Beyond the Indigo Veil: Part I of the Wallmaker Saga
Chapter 4: Decisions
There was a knock as his door and the latch gave a soft scrape as someone slipped into his room. One of the bobbles overhead gave a chime. On the spinning mobile, a piece of black crystal spun and returned to point west to Kingsbury. On his side table, Sophie could see the black letter, still unopened. It was a royal invitation to Wizard Suliman's funeral, but she needed no magic to know that.
"Howl?" Sophie all but whispered as she stood next to the bed, eyeing the man shaped lump buried under the covers and mound of pillows. The silver-haired woman sat on the edge of the bed and laid her head on top of the bump.
"Are you hungry, Howl? Can I get you anything?"
A human hand crept out from under the covers and Sophie took it in her own. A muffled voice came from directly under a dog shaped stuffed animal.
"Markl and I have a lot in common. Both of us have no family. We were lucky to have found such generous masters." Sophie knew that Howl used this kind of bravado to hide his pain. She stroked the hand in hers for a while, and then quickly straightened as the wizard surfaced for air.
Sitting up in bed, the raven-haired man threw pillows and stuffed animals across the room indiscriminately in a fit of despair, causing a jumble of gaudy somethings to crash to the floor in a pile. She patiently indulged him in his tantrum, reminding herself that Howl was experiencing intense pain at this moment. It was times like this that Sophie remembered that the wizard had the heart of a child. She regarded him mildly as he settled back, gazing up at the ceiling.
Howl's eyes were red rimmed from crying, his nose was stopped up and his voice was hoarse. She had sensed him close off to her earlier when she was out in the garden, and had heard his door slam. Calcifer filled her in quickly when she came back into the house, but she left him alone. Sophie simply waited, going about her day as normal for the sake of the rest of the family, and about five minutes ago Howl had opened the door in his mind a crack.
"My uncle never had time for me as a child. I was lucky that Suliman saw some ability in me, otherwise I would have been completely alone," Howl's voice was stronger now, less brittle.
"She and I never quite saw eye to eye. I felt her methods were too extreme. For a while I was terrified of her because I thought her cruel. It took me a while to realize she wasn't pitiless. It was simply that she could not show mercy as the wizard responsible for the lives of all the people in Ingary. Suliman was the closest thing I've ever had to a mother or a father. I loved her very much."
Howl rolled over and placed his head in her lap and gave a great sigh. Sophie smoothed his wild hair and the wizard's face took on a peaceful expression.
"You're all I have now, Sophie; you and our little family."
The silver-haired woman leaned over and planted a kiss on the side of his head. The obsidian charm overhead gave a soft ting as it swiveled and began once again to point madly towards Kingsbury.
At the sound Howl's face took on a savage expression and he sat up in a single move, startling Sophie. The furious wizard ripped the chime from the wall and threw it across the room, where it landed in the jumble of shiny somethings. Howl flopped back into the bed and pulled a stuffed bear over his head. Sophie glanced over at the pile, noting how the obsidian stone gleamed wickedly at her.
"Foul-play," She murmured in shock, and in her mind's eyes Sophie saw a flash of the cruel expression on Ambassador Varra's face when he promised to relay Howl's regards to wizard Suliman.
"He killed her," Howl sobbed in anguish from beneath the bear, "Somehow he murdered Suliman."
"How do you know that?" Sophie asked evenly, trying not to sound dubious. Howl could jump to conclusions when he was upset, and this was a particularly large stretch.
"It was in his eyes," her fiancé continued darkly, his intense gaze distant as though he were seeing into the past, "Something wasn't right about the way he offered to relay my regards to Suliman. It was like he was gloating. Besides, Mrs. Goose said that a man with red hair sold the mirror to her, and that it came from Tyrn. That is too convienient to be a coincidence."
That took a moment to sink in. Howl did not frequently receive premonitions, although he had the gift of truesight. Additionally, her wizard was a very intelligent man, and had keen analytical skills. He could see the truth in anything if he looked hard enough. However, Howl hardly ever cared to look very hard at anything, which was something that infuriated Sophie to no end. But that mattered little at this point in time. The silver sorceress was still reeling under the revelation that someone had been able to assassinate the invincible woman of stone seemed almost impossible. But Suliman had been unwell, and perhaps far weaker than she appeared. Sophie's intuition recalled the exhaustion she had shown when the royal wizard spoke of the peace talks.
