Chapter 12: Saved by the Apprentice


Calcifer rested in his normal fireplace, slowly dying of boredom. Heen lay on the couch, his eyes fluttering and shutting tightly as if he were having a nightmare. After Calcifer returned from speaking with Sophie, he immediately went to Howl with her whereabouts. When he found out Suliman held her captive inside of the Palace, Howl became extremely hostile. He hadn't let his emotions consume him as he did earlier, but he didn't take the situation lightly.

Howl and Kenta left for the Kingsbury Palace immediately after Calcifer finished explaining Sophie's predicament. When Howl asked why Suliman had taken Sophie in the first place, Calcifer said she wanted leverage over him.

Calcifer hated lying to Howl - again - especially knowing that this secret wedding would tear him to pieces the more he was in the dark about it. He understood why Sophie begged him to not tell Howl; it just hurt watching Howl have so much hope.

Calcifer felt his fire on the decline as the ashen logs crumbled underneath his flames. He reached for the log holder, but it was empty. Calcifer sighed. He knew he wouldn't burn out; if he could survive a dousing of water, he could survive most anything.

He only wished he could do more to assist his friends. From the confines of his fireplace, his options were limited. It was a moment like this that he loathed his existence as a fire demon. He wanted something more than this.

Markl rushed down the staircase and skipped the last two steps, jumping on the sturdy wood floorboard. The boy laughed as Calcifer rolled his eyes. Markl was still young and reckless. Even though he knew Sophie was missing, he didn't fully understand the strain of the situation.

Calcifer scoffed as Markl jumped toward the living room. "Markl, would you mind going outside to get a couple logs? My fire is dying."

"In a minute. I'm busy." With every jump, Markl waved his wand to his feet in order to make his jumps higher.

"No you're not." Calcifer said, with slight aggravation. "You're just messing around."

Markl took another leap and landed atop the coffee table, instantly waking Heen up. The small dog wheezed in and out at a fast pace, darting his agitated eyes between Calcifer and Markl.

Calcifer let out an irritated groan. "You're going to break something if you keep jumping like that."

"No I won't." Markl said, preparing to leap again.

"Yes you will."

"No I won't."

"Yes, you will." Calcifer stressed out his words and gritted his teeth as the floorboards creaked and the dust floated from the creases.

"No I–"

"Will you just listen to me for once?" Markl froze when Calcifer raised his voice at him, his flames sparking out radically in all directions. Calcifer breathed heavily, his eyes narrowing at the young boy. His flames turned from a light orange to a fuming red.

Markl straightened his legs and tilted his head. It was rare for Calcifer to act this way. Not even the silly pranks Markl pulled on him couldn't get him this furious. He usually held his anger – truthfully, nothing seemed to anger him to this point.

Markl dropped his head and twisted the heel of his foot on the floor, his voice somber and low. "I'm sorry."

Calcifer closed his eyes. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted like that." He knew he scared the boy, but he had been meaning to have this conversation for a while now.

"Sit down, Markl." He did as he was told and sat next to Heen, running his fingers down the dog's trembling back. Though the poor dog had calmed down, he was still wary of Markl and his unnerving dream.

Calcifer cleared his throat. "Markl, you're still very young. Yes, you should be able to live the way normal kids do, like running through the house and pulling pranks on everyone, but you don't have a normal life. You're an apprentice to a wizard, a very powerful one at that. Your skills are amazing, and you waste them on silly spells to annoy me or Sophie or even poor Heen."

Markl nodded his head slowly, scratching behind Heen's ear. "I know. I just wish I could be like the kids that come in asking for spells or potions. I want to play outside with them rather than learn spells all day."

"I wish you could, too." Calcifer said. "But you'll soon realize that with this life comes a great responsibility. You're going to grow up much faster than the kids your age. You already have. And as much as you'd like to just forget about your responsibilities and enjoy your childhood, you have to remember that being the apprentice to a magician like Howl is actually very dangerous."

Markl shot his eyes open, and Calcifer nodded. "Training with Howl has already turned you into a great threat against most, and you must learn to protect yourself from those who want to hurt you."

"Well, why would anyone want to hurt me?"

"Because Howl is your teacher." Calcifer said. "He's one of the most powerful magicians in the land, so learning from him means you have the chance to become just as powerful, if not more."

