Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Howl's Moving Castle. Familiar characters and places all belongs to the Diana Wynne Jones .
Chapter 1: In Which Devil's Dust Rise Again
A dark figure rustles through the lifeless woods of "Delfrum" in the south of Ingary, panting for air in every step along its way. With a tattered hood covering its face, making the figure looks like a black ghost. The rotten leaves crumbled and rot till there is nothing left when the dark slender figure touches them.
"Delfrum" , better known as the woods of evil. Every single evil hearted creature finds it heavenly here. Never a seed sprout from its deadly ground. It was always dark in Delfrum, not even a single ray of light dared to shine in here. Evil lurks everywhere in Delfrum, all the trees are dead black and yet, standing tall with pride with nothing but hatred. Hung on the trees are bats, in an odd way, greeted the dark wondering figure by opening their eyes, showing their bloody red pupils and glossy black skin. In return, the figure nodded its head to them and then continues its way.
I began to become foggy, howls of wolves echoed through the night, dark clouds rose from nowhere in the night sky, covering the stars and the moon which shone ever so bright. An enormous spider web blocked the figure's way, but without any care of the world, the figure just ripped and opened a huge hole in the middle of the web. The figure advanced through and stopped for a while, waiting.
A crow echoed through the woods, making the place seam more frightening then ever. High up in the sky, a raven swooped down and landed gracefully when the figure thrust out its arm, allowing the raven to perch on it. The raven's feathers are as black as coal, quite similar to the bats, it also has red eyes. It held its head high as handsomely as a peacock, then giving a low bow to the figure.
"I've used up all my strength to summoned you here. You better be worth it!" hissed the figure. "Take me to the power which I seek!"
The raven immediately flown away, the figure was about to follow the raven when it accidentally tripped on a large root of a dead tree and fell on its knees. The raven quickly flew back to the figure, being very loyal to its new master. The figure shivered a little and strokes the raven's back.
"You have loyalty, and loyalty is what I like from you," said the figure in a cold tone. "But that doesn't change the fact I would keep you if you don't take me to the power."
The raven looked at the figure and seam to put a little smirked on its face before it flew off again. The figure search around and found stick long enough to use as a staff to support it. The figure began hobbling, holding the stick in both hands while catching up with the raven. On every step the figure takes, the environment gets colder and musty. The smell of death is everywhere, dead corpse of creatures are lying on the ground. Some creatures died with their eyes widely opened as a sign of 'not wanting to die yet', other creatures died from loosing parts of their bodies. But the figure, not respecting the dead, just hobbled over them as if it they were never there.
"Curse, Cruse my weakness. If I don't have a heart now, I'll have to make one! Then, I'll have my revenge,"mumbled the figure. "I have to endure all this pain!"
The figure then spotted a little wounded creature with long skinny fingers crawling across the figure's path. The creature was only the size of a palm and hairless, it has large eyes and a mouth full of teeth. The figure, in rage, stomp it, causing the creature to cry out a painful screech which pierced through the night. It screeched, it clawed the ground, trying to escape the pain. The figure heartlessly kept on stomping on it, stabbing it with its stick, pressing it to the ground. The creature screech out cries for mercy, but the figure kept going on. At last, the figure broke the creature's spine with a crack! A great deal of blood is spat out from the creature before the figure is satisfied.
"Now you know how I felt like," said the figure. "I don't have a heart, and this is what it felt like. The pain just goes on, never stopping when you begged so hard. Now, you can share my pain."
Without caring, the figure left the creature and continues to follow the raven, leaving the harmless creature putting out pitiful squeaks and its road to a dusty death.
The raven flew swiftly and silently, turning back once in a while to see if the figure is following it. Once, the figure came across a patch of the forest blocking its way. For the tree are so close together, making a dead end. But that doesn't worry the figure, it just continues hobbling, that when it got close to the trees. Their roots sprouts out from the ground and crawled aside just like spiders, leaving a path for the figure to proceed its way.
After quite a much hobbling, the fog began to crease. The raven took the figure to an ancient rune in the heart of Delfrum. The ground was now tiled with stone tiles, crafted markings on them made them unique. And that is where it stopped flying and perched on a skull on the rock tiled ground. The figure soon came, panting harder than ever.
"Is this it?" asked the figure.
The raven just nodded and turned to look at a circle of trees, protecting whatever it is in the center of it. The figure hobble close to the trees, expecting the trees to move aside like the way it ordered the others. But they didn't.
"Where is the key to open the way? Tell me!" shouted the figure impatiently to the raven.
The raven took off from the skull and perched on the figure's staff, tapping it with its beak. The figure observed the staff more closely and found ancient writings carved all over it. The figure translated the writing easily, feeling the carvings under its pale hands.
