CHAPTER 30: A DYING STAR IS A DESPERATE ONE

Wynne Itō was quite puzzled that her aunt was not excited to be home. Although, to be fair, they hadn't appeared directly in front of their house which meant they had a bit longer to truly get home, but the hardest part was over.

They just needed to return to Lily's mansion, get Lily and her dad to walk through the door, and all would be well with the world again.

However, Aunt Gwenda was entirely certain that this was not the home they came from.

"We have to go back." Gwenda turned around to see the fading hallway, the fog clearing up and pushing back toward the door. She could see the blue door behind the hazy, dark clouds. Pretty soon, that door might vanish as well.

"What's wrong?" Wynne cried as they rushed into the murkiness. She looked back while Aunt Gwenda pulled her arm, watching as the woman by the lake caught a fallen star. Those twinkling lights were falling dozens at a time, like a firework show in reverse. Wynne had only seen one other Night of Falling Stars - the last night her family was all together.

For some reason, this one felt more tragic.

Gwenda didn't turn; she only pressed forward. "Wynnie, there are people you don't know about and it might be too early to explain, but that woman is one of them and right now she is not good for us."

"You know her?"

"Yes," Gwenda said amidst her trampling breath, "I knew her when she was good, but this is far before that time." As they arrived at the door they entered through, Gwenda stole one final glance behind her. Though much farther away, she was still as intimidating as she had been at her full strength. Though not as large or filled with vengeance as she once had been, Gwenda did not wish to wait and see what she might do to a meek human with a little witch girl.

She feared that might change the past, too, unless this were only a vision of it. Perseus hadn't had the decency to inform her, unfortunately. Gwenda would definitely poke him for more, no matter if he clammed up and refused to speak.

One way or the other, she would weasel more out of that irritating fire demon.

As the witch by the lake completed her contract with the fallen star, a blue flame emerged from within her. It was exactly as she had told Gwenda all those years ago before her death.

How on that fateful day, she became known as the Witch of the Wastes.

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Perseus didn't pause for a second before cackling with a cynical laughter when Gwenda and Wynne arrived in the living room. "Did you ladies have loads of fun?"

Gwenda gritted her teeth as Wynne rested on the velvet couch, both barely able to catch their breath. Rather than try their luck in another door, both of them bolted through the hallway and returned to a sense of normalcy. Kenta stood next to the fireplace, his worry fading when Wynne appeared safe and unharmed.

"Where have you been?" Kenta asked. "You were gone for hours. I even had to ask the demon for help because I was so frantic."

Gwenda turned her irritation to Kenta. "Like I said last night when you interrupted our conversation, there are doors in the basement of this house. And one of them leads to Ingary."

Kenta dropped his shoulders and almost smiled for a moment. "What?"

"Don't get your hopes up," Gwenda waved off his optimism, "It was back over fifty years ago. We saw the-" She turned to the green, impish demon in the fireplace, his flames leaning forward like he was eager to hear her next words.

She narrowed her eyes instead and changed courses. "All right, Perseus. I'm all ears now. Let's pick up where we left off. Truthtelling only."

Perseus chuckled, like an adult humoring a child for fun. "Sorry, darling. That was a one stop shop. You don't need to play a game to ask me questions and hopefully get an honest answer. Although, you might get more than you bargained for."

Gwenda crossed her arms. "You only told me about the doors for your jokes and tricks."

"Well, you obviously went through the wrong door."

Gwenda heightened her voice with annoyed sarcasm. "Well, which one is the right door?"

Perseus shrugged his green fire. "That all depends on where you want to go."

Gwenda rushed him, but Kenta held her back. Her anger was rising more than the demon's flames. Every word, every phrase - it was all simply a game. There was nothing Perseus gained except provoking Gwenda's temper.

And he was doing a damn good job at that.

Gwenda slowly inhaled, held her breath for a few moments, then relaxed the exhale. She stood poised and dared to look back at the demon. "Why would I want to go back in time years before I was born?"

