Another chapter of the tale of mystery.

FAMILY SECRETS

A HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE FANFIC

Chapter 31

I was right that someone would attack me. For not long after I left my sister two wizards tried to jump me. They tried to drag me off. Fortunately, I was able to make them break their grip. Then Howl came out of hiding and attacked. The pair did not expect Howl to be waiting for them. They seemed oblivious to the well-dressed cat following me. Which should have been obvious! It's Howl for god's sake! He would never disguise himself as just an ordinary cat! It shouldn't have worked, but they fell for it. They were caught unaware. Howl was able to incapacitate one of them! Sadly, the other one ran away. It wasn't a huge deal. We had one of them. That should be enough to learn something about the ones after me.

Howl dragged the man off to the palace dungeons. There were cells down there made specifically to contain wizards. A resource that he simply did not have in our castle. In theory he could have made a place like that, but it would have taken way too much time to create. Plus neither of us really wanted such a place in our home. Fortunately, as a Royal Wizard, Howl had the privilege to use these cells. A convenience that we were growing far too accustomed to. We weren't supposed to use these cells for personal uses, but no one seemed to care! They did technically attack the family of a Royal Wizard. That was a serious offense. So, no one really stopped us. Which almost as unnerving as what we were doing. It was almost as if we were above the law. That made me uneasy. I never thought of myself that way before. I hope that I never do so again. It wasn't right and I'm not proud of it. Still, I did nothing to stop it.

The cells were horrible. They reminded me of ancient torture chambers. They were barren and stark. There was no natural light here of any kind. All illumination was provided by magic. Which was glaringly bright. It highlighted the ancient history of this place. Yet, there no bloodstains that could be found. Even though the area reeked of blood. At the same time I couldn't smell anything at all. It was really hard to explain. It had an eerie feeling about the place that was not natural. It was almost as if I was walking inside a hospital, not a dungeon. Everything reeked of antiseptic. It was nothing like I expected this place to be. I didn't like the place one bit.

I had no idea where I was or where we were going. I couldn't make heads or tails of the place! I know that doesn't sound any different than the rest of Kingsbury but it was. It felt like we were cut off from the world. And according to Howl, that is exactly what was happening. This dungeon existed in a pocket universe with only one way in or out. You had to pass through a door in the front. Only Howl and Ben could actually open that door. No one else could do it. Not even me. Essentially we were trapped here unless Howl let us out. I was glad that Howl loved me. The last thing that I wanted to do was spend the rest of my days here.

We went through the labyrinth of corridors and rooms until we reached a isolated cell. Howl lowered the man onto the ground then asked me to leave. He said that he needed to place seals to drain the man's power and keep him restrained. It was the only safe to interrogate the man. That way he did not try to break free or harm us. However, if I stayed I would be affected. So I had to go.

"Sophie, please wait outside." He insisted.

I left the room afterwards and waited for him to call me back in. When I came back I could tell that Howl was going to tell me to go back outside but the words died in his throat. He knew that I would not leave. I needed to hear what this man had to say. I needed to face this man. I could not run. Even if this was going to be unpleasant. I had to see it through.

I stayed silent through most of the questioning. My husband seemed to have it under control. The wizard was reluctant to say anything, but Howl changed his mind. He didn't quite torture the man, but he did scare the shit out of him. Apparently, he believed the rumors about Howl. That he ate hearts and messed with people for fun. None of that was true, but right now we didn't care. It was far more useful for him to believe that. For the man cracked. He told us his name and where he came from. The man came from High Norland not Strangia like we first thought. He was hired by a middleman. He did not know who wanted me. Nor did he care. The money was good and that was all that mattered to man. He got paid if he caught me or not. However, he was promised a big bonus if he could get ahold me. The bonus was big enough to make him comfortable for years. That made it worth risking being caught by the Wizard Howl. No one really wanted to fight him if they could help it. His power and ingenuity were infamous even in High Norland. No one risked fighting him unless they had to. It wasn't worth it.

"I wouldn't have taken the job if the price wasn't so high." He chuckled bitterly. "I don't know what you did, lady, but someone wants you bad!"

I tensed but I said nothing. I knew that he was trying to bait me. I had to keep calm. I had to maintain control. I just listened to the discussion and did my best to keep quiet.

"Then again, you do have a nice body. Maybe they just want to try it out for a little while!"

What happened next shocked me. Howl hit him! I had never seen Howl hit anyone! He wasn't that kind of man. Even in our fights he never once touched me. He just yelled at me. In fact, that's all I've ever seen him do: Just yell at someone he was angry with. He never hit someone with his fists. Yet, that was exactly what he did. He hit the man square in the jaw. He quietly seethed. Which really caught me off guard. When he blew up it was loud, not like this. The fool had no idea what hell he was unleashing upon himself.

"Do not speak of my wife that way." He warned.

"Or what? You'll kill me?" The man seemed unaffected by Howl. "I'd hate to point this out, but I'm already dead. Either you're going to do it or my boss will. I've failed. Worse yet, I got caught. Neither are forgivable. As I said, I'm as good as dead."

Howl was about to bite back when I interrupted, "What if we could change that? Would that be something that you would be interested in?"

He looked at me as if I had gone mad. "What are you talking about? You can't protect me from my boss! You can't even protect yourself! How the hell are you supposed to help me? It's impossible!"

I shook my head. "You're right, I can't protect you." He scoffed at me but said nothing. "But I can help you. Your boss wants to see me, right? Well, that's great! I want to see him too!" I crotched down to look him in the eyes. "You can take me to him."

He laughed. "You're a crazy lady!"

Howl seemed to agree. He pulled me aside then once we were out of ear shot he yelled, "What the hell are you doing?"

"It's simple." I explained. "I want to find the one responsible. That man can help me do it. I don't see the problem!"

He shook his head. "YOU DON'T SEE THE PROBLEM?! SOPHIE THAT MAN TRIED TO TAKE YOU AWAY! NOW YOU JUST WANT TO GO WITH HIM?!"

I crossed my arms. "Not alone, of course. I'm not that stupid, y'know."

He threw up his arms. "Let me guess, you want me to tag along."

"Well, I was thinking about asking Suliman . . ."

He cut me off. "SOPHIE!"

I sighed. "Of course I want you along! And why wouldn't I? You're my husband for pity's sake!" In the end I was yelling. Not that I ever intended to do that. I was tired of having every decision questioned.

He sighed. "You're going to do this whether I help you or not, aren't you?"

"Yes Howl, I will."

He was quiet for a moment then finally answered. "Fine."

The argument was over for now. I made a note to ask for forgiveness later. Howl would hold on to this for a was fine. I'll deal with it later. For now I had a wizard to convince. Perhaps a little intimidation was required.

Next Chapter coming up!