Howl's Moving Castle Fan Fiction ❯ Beyond the Indigo Veil ❯ Chapter 5: Beyond The Wall ( Chapter 5 )

Beyond the Indigo Veil: Part I of the Wallmaker Saga

Chapter 5: Beyond The Wall

Numb, that was what Sophie felt at the moment, numb and empty.

When she first woke in the kitchen Markl was crying into Granny Witch's skirt. Calcifer was in a fiery rage, spitting fire and smoke that singed the couch she sat upon. Barimus stood solemnly above her and the answer to her lone question was been brief.

She recollected having smashed every dish in the kitchen before Barimus had managed to wrench the china from her hands. She screamed and said some nasty things, but her anger was a momentary distraction from the fact that Howl was gone. As quickly as it had come her rage fled like a thief in the night, leaving behind a limitless rift of sorrow within her breast. It had robbed her of all strength; the pain sent her to her knees as though the world beneath her feet had ceased to exist. And she bent her face into her hands and cried.

She was inconsolable.

Her wails of anguish warped the wood beneath her knees, the flowers in the garden turned to ash and the castle moaned and creaked as her emotions gave way to magic. The red wizard was forced to take Markl, Granny Witch, and Heen out of the Castle for fear that the raw power of the silver-haired witch's magic would rend it in two. Only Calcifer remained.

As she lay on the floor of the kitchen, exhausted from grief, she recalled seeing the tiny flame hovering close to her face. Shortly after, Martha had appeared accompanied by Mrs. Fairfax. The two witches managed to drag the silver-haired woman from the floor, as a wary Barimus stood on the edges of the room. Between the two of them they got Sophie onto the couch in front of the hearth.

The sunny plump herbalist fussed over her and somehow managed to get her to drink some vile tasting brew. After that Sophie didn't hear half of what Mrs. Fairfax was nattering on about. She didn't care. She lay there motionless as her mind floated away somewhere overhead.

Sophie finally came to her senses when Markl climbed into her lap and clung to her, trembling slightly. Remorse for her selfish fit of rage blossomed with in her and she cuddled the little apprentice, humming soothingly.

She became aware that Calcifer was arguing heatedly with Martha at the kitchen table, who was in rare form at that moment. Looking over her shoulder, Sophie caught sight of Mrs. Fairfax. The plump old witch wore a wilted ineffectual expression on her face as she sat between the young herbalist and the fire daemon sipping her tea. Granny Witch was sitting at the table as well, patting Heen without a clue that she was close to mortal danger.

Martha's voice soared up an octave as she towered over the fire daemon, “He's still recovering from his wounds! I can't BELIEVE you sent him out there, you smoky little lout!”

“I am NOT little, you in sufferable bully!” Calcifer roared, flaring up large enough to scorch the ceiling, “In case you haven't noticed, Howl is gone! Barimus is the only one with even a hope of finding him! If you weren't acting like an infatuated village bumpkin, you would understand the gravity of the situation.”

“You obviously have no understanding whatsoever of medicine and how DARE you insinuate such rot, you nasty LITTLE pip-squeak.,” Martha yelled up at the former shooting star, not intimidated in the least.

“Where is Barimus?” Sophie asked softly, approaching with Markl still in her arms.

Her presence startled everyone at the table and both Martha and Calcifer deflated into silence. As the silver-haired witch sat at the table, Mrs. Fairfax stood and fixed her a cup of tea in a bowl since all their cups were smashed.

“He's in the otherworld searching for signs of Howl,” Calcifer crackled softly, and then shot a glowering look at Martha.

“How long has he been gone?”

“Almost five hours,” Martha replied anxiously. The young herbalist cast an anxious look at the night outside, distracted enough to ignore Calcifer's baiting looks.

“Time moves differently beyond the indigo veil, Martha,” Sophie explained simply as she rocked Markl in her arms, “To Barimus it may seem as though only an hour has passed.”

“Oh! I didn't know that,” her sister replied sheepishly, then rounded on the fire daemon in fury, “Why didn't you tell me that?!”

