Beyond the Indigo Veil: Part I of the Wallmaker Saga

Chapter 3: Heroes

The afternoon light streamed into through the castle's windows, bathing the room in a gentle glow.

But it was too quiet.

There was no clatter of dishes being washed. No gentle whisking of a broom sweeping. No churning of clothes being cleaned. No sounds of a happy family. No soft steps of a woman up at an ungodly hour of the morning.

To the figure that huddled against the fireplace, the silence was maddening.

Howl's appearance was beyond disheveled, and to the little fire daemon it was a heartbreaking sight. The wizard's wild hair was full of leaves from when he fell sobbing in the garden yesterday, his white shirt torn and stained. Traces of a beard showed on his face. Howl laid his head against the cool stones of the hearth, listening to the crackling of Calcifer's fire.

Cal was the only one who braved Howl's grief after the mirror shattered. Granny Witch had taken Markl away at Calcifer's behest. The little red spark mostly left the wizard alone. Recently Howl's outbursts were less frequent; instead he simply paced the castle. Sometimes he would huddle up against the hearth stones like he did now.

It had only been seven days since the mirror had shattered and Howl had not spoken a word since.

The entire day passed like this and Howl barely moved. Calcifer had suggested eating, but Howl refused to speak. At this rate he would starve to death. The fire daemon was about to suggest this again when he heard the knob turn at the front door. Looking up from Howl, the little spark saw the dial was pointing to black. He flared up purple and white, his huge eyes fixed on the doorway in such a way that even Howl noticed.

The door opened silently, revealing the indigo veil of the otherworld's sky. Tiny foot prints pressed into the floor, accompanied by the soft thunk of wood on wood. The footsteps stopped directly in front of Howl, whose face was white with shock. A figure holding Suliman's staff began to coalesce within a faint white aura, tinged by pinks, blues, and purples. Smiling, Sophie solidified into existence. Her dress was torn and singed, her hair wild as the wizard's. She was on fire with her inner light.

"Joy, like sorrow, comes in threes." She spoke in a gentle.

With shaking hands Howl reached out and grabbed handfuls of her skirt as though he thought she would disappear. But she was very real.

"Sophie!" He whispered, and then pulled the woman by the hem of her dress down into his waiting arms.

xXx

It is said that love, like time, heals all wounds. Howl found himself musing about how quickly things could return to normal. Granny Witch and Markl returned home with a great deal of fussing. There had been so many tears again that Howl had instituted a rule that only laughter would be allowed in the house from then on, enforced by threat of laughing powder.

Sophie and Howl had become instant heroes because of their efforts in the village of Market Chipping. No doubt wizard Suliman had informed the King of their triumph over the Dark. The village returned to normal almost over night, and they had to stop answering the door under the stairs because so many people came to express their thanks and present gifts. Howl sent Markl out to gather up the presents from time to time, commenting that it would be rude to refuse them. The majority of them were for Sophie anyway, and he made sure that she opened every one. When she began to refuse them, he simply piled them in front of her door.

Sophie was the real hero in all of this anyway, and Howl made that clear to Prince Justin in no uncertain terms when the golden dandy paid a visit to give thanks in the Royal "We." Prince Justin had dripped charm all over Sophie in such a manner that Howl had trouble containing himself. He had almost turned the prince back into a turnip right there on the spot.

However, Justin's visit had not been all smiles and roses. The Prince of Marda, Ingary's neighbor to the east, had brought with him a letter from wizard Suliman. Howl found himself having mixed reactions to the contents.

He had known for some time that his old master was in ill health and that the peace negotiations were not going very well with their neighbor to the north, a country called Tyrn. Apparently word had reached Tyrn that a great daemon had been loosed in Market Chipping, which was very close to Tyrn's southern boarder. Magic was not as common in the northern country, which took a more superstitious view of the craft. Apparently the ambassadors were making all kinds of claims about the nature of the daemon. Things did not sound promising

Howl had no intentions of becoming involved. He had too recently tasted true sorrow, and he was not going to jeopardize the happiness of his family again. He did not like the subtle undertone of Suliman's letter, which insinuated that she fully expected Howl to take the position as Royal Sorcerer when she moved on to the otherworld. The raven-haired man had enough on his mind. Putting on his most charming smile for the Prince, Howl promised in vague terms that he had nothing to promise.

