I tasted the thickness of the steam as it mixed with salt from the sea, a peculiar combination, and decidedly unsavory. We were set to make landfall very shortly and judging by the sputtering of the engine beneath my cabin, we were right on schedule.
My chest had been neatly packed, eager as I was to feel the unmistakable sturdiness of the ground beneath my feet. I've had more than enough of this bobbing and rocking back and forth.
It seemed like hours before we had completely slowed to a stop, one last gasp from the engine to signal it had successfully done its job, and it was time to rest now.
The sun did its warming in a slightly more welcoming fashion, it felt foreign to my pale, stubborn skin. I allowed myself a small, gentle smile as I set my eyes on the commotion before me.
It had been years since I'd visited Ingary. The day my mother was exiled, we never gave it much of a second thought. We left and never looked back. After her death, I found myself in a lot of places, but never back to Ingary.
The small village that lay in wait before me was called Porthaven. Despite being on the coast, which might lead one to assume would prove very lucrative for them, this was part of Ingary's poorer areas. No matter, I had no intention of staying long.
The few travelling companions I'd encountered and made no effort to become acquainted with strolled leisurely off the ship and onto the dock. Some of them squealed gleefully as they reunited with those waiting for them, sometimes children, husbands, wives. There would be no one waiting for me.
I collected my belongings and caught a car to take me to the local Inn, aptly named: Seaside Inn.
It was a quaint little thing, sporting five rooms to rent out, and a tavern on the ground level. It was surprisingly lively, drunkards hanging off the bar, emitting the tangy and repulsive odor of fish. The sun was soon to set, so they likely just finished their days at work.
"Evenin', Miss. To what do I owe the pleasure? You searchin' for a room, a drink, or both?" The gruff man behind the front counter looked worse for wear, seemingly incapable of holding eye contact. He was much more interested in my body than in my requests as a customer.
"I'll just need a room, please." I stated plainly, if not a little bit stern, setting a small stack of gold coins on the counter in front of him.
"As you wish…" He slowly bent down below the counter, grumbling as if it pained him, and reappeared with a rusty key.
"Room number three's available, allow me to escort you."
"No, thank you, that won't be necessary." I snatched the key from his hand, in no hurry to subject myself to anymore ogling from this ghoulish drunk three times my age.
He raised a bushy eyebrow at me, taken aback by my refusal to be polite, "Up the stairs, to your right…"
I hastily headed towards the stairs, not sparing a glance behind me at the old man.
The room was larger than I expected, dimly lit by a window facing west. There was a bed with a wood frame in the middle, a couple of stray chairs, and not much else. Somewhere beyond the door, there drifted in the faint aromatic smell of incense, it reminded me of the smell that greeted me at Xanthe's home, welcoming me into the recent memory that brought me here.
/"You must be Juliet." The woman spoke between puffs of hookah smoke.
"Yes. Pleasure to meet you." I stood in the doorway of her exquisite living room, dimly lit with paper lanterns, and draped with exotic cloths.
"The pleasure is all mine. My name is Xanthe. Please, take a seat." She gestured to a velvet cushioned chair across from her.
I obliged and sunk into the plush seat, examining the woman before me. She was exceptionally beautiful. Her skin was bronze and glowing, complimented by the jade gown that hung off her slender shoulders. The dress was much more revealing than any I'd been used to seeing, but she still looked regal and elegant. Her long raven locks glinted blue in the orange light. She had full, pink lips resting below a perfectly sculpted nose, all accentuated by sharp cheekbones that demanded a maturity of her otherwise youthful face. The most striking of her features, however, was the pure, citrine shine of her pastel green eyes. She was quite a sight to behold, and the way she caried herself implied she was well aware.
"First, I wanted to thank you for making the journey out to me, I know you tend to avoid Ingary." She began, "And I assure you I would never make the request if I wasn't certain you'd be the only one up to the task."
I held her gaze as she spoke, still mesmerized by her beauty, and listening intently.
"The reason I require your assistance is on account of my sister."
I nodded, willing her to continue.
"My sister, Arcade… She, uh, passed away recently." Xanthe swallowed, masking the hurt she clearly felt at this fact.
"I'm so sorry…" I consoled, unsure of what to say.
"Thank you, Juliet. To be a bit more specific, Arcade took her own life." She paused, "But someone drove her to do it. She wouldn't have done it otherwise. She was so happy."
"Ahh… And I'm assuming this someone is why you called me here?" I asked, knowing this had to be the answer. My profession wouldn't exist if not for bad people. People who drive others to kill themselves.
"Exactly."