Calcifer swelled again going cross-eyed with rage, but the handle of the front door jiggled, cutting through the calm before his storm. Martha leapt to her feet and hammered down the front stairs just as the red wizard began to materialize in the doorway. Red feathers melted away to display the tired form of a man whose shoulders drooped with the defeat. Martha helped him to the couch, where he collapsed.

“Well!?” Calcifer snapped impatiently as he shot over and hunkered into the ashes in the grate.

“Nothing,” Barimus replied despondently. Sophie's heart, which had risen on ray of hope, sank once more into despair.

“Agyrus has left Kingsbury,” the red wizard replied weakly, “The other wizards on the council are cowards; they refuse to answer my call out of fear for their own lives.”

“That's it!? That's all you found out!?” Calcifer crackled angrily and was about to launch into another tirade had Martha not thrown a log into his mouth. The fire daemon spit it out, spraying the dark-haired witch with soot. The expression of white hot fury on Martha's blackened face was priceless, but her eyes spelled murder.

Calcifer shrank to an ember with nothing but huge eyes as he realized what he had done. Similar to Howl in many ways, the little flame was all hot air and often folded before adversity. The witch whirled and seized the water bucket stalking forward like a black fiend with her white teeth bared. The little flame shot from the hearth as Martha chased him in circles around the silver haired witch.

“Sophie! Save me, Sophie! She's gonna kill me!” Calcifer cried in terror.

“Leave him be, dear. He didn't mean it,” The old herbalist pleaded mirthfully for the case of the little spark.

“Oh, what a dirty young girl,” Granny Witch spoke vaguely, sending Martha into a new fit of rage.

“Help!” Calcifer screamed, zigzagging all around the kitchen with the young witch hot on his heels.

Markl had peeked up his head just as Martha got covered with soot and by this time he too was laughing uncontrollably. The moment of levity even brought a soft smile to Sophie's lips, although Barimus and Mrs. Fairfax were already roaring.

“I beg you to spare him for my sake, dear Martha,” Barimus called from the couch, hooting helplessly with a mix of pain and delight as he held his side, “It hurts to laugh!”

Martha stopped her chase and set down the bucket hearing Barimus was in pain. Calcifer retreated up the flu as she hurried over quickly; tucking herself into the corner of the couch. She solemnly assessed the red wizard's condition. He smiled up at her warmly, and then sat up with difficulty blowing a gentle puff of air over his upturned palm. The soot dissolved in the magic of the wind, leaving her clean with a giddy expression on her face.

Sophie was happy for them, in spite of her sorrow. But the wheels in her head were already turning. Barimus might not be able to find Howl, but the silver haired witch knew she could. Remembering the promise she had made to herself in a state of half sleep, Sophie vowed that the Wall Maker would not make a liar out of her.

 

xXx

 

Mrs. Fairfax left late that night, hugging Sophie so hard that she could barely breathe. The Herbalist had suggested that Granny Witch come home with her, to which Sophie reluctantly agreed. It was a difficult decision since their family had already been ripped apart, but she knew it was best in light of the uncertain future.

“Goodbye, Granny Witch,” Markl hugged the old woman solemnly from Sophie's arms. The young apprentice had flatly refused to leave her since she had returned to her sense.

“Goodbye, dearies!” The old woman replied in a carefree voice.

Martha stayed behind, offering the former Witch of the Wastes her seven league boots; much to Calcifer's chagrin. The dark haired woman made it clear with a look that she was not about to abandon her sister in a time of need.

Barimus went to sleep in Granny's bed while Martha took Sophie's bedroom. After she had gone upstairs, Calcifer emerged from the flu and settled into the grate warily eyeing the stairwell.

Sophie spent the night in Markl's room in the castle's attic. She couldn't bear to spend a night alone in their bed knowing that she would wake knowing Howl would not be beside her. But sleep evaded her and she spent the majority of the night staring up at the exposed beams overhead.

The room was small, having enough space for a bed, a desk, and a gigantic shelf of books. Sophie never cleaned his room out of respect for the little boy's privacy; in fact this was probably the third time she had ever been in it. The room's real charm was in its high ceilings, created by the gables of the castle. Markl had suspended kites, paper birds and colored mobiles of glass and tin from every nook. They wafted slightly in the draft from the long window that looked south, out over Star Lake.