In the days that followed Justin's visit, Howl spent a great deal of time with his apprentice Markl, mostly out of guilt for having pushed him aside so quickly in his grief. The two of them romped about the castle playing with many of the toys that the townsfolk had left for them, Cal often not far behind. But life was not all fun and games; Howl took Markl's education very seriously, and now he had two pupil's to teach. He, his apprentice, and his soon to be wife often huddled about the kitchen table buried among huge books, scribbling enchantments and spells. Granny Witch was simply happy to be home again, and sat mumbling in her chair with Heen sleeping in her lap.

Sophie and Howl kept their separate rooms, although hers remained empty on most nights. In the quiet hours of the morning, they talked of everything, but mostly magic. The evening that Prince Justin came to visit, perhaps feeling threatened by the advances of the Royal "We," Howl brought up their engagement.

Howl, of course, wanted to have a huge and extravagant wedding and Sophie wanted a small family affair. Howl wanted to be married right away and Sophie thought it best to wait for things to settle down. Instead of quarreling like so many other couples, they ended up laughing about the fact that they couldn't agree upon a single thing. It did not matter, they knew that they were destined to be together; their magic, like the rings on their fingers, had already sealed the contract in their hearts if not already on paper.

Howl did not like facing things if he could avoid them. Sophie had called him the most notorious of slitherer-outers a long time ago before both of their curses had been lifted. It was not that he was a coward; he simply did not like to deal with unpleasantness if at all possible. The world was too full of sadness to focus on troubles all the time. Hence he did not dwell upon the seven days of utter wretchedness he had endured, nor did he care to recall the thoughts he had harbored about throwing himself from the flying castle's parapets after the mirror had smashed. Some would call this childish behavior. But Howl knew how to recognize the importance of situations when necessary. And he decided that dwelling wasn't necessary.

He had noticed changes in Sophie since her return from seven days in the otherworld. It was not that she had suddenly accepted her magic, whereas before if had seriously frightened her. Nor was it the fact that she knew a great deal about magic now. This he discovered after Markl asked her a question about a particularly hard assignment, which Sophie deftly solved. The main difference in her behavior was the hint of sadness in her eyes. He sometimes he caught her staring, deep in thought.

She had never spoken of what had passed on those days. The only indication that it had taken place was the conspicuous disappearance of ever mirror in the house save the large glass in the bathroom. Howl often found it covered with a cloth. And then there was the northern corner of Sophie's room. On a small shelf high in the wall sat the locked silver box that held the remaining mirror shards. Directly beneath it leaned Suliman's stick.

At first Howl had decided that her silence was simply her own way of slithering-out of talking about what must have been a most horrific ordeal. He knew that Sophie had accomplished a monumental task in escaping the Dark. Howl did not need Suliman to tell him that Sophie was marked by great magic. But still, his curiosity was getting the better of him.

That morning Howl was nestled into the veritable wall of pillows at the back of his bed. Sophie was curled up under his arm with the side of her face pressed against his chest. He stroked her hair gently, planting a kiss on top of her head at random intervals. Encouraged by the frank intimacy of their previous conversation, Howl decided to broach the subject.

"Sophie, what happened?"

His future wife let out a sigh and burrowed her head into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Sophie. I shouldn't have asked," He said quickly, voice tinged with contrition. He held her close but she shook her head and looked up at him, catching his attention with her serious brown eyes.

"No. It's my own fault for trying to act as though it never happened." She looked away and settled into the crook of his arm again.

He felt the prickle of magic run between them; in his othersight, the wizard watched as a slight sparkled glimmered here and there about the woman in his arms.

"It was simple really. I knew that you were waiting for me in the mortal world. My love for you gave me strength enough to break away from the plain of suffering. There was a wall, and at first it would not let me pass. But it relented and the Dark remained behind, trapped by the barrier. I did not know it took me so long to find my way back to you."

