🔥 Book 2 Howl's Moving Castle trilogy 🔥
Six months after moving to Ovela, Sophie and Howl have successfully hidden in plain sight in a country where magic is despised. Though they must be cautious of whom to trust, they aren't taking any chances...
The clouds rumbled throughout the sky, pale flashes brightening their heavy blackness. From the Wastes, Markl could see a clear division of where the storms consumed the daylight and where the afternoon sun was in full force. They were centered between the two sides of nature - but not for long.
"We can make it to the Palace by dusk if we hurry." Kenta said, gathering his thoughts in a coherent manner. "No doubt Howl went there to see if Suliman has gotten to Sophie and Martha. And if all else fails, odds are Suliman moved Gwenda there to keep her close."
Calcifer's flames leapt. "I'll make my way now. I can search the Palace and listen in. Maybe I'll overhear something about her."
Kenta nodded. With his limitations, Calcifer could only get so far. And while the Palace most certainly had an abundance of fireplaces for him to relocate, chances were Gwenda would not be granted such a privilege.
"Be careful, Calcifer." Markl spoke low, nearly a whisper.
"Will you be okay on your own?" Kenta asked. The fire demon smiled with more confidence than he'd seen on anyone in a while.
"Trust me. I will do everything in my power to find Gwenda. I'm not losing her this time." All that remained after his last word was a line of smoke rising toward the sky and dispersing into the air. With the sound of thunder and time running out quickly, Kenta transformed into his gryphon and Markl climbed on, no questions asked.
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She felt like she was living a nightmare walking through those familiar Palace halls. No, not walking - more like forcibly shoved through was the correct way to put it. If it were up to Gwenda, she would never have found herself in these halls ever again.
Gwenda huffed. "What makes us so special that the Royal Family wants to see us?"
The guards stayed silent, none even looking in her direction as she spoke. Their handcuffs rattled with every step, nothing short of what she was familiar with. Once only a face among the servants, a petty commoner with nothing to her name - now Gwenda had become enough of a threat to be summoned by the Royal Family and Madame Suliman.
It almost seemed laughable.
Gwenda continued badgering them, hoping one of them would crack eventually, but they walked on like robotic soldiers. "It's not like you mean anything to them. You work for these horrendous people and they'll give you nothing in return. You're all just idiot scum working for people who don't give two-"
"Gwenda." She turned to her sister, who raised a worried look in her direction. "Don't make them mad."
Gwenda rolled her eyes. "Whatever it is they want us for, being rude to their brainwashed lackeys isn't going to change anything."
Two other guards stood next to a large set of doors and pulled the handles to allow them entrance. Gwenda continued fighting the cuffs and their secured grasp, though with every struggling move their bulky hands gripped her arm a little tighter.
