Disclaimer: You know the drill, unfamiliar characters and the plot belongs to me, the rest goes to DWJ...
A/n: An update! Sorry to keep you guys waiting, so here it is! Special thanks go out to ChocolateEclar, Calcifersgrl, BlackRoseGirl and Caudex! You guys rock!
On with the Fic!
Chapter 6: In which Kate is involved in a Sandstorm.
"We have heard of Morton Maxwell," Meryl said, a touch grimly. "He had run into quite a lot of trouble before. I have a feeling the spell he's trying to sell you will wear off in a couple of days time. I'm willing to wager that because he tried that trick at Market Chipping one too many times."
"My dear," the Countess of Catterack said eagerly. "Is he a criminal? If he is, that wicked man ought to be locked up! Nothing a week in the stocks wouldn't cure." The curious gleam in the Countess's eye returned again. "Of course, nothing works better than the jailhouse, but in this case, I think he ought to be properly punished. More of like publicly humiliated to make sure he doesn't do it again–"
"I'm sure the police will make sure he receives adequate punishment," Miss Hedgerow interrupted gently. "I'm just glad that I know what sort of repute Mr. Maxwell has. I definitely won't be doing any business with him. "
"Could you tell us where we could find him?" Kate asked.
"He said that–" Miss Hedgerow began, only to be cut off by a loud cracking noise that came from outside. It was followed by a colossal crash of what sounded like a pile of bricks and metal crashing on the ground.
They rushed to the window to see what was going on. Kate saw a whooshing pillar of sand swirl around the streets of Kingsbury, hissing and leaving sand everywhere as it went.
"My dears," the Countess of Catterack exclaimed. "Look at that house there!"
It was a grand mansion, with magnificent arches and towers. Unfortunately, the sandstorm had smashed half of it down. The streets were littered in rubble and dust. People ran aimlessly, screaming and in general trying their best to get away from the sandstorm. The Countess of Cattrack seemed delighted at the mess.
"That was the Earl of Darlington's mansion," she said excitedly above the noise. "Really, and he was so proud of the new renovations done on it. I thought it was rather vulgar."
"Jane, don't worry about the Earl's house," Miss Hedgerow said hastily, as she grabbed the Countess's arm and headed for the door. "We ought to make a run for it. You girls had better run west," she called at Kate and Meryl. "It's heading in the opposite direction!" With that, she firmly hauled the staring Countess away from the doorpost. Surprisingly, the Countess tore her eyes away from the rubble and ran out in the streets with Miss Hedgerow.
"What happened?" Kate shouted above the din. Wind hurtled around her violently and blew her hat off. The wind from the sandstorm smelt like sea air, only with a menacing strain to it.
"It's a form of powerful enchantment!" Meryl returned, her hat gone too. "It's too strong for me to do anything about it!"
"Then let's make a run for it," Kate bawled. "Follow Miss Hedgerow and the Countess!"
For the first time, Meryl looked flustered. "It's heading toward the East Row! That's where most of the beggars are! We've got to find Morgan!" she shouted back. "He's still out there!"
Kate had completely forgotten Morgan. She gathered up her skirts and hurtled out into the streets after Meryl. It seemed silly to be running in the opposite direction when the occupants of Kingsbury hurtled the other way. She had the feeling of running into a lion's mouth. The wind in the east row got stronger and stronger. Kate felt half of her hair coming out from it's hairdo and her new dress billowed frantically in the wind. Sand got caught in her abominably high shoes and got in the way. To take her mind of the situation, she thought how stupid they looked; a pair of young ladies, in sandy, disheveled dresses and half their hair flapping around their faces charge through town with an enchanted sandstorm right behind them.
The idea was so ridiculous, she almost forgot that her feet were hurting.
Meryl, on the other hand, seemed to be grabbing at handfuls of the wind and muttering in a strange language at the same time. She looked back at Kate hurriedly. "You'll have to hang on for a while. I'm going to use this wind to screen us from the sandstorm!" With that, she raised her hand and called out a strange word.
A sheet of rushing wind seemed to cover them, and then gradually formed a sort of alcove above them. The wind almost sounded solid. Sand poured and splashed them with gritty slushing noises. The sandstorm was almost directly above them.