I was startled from my reverie by a boisterous laugh passing in the hall outside my door. I decided I'd rather start this process sooner than later. I tucked some stray strands of platinum hair behind my ears, rummaging through my chest to find my dagger. I slid it into the holster on my thigh, hidden by my skirt.
I exited my room, pulling the heavy door quietly shut behind me, and made my way back downstairs.
The old man was still posted behind the desk, dozing off. I swiftly approached, "Excuse me."
This startled him into alertness, he let out a breath when he saw it was me.
"I don't know my way around here. Would you possibly be able to help me find someone?" My tone was a lot sweeter now, hoping it would coerce him into being honest.
"Who're ya lookin' for?" He asked, waiting.
"I'm looking for a wizard. I hear he works out of Porthaven. He goes by the name Jenkins."
The man eyed me. I was unable to distinguish the emotion he conveyed, but it read somewhat like suspicion.
"Jenkins…" He looked up at the ceiling, thinking, "Yes. You can find him up the way a bit," he gestured straight ahead, "Door says his name, can't miss it."
I offered up a fake smile, "Thank you!"
Despite the setting sun, the street was still bustling with people, going about their everyday lives. There was a road straight ahead outside the tavern, in the direction the old man gestured to. I started on my way in that direction.
Before long, I found the door the old man described. It sat unassumingly within a stone wall, the words /The Great Wizard Jenkins scrawled above. I stared at it for a few moments, deciding how I should proceed. The most obvious answer would be to simply knock, ask for Mister Jenkins. But what if he isn't there? What if he turns me away? I have to get inside somehow.
After a fair deal of pondering, I opted for the simplest solution, and knocked lightly on the door.
After a few seconds, the door swung open, and in front of me stood a short figure, with a hood and a long grey beard. Above him was the face of an old woman peeking from atop the stairs.
"What can I do for you, miss?" The small person spoke, in a voice a bit deeper than I expected.
"Hello, I'm looking for Mister Jenkins… Is he in?" I shifted on my feet.
"The wizard is out right no-" He was cut off by a voice from deeper inside.
"Actually, I just got back in…" A man came descending down the stairs towards me, "That'll be all, I can handle it from here." He said to the person who answered the door, who then scurried away.
The man before me was handsome, strikingly so. He was tall, almost towering over me, and his seemingly perfect face was framed with shoulder length blond hair. He had bright blue eyes that peered curiously down at me.
I didn't fail to notice his gaze as it scanned me up and down, "What can I do for you?" He asked when he finished taking me in.
"You must be Mister Jenkins." I started, he cut me off.
"Please, call me Howl. And you are?" He was overly friendly, I noted, clearly not immune to the charms of a woman such as myself. I knew that I was pretty, in fact, I took pride in it, and it served me well in my job quite frequently. It seemed it would be a strength in this case as well.
"Oh, well, hello, Howl. I'm Juliet. I- I came to find you because somebody told me you might be able to help me. My mother, she… She's quite ill, and it seems no doctor's medicine can help her. I was hoping you might have something to offer. A magical remedy…" I willed the most genuine façade of sadness out of myself, "I don't know what else to do. You're my only hope."
He furrowed his brows in concern, "Oh, Juliet… I'm so sorry to hear that. Would you please take a walk with me? And we can discuss your mother's illness… I'm sure I can find some way to help."
/A walk?! No! Invite me inside, you imbecile! I can't do this with prying eyes.
I swallowed, "Yes, that would be wonderful. Thank you so much."
"Perfect… Markl, Sophie, Calcifer… I'll be back!" He called as he stepped outside with me and shut the door behind him.
The sun had nearly disappeared beneath the horizon now, the air was cool, a bit more so than I anticipated.
Howl and I began walking in the opposite direction of the Inn.
"You're not from around here, are you, Juliet? Surely, I would have remembered seeing you before." Howl spoke with a gentleness that starkly contrasted his flirtatious words.
I laughed quietly, debating on what I should tell him. In my profession, I was no stranger to lying, fabricating stories on the spot. I also learned rather early on that you have to be strategic and frugal with your lies, always with a dash of truth. Some things aren't worth lying about.
"No, I'm not from Ingary."
"As I suspected. You came all the way here to find me?" He asked, this time with same inkling of suspicion the old man at the inn displayed when I asked him where to find Howl.
"Yes." I said simply.
"For your mother's illness?" He repeated my story back to me, as if making sure I wouldn't trip up, catching me in a lie. Perhaps I underestimated this Howl. I assumed he'd take me at face value.
"Yes." I repeated. Short and sweet.
"Why not go to a different wizard? Someone nearer to your home." He continued pressing the issue, surprising me just a little.
