A.N.: Okay, I know I promised within three days in my response to your reviews, but before I could update or upload, I was kidnapped by my parents and shipped to the country side of my family. since my cousin was skiing I couldn't use her world wide web and in my grandparents house there is no thing such as this... I am finally in the city again and without further talking, the long overdue chapter...

Last time:

Keyl Smith was marching down the hallway to the sealed door with an arrogant, powerful stride and a diabolic smirk plastered on his face, his long cloak fanning behind him. Jenkins was finally on his way and everything fell into place like he predicted it. The only thing left to do was what he had planned for his little pregnant prisoner. And now the time had come to finish what had started all those long years ago…

Chapter Eleven: Power

The scenery was nothing but a black/greyish blur. Reasonable with the high speed Howl was flying. Even though it bore so many (more) deadly risks now that Calcifer wasn't keeping his heart, he once again had slipped into his bird form. Vaguely he was capable of making out the general areas he was flying over. The string like blue glow was snuggled closely around his left wrist, going into the open, tucking him to the direction where its origin lay. Over forests, fields, hills and mountains, forests again and villages and towns. While Howl could fly over the former without risks, not sparring them a thought, he had to fly a wide berth around towns to avoid being discovered and noticed. The magician had no doubt that he would win anytime against those low-class wannabe enchanters, but he needed his strength for the real fight in the very near future. And Sophie didn't have anymore time to spare.

He hoped. Oh, how he hoped he wasn't too late to save his beloved. He did not know what he would do if anything happened to her. He did not want to find out what he could do if such a situation were to arrive.

Another town. He cursed and flew another wide birth. The spell tightened around his arm, cutting into the skin. It showed Howl a direct path (and seemed impatient and annoyed if not followed correctly) and didn't include any risks in flying over something. As soon as everyone in his crazy patched together makeshift family was safe he would teach Sophie everything he knew about magic, no matter what she said. Should she throw what she had at him, he would follow through with this. May the gods bless his soul…

oOo

With a loud bang Keyl Smith let the door shut down behind him, alerting his precious victim, pardon gemlike intended, to his obvious presence. She jumped up from her bureau, turning around to face her captivator, while not successfully trying to hide what looked like another enchanted letter. Frightened she pressed herself against the piece of furniture. Heavy silence settles itself over the room, eerie like nothing else and filled to the brim with dread and tension. But it could only last so long.

A sinister and dark and sadistic, simply a plain evil, grin spread across his good looking face. If things had gone the other way and to another time in another world she might have called him good looking. He wasn't handsome in the traditional way, but his face held a touch of exotic. But that would never happen. If anything, she planned on destroying that charming face of his, preferable with a rusty knife, a hot poker, or her special weed killer á la extra strong. Hell, if she only had a paper she would try to hurt him, but two things stood in her way. Her pregnancy and his magic power skills.

"No need to try hiding that from me, my dear, I knew all along."

"And what would that be?" Sophie tried to act all clueless and innocent but in vain.

Out of nowhere a powerful blow was thrown at her, resulting in Sophie being thrown against the left wall like a rag doll. Blood trickled down her temple and from her split lip. Slowly Sophie stood up, letting her long hair cover her face and shield her eyes.

"If you knew all along, why would you let me continue? Howl already knows there is going to be a trap and me sending him that letter isn't going to help you in any way. He would have found me one way or the other, I have no doubt. You should have come here when I sent the first!"

Finally she looked up. Fire lit her eyes in an eerie way. Determination and righteous anger made her strong. She was done with being passive and playing the good girl. She was Sophie Hatter, beloved of Howl Pendragon, mother to their unborn child, sister of Martha and Lettie Hatter, Guidance of Michael Fisher, Guardian over Calcifer the Fire Demon, and if she could make each and everyone of them cover in fear and angst with simply throwing them one dark glance then so be God her witness, she would show him just from what special wood she was carved. She looked down at her hand with which she whipped away the blood trickling down the corner of her mouth. Sophie looked back at the cruel man and without warning released a spell of her own. She may not have the education, but her own potential was still there.