"We're not entirely safe," Meryl informed her. "The spell won't last for long, we've got to find that infernal cousin of mine and get out of here quick."
"What is thing doing here?" Kate wondered aloud (rather breathlessly). "Who cast it?"
"I don't know," she puffed. "That sandstorm is cutting off my spell, I can't get Morgan!"
"Can't you do anything else?" Kate asked.
Meryl shook her head despairingly. "Nothing. The only thing left to do is to get past that thing."
The two of them dashed into a narrow alley. The plan was to hide there till the sandstorm had passed them and run away. Unfortunately things didn't seem to work out as planned. The sandstorm seemed to have a mind of its own for as soon as the two of them staggered into the alley, it tottered in after them, sand still furiously racing all around.
"Blast it! That thing knows," Meryl shouted as they made another turn in the back lanes of the East Row. "And I just can't seem to shake it off our trail."
"You're a witch," Kate shouted back, tired and winded from racing around Kingsbury in a pair of ridiculously high shoes to think sensibly. "Think of something that will stop that wind!"
"Like what?" Meryl demanded. She was turning red in the face. "I can't hold up the wind shield for long at the rate we're going!"
"I don't know! Perhaps a wall to stop the sand from flowing in! Or a box!"
Meryl said something unladylike as they swerved left. "I can't do it alone!" she yelled. "To block a sandstorm this big with a wall–"
With a whoosh, the sand spilled down on them. Kate heard Meryl shouting something that sounded like "Clamming Bells!" before the sandstorm crashed down. Kate scrunched her eyes tight, sure that she had met her end in a spell sandstorm. It would only be moments before sand drowned and suffocated her. Meryl would be alright though. She remembered that someone told her that witches couldn't drown and Meryl was a witch. However she didn't know if drowning in sand counted.
When nothing happened, she tentatively opened one eye. There wasn't any sand around them. They were sitting on a cloud actually. The whole situation was so ridiculous, Kate was sure she had died. She pinched herself to make sure. The pinch hurt, so, she wasn't dead.
Meryl was standing up on the cloud, a little unsteady on her feet, but otherwise alright. "Dad?" she called. "Are you there?"
"Two steps left from you," a deep voice called out.
"You'll have to try and find Morgan as well," Meryl said as took two careful steps and beckoned to Kate.
"Morgan's got here before you," the deep voice continued. "I've just opened a portal there. Can you and your friend step through?"
With careful precision Meryl pushed at nothingness, and for a moment Kate felt as if she had gone mad, for right in the middle of the air was a shimmering doorway that looked as if it opened to a room that was for some reason had mirrors hung on the walls. Before she could blink and take a proper look, Meryl grabbed her hand in an expert fashion and towed her through.
She was standing in the middle of a pentacle. The room as round and there were many mirrors hung on its walls. A funny rod-like contraption surrounded the pentacle. There were two other people in the room as well, Morgan who was looking worried and sheepish at the same time and a man with a craggy face and faded ginger hair, whom Kate concluded must be the other Royal wizard.
"That thing," the Royal wizard said in a deep baritone voice. "What was it?"
"Whatever it was, it was strong," Meryl said, as she gave her father a hug. "And you," she said, whirling upon Morgan. "Where were you? Did you know that Kate and I nearly got killed just to find you?"
"I tried to let you know," Morgan said irritably as he summoned a pair of stools for the girls to sit on. "But that vile thing kept cutting off my spells."
"That sandstorm," Wizard Suliman wondered. "Why did it come after the both of you? It seemed to instinctively follow you."
"I don't know," Kate said as she sank into an embroidered green stool. "Was that storm summoned by a powerful wizard?"
The Wizard Suliman furrowed his brow. "The strangest thing was, the spell had a whiff of familiarity about it. I seem to know it from somewhere, but I just can't recall."
"You'll have to remember fast," Meryl said, as she dusted her dress from the sand. "A rouge sandstorm let loose in Kingsbury is bound to be noticed."
"Where is the sandstorm now?" Morgan asked.
