Chapter Twelve
DC: I don't own HMC
I have a bad feeling down here, and somehow, it has nothing to do about this place.
Howl walked through debris that surrounded the town of Vale End. There was no one in sight, and he feared that it was too late to do anything about it. Other wizards around him were doing the same, having the same results as he. He looked under boards, but nothing but more dust and dirt lay under it. He let it fall from his hands.
"Find anything?"
Howl looked over to the other wizard. He looked just as he did, dirt and grime all over their clothes and skin. Howl shook his head. "Nothing. No people, nothing looked like it survived this place…no." Howl shook his head, looking around the area again. "That's not right. No one was even here when this place was hit. Where are the bodies, if there were casualties? There had to have been a point in coming here."
As if that was the cue, a blast of dark energy came from the middle of the town. All the wizards stopped their searches and made their ways to the source. Out of the energy came hundreds of dark things, shifting and shaping into different forms. Howl stopped and started chanting. The wizards around him, too, chanted, and it seemed to make the shape shifting demons stop in their place.
One black thing caught Howl's eye. It stood, one shape, just in the corner of anyone's vision. It looked a little out of place, and seemed to be staring at Howl. Howl took off after it, detaching himself from the chants. When the shape shifter knew it was being chased, it started to run further from the crowd.
"Oh, you want me to follow? Fine by me."
He chased the thing out into the outskirts of Vale End, before stopping. Howl slowed to a stop when he heard its shrieks of laughter. "I don't see what's so funny."
"You followed, yes! Howell Pendragon not as smart as other wizards, no he isn't. A fool he is, master saw correctly!" There was an odd glint to this demons eye, and his mad smile never left his face.
"How do you know my name?"
"Master wants you to come to him," the demon continued, seeming to have ignored Howl completely. "He says that if Howell does not come, he will have great fun with the killing of woman. Yes, then Master can truly have revenge."
Sophie! "What have you done to her?" Howl's fists tightened. "You have my wife!"
The demon laughed again. "Stupid Howell Jenkins. Come. Find." The demon dispersed into a dark mist leaving Howl to stand alone, feeling fooled somehow.
--
Sophie woke up, but didn't know if she really opened her eyes. She blinked a few times, but nothing seemed to get any lighter. There were no shapes, just the dark. She felt the ground below her. It was cold, but it was solid. She tried to stand up on her feet, only to realize that her feet were bound by some dark wizards' magic.
"Where am I?" she yelled into the darkness.
There was a moment of silence. Sophie almost thought herself foolish to yell at nothing, but something answered back. "You sit before the Master of darkness."
The light brightened, though not by much. Sophie was really in front of a throne. It was decorated darkly and made of silver. A man sat on the cushioned seat. He was pale, almost white, and had deep, dark eyes. His lips were turned in an upward, unfriendly fashion, as he looked Sophie up and down. "I am in front of you. No need to yell, Sophie."
Sophie felt a cold chill run down her spine. She set her hands protectively over her abdomen area as she tried to stand her ground. "You know my name, but I don't have the pleasure of knowing yours."
"There is no need to know mine. You'll be dead soon anyway." A deeper smirk came to his lips as her face showed fear. He stood up.
Sophie felt herself wanting to scoot back, but couldn't move. The man clapped his hands twice. "Markl, my dear apprentice, come."
No less than a second later, a figure materialized in front of Sophie. The young boy bowed low to his 'master' and rose from the position a few heartbeats after. "Take Sophie to a more comfortable area. There is a rumor that there is a new Pendragon on the way. We wouldn't want her to get uncomfortable, now, would we? And when you're done with that, I believe our visitor has arrived. Please go greet him."
Markl turned around. Sophie gasped. He was a pale as the man behind him, and had dark rings under his eyes. His eyes were also dark, and showed a flaming anger in them. He waved his hands and Sophie was raised off the ground. He flicked them in front of him, and they walked together into the dark in front of them.
Sophie watched as the light faded from view and her sight was diminished to the dark again. She wanted to say something to Markl, but couldn't even see his face. After a few minutes she was being lowered onto something soft. There was a green glowing light that set a dark mood into whatever atmosphere they were in.
"Markl," Sophie whispered when she saw his glowing green face. "It's me Sophie! Don't you remember?"
"I remember." He spat on the dark floor next to her. "You left me. Abandoned me. Now I have a home, I don't need you. I don't need to remember your unkindness."
He turned around, throwing his hood up over his head, disappearing into the blackness.
--
Howl stepped through into the moving castle. He didn't even bother shutting the portal door. His eyes were on Calcifer and he couldn't help but to feel a little disappointed in the fire demon for not keeping Sophie in the castle. "Where is she?"
Calcifer shook his head. "I haven't seen her. She went to the doctor to get some more pain medicine, but that was over two hours ago! I thought she'd be back by then."
Howl jumped down the steps, turning the Market Chippings door, and ran out into the rain. He ran down the allies of Upper Folding and nearly fell with every turn. He finally reached it to Mathilda's place, and knocked on her door. There came the usual shuffles and bangs as she opened the lock. "Oh, Howl I just made some te—"
"No time. Is Sophie here by any chance?"
"Oh no she left more than an hour and a half ago. Why? Is she not at home?"
"No, she isn't." Howl sighed running a hand through his hair. He regretted the decision as he felt his scalp burn at the flicker of fire. For a moment he wondered why he still had the problem, but remembered he had more important matters to get down to. He and Mathilda said their goodbyes, and he let the rain douse the burn as he turned to walk the streets of Market Chipping.
He first went around to Sophie's sister's bar. Her sister hadn't seen her since her last visit, and asked if anything was wrong. "No," Howl lied. "I'm just, well, her…her condition…"
"Just the worried husband?" Lettie smiled. Howl tried to smile back, but just nodded instead. She said her goodbye, and Howl was off into the rain.
The rain started pounding down harder, lowering Howl's spirits, but he continued to look. He checked random shops and rest places, but didn't find her anywhere. He sat down on a wet bench, and put his head in his hands. He racked her brains for any other place but came up with nothing. Sighing, he decided to go back home to see if she had gone home.
Just as he got up to leave, a young boy crossed in front of him. Howl did a double take, realizing just who the boy was. "Markl!"
The boy ran, his black hood blowing behind him. Howl ran after him. Down the deserted streets they ran until he disappeared behind an old boarded up building. It was an abandoned building that never was rebuilt after the fire in Market Chipping.
"Markl stopped fooling around and come out!" Howl stood in the rain, hands crossed over his wet shirt. When Markl didn't show his face, he grew a little worried. "Markl?"
A hand came out from one of the boards, waving him in. Howl took a step closer, the rain now being shielded from his head by the rooftop. He stopped, feeling the dark magic flow around him. He hadn't felt it before because of the block the rain held between them, but now realized just how dangerous the situation got.
"There is black magic flowing out of this place. I wonder why I've never felt it before." Then an idea struck his head. "What if Sophie is in there? Markl could have been leading me to her! Her curse…it would engulf her."
Howl took another step closer, and another. Soon he had his hands on the board, tearing one loose. He felt his body being sucked into the building, and couldn't do anything about it.
--
Lala Rue here, and my updates are coming on slowly.
I promise I will finish this story! There are only two or three more chapters left, however it goes through my head. But thank you for being patient, those who haven't forgotten me.
I'll update soon!
Love, Lala Rue!