Ch 5
The next day Howl, Sophie and Michael went to meet the king. They traveled there by speed spell, which Howl had Michael make under his supervision yesterday afternoon. Howl wore his white suit and convinced Sophie to wear her white dress. Michael was to wear his finest clothes to act as their page boy, as he had when Sophie went as Howl's mother to blacken his name. Michael was not thrilled to replay his prior role. "Why do I have to be the page boy again?"
Howl replied back indifferently, "Because you're too young to be anything else. Also it looks better if we have a page boy. Maybe in a few years I'll introduce you as my apprentice."
"But I'm your apprentice already," Michael mumbled.
While they were getting ready, Calcifer complained to anyone who would listen how unfair it was that he was to be left alone again. Howl had planned on ignoring him. If Sophie could talk, she would have argued with Howl to allow Calcifer come along with them, but she couldn't. So, it was even easier for Howl to ignore both of them. That was until she threw her white board at him. He barely dodged it and caught it in one hand. She scribbled, "Calcifer can come" in quite determined lettering.
"No, Calcifer cannot come. He'd be a huge distraction." Howl gave Sophie a look of finality. She stared back equally strong-willed and snatched the board from him. She held it up emphatically, as if to repeat herself.
Calcifer's flaming smile grinned as he saw his opening. "What if I only explore Kingsbury. I'll fly above the rooftops and no one will see. I won't go into the palace either, if that's what you're worried about."
"Of course, you're not going into the palace! You're not going anywhere!" Howl cried back to him, seeing he was losing his ground. Sophie's stare became softer, as if to declare it had been settled with Calcifer's offer. Although Howl's life had improved immensely with Sophie around, it also became filled with aggravation.
He threw up his arms in defeat. "I have no say in my own home! A mute woman has more say than me." He missed being hit again with the white board.
The three arrived in Kingsbury. Calcifer was fast enough on his own that he caught up with them right as they reached the palace steps. Howl told Calcifer sternly that he would meet them at the bottom of the steps after noon. Once at the entrance, Howl, Sophie, and Michael were handed from white-gloved servant to servant between beautifully decorated rooms. Eventually Michael was peeled away. They almost tried to take Sophie, but Howl made it clear to the palace staff that she would be coming with him.
Finally, they were introduced the king. "Royal Wizard Pendragon and Miss Sophie Hatter to see the king."
The king was in his gold-leaf chair behind a large desk in an open-spaced room. He had a much better countenance than when Howl had met him last. The eyes upon his vague features brightened upon seeing the two guests. He cheerfully slapped a firm hand to his desk and stated jovially, "I must personally thank you Wizard Howl for bringing my brother back to me. I see you were the right man to get the job done. Your country thanks you."
Howl accepted the king's compliments and bowed very lowly and elegantly. He eyed Sophie and shook his head very slightly to indicate she also needed to curtsy. She stared at the king and curtsied quite stiffly. It reminded Howl of when she was elderly. She must have stage fright, Howl thought, which is probably the reason for why he had become the Royal Wizard in the first place. At least she couldn't speak this time.
Howl stood up straight and began a lengthy yet eloquent appeal to the king.
"Your Majesty, I am most honored how you have put your trust in myself, a man who comes from no great background, to deliver your brother, as well as the other Royal Wizard, wholly back to the safety of our capital. As Royal Wizard Suliman is indeed restored to his position, it becomes apparent that two men cannot fit one title. I would hate to ruffle any feathers with your court, and Mrs. Pentstemmon, God rest her soul, never mentioned there being two Royal Wizards simultaneously. Therefore, I, your humble servant, wish to have the Royal Wizard title formally removed, so that I may go back to serving the people of this prosperous country."
The king paused a few moments to think how to respond.
He started his words off slowly. "It is unusual to have two Royal Wizards, I agree. But with Strangia and High Norland right at our heels, ready to strike any moment, I need whatever I can get in my corner. It's not unheard of in our history to have more than one, so I fear no repercussions domestically. I hear your concern, Howl, but my decision is final. You shall keep your title." The king focused his attention back to the paperwork on his desk as he continued speaking. "I noticed your door in Kingsbury doesn't work like it used to. Make that up and running, will you, so that we can contact you timelier. You are welcome to use the housing provided by the Crown, as well. Is there anything else you wanted to say before you go collect your reward?"