Wizard Suliman gestured absently to the mirrors. "I haven't got the slightest clue. One moment it's hurtling around in Kingsbury, and the next it's gone. The King will be bound to summon me or Howl any moment now and demand for an explanation." He snapped his fingers twice, and a uniformed butler appeared at the door, with a tray of teacups and a pot in hand.
"How did you manage to get out of the storm?" Kate asked, as she accepted a cup of tea from the butler.
"A dispersing spell," he admitted. "That's how I managed to get out so quick when the storm struck. The first thing I did was to get her and ask for Uncle Ben to trace you."
"A dispersing spell," Meryl repeated thoughtfully as she balanced her teacup on her knee. "I should have thought of that."
The Royal Wizard cleared his throat. "The lot of you owe me an explanation," he said. "What were you doing in Kingsbury for. Not only that, why is Morgan dressed in rags. Not only that," he said as he turned to Kate. "I don't believe I know the young lady, but if I'm not mistaken, you must be the Miss Baker Meryl told me about."
There was a pause. Kate felt as if she had a lot of explaining to do. "It was mostly my fault," she said. "Morgan was trying to find out about Morton Maxwell, and I went with Meryl to see the Countess of Catterack also to do a bit of snooping."
The wizard's brow creased. "Morton Maxwell, eh. What 's he doing here? The last I heard, he got hooted out of Market Chipping."
"Well, he's back now, and somehow, he's got magic."
Ben Suliman looked grave. "Howl came over the other day saying that there was something not quite right with the magic. He said he could feel an imbalance of some sort. To quote him, he said; quite a lot of the magic had petered out."
"But it would take quite a lot to disrupt the balance wouldn't it?" Morgan asked, and at the same time Meryl wondered "What caused it?"
Kate felt lost. "Er, I don't mean to interrupt, but what is this balance of magic?" she asked.
"I keep forgetting that you're not a witch," Morgan said in a way of apologizing. "Not many people know this, but in Ingary, magic is something like a storehouse. When we wizards do magic, we take a little out of this storehouse. It's sort of like calling out a little bit at a time."
"We replace it of course," Meryl said absently. "Each time we take magic out we replace it with the spells we use. It's an automatic process."
"Though there are many wizards and witches here, no one has managed to draw out a lot of it at one time," Morgan continued. "However, if Uncle Ben says that the balance is disturbed, there must have been someone, a powerful witch or wizard who would be able to pull out that much magic."
"What happens when the magic's unbalanced?" Kate asked.
"Havoc," Ben Suliman said. "It means that there's less for us wizards to use." He looked a little embarrassed. "Even Royal wizards like us. It's usually an evil witch or warlock who would need such a lot of magic. They need it for silly plans like taking over Ingary or something like that. Fortunately, there hasn't been a person powerful enough to do that."
"Until now that is," Kate said. "Do you think that Morton's the one behind it? Or could it be the witch he was talking to in the Spotted Dog?"
"Most likely the latter," Morgan confirmed. "If it's her, she's managed to find a way to draw out all that magic without replacing it."
"So, in other words, she's taking out all this magic and leaving less and less for you to use against her," Kate concluded. "That way, no one would be able to challenge her."
"She's a smart one, that one is," Ben Suliman said. "Managing such a feat without getting detected at first. Reminds me of the Witch of the Waste. She was good, but not that good. After all, Howl managed to do her in."
"How much of it's left now?" Kate asked. The Wizard frowned craggily and stared above Kate's head, as if he was concentrating on something that was behind her. "Slightly less that yesterday," he said, blinking. "She's powerful alright, but she can't draw out that much at once."
"But she's been doing it for some time now, hasn't she?" Meryl asked. "A little at a time. she pulls out a bit each day, sufficient enough for her own use or gives them to Maxwell, whatever. The thing is, she's been doing it consistently to make sure no one realized until it was too late."
"I want to know how she did it," Ben Suliman said. "Managing something like that–Look!" he said interrupting himself. Something, misty white and solid at the same time, appeared in the middle of the room, where the pentacle was curling and twisting at the same time. The smoke trembled, and finally solidified for the last time to form a shape.