"I've seen other wizards. And witches, too. Nothing works. You're supposed to be exceptionally talented in your craft." I hoped the little stroke of his ego would quell his suspicions just enough to allow me time to recoup.
"Hm." He stopped walked and turned to face me.
I turned towards him as well, taking careful note of the fact that he had my back nearly against a wall. If I made a noticeable effort to reverse our positioning, I was sure it would arouse even more uncertainty in him.
He stared at me, my eyes, my lips. There was no indication of what he was thinking while he studied.
"You look familiar." He finally stated, matter of factly. This genuinely took me off guard.
"Do I? I'm certain we haven't met before." This was not a lie. Just as he said moments earlier, which I am realizing now was only half true, I would have remembered meeting him.
He furrowed his brows, locking my gaze.
"Yes. I'm sure of it now. Your eyes… this particular shade of violet. I've seen them before."
I suddenly felt vulnerable under his scrutiny, mostly because I truly wasn't prepared for an interaction like this. I figured it would be rather smooth and easy, get in and get out.
I didn't speak, unwilling to dig myself any deeper. One of my biggest strengths was knowing when to be quiet.
"You've never been to Ingary before? You're sure?" He probed.
"No, Sir. This is my first time." I lied, I'd spent much of my adolescence here. But I was positive I'd never met Howl before.
He reached up and when I thought he was going to touch my cheek, he gently took a few strands of my hair into his hand, rolling it in his fingers, deep in thought.
I steadied my heartrate, being careful to keep my breathing under control and appear as calm as possible. I reminded myself of the dagger on my thigh. Just in case.
He was near enough to me that I could smell his breath. It smelled of vanilla and jasmine. It was strangely alluring, he was strangely alluring. I don't often find myself falling victim to the whims of handsome men. They were usually, quite frankly, all the same. I had already had my fair share of fun with them, and the thrill had died. Howl was different though.
/"Be warned, he is very charming. Deceptively so." Xanthe's voice replayed in my mind, cautioning me of Howl's tricks.
"Perhaps I'm mistaken." He finally broke the silence, dropping my hair and letting it fall on my shoulder. He stayed close, though, not changing position. I let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.
"Tell me about your mother." He finally stepped back, turning away to continue our stroll, casually, as if nothing had happened.
I was so captivated by him that I nearly forgot about why I was here.
"Yes, uh… She has what the doctors call: a disease of the lungs. It has no name, but it's harrowing to witness. Just last month she was perfectly healthy, still working, and now she's bedridden. She can't move much, or else she'll nearly topple over in a fit of coughing. Even while resting, she can only take short and shallow breaths. She is declining so quickly, and I fear she'll be dead by this time next month." I conveyed as much sorrow as I could muster, retelling the tale I'd heard from a childhood friend about her own mother.
"Very serious indeed." He said, "I know of something that might help. I'll admit, I can offer no guarantee. I've only used this elixir once before."
I stopped abruptly, playing up the drama, as I suspected would work well with him.
"Oh, Howl!" I stepped in front of him and took his hands in mind, looking up at him and faking the dampness of tears around my eyes. He stumbled slightly in his step and softened under my touch.
"Whatever you can do, please, I'll try anything! I can't watch her die, Howl, not now!" I erupted into a fit of tears which startled him but seemed to have the effect I desired.
"I'll do as much as I can, Juliet. I promise I will." He swore with sincerity, a soft side of him peeking through his composure.
I collapsed into his arms, resting my head on his chest and hugging him tightly, "Oh, thank you so much, Howl, truly! I will be forever indebted to you!"
Drama, drama, drama…
He hugged me back, nearly cradling my small, broken form in his arms. I knew all it would take was a pretty girl crying to him to get exactly what I need.
He pulled away slightly, still keeping me close, and placed his hands gently on my waist, "There's an ingredient I'll need that I don't keep on hand. I will go get it at once, and I'll have your elixir by the end of the week."
"The end of the week?" I sniffled and wiped the tears from one of my eyes.
"Yes, love. It can only be found in the Waste, but I'll make it my top priority."
Perfect! Here's my opportunity.
"You have no idea how much that means to me, truly… You'll let me come with you, won't you, Howl?" I pouted in the most pathetic way I could manage.
"…Come with me…?" He asked, unsure, and surprised at my request.
"Please… I won't rest if I'm left to wait here by myself… And that big castle seems so lonely. You do get lonely, don't you, Howl? In there all alone?" Men like this are too easy.
I noticed a faint blush creep upon his cheeks, it suited him and made him look cuter than I thought.
"Ah, yeah…" he chuckled, "I suppose that would be alright. It would be a pleasure to bring you along."
And just like that, I landed my opportunity to get inside.