He's just like Howl, she thought to herself as she turned to watch the blond little boy sleep.

Markl was indeed their son. She had no intentions of denying that she thought of herself as the boy's mother. She was sure that Howl felt the same, reflecting on how much time he spent with his apprentice since regaining his heart.

The stab of grief shook her physically as she remembered how her husband had been taken from her. Carefully disentangling herself from the sleeping child, Sophie went down stairs silently. Letting herself out into the garden, she did her best not to stare at the wilted flowers and bare trees that had died under the weight of the magic her sorrow had unleashed.

Sitting on the stone fence, she stared out over the lake. The vast, smooth surface reflected the stars overhead, reminding her of the inverted otherworld beyond the indigo veil. In that place the ground became the sky, glowing with the lights of thousands of living things. Looking down at the magic ring on her index finger, she gazed at it intently and summoned her husband's face in her mind.

Howl…

The ring trembled and the jewel showed blue for a weak moment as it once had when she journeyed into the otherworld to break Howl's curse. The light flickered for a moment and went out. But instead of bowing her head in defeat, Sophie's closed her eyes as she bent her mind and soul upon the singular image of her husband.

HOWL!

The voice of her magic sped before her like a great tidal surge, echoing through the mortal world and into the next as relentless as the ocean pounds the shore. The ground trembled beneath her feet under the power of her iron will. Sophie's eyes opened after long moments, flashing with blue fire as she gazed down at the ring once more. Under the intensity of her stare a weak tendril of red light pointed north, into the snowy glaciers of the frozen wastes.

 

xXx

 

“It could be a trap! Sophie, will you stop for one moment and think about this?!” Barimus pleaded with the silver haired witch from the doorway as she bustled about digging for the warmest clothes she could find.

Downstairs Martha was making breakfast; she could hear her sister and the fire daemon yelling at one another between the clatter of pots and pans. Turning, Sophie crossed her arms and towered, giving the red wizard a flinty look that would have subdue even Martha.

“At least let me come with you!” Barimus amended, quickly changing tracks.

“Who will stay with Markl?” The silver-haired witch replied evenly as she dragged a quilted woolen petticoat from the thin wardrobe at the foot of her bed.

“Martha has already offered to stay and keep him safe until we return.”

Sophie was about to argue further when she caught sight of the red wizard's face and didn't have the heart to refuse.

“Please, Sophie. He's my brother.”

“If you're coming with me, Barimus, at least dress sensibly! Go find something warm in Howl's closet. That peacock must have something for winter in there somewhere,” She replied brusquely pretending not to see the blond man smile in triumph as he disappeared down the hall. A little red flame flitted into the room and hovered anxiously above her closet, watching her select the warmest of her dresses.

“Going someplace, Sophie?” Calcifer piped quietly.

“I'm going to collect my husband,” Sophie replied harshly.

“Can I come too?” He asked in a little voice.

“It's going to be dangerous for fire spirits, Cal. I see only ice and snow where we're headed.”

“That sister of yours is liable to kill me it you leave me behind. Besides, you might need a fire to keep you warm.”

“Barimus and I are going to have to fly to get there. Can you keep up?”

“You can clutch the handle of the tin kerosene lantern with your claws can't you? I'll ride on the wick.”

“Alright, but…” Sophie bit off the rest of the sentence as Barimus appeared back in the doorway to her room wearing a grey and pink checkered coat. With his blond hair and similar build, the red wizard looked almost exactly like Howl had on the day she had first met her husband. Sophie half collapsed onto the foot of her bed hiding her face in her hands.

“Not that coat, Barimus! Anyone but that one!” She cried fiercely, new tears leaking from her eyes.

Barimus was confused for a moment but understanding dawned on him.

“I'm sorry, Sophie!” He stammered in mortification and left swiftly.

“Sophie?” Calcifer hovered at her shoulder, green with worry.

“Can I be alone for a while, Cal?” She mumbled as she dried her tears on her sleeve.

