A Heart in Flames #2 (Howl's Moving Castle fanfiction)

Chapter 30: Creatures of Truth

The Palace halls were anything but silent. Normally this was a place of composure and order - now chaos was all that remained.

The Witch strolled by frightened guards and servants, all departing from the destructive fire that ensued. Walls had blackened and ash filled the air, making it hard for anyone to breathe. However, she couldn't help but smirk thinking of all the stress Suliman was under. To watch her precious royal home disintegrate into nothing - Suliman's downfall was the Witch's triumph.

The flames had spread quickly. She hoped for more time to complete her next task, but time was a limited treasure. There was much to be done, lives at stake if she wasn't smart or quick in her decisions. Then again, her best work was always done under pressure.

It was simple returning her own magic to herself, since she felt the personal connection. Now, she needed to restore the magic of all those imprisoned by Suliman, which was a much more arduous task.

She remembered the room where she and Howl had found them before they attended to the commotion involving Calcifer, Gwenda, and her dear little sister. The lined shelves of golden orbs filled with a magic source only deserving to their owners. It was also the very room Suliman had used to strip their magic away in the first place.

How symbolic, she thought. Suliman had a knack for that.

The Witch locked herself in the room and added a spell for further protection. While the majority were preoccupied with the ongoing catastrophe, she still refused to let her guard down. She gleamed at the power that was held captive in the room. It was tempting, to say the least, how much she desired to give in to her old ways. Pull a Suliman, she thought, and keep them under her own control. The old Witch of the Wastes wouldn't have thought about it a second longer before acting on her greedy deeds.

Then Sophie happened.

The sweetest girl she never thought she'd ever truly befriend, Sophie had the ability to transform her from her old ways. It was a gift of hers, not only seen through the Witch's changed persona. If it worked on Howl, then maybe that girl did have some magic inside.

It never crossed her mind before - the joy of being good. Seeing the turmoil of others brought her a brief euphoria, which she desired over and over again. Being old gave her the time to reflect on herself, and there was much she had become ashamed of. Especially with her magic now restored, she had the opportunity to prove her change of heart. She was making right on her past.

While she in no way forced magicians to obey Suliman, she was responsible for what followed after. What made her actions worse was that she didn't care; whatever happened to the humans, whatever Suliman had planned for them, she was completely indifferent.

Sophie changed all of that.

She had become bored of turning people into doves; it had become a redundant task with no real reward. She wanted to test her abilities, see if Suliman would praise her for a merciless act, even if it wasn't specific to her schemes. Needless to say, her efforts failed. The Witch knew Suliman was crueler than she - but that didn't stop her from trying to be more wicked. It only fueled her drive to be more fearsome than the Royal Sorceress.

That drive still existed, but now for a different cause. She wanted to be better than Suliman. A better witch, a better spell caster - a better person.

She sat in the middle of the room, the orbs sitting on glass shelves all around. Most spots were missing - possibly for the warfront. Returning the remaining magic was one thing - returning their sense of mind was a whole other obstacle.