Woow, an update, sooner than I expected and sooner than... usual? Although I deliberately tried to hurry up 'cos I cannot probably do anything at the weekend. Today I renewed my Howl's Moving Castle book loan—for the third time. I have a strong feeling that it is the only copy of the English version in the library, I'm baaaad for keeping it so long... BUT, I also did something that I should have done long ago already—I went to Amazon-dot-co-dot-uk and ordered the book. Okay, I hadn't done that earlier because I was hunting for a certain reprint. Hopefully it will arrive before I have to return the library book... I cannot write without reference material, although I don't always need it.
Anyways, I hope I can provide you with some unexpected scenes in the following chapters. I dismissed a bunch of cliché ideas, hopefully all of them. Thank you for your reviews! Please enjoy this chapter!

Michael raised his eyebrow, expecting Howl to tell more about the threat the duke had received. Howl, still seeming irritable, picked the letter up again and concentrated on reading for a while. Then, he tossed it on the table and said:
"D'oh, he could have told me more." He turned on his heels and went upstairs to fetch his jacket. On his way to the castle door he murmured: "I have no choice but to go meet the duke first."
Being in such haste, Howl did not seem to pay any attention to the fact that the orange blob was already turned down. He merely rushed out, leaving Michael all alone with his questions.

"I sense trouble," Calcifer said, flickering in the grate. Michael nodded absently and walked over to the workbench to take a look at the letter. He did not dare to touch it, mostly because it had not been addressed to him, but he could very well read it without picking it up. Unable to restrain his curiosity, Calcifer also plunged from the grate and stopped to hover over Michael's shoulder, peeking at the paper.

"Not particularly interesting," Michael remarked and turned to look at Calcifer, who was already on his way back to the hearth.
"I wonder if royal letters ever are," the fire demon said. Michael nodded. "Well, I'll be in the shop. If Howl returns, please tell him to come inform me."

*

Sophie had abandoned the road leading away from the mansion very soon after passing the gates. The road was not particularly big, and there seemed to be nothing remarkably interesting on it. In Vale End everything seemed to be far away from everything.

Sophie had chosen to walk along a small forest path which was taking her farther away from the main road. She realized she had better not go too far or at least not away from the path. In the middle of the forest it could be tricky to try to find the right direction. She was not afraid of getting lost, but she knew it would not be difficult at all.

The ground began to slope upwards, and eventually Sophie reached a slightly steeper slope with rocks scattered all around it. In spite of the rough shapes and sharp edges of the rocks, they made climbing relatively easy if one just was careful enough not to misplace their foot. Sophie was determined enough to climb up to the hillock and therefore she gathered her hems and ascended the slope, slowly but surely.

Having reached the top, she stood up and turned to look in the direction where she had come from. She could spot the roof of their mansion in the middle of the forest, though surrounded by a space with fewer trees. She saw a few other roofs as well, towering high enough to imply that they also belonged to wealthy mansions. Vale End seemed sparsely populated, but at least seen from that hillock most of the residences looked prosperous.

On the other side of the hill the slope was much less steep than the one Sophie had climbed up, and with fewer rocks as well, it seemed to be a safer way down. However, before going anywhere Sophie concentrated on viewing the scenery in the other direction as well. She wondered in which direction Market Chipping would be, as it was in the same valley after all. She tried to look for a glimpse of it, but to no avail.

She was just about to descend when she heard a rustle from behind. She stood still and listened, and before she had turned to look behind, she heard another faint sound which was much closer. Feeling uncomfortable, she turned her head in order to look over her shoulder.

Sophie gave a shriek of fright and terror and took a step back. Unfortunately, she tripped over her hems and fell backwards, landing on her back on the ground. She tried to get up, but she only managed to get herself to lean on her elbows before she realized she was staring in the face of an ugly, man-sized—no, even bigger—insect. Innumerable small eyes were staring into hers intensely, while the creature's feelers were almost touching her face.

Lowering her gaze, Sophie found that the creature's body resembled that of a man, slightly, and it was all purple. Sophie swallowed and raised her sight back to the uncomfortable-looking face. Although the scarecrow had proved rather harmless, it had never seemed as frightening as the monstrous insect standing there, bent threateningly over Sophie.