Howl was momentarily frozen. He really thought his speech would work this time. Behind his back, Howl flexed his fist frustratedly. He bowed stiffly yet dignified and said, "As your Majesty wishes. I shall be sure to be available at my previous address shortly. I do have one small inquiry to make, in regard to the Crown's housing. If the Royal Wizard declines such boarding, is there is a monthly stipend that can be collected?"
The king never looked up from his papers and only waved his hand as if to shoo the question away. "The minister will take care of that for you as you leave. He knows more about it than me, but yes you can have some sort of monthly payment in exchange."
Though this was not going how he wanted it, at least Howl was getting extra spending money. He nodded curtly back to the king and quickly bowed again. He looked to Sophie, wondering if she would be more pleased from this situation than him, but her nerves kept her staring back rigidly at the king.
The king felt her stare, and he looked up as Howl was gently placing his hands on Sophie's shoulders to begin her exit out of the throne room. The king stated, "Was there a reason you brought Miss Sophie Hatter today?" The king was giving her a good look, as if to study her.
Howl could feel Sophie tense under his hands. If she hadn't been cursed silent, she might have been droning on and on about nonsense. Not being able to break the awkward silence with her blather must be making her anxious, Howl thought.
Howl said, "Ah, yes. Miss Sophie Hatter, a close friend of mine, is coming with me to meet the other Royal Wizard after our conference with your minister. I need Suliman's assistance in solving a small problem of Miss Hatter's."
The king's eyes held a bit of a twinkle as he leaned back in his chair. "I see. Your reputation extends even to the palace, and I wasn't sure if you had brought this pleasing young woman before me in order to prove something. She is the one who helped you rescue my brother, is she not?"
Howl fought within himself to either rebuke the king or change the course of the king's inquiries. Ultimately, he could only say, "She is, your Majesty."
The king looked Sophie in the eye as he said, "Howl's a fine wizard and we both know he ends up doing the right thing. But, Miss Hatter, do be sure to make a measure of him." The king smiled approvingly of the young couple. "I look forward to seeing you in the future, under better circumstances for yourself I hope."
Sophie looked even more overwhelmed by the king's comments. Suddenly, she became startled and looked down at the floor. A baby was there, climbing up her leg to pull on her dress. She had a drooly grin and no hair. Howl frowned at the unexpected nature of the scene, but Sophie pat the baby's head as if they had already met before.
"Princess Valeria has taken a liking to you already," the king said with of bit laughter. "Very well, congratulations Howl. Keep me informed of the wedding and talk to the minister about locations available to you for the service."
After being escorted from the king, Howl and Sophie were led to the minister in charge of Howl's reward. Howl gave him quite an interrogation to determine exactly what the monetary benefits of being a Royal Wizard were. He also learned that the reward money would be delivered to his old Kingsbury address – a problem he would have to solve as soon as they arrived at the castle. Before they left the palace, however, they were allowed to go to the treasury to take whatever reward they could carry, and the rest would be delivered later that afternoon.
After getting all the information from the king's minister, Howl began to lead Sophie towards Suliman's quarters. There were less and less servants in white gloves and soon the hallways became empty. The pair entered a large deserted hall lined with arched windows on the right that almost touched the high ceiling. The hallway itself was so wide that even the mid-morning sun streaming through the windows didn't reach the other side covered in royal portraits. A long carpet, with deep rich colors, softened their footsteps to the door on the far opposite end.
Sophie hadn't quite warmed up from the throne room. Howl wished the king had kept his assumptions to himself. He walked as close to her as she looked comfortable with, but it was too far for Howl's liking. Hopefully Suliman's contraption would work. Then Sophie could spill all her feelings out, relieve all this tension, and they could go back to being blissfully in love.
Halfway through the hall, the corner of Howl's eyes twitched as something dark flashed between Sophie and himself.
He quickly stomped on the shadow-like thing while swiftly pulling a bag of salt. Howl sprinkled the salt to encircle the creature within. It was a small demon, shifting its blobby, black shape and bouncing around the edges of the circle. Howl sprinkled a small pentagram, sketched a few returning runes, and cast a spell to return the demon back to its world.