"Time moves much differently in the otherworld. It is a miracle you were able to find your way back to the portal," Howl's serious voice gave her an inkling of what a feat that accomplishment had been.

"Your ring helped guide me," Sophie held up her hand, the red jewel set into the silver ring on her index finger glimmered in the dim light. The wind chimes overhead gave an ominous peal.

"After the shadow took you into the otherworld, I was able to see the Dark for what it actually was. It was not simply a backlash of magic that had gone bad as Suliman suggests. Someone put it in that mirror on purpose."

Sophie pondered that for a moment, "Something it said as it faded away disturbed me. It spoke of others. We should ask Mrs. Goose where the mirror came from."

The old woman who owned the curiosity shop had survived the ordeal and perseveringly cleaned up her storefront for reopening. Her shop had gained a magical reputation. Young wizards and witches of all skills often frequented the store in search of magical bobbles and cursed cooking pots.

"Turnip-head brought a letter from Suliman today" Howl spoke quickly, his intuition tickling between his ears, "Apparently the negotiations between Ingary and Tyrn are going poorly. News of the Dark sent their ambassadors into a tizzy."

"Sometimes I think Cal is right. I'm beginning to understand why you don't like being shackled by obligations."

"There's one obligation I'm looking forward to being shackled by," Howl turned and brought his face very close to Sophie, his liquid blue eyes melted her heart.

"There will be fireworks, fields of roses and silk, and a cake as big as the castle so we can feed thousands of guests!"

Sophie giggled and shrank into the pillows with a grin on her face, "I was thinking about just dressing the castle up with some flowers from the backyard, and making a nice dinner for our family."

"Big wedding!" Demanded Howl, his face alight with his most charming, yet mischievous grin.

"Little wedding!" Sophie stood her ground, crossing her arms over her chest and doing her best to look serious and unperturbed by his closeness.

"Medium wedding?" Howl whispered, his lips a mere fraction from her own.

"Done!" She murmured, and then squealed in glee as Howl pounced her.

xXx

It took then nearly an hour to walk four blocks in Market Chipping village. Every store owner and townsperson wanted to shake their hands and offer their thanks. Howl graciously received their compliments for both of them. All the attention made Sophie nervous. Somehow Howl managed to please every small crowd with his dazzling smile and mellifluous tenor laugh. Every townsperson went away charmed and smiling.

"I don't know how you do this, Howl," Sophie whispered, and flashed a watery smile at a couple of woman who leaned out of windows waving their handkerchiefs. It took her a moment to realize they were waving at Howl, then her faced turned sour and she took hold of the wizard's hand in a proprietary manner. This made Howl grin. Sophie noticed that the raven-haired man was in excellent form that morning, glowing like the green jewels that hung from his ears.

Howl's eating all this attention with a silver spoon, she thought to herself, undecided over whether to be annoyed or amused.

"This is excellent for business, Sophie," He said without moving his lips, the dazzling smile on his face remaining perfect. Sophie had learned that Howl had many unique talents, some of which did not involve magic.

"We do need to make a living," His disembodied voice spoke in a matter of fact way. She replied with a grumpy huff but her gloomy mood faltered significantly as she caught sight of Mrs. Goose's shop.

"You don't need to come in, Sophie." Howl's kind voice gave her strength.

"No. This is our responsibility now."

Howl grinned at her use of the inclusive pronoun.

As they neared the shop, Sophie saw that that the store looked exactly as it had before. However, this time it was absolutely packed. Sophie couldn't help but notice that many of the customers looked a great deal like the blond haired Howl she had first met. The frogfish look on his face as he caught sight of the be-spangled dandies made her giggle.

"What?" He demanded crossly.

"Nothing," She replied, just barely containing herself.

It was then that she caught sight of the medium sized plaque that stood in the shop's window. The white board was painted with strong black letters that advertised the storefront as the location of the great battle between the Black Daemon and the Wizard Howl and the Witch Sophie. Someone had illustrated the scene, and a great black blob loomed menacingly over two human figures: a mottle-color clad blond man and a silver-haired woman in grey. Each of the figures was outlined in a golden nimbus.

