Howl's Twisted Castle

42: Guises

His arms squeezed around me tightly, shielding me from most of the blast but even for Howl, the force of it was far too great. Instinctively, I squeezed my eyes shut and braced for impact, but it was Howl and not I that got the worst of it. I could scarcely hear myself think over the sound my ragged breathing, which only worsened as I opened my eyes to find Howl staring at me with the most peculiar expression.

I wanted to get away from here, I wanted him to stop looking at me with those sorrowful green eyes, I wanted not to relish in his closeness as much as I did, but even though my heart was no longer beating in my chest, it was betraying me. I inclined my chin so that my face perfectly aligned with his and then . . .

Markel's dry cough caught our attention and Howl took the chance to put distance between us.

The heavy smoke poured freely through the open doorway, filling the hallway with a stifling mixture of thick soot and fiery embers. With a wave of his hand, Markel sent a cool spray of ice across the encumbering wall of smoke, dispatching it in an instant. The blaze, however, was no match for his magic and before long, we were combating the smoke once more.

With his hands on his knees, Markel tried to regain his composure. "Master -- you need to come quickly-- there's been an incident," he managed between breaths.

Howl and I exchanged glances but he looked away too quickly. Feeling at a loss I beat down the smoldering bits of Markel's clothes to distract myself from the awkward exchange.

"What happened down there?" Howl asked. "I thought you had everything under control."

"I thought so too, but it appears that someone intentionally started a fire in the ballroom. It's spiraling out control. I was able to open a portal for a little while to help people escape but there are others still who are trapped in rooms down there."

My stomach plummeted. 

Alex. 

I clutched his tattered jacket tightly. "What makes you think a person started this? Did you see anyone do it?"

Markel stared at Howl and after a moment, Howl nodded in understanding.

"Only magic could be this destructive," Howl replied.

I clasped a hand over my mouth. It was Alex. Before he took Calcifer away, he had created a diversion for me. I had asked him to do it. 

My knees buckled as I clutched Markels shirt in desperation. "Did you see who it was? The person who did this, did you get a look at their face?"

Markel wiped the soot from his mouth and shook his head. "There was figure blocking the exit, but I never got the chance to see who it was, the flames were so bright and with the fire spreading too quickly, I couldn't keep up with it."

"Right, well then," Howl got up quickly and before I knew it, he was leading me to the far wall. With a pained expression, he leaned in so that only I could hear him. "I know I have no right to ask this of you, given our most recent history, but you must leave this place." 

Tracing a mark on the wall with a swift stroke, a portal opened before us.

I took one step back, then another, my head shaking automatically. I couldn't leave now. If this was in any way Alex's fault, I had to fix it. "I'm not going anywhere."

Resting his hands on my shoulders, his voice grew concerned. "I know that you think you can help but-,"

I clenched my fists at my sides. "I need to be here."

Howl eyes softened. "If you're concerned about our safety, you need not worry. Rest assured that Markel and I can handle this. We do not know what motive this person may have had, but what we do know is that person has shown a careless disregard for human life. It's too dangerous."