"This is the key. The key on unlock the way to the powers of the devil." said the figure. "Where is the lock, raven?"
Again the raven nodded and flew to a spot on the ground, scrapping a pile of rotten leaves which lay on the ground with its claws. The figure seam to understand what the raven wanted it to do, it hobble quickly to the pile of leaves and began scraping it away like the raven. After sweeping away the last pile of leaves, it revealed a round hole, not big enough to fit in a whole hand.
There are markings surrounding the hole. The hole is like a starting point for the symbols, swirls and other odd patterns crafted on the tiles, all the patterns led straight to the trees which formed a circle around what the figure seek. It turns out the trees too, have the same cravings and symbols on them.
The raven tapped on the figure's stick and it got the figure's attention. The figure quickly turned its attention to the stick and saw again, the same cravings. The figure strokes the cravings lovingly with its pale hands, admiring it. Despite the carvings, it still looks more like an ordinary staff from afar.
"The staff of the Devil, legend said that this staff belongs to the Devil who once taken every life in Ingary if it wasn't for the Angel. The Angel cast a shell around the staff, to stop its evil powers from getting out or used. This staff could only be used by the Devil himself, but that will all soon change wouldn't it? And soon, you will be under my control." sniggered the figure.
The raven then tapped the round hole and inserted its beak into the hole and out when the figure is looking at it.
"You're an intelligent one, I guess I got more than I was bargain for," said the figure.
But the raven acted more impatiently, it kept tapping the hole, as if it knew its master wanted something badly and doesn't want to keep it waiting. The figure got the idea and inserted the staff quickly into the hole.
As soon as the staff touches the hole, there was a bright green flash; there was a gust of strong wind which blew away the figure's hood, revealing the face of the figure. It turns out the figure was actually a woman! She has long fair hair, slender and wore a tattered white dress which needed some patchwork. She could have looked quite beautiful if she wasn't so pale and thin. Her hair was spread out here and there because of the strong wind. She gritted her teeth; using every last strength, she holds on to the staff which is now glowing bright lime green and spreading out swirly patterns everywhere. The raven too, endured itself just like its mistress.
There was a time, time stopped at that time. Everything gone slowly for a while, even the hair from the woman swayed slowly like it was in water, there was peace for a limited time until it all stopped. Everything became calm; the woman's hair was quite messed up when it all slowly dropdown. Still clutching the staff glowing staff, it is now giving out long lines of glowing swirls.
Then, the gentle lapping of water was heard. When the woman looked down, greenish glowing water began to rise from the hole the water spreads through the crafted symbols and linings, connecting to every single crafted pattern there is. The water spread silently, only the soft sound of moaning could be heard from the water. Finally, the water filled up every crafted pattern around the area, even the water flow up to fill the carvings of the trees.
That's where the magic stunned, but the markings on the tiles and trees are still glowing. The place became silent; not even the rustling of withered leaves or the sound of creatures could be heard in this condition. The woman breathes deeply, but soundlessly. The power was just too strong to handle, but she seam to be able to be confident even after all that pressure. The woman took a deep breath and said loudly and clearly.
"I call upon the Devil,
who is the mighty one!
To share his power,
for a revenge that can't be done.
One's heart used to be black,
but not as black as the mighty one.
In return,
I shall take your place,
O Great One!"
Her words echoed and the place began to rumble. The raven lost its balance, but it managed to fly away and took cover on the nearest tree. The woman continues balancing holding even more tightly to the staff. Everything was suddenly cut off when the circle of trees exploded together. The explosion was so great, dust and old twigs are blown away, making the place look even foggier than ever. The woman lost her grip; she and the staff are both blown away, the woman slammed on the trunk of a tree and fell on her face with the staff following after. The raven used its wings to block itself from the dusts like a shield, gripping the branches tightly with its claws.
The woman groaned and pushed herself up, her eyes are red rimed and watery. When her vision was finally cleared, she saw that the circle of trees is gone. Only a stone slab was there with something glittering on it. The raven flew down next to its mistress, and pushed the staff close to her. This is it, the woman thought. She quickly picks up the staff and ran to the stone slab with the raven flying behind her.
The excitement was unbearable; the woman stopped running and walked close to the slab, on it was a beautiful gold goblet. It has the same markings as the tiles crafted on it, with precious stones on it. The goblet is filled with a certain kind of dust. The dust is bloody red in color, it's not the type of dust you would trust or dare to touch and has no scent. The raven stood near the slab, not equally trusting the goblet. The woman rubbed her finger on the precious jewels which attached to the goblet. How lovely it is, she thought. Lovely indeed it may look on the outside, but there is a strong scent of evil surrounding it, no wonder it's so quiet here, all the creatures are fend off. Not even the cruelness of creatures dares to take even one step close to this mysterious goblet.