"Howl!" Ben Suliman exclaimed as he saw his brother-in-law appear. Howl looked worn out to the point of looking haggard. Kate could see that his green and gold suit was torn in a few places. Howl raised his hands, as if in the act of warding something off.
"Need...help..." he panted. "Sophie...can't manage...mistake to leave...her. Come quick..."
Ben Suliman hurled out of the room in a flurry of black. He yelled for Lettie out at the corridor and disappeared. Morgan and Meryl also jumped to their feet and dashed out of the house. Kate followed suite.
"Raise a wind once we're out of the house," Meryl shouted. "We'll get there faster." Morgan nodded and raised his hands and called out a string of words. Meryl did the same thing. Kate, who had no magic just crossed her fingers and prayed for a wind. It came, bursting hot and howling. The cousins grabbed Kate's wrists each and told her to run. She did. Both of them tried to explain things in disjointed sentences on the way.
"That was dad's apparition!" Morgan yelled amidst the howl of the wind. "...trouble to do so!"
"...be witch...Sophie can't handle....must...desperate...to do that..."
"....needs all magic...there..."
"I'm not magical!" Kate bawled back. However, they couldn't hear her. Oh dear, Kate thought. Looks like I'm going to be stuck in the middle of a magical battle without anything to defend myself. That was going to prove to be difficult.
###########################
They landed in front of the castle with a thump. There was something wrong. All three doors were flapping open. As they ran in, Kate promptly tripped over the doorstep and would have fallen face flat if Morgan hadn't caught her arm in time.
In the castle was a mess. There were papers with scribbled writing on them all over the place and it mixed with bits of broken spell bottles and potions all over the floor. Sand mingled with everything in perfect discord. The Wizard Howl was sitting desolately on the three legged stool, while Ben Suliman was pulling something invisible from his head. The triplets were sitting near the fireplace, bawling. Calcifer was nowhere to be seen.
"She must have put a mind spell over him," Ben Suliman said as he pulled more invisible things from Howl's head. Morgan went up, and started pulling viciously, while the girls went to soothe the triplets.
Ben Suliman gave a final tug, and Howl groaned hugely. "Damn her to hell," he moaned. "I'll kill her next time. Sophie...Sophie..."
"What happened!"Morgan shouted. Kate never saw him look angrier. His face was white and his eyes seeped ready to spit green fire. "Where's mum...and Shelby?"
"She took Calcifer..." Howl said thickly. "Wasn't strong enough. She used him against me too."
"Howl Jenkins! Get a hold of yourself!" Ben said, taking hold of Howl and shaking him hard. "Tell us what happened properly. What happened to them?"
Howl drew a shuddering breath. He looked as pale as Morgan. There were wrinkles around his eyes. "She came...and," he drew another breath. "She wanted Calcifer. Said he was powerful enough. Shelby's in Market Chipping. I cast a protection spell on her before anything happened." he stopped and started to shake. "But Sophie..."
"What happened to mum?" Morgan shouted.
Howl drooped dejectedly. "She got Sophie. Wanted her for her spell. I...wasn't strong enough... to protect her..."
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A/n1: I got the idea of the 'balance of magic' from the Merlin Conspiracy. ()v Just got it not too long ago. Review please! It's crucial for my happiness!
A/n2: And unfortunately, there's something for Lellers89. I'd like to point out to you that I'm NOT AN IDIOT! If you'd been reading DWJ fanfics so far, you'd realize that the Diana Wynne Jones section had only been up for about less than half a year. I wrote this story at the beginning of last year. The Dalemark Quartet section was the only place where people could post up HMC fics. Since there was no where else to post them, I put them in the Dalemark section, although I damn well knew that the Dalemark Quartet consisted of. You have ABSOLUTELY no right to say that I'm an idiot for posting it there, when there was nowhere else to put it IN THE FIRST PLACE. Get your facts right before you go around calling people names. If you have a problem with my writing, just say so. Don't waste your time sending me reviews saying that I screwed up by posting it in the wrong section, because there are other writers who post their stories in the Dalemark section. If you can show me a way to re-post my story in the DWJ section without losing all my reviews, feel free to let me know. Other than that, just bugger off because as far as I know, you're the idiot for not knowing that the DWJ section was new.