"Suliman knew she was in trouble… Why didn't she say something?" Sophie whispered.
"Politics," Howl muttered bitterly, at last tossing aside the bear. Sophie could see that he was crying again, tears leaking down the sides of his face.
"She knew that if she spoke against the peace ambassadors, it would set in motion a series of events that would lead straight back to war. She kept trying to negotiate the terms of the treaty. Brave Suliman; she tried to save us."
Sophie had never liked politics; they made no sense to her because of the suffering inherent in double-handed dealings.
"All for power," Howl spoke flatly, drying his eyes on his shirt. Sophie fished her handkerchief out of her pocket before the wizard could blow his nose on his shirt. Howl's blue eyes were distant and uncharacteristically serious; she could hear him thinking.
"Tyrn is a small country with few resources besides snow. Even their magic is small. Varra is crafty to have pulled off such a scheme."
"What do you mean?"
"This is just speculation, but it makes sense. Varra tricked Ingary into starting the War with Marda, over the kidnapping of Prince Justin. The Prince had been dispatched to negotiate trade agreements with Ingary, but he never made it past the Wastes. That red-haired bastard must have been waiting for him in Market Chipping. He's probably the one who put the curse on old turnip-head as well."
"But, why? What good could have come from instigating a war between Ingary and Marda? "
Sophie remembered the vast plain of red lights in the otherworld beyond the broken mirror. Fuel for the Dark, she realized in horror. But she returned her attention to Howl as he continued, getting all the more angry as he spoke. His hair flickered in the otherwind and several of the chimes above them tinkled in response.
"Think about this, Sophie. Varra was going to wait until Ingary and Marda were war weary, and then he was going to release Justin from the curse and stage it as a rescue. That would put Ingary in the wrong and somehow indebted to Tyrn, giving them an in to the Capital.
"But you foiled that plan when you let Justin loose of his curse early. However, it still brought Tyrnian ambassadors to Ingary; but this time under the guise of facilitating peace talks between Ingary, Tyrn, and Marda."
"To what end?" Sophie was still at a loss.
"I'm not sure. All I know is that Suliman was somehow a threat to his plan."
Sophie could only stare at him and think helplessly of the situation. Howl vented his renewed frustration by tossing the stuffed bear, and then sat clenching his fists because he had run out of things to throw.
"Poor, dear Suliman," He murmured.
"Do Prince Justin and King Ferdinand know?" Sophie spoke up finally and Howl flopped back onto the bed.
"I don't know," Howl said in a soft voice, and once again his anger had gone, leaving him fragile.
After waiting a moment, Sophie climbed into bed with Howl. She rested her back against the headboard as the wizard rolled onto his side, putting his head in her lap again. She stroked his hair and he was peaceful once more.
"A big wedding," he murmured into her lap, "With thousands of roses, enormous cakes, and fireworks."
"I thought we agreed on a medium wedding?" Sophie smiled in spite of herself, realizing that Howl was falling asleep.
"I do so love fireworks, Sophie," He murmured, his breathing becoming soft and even.
xXx
Royal Witch Suliman's funeral was a grand affair befitting the respect and honor due to the great woman.
In Kingsbury every house was adorned with black and purple draperies. In the great procession that took place during the three days after the woman's death, every man, woman, and child in the capital passed through the great cathedral where Suliman's body lay in state. Rumor had it that the wizard had died peacefully in her sleep and city whispered gracious prayers of thanks for that mercy.
The King of Tyrn himself had come to the occasion, accompanied by a generous escort of royal soldiers. This was a bold move, but it was tolerated as a show of faith from the Igarians. The King of Tyrn brought thousands of white lilies, which glowed like snow in candles of the cathedral. Howl himself had sent several hundred black roses the morning after the letter arrived. The raven-haired wizard had emerged from his room briefly to send the order, and then disappeared for two more until the day of the funeral.
The whole family had insisted on accompanying Howl and Sophie to the funeral, and the wizard did not have the heart to tell them no. In spite of his worries, he was glad to have his family with him. Suliman had recently written her will, and in it she requested that the raven-haired wizard be one of her pallbearers. No doubt even this act was meant as a hard lesson for Howl.
Sophie felt strange dressed entirely in black; it made her feel like a ghost because of the paleness of her hair. Markl was very somber that morning, and politely stood for Sophie as she brushed his unruly hair. Even Granny witch was subdued, consoling poor Heen who curled up in her lap rather pitifully. Sophie heard Howl's door open and listened intently to the steps pass the bathroom and come down the stairs.