Perseus widened his sinister smile, purple mixing with green in a twisted, fiery dance. "Maybe to catch a glimpse of that star you adore so much."

"What does-"

"So you went back in time," Perseus continued, as if Gwenda hadn't spoken at all, "meaning you chose the blue door… or the green one does that sometimes, too. If you want to stay in your current timeline, you want to try either the red, yellow, or orange doors. I would advise against the black door at all costs, and don't even start with the white one."

Gwenda formed a fist and held it back with her other hand. "That would have been nice to know earlier."

Perseus smiled wider if that was even possible. "You never asked."

"I believe I did." Gwenda retorted. "You ignored my last question."

"He's a fire demon," Kenta said. "He's designed this way. It's always tricks and riddles with them. They don't expect to give you what you want unless it somehow benefits them, too."

"Calcifer was never like this, even as a fire demon."

"Isn't he, though?" Perseus chimed in. His voice had lowered, however, not his usual playful self. It had become obvious the more she spoke with him when he was toying around and when he was serious. Somehow, whenever Calcifer was brought into conversation, he was a mix of riddles and stringency. He loved messing with her relationship to Calcifer, but when it came to his character he was far more crass and abrasive.

He continued. "Tell me, human, do you really think you're that powerful to change the soul of a star?"

Gwenda wanted to bite her words after she spoke. "I think he loves me enough to not be a lying fool."

Perseus chuckled again, but it was much more rigid and coarse than jokingly. "Calcifer has been alive for more than a hundred lives you could ever have. He formed a contract with that wizard Howl Pendragon all because he had something to gain from it. I guarantee that he felt nothing for that boy when he took his heart and extended his own life. When the wizard no longer suited his needs, Calcifer broke from that contract somehow, and I wouldn't doubt he used some innocent human like yourself to do it. It was probably your lovely hair that ended his connection to Howl and you thought that meant something to a demon of our calibre. We are not fools, darling. We are infinite."

"We just want to get home!" Kenta bursted. "My wife and other children are probably worried sick about us right now. Have some sympathy, you erratic beast!"

Perseus tapped his chin with a fiery hand. "Well, when you put it that way."

If Kenta had no sense, he would have slapped the demon to yesterday. Even though he calculated Perseus' intentions accurately, he was too cunning to ignore. A demon of this intellect could crawl under his skin without having moved an inch.

"There's still something I can't figure out." Gwenda said. "If Lily has magical doors that can transport to other worlds, then why does she need Kenta's help with that spell?"

Kenta scoffed, taking giant steps to the dining room table. He snatched the book and carried it over to them, his vexation building with every step. "That's another question I'd like to ask Lily myself. Because this isn't the type of spell she told us. But you might know, Perseus, considering you wrote it."

"Oh, I do love a good drama." Perseus boasted as his green flames grew higher and higher. The sound of a click at the front door, startled everyone in the room, all except the demon whose smile never faltered. "And it seems like this drama is just getting to the juicy part."

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He had been sleeping. Truly sleeping. He hadn't felt this refreshed in weeks. In fact, he hadn't quite woken up from his slumber. Nevertheless, his mind was wide awake.

Calcifer stood in his own dream, completely and wholly cognizant of his surroundings. He felt so alive, so capable of anything he desired. He wished for trees to appear, and a forest grew right before his eyes. He imagined birds filling the skies with their lullabies and the flapping of their wings and he willed them into existence.

Yes, he could do anything in the dream - so he dreamed of her.

And there she was. There they were. Lying in their bed, the shimmers of morning light skimmed through the yellow and purple flower print curtains that swayed back and forth with the ocean breeze. He could hear the seagulls from their distance over the blue seas, smell the brine of the produce of the markets down the street - but all he could see was her.

"Gwenda." She rested the way she always did, lying with one arm under the pillow, one over, and legs crisscrossed so that they wouldn't touch in her sleep. Her eyes were wide open, blue as the sky, yet her smile was brighter than the sun.