“Sure thing,” the fire daemon replied and flew out, pulling the door shut after him.

Sophie dashed her tears away and quickly changed into her warmest clothes. By the time she was fully dressed she was sweating profusely. Going to her dressing table, she opened the rose puzzle box and took out the blue ribbon she had worn on their wedding day. Tying back her hair with it, she clipped the sapphire jewels at her ears and passed the necklace over her head, tucking it against her skin. Twisting her wedding ring, a nervous habit she had formed, the silver haired witch suddenly looked at Suliman's stick. She went over and took the staff in her hands.

“Smaller,” she commanded it, and it shrank to the size of a pen in her hand. She stowed it in her pocket, then cast her eyes to the silver box overhead.

Taking it down, she turned the key and opened it. Her brown eyes fell upon the last remaining shard. She carefully removed it and wrapped it in her handkerchief, stuffing it in her pocket as well. Pulling on her thick wool coat Sophie went downstairs. Reached the bottom step with a frown, she caught sight of Markl tugging angrily at the thick coat Barimus was wearing.

“That's master Howl's coat! Take it off! Calcifer, make him take it off!” The little apprentice shouted in agitation.

Martha was trying unsuccessfully to pull the boy away from the red wizard, who seemed quite lost when it came to dealing with children. Markl was normally such a polite and obedient child, but recent events had shaken his world to the core. As Markl saw Sophie his face went white with fear; pushing Martha away he ran to the silver witch, clinging to her legs.

“You're leaving me! I knew it! Don't go, Sophie!” The little boy cried amongst his tears.

Sweeping him up into her arms, Sophie laughed in a light hearted voice that sounded false to her ears.

“Don't be silly, Markl. We'll be back before you know it.”

“No you won't! That bad wizard who took Howl away is too powerful! You'll never come back and I'll be all alone,” it was Markl's turn to be inconsolable.

Kneeling, Sophie placed the little boy on the ground and disentangled him from her with a great effort. She managed to get him to look her in the eyes finally, drying his tears with her hem.

“Listen to me Markl,” she spoke with such conviction that the little boy stilled, “We're a family and I will not let anything come between us. But I need you to stay here and guard Martha, okay? You need to be the master of this castle until Howl comes home. Do you think you can do that?”

The little boy sniffed and nodded bravely. Sophie was so proud of him at that moment and she swept him into a hug and kissed him fiercely.

“I love you, Sophie,” Markl murmured.

“I love you too, Markl. But we have to go now.”

He let her go and watched her take the tin lamp Calcifer had mentioned from beside the fireplace.

“In you go, Calcifer,” She uncovered lamp and the little flame jumped onto the wick, burning merrily as she returned the shade.

Sophie politely ignored the tender exchange between Martha and Barimus, reflecting on the unique circumstances of their situation. She was forced to go and find her heart and Barimus was reluctantly leaving his behind.

Sophie went down the front steps wordlessly into the morning light, followed by a sober Markl. A strong wind blew from the north and the silver haired witch noted grimly that not even the weather gods pitied them today. Martha and Barimus emerged after a moment, holding hands. Her sister came up and hugged her so hard she thought her ribs would crack. The dark haired witch wordlessly wished her luck with large eyes.

Barimus ruffled Markl's hair and smiled at the annoyed look the apprentice gave him.

“Take good care of Martha, young Master,” the red wizard grinned.

“And you better take good care of my mother, uncle Barimus,” Markl replied pertly, making the man laugh.

Barimus cast a yearning glance at the silent young herbalist, then turned and stepped into the air, shimmering as he became a great red bird.

“Ready, Sophie!” Calcifer crackled as Sophie herself leaped into the air, sprouting feathers the color of starlight as she spread her wings and rose up into the sky on her otherwind.

“Good luck, Sophie! Good luck, Barimus!” Markl called, his voice becoming lost in the wind.

 

xXx

 

The gale blew fiercer and colder as the silver witch and the red wizard found themselves in the middle of a blizzard. The moaning winds buffeted them, stinging their eyes and weighting their wings with ice. But they fought forward through the weather like magic arrows on the power of their otherwind. Sophie guided them without hesitance, the tiny red light filling the peaceful dark of her mind every time she closed her eyes.