Turning, she took in Howl and her heart went out to him. The raven-haired wizard was dressed entirely in black, bareheaded and completely unadorned. Even his earrings were missing. Gone was the usual smile on his bright face, he did not even look at her. But Sophie knew better, she saw more than sorrow in him, she could feel the distant ember of his anger.
"Is it time?" Granny Witch asked, standing with Heen in her arms.
"Yes, time to go." Howl spoke softly; a kind look passed over his face as Markl went over and hugged his master as hard as he could. Wizard Howl tousled his apprentice's hair, undoing all of Sophie's work, but his smile stayed any words she could have said. She had brought Suliman's staff with her. It seemed right to her to bring it.
Howl led the family down the stairs and out the door with Calcifer flickering a melancholy blue overhead. In Kingsbury the crowds parted for them, eyeing both Sophie and Howl with deference. She did not need magic to hear what they were whispering. Another addendum of Suliman's will was that Howl be named her successor. Sophie was very angry at Suliman for a moment; it was very cruel of her to force this on Howl. She must have been well aware that it was the last thing he would have wanted. But her anger softened when she remembered the difficult circumstances that surrounded the Royal Witch's last days. It was clear she had no choice.
She was glad for the black hat with its thick veil that she and Granny Witch wore. It was a custom of Chipping Village that also seemed appropriate. They each took one of Markl's hands and the little boy gazed about from time to time, but mostly looked at the ground.
They reached the cathedral quickly and the guards let them pass. There were fewer people now, mostly courtiers and close friends of Suliman's. Sophie led the rest of the family off to the side to sit in the pews closest to the front. Sophie caught several startled looks when many of the witnesses recognized her stick. But she didn't care.
Howl went ahead to stand on the dais near Prince Justin of Marda and King Ferdinand of Ingary. Heen suddenly gave a mournful wheeze and jumped form Granny Witch's arms. The little dog scrambled over to the casket and flopped itself down at its foot, giving another despondent wheeze. A fourth man on the dais with yellow hair and kind brown eyes smiled sympathetically at Heen. Sophie had never seen before, but the weak smile that passed between he and Howl told her that they had both been apprentices of the great woman. All of them looked horrible, and Sophie knew they were taking Suliman's loss very hard.
The hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood up and through the thick cloth of her veil Sophie caught Varra watching her. She saw his expression briefly before he quickly turned his eyes away. It was a troubled expression, mixed with surprise. Apparently Varra had not counted on them being there.
The ambassador was standing on the far side of the room under the red banner of the Tyrnian country. Beside him stood a very young man dressed in such finery that no one could doubt the fact that he was a king, in spite of the nervous and inexperienced expression on his face. So this was the King of Tyrn; another patsy in Varra's plan, Sophie surmised.
The ceremony passed quickly, but the inside of the Cathedral seemed cavernous and stuffy. Sophie did not care for all the service. It seemed false in her eyes, in light of the truth of the matter. At the end Howl and the three other's carried the casket into the gardens of the Palace followed shortly by Heen and the rest of the witnesses. A great pyre waited for Suliman, once lit the bonfire would burn all night, and the witnesses would toast the life of their loved until the last embers were smoldering. Calcifer was given a great honor by being asked to light the fire, and the little spark plumed into a great purple white flame and set off a blaze that rivaled the setting sun.
After that the guest filled into the greenhouse, where a banquet waited for them. Howl, Prince Justin, the King and the other apprentice all disappeared. Calcifer had gone with Howl, so Sophie did not worry too much. Although she spent the rest of the evening keeping a sideways eye on Varra.
Sophie barely touched her food, although Granny Witch and Markl ate the sumptuous meal with gusto. Their enthusiasm made her smile and she even allowed Markl to have a sip of the sparkling wines the waiters were serving. Several well dressed guests came by to inquire about Howl, but she could tell that their curiosity was really directed at her. She had removed her hat after the ceremony and stood out like a sore thumb with her silver hair and wizard's staff. She smiled politely and answered their many questions as best she could without being too revealing. She had learned much from Howl about how to politely slither-out of answering a question without being insulting.
