“What’s going on?” Sophie squawked as this thirdpair raced past, shaking the stones of the jetty as they ran.

“Illusions,” Michael’s voice came out of thehorse. “Some of them. They’re both trying to fool oneanother into chasing the wrong one.”

“Which is who?” said Sophie.

“No idea,” said the horse.

Some of the onlookers found the monsters too terrifying. Many wenthome. Others jumped down into the rolling ships to fend them off fromthe quay. Sophie and Michael joined the hard core of watchers who setoff through the streets of Porthaven after the monsters. First theyfollowed a river of sea water, then huge, wet paw prints, and finallywhite gouges and scratches where the claws of the creatures had duginto the stones of the street. These led everyone out the back of thetown to the marshes where Sophie and Michael had chased the shootingstar.

By this time all six creatures were bounding black dots, vanishinginto the flat distance. The crowd spread out into a ragged line onthe bank, staring, hoping for more, and afraid of what they mightsee. After a while no one could see anything but empty marsh. Nothinghappened. Quite a few people were turning away to leave when ofcourse everyone else shouted, “Look!” A ball ofpale fire rolled lazily up in the distance. It must have beenenormous. The bang that went with hit only reached the watchers whenthe fireball had become a spreading tower of smoke. The line ofpeople all winced at the blunt thunder of it. They watched the smokespread until it became part of the mist on the marshes. They went onwatching after that. But there was simply peace and silence. The windrattled the marsh weeds, and birds began to dare to cry again.

“I reckon they must have done for one another,” peoplesaid. The crowd gradually split into separate figures hurrying awayto jobs they left half done.

Sophie and Michael waited until the very last, when it was clearthat it was indeed all over. Then they turned slowly back intoPorthaven. Neither of them felt like speaking. Only the dog-manseemed happy. He sauntered beside them so friskily that Sophie wassure he thought Howl was done for. He was so pleased with life thatwhen they turned into the street where Howl’s house was andthere happened to be a stray cat crossing the road, the dog-manuttered a joyful bark and galloped after it. He chased it with a dashand a skitter straight to the castle doorstep, where it turned andglared.

“Geroff!” it mewed. “This is all Ineeded!”

The dog backed away, looking ashamed.

Michael clattered up to the door. “Howl!” heshouted.

The cat shrank to kitten size and looked very sorry for itself.“And you both look ridiculous!” it said. “Open thedoor. I’m exhausted.”

Sophie opened the door and the cat crawled inside. The cat crawledto the hearth, where Calcifer was down to the merest blue flicker,and, with an effort, got its front paws up onto the chair seat. Thereit grew rather slowly into Howl, bent double.

“Did you kill the Witch?” Michael asked eagerly,taking off his cloak and becoming himself too.

“No,” said Howl. He turned round and flopped into thechair, where he lay looking very tired indeed. “All that on topof a cold!” he croaked. “Sophie, for pity’s saketake off that horrible red beard and find the bottle of brandy in theclose—unless you’ve drunk it or turned it into turpentine, of course.”

Sophie took off her cloak and found the brandy and a glass. Howldrank one glass off as if it were water. Then he poured out a secondglass, and instead of drinking it, he dripped it carefully onCalcifer. Calcifer flared and sizzled and seemed to revive a little.Howl poured a third glass and lay back sipping it. “Don’tstand staring at me!” he said. “I don’t know whowon. The Witch is mighty hard to come at. She relies mostly on herfire demon and stays behind out of trouble. But I think we gave hersomething to think about, eh, Calcifer?”

“It’s old,” Calcifer said in a weak fizzle fromunder his logs. “I’m stronger, but it knows things Inever thought of. She’s had it a hundred years. And it’shalf killed me!” He fizzled a bit, then climbed further out ofhis logs to grumble, “You might have warned me!”

“I did, you old fraud!” Howl said wearily. “Youknow everything I know.”

Howl lay sipping brandy while Michael found bread and sausage forthem to eat. Food revived them all, except perhaps the dog-man, whoseemed subdued now Howl was back after all. Calcifer began to burn upand look his usual blue self.

“This won’t do!” Howl said. He hauled himself tohis feet. “Look sharp, Michael. The Witch knows we’re inPorthaven. We’re not only going to have to move the castle andthe Kingsbury entrance now. I shall have to transfer Calcifer to thehouse that goes with that hat shop.”

“Move me?” Calcifer crackled. He was azure withapprehension.

“That’s right,” said Howl. “You have achoice between Market Chipping or the Witch. Don’t go and bedifficult.”

“Curses!” wailed Calcifer and dived to the bottom ofthe grate.

Howl set to work as hard as if he had just had aweek’s rest. If Sophie had not seen him fight a grueling magicbattle an hour ago, she would never have believed it. He and Michaeldashed about, calling measurements to one another and chalkingstrange signs in the places where they had earlier put up metalbrackets. They seemed to have chalk on every corner, including thebackyard. Sophie’s cubbyhole under the stairs and theodd-shaped place in the bathroom ceiling gave them quite a bit oftrouble. Sophie and the dog-man were pushed this way and that, andthen pushed aside completely so that Michael could crawl aboutchalking a five-pointed star inside a circle on the floor.

Michael had done this and was brushing dust and chalk off hisknees when Howl came racing in with patches of whitewash all over hisblack clothes. Sophie and the dog-man were pushed aside again so thatHowl could crawl about writing signs in and around both star andcircle. Sophie and the dog-man went to sit on the stairs. The dog-manwas shivering. This did not seem to be magic he liked.

Howl and Michael raced out into the yard. Howl raced back.“Sophie!” he shouted. “Quickly! What are we goingto sell in that shop?”

“Flowers,” Sophie said, thinking of Mrs. Fairfaxagain.

“Perfect,” said Howl, and hurried over to the doorwith a pot of paint and a small brush. He dipped the brush in the potand carefully painted the blue blob yellow. He dipped again. Thistime the brush came out purple. He painted the green blob with it. Atthe third dip the paint was orange, and the orange went over the redblob. Howl did not touch the black blob. He turned away, and the endof his sleeve went into the paint pot along with the brush.“Botheration!” said Howl, dragging it out. The trailingtip of the sleeve was all colors of the rainbow. Howl shook it, andit was black again.

“Which suit is that really?” Sophie asked.

“I’ve forgotten. Don’t interrupt. The difficultpart is just coming up,” Howl said, rushing the paint pot backto the bench. He picked up a small jar of powder. “Michael!Where’s the silver shovel?”

Michael raced in from the yard with a big, gleaming spade. Thehandle was wood, but the blade did seem to be solid silver.“All set out there!” he said.

Howl rested the shovel on his knee in order to chalk a sign onboth handle and blade. He sprinkled red powder from the jar on it. Heput a pinch of the same grains carefully in each point of the starand tipped all the rest into the middle. “Stand clear,Michael,” he said. “Everyone stay clear. Are you ready,Calcifer?”

Calcifer emerged from between his logs in a long thread of blueflame. “As ready as I shall ever be,” he said. “Youknow this could kill me, don’t you?”