Baffled Keyl looked at her again. Maybe he underestimated her after all. He saw her dash to her bureau, grabbing her quill, holding it in front of her like some sort of weapon.

What was he thinking? Her show of power was only a spur of the moment, nothing out of the ordinary, besides what could she, a simple milliner do against him, a trained and highly skilled magician? Nothing, no, less than nothing, that's what she could do!

Sophie tried another attack, now strengthen through her … choice of weapon, which was inflicted with her own magic. But now that he was expecting it, he simply deflected it carelessly.

oOo

Another blow caught her, throwing her again against a wall, this time the right. Her ears were ringing from the impact, one of her eyes already swelling. The room spun and Sophie had trouble with the orientation. Then the shock lessened somewhat and a sharp pain came from her right wrist. She must have fallen the wrong way on it.

Polished shoes entered her eyesight. A numbing sensation spread through her. Her body was jerked upwards by strong hands spreading through her long, beautiful hair and pulling her harshly in a kneeling position. A male body stood behind her, still holding her hair, bending her head back painfully, exposing her throat.

"Whoever said something about a letter? I was talking about your unborn child!"

A long dagger suddenly gleamed in his free uprisen hand. Sophie's eyes widened in terror.

With a flash Keyl let him fall down. Her eyes had closed the second he moved him. No dagger penetrated her, piercing her skin to tint it red with her blood. A chopping sensation got her interest. He was slicing at her hair. He let the dagger fall to the floor after he finished to clamp his hand down on her shoulder while the older erupted a black flame to burn away her loose hair. A dark ball formed above it with a silver tint to it.

With a dark promise in his eyes he forced it into her exposed chest, watching with sick fascination as heavy tremors worked their way trough the body of the woman in front of him.

The ball reappeared, now a dark navy blue with a silvery hue at the centre. Sophie slumped forward and landed hard onto the floor near the dagger. But she was not moving, eyes closed again, barely breathing at all.

With a flick of his wrist of his wrist the hovering ball morphed into Sophie's appearance.

Forced astral projection were a blessing from hell in his point of view.

Now with her mind, soul and magic, basically her whole being, separated from her body, everything was set for the dubious "knight in shining armour". Howl just needed to finally arrive.

With these thoughts in mind he gathered her body roughly in his arms and went his way.

And that her astral projection could not tell Howl of her condition was just the icing on top of his cake.

oOo

Howl could feel the nearing end of his flight. A hidden mansion had finally appeared and Sophie's spell was starting to fade. It had split itself in two uneven parts. He prayed to God that it would hold until he was directly in her prison. Howl followed the thicker string since it would more than likely show him where Sophie was. He just hoped he went with the right one. He should have followed the thinner one…

oOo

Deep within the complex layout of the huge mansion Keyl Smith chuckled darkly as he watched Howl flying right into his trap from his study. A thin blue string connected with the comatose girl in his arms. Such finding spells always went to their source they were drawn from. And since Sophie's mind, soul and magic were thrown into her astral form, it would naturally go there. Only enough magic remained to keep her body from dying, which was the reason why a small part still found its way to his study. Oh well, even if that low dog had gone after the thinner streak, he would have never been able to save her either.

Finally, revenge was on the tips of his fingers. Soon he would be able to taste it. And would be sweeter and hotter than in his wildest dreams…

oOo

Sophie's mind (or was she… it…just an illusion of reality?) sat hopelessly on the bed. When Howl would come, and he was near as the physical proof of her…Sophie's… charm finally connected with her wrist, he would go into the trap and she couldn't even tell him about it.

A soft knocking on her window made her look up. Slowly, almost as if she was dreading going there, she went over to it, pushing it open to look clearly from her tower high prison window. A light breeze made the light curtains flatter, even after gripping on them to stop them from moving and hindering her sight.

There, right before her, was Howl, flying on the spot, almost completely covered in raven feathers, with only his face free from them. Her (imaginary?) heart soared at the plainly visible risks he took to to save Sophie. At least he wasn't as bulky as when he stopped the bombs from hitting their home. There was still some humanity left in him.