Soon the wake began to wind down. People came by less frequently since she held Markl in her lap. The little apprentice had fallen fast asleep with his arms around her neck. Even Granny Witch began to nod off, with Heen in her arms. The old witch had amused herself to no end by spending the whole evening gawking and muttering to herself about all the fancy people. She even flirted with a couple of handsome young serving boys. She was about to send a curious thought in Howl's direction, when she caught sight of Varra coming towards her with a king in tow.
"Dear Lady Sophie, please don't stand," The King of Tyrn spoke kindly with a genuine smile on his face. Varra did a poor job of covering his disgust for the common way his king was addressing a commoner.
"Lady Sophie, my I introduce His Royal Highness, King Walden of Tyrn," Varra introduced his king with the urbanity of a well costumed courtier.
"It is a great honor to meet you, you Highness," Sophie nodded her head in the most gracious gesture she could perform in her current circumstance.
Sophie instantly took a liking to the King of Tyrn and she pitied his unfortunate situation. He looked as though he could barely be 17 years of age. Before Varra had a chance to commandeer the conversation, Walden proceeded to tell her with breathless excitement how he had heard many tales about her and the great wizard Howl. Next he launched into a speech expressing genuine contrition about the circumstances of the War and made a very solemn promise to work to settle peace between the Ingarians, the Mardans and the Tyrnians.
Sophie was taken back by the fact that the young king spoke to her as though she were a queen, and the starry look in his eyes made her a bit nervous. However, she was enjoying every moment. By the end of the kings little speech, the look in Varra's eyes was pure venom, in spite of his calm demeanor. She decided at that moment that Walden would make an excellent ruler and that he was not at all Varra's patsy.
"Forgive me for being impertinent, Lady Sophie, but is that your son you hold in your arms?" That Markl was her son seemed to make Walden nervous.
"Not by blood, no. He is the apprentice of wizard Howl," Sophie replied evenly, holding tighter to Markl protectively.
"Ah, that is good… So you do indeed wield the staff of the late witch Suliman?"
The silver-haired woman relaxed as she realized that Walden wasn't interested in Markl. Instead he seemed absolutely in awe of the chunk of wood she held in her hand. Sophie would have laughed at him were he not a King. She was also aware of the nervous glitter in Varra's eyes as she cast a meaningful look in his direction.
"Yes it is." She replied
"That means you must be a witch!" Sophie could have rolled her eyes and readjusted her age assessment of the young King. He sounded just like her sister Martha when she asked her master Mrs. Fairfax if she could really do magic; in fact she could feel the question coming. Varra looked absolutely dismayed, especially since several guests were taking note of the King's little scene.
"Do some magic, oh please! Varra never does anything interesting!" Walden practically begged.
Sophie found herself wanting to kiss Walden as she watched the ambassador wilt and squirm. But she also felt a bit awkward. Sophie had performed magic on several occasions for customers but she never did quite get used to it. However, one does not say no to a King of any country.
Sophie lifted Suliman's staff and thunked it against the ground heavily. For a brief moment she and the staff were consumed in a blue-purple fire that twisted and sparked, leaving her eyes behind to flash and burn. Completely untouched and as peaceful as ever, Markl slept in her lap bathed in the blue glow. She cast her eyes at Varra during that moment, putting behind that look the promise that she meant to consume him. It was only a brief second, not long enough to attract much attention, but she received applause from Walden and several others once she returned to normal
"Beautiful! Absolutely magnificent, Lady Sophie! You truly are a sorceress of great power."
It felt like an empty parlor trick and Sophie would have regretted it completely if she had not seen the cold look in Varra's eyes give way for a second to what could only be fear. She smiled at the Prince and once again caught that starry-eyed look, really beginning to feel nervous. Suddenly Calcifer zipped into the greenhouse and hovered nervously above Sophie.
"Everything alright, Sophie? I smelled magic." The fire daemon did his best to resist singing Varra, who stepped back from the spark as it settled on above the silver-haired witch's shoulder.
"Fantastic!" Cried Walden, who gazed at Calcifer with wide eyes, "Is this your daemon, Sophie?"
"Hey! I'm nobody's property, buddy!" Calcifer crackled purple-white at the King, who flinched back then laughed in his good-natured way.
"This must be the great Calcifer! I've heard of him too." Replied the king with a conciliatory smile. Calcifer seemed to be at a loss and Sophie swore the little red flame blushed a rosy red.
"Everything is fine, Calcifer. This is His Royal Highness King Walden of Tyrn," Sophie motioned to the young boy.