All around them the great glacial peaks of northern Tyrn reared like the great teeth of some snowy beast. The dark skies overhead boiled with black clouds, giving no indication that they had any intention of breaking. The two fought onward.

They were forced to land shortly before dark, taking shelter in a small cave Barimus found with magic. The two of them huddled back to back in the bone seeping cold as Calcifer flickered in the lamp between them.

“Are you alright, Calcifer?” Sophie asked haltingly between her chattering teeth.

“No! But we're getting closer!” The little flame replied in a small voice.

They were cheered by the fact that a tiny red light shone in Sophie's magic ring, growing stronger as they strove further north. The next morning the witch and wizard emerged into a diamond studded world of perfect ice beneath a vast blue sky. A windless day received their open wings as the pair soared upwards on the spiraling power of their magic. They made good time as the red light in Sophie's mind grew brighter and stronger.

There, ahead on the plateau!

Barimus' soundless voice reached her as Sophie caught sight of regular patterns ill suited to nature's capricious mind. Out of the glacier a great palace was carved, its columns and ramparts showed sapphire blue beneath the cold light of the sun. Sophie's mind thrilled at the sight, but her heart fell short as a spidery tingle flew through her mind.

“Watch out!” Calcifer shouted just as the pair wheeled apart and a great black shape sliced between them.

The tendril of dark unfurled its leathery wings and screeched menacingly as it descended at Sophie. A great red blur hammered it from above as Barimus sank his claws into its back and tore at it viciously. Red fire burst from the wounds and the creature fell into ash. But more dark shades pulled themselves from the castle walls, furling their wings like bits of nightmares that had somehow found their way into the sun.

Too many to fight, Sophie sent her thoughts to the red wizard

Fly fast, sister! Barimus sent back jubilantly.

Sophie experienced a moment's irritation with the Royal Wizard; he was actually enjoying this!

“You both are nuts!” Calcifer wailed from the lamp Sophie held fast in her claws.

Together, the witch and wizard tucked their wings and made a dive for the front door of the ice fortress. Wheeling and weaving among the cloud of dark creatures, the two darted gracefully amongst the clumsy monsters.

Too fast! Sophie cried to Barimus as the red bird took the lead.

That's the idea!

He sent back an image of the pair of them bursting through the great ice gates that reared up before them. The red wizard tucked his wings and burst like a phoenix into red flames. The ice melted before him like a hot knife through butter and the witch and wizard shot through. Whether out of fear or due to the gees of magic that bound them to guard the outer walls, the shades did not follow. But they lingered howling just beyond the sapphire walls.

Barimus snapped back his wings, red feathers melting from him as he gracefully stepped to the ground. Sophie touched down on one foot, holding Calcifer's lamp high as she shed her feathers. But the witch lost her balance and sat down hard, skidding to a halt on her rump like a lame pigeon.

“Remind me to teach you how to land when we get home,” The red wizard grinned impishly deftly avoiding the handful of snow Sophie sent as a reply.

He helped the silver-haired witch to her feet and the two of them gazed forward into the frozen courtyard of the wizard Agyrus' fortress. Pale blue light diffused through the ice walls from the sun outside, giving everything an eerie inner glow. Great icicles hung from the ceiling above and Sophie could see her breath as they carefully climbed the stairs through the large front portal.

“Calcifer?” Sophie whispered softly.

“I don't smell anything, but be careful.” The flame replied from within the lamp shade.

As the ice grew thicker, the light grew dim and Sophie was glad for the lantern. The magic ring on her finger glowed strongly now, its tiny finger of red pointing forward without trembling. Barimus was silent beside her, but she could see his glowing brown eyes in her othersight. The darkness in the vast chamber closed in around them, giving Sophie a queasy suffocating feeling. The air was stale and heavy, but a gentle draft guided them through the second portal. In the distance a shaft of light fell into the middle of the room.