Markl sat back, completely enlightened. He knew Howl had enemies and people who wanted to hurt him, but he never thought they would actually do anything to him. He didn't understand the risks when Howl accepted him into his apprenticeship.

"I'm not saying this to scare you." Calcifer said. "I'm saying this to keep you aware, to keep you focused. You must be on guard all the time, or bad things happen."

Markl gulped. "Bad things? Like what?"

Calcifer sighed. "Bad things like Sophie being trapped in the Kingsbury Palace."

Markl lowered his gaze. He missed Sophie. He missed her warm hugs and her warm cooking – even if she made something as repulsive as fish every now and again – and he even missed her taking away his wand if he was messing around. He liked that she cared enough about him and gave him some attention. Though he didn't remember anything about his real parents, Sophie had become the only mother he truly knew and loved.

Markl whispered softly, "I miss her."

"We all do." Calcifer said in agreement. "But the best thing we can do now is protect ourselves and this castle."

Markl looked up, and Calcifer nodded. The boy smiled. He hadn't realized how dire Sophie's predicament was, but knowing he could use his skills to help out brightened his spirits. He felt useful; he felt important.

"Thanks, Calcifer." Markl stood up. He noticed Calcifer's flame getting smaller and weaker, so he went to the front of the house to get more firewood. Once the fire demon felt rejuvenated, Markl went to the bookcase and pulled out one of Howl's spell books.

"I'm going to watch the shop until Sophie and Howl get back. If anyone comes in, I'll hide the spell book." Calcifer smiled and nodded as Markl left the house, practicing and repeating spells on the way out.


. ❀ 。• * ₊ ° 。❀ ° 。


Market Chipping was a long way away from Kingsbury, but the trolley helped time move faster. Gwenda rested her head against the window, watching as both people and vehicles used the stone street. It was a beautiful town, one Gwenda remembered all too well before she moved to the Royal Palace.

From her view, Gwenda could see a line of shops along the main road. As the trolley passed the bakery, Lettie's face haunted her memories. It wasn't so long ago that she hired Gwenda at the bakery in the first place and opened her home to stay until she was more financially stable. Lettie was the one person who cared about her in this world after her sister abandoned her.

Gwenda scoffed at the thought. For a long time, it had just been her and Lona - two sisters taking on the world by each other's side. Then, after a seemingly debonair wizard came to sweep her off her feet, Lona waltzed away willingly. She had been so convinced it was real love. Rather, Gwenda saw this wizard as one like Howl who stole young women's hearts. It pained her to watch Lona let that selfish magician brainwash her.

The reality was this: all magicians were self-seeking, self-absorbed tyrants.

When Sophie said she was in love with Howl Pendragon, Gwenda was concerned after the rumors she had heard since her youth. Howl was the most infamous and heartless next to Madame Suliman. As a child, she trembled at the sound of their names, knowing very well she was a weak human in comparison to their power.

Yet even though Sophie spoke of her fears of Howl, Gwenda could see how much she loved him more than she feared him.

Sophie was willing to sacrifice her life for him, giving her entire being to Prince Justin until her death. She would rather see Howl heartbroken than eternally tortured by Madame Suliman. Gwenda had only seen that in one other person – Lona.

Love was something Gwenda had never experienced and rarely seen. Her own parents were a horrible example of love, which was another reason why Gwenda refused to accept the existence of it. Yet the way Sophie lit up when she spoke of Howl, how she loved him unconditionally, Gwenda knew theirs was real.

The trolley bell chimed and the conductor shouted their destination: Shoppes of Market Chipping. That was where Sophie said she lived. Gwenda rushed off the trolley and jumped onto the rugged stone, then walked along the path as the trolley left. A few people walked in both directions, but it was a small crowd. Gwenda took out a scrap piece of paper from within her coat pocket with an address written on it.

"2230 Shoppe Avenue..." Gwenda whispered as she scanned each of the numbers on the sturdy buildings. It wasn't long before she found Sophie's flower shop, and she ran up the steps with a spark of exhilaration. She hadn't done anything this exciting or adventurous ever in her life.

Maybe her life was turning around for the better.

She pushed the door open and a faint bell rang. It was a rather large shop compared to what she had expected, and the flowers were truly exquisite. These were the type of bouquets she would see in the Royal Palace. It was jarring. Yet what surprised her the most was the small, elderly man perched in a chair behind the counter.