Howl couldn't believe it. He had found her. He had found Sophie! It had been almost too easy to fly undetected into the grounds of the mansion. Now she finally stood before him. Her hands were gripping onto the curtains. She wore a white, silky gown, with a wide neckline, leaving most of her shoulders bare and short sleeves. It was a bit tight around her chest and midriff, but flowed out a little at her hips after enhancing her small waist and barely coming to her knees. Her feet, along with her arms, were bare. Her hair looked as if it was chopped of and now only reached a little before her chin. It flowed along with her nightgown in the gentle night breeze, and shone in the light of the stars. Her beautiful eyes, so soulful, were ridden with pain and deep sadness. His heart wept at this discovery. He wished he would have been here sooner, hell, he wished he could have saved her from kidnapping. He would never leave her out of his sight again, not until he died.

He moved closer after those few first precious seconds, still not believing he had finally found her. His left arm snaked around her waist, drawing her to him, while his right buried itself in her shortened hair to tilt her head upwards. His lips caught hers, giving her a kiss with every emotion he felt since her absence poured into it. Part of him still couldn't believe it that Sophie was finally back in his arms. That part of Howl also whispered that it was too easy, that something wasn't right, but he squished it as soon as he heard that traitorous little voice. Finally he broke the kiss, stepping into the room through the window, to embrace her. But before he could do that her eyes widened in terror.

"Howl! N…-", she tried to tell him but the words stuck in her throat, didn't come out. She clutched her throat hard, trying to tell him with her eyes that she wasn't the real Sophie (or was she?), but her strength betrayed her. Her eyes became heavy lidded and her legs gave out. She would have fallen to the floor if it wasn't for Howl's fast reflexes catching her.

"Sophie! What's wrong? What did they do to you? Sophie!" Howl screamed wit tremor and fright evident in his voice at her.

"H-Ho-"

She went limp in his arms, her last strength finally leaving her.

"No, no, no, no, No, NO! Sophie! Stay with me, please! You're gonna be safe, I promise! You're gonna be okay, just stay with me, baby, please! Don't leave me, please! Oh heavens, no, please let her be okay again! What did they do to you my precious angel, my starry-haired maiden!" Howl tried to shake her awake again, but it wasn't working. He needed to leave as soon as possible, so that he could cure her from anything they bestowed on her.

Almost as soon as he had thought this, the whole room caught on fire. Right before the window a nine foot high wall of flame blocked the entrance, leaving only the double door as an escape free. If he didn't find something suspicious before, at the latest now he found it dubious. To make matters worst, the fire didn't start normal, and it was magical fire also. While normal fire could be kindled real fast, only the latter could spread this fast and be so bitingly hot. Cursing nine gates of hell fort and back, he hurriedly went to the double door and through. More flames came towards him and he hurriedly placed a force shield over the both of them. He hoped he wouldn't have to start using anymore magic. While he had an immense urge to go find that bastard, he had no intentions in endangering Sophie anymore than necessary. Getting Sophie into safety was his prime mandatory.

More or less a path stayed clear of the fire and Howl had no other choice than following it. He didn't like it. He didn't like it one bit. But forcing his way out and above the flames would have taken more time and magical energy than he would have liked to spare. That was the only reasonable option. Already he could feel floors, walls and ceilings collapse under the immense pressure of the unnatural fire. Howl could only hope he made the right choice in following their prepared path way.

More often than he liked to count did he have to manoeuvre over fallen fragments and ruins or fly over holes in the floor. The mansion was in ruins, and still burning. Howl shivered at the thought that it looked more and more like the burning place in his dream. Finally they arrived in the grand hall. They just had to get through the grand entrace and they would finally be free again. He was almost feverish, so ecstatic was he over this fact. Just a few more feet's.

And then the universe decided the final act in this drama should unravel.

