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. 

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.

The Throne Room had not changed much since she abandoned her servitude. The maroon carpet spread throughout from wall to wall, covering the entirety of the room. The intricate designs in the dark wood posts and trimming, the white marble lined fireplace, and the same faces sitting atop high thrones - everything was exactly as she remembered.

King Roland, for the first time possibly ever, sat properly with his hands folded over his lap and his legs sturdy on the floor. Gwenda either saw this as a mockery - he wouldn't even show respect for his most loyal subjects, let alone a girl who repeatedly defied his court - or apprehension for the fact that with the amount of resources and allies they had, Roland was still unable to claim his desires.

Queen Johanna held no emotion. Her attire was proper and covered nearly every inch of her body. Her hair fell over her visage, hiding more than just her eyes. She was always so distant from anything related to Roland's work. She hardly spoke to any of the officials and never with Suliman - who, surprising to Gwenda, hadn't had the audacity to make an appearance.

Knowing the sorceress was absent lessened her anxiety immensely.

Then to the right - Justin. Prince and figure of hope to so many. His upright sitting position upon noticing her stole the breath away from her lungs. She walked into that room ready to face whatever they might throw at her. She repeated to herself over and over again that nothing would paralyze her anymore, that with everything she had been through - all the terror and torture and separation - nothing would cause her to fear.

And yet the sight of Justin was enough to suffocate her.

Justin leapt from his throne, his teeth shining brightly. "Ah, what a nice surprise. I'm sure you're just so overwhelmed with happiness that I'm here." He stepped closer and closer to her until they were a breath away, and then he winked. "And that I'm single again."

Her blood boiled. She glared at him with such a loathsome gaze that Lona was more frightened of her sister than the Royal Family. His casual attitude, the facade of a handsome, loving prince, and the truth underneath the blood on his hands - how she ever felt love for this man was beyond her.

He raised her chin with the softest touch, his eyes a wave of tranquility and false adoration. "I did miss you, dear Gwenda."

She didn't react; she refused to let his words play in her mind as some twisted game of romance. His ability to twist her fragile emotions and string her along was far more deceiving and manipulative than any witchcraft she knew of. If anything, this disguise of devotion he wore was more terrifying than it was endearing.

While she feared the Prince of Ingary, her hatred for him was much stronger.

If the chains weren't holding her back, she would have ripped out his throat. "Save your pity for someone else. You're a monster, Justin."

Justin chuckled, leaning closer and filling the last bit of space between them. He still held his adoring gaze, the lights glistening against his wide eyes as they twinkled like stars. Once again, though, she held her own and refused to let such trickery consume her.

Justin frowned when he noticed he couldn't coerce her, and the mask unveiled his true colors. "That's your Royal Highness to you, filthy mutt."

The guards holding them pushed both girls to the ground. Their knees slammed onto the rough carpet. "You will show respect to the Royal Family."

Gwenda blew away a few strands of hair, her anger intensified. She narrowed her eyes to Justin. "After everything you've done, you don't deserve my respect."

"Well then." King Roland said, waiting for Justin to return to his seat before continuing. "We've been on this hunt for Howl Pendragon and Sophie Hatter for months now. And I was recently informed that this servant girl-" Roland tapped his chin for a moment. "Uh..."

"Gwenda." Justin said. His hands clawed the edge of the arms of his throne while his eyes dared to look at her directly. "Her name is Gwendolyn Maguire."

Roland clapped. "Yes, right. You were an accomplice in their escape."

Gwenda tilted her chin upward. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Roland chuckled, like what she had said was a cute attempt of bravery. "I'm sure you would. But you're not on trial, little lady."

Gwenda and Lona turned to each other - their eyes were wide with confusion. If they weren't being tried for treason, what were they there for?

Roland's gaze was confident - enough to make him appear as if he'd won the war, taken Howl and Sophie, and controlled every magician in Ingary all at once. "You're our bait." 

"Mrs. Fairfax!" Martha rushed into her arms, practically strangling the elderly woman. Mrs. Fairfax embraced her as best as she could, though her strength seemed faded.

"Oh, my dear Martha! Please tell me you haven't been waiting here all these years for me."

Martha released her grip. "No, but I always hoped you would come back." She turned to Sophie, who stood on wobbly legs a few paces behind them. "I found my sister, Sophie."

Sophie waved her fingers. She had never seen Mrs. Fairfax, but she appeared close to her presumptions. Silky grey hair, soft dimples, and wrinkles across her face. She seemed more spunky than Sophie envisioned.

"Oh, so nice to meet you dear." Mrs. Fairfax walked in and extended her arms toward Sophie. She wasn't prepared to hug a stranger, but it was too late to decline.

Martha pulled up a chair. "Why don't you have a seat? You look exhausted."

Mrs. Fairfax exhaled a deep sigh. "You would be right, honey. As if Suliman couldn't get enough of me."

Sophie sat at the head of the table next to her as Martha moved to the stove to heat up some tea. "You were just with Suliman?"

Mrs. Fairfax nodded dramatically. "For the last three years. I never should have sworn my duty to her. I would have been able to train your baby sister more."

Martha turned with a smile. "Everything I know is because of you." Heen walked under the table, staying close to Sophie. He wheezed a couple of times to get her attention, and then she used her toes to rub under his ear.

Mrs. Fairfax relaxed in her seat. Her breathing was calm, as if she'd spent the last few days without rest. From the look of her clothes, that may have been true.

Then her gaze shifted to Sophie. "So, word around Kingsbury is Suliman has been looking for you and that strapping young Howl."

Sophie sighed. If that was the word on the street, her mother was probably mortified at this point. "Unfortunately, you would be correct. Suliman just won't leave us alone."

