CHAPTER 26: SMOKE, MIRRORS, AND HIDDEN DOORS

Every night, she dreamed. While Gwenda had become accustomed to nightmares pooling around her aching heart, memories of the past that dug deeper than scars, for some reason in Wales she had none of those. No such heartbreak haunted her. Instead, she experienced beauty once more.

In these dreams, she envisioned Calcifer.

Next to her. Holding her. It was like reality hadn't fallen off the rails in her mind, and she could conjure up all that she believed in her heart to be true. His breath, the scent of flowers in bloom; his touch, the feeling of shivers on a warm day; his smile, so bright it could light up the night sky all on its own.

Calcifer was here - he was nowhere else but here. Every night, he was a ghost by Gwenda's side, so clear he didn't even feel like a phantom.

"Can you hear my voice?" He echoed, though he stood not mere inches away. Of course she could, yet in the dream she hadn't fathomed that he was a facade. Gwenda was torn by what she yearned for and what was absolute. If his presence was enough to soothe her fears, even a false presence, why would she ever want to wake up?

If she kept her eyes closed, if she only heard his voice and felt his touch, then maybe the dream would last forever.

"Don't leave me." She whispered.

"Look at me." She made the mistake of opening her eyes, and the dream vanished like it was merely a distant memory.

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They had been living with Lily Angorian and her pesky fire demon, Perseus, for five days now, each day a new opportunity to learn more about this land and the minimal amount of magic it held. It was difficult to adjust to the many peculiar things that existed in Wales, but it wasn't the first time they needed to adapt to new surroundings. Kenta struggled the most, however, what with the ancient spell of an old, forgotten language to translate.

"Suyoll… Quamoniith…" Kenta sounded out the words like a child learning how to speak for the first time. He was precise and cautious, afraid that even the simplest pronunciation change would alter the text. He sat at the dining table each day, reading the spell and rewriting the words on new paper.

Lily would casually walk by to check his progress in the mornings and evenings, uttering the same response in more or less words: "There's no pressure to crack it so soon. I still have to make preparations to leave the school, so don't rush."

Lily constantly reminded him how she wasn't ready to leave Wales just yet, so much so he once burned a small hole on her table after she repeated that exact line. While it hadn't concerned her when they returned home, those who only recently were flung into this world were far more motivated to leave as soon as magically possible.

Kenta and Lily had their verbal skirmishes quite frequently, so it helped that her day job kept them apart to keep their animosity to a minimum. Also, with her out of the house, that left more freedom to explore.

Wynne's adventurous heart was too amplified to settle, and with Kenta's nose held up in books all day, Gwenda took to watching over her. It was a wonderful change to spend time with her niece. Back in Ingary, they only saw each other during family gatherings and parties. Gwenda had forgotten that quality time was actually enjoyable and fun.

"It just keeps going!" Wynne said with the same amazement she'd had since they first arrived. Every day, they chose a new hallway with extravagant rooms to investigate. Lily had rooms filled with potion-making tables and musical instruments similar to her guitar. There were others filled to the brim with old children's toys, and Wynne swore their eyes followed her as they traveled through the room. They did not stay long there.

Wynne had seen wonders from her father's workshop, but nothing he had was as glamorous as Lily's decor and furnishings. Gwenda had to recount stories of Howl and his luxurious castle to show her that Lily Angorian was not too far off from the conceited wizard.

"Aunt Gwenda." Wynne said with a stern tone, or rather as stern a tone as a six-year-old could have.

Gwenda rolled her eyes. "Fine. Formerly conceited wizard. At least you got to know Morgan's father after his flashy phase."

"Markl's dad, too."

"Huh?"

"You know, a lot of you forget that part," Wynne said as she skipped through the hallway. "Mom and Dad, even Uncle Cal sometimes. Markl is Morgan's older brother after all."

"Well, yes, but-" Gwenda stopped herself, but Wynne kept moving. She hadn't really thought of Markl as Howl's son. He was always Howl's apprentice until Xarx took over his training. She couldn't really see Markl any other way, but it made sense that the kids would. They weren't aware of the full past.

She wondered what he was doing lately, especially after Kenta shared his worries about the teenager's wellbeing. In fact, it had been a while since she saw him last, even before they were spirited away to the humdrum land of Wales. She wondered if he even knew about their predicament.

After hours of traveling down the labyrinth hallway - which appeared much longer and more complex than Gwenda originally assumed - they returned to the living room. Perseus' green flame consistently flourished within the dazzling fireplace, yet his face was muted from view. Kenta was intently staring at the books on one of Lily's bookshelves, scanning the titles for something of interest.

