Chapter 31: Seren Saethu

They did not waste a single moment, for moments were fleeting and time was on no one's side. If they were to arrive at the peak of Seren Saethu by nightfall, as well as accomplish their feat before The Night of Falling Stars, they needed to make haste.

Sophie hugged her son, clutching onto him with fear of the unknown. Who knew if this would be their last; who knew if he fully understood the reasons why now both of his parents were off on a mission. While Sophie trusted Lona to care for Morgan, she hated saying goodbye.

"Mom, you're hurting me." Morgan gasped.

Sophie released her tight hold, granting him a heavy breath. She smiled softly, even though her eyes begged to cry. "Sorry, baby. I'll be sure to sing you to sleep the moment we come home. I'm sure you'll stay up late into the night as usual."

Morgan tried to smile, but his question washed it away. "Will Markl be okay?"

Sophie turned to Howl, wondering if he had even a hint of an answer. They had been so accustomed to sharing lies. They were simple, little lies for Morgan's sake - maybe more for theirs, the more she thought about it - but now she realized the difficulty of being honest with a child.

Even more so when that child was her own.

Howl knelt between his wife and son. He pressed a firm hand on both of their shoulders, determination evidently clear. "We're going to bring him home. I promise you."

Howl embraced Morgan, the little boy standing on his tiptoes to reach his father's neck. Part of Howl wanted to cry to relieve himself of the sadness that waved over him. Yet he knew that if he cried in front of his son, if he cried in front of Sophie and Calcifer and everyone in the room, he would be admitting that he believed this mission would truly be his last.

I'll cry someday, Howl thought, I'll cry tears of joy when this is all over.

Calcifer finished his goodbyes with the Itō children, the rambunctious duo muting their banter long enough to realize the gravity of the adults' departure. While still very young and immature, the air surrounding Ryo and Griff was a weight of seriousness. Their aunt; their father; their sister and Markl - Calcifer and Lona did their best to explain, but all they ended with was a reassurance that their family would return soon.

"Lots of stars were afraid yesterday." Calcifer turned to Morgan, who had already been staring at him for some time. His dark eyes clouded like a rainstorm. "They said you need to help, Uncle Calcifer."

The former star breathed in heavy anxiety. Even his compatriots in the galaxies were fearful of what was to come. Somehow, the disappearance of their family was greater than just wishing they would return home. The stars always knew when the worlds were off balance. They were aware of everything within every world on every plane at every time.

But Calcifer was no longer a star; no longer was he granted their omnipotence.

As he opened the satchel and checked off everything he carried, he noticed the violet letter atop all the rest. Calcifer didn't remember putting it inside, and yet its unsullied, untainted shape was unmistaken. He almost forgot about the letter that had tumbled his fate like a butterfly effect, causing one bit of chaos after the other. Even without reading it, even without breaking the seal and releasing its curse, it had already damaged his life and those around him.

He hoped that it couldn't do any worse than it had done already, though he knew the consequences were infinite the longer he waited to release the curse.

He closed his satchel tight, wondering when he would build up the courage to discover its purpose.

"Where's Heen?" Lona asked. As she counted the heads in the room, their furry companion had vanished from sight. In fact, he had been absent for a while lately. The last thing they needed was another missing family member.

Morgan guided them down the hallway, opening the door to Markl's bedroom. No one had dared enter his room in the last month, no one except Morgan when he really missed his older brother. Some days, Heen would join the solemn boy, lying in each other's comfort and hoping that Markl would return soon.

Heen was doing such now. The melancholic, old dog was curled up near Markl's pillow, awaiting the day when he would sleep next to his friend once more.

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Howl was able to transport them from their living room to the Wastes, then from the Wastes to about halfway up Seren Saethu. Trying to find a spell for three beings to go from a cozy home to a forbidden mountain was a bit of a stretch, so Howl extended the spell into separate parts.

Yet that was as far as his magic - or anyone's, for that matter - would take them.

"Beyond here is the most unstable part of the Wastes," Howl explained as they located the rocky path leading upward in a long spiral around the heart of Seren Saethu. "Some say the mountain itself is a spirit of magic. It's best we walk from here on out."

And walk they did.

While they had safety in numbers, none were so careless as to forego caution. None of them had ever traveled this close to the wayward mountain. Like the rest of the Wastes, it didn't follow the normal expectations of nature. It moved when it desired; it transformed and mutilated itself as it so pleased; and with the arrival of uninvited guests, there was no telling what the spirit of Seren Saethu would conjure up to dissuade their journey.