Disclaimer: You know the drill, unfamiliar characters and the plot belongs to me, the rest goes to DWJ...
A/n: An update! Sorry to keep you guys waiting, so here it is! Special thanks go out to ChocolateEclar, Calcifersgrl, BlackRoseGirl and Caudex! You guys rock!
On with the Fic!
Chapter 6: In which Kate is involved in a Sandstorm.
"We have heard of Morton Maxwell," Meryl said, a touch grimly. "He had run into quite a lot of trouble before. I have a feeling the spell he's trying to sell you will wear off in a couple of days time. I'm willing to wager that because he tried that trick at Market Chipping one too many times."
"My dear," the Countess of Catterack said eagerly. "Is he a criminal? If he is, that wicked man ought to be locked up! Nothing a week in the stocks wouldn't cure." The curious gleam in the Countess's eye returned again. "Of course, nothing works better than the jailhouse, but in this case, I think he ought to be properly punished. More of like publicly humiliated to make sure he doesn't do it again–"
"I'm sure the police will make sure he receives adequate punishment," Miss Hedgerow interrupted gently. "I'm just glad that I know what sort of repute Mr. Maxwell has. I definitely won't be doing any business with him. "
"Could you tell us where we could find him?" Kate asked.
"He said that–" Miss Hedgerow began, only to be cut off by a loud cracking noise that came from outside. It was followed by a colossal crash of what sounded like a pile of bricks and metal crashing on the ground.
They rushed to the window to see what was going on. Kate saw a whooshing pillar of sand swirl around the streets of Kingsbury, hissing and leaving sand everywhere as it went.
"My dears," the Countess of Catterack exclaimed. "Look at that house there!"
It was a grand mansion, with magnificent arches and towers. Unfortunately, the sandstorm had smashed half of it down. The streets were littered in rubble and dust. People ran aimlessly, screaming and in general trying their best to get away from the sandstorm. The Countess of Cattrack seemed delighted at the mess.
"That was the Earl of Darlington's mansion," she said excitedly above the noise. "Really, and he was so proud of the new renovations done on it. I thought it was rather vulgar."
"Jane, don't worry about the Earl's house," Miss Hedgerow said hastily, as she grabbed the Countess's arm and headed for the door. "We ought to make a run for it. You girls had better run west," she called at Kate and Meryl. "It's heading in the opposite direction!" With that, she firmly hauled the staring Countess away from the doorpost. Surprisingly, the Countess tore her eyes away from the rubble and ran out in the streets with Miss Hedgerow.
"What happened?" Kate shouted above the din. Wind hurtled around her violently and blew her hat off. The wind from the sandstorm smelt like sea air, only with a menacing strain to it.
"It's a form of powerful enchantment!" Meryl returned, her hat gone too. "It's too strong for me to do anything about it!"
"Then let's make a run for it," Kate bawled. "Follow Miss Hedgerow and the Countess!"
For the first time, Meryl looked flustered. "It's heading toward the East Row! That's where most of the beggars are! We've got to find Morgan!" she shouted back. "He's still out there!"
Kate had completely forgotten Morgan. She gathered up her skirts and hurtled out into the streets after Meryl. It seemed silly to be running in the opposite direction when the occupants of Kingsbury hurtled the other way. She had the feeling of running into a lion's mouth. The wind in the east row got stronger and stronger. Kate felt half of her hair coming out from it's hairdo and her new dress billowed frantically in the wind. Sand got caught in her abominably high shoes and got in the way. To take her mind of the situation, she thought how stupid they looked; a pair of young ladies, in sandy, disheveled dresses and half their hair flapping around their faces charge through town with an enchanted sandstorm right behind them.
The idea was so ridiculous, she almost forgot that her feet were hurting.
Meryl, on the other hand, seemed to be grabbing at handfuls of the wind and muttering in a strange language at the same time. She looked back at Kate hurriedly. "You'll have to hang on for a while. I'm going to use this wind to screen us from the sandstorm!" With that, she raised her hand and called out a strange word.
A sheet of rushing wind seemed to cover them, and then gradually formed a sort of alcove above them. The wind almost sounded solid. Sand poured and splashed them with gritty slushing noises. The sandstorm was almost directly above them.