"How's the studying coming along?" Gwenda said, startling Kenta as he reached far above his own height. He nearly tripped on his tippy toes and still hadn't managed to take a book off the shelf. Gwenda took a few steps toward him, casually raising her arm to the high shelf he was perusing. "Which one?"

Kenta grunted. "The green spine, titled Elven Linguistics and Ancients."

"Looks like someone really needs to brush up on his history." Kenta and Gwenda glanced at each other, both rolling their eyes at the irritating voice. They had learned over these last few days not to indulge in Perseus' commentary. That was directed from Lily herself. Having been attached to him for at least half her life, she knew him better than anyone.

"He's really good at trapping you in your own words," Lily had warned them, "So it's best not to say anything at all. Lest you want to arrange a new deal with him."

Neither Kenta nor Gwenda had wanted to form a contract with a fire demon, and knowing he was somewhat acquainted with Calcifer made that decision even clearer. He was not to be meddled with.

"Dad knows everything about Ingarian history," Wynne said, almost in a bragging voice, "He taught me everything he knows."

"Really?" Perseus said, his crooked grin tilted even farther. "Well, if he knows so much about the fantastical world of Ingary, he can figure out this spell rather quickly now."

"Ingary and the Land of the Elves are entirely different worlds," Kenta explained, "Though I take it I don't need to teach a thousand-year-old fire demon about that."

Perseus shrugged his green flames. "Hey, there's always something new to learn, isn't there?"

Gwenda removed the book from its place on the shelf and handed it to Kenta before a curious thought approached her. "Wait, I thought Lily said she didn't have any books that taught the Elven language."

Kenta opened the heavy tome and scanned the first few pages. While it did not get in-depth on some of the major linguistic structures, it was a good amateur text to get the gist of the spell. And with the ancient history embedded within the pages, it was a great resource to have.

Which made it all the more inquisitive why Lily wouldn't have shared it earlier.

When they brought up their suspicions later that evening, Lily just smiled and laughed. "Oh, I must've forgotten that one. I'm always losing and finding new things."

And this went on for five days - waking up to a deliciously created breakfast by Lily, Gwenda and Wynne exploring the expanse of Lily's magical mansion, Kenta deciphering Lily's spell like a code that needed breaking, and when Lily returned from the school, she prepared another savory meal for dinner. If nothing else, the woman could definitely cook.

However, Gwenda was most intrigued by Wynne's next hallway extravaganza.

"I think this hallway goes downstairs." Wynne was jumping and skipping faster than Gwenda could catch up with her. If the hallways didn't have crystal lights positioned periodically down the hall, her little niece would have been swallowed by the glamor.

She was right, though. Gwenda felt the slant of the hall, a gradual decline downward into the great abyss. If those crystal lights hadn't been her guide, Gwenda might have been more terrified than she already felt walking into the unknown.

Something about this hallway felt different from the others.

She hurried to Wynne's side. "Stay close to me." Gwenda kept her hand cemented to her niece's shoulder and walked a pace ahead of her. The sound of their shoes was muffled on the carpet, and the soft silence was a frightening feeling. Most of the hallways they had gone down took nearly an hour to get to the end and an hour back, but this hall seemed like it would never end.

Gwenda had lost all track of time when they approached a long, winding staircase. It curled down, like a swirling circle to the pit of Lily's mansion. Why would she ever need a place like this? The other hallways displayed the wonderful things that she had collected over the years, the strange magical items she'd acquired in a magicless world, yet this hallway felt like the entrance to a dungeon.

It felt like the end of freedom.

But, of course, the adventure and curiosity inside of Wynne nudged her to gracefully climb down the mysterious stairwell.

"Wynne!" Gwenda shouted, and her voice echoed a dozen times over. How far down did this place go? What would she find at the bottom? Nevertheless, she couldn't just let her niece run off again. Kenta would probably murder her the next time she let Wynne slip through her fingers.

"It only looks like it goes down far." Wynne's voice echoed back to Gwenda from halfway down the stairs. Sure enough, she was right. A few more turns and Gwenda was on the ground floor, another sneaky hallway leading only to a solid, steel door lit by a lantern directly above.

Gwenda took cautious steps forward, warning Wynne to stay back. How strange, she thought, to have a labyrinth hallway leading to a mirage spiral staircase with a heavy door at the end. It only begged Gwenda to question what Lily kept hidden behind there.

Though she knew it was a futile effort, she attempted to pull it open. Locked. It wouldn't be that easy to open, especially with all of Lily's other defenses making it near impossible to get to it. Even still, she was more suspicious of the young witch now than her snide little fire demon.

"Do you think Lily has the key?" Wynne asked. "Can she open it for us?"