"It seems your former self has left an impression on the town," Sophie mused.

"They never do get it right in the stories. Besides, you did all the work."

Sophie was about to reply when three girls in pretty dresses passed her by, each of them had tinted their hair a silver color and cut it short like the image in the sign. It was Sophie's turn to make a face, which made Howl snigger.

"Remember, dear heart, flattery is the highest form of compliment. Or is that imitation? I can't remember."

"Sophie, dear? Is that you?" The original silver-haired woman turned and caught sight of Mrs. Goose hobbling toward her with a basket full of groceries.

"Mrs. Goose, how good to see you!" Sophie replied happily.

"Ah, I see you've brought your wizard with you," the little old woman peered up at the raven-haired man, who gave her a dashing smile.

"Hello to you, wizard Howl," She leaned towards him and spoke in a conspiratorial way although they were in plain sight of the entire street. "I see you're in disguise! I don't blame you, seeing the way all these magpies strut about."

Apparently the old woman had forgotten Howl had black hair the last time they met. But the wizard chuckled good-naturedly and leaned down, equally conspiratorially. "Do you think anyone has recognized me, dear lady?"

"I can't say that I've noticed. But do come in! Business has been especially good since I reopened the shop. Every hedge witch and house wizard from all over Ingary has been here to try and buy some scrap of useless junk. The town even insisted on putting up this sign to inform tourists. You two have definitely made a name for Chipping Market."

"Let me take that for you, madam." Howl relieved her of her basket.

"Thank you, dear. Wait here a moment," Mrs. Goose replied and then straightened he shawl before shoving her way into the store. Shortly after there was a great deal of ruckus as grumbling customers came pouring out of the little antique shop. From inside the two could hear the old woman arguing with some customer who was quite intent on purchasing some item.

"I said out!" Came a cry from within.

A frazzled man in a good green suit quickly hurried from the store clutching his hat with a terrified expression. He was followed closely by the grey old woman, who emerged shaking her cane. "If you want it so badly you can come back and buy your bobble later this afternoon!"

Dusting off her apron and straightening her ruffled bonnet, Mrs. Goose turned a beaming smile on Sophie and Howl as she gestured into the store.

"Do come in, we've the whole place to ourselves now."

Sophie half expected to feel the evil presence that had lurked in the store on the evening she had let loose the Dark. But the shop was as warm and inviting as it had been when she had first entered it. There was a mousy brown girl at the till who blanched a snowy white as she caught sight of her mistress' guests.

"Put the kettle on, would you, Jenny? There's a good girl," The little girl scurried off and Sophie looked after her, smiling. Mrs. Goose shooed several fat cats from a circle of low couches in the middle of the shop that had been arranged to act as a sitting area. Sophie was glad to find that there was not a single mirror in the store.

"I bet you're noticing the conspicuous lack of a particular item from the shop, my dear? No need to speak of it, but I'm done with those. No more will they be part of my inventory!"

Jenny came back into the room with a tray of biscuits and a small teapot in rosy wool cozy. The gilded china was painted with pretty flowers.

"Thank you, Jenny. Be a dear and take the basket Mr. Howl is holding into the kitchen," Mrs. Goose took the tray and set it on the small table in front of them, going about serving the tea in a very motherly manner. Not able to resist, Howl turned the full lamp of his charm on the girl as he held out the basket and smiled, his emerald earrings glinting.

"Jennifer, was it? What a pretty name."

The girl turned as scarlet as Calcifer, staring at her shoes as she took the basket from Howl. Sophie took that moment to elbow the wizard in the ribs as hard as she could. The raven-haired wizard covered the whoosh of air that escaped him by coughing. Jenny retreated as though she were pursued by daemons. Mrs. Goose served him a cup of tea, a mild look on her face.

"Careful, Mr. Howl, or she'll start spreading rumors you're after the hearts of pretty girls again. Jenny's a good girl, but a notorious gossip. Now, what can I do for you two?"

Recovering himself with great dignity, Howl took a sip of his tea as Sophie glowered at him. Then the silver haired witch got straight to the point.