The man blinked twice and quickly closed the book he was reading. Gwenda raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips. She was sure this wasn't the real Howl Pendragon. Howl was older, but he wasn't an elderly man.

He cleared his throat loudly and spoke in a low, raspy voice. "Welcome to Hatter's Flower Shop. What can I do you for?"

Gwenda crossed her arms and walked closer to the front counter. The man leaned back, darting his eyes up to hers and then to his lap. When Gwenda approached the counter, she noticed that the hefty book he was reading was gone.

Gwenda took a step back and gasped. "You're a wizard!"

The man widened his eyes and quickly laughed with a hint of anxiety. "N-no I'm not. What gives you the right to call me that?"

She pointed to where the book used to be. "The book. You made it disappear; I know it."

"What book? I didn't see a book. No book here, never seen a book, I can't even read."

"You're probably seventy years old at least." Gwenda said with a smirk. "How can you not be able to read?"

"Well, I... I never had the time to learn." The man said, fiddling with his fingers. Gwenda observed the smooth skin, and noticed it wasn't as aged as his face.

She gasped again. "You're wearing a disguise!"

The man slammed his hands on the desk and pulled his hood off. The grey beard retreated and a young boy with striking red hair revealed himself. He held a wand in his hand and pointed it at Gwenda right below her chin. She raised her hands in defeat.

He narrowed his eyes. "All right, lady, who are you and what do you want? I'm not spilling anything, so you can tell Madame Suliman to find another spy, one who doesn't point out the obvious."

Gwenda shook her head. "I'm not working with Suliman. Sophie sent me."

The boy smiled for a second, but immediately returned to his cautious stance. "You could just be saying that to get me to talk."

"I could." Gwenda said, tapping her chin. "Or I could be telling you the truth because Sophie needs Howl to save her from marrying Prince Justin."

"Aha!" The boy shouted and jumped onto the counter, his wand still pointed at her. "Sophie's sister is marrying Justin; Sophie loves Howl. You're coming with me!"

"Wait!" Gwenda backed up a few steps, but the boy waved his wand in a circular motion. A long, rigid rope extended from the wand and wrapped around Gwenda, tightening its grip until she fell to the ground.

She groaned and blew the stray hairs that fell from her long braid. When Sophie said to meet Howl, she never expected to also meet his apprentice who was far more advanced than one would assume.


. ❀ 。• * ₊ ° 。❀ ° 。


When Gwenda awoke, she was still tied up, but she was no longer in the flower shop. She sat on a cushioned couch with a blazing fire in front of her. This was inside a house, probably one not too far from the shop since the boy that knocked her out was very young. Although his skills were great, he didn't seem to be that experienced.

Gwenda looked around, noticing the familial touch in the home. Picture frames hung from the wall, everything was neat and orderly. Aside from the comforting fire, the home had a warm feeling. She would have felt safer if she knew where the boy was. Even though he was young, he was still a magician with powers.

The door wasn't far from her, yet she had no way of getting out of the ropes that bound her. Gwenda tried finding breaks in the knots, but the boy made no mistakes when tying her up. His magic was strong and intimidating, even for his age. He couldn't have been old; when he revealed his true self, he looked like a young child. But that didn't mean he wasn't to be feared - all magicians were.

She was alone, or at least she thought she was. As she continued her attempts to tear apart the knots, a sluggish dog slobbered all over her face, causing Gwenda to tense up. The dog didn't bark, but wheezed instead and wagged his tail, standing up on her bound arm. She wished she could pet him, since he looked extremely adorable, but she had no control over that.

"Hi there, cutie. What's your name?" Gwenda asked, pretending like he could understand her. He merely rested his head in her lap and wheezed again.

Gwenda tilted her head, wondering why his wheezing sounded familiar. She shrugged her shoulders and returned to the rope that bound her. She squirmed her arms up and down, hoping to wedge herself out of the rope. As it became a harder challenge, she grunted in anger. She wasn't born with magic or trained in the art, which made her situation a lot worse than it was. And with the clock ticking until Sophie's wedding, Gwenda didn't have much time to waste.