"The Devil is the grateful one. Only the one who has the pure heart of evil, and crave for revenge could only control the powers of the Devil's Dust" said the woman.
After saying these words, she quickly scoped a handful of the dust in the goblet; she stuffed it all into her mouth and swallowed it slowly. The raven felt disgusted, it turned its head sideways and backed a few steps. So suddenly, the woman collapsed and landed on her knees, she panted and gasped with one hand pressing her stomach. She felt as if something is twisting her face and pressing everywhere around her, the pain made her anger worse, but she knows its all part of it.
The woman's pain soon left, she stood up slowly and is able to stand straight easier. Her hair was fairer than usual, there was a fresh feeling in her and the feeling made her strong. She was no longer the pale woman she once had been, but now, a woman who seam to began the journey to adulthood. At last, my youth had return thought the woman happily. She than turn to the raven and said.
"And all this, I owe it all to you. Therefore, I decided to take you with me. What do you think, Saledor?"
The raven is proud of itself to accomplished a mission, and put on an invisible smirk on its face as a sign of agreement.
"I'll take that you agree. For that, I shall give you a reward," said the woman and also putting on an evil smile. "Up!"
The raven quickly sprang up from the ground and perch on the woman's shoulder. The woman picks up a thorn lying on the ground, and pricks her finger with it. Red blood oozed out from the spot, she then puts her finger close to the raven. The raven began to taste the blood, tasting it bit by bit as if it was a tasty treat. It was actually a tradition for witches to reward a certain creature for its help if it had done well. And it occurred to her that this raven had done very well indeed.
When Saledor had enough of the blood, the woman said.
"Legend said that this dust belongs to the Devil himself when the Angel defeated him. He then turned into this very dust known as 'Devil's Dust' and reborn again to rest his strength. It's also said that whoever hold the dust, holds most of the Devils power. Now is the time I will keep my word to the Devil, to take over until he awakes from his deep slumber."
The woman turned to the staff she is holding and grinned. She then pinched a little Devil's Dust and sprinkles it on the staff. Oddly, the dust gently fell on the staff. There is a big flash of green light, the staff shone. The woman it felt grows longer and a bit wider, and yet, much lighter somehow. In a while, the light fade away, and it reveled a very impressive looking staff. A huge green crystal shone on the tip of the staff, its marking stand out and could bee seen easily. When held, it was as light as a feather and as hard as a rock. The woman laughs menacingly and holds the staff up high.
"At last, I hold Elfarium, the staff of the Devil!" shouted the woman happily.
Saledor crowed happily for its mistress and flapped its wings. They indeed have celebrated their joy in the dark of the night. Suddenly, a rustle could be heard from behind the trees. Somehow, a black saber tooth tiger intends to investigate all that merry making. Unfortunately, it changes its mind and decided to hunt for dinner instead.
Saledor heard it. Despite big cats being stealthy, Saledor has quite an acute hearing. Saledor give out a loud cry as soon as it saw the tiger behind them. The tiger pounced and intends to take down its prey before they could escape. But the woman senses it too at the same time as Saledor. All this time she was just waiting for the tiger to make its ambush. She then quickly turned to the tiger at the same time the staff shown and shot out a green ball of flame at the tiger. A direct hit! The tiger was blown away with the ball of flame still with it. It crashed on the trees causing many of the trees to fall down too. Then, another huge explosion occurs. This time many trees crumbled to the ground or either burned away by the amazing power of Elfarium. The burning fire dances on the trees and ground, it leap and flow with the wind. All could be seen is a big red flower blooming on the ground, spreading its wrath throughout the other trees.
"Feast our eyes on the power of Elfarium, Saledor! Just look at it all! And not even until a bit of the power is used. I've decided that I will try to take over Ingary again and other worlds if I stumbled on any, after I deal with a few more things," said the woman. "What do you think, Saledor?"
Saledor nodded, the woman was pleased. You have an evil mind and yet, loyal to your masters, that's what I like about you Saledor, she thought. The woman turns to the stone slab and gently picks up the goblet. Saledor intends to take a closer look at the dust, but changes its mind.
"Now all the elements are complete, I regain my youth, I have the powers of the Devil, Elfarium and now all it's left is my revenge and Ingary!" whispered the woman.
She floated up into the air, holding the goblet and Elfarium in both hands with Saledor flying after her. The clouds began to give out flashes of light; lightning bolts could be seen as they zap to the ground. The wind blew until the trees swayed. And the woman's fair hair was whipped to the back. She held the goblet up high with her right hand and said.
"The power of the Devil lies in the palm of my hands. May the time of the Devil's Dust Rises again!"
By Celtic Angora