Gwenda quickly turned to the innocent girl. "I think it's best that we pretend we never found this door. I don't think Lily wants us here."

"But-"

"Did we tell her about the other hallways we walked through?" Gwenda interrupted, raising her eyebrows. " Did we tell her about the rooms we looked into and the things she kept hidden there?"

Wynne dropped her gaze and shook her head.

"Exactly," Gwenda said. "This will be no different. If it's really important, we'll find a way through that door. Until then, no one finds out about it."

Wynne nodded and glumly trudged her way back up the staircase. She was silent the rest of the evening, though her bulging eyes spoke louder than anything said at dinner. After all, this was Wynne Itō - and the girl was horrible at keeping secrets.

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"Look at me."

She should have known better by now than to listen to that heavenly sound, but the desire to see Calcifer's face in full view tricked her once again. In a desperate moment, she opened her eyes wide from the depths of her slumber. Only this time, she hadn't fallen asleep in the guest bedroom.

A ghoulish cackle escaped from nearby. "Good morning, sleepyhead."

Gwenda pushed herself up from the velvet couch in a swift motion, the aches tingling from the low of her back upward. How long had she been sleeping? And in such an uncomfortable position, too. It was a close remembrance to the nights she slept by Calcifer's fire, though the wooden floors back then were nowhere near an alleviation.

The couch was stiff, more suited for a visual design than resting for long hours. Although, it hadn't felt like she got a full night's rest. Noticing the grandfather clock standing astute in the corner, she realized it was only close to midnight.

Gwenda figured she must have fallen asleep sometime after dinner. On the coffee table, she saw a cold cup of tea half drunk next to the crumbs of a biscuit. When she focused on the fire beyond, she vividly recognized his sneering smile.

"It's not even close to morning." Gwenda said amidst a long yawn. She stood up. "I'm going back to bed. Upstairs."

"Before you go," Perseus spoke slowly, "you must watch the grandfather clock strike twelve. Not many people get a chance to see its mysterious features."

Gwenda narrowed her exhaustive eyes at him. Lily hardly had any guests in the years she lived here, so obviously that was true. She wanted to walk away without a second word, but the moment the clock sounded the beginning of its twelve rings, her eyes were mesmerized by the clock's face.

It rang. Once. Twice. Thrice. A little door at the center of the clock opened wide. Inside, little figurines of dwarves sounded a light tune, and each of them danced in a repetitive cycle. They were dwarves in a mine, collecting jewels and treasures with their rusty pickaxes. They repeated this motion several times over, never diverting from their path.

Gwenda had heard stories of such dwarven societies, burying themselves underground with their life's work, though she could not recall actually meeting one.

"Now, take a look at the clock itself."

Gwenda did as she was told. The number nine rolled away like it was a boulder blocking a tomb, and out appeared another figurine. However, this figure looked more like a prince or a king, wearing a dazzling crown and suave attire.

He wasn't like the kings and princes she had come to know over the years. He seemed more genuine.

She followed the man's eyes upward, noticing there was more to the story than just the dwarves and this figure of royalty. By the twelfth ring, she looked up to see a porcelain sheep fade away and in its place, a gorgeous fairy stood in a graceful charm.

Gwenda craned her head to the side, not realizing she was stepping closer and closer to the clock. The fairy was gorgeous. Her wings were so nimble she could rip them to pieces in a single pluck. Her eyes were so solemn, Gwenda wondered what made her so sad.

Her eyes reverted back to the man of royalty. His eyes were the same. It made sense to her.

"Quite a sad love story," Perseus said. Gwenda had almost forgotten about the demon who originally enticed her to revel in the beauty of such a clock. "A man bound as king of the dwarves, stuck underground for the rest of his life. A fairy cursed as a sheep, only returning to her normal form when the clock strikes twelve. They can only watch each other from afar, but can never actually be together. How terrible to love someone, but never actually be with them. It's truly devastating to see such love torn apart by distance and fate."

Gwenda turned to her side, wishing she hadn't revealed the redness around her eyes or the drips of tears flowing without her permission. "You are too cruel."

Perseus smiled. That same, sadistic smile. "Let's have a chat. I'm sure there's loads for us to share with one another. And who knows? You might even learn more than what you were looking for."

Gwenda's initial thought was to dump a bucket of water over him, but that would kill Lily as well. Although, with the secrets she was sheltering below ground, that may not have been the worst idea. Ever since they arrived, it had been strangeness upon peculiarity mixed with ignorance.

More than anything, Gwenda yearned for truth. And oddly enough, the only one with enough deceit that she might squeeze out some details was none other than Perseus himself.