Howl walked several paces forward, wary of what lay ahead in case he needed to defend his companions. While Calcifer had regained an enormous amount of strength and control after his weeklong slumber, he was too frightened to cast anything or attempt any form of magic. Sophie, though passionate and able to defend herself, had lost all senses of magic after Morgan was born.

While he trusted her instincts, Howl did not trust the demonic minds of corrupted magicians.

Sophie grazed her fingers along the edges of the mountainside. It was glorious to witness something so beautiful yet dangerous. Even as a little girl, she heard many stories of the day that Seren Saethu appeared out of nowhere. It was almost as famous as Howl's castle when he started wandering the Wastes. Similarly, no one had seen - or lived to tell the tale - of who lay claim to such a monument.

She so desperately hoped Ben Sulivan lived here. He was their last hope.

Calcifer trudged on from the back, keeping a watchful eye every so often to the path behind. Now that his nights of terror had been minimized for the time being - he was not yet aware how soon until the restlessness would return - he utilized his newfound vigilance to the best of his ability. Howl scouted from the front, while Calcifer verified if anything strange might occur from whence they came.

His careful watch was disturbed by the sound of a rumbling echo from within the mountain.

"Wait-" Calcifer called out, but Howl was already in pursuit of the disturbance. A seemingly small rock grew in size as it tumbled down the mountainside, quickly becoming the bulk of a terrorizing boulder heading directly toward them.

Howl whispered amidst the booming pounds, the infernal sounds of a dark spell murmuring around them. As he raised his hands at the end of the spell, a dark shadow covered the trio. The boulder continued its plummet, and the three shut their eyes tightly until the sound resonated no more. Howl's shadow had swallowed the boulder, sending it off to another dimension.

Calcifer relaxed. "Smart thinking. Wonder where it came from, though."

Sophie shuddered. "Maybe Ben knows we're coming."

Both she and Calcifer turned to Howl, the wizard only shrugging his shoulders and offering a weak smile as a condolence. "Think he still holds a grudge?"

Calcifer rolled his eyes. "Let's just hope when we find Markl that he still has the cloak. Then, you can offer it back to Ben as an apology so he doesn't kill us."

Howl had the urge to argue, but thought better of it as they continued their hike upwards. They still had quite a few turns around the mountain before they reached the summit, and there was only so much daylight remaining until the nighttime took over.

At that point, it was only a matter of time until The Night of Falling Stars would commence. With a tremendous amount of magic pooling together in unity, Howl feared the possibilities.

After some time had passed, Sophie glanced out beyond the clouds that circled the mountain. They were high into the sky, probably the most remote location in all of Ingary. This place would have been perfect for Xarx had he thought to conquer its summit. Alone and far from the rest of the world - it could have been his very own solitude.

Sophie exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Xarx has every right to be here as we do. I wish he had joined us."

"So we could suffer through his blatant insults?" Howl retorted. "I don't mind him on good days, but he definitely has a negative way with words."

"He was only speaking the truth," Calcifer chimed in, "He may be harsh and talks without a shred of sensitivity, but he wasn't wrong about the things he said."

Howl halted his hike, resting his weariness against the side of the mountain. Had he decided to make this climb a decade ago, maybe even five years ago, he wouldn't have felt so fatigued. His age was no longer masked by beauty and vain glamor, and he was paying the price of mortality.

Howl turned to Sophie and Calcifer as they joined him. "I hate when you're right, Calcifer."

"You hate when anyone but you is right." Calcifer replied with a smirk. After a moment of rest, they continued forward. Step after step, falling rock after falling rock, they refused to stop. As they walked, the path's turns were curt and much shorter as they appeared closer to Seren Saethu's summit. While the sun shone dimly below, it wouldn't be long until it set completely beyond the edge of the Wastes.

"I think I see the peak." Sophie exhaled a drained breath. The farther they climbed, the more strenuous it was on their human bodies. Rather than give way to their tired muscles, the trio pushed forward with the little amount of energy they had left.

Until they arrived at Seren Saethu's peak.

All three dropped to the ground in unison, relieved that the winding path had flattened. Parts of the mountain continued upward in strange formations, almost in the guise of a hand reaching up toward the heavens. The splinters of rock covered the flat surface like a protector always on guard.