Sophie vanished from his very arms, as if she was nothing but thin air. Everything started to finally fall into places. That damn bastard made HIS Sophie go through an forced astral projection. He would need something highly magic from her for this, like her hair. That's why her charm broke into to parts. Of course it would lead him where the astral projection was since it contained most of her being and only a small part would make it to her body, then an empty body without a soul was nothing than a breathing corpse, a shell of the person. It explained why Sophie couldn't say anything to him. It explained her cut hair. It explained why she vanished. Howl felt like a fool, no like a damn apprentice who didn't get the simplest spells done. He was supposed to be a master in witchery and sorcery. And he made the biggest blunder in his life.

oOo

With a jolt Sophie found herself back into her … well, body. Wide-eyed she stared at the man in which arms she laid. Keyl Smith. Not Howl. She jumped out of his arms, or at least she tried to. He was fast in reacting, catching her arm and holding onto it. Yanking her back, he hissed in her ear.

"I would say 'good evening', but you and I have long since forgone the point of mannerism."

"And I would like to say 'goodbye' or 'see you again', except it's your grotesque face I would have to say it to."

She ripped her arm from his grip, and tried to run, but all around her were flames, encaging her with no option of fleeing. She spun in a circle, hoping for a loop in the fire ring, but nothing. A soft click behind her let her stop short. Fear raced down her spine as cold sweat broke out all around her body. Slowly she turned. This man, this monster was holding a freaking revolver at her. Not something she would expect from a sorcerer but effective enough.

Sophie was terrified. Once more she had to fear for her and her unborn child's life. Terror wrecked havoc among her body. She felt cold despite the blaring heat surrounding her. Her stomach was just a tight knot, while she battled to remain standing since her legs were about to give up and throw up. Her face had gone chalk white. But none the less she put on a brave front.

"I know Howl is here. He is going to find u… me. It's over. You lost and there is nothing you can do anymore. If you were intelligent enough you should take your legs in your hands and run. And pray that Howl is gracious enough to turn a blind eye on you. If he finds you now, in this situation, there is no telling what is going to happen."

Keyl's hand didn't shake as he continued to point the revolver at her chest.

"You misinterpret your situation. Everything you and that women skirt chasing manwhore did since the very beginning was exactly as I intended it to be. You both played the whole time into my hands. And, my dear, plain Jane, you pregnant with his child made everything so much more easier. Everything for my master plan. Did you really think that Howl falling out of favour in the kings eye, the reviving of the war in Imaginary, Suliman loosing his influence and the heavily bombarding of all your hometowns so that Howell Jenkins would weaken his magic was coincidence? No, that was all my work. Ten years of waiting and scheming and preparing for exactly this moment, the moment I take my revenge on Howl by killing you, the girl he thinks to love, he intends to marry, the starry-haired maiden from his dreams. I didn't know when you would come or who you were, but I knew you would come into his life. And so I did everything I could to await your arrival. Imagine my surprise when my idiot little brother came to me, complaining about his wife, that talentless charmer and most of all you with his petty reasons of sullying the good name of our family, whining like a spoiled little brat? Oh, after so long, you were finally here. He finally had you, and look where this has gotten you? Unwillingly pregnant, captured as bait, beaten and bloodied like the peasant you are with only death as your future."

The more he talked, the frightened Sophie became. A crazy, insane, murderous glint appeared in his eyes. He was up to no good. Without notice Sophie took steps back to flee if given the chance.

Now he was talking about their time in school, how there had always been a rivality between them, finally ending in their endless hostility and countless fights, which resulted in him being thrown out of the sorcerer school.

"But the real reason for our hatred was because of her. The fabulous Witch of the Waste. She saw my real potential, she made me who I am today. Without her, I would have been just as you beloved. And than she just goes after that smug bastard, saying only he can give her what she needs and how I couldn't stand a chance against him! Oh, why did she have to do this? I would have given her anything, the world, my heart if she so much as thought about it! SHE LEFT ME FOR THAT SCUMBAG! OH, I HATED HER FOR THIS, LOAVED HER! AND I STILL ENVY AND ADMIRE HER!"

His voice dropped to a whisper.