The rays of the sun slanted in from above, filling half the room with blinding light and plunging the other into the darkest of shadows. High overhead the ice had thinned at the center of the roof, permitting tiny snowflakes to filter down from the plateau above. Sophie's breath came quickly now, sending plums of white into the air. The silver haired woman's witchy sense sent a thrill through her body.

“Howl!” She cried in exultation.

Her cry echoed like the voices of hundred of tiny birds through the chamber as she caught sight of a dim form against the fall wall. Barimus grabbed her shoulder and made a vehement shushing motion, his eyes fierce as he glanced about nervously.

A drift of snow fell from above, adding to the growing pile in the middle of the chamber, sending more echoing whispers through the room. The silver haired witch shrugged off Barimus' hand and rushed forward. Sophie crashed into something solid where light turned to dark, falling backwards onto the floor. Calcifer flitted from the lamp as it skittered across the floor, sending more fractured echoes through the room.

Barimus lifted her back onto her feet and placed a finger on her lips as he again willed her to be silent. Pointing overhead, he sent an image of the ceiling coming crashing down and that quelled the witch's irritation.

Sophie looked back in her husband's direction, putting out a hand and feeling the cool barrier beneath her palm. She pushed hesitantly but the invisible wall remained impassible. Placing her hands on the barrier, Sophie peered into the dark, trying desperately to see Howl. Calcifer, blue-green with fear, crackled larger above the silver witch's head, shedding light onto the impassive form.

The thin light from the fire daemon filtered over Howl and Sophie clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out. The wizard hung from the wall by his shoulders, arms dangling limply. His head hung forward as well, face hidden in his bangs. The raven-haired man did not seem to be solid; his dim outline filled with the indigo blue of the otherworld as tiny pale lights glimmered within him like stars in the sky. His long legs faded into nothing where they should have touched the ground.

Looking up, Sophie's knees turned weak as the Dull Wall loomed out from behind Howl great and dark. Above her the scorched vermillion sky spilled over the walls apex like a wave, threatening to crush her and the mortal world beneath its fury. A dry wind blew through her soul, parching her throat and burning her hands where they pressed against the barrier. She threw herself backwards into the light and the icy cold returned.

Casting her eyes skyward there was only the ceiling above. Sophie's heart hammered in her chest and the white plums of her breath slowed after a moment. Barimus started forward but she held him back with a hand and winced. The red wizard's face showed his concern plainly and she showed him her blistered palms.

“He's here,” Calcifer crackled softly, turning purple red with rage.

The pair gave a start as footsteps echoed in the darkness beyond the barrier, dislodging more ice from above. Foot prints showed in the light dusting of snow at the edge of the darkness as the Wall Maker's face materialized under the hood of his cloak of midnight sky. He stood before them like a living piece of ice, his cold blue eyes impassive. But Sophie could see the dim shape of his shadow reaching back into the Wall. It was the arm of the Darkness that had its fingers around the old sorcerer's soul.

“It was foolish of you to come here,” the brass bell of his voice echoed deeply in the chamber.

“We have come for the wizard Howl!” Barimus spoke with vehemence.

“You are even more foolish to think that you can demand anything from me, traitorous Red Wizard.”

The ice thickened beneath Agyrus' feet, spreading outward in snapping crackles as its frozen tendrils reached for the Sophie and Barimus. Calcifer flared up into a snarling ball of blazing flame and the ice retreated before the burning power of his heat.

“You're fire is naught before my ice, daemon!” Agyrus boomed as he cast out a hand and showered the companions with freezing rain.

Calcifer shrank back behind Sophie as Barimus threw up a shield of crimson light. The ice hammered on the barrier driving the red wizard to one knee under its weight before he threw it off with a fierce look of concentration. Sophie burst into steely light as she drew Suliman's staff from her pocket; the shaft grew to its full size beneath her hands. The silver witch slammed the butt onto the floor and the ground heaved up under tendrils of white light, pelting Agyrus with large frozen boulders. As the dust and frost cleared the wizard stood unscathed, although a careful look filled his eyes.

“Give me back my husband, Wall Maker!” Sophie shouted.

The old man regarded her for a long moment then spoke ominously.

