Chapter 7. Friend or Foe.
Sophie sat beside Howl as he continued to sleep it had been over a week since she had found him and she could not have been more over joyed to find him alive but now more pressing matters came to mind. Markel and Calcifer were missing and if Howl didn't wake up by next week there was a chance he may just slip away from her. Life seemed to enjoy putting obstacle after obstacle in her life. A knock at the door brought her attention away from Howl as she watched her sister sneak her head inside. Lettie walked into the room and quietly shut the door behind her in order to not awake the sleep Skylar.
"Sophie, you need to go out," Lettie began as she crouched in front of her sister, who was watching over Howl so tentatively. Sophie shook her head in response to Lettie's plea as her sister continued to stare up at her. "Sophie you have been locked up in here all week, please just go outside," Lettie continued while Sophie shook her head adamantly.
"I can not leave him," Sophie insisted as touched his cheek tentatively wondering if he was ever going to open his eyes and give her one of his cheeky eyed smile. "It is my fault he is here," Sophie whispered as she continued to silently watch over him. Lettie frowned, she knew that being in this stuffy room alone was making Sophie over think everything.
"Do not be stupid, it is no ones fault he is here," Lettie lectured as she placed her hand on Sophie's knee, causing Sophie to look down at her sister. Sophie was surprised to see the bags under her sisters eyes and her slightly pale complexion. "You look awful," Lettie noted, as Sophie raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"You do not look wonderful yourself," Sophie replied as she cocked her head to the side to take in her sisters appearance. "You look worried," Sophie noted as Lettie nodded.
"My sister, wont leave the house," Lettie replied as Sophie replied with a weak smile, "Here, you can go get the grocery's and I will look after Howl and Skylar," Lettie suggested as Sophie looked over to the cradle where Skylar slept soundly and then to Howl who also slept. "If something is wrong, I will be sure to find you," Lettie assured her as she placed the small list of groceries into Sophie's hand. Lettie stood and managed to pull the stubborn Sophie up from her seat. Sophie leaned over to Howl and pecked his lips silently before heading to Skylar and pecking her forehead.
"If I go, you will stop worrying over me?" Sophie questioned, she hated anyone worrying over her. Lettie nodded and smiled triumphantly as her sister nodded and touched Lettie's shoulder before leaving the room. Sophie looked back at the door that kept Skylar and Howl as she gave a silent prayer to keep them safe.
"Sophie!" She heard her mother call from down the hall, "Oh how wonderful! I was beginning to think you had died in that room!" Her mother gushed over her, as she grabbed her shoulders and inspected her eldest. "You look awfully pale," She mused as she stared at Sophie's sickly complexion.
"Mother, Im going out," Sophie informed her mother, whose mouth slightly fell open, before she managed to close it and node affirmatively. "I won't be gone long," Sophie said coldly, her tone was monotonous as she walked away from her mother and reached for the door, before turning around to face her mother. "Thank you," She whispered, she did not need to clarify as her mother instantly understood what for as she smiled at her. Sophie was surprised at how chilly the air was, winter was coming and a long with it, cold mornings! She walked down the hill towards the market. She couldn't deny the fresh air, and change of atmosphere was very refreshing and brought her head away from all the troubles that constantly surrounded her. She went about buying fish, bread and butter for the family when she spotted a mob of ginger brown hair. Her breath caught in her throat. Time seemed to slow as she stared at Markl who stared at her from across the street. She couldn't breath as she began walking forwards only to be woken from her frozen like state by the sounds of horses kicking up in surprise at the foolish human walking across the street. Sophie gasped as she quickly ran across the other side of the street. Her foolishness did not go unnoticed as people looked over to her and shook their heads in disappointment. Sophie blushed red as she realised how dangerous the entire event was and how foolish she had been. She had been too trapped in the small room to remember the reality of living. Shaking her head she then remembered the cause as to why she crossed the road but Markl was no where in sight. She began to push through crowds crying out his name in vain.
"Markl! Come back! Why won't you come back," She whispered as she grasped the side of a building tears staining her eyes, but a form of relieve went through her, he was alive and maybe he knew where Calcifer was.
"Sophie!" She heard a child like voice call to her, quickly turning on her heels she stared at Markl who was at the end of the alleyway. She began walking towards him to see he turned the corner, she began to run. He wanted her to follow him. She continued to run until she could no longer get sight of him. She panted frantically her heart beating heavily in her chest. She found herself standing outside an old hat shop, she couldn't help herself as she stared inside to see all the wonderful different types of hats when she sensed someone was staring at her. She looked up and gave a small gasp as she saw the reflection of a man behind her.