"We're not entirely safe," Meryl informed her. "The spell won't last for long, we've got to find that infernal cousin of mine and get out of here quick."
"What is thing doing here?" Kate wondered aloud (rather breathlessly). "Who cast it?"
"I don't know," she puffed. "That sandstorm is cutting off my spell, I can't get Morgan!"
"Can't you do anything else?" Kate asked.
Meryl shook her head despairingly. "Nothing. The only thing left to do is to get past that thing."
The two of them dashed into a narrow alley. The plan was to hide there till the sandstorm had passed them and run away. Unfortunately things didn't seem to work out as planned. The sandstorm seemed to have a mind of its own for as soon as the two of them staggered into the alley, it tottered in after them, sand still furiously racing all around.
"Blast it! That thing knows," Meryl shouted as they made another turn in the back lanes of the East Row. "And I just can't seem to shake it off our trail."
"You're a witch," Kate shouted back, tired and winded from racing around Kingsbury in a pair of ridiculously high shoes to think sensibly. "Think of something that will stop that wind!"
"Like what?" Meryl demanded. She was turning red in the face. "I can't hold up the wind shield for long at the rate we're going!"
"I don't know! Perhaps a wall to stop the sand from flowing in! Or a box!"
Meryl said something unladylike as they swerved left. "I can't do it alone!" she yelled. "To block a sandstorm this big with a wall–"
With a whoosh, the sand spilled down on them. Kate heard Meryl shouting something that sounded like "Clamming Bells!" before the sandstorm crashed down. Kate scrunched her eyes tight, sure that she had met her end in a spell sandstorm. It would only be moments before sand drowned and suffocated her. Meryl would be alright though. She remembered that someone told her that witches couldn't drown and Meryl was a witch. However she didn't know if drowning in sand counted.
When nothing happened, she tentatively opened one eye. There wasn't any sand around them. They were sitting on a cloud actually. The whole situation was so ridiculous, Kate was sure she had died. She pinched herself to make sure. The pinch hurt, so, she wasn't dead.
Meryl was standing up on the cloud, a little unsteady on her feet, but otherwise alright. "Dad?" she called. "Are you there?"
"Two steps left from you," a deep voice called out.
"You'll have to try and find Morgan as well," Meryl said as took two careful steps and beckoned to Kate.
"Morgan's got here before you," the deep voice continued. "I've just opened a portal there. Can you and your friend step through?"
With careful precision Meryl pushed at nothingness, and for a moment Kate felt as if she had gone mad, for right in the middle of the air was a shimmering doorway that looked as if it opened to a room that was for some reason had mirrors hung on the walls. Before she could blink and take a proper look, Meryl grabbed her hand in an expert fashion and towed her through.
She was standing in the middle of a pentacle. The room as round and there were many mirrors hung on its walls. A funny rod-like contraption surrounded the pentacle. There were two other people in the room as well, Morgan who was looking worried and sheepish at the same time and a man with a craggy face and faded ginger hair, whom Kate concluded must be the other Royal wizard.
"That thing," the Royal wizard said in a deep baritone voice. "What was it?"
"Whatever it was, it was strong," Meryl said, as she gave her father a hug. "And you," she said, whirling upon Morgan. "Where were you? Did you know that Kate and I nearly got killed just to find you?"
"I tried to let you know," Morgan said irritably as he summoned a pair of stools for the girls to sit on. "But that vile thing kept cutting off my spells."
"That sandstorm," Wizard Suliman wondered. "Why did it come after the both of you? It seemed to instinctively follow you."
"I don't know," Kate said as she sank into an embroidered green stool. "Was that storm summoned by a powerful wizard?"
The Wizard Suliman furrowed his brow. "The strangest thing was, the spell had a whiff of familiarity about it. I seem to know it from somewhere, but I just can't recall."
"You'll have to remember fast," Meryl said, as she dusted her dress from the sand. "A rouge sandstorm let loose in Kingsbury is bound to be noticed."
"Where is the sandstorm now?" Morgan asked.