It wasn't the odd formation of a hand that struck them as peculiar, however. Instead, fitting perfectly within the edge of the rock, was a single doorway that stood by its lonesome self. It was brown, and if their exhaustion had taken any more of their senses, they might have thought it blended well and believed their journey to be pointless.

"There's no time to rest," Calcifer said as he struggled to stand, "We've made it this far. We have to see if Ben is through that door." Calcifer walked with rugged steps, though when he looked behind him only Sophie had followed. Howl stood on shaky legs, yet not so shaken he couldn't take the extra steps to enter this shelter.

"Howl, we're here." Calcifer urged him. "Let's keep moving."

But Howl remained where he was.

Howl scrunched his face, the sweat dripping down like a river all along his face. His voice was labored as he spoke. "I… I don't think I'm ready. I don't think I can face Ben."

Calcifer ran both hands through his sweaty hair, frustration building with every sore breath he took. He didn't have time for Howl's games; Gwenda and Markl didn't have time for this.

"Howl, it's a cloak. He can't be that upset." Calcifer assured him. Howl shook his head, adding to his friend's frustration. "Whatever this is, whatever awakening moment of redemption you're having for your rickety relationship with some wizard whom you haven't seen in years-"

"There… there may be something I forgot to mention… about my old friend Ben." Howl sighed. "Another reason why I hate Xarx. Another reason why I really, really didn't want to come here."

Calcifer shook his head. "For heavens' sake, what else did you take from him? It cannot be as bad as what we're dealing with already."

Howl dragged his feet, but pressed on toward Calcifer and Sophie. "Well… it's not so much something I took, but rather something… given. He forced a wizard's pact to never bring it up in conversation. It-it's too complicated to explain, but-"

"So, what is it?" Calcifer seethed, his patience wearing thin. "What magical object is more important than a transporting cloak?"

"It wasn't just something." Howl replied, his voice stern and serious. "It was someone he gave to me." He watched their eyes grow wider and wider.

Before Calcifer had the opportunity to ring Howl's neck for withholding such pertinent information, two lights flickered on outside the door. Two windows appeared and glistened with a glowing blue light from the interior, and a stone path lined itself from the entrance all the way back to where Howl stood. Greenery flourished the desolate surface, from shrubs to flowers in bloom to potted plants, even to a weeping willow that hung close to the front door.

It added such beauty to a previously bleak environment.

The front door creaked open, though no one stood in the doorway. His voice, however, was a majestic sound to the three guests that stood stunned. "Ah, so nice to have visitors for a change. Please, come in. Make yourselves at home."

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The inside appeared as ordinary as one would expect to find a wizard's home to be. While Howl was accustomed to keeping the most magical items and decoratives secret within his bedroom or work station, this home was covered from ceiling to floor in magic. Floating clocks that all projected different times; an arrangement of detailed masks, all lined perfectly together in a neat row; knick knacks of various designs and glamour dangling from the ceiling by seemingly invisible threads. The more they soaked in the room, the more bizarre it seemed to appear. There was no desire to keep a quaint, simple lifestyle when one had over half a century living in the world of magic.

Even Howl was taken aback by Ben's oddities.

"I assumed you weren't planning to stay long, so I decided not to make tea." The door slammed shut behind them, the three quickly turning around to a tall, gangly man with blackened glasses and a cane. He tapped the cane on the ground near their feet. "I do hope you understand. We have much to discuss in such little time."

Ben Sulivan was everything they expected, and somehow a complete mystery all the same. Maybe it was his blindness; maybe it was his strange array of interior design; but without question, it was the dominion and assurance that he was cognizant of everything they had planned to share with him.

It was as if he had been watching the events of their catastrophe from day one.

Howl bowed his head in respect. "It's been too long, Ben. At least fifteen years now?"

Ben bobbled his head back and forth. "Something like that. I tend to lose track of time at this point in my life." He gestured toward the half-moon couch that curled around the center of the room. "However, as I mentioned before, we don't have that luxury anymore. Let's chat."

Sophie admitted to herself that this may have been a stupid question, but she couldn't help but ask. "Sir, if you don't mind, how are you aware of your surroundings if you're… if you-"

"Blindness doesn't mean I don't know the schematics of the home I've lived in for over three decades," Ben said with a coy smile, "And I do have a pair of exquisite eyes that keep me grounded."