"Well, I know that feeling. She'd been trying to find every angle to get me to work for her. All these years and she finally cracked me."

Martha floated three cups of hot tea to the table and joined them. "How did you get away from her?"

Mrs. Fairfax blew the steam away and took a cautious sip. "She's powerful, but I'm much more cunning." She chuckled an elderly laugh - very high-pitched and aimed at her own joke. "I just waited until she was distracted with something other than me. I apologize that it had to be you, dear."

Sophie nodded, her gaze dropping. She never expected to be the center of attention for anyone - now she was wanted across Ingary. Even Heen was vying for her attention at the table. The energetic dog who protested any moment he wasn't around Sophie repeatedly wheezed, no matter her efforts to calm him down.

Martha took careful sips, her eyes continually on Mrs. Fairfax. This was the woman who raised her during a very absent time in her life. She was there to teach her more than magic. Martha probably admired her more than their mother. There was a great deal of respect for someone who cared for her when others simply tossed her aside.

Mrs. Fairfax turned to Sophie's stomach. "Well, at least we have some hope for the future."

Sophie blushed. "It's still shocking to me that I'll be a mother."

Mrs. Fairfax waved her off. "All new mothers say that. Believe me, by the time I had my third I was still thinking there was a lot I didn't know."

That wasn't a relief to Sophie. To think that after having more children she still wouldn't be ready - her nerves kicked in. Somehow, having the baby in her stomach and not seeing him or her voided any thoughts of her being a mother and Howl a father.

And then another thought crept in; Sophie and Howl - parents.

Here she was, only a couple of weeks away from bringing life into the world, having life grow inside of her for the last eight months. No matter if Suliman was a result or not - this baby was entirely Sophie's and Howl's.

"May I touch your stomach?" Sophie looked up to Mrs. Fairfax, her eyes wide with excitement. She dropped to see her hand already settled on Sophie's knee. "It's been so long since I felt a baby kick."

Sophie shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

Martha jolted out of her seat. "Not so fast, Suliman." Mrs. Fairfax was frozen in place. Heen backed away, his whimpers loud and prevalent. He had tried warning the two girls, but none were aware of Heen's keen instincts.

Sophie darted her eyes between the two of them. Martha, whose legs would give way by a single touch, and Mrs. Fairfax, who now wore an eerie smile Sophie had only just noticed seemed vaguely familiar.

Her features changed. Suliman's perfectly coiled hair, a slight decrease in weight, and a more sinister visage were the only real differences between who she was and who she pretended to be. Yet again Suliman was able to trick her with false appearances.

Martha obviously had some control over her. Suliman wouldn't waste a second to finish her plans being in the same room as Sophie if something wasn't holding her back. A blurry shield encased the sorceress, like a coat of invisible armor that was meant to protect others instead of the bearer. If Martha had disabled her mirage and placed this barrier around her, then the teenage witch was the reigning authority - at least in this moment.

Martha inhaled shaky breaths. "Stay away from my sister."

Suliman kept her eyes on Sophie. She couldn't move anywhere else. "At last. We finally meet again, Martha Hatter. You were only a baby when we first met, but I could feel your power growing even then. Such a shame your father never realized your potential. Maybe I would've considered you as a suitable match for my son."

Martha sneered at her. That was fifteen years ago, almost another lifetime in the past. The stories, the rumors of her terrorizing acts had haunted Martha as a child and even more as a witch in training. They were complete opposites - in skill, in source, and in priorities - and she always wondered how she would stand if they would ever meet.

Now, she was finally face-to-face with the most dangerous magician of their time.

Suliman chuckled. "I've been waiting for this moment a long time. Annabel told me very impressive things about your training, though I'm surprised if you saw through my guise why you even allowed me into her home. I thought she taught you better than that."

"I had to be sure." Martha replied. "It wasn't obvious until you mentioned her children. I figured even you would have known that her third child was a miscarriage."

Suliman chuckled. "Must have slipped my mind. Sorry your beloved teacher couldn't make an appearance. I remember her telling me once that you were her favorite student. She'd never trained anyone so gifted before in her life. What a shame that you didn't join my apprenticeship. I could've taught you wonders beyond your own belief."

"I know what you did to her." Martha's voice was authoritative, strict even. She wouldn't let small talk overcome her emotions. "It's what you did to all the magicians like me or Howl or Kenta. You brainwashed her and used her for warfare. It's sickening."

Suliman never moved her gaze away from Sophie and neither did she. Even with her sister holding tightly onto her spell, it felt like Suliman had full control over the situation. Every word she spoke was a tease, a ruse, and a bait to force Martha to her breaking point.

"Annabel had her own specific purpose for me. Once she no longer filled those requirements, I removed her. Permanently."

The entire room cracked in a single moment. Martha's heartbreak; her loss of control over Suliman; and Sophie rendered completely vulnerable.

Suliman stood up and took two direct steps toward Sophie, who had now become the frozen one. "Now, it's time to take what should have been mine by now."

A purple cloud erupted at both of their feet, swallowing the two and vanishing them from sight. When the clouds dispersed, so had the sorceress and her victim.

The cottage was quiet. Not even Heen would leave the safety under the table to see what had happened. A clash of thunder sounded through the glass windows, though it wasn't enough to shake the nausea from Martha.

She fell to her knees. This, she had not seen. Why this? Why wouldn't her powers come through at this moment?

Even she knew the answer to that. What had started as a safe escape turned out as the worst location for Sophie to fall right into Suliman's hands. Nothing could stop her from clouding her eyes with a flood of tears and the soft whimpers Heen finally made.