"You seem to be exactly what I need," the creature said in its rough animal voice. Sophie was surprised to hear it speak in the first place. However, she really hoped the creature was mistaken.

Pulling herself together, in spite of being very afraid, Sophie tried to sound as calm as possible:
"I doubt that."
The creature buzzed in response and reached out its hands towards Sophie's chest and neck.
"You do me a favour and I'll have mercy on you and save your life. You help me get inside a nearby villa, and that's all."
The insect seemed to be serious. Its hands were groping for Sophie's neckline, and suddenly she was afraid of the creature wanting to strangle her.

No longer did Sophie hesitate. With a sudden movement, she smacked the creature's hands away. But it had already managed to take hold of her clothes, and Sophie heard them rip because of the violent tugs. She clearly managed to surprise the creature, and she took advantage of it again by kicking it in the shin as hard as she could. Two sudden attacks were everything it took to make the creature fall, and then Sophie got her chance to get up. But the creature had not hurt itself badly, and it was getting back onto its feet just as fast as Sophie.

Sophie could not weigh any alternatives. She had to run for her life, and she only had one safe direction to head for. She ran the gentle slope down, and went on deeper into the forest. She barely dared to turn to look behind, but she knew very well that the creature was after her. She could only hope that it would be slow. She was not particularly fast in the rough terrain, and the insect seemed to be running relatively fast. However, it seemed to be unable to fly with the small wings on its back, which was fortunate—otherwise Sophie might not have had any chance at all.

All that Sophie could hear was the crackling from behind and her own heavy breathing. She was getting exhausted, but the insect was persistent. She did not know how long she could keep running; the forest was getting denser and more and more difficult. She had no time to watch out for any obstacles, and therefore tree branches kept scratching her skin. Every now and then her clothes got stuck somewhere, and she merely had to tear them off. The dress she was wearing was pretty much ruined.

Sophie was getting desperate. She felt so exhausted, but she knew the creature was still chasing her. She glanced over her shoulder, and could not see the creature anywhere, but she could hear it was on her track. Gasping for breath, she just kept moving her feet as fast as possible.
Until suddenly, she was no longer running.

*

At about five o'clock in the afternoon Michael heard Howl return. He could hear through the broom cupboard the wizard talking to Calcifer, and somehow he grew more and more impatient. There were still a few customers in the flower shop, and although Michael would have liked to rush into the castle, he could not do that.

When the last customer was about to leave, Michael saw her out and almost closed the door in the middle of the customer's goodbyes. He had intended to keep the shop open a bit longer, but he had to satisfy his curiosity immediately. Having locked the door, he hurried to the castle, leaving everything in the shop lying about.

The first thing Michael saw when he reached the castle room was Howl sitting on the stool in front of the grate, looking grumpy. Calcifer was looking at Howl, and he did not seem particularly happy either.

"Hello, Howl," Michael started carefully, pretending that he had come in by accident. He swallowed and added: "How did it go? Did the visit clarify anything?"
"It certainly did," Howl grumbled in response. "I cannot understand why this issue would concern me."

Howl stood up and tossed a log to Calcifer. Then he straightened up his back and put his hands on his hips dramatically, turning to Michael.
"The duke, who comes from somewhere near High Norland, had already been threatened while still at home. They had taken—or mistaken—the threat for an ordinary one of an ordinary assassination, which it obviously was not. But they figured out it would be safer for the duke to travel far, far away in secret, and thus, his loyal friend—our king—had promised to help him and put him up in that villa."

Howl had started walking around the castle room while explaining, also talking with his hands.
"But it turned out that he did not manage to escape, but he was followed by that… threat. He had obviously managed to anger it somehow, and now… he is running—or hiding—for his life. And no wonder."

As Howl fell silent, Calcifer said in a low voice: "It's a lubbock." Having seen the questioning expression on Michael's face, the fire demon elaborated: "They are very dangerous. Pretty much deadly if they hit you. We have to cooperate to defeat it."

While digesting the brand new information, Michael watched Howl walk around restlessly with a moody frown on his face. Suddenly, a horrifying thought crossed his mind. He went pale and turned to look Howl in the eyes.
"Sophie… left for a walk in Vale End and… she hasn't yet returned…" Michael gasped out.
Howl stopped short and turned his sight to Michael, seeming totally upset.
"What did you just say?"