They searched the room expecting to find another strange object, one with a set of eyeballs popping out that were somewhere attached to Ben through some spell or curse. Instead, they were surprised with an echoing laugh and an angelic whisper. "No need to flatter me, Ben."

The lights that brightened the room were no match for the flame that gently crept into the center of the space, gleaming from the tip of Ben Sulivan's cane. It was almost similar to when Howl held Calcifer inside his steel box as a way of transporting his fire demon.

Ben, apparently, had his own way of moving with his.

A glowing blue flame with pearly, silver eyes glistened at Ben's side, her smile as soft as a pillow and as striking as the stars. She was certainly intrigued by the trio, and more specifically with a particular fire demon who sat stunned at her revelation.

Calcifer gawked. "Vega…" She was as ethereal and heavenly as he remembered. A star with great and terrifying power, Vega was known as the brightest of their kind, a star admired for her astonishing beauty and horrifying strength. Her blue starlight was legendary amongst the celestial beings and mankind alike; all who knew her worshiped her. Calcifer himself was captivated by her essence, ever since their time together in the star cluster granting pitiful wishes and feeding off of human desire. She were infinite beyond belief.

And here she was - a fire demon contracted to a wizard, just like him.

Her laughter resounded once more. "So Cal, took you long enough to get here."

"I had no idea."

"That I survived as well?" Vega replied. "Well, not everyone can be as lucky as you. It seems you've cheated death quite a few times."

Calcifer scratched the back of his neck, breathing in deeply with the lungs of a human. Although her fall was half a century before his own, it was evidence that Vega had not been graced - or cursed - with a human life. Calcifer most likely was one in a million in such a category.

"It's just…" Calcifer began, trying to find the right words, "I've never met another fire demon like me. Like I was."

"You know how rare it is that someone finds us. And when they do, it's a gamble." She looked up to Ben, who instinctually looked down to her. "I was lucky enough that Ben saved me from my previous owner."

Calcifer couldn't help his intrigue. "Who?"

Vega recognized his curiosity. "A woman you're quite familiar with - the Witch of the Wastes."

"That was you?" Howl chimed in. Calcifer had nearly forgotten about his compatriots sitting next to him. Their initial mission had somehow been lost in the reunion of two stars, when their focus should have stayed on the original purpose. "You're the demon who made her famous?"

Vega sparked lightly, her smile never fading. "In the flames. But she's long gone now, and not our concern. Markl is, isn't he?"

"How do you know we came here for him?" Sophie asked.

Vega's light shone with utter shock and confusion. "How did we… how did we know? I warned you, Calcifer. I assumed you finally read my letter to you. Honestly, I was worried you were just going to ignore it because of those scorch marks…"

Her voice trailed into silence as she watched his face fall flat into his palms. Vega knew her assumptions had been correct when she heard his heavy sigh and saw the shaking of his head. Leave it to Calcifer to avoid a vital solution to his problems simply because he was too frightened.

"How do you know what's happened to Markl?" Howl asked, "I mean, we're here to help Markl and the rest of our family who've been trapped in Wales. We came here to tell Ben that something was wrong with him, hoping he could lead us there. Are you saying that Calcifer's letter had the answer this entire time?"

Vega never glanced away from Calcifer, though his eyes stayed firmly closed. All this time, he was frightened of some villain or stranger with evil intent; all this time, he questioned the details of the letter and what circumstances would arise if he broke the seal. For not accepting it, he was already experiencing the catastrophe of unopened scorch marks.

But why, he thought, why would Vega enact a curse against him?

"Cal?"

Calcifer finally looked up. She didn't even seem mad that he ignored her letter - another reason why she was always the superior star. Anything that came from her could not possibly have any wicked design. Had he held some inclining of faith, he might have been able to spare the series of unfortunate events that arose from his panic.

He opened his satchel and pulled out the violet letter, its smooth edges as clean as the day it arrived at his doorstep. His name, Calcifer Maguire, was written so beautifully that only an angel could make a curse appear enticing. "I didn't know you were the one who sent this."

"Now that you do," Vega said, "and that it may be the only way to save Markl, will you please read what's inside?"

Calcifer inhaled deeply once more. "Are these scorch marks really a curse?"

Vega smirked. "What else are they meant for?"

Calcifer grunted, his fingers finally reaching beneath the seal and breaking it. "It better be a good one."