into through the castle's windows bathing the room in a gentle glow.

But it was too quiet.

There was no clatter of dishes being washed. No gentle whisking of a broom sweeping. No churning of clothes being cleaned. No sounds of a happy family. No soft steps of a silver haired woman.

To the figure that huddled against the fireplace, the silence was maddening.

Howl's appearance was beyond disheveled, to the little fire daemon it was a heartbreaking sight. The wizard's wild hair was full of leaves from when he fell sobbing in the garden yesterday, his white shirt torn and stained. Whiskers of a beard showed on his face. Howl laid his head against the cool stones of the hearth, listening to the crackling of Calcifer's fire.

Cal was the only one who braved Howl's grief after the mirror shattered. Granny Witch had taken Markl away at Calcifer's behest. The little red spark mostly left the wizard alone. Recently Howl's outbursts were less frequent; instead he simply paced the castle. Sometimes he would huddle up against the hearth stones like he did now.

It had only been seven days since the mirror had shattered and Howl had not spoken a word since.

The entire day passed like this and Howl barely moved. Calcifer had suggested eating, but Howl refused to speak. At this rate he would starve to death. The fire daemon was about to suggest this again when he heard the knob turn at the front door. Looking up from Howl, the little spark saw the dial was pointing to black. He flared up purple and white, his huge eyes fixed on the doorway in such a way that even Howl noticed.

The door opened silently, revealing the indigo veil of the otherworld's sky. Tiny foot prints pressed into the floor, accompanied by the soft thunk of wood on wood. The footsteps stopped directly in front of Howl, whose face was white with shock. A figure holding Suliman's staff began to coalesce within a faint white aura tinged by pinks, blues, and purples. Smiling, Sophie solidified into existence. Her dress was torn and singed, her hair wild as the wizard's. She was on fire with her inner light. And she was real.

“Joy, like sorrow, comes in threes.” She spoke in a gentle voice full of love.

With shaking hands Howl reached out and grabbed handfuls of her skirt as though he thought she would disappear.

“Sophie!” He whispered in pure exultation and Howl shot to his feet, catching her up in his arms. The two kissed an endless kiss, epic in proportion, and pure of heart.

This chapter started life as a short story, but became much more. It's a bit of a teaser. There's more, three more chapter's worth, with a fifth on the way. Much will be resolved later.

Thanks!

Lady Librarian