Thorns of a Rose #1 (Howl's Moving Castle fanfiction)

Chapter 13: All According to Plan

The Palace wall wasn't terribly high, but it was high enough to intimidate a human with no magic. If it weren't for the boy wizard, Gwenda wouldn't have known how to sneak back in. Although, when she really thought about it, her best bet would have been to stay at Howl's castle with the talking fire demon and keep herself out of this craziness.

She internally scolded herself for such a thought. This was the last request Lettie asked of her, so she couldn't let her apprehension of Madame Suliman hold her back.

Markl cast the spell that bounced them into the air, practically flying over the great wall. Gwenda already wasn't a fan of magic, so she especially scorned the spell Markl chose when she realized it had no landing function for magicless humans. Markl, of course, fell smoothly, having done this spell multiple times, but Gwenda had no such luck. She landed on her back, the neatly trimmed grass and stiff dirt not easing her drop at all.

She breathed through her teeth and tensed her muscles. "Oh, that's going to hurt later, I just know it."

"It probably hurts right now." Markl said.

Gwenda narrowed her eyes at him and blew the stray strands of hair from her face. "Well yes, it hurts right now. I'm just saying the pain will get worse later."

Markl held his hand to help her stand. "Next time, curl your arms and legs in and do a flip. Don't let gravity take you, or you'll hurt yourself the same every time."

Gwenda creased her eyebrows upward, and eventually took his hand. She slowly stood up, taking heed of her slightly injured back. "If I play my cards right, I won't have to use that spell ever again. But, thanks kid."

Markl blinked. "What do you mean by that?"

Gwenda ignored him - it was too complicated to share her disdain toward magic with someone his age. Also, he would probably try convincing her that magicians weren't all that bad and she should stick around with them. As much as she was starting to get along with Sophie and her friends, a life filled with magic was the last thing she wanted.

Gwenda observed the gardens, watching for any guards who may have seen them sneak in. So far, they were a pair of stealthy geniuses. The stone path wrapped around the entire garden and ended at the entrance to Suliman's greenhouse. If they followed the path before the glass wall, she remembered that there was an entrance to the Throne Room not too far away. Markl would be able to provide them with an invisibility spell – she hoped – and they would be able to find Howl, explain Sophie's predicament, and ultimately stop the wedding.

Gwenda smirked. She liked planning things in advance. It helped her keep track of what worked and what didn't, as well as plans which were definite successes and plans which were doomed to fail. Gwenda knew Suliman was unpredictable - as was Howl, when she thought about it. Any creature of magic was erratic and capricious, which was another reason she wasn't fond of them. She detested the things she could never understand.

"This way." Gwenda motioned for Markl to follow her and they ran along the stone path, keeping an eye out for anyone who may report them. They saw a few guards roaming the area, but Markl eventually enacted the invisibility spell – the one Gwenda assumed he would – to hide them from sight. The path led them exactly where she wanted to go, yet to her surprise, magic's unpredictability prevailed.

"Why, hello there."

Gwenda turned around swiftly, only to come face to face with the most powerful sorceress in Ingary. Here she was, directly in front of her. Had there ever been a time when Madame Suliman herself spoke to Gwenda? She looked around for Markl, but he had already vanished. She was alone – and very, very scared.