“Suliman's staff will not help you prevail over me, child. Like her, your emotions make you weak. You should be glad that your husband has been granted such a worthy doom.”

Sophie jerked her head to seek the dim form of her husband with her othersight. Indeed he seemed to be fading away; his body had vanished to his knees. As she was distracted, Agyrus sent forward another volley of ice and snow. Barimus threw forward the red barrier once more, but was driven back beneath the old sorcerer's power. Regaining her composure, Sophie added her magic to the barrier and they thrust off the ice once more.

“You would kill your own nephew to build your Wall?!” Barimus yelled, rising up into the air on his otherwind to toss handfuls of fire at the unfeeling mage.

Agyrus turned after the red wizard. He deftly stepped around each of the missiles with inhuman speed, the cloak of sky around him causing him to melt in and out of solidity. Raising his palms from his waist, the Wall Maker conjured shades of ice that sprung up after Barimus.

Sophie knew that the blond man was drawing the old sorcerer's attention. She and Calcifer started once more for the barrier and the fire daemon burst into bright purple white flame on the edge of the light and dark. Under his fire Sophie was able to push her hands through the barrier.

But Agyrus felt the blockade breech and turned sharply to cast a wind of pure magic at the silver witch's exposed side. She barely had enough time to hold up Suliman's staff as she and Calcifer were thrown against the wall with tremendous force. The little fire daemon fizzled and was lost into the dark side of the chamber.

But Sophie did not fall for she was pinned between the light and dark as the barrier snapped back into place. With empty eyes, Agyrus brought out his hand once more to crush the trapped silver witch. In that moment Barimus let out a shout of desperation and brought the entire ceiling of ice crashing down onto the room. The snarling avalanche of ice sheets and snow floored the Wall Maker, also buring the red wizard and the silver witch in an inundation of white.

 

xXx

 

By the grace of the Gods, Sophie was not crushed by the ice.

The tall chamber was flooded with sun and wind from the plateau above as the silver haired witch burst from a bank of snow. Scrambling to extract herself from the frozen drift, the little woman trembled as she caught sight of Howl against the wall. She managed to drag herself through the snow with Suliman's staff, foundering to his dim black outline. His body had disappeared to his waist, which had no substance as it faded into snow.

“Howl!” She cried as she cupped her husband's chin in her hands, raising his eyes to her own. Her heart fluttered and she felt faint as she gazed into the complete darkness that filled his eyes. She let go of him and stumbled backward.

Howl was filled with the Dark!

Casting her eyes about in the glare from above, she tried to find any sign of the red wizard at the fire daemon.

“Calcifer! Barimus!” She called over the howling winds to no avail.

The drifts heaved from the center of the chamber as great chunks of ice flew back revealing the wizard Agyrus. The Wall Maker absently dragged a limp red form from the snow and cast the man aside. Turning his cold blue eyes toward Sophie, the silver witch could see the hate that twisted the old sorcerer's features. But this was not the wizard Agyrus who glowered at her. Light seemed to flee from the trailing edge of the sorcerer's cloak as the Dark crept into his form. This was no flimsy shade, like the bit of despair that had consumed Ambassador Varra. This was the great crimson wave that had loomed above the Dull Wall in her othersight.

Found you! It shrieked with thousands of hissing molten voices that invaded the inner sanctum of her mind with burning lances.

Now, this world is ours Ours OURS!

Sophie fell back against the wall in horror and pain, casting a desperate glance at Howl. He had disappeared to the shoulders. With shaking hands she tore her handkerchief from her pocket and cast the last shard of the banishing mirror onto the snow. The Dark looked at the dark piece of glass and the monster within Agyrus twisted his features into a snarling mask. The surface of the shard cleared to reveal the scorched plain.

NO! It started forward to grasp the shard just as Sophie swung Suliman's stick and shattered it.

Time stood still.

The winds were replaced by a different kind as a great vortex opened up into the plains of twisting red lights of the otherworld beyond the Dull Wall. But Sophie did not have time to root herself in place with Suliman's staff. The shaft of wood slipped through her hands as she was dragged through the snow. Agyrus, Barimus, and Sophie were pulled into the otherworld.

xXx