She was infinitely beautiful.

"I never want to let you go." Calcifer whispered.

"You don't have to," she replied, "if that's what you want."

"But this is only a dream."

"You can do anything in a dream."

He closed his eyes as he asked, "What do you want me to do, then?"

He felt her hand graze his chin, forcing him to open his eyes. She leaned closer and said, "I want you to be honest with me."

Dark clouds. Thundering storm. The dream had changed on him. Rather than the comfort of their home, they both stood in the middle of the Wastes. This time, however, he was not in control.

This had become a nightmare.

Calcifer reached for Gwenda, but she was consumed by a green flame, disappearing the moment he made contact. Once again, she vanished from his life and there was nothing he could do to return her.

From behind the clouds, Calcifer noticed an array of starlight beaming through the darkness and rain. Mixed with the lightning was a shower of stars. They fell by the millions, as if every star to ever have existed came crashing down all at once.

At the center of their plummet, a man stood catching them in his grasp.

"The stars are falling soon." The man's voice echoed. Calcifer stepped in his direction, pushing against the force of the wind and rain. He had seen this man before. His height and auburn hair were a vague remembrance of a boy he once knew.

He turned around to face Calcifer. It was Markl. "Better hurry."

He inhaled sharply and sat up in a heartbeat. His lungs filled and depleted at the rate of his heightened adrenaline. He covered his face with sweaty palms, wondering if this was another part of the dream or a whole new nightmare. Through the spaces between his fingers, he located himself in the Pendragon's living room.

That was the last place he had been before his slumber. However, he didn't know how he had fallen asleep at all. The insomnia that had taken weeks of his life away was somehow overcome.

But how?

"My goodness, you're actually awake." He turned to the only other person in the room - Lona. The muted screams of children playing in the backyard brought back his most recent memories. They had all gone to the Pendragon household for answers, and found more than they expected.

Howl and Sophie. Xarx, even, for as long as he could muster. And Lona.

"How long…" Calcifer whispered, trying to wrap his mind around the missing pieces. "How long was I asleep for?"

Lona paused a moment before speaking. "Almost a week."

Calcifer met her solemn gaze. A week. He had slept almost a full week. After living through so many nights in terror, so many restless minutes and seconds where all he lusted after was the sweet sensation of sleep, he couldn't even be upset.

He was finally rejuvenated.

Lona continued. "Howl said that spell was meant to keep someone asleep forever, or at least until you overcome the terrors inside the nightmares. He said it was the only way to stop your… your power."

There it was - he remembered. The flames bursting from within himself, the fear in his friends' eyes, and his wish to end things right then and there. It was all coming back to him.

"I don't blame him." Calcifer replied. He knew that curse well, though never had the courage to cast it himself. Many magicians had been trapped within their own minds for years, decades even. Luckily, he revived himself in less than a week. "I probably would have done the same thing if he had become a danger to everyone in the room."

There was a moment of silence between the two. She could have gone to explain to everyone that he had finally woken up, but rather she stayed still. There was more on her mind, more on her chest she needed to unload.

"I didn't think I'd be able to apologize to you." Calcifer looked up, her eyes streaming suppressed tears. "I've been giving you a hard time lately because I thought you were pushing my sister away. It always happens to her little by little - small fights lead to big ones and people walk out on her. Then, she loses her trust in the world."

Calcifer raised his eyebrows, and she rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that look; I know I was one of those people. All I'm saying is she can't handle another broken heart, especially when she finds out about me and our mom. She needs someone to keep her grounded and safe."

Calcifer breathed a laugh. "Just the other day you said she should leave me."

"I'm sorry." Lona whispered, her voice soft and jagged like needles. "I was just angry. I may not agree with how you handled things, but you both love each other too much to walk away from this."

"I forgive you," he replied, "I understand your anger, believe me. I think I've been speaking out of character myself lately, so I don't blame you."