Wizard Suliman gestured absently to the mirrors. "I haven't got the slightest clue. One moment it's hurtling around in Kingsbury, and the next it's gone. The King will be bound to summon me or Howl any moment now and demand for an explanation." He snapped his fingers twice, and a uniformed butler appeared at the door, with a tray of teacups and a pot in hand.
"How did you manage to get out of the storm?" Kate asked, as she accepted a cup of tea from the butler.
"A dispersing spell," he admitted. "That's how I managed to get out so quick when the storm struck. The first thing I did was to get her and ask for Uncle Ben to trace you."
"A dispersing spell," Meryl repeated thoughtfully as she balanced her teacup on her knee. "I should have thought of that."
The Royal Wizard cleared his throat. "The lot of you owe me an explanation," he said. "What were you doing in Kingsbury for. Not only that, why is Morgan dressed in rags. Not only that," he said as he turned to Kate. "I don't believe I know the young lady, but if I'm not mistaken, you must be the Miss Baker Meryl told me about."
There was a pause. Kate felt as if she had a lot of explaining to do. "It was mostly my fault," she said. "Morgan was trying to find out about Morton Maxwell, and I went with Meryl to see the Countess of Catterack also to do a bit of snooping."
The wizard's brow creased. "Morton Maxwell, eh. What 's he doing here? The last I heard, he got hooted out of Market Chipping."
"Well, he's back now, and somehow, he's got magic."
Ben Suliman looked grave. "Howl came over the other day saying that there was something not quite right with the magic. He said he could feel an imbalance of some sort. To quote him, he said; quite a lot of the magic had petered out."
"But it would take quite a lot to disrupt the balance wouldn't it?" Morgan asked, and at the same time Meryl wondered "What caused it?"
Kate felt lost. "Er, I don't mean to interrupt, but what is this balance of magic?" she asked.
"I keep forgetting that you're not a witch," Morgan said in a way of apologizing. "Not many people know this, but in Ingary, magic is something like a storehouse. When we wizards do magic, we take a little out of this storehouse. It's sort of like calling out a little bit at a time."
"We replace it of course," Meryl said absently. "Each time we take magic out we replace it with the spells we use. It's an automatic process."
"Though there are many wizards and witches here, no one has managed to draw out a lot of it at one time," Morgan continued. "However, if Uncle Ben says that the balance is disturbed, there must have been someone, a powerful witch or wizard who would be able to pull out that much magic."
"What happens when the magic's unbalanced?" Kate asked.
"Havoc," Ben Suliman said. "It means that there's less for us wizards to use." He looked a little embarrassed. "Even Royal wizards like us. It's usually an evil witch or warlock who would need such a lot of magic. They need it for silly plans like taking over Ingary or something like that. Fortunately, there hasn't been a person powerful enough to do that."
"Until now that is," Kate said. "Do you think that Morton's the one behind it? Or could it be the witch he was talking to in the Spotted Dog?"
"Most likely the latter," Morgan confirmed. "If it's her, she's managed to find a way to draw out all that magic without replacing it."
"So, in other words, she's taking out all this magic and leaving less and less for you to use against her," Kate concluded. "That way, no one would be able to challenge her."
"She's a smart one, that one is," Ben Suliman said. "Managing such a feat without getting detected at first. Reminds me of the Witch of the Waste. She was good, but not that good. After all, Howl managed to do her in."
"How much of it's left now?" Kate asked. The Wizard frowned craggily and stared above Kate's head, as if he was concentrating on something that was behind her. "Slightly less that yesterday," he said, blinking. "She's powerful alright, but she can't draw out that much at once."
"But she's been doing it for some time now, hasn't she?" Meryl asked. "A little at a time. she pulls out a bit each day, sufficient enough for her own use or gives them to Maxwell, whatever. The thing is, she's been doing it consistently to make sure no one realized until it was too late."
"I want to know how she did it," Ben Suliman said. "Managing something like that–Look!" he said interrupting himself. Something, misty white and solid at the same time, appeared in the middle of the room, where the pentacle was curling and twisting at the same time. The smoke trembled, and finally solidified for the last time to form a shape.