Sophie watched in shock, then looked up at Howl quite admiringly after the demon slowly drained into the deep abyss within the salt circle. Once it slowly closed back to the regular carpet, Howl took Sophie's elbow to gently encourage her to keep walking.
She quickly scribbled on her board, "What happened! ?"
Howl shook his head and rolled his eyes, "Oh, it was one of Suliman's demons that got loose. He summons them to help him with his magic, you see. Occasionally – especially with inexperienced magic users - you summon a naughty one. They don't like to do as their told and escape to feed on people." Sophie's eyes widened with fear. "Well - not eat them per say. It can trick a person to giving up its soul, and then it will eat on that a while until the person dies, then the demon dies…satisfied, I suppose."
A new voiced added, "If they're cunning, they can jump from person to person and stay alive for much longer." Sophie and Howl turned to see where the crackly voice came from. They met with a blue flame with a wicked smile and dancing eyes.
"Calcifer! I told you very specifically: not the palace!" Howl complained.
Calcifer looked a bit forlorn. "I saw you through the window, and I'm lonely now that I've seen the whole city."
Sophie stepped forward to hold her hands out to Calcifer and smiled gently at him. He quickly hovered above her hands and acted as if Sophie was carrying him.
"You're an infant," Howl said with disgust.
Howl continued talking about the demon as they walked closer to the door at the end of the hallway. "Suliman must be distracted to let one go like that. I could tell right away it need to be sent back. But I've always corrected his mistakes. You know," he focused on Sophie, "when I started under Mrs. Pentstemmon, God rest her soul, Suliman was known as her best. He was from another world but outpaced any magic-user in the country. That was, until I came along. He is very smart, but doesn't see the whole picture. Can't see the forest through the trees, sort of problem."
Howl assumed Sophie would be impressed, but she furrowed her eyebrows instead. Letting Calcifer float along beside them, she began to write on her board. "If you can't fix me, how can he?" she wrote down.
Howl smiled a bit guiltily. "He's still one of the best there is. And since Calcifer must be here, I don't see why this won't work, if we use all our powers together. We're going for quality and quantity," he said with a hopefulness that wasn't quite there.
Sophie continued to eye him with suspicion. They finally arrived at the large, heavy doors. Howl waved his hands, and the doors opened on their own.
The room inside was a large and circular-shaped with no windows. The walls were painted with dark and light green vertical stripes, and the floors were stained hardwood. The room was lit with tens of lamps lining the high walls. Mirrors of all shapes and sizes formed a circle in the middle-part of the room. Some of the mirrors hung from the high ceiling, while others stood on their own wooden legs. Others were balanced on tables and chairs. Ben Suliman was pacing around, adjusting the angles of the mirrors and looking within the circle to check the reflections. He didn't notice the guests enter.
Howl made his way into the middle of the mirrors, also examining. Suliman was startled by Howl's reflection. "Ah! You've arrived. Where is Miss Hatter?"
"Over here." Howl beckoned Sophie into the midst of the mirrors. "Come inside, don't worry." She had a slight nervousness to her face, as if she might break a mirror as she walked past.
"I've come to help too," Calcifer added cheerily as he dropped down to the rest of the group.
"Aha, is that your fire demon then, Howl? Fascinating that he decided to stay with you after Miss Hatter set you both free. You must be close."
Howl eyed Calcifer, who was very much enjoying his newfound freedom and respect. "Close enough," Howl grumbled. In a normal voice, he said, "He's here to help, and not to be making any other commotion in the palace. Lord knows how the staff will behave after one look at your ghastly face."
Calcifer glinted his flaming eyes back to Howl and hovered beside Sophie. She was giving Howl a look that seemed to ask, "Ready to behave?"
Suliman continued briskly, "The fire demon will be a much-appreciated addition. I've been having bad luck lately in getting cooperative demons. I think there's one loose, and it's agitating the rest."
"Oh, I caught it in that hall back there and sent it away," Howl said as he checked his hair and face in a large circular mirror hanging from the ceiling. He turned his face from side to side, checking which angle suited him the best.
Howl said to himself as he brushed his fingers over his fair-colored hair, "In this light, I'm wondering if this color is right for me. Maybe I should lengthen it or - you know, it's been a while since I've had a perm."
