A Magical Addition

Chapter 12

Sophie sat perched on the edge of the bed, nervously wringing her fingers in front of her now very prominent bump. Her eyes never left her husband who lay amongst a mountain of pillows, his skin the most terrible shade of grey. As he slept his eyelids flickered and she wondered what dreams danced in his mind. With a sigh she reached out and placed her hand atop his, rubbing it soothingly with her thumb. Usually Howl felt like an orb of vibrant energy when they touched, but here he was, limp and powerless.

She had arrived back from her visit to Madame Sulliman two days prior. Emotionally drained, she had dragged herself, deflated and disheveled through the portal door and slumped onto the chair by the hearth.

Calcifer had stirred impatiently from his charred log with both news to tell and news to hear.

'Sophie,' He began 'The strangest thing happened when you left!'

Sophie groaned with dread at what more could possibly have unfolded whilst she had been gone. She had watched her fairytale slowly unravel these past few days, and it wasn't long until she was due to give birth. This brought a whole new level of anxiety to her. Would she give birth alone? Would Howl make it to see their baby? What was this and what did the future hold for them now? These thoughts always caused her infant to stir inside her belly, almost as if to reassure her. She placed her hand on her bump and caressed it gently, taking a deep breath and trying to settle her mind.

'What is it Calcifer?' She finally inquired. After all, Madame Sulliman had agreed to try and help them, so perhaps there was some hope.

'Well, when you left, Howl seemed to regain some energy…' He mused. Sophie's eyelids fluttered and she sat up in the chair to process this. 'You must have only been gone twenty minutes or so before he sat up in bed asking where you were. He even had enough magic to cast a protection spell on you!'

Sophie's brow knitted together and she tried to make sense of how this could be, but before the fire demon could elaborate she was onto her feet headed straight for the bedroom in which the wizard rested.

She was in no condition to move with much haste but when she finally made it up what seemed like miles of steps, she gently pushed open the door and peeked her head in.

'Howl! You're awake!' She beamed, her heart fluttered to see his crystal blue eyes open and gazing at her adoringly. He may have been conscious, but he certainly didn't seem as strong as Calcifer had described. 'How are you feeling?' She asked as she made her way into his twinkling den of trinkets.

As she moved closer to him and before he could utter a word, another of his mobile chimes which hung above the doorway began spinning and tinkling furiously. The couple froze, turning their attention to it confusedly. From where he lay Howl raised a hand and concentrated to try and disable it… but it continued. Brow furrowed, his gaze dropped to his hands.

'I…I don't understand…' He muttered, his voice raspy. 'My power…it had strengthened…but now…'

Sophie exhaled in disappointment. The glimmer of hope from a mere few moments ago had been snatched away once more.

'Calcifer said you had improved when I was out?' She moved toward his bedside and placed her hand on his marble-like cheek. As her skin touched his it was almost as if what little colour had arisen in his face drained before her very eyes.

'I did…' He moaned, a couple of beads of sweat forming beneath his bangs. 'I was protecting you… maybe the spell was too much…'

This is so typical of him! She thought to herself. Even in illness he'll use his last ounce of health to keep me safe. She could feel herself beginning to well up. The tears quivered on her lower lashes ready to spill at any second.

It had now been a couple of days with no improvement, and Sophie was feeling completely hopeless. He had slept for majority of the day, waking occasionally for basic amenities. Sophie and Markl had even practically carried him to the bath where he lay absorbing a herbal soak that the young apprentice had concocted from an old spell book- an attempt to rejuvenate his magic.

The former Witch of the Waste had even been wrecking her old brains to help figure out what could be the root of the cause. She knew everything there was to know about curses, but who would have placed such a curse?

Sophie recounted all of these events as she watched him sleep this afternoon. Calcifer had been focusing on finding somewhere appropriate to stop the castle for a few weeks, somewhere peaceful so that Sophie could give birth without the creaking and clunking of their mobile abode.

Just at that moment, Sophie flinched as the fire demon's voice called 'Kingsbury door!'

Could it be?

As the mother-to-be approached the foot of the stairs, Markl heaved open the door to reveal none other than Madame Sulliman, flanked by two of her assistants. Both a sense of relief and extreme dread washed over her. Whilst she was hopeful for a positive outcome, she also feared impending bad news.

'Good afternoon Mam!' Markl piped up, extending his small arm as an invitation for them to enter.

'Madame Sulliman!' Sophie exclaimed, 'Thank you so much for coming!'

Calcifer simmered amongst the ashes in the grate, his eyes peering out with intrigue. He didn't trust the sorceress, but he agreed that only her knowledge could potentially save Howl from whatever had such a deathly hold on him.

'So this is the infamous moving castle, well well…' She began, her lips pursed so as to conceal a patronising smirk. 'Not as whimsical as I had imagined.' Her assistants helped her into the living room and stood to attention by her side.

As Sophie fussed to make sure the elderly sorceress was comfortable, blatantly ignoring her snide remarks, Heen came scuttling in from the kitchen following his nose. Hair on end, the terrier let out a low growl when he realised the scent he had been following.

'Oh Heen,' Madam Sulliman chuckled, 'What a sight for sore eyes you are!'

Not wishing to spare another moment, Sophie cut right to the chase.

'He's still so incredibly weak!' She blurted out, 'When I met with you the other day, his strength seemed to grow in my absence… but upon my return he declined again. We've tried everything Mam!' She could feel her eyes welling up again. Sophie's heart really couldn't take much more of seeing her love such a shell of his former self, not to mention the pregnancy hormones wreaking extra havoc on her already fragile state.

Madame Sulliman's brow raised at this interesting development, she glanced at one of her assistants with an almost knowing look.

'He strengthens in your absence you say…' She pondered, Sophie nodding in response. 'Yes… he has no magic at all when you're here… yet when you visited me you were incased in the most sublime protection spell. A spell only an apprentice of mine could cast.'

The room fell silent as everyone listened intently. Calcifer had even flared, reaching out of the hearth so he could take in the conversation.

The grandfather clock in the corner ticked deafeningly as the sorceress drummed her fingers off the arm of the wooden chair in which she sat. Sophie's heart thudded in her chest in anticipation of what she was thinking, her mouth dry and stomach churning. Eventually Sulliman's transient gaze moved slowly to Sophie's swollen belly and the corners of her mouth pulled into a crooked, almost wicked smile.

'May I see him please?' She eventually uttered.

~::~

'Allow me to have a moment alone with him, will you?' Sulliman requested at the entrance to Howl's room, 'I need total silence to assess my theory.'

Howl was barely awake, not even protesting at the sight of his former mentor which was alarming in itself. He knew he needed help and would have to surrender his judgements of her for now. He tried his best to prop himself up as her footmen accompanied her over the threshold, ready to defend her at any sign of threat. But Howl was certainly no threat in his current state.

'Sulliman,' He murmured in his dulcet tone, 'How kind of you to visit.' His sarcastic comment was met with a disapproving scoff.

'Your ego knows no bounds Howl, not even in your weakest of states.' She responded. 'Nevertheless, I think I know just what might be the cause of your ill repair.'

Howl's ears pricked with interest, and on the other side of the door his wife strained to hear what was happening.

'Pray tell…' He raised a limp arm and pushed his inky blue bangs out of his drawn eyes. His skin was waxy and his muscles ached as if he had aged decades overnight.

Sulliman looked smug to hold the answer they were all desperate to learn, and that she had been able to pinpoint it so quickly. She loved having Howl at her mercy after he had let her down so many years ago.

'Well,' she began, clasping her hands together on her lap and looking him straight in the eye, 'It looks like you have a little siphon on your hands.'