Chapter 14 - Escape!
"Markl! Stop her!" Howl yelled from the hearth. His hands were trapped by a particularly complicated bit of spell work.
Markl looked at Howl in confusion. He had been confused a lot this day. "But ... M-m-master Howl. The barrier?"
Sophie hit the barrier ... and kept going.
Markl felt his jaw drop again. That had been happening a lot, too. "How did she do that?"
Calcifer shook his head at the naive young apprentice. "Love, ya dummy. It's the most powerful spell of them all - even the type that is started by a love spell."
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Sophie skipped and twirled through the crowd, leaving a trail of befuddled men in her wake.
"So handsome!" she squealed as she fluttered her eyelashes at one man.
"So strong!" she crooned at another young man, holding onto his arm. She smiled when his ears turned bright red. He was trying to stammer a reply when her eyes were captured by another.
"Ooh!" Sophie flitted over to him and grabbed his hands. "How darling! You have captured my heart!" Then she leaned over and kissed him ... right on his wrinkled forehead.
"Eh? What's that?" the old man yelled as he hobbled forward.
But Sophie was gone. There were so many more people for her to love! She took the crowd by storm - a kiss on the cheek here, a coy grin there.
The market was in chaos.
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Markl looked out the door. "She's gone! I don't know which way she went!"
"Calcifer. Markl. Finish the antidote! I'll get Sophie," Howl barked as he finished the spell. He stepped outside the door and stood with his hands on his hips. He glanced around the market, quickly taking stock of the environment. He saw a trail of stunned men leading to the left. "That way!" he shouted. In a flurry of hair, clothes, and panic, he ran after her.
Silence descended upon the castle. Its three sole occupants stared at the doorway.
"Wow."
"Whoa."
"Did ya see that?"
The three began to talk excitedly, all at the same time. "Crazy!" "I can't believe it!" "Never seen anything like it!"
Bekky ran to the window for a better look. "That lady sure was excited, wasn't she?" she asked innocently.
Markl and Calcifer exchanged knowing looks. They hadn't been talking about Sophie. They whispered to each other in short, quiet sentences - as if confirming something they still had trouble believing.
"Brown shoes and a black belt..."
"His coat was missing a button..."
"Same shirt that he wore this morning..."
"Yup. And ... did you see his hair?" A pause. Heavy with significance. "It wasn't brushed was it?"
Markl shook his head solemnly.
Calcifer sighed. "Wow. He really does love her, huh?"