"We would like to know about the cracked mirror. Where it came from, who sold it to you, and anything you can remember about people who have expressed interest in it."

"Now, let's see." Mrs. Goose munched on a biscuit and lifted up her tea absentmindedly as a fat cat claimed her lap. Her simple black dress was absolutely covered in cat hair. "As I recall, the mirror came from Tyrn not too long ago. It was right before the War broke out and right after Prince Justin went missing. I don't normally take damaged goods for trades but it was an odd piece. Rather plain but charming none the less. Or perhaps it was the seller who was charming. I'm a shameful mark for handsome young men, especially ones with funny accents. For the life of me I can't remember what his name was. He had such lovely hair."

Mrs. Goose mused almost as though she was in a dream. Sophie sensed that something was not quiet right.

"Mrs. Goose?" Sophie reached out and touched the old woman, a shock went through the young witch and she snatched back her hand. The shopkeeper was deeply entrenched in the hazy fog of the enchantment placed on her. The hatter's daughter flashed a worried glance at her fiancé, but Howl waved off her worries.

"Don't worry. She's alright. There is a memory spell on her. I'm impressed, she a tough granny to remember so much. This is really interesting."

Howl was looking at the old woman with the fey smirk that he wore when he was seeing with his othersight.

"Can you take it off of her?" Sophie asked anxiously. She did not like the idea of a spell being on such a dear old woman. Howl was peering at her closely.

"We shouldn't meddle with this kind of magic. It is often in the best interests of the afflicted person to let the charm remain. Too bad, it would have been useful to know who had sold her the mirror. Its rather interesting that it should come from Tyrn."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door and Jenny scurried in from the back room, eyeing Howl nervously. She opened the front door.

"Eh?" Piped the old woman birdishly, snapping out of her trance. "I thought I put the closed sign out. Whoever it is, Jenny, tell them to go away!"

"But, Mrs. Goose, its Ambassador Varra. He has an appointment with you about the suit of armor." Jenny called back.

The young girl ushered the man into the room, folding his rich purple cloak but not offering to take his twisted ebony cane.

The man was tall and thin, almost exactly the same build as Howl. He wore a parti-colored doublet of red and black with loose silk trousers and shiny black riding boots. On his hands were crimson gloves which he did not bother to remove. His pale white skin marked him as a man from the north, where snows consumed the Tyrn country for most of the year. His face was clean shaven, with a strong square jaw framed by wavy copper hair pulled back into a long braid. His emerald eyes glowed with a fey light that almost seemed to glint in the heavy purple jewel that hung from a thick gold chain around his neck.

Sophie knew with one look that he was a wizard, and one of considerable talent. She did not sense malevolence from him, only a cold sort of amusement tinted with arrogance. But that was not to say that she did not think him dangerous.

"Oh dear, I completely forgot! Do forgive me, dearies. Jenny, do bring another tray for the Ambassador," Mrs. Goose stood quickly, displacing the fat orange tabby which meowed in displeasure.

"I do not mean to intrude, Mrs. Goose. I can return at a later time or your guests can stay should they like," Varra spoke with a voice full of charm.

"Not to at all. We were just on our way," Howl smiled graciously and stood smoothly. But the ambassador stepped forward, blocking the exit in the maze of clutter in the shop.

"Forgive my intrusion, but you are Master Howl, are you not? Royal Wizard Suliman has spoken highly of your recent accomplishments. I am privileged to meet such an esteemed Sorcerer." With that Varra gave a stiff bow from the hip, never taking his eyes off of Howl.

"Indeed, Ambassador Varra. Your reputation precedes you as well. I hear that your level thinking has brought much progress to the peace meetings between Ingary and Tyrn." Howl replied in a voice as smooth as silk. He returned the red-haired sorcerer's bow with a flourish filled with far more panache.

"And this must be Lady Sophie. You are far more beautiful that the stories foretell."

Sophie turned a ruddy color under the foreigner's intense gaze, but a place in her heart went icy as she found a familiar quality in the red-haired wizard's eyes. She cast off her earlier assessment of the wizard, there was definitely something threatening in him now.