As she tried again, she noticed strange motions in the fire. It moved sporadically and grew in size, even though no one added more firewood. She leaned closer, observing the fire more with more tenacity. She saw two beady eyes and a long yawn and freaked out.

"Ah!"

The fire looked up at her and mimicked her expression. "Ah! Who are you?"

"Who am I?" Gwenda asked. "I'm a human; what are you?"

The fire laughed softly. "I'm a fire demon. The name's Calcifer." Heen wheezed to the fire and then directed his attention to the bound girl. "I see you've met Heen."

Gwenda looked up. "Heen? This is Heen?"

Calcifer nodded, though somewhat confused. "Yes, do you know him?"

Gwenda smiled and used the small knuckles of her fingers to scratch at his head. "I used to care for him when he was Madame Suliman's."

"Suliman?" Calcifer widened his eyes, and she immediately saw his uneasiness.

She used what little she could of her hand to wave at him. "It's not what you think. I work for her at the Palace."

"You work for the Royal Sorceress?" Calcifer said, raising his voice.

Gwenda breathed in heavily and let out a long exhale. "I'm not explaining this right. Let's start over. My name is Gwenda, and I'm a servant at the Royal Palace. That kid tied me up because he thought I was a spy for Madame Suliman."

Calcifer blinked twice, taking in all that she claimed. "Well, you said you work for the sorceress so... are you a spy?"

"No." Gwenda said with a strange new sense of confidence. "Quite the opposite, actually. Sophie sent me to tell Howl about her wedding to Justin in the hopes that he can stop it."

Calcifer dropped his jaw. "Sophie told you to tell Howl about that?"

Gwenda widened her eyes. "You knew?"

"Of course! Sophie told me specifically not to tell Howl!"

"Well, that was before, when she thought she could handle it." Gwenda sighed. Calcifer lowered his gaze, resting his fiery arms on the exhausting firewood. Sophie was strong; she withstood the power of the Witch of the Wastes as well as Suliman's trickery. Sophie never gave up. Or at least she never did before.

"My duty is to stop this wedding, no matter what it costs." Gwenda whispered.

Calcifer creased his eyebrows. "Why is stopping this wedding so important to you?"

Gwenda darted her eyes around the room, avoiding Calcifer's question. Her situation with Justin was much too complicated and far too personal to clarify to someone she just met, let alone a demon. She wasn't fond of demons, although Calcifer didn't seem like the ones she had met before. He actually seemed kind.

Calcifer watched Gwenda struggle. Her light blue eyes darted in all directions, searching the room for an answer to his question. He didn't trust her quite yet, but he wanted to. She made it seem like her goal was to help Sophie, but Calcifer knew not to judge someone from a first impression.

Then why did he want to believe her so badly?

Before he could ask again, Markl rushed down the stairs. He ran over to Gwenda, blocking Calcifer's view. Heen wheezed when the boy stood over him, and Gwenda tried soothing him with her gentle petting.

He crossed his arms and huffed. "All right, lady. What do you want with Howl's castle?"

Gwenda sighed. "I already told you. I'm here to bring Howl to Kingsbury to save Sophie, not to hurt her."

Markl squinted his eyes. "I don't necessarily believe that."

Calcifer sighed. "At least hear her out, Markl. Maybe she's not as bad as you think."

Markl turned around, jaw dropped. "She's the enemy! She came from the Palace to spy on us for Suliman."

"But you don't have all the facts." Calcifer said in her defense. "She may be telling the truth and could be just as caught up in this mess as we are."

"I don't trust anyone who works for that evil woman," Markl said, huffing to the side. "Not after everything she's done to us."

Calcifer tried calming the boy down. "Markl, you need to ask Gwenda questions before you make assumptions."

Markl shook his head. "I don't need to ask the spy any stinking questions. She's a dirty scumbag who waltzed in here thinking she could–"

"All right, enough!" Calcifer and Markl turned to Gwenda, whose face had turned a violent red. Her fists clenched and shook in her lap. "I am not a spy, I would never work for Madame Suliman willingly, and I'm not here to take Howl's precious castle!"

Gwenda panted, breathing in and out heavily. She didn't like when people made assumptions about her, especially after she did everything to explain her situation. She wished someone could see her as greater than a lowly employee for the King's court – as someone more than a feeble, simple human.