Howl caught the reflection of the others staring at him. He questioned them as if they were interrupting, "Are you ready then? I thought you were still adjusting your mirrors."
Sophie held her board with a grin. On it was written, "You're a peacock."
Howl came and stood next to her. Squeezing her shoulders, he said, "It's a beautiful bird. I take that as a compliment."
For the Suliman's counter spell to work, Sophie was placed in the middle of the mirrors, while Howl, Calcifer, and Suliman stood outside. Though Suliman had said it was ready, he took a few good minutes to recheck the mirror angles. Sophie rung her hands while she waited. Feeling Sophie's nervousness, he made a bit of small talk as he shifted and slighted the mirrors.
"Thank you again, Miss Hatter, for rescuing myself and Justin." Suliman glanced at Sophie then returned to his work. "It's amazing," he said, "the family resemblance between you and Lettie. I do hope you can help me convince her to apprentice under me. Though I only knew her while I was Percival, she made a lasting impact on me. I see you've done the same for Howl. He's not one to work this hard for a lady he's already won over."
"We know!" Howl said loudly. "We all know my reputation, thank you. I am a changed man, if you haven't noticed."
Ben shot him a half smile that improved his craggy face. "You seem to live up to your rumors, as far as I can tell. Exceedingly smart but horribly vain. Also hates to be pinned down. Probably why you wanted to ask the king to remove your title." Suliman continued, "Palace walls are thin and rumors run like water. There are a few hearts in here you've broken, so I'd watch your step for a while if I were you. There, we are ready now."
Suliman instructed Howl and Calcifer what to do, and the two men began to chant the counter curse spell. The lamps on the walls flickered and faded to black. Soon a disembodied light surrounded Sophie. Suliman began walking around the circle of mirrors clockwise, his eyes glancing from left to right as he cast the counter curse. The mirrors appeared to spin around the circle counter-clockwise. Howl walked around the outside also in a counter-clockwise pattern.
A different reality too place inside the mirrors' reflection. Within the mirrors, Sophie was not covered in light but walking around confused. Suliman's reflection stood still with his eyes and mouth closed in concentration.
Shadows danced on the walls and grew into body-like shapes. Calcifer's small flame expanded until his blue fire was larger than Howl. His face looked as grotesque as ever, with a toothy grin and burning eyes. A high-pitched chord began to whine. As the demons danced faster, the sound grew louder.
The spinning and noise grew as the wizards continued their chant in the same manner as they started. Finally, the high whine came to a crescendo, and the next moment everything stopped. A blink or two later, the room returned to how it had been before, except for a light on the wall flickering in and out of existence.
Howl dashed to Sophie, hoping with fervor that Suliman had done the trick. "Sophie love, talk to me," Howl said as he held her. She was dizzy and steadied herself against Howl. Though her mouth formed words, no sound came out.
In her frustration, she growled and stomped the floor with a loud "clack" of her shoes. Everyone heard her. She touched her throat with surprise and growled again.
After a few minutes of experimentation conducted by Howl and Suliman, it was determined that Sophie could now produce noise. However, she still could not speak.
While Howl and Suliman took turns giving objects for Sophie to drop or asking Sophie to make a certain noise, an apprentice of Suliman's entered the room through a hidden door. Suliman introduced the young man as Robert Smith, who seemed the same age as Sophie. Although the name was unfamiliar, Howl had definitely met the young dark-haired man before. Only he couldn't remember where. He was most certainly a quiet man, as Howl didn't hear him speak the entire time. At Suliman's instruction, Robert began to take the mirrors away from the spell contraption.
Suliman pondered aloud what this meant as the three of them sat on chairs that mirrors had once been propped on. "If you forced me to come up with a conclusion, I would say she put a layered curse on herself. The outer layer was a pure silence spell, and the inner layer prohibits any speech. As you know, Howl, these types if inner curses are hard to break except by those who made them."
Howl, who was also quite frustrated by the results, gave Sophie's knee a squeeze. "A layered curse! Sophie, you are quite the witch. Those take years of mastery. And you produced one on the spot in a bit of a temper. How magnificent."
Sophie pushed his hand from her, not willing to accept the sarcastic compliment. She grumbled as loudly as she could to annoy him. Though words were unavailable to her, she could now make quite a few sounds.