"Um, welcome to Market Chipping," She mumbled uncomfortably.

"Please don't let us keep you from your business any further. Give my regards to Wizard Suliman next time you see her," Howl spoke in an amiable voice although his eyes were quiet cold. Taking Sophie's arm, he helped her to her feet as the Ambassador stood aside.

"Indeed. I shall tell Suliman myself," He replied cryptically, a nasty look in his eyes. "Perhaps we shall meet again quite soon."

"Goodbye, dearies!" The old woman called after them.

"Goodbye, Mrs. Goose!" Howl called back to her and they left the shop just as Jenny brought in another tray. Sophie could feel Varra's eyes upon them even after they left the store and walked quickly around the corner.

"Well!" Howl smirked in a low voice, the peculiar expression still on his face. "That was interesting."

"Howl," Sophie began, but the wizard silenced her with a serious glance.

They walked in silence down the back alleys of the village until they reached a door with a mark of blue paint above its handle. Once the pair had entered the castle by way of the door under the stairs, Howl turned and made a cutting motion with his hand. A spark of magic splintered the air and a long red string floated to the ground, and then pulled itself back under the door.

"What was that all about?" Calcifer zipped over to the hover by the door, crackling oranges and reds in surprise.

"Just a nosy wizard trying to eavesdrop on our conversation," Howl replied mildly, then with another flick of his hand the blue mark disappeared from the door, "I'm afraid we won't be going to Chipping Market for quite some time."

"Where is Markl?" Sophie asked with concern.

"In the garden with Granny Witch and Heen; they're pulling in the laundry," Cal replied.

"I think I'll go help them," The silver-haired witch disappeared out the French doors and around the corner, leaving behind the wizard and the fire spirit.

"We had a run in with a Wizard from Tyrn at the curiosity shop in Market Chipping," Howl explained as he took a seat before the fire. "Apparently he is one of the ambassadors involved in the peace process. I also suspect that he sold the shopkeeper the mirror, and had a hand in placing the scarecrow curse on Prince Justin."

"That's bad news, Howl," Calcifer crackled in a small voice, settling back into the hearth. The wizard let out a hearty sigh and sank into the chair wearily.

"I was hoping we could have the wedding sooner, but not with this mess going on," Howl mused softly to himself and then slapped a hand over his mouth as he realized he was thinking out loud.

"You're what? Why didn't you tell me?" Calcifer roared, exploding up into the fireplace in a crackling plume of white and purple flame.

"Shhh!" Howl hissed, waving his hands up and down and frowning furiously as he cast a wary eye out to the garden. "It's still a secret! Pipe down, will you!"

"When did this happen?" Calcifer growled smokily as he shrank to an angry red flame.

"The night before we took care of the Dark."

"And you didn't tell me!" Calcifer trembled upwards again and Howl gritted his teeth and renewed his shushing.

"Circumstances being what they were, I wasn't quite sure how things were going to end up," Howl replied quietly and Calcifer dimmed, no doubt remembering past events.

"Why not just do it and be done with it?" Cal muttered.

"Because I want it to be perfect, Cal," Howl snapped angrily, "Not some slap-dash-back-ally-altar-jump-the-broom ceremony. Sophie deserves much better than that!"

Calcifer seemed cowed by that and the little spark was quiet for a moment. Then he spoke with his round eyes fixed on the wizard, "Wow, Howl. You're actually thinking of someone besides yourself for once."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Howl muttered then gave a start as there was a knock at the front door.

"Kingsbury door!" Calcifer chimed, "King's messenger."

Howl stood and went to the front portal warily, his intuition putting him on edge. As he opened the door, a stiff emotionless messenger wearing all black gave him a quick salute and then held out a completely black envelope, wrapped in a black ribbon and sealed with the king's emblem in black wax. Howl snatched up the letter and slammed the door in the messenger's face. Then he sat down hard on the first step, staring at the letter in his hand, his face pale.

"What is it, Howl?" Calcifer darted over and hovered above his friend's shoulder.

"Suliman," Howl whispered, "She's dead."