"Um… Nice to meet you, King Walden." The young ruler bowed to the fire daemon, who shrank smaller and turned pink again.
"Calcifer, would you take Markl and Granny home? It's getting late."
"Sure thing, Sophie," Calcifer replied.
Granny Witch woke up at her name. The old witch put down Heen and gathered Markl into her arms as Sophie handed him off. The silver-haired woman kissed both of them on the cheek and pointed them after Calcifer.
"Oh, what a pretty fire," the former witch of the wastes murmured and tottered after the fire daemon. They paused for a minute as the little spark shot back to her.
"I forgot. The King of Ingary and Prince Justin would like you to join them in Suliman's study," With that the little flame sped off after the old witch. They would be safe, Sophie was sure of that. Varra could do nothing to them as long as Calcifer was with them.
"If you would excuse me, King Walden, Ambassador Varra," Sophie stood and wandered off in what she thought was the right direction. Her heart sank as she caught sight of the cruel look in Varra's eyes as he watcher her go.
Prince Justin and the King wanted to see her? Not Howl? Sophie had a very uneasy feeling about this. After getting turned around in circles, Sophie managed to get directions out of a harried servant. The little blond boy pointed her in the right direction only after staring in terror at her for a few seconds. As she walked Sophie reflected on her revelations about Varra.
He was not nearly as strong as she had once feared. Clearly he had not expected she and Howl to come to the funeral. If a silly little parlor trick could put some fire in his britches the sorcerer must not be as powerful as he liked to project. However, instead of being consoled by this fact Sophie was made all the more nervous. That meant something else was behind all of their troubles.
As she finally found herself in a familiar setting, Sophie became aware of distant raised voices. One in particular she recognized as Howl's. Although she felt guilty for eavesdropping, Sophie listed at the door before knocking.
"I can't believe that you're actually considering these terms!" Howl practically screamed, followed by the sounds of crashing and things breaking.
"Now, Howl, be reasonable!" An unfamiliar voice spoke. It must be the other apprentice who had bore Suliman's casket to the flames.
"I can't BELIEVE that you're actually siding with them Barimus!" Howl yelled incredulously.
"This is for the good of the country, Howl."
Sophie heard the strong tones of King Ferdinand's voice cut through the sounds of more smashing and fabric ripping. Sophie couldn't believe that Howl was actually yelling at the King of Ingary. In the background she could hear someone sobbing softly and she decided this was Justin. Sophie reverently prayed that Howl had not harmed him.
"There, there, Prince Justin. She was never interested in you anyway," Barimus appeared to be trying to console the prince, who started out in another fit of tears. Apparently Barimus wasn't doing a good job.
"These are the terms of the peace agreement!" The king shouted back at Howl, obviously unperturbed.
"It's not for you to decide!"
"Neither is it for you! It's up to Lady Sophie!"
Sophie broke into the room startling all four men. The office was an absolute mess. Wallpaper had been ripped from the walls, pillow stuffing was flying about in the air, tables were over turned and chairs smashed to bits. Howl had an enormous dresser in his hands. He looked as though he was about to chuck it at the King, who was currently taking refuge behind the shambles of a table. In a corner Prince Justin sat sobbing and Barimus stood next to him patting his shoulder.
"Decide what?" Sophie demanded in fury, having taken in the whole room.
Howl's attention snapped to her and his anger deflated to surprise. Then it renewed with vigor and the wizard turned and threw the dressed at the wall with a furious snarl. It splintered into hundreds of pieces.
"Howl!" Sophie cried in dismay, "Behave yourself!"
"Tell her, oh lord of Ingary!" Howl sneered mockingly at the King who appeared rather unsure of himself now that Sophie stood in the doorway.
"Tell me what?"
The King recovered himself quickly, but still retained his look of consternation.
"Lady Sophie, that under the terms of Suliman's will she has named both you and Wizard Howl as her successors to the position of Royal Wizard. Ambassador Varra has made it very clear that under no certain terms will his country abide by such a strong magical presence in Ingary in light of its current track record for military belligerence. He has informed me that such an act would threaten the security of his country, which is already weak in the realm of magic, and therefore must be amended. A political liaison has been suggested in order to balance power and create ties of kinship that will further prevent war."
"What do you mean liaison?" Sophie demanded.
"The King of Tyrn has asked me for you hand in marriage, Lady Sophie."