"Howl!" Ben Suliman exclaimed as he saw his brother-in-law appear. Howl looked worn out to the point of looking haggard. Kate could see that his green and gold suit was torn in a few places. Howl raised his hands, as if in the act of warding something off.
"Need...help..." he panted. "Sophie...can't manage...mistake to leave...her. Come quick..."
Ben Suliman hurled out of the room in a flurry of black. He yelled for Lettie out at the corridor and disappeared. Morgan and Meryl also jumped to their feet and dashed out of the house. Kate followed suite.
"Raise a wind once we're out of the house," Meryl shouted. "We'll get there faster." Morgan nodded and raised his hands and called out a string of words. Meryl did the same thing. Kate, who had no magic just crossed her fingers and prayed for a wind. It came, bursting hot and howling. The cousins grabbed Kate's wrists each and told her to run. She did. Both of them tried to explain things in disjointed sentences on the way.
"That was dad's apparition!" Morgan yelled amidst the howl of the wind. "...trouble to do so!"
"...be witch...Sophie can't handle....must...desperate...to do that..."
"....needs all magic...there..."
"I'm not magical!" Kate bawled back. However, they couldn't hear her. Oh dear, Kate thought. Looks like I'm going to be stuck in the middle of a magical battle without anything to defend myself. That was going to prove to be difficult.
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They landed in front of the castle with a thump. There was something wrong. All three doors were flapping open. As they ran in, Kate promptly tripped over the doorstep and would have fallen face flat if Morgan hadn't caught her arm in time.
In the castle was a mess. There were papers with scribbled writing on them all over the place and it mixed with bits of broken spell bottles and potions all over the floor. Sand mingled with everything in perfect discord. The Wizard Howl was sitting desolately on the three legged stool, while Ben Suliman was pulling something invisible from his head. The triplets were sitting near the fireplace, bawling. Calcifer was nowhere to be seen.
"She must have put a mind spell over him," Ben Suliman said as he pulled more invisible things from Howl's head. Morgan went up, and started pulling viciously, while the girls went to soothe the triplets.
Ben Suliman gave a final tug, and Howl groaned hugely. "Damn her to hell," he moaned. "I'll kill her next time. Sophie...Sophie..."
"What happened!"Morgan shouted. Kate never saw him look angrier. His face was white and his eyes seeped ready to spit green fire. "Where's mum...and Shelby?"
"She took Calcifer..." Howl said thickly. "Wasn't strong enough. She used him against me too."
"Howl Jenkins! Get a hold of yourself!" Ben said, taking hold of Howl and shaking him hard. "Tell us what happened properly. What happened to them?"
Howl drew a shuddering breath. He looked as pale as Morgan. There were wrinkles around his eyes. "She came...and," he drew another breath. "She wanted Calcifer. Said he was powerful enough. Shelby's in Market Chipping. I cast a protection spell on her before anything happened." he stopped and started to shake. "But Sophie..."
"What happened to mum?" Morgan shouted.
Howl drooped dejectedly. "She got Sophie. Wanted her for her spell. I...wasn't strong enough... to protect her..."
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A/n1: I got the idea of the 'balance of magic' from the Merlin Conspiracy. ()v Just got it not too long ago. Review please! It's crucial for my happiness!
A/n2: And unfortunately, there's something for Lellers89. I'd like to point out to you that I'm NOT AN IDIOT! If you'd been reading DWJ fanfics so far, you'd realize that the Diana Wynne Jones section had only been up for about less than half a year. I wrote this story at the beginning of last year. The Dalemark Quartet section was the only place where people could post up HMC fics. Since there was no where else to post them, I put them in the Dalemark section, although I damn well knew that the Dalemark Quartet consisted of. You have ABSOLUTELY no right to say that I'm an idiot for posting it there, when there was nowhere else to put it IN THE FIRST PLACE. Get your facts right before you go around calling people names. If you have a problem with my writing, just say so. Don't waste your time sending me reviews saying that I screwed up by posting it in the wrong section, because there are other writers who post their stories in the Dalemark section. If you can show me a way to re-post my story in the DWJ section without losing all my reviews, feel free to let me know. Other than that, just bugger off because as far as I know, you're the idiot for not knowing that the DWJ section was new.