Lona exhaled a sigh of relief. She left to tell Sophie and Howl that he had awakened. He was welcomed with tea, tears, and hugs from all the children. He satisfied his hunger immediately when dinner was ready, eating enough for three people. Sophie had been cooking nonstop since he entered that slumber, hoping the smell of delicious meals would prompt him awake.

When all the children were put to bed, Calcifer began asking what he had missed.

"I tried to find Xarx again, hoping we could make amends and continue our search," Howl said. "When that man doesn't want to be found, he does a damn good job of keeping himself hidden."

"He's a lot like Ben." Lona said, quickly tensing after she spoke. Calcifer glanced at her for moment, watching her guilt-ridden visage hide behind her hand.

"Speaking of Ben," Calcifer said, "did you try looking for him?"

Howl nodded. "Lona was right about me not liking where he'd be. She said he ran a magicians' shop in Kingsbury. We went there, but folks around the city said he closed up randomly a few weeks ago."

"That doesn't seem so random given what's been happening lately." Calcifer said.

"Precisely." Howl agreed. "Somehow, he might have something to do with Markl's disappearance as well. I asked around and approached a few magicians about him, but not many were familiar with his name. It's like he's been a ghost since he arrived in Ingary."

Calcifer contemplated that idea and its irrationality. How could someone bypass Madame Suliman and all of her pledges for magicians to join her fight? She had coerced witches and wizards, magicians and their apprentices by the droves for years. If they defied her, they were stripped of their magic or worse. Even their human loved ones were stolen for the sake of leverage.

Ben Sulivan was her apprentice long before anyone else - how did he find a way around his master?

Nevertheless, that was their only lead to finding the evasive wizard. "So, we're left with no idea how to find him, I guess."

"Not quite," Howl replied, "Only one magician had ever heard of Ben. One by the name of Aria Hughes."

"That's Mari's sister," Calcifer said, "Gwenda used to work with her in the palace. They both fought in the war with us."

"She had heard rumors that Ben was there that day as well, fighting against Madame Suliman's army. So, hopefully we can assume he's not too hurt by the passing of his old master."

Sophie snorted. "I think a lot of her old students are doing just fine without her."

Howl squeezed her hand a pinch tighter. Talking about Ben meant bringing back painful memories of Suliman, her multitude of wars and deceit, and the damage she had caused them. However necessary it was to learn all about Ben Sulivan, it stung to recall the horrid events that led to where they were now.

"Did Aria say anything about where he might be?" Calcifer asked.

Howl nodded, scratching the back of his head. "I think you're going to hate this location much more than the fanciful Kingsbury."

"Can't be that bad."

"Try Seren Saethu."

Calcifer froze in his seat. The last time he witnessed that ghastly mountain was the night Gwenda, Kenta, and Wynne were stolen to Wales. The time just before that had been the early arrival of the Night of Falling Stars. He even had half a mind to go up that mercurial mountain range himself and stop whatever greedy magician wanted a chance at a celestial contract.

And now, that magician might have been Ben Sulivan himself.

The stars are falling soon. Better hurry.

"Sophie and I were actually making plans to go there tonight," Howl said, "since the Night of Falling Stars is set to occur around midnight. We were going to wait until you- if you woke up- but we couldn't push it back any longer. Then you finally did and-"

"I'm going with both of you." Calcifer interrupted. "No question about it."

Howl smiled. "I never doubted you."

"Good." Calcifer punched back, and for the first time in a long while, showed the slightest hint of a smile. They had a chance to find Markl, which could lead him back to Gwenda and the rest of his family. It was no coincidence that Markl entered his nightmare before he awoke, no accident that he warned him of the next Night of Falling Stars the day it would occur. They needed to approach Seren Saethu before midnight when the stars would fall.

A dying star is a desperate one; he knew better than most. Any one of them could fool or be fooled into a contract, especially if newborn stars were destined to fall. He had never heard of such an occurrence, but impossibilities were just circumstances that hadn't happened yet.