"A temper, you say?" Suliman repeated, ignoring their bickering. "I thought it was odd she cursed herself. From my understanding, her magic is that of life-infusing, not necessary speech fulfillment. However," Suliman nodded to himself, "in a bout of strong emotions, she might have the ability to make reality whatever she says it is. I'm sure I have no need to remind you that that gift can be quite dangerous. I assume, then, that you will be taking her to the Hermit?"
Howl crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. Wonderful, he thought bitterly. The last resort was now the one to use, and he would have to take Sophie to that lunatic.
Sophie made a questioning sound and looked to Howl expectantly. He didn't explain, and Suliman nimbly got up from his chair to assist Robert in tidying up the room. Sophie made more questioning noises to Howl and began to poke his leg with her board. On it was written, "Explain."
Howl sighed, knowing there was no way around it. "I told you, Sophie, one way or another I was going to fix this for you. This is the way I hope to avoid, but now it looks us straight in the eyes. Unless…you would be fine with not speaking for the rest of your life – ouch! It was a joke!"
Sophie's glare was softened by her grin, but she wasn't backing down from getting to the truth. Howl wondered how long he could get away with bothering her before she committed to destroying all his clothes later that night. Although that would be much more enjoyable than talking about the Hermit, Howl knew it wasn't the right time.
He made a "hmpf" noise and started explaining. "The Hermit, as we all call him, is a wizard who has committed himself against all magic and is holed away in some cave in the mountains." Sophie's face was pure confusion. "You are asking, how can he help? Well, my dear, he's hidden himself away from humanity because his words alone could destroy the world."
Suliman chimed in as he helped Robert remove an enormous mirror from a large desk, "His magic is similar to yours Sophie, what he says becomes true. You can will inanimate objects by your command, but he can will anything: people, beasts, even the laws of nature."
"Right," Howl added, "and he was terrified of himself. Barely said a thing. It was like talking to a wall. I presume he must have said something quite terrible to get himself in such a state. Mrs. Pentstemmon couldn't do anything for him, so, I assume, he decided he was better off in the wild. Ridiculous, if you ask me. Just be careful what you say and live like a king! Waste of a talent."
Calcifer, back to his normal size, floated down next to Sophie. "For some men, the responsibly that confronts them is too great to bear and avoiding is their only natural option." Howl frowned at Calcifer, disliking the way his fiery eyes stared at Howl as he spoke.
Sophie held up her board and cleared her throat for his attention. "He can cure me?" it said.
"Oh yes, assuredly, with a bit of my persuasion," Howl replied with a glint in his eye. He hoped the confident look he gave masked his real worry. He was not entirely sure persuasion would work on a man like the Hermit. But Howl knew he couldn't let Sophie down.
Sophie thought everything over as she sat. Suliman and Robert had taken down a few more mirrors by the time she caught Howl's eyes. She gave him a trusting smile and nod. Howl's heart suddenly felt very full, and he reached to take her hands. "I promise you, Sophie, you will be back to normal by the end of the week."
She smiled back brighter. She seemed happier and hopeful. Howl was glad for it. At least one of them was.
Soon, they bid Ben Suliman and his apprentice goodbye. "I'd appreciate any good word with Lettie," Suliman added as they exited down the large, deserted hallway. Their last stop in the palace was to the Treasury to load their pockets with whatever they could fill. Sophie was most impressed when she saw Howl fill his suit and pants with more gold sacks than could be realistically possible. The Treasury assistant too seemed baffled at how Howl could hold so much.
Howl flashed Sophie a sly smile when he caught her staring at him as he put in the eighteenth sack of gold into his upper jacket pocket. "Do you like what you see?" he asked her suggestively as he put the nineteenth sack into the opposite upper jacket pocket. Sophie pursed her lips to keep from laughing at him. Howl was pleased that the day ended up being more of a success than it would appear.
Suddenly, Howl felt a knot grow in his stomach. He knew facing the Hermit was unavoidable. It was the only chance Sophie had left. What Howl and Suliman didn't reveal to Sophie was that the Hermit left civilization rather furiously and violently. Howl expected to be greeted with a similar reaction, and he truly hated to fight.
A/N – Thank you for reading. I think that it will be completed with just two or three more chapters, so I'm excited that I actually might finish something. A review or a fav/follow would make my day, thank you!