"I think she's telling the truth, Markl." Gwenda blinked rapidly and leaned to her side to see the fire demon from behind the little wizard boy. He smiled casually at Gwenda, assuring her that she had his support. She returned the smile, thankful for Calcifer's belief in her.

"But Calcifer–"

"Look at her," Calcifer joked, "she wouldn't hurt a fly."

Gwenda laughed. "Huh, well actually–"

"Don't push it." Calcifer smirked and Gwenda held her tongue. "I don't think you're a spy for Suliman, but we've only just met. Don't abuse the small amount of trust I'm giving you. Demons don't take betrayal very lightly."

Calcifer winked at her playfully and Gwenda chuckled. Markl looked back and forth between the two. He didn't want to believe that Calcifer was so willing to trust this girl who merely claimed to be Sophie's friend. After Calcifer's long talk about always guarding himself, he pretended like this girl had nothing to hide.

Gwenda turned to Markl. "I promise you, I would never hurt Sophie or Howl. I'm only here to tell Howl about the wedding and bring him to stop this madness."

Markl bobbed his head back. "Huh? What wedding?"

Calcifer sighed. "Sophie is marrying Prince Justin, but it's all a setup from Suliman."

Markl dropped his jaw. "Wait, that was true?" He turned to Gwenda and Calcifer, both nodding in unison. "What about Lettie? I thought she was marrying the Prince."

Gwenda's spine shivered and she looked away for a moment, shutting her eyes tightly so as to remove the thought of her dead friend from her memory. Calcifer noticed her reaction to hearing Lettie's name, which confused him.

"Gwenda, are you all right?"

"Can I just speak with Howl?" Gwenda said with a hint of irritation. She glared at Calcifer with a sliver of anger and an anchor of hurt.

"He's not here."

"What?"

"He went to the Palace to save Sophie, but he doesn't know why Suliman has her trapped. He doesn't know about the wedding."

"How did he know she was there?"

"I contacted Sophie and she explained it all to me, but she begged me not to tell Howl about the wedding." Calcifer explained. He swallowed hard, remembering the last time he saw her, wondering if it would be their last. "I said we would do everything we could to stop it, but she was really insistent on Howl never knowing her reasons for being in the Kingsbury Palace."

Gwenda shook her head. "Well, if Sophie is to get out of this wedding, Howl needs to know. There's a way he can stop it."

"How?"

"If he enters the church during the wedding and objects, the presider has no option but to halt. This may give Sophie a chance to run out of there. And even if she's caught, they'll only postpone the event. Time is something we don't have right now, and we need as much of it as we can get."

Calcifer tapped the logs with his fiery hand. "Are you sure about this?"

Gwenda nodded. "I attended King Roland's wedding a few months ago. His wife's lover intruded and said she didn't deserve such a lowlife as him – which I agree with, but that's not the point. Anyway, they postponed the wedding a few weeks later. If there's a way we can get Sophie away from the guards who escort her, we can get her out."

Calcifer stared into Gwenda's eyes, confidence written all over her face. She was a powerful human, more conviction in her tone than Howl could even fake. She had proven to him that she despised the royal family, which granted her his trust. He just hoped she wouldn't use it against them.

Calcifer looked to Markl for permission. He realized he scared the boy earlier, questioning whom they should trust, but Calcifer usually had a strong feeling about these things. He could tell when someone was lying, and she only seemed uneasy about one thing – her own reasons as to why this wedding shouldn't happen.

Calcifer raised his fiery eyebrows, waiting for an answer from the boy. Markl wasn't too sure whom he should trust anymore. Before, he would have believed anything from anyone who walked through the front door. Now, he was second guessing all he knew.

But he never second guessed Calcifer.

With a smile and a nod, Calcifer and Gwenda had their answer. Markl used his magic to untie Gwenda, the ropes falling onto the couch. Heen jumped around, wagging his tail in excitement that his friend could hold him fully.

Gwenda smiled and whispered a thank you to Markl as she obeyed Heen's wishes. Markl held his wand firmly with confidence. "Now, let's go save Sophie!"


I love this chapter for so many reasons. Honestly, Calcifer is my fav HMC character, Markl is just a bundle of craziness, and Gwenda is my fav OC I've ever created. Also, it's got Heen... like, who doesn't love that adorable little doggie? The clock is still ticking, though, so everyone's gotta hurry it up!