• The Demon's Curse •

10: In Which There is an Inconvenience

       Michael groaned in his frustrated position and crumped up yet another piece of paper. The boy had been working on a spell Howl had left for him all morning. He had yet to get anywhere. 
Lily peered over at him from her book mending and smiled. "Annoyed?"
        The fire crackled beside in what seemed like a laugh, "Are you annoyed?" he shot back.
Lily quirked a brow, "Me? Annoyed?" She said raising a palm to her breast sarcastically. "What do I have to be annoyed for? Howl only deafened everyone in Portheaven and filled the castle will thick slime and broke hundreds of hearts. Why should that annoy me?"
        Calcifer rolled his flaming eyes in her direction. "It isn't your heart so why should it matter?"
Lily only scoffed, forgetting her manners towards the fire. She leafed through the pages of the recently dried gilmore and looked at the pictures. Most the the words she couldn't read because they were in Welch but that was just fine by her. She enjoyed the pretty golden painting of the book nonetheless.
        "Where is Howl anyway?" she asked setting the book down neatly in her lap.
"He went off to Kingsbury this morning. He won't be back till noon." Michael grumbled, never peeling his eyes from the spell. 
"What does he need in Kingsbury?" she asked, "Probably a new suit." She added.
"Actually the King wanted to see him." Calicfer said.
        Lily could only imagine what the king was like. Perhaps he was a kind old king filled with greed. Or perhaps a young fat king that only dined on the finest of foods.
"What color was his hair?" She asked, wanting to complain about Howl more.
"Pink." Calcifer and Michael said in unison. 
        Lily had to stifle a giggle. "Really?"
"He actually likes it that way." 
"Will he keep it pink?"
        Calcifer turned his head, "Doubtful. Why, what color do you prefer on him?"
"Black." she said, turning back to her book.
"I thought you told him yesterday you liked it better blonde?"
        Clever demon he was. 
"I lied. As if I give that magician the satisfaction of praise. I prefer to see him miserable."
Lily was no sadist but Howl deserved everything that was thrown his way. His stringing of hearts would one day bite him in the rear and dance along his grave.
        Michael threw another paper ball towards Calcifer who gobbled it up immediately. Lily threw another log in the grate, which earned her a happy tune from the demon. 
"Are you sure he isn't off with some girl?" she asked, still stuck on the subject.
        Michael shrugged, "He's seeing a girl named Lettie in the hills."
Lily eyed the boy for a moment longer, "Isn't your friend named Lettie? Down by the Bakery?"
Michael scribbled something down, "It isn't the same girl. I went by earlier and she claimed she had never seen Howl before in her life."
        Lily liked that idea. If anyone deserved happiness it was Michael. 
She got up, as Calcifer began to snooze in the way most fires do. He settled in his white ashes, making a vibrant blue flame no bigger than her hand. She made her way over to Michael, careful not to touch anything on the workbench, especially the nosy human skull. 
        "Is that the spell Howl left for you?" She looked over at the unraveled scroll painted in gold and scorch marks. It looked a lot like a poem but than again what was a spell if not a poem?
Michael nodded and tried to mix together a colorful array of powers which only ended up spewing jelly. He groaned again and threw the jelly across the room in a childish fit. 
        "Let me have a look." she said taking the scroll.
Lily scanned the page up and down but nothing came to mind. She picked up the tarnished skull and smiled, "What do you think?"
        The skull chattered it's teeth all by itself, making Lily drop it back on the workbench. As soon as it touch the oak it stopped, causing Michael and Lily to stare at it. 
"Has that ever happened before?"
        "Not to me."
"Maybe it's done it to Howl," She said, still bitter about him, "He does seem to attract demons of all sorts."
Michael looked up at her expectantly. "You know, Howl isn't all bad. He may be fickle with females but he's been good to Calcifer an' me."
        Lily quirked a brow again, "Why is that? Does he not take other Apprentices?"
Michael shook his head, "No not in that sense. I was an Orphan when he took me in. My mother died when I was very young and my Father died in a storm at sea." he said mashing together ingredients once again. "Nobody wants you when bad things happen. It's an inconvenience for 'em."
        Lily understood that. In her world, people often said the same thing. Humans are an inconvenience. It did surprise her that Howl took in Michael.
"Did he make you do any of his dirty work?" she pried.
"Nothing like that. I just talked to Calcifer a lot and I think Howl was impressed by that. After a while I stayed and Howl offered to teach me magic."
        Lily nodded. Perhaps the wicked Sorcerer had some decency after all. However it wasn't enough to convince her that he was worth saving. Lily held the hope that the Gilmore was finally restored to its former glory. Not that she knew what it looked like before Howl had gotten his hands on it. She held it up for Michael to see.
"What do you think?"
        The olive skinned boy coughed once, "It's nice." He said simply. No Good Job Lily followed which made her feel small. She huffed and set down the magic book, placing the skull on it for good measure. "At least you look good with it." She said to it. They all sat there for the better half of the morning, dreily waiting for the Grand Wizard's return.

 🌸