Sophie was floored. Suddenly she understood the star-struck look in Walden's eyes.
"What?" She exclaimed.
"Those are the terms of the peace agreement. If they are not met, then we are at war again."
"You have no right to ask her to do this," Howl had recovered after a moment of exhaustion.
The raven-haired man's face was alive with anger Sophie had never before seen in him. The king turned back to Howl, his reddish moustache bristling in rage.
"You forget yourself, wizard Howl! I am the King of Ingary and I can bloody-well do what I want if it is in the best interests of the kingdom!"
"Wizard Howl has already asked for my hand in marriage and I have already consented!" Sophie yelled back at the King, her eyes flashing in anger, "He has every right to a say in this matter."
The king looked absolutely flabbergasted at this fact, "I had no idea… I would have protested more strongly had I known. I… But the peace treaty?" The king cast about for something to convince Sophie.
"Come, Howl. We're leaving," Sophie's cold voice rang out in the room high and clear. The exhausted wizard wordlessly obeyed. She turned to follow him, but both Barimus and the King called after her.
"But Lady Sophie! What say you to the terms?"
The King of Ingary asked again, desperation coloring his voice. She turned and struck wizard Suliman's staff on the floor. Everyone in the room jumped at the sound. She gave him a withering look that let him know exactly what she though of the terms. But Sophie truly saw the King in that moment for the first time.
King Ferdinand of Ingary was a strong tall man in excellent form with great bushes of rusty hair and a matching moustache. But now the man she saw before her was barely on his feet, all the vitality gone from him. Dark circles lined his eyes and his face was pinched with worry and grief. Sophie realized that it was not his fault; the ruler of Ingary was hardly more than a child himself. Her intuition told her in that moment that Suliman had coddled him too much, making many decisions for him.
Holding Suliman's staff in her hand, she felt the weight of combined fears of the entire country settle upon her shoulders. For an inkling of a moment she knew how the Royal Witch must have felt. For some reason that reminded her of the parched plains of suffering she had seen in the darkest corners of the otherworld. She knew that those lights represented real people, people whose lives now depended on a cruel choice she was being forced to make.
This was Varra's doing.
"Sophie," Howl's gentle voice brought her out of her thoughts, "Please, Sophie, let's go."
"You will have my answer in three day," Sophie told no one in particular, then turned and stalked off down the hallway.
xXx
Sophie's thoughts were full of fire and brimstone as she strode through the castle, a silent Howl easily keeping pace beside her. Frightened servants and courtiers scurried aside as doors flew open before the couple by the hand of invisibles forces. With the slamming of each door Sophie's worries consumed a bit more of her anger, leaving behind only uncertainty. Through a window she could see that Suliman's pyre still burning brightly. Sophie couldn't bring herself to curse the late woman even in light of the predicament into which the witch had delivered them.
Once outside on the castle steps, free before the night sky, Sophie threw herself into Howl's arms and the two of them shot into the sky like a great winged bird. Sophie had no idea where they were going and she was sure Howl didn't either. It didn't matter. They were together and for the moment everything was right. The pair clung to one another and sailed through the heavens. Some time later they fell to the earth like a shooting star, their magic delivering them safely into a field of soft grasses above the capital.
They lay in each other's arms staring at the stars in the sky for some time, until golden dawn began to color the eastern horizon.
"What will you do, Sophie?" Howl's voice was soft and fragile, as though he could not stand to speak.
Sophie did not answer right away. She did not want to think at the moment, only to be held by the one she loved.
"I am your wife and you are my husband. We don't need a ceremony to make that anymore real in this world," Sophie assumed had answered wisely because Howl swept her up into his arms and delivered her into one of their timeless embraces.
"Let's run," He whispered wildly into her hair, almost crushing the air from her as he hugged her too him fiercely, "We'll uproot the castle and go far away where no one has ever heard of us."
It sounded like a wonderful idea and for a moment Sophie almost agreed. But again the great plain of suffering reared before her eyes, thousands of tiny red lights twisting in agony.
"We can't. We have a responsibility," She whispered into his hair as she kissed his neck tenderly.
"Damn our responsibility, damn wizard Suliman, and damn Ingary if it takes you from me!" The raven-haired sorcerer whispered fiercely.
"You won't. I love you and I will be with you always," Sophie replied with such conviction that Howl must have believed her, because he replied by kissing her so ardently that she lost all sense of direction.