Sophie felt fear grip her it was not the same man from the nightmare, know he was too short, too human to be the man from the nightmare.
"Miss Pendragon," He said quietly his voice was different in fact it reminded her strangely of the witch of the waste. "I am the son of a witch that you know," he began, as Sophie instantly began wrecking her brains for all the witches she knew and only came up with Madam Suliman. "I have come to steal your heart as punishment," he informed her as Sophie felt his hand come round her chest, she could barely breath, the only man that had ever dared touch her their was Howl.
"Punishment?" Sophie squeaked as she wrecked her brains of some sort of way to escape her attacker, while wondering what she had done wrong. "I have done nothing wrong," she whimpered as his hand went inside her chest and clutched her heart causing to whither in pain.
"I have said punishment for you," he said slowly as he pulled Sophie's heart out into the open, she watched as it heated in his hands, her eyes wide and alarmed as she turned to stare at him. "He once ate a falling a star, now I want to see him fight for the heart of his beloved wife," he sneered at Sophie before he turned away. This could not be happening, first Markl and Calcifer were missing, Howl was unwell and very much unconsciousness and now she had no heart!
"Please don't do this," Sophie begged as she grabbed him by his arm as her brown eyes pierced him and silently begged him to change his mind. "Please, give me back Markl and Calcifer," she continued to beg, as she could only assume that this man had them. He frowned at her.
"Who are Markl and Calcifer?" he questioned, as she realised he had no idea who she was referring to, did this mean they had two enemies to over come? Sophie could not help but let out a cry of despair, she knew she should have stayed at home by Howl's side.
"Please give me back my heart," She begged changing the topic as to avoid talking about the other half of her misfortunes, he smiled down at her and clutch her heart tightly in his hands, causing her to let go of his arm and double over in pain as he continued to apply pressure to the heart, she fell to her knees. He was slowly killing her. "Please," She cried as he laughed and applied more agony onto her delicate heart. Sophie did not know how much longer her heart would hold out as he gave it another squeeze causing her roll onto her side as tears fell down her cheeks. Suddenly the pain was released and she was allowed to breath again, she stared at him from the ground and watched as he placed her heart in a white orb before if vanished from sight. Sophie whimpered pathetically on the ground as a small hand landed on her shoulder, she looked up to see Markl staring down at her. "Markl," she whispered as he took several steps away from her. She got up to see he was once again running from her. She managed to get herself upright and follow him, her heart no longer searing with pain, she was surprised at how light it really felt living with out a heart, and also how empty she felt. She ran in the direction of Markl surprised to find themselves standing over a bridge leading out of the city when he stopped and turned to face her.
"Without a heart you are useless to me," Markl said, Sophie stood frozen, that was not Markl's voice, it was the voice of the man from her dream, she swallowed. "Here give this to Howl, make sure he gets your heart back," he informed her, as he held out a vial, Sophie did not know what propelled her to take the vial from the boy that looked like Markl but the moment the bottle was in her hands, Markl vanished from sight. Sophie placed the vial to her chest as she missed the steady sound of her heartbeat that informed her she was alive. Sophie turned back and decided to head home, she had had enough of the city and needed some tranquility and sanity or she was sure she was going to go mad. She silently walked through the streets as people passed by her, everyone went about their daily business, if only anyone knew what she had just been through. Sophie made it back home where she was surprised to see Lettie and her mother sleeping in the living room, she silently walked into Howl's room to see little baby Skyla also sleeping soundly which caused a smile to form on Sophie's lips. Sophie sat next to Howl and looked at the vial in her hands should she use it? What if it was poison and would kill Howl? However something deep inside her it would not kill him, but could she take the risk? Sophie unscrewed the lid and sniffed inside, it smelt like a burning fire, she then took a sip of the substance. Sophie coughed and choked as her whole body seemed to be alive as she felt so much energy burn through her, she felt so much stronger she looked at the bottle and with out a second thought forced Howl to drink the entire body. Sophie held him down as he jolted against her and shook in agony before he calmed down and his blue eyes sprung open and he stared at her. He lifted his hand and cupped her cheek.
"My beautiful Sophie," he whispered as Sophie leaned over and gave him the biggest kiss of his life.
Hehehe another late and not very long chapter... but better late than never :P
hope it was okay :P