"And then your beloved had to go and accidently kill her. But I was still waiting for you. That dream about you was pretty obvious. A supposed beautiful girl laying dead in burning ruins, only to scream later for help. And now that you are here, I can finally get my well deserved revenge for what that drunkard did to me, revenge on you for my beloved master."

His eyes trickled down to her belly, turning hungry, but for what she couldn't decipher.

"I noticed right from the start from the precious parasite you were carrying with you. And you made a pretty bad mistake in its protection", he told her gleeful.

"Sure, your spell was correct nothing will harm your unborn child, but it can still die. It's still vulnerable to its …direct environment."

A sinister smile spread on his lips.

"A child, unborn, dies, if it's mother is killed. And you my dear, left yourself unprotected."

He shot her. Once, twice in her chest.

oOo

Panic and terror finally caught up with Howl. He couldn't use Sophie's spell since the light of the fire made it invisible, and since the spell was to be seen and not felt, there was no way he could find Sophie this way. He searched frantically, teetering on the edge of insanity, with his mind supplying him with horrendous images of states Sophie could be in. Howl was becoming desperate. It had been minutes since the astral projection vanished and there was no sign of life.

And than he heard it.

A shot.

oOo

Sophie was fighting to stay alive. Blood pooled around her on the once polished floor as she clutched desperately at her shot wounds to slow down the blood flow. She was still loosing too much blood. Concentration and time were fickle things. The moment she thought she had the former, she lost it more than ever, while time was merrily running out. Death was approaching and he was merciless. She couldn't find enough concentration to use her magic. Damn it, what use was a talent like hers, talking life into things, if she couldn't even use it in the most important times! Dark spots were dancing before here very eyes, signalling her that she lost the battle. She thought she saw the Grim Reaper gliding towards her lying figure, whetting his scythe on the stone walls. The sound was ringing in her ears. Or was it the desperate cry of a lost man?

oOo

Howl had been running into the direction of the shot, desperately denying what it meant. Finally he was before a great set of doors, open, envisioning him with a horrible scene. It was like his dream, then years ago. He was standing in ruins, on fire, a black shadow, a figure standing before the fire above something, a crumbled person lying in a foetal position on the hard ground.

As if sensing his dreaded approach, the shadowed figure spoke.

"I promised you, didn't I, Howl? I promised you I would find her and make her suffer. And you would pay the price." And then he stepped aside, revealing Sophie and laughed.

Howl scrambled forward, gathering a lifeless Sophie in his arms. She had to be unconscious. She had to. Howl was finally falling into insanity, but not quite there. Sophie was not dead yet. She couldn't be.

Sophie didn't stir. Not even when Howl was shouting, screaming at her, rocking her, begging her to finally open her eyes, to not do this to him, to assure him she was well and fine and that they would finally be a family and marry and watch their child grow.

Finally it trickled into him. Things where never going to be like he envisioned them. His mind was catching up to the situation at hand. Sophie was gone. She was dead. And with her, everything that was good in his life.

Physical pain, unlike any other he encountered, slammed into his body, the centre being his chest. With his dead heart that was still beating.

oOo

As good as his plan had been, there was one thing that Keyl Smith hadn't included in his plan. The sheer colossal power of a class A sorcerer who has lost everything he ever held dear in the same moment. Killing someone was against the oath every sorcerer had to swear at the very beginning of their magic education. Yet what did it matter to someone who had nothing to loose anymore?

Some say, Keyl Smith was killed in an instant. Other say, the energy had a will of her own, torturing him as he did to that person, before she killed him. Whatever happened, it didn't matter, as the end was the same. The fearful and merciless sorcerer was no more and nobody has ever spoken of him any longer, in fear the same end would come to them.

Last A.N.: I know, I know, I'm evil for ending it like this, BUT, there will be at least one more chapter, possible two. Next time I'm tying up all the loose ends like what happened to Fanny and Mr. Smith, how things with Suliman, the King go and how Martha, Michael and Calcifer react... well for this you have to wait. And I hope it counted for something that this was the longest chapter so far. Over 4k words, most I have ever written in english at once. Next chapter I will have time to work on earliest First of March. 'Till then, yours truly, fantasyfreak17