“The guitar,” Sophie admitted.

“Then it’s still in there,” said Howl.“Come on!” He pulled Sophie over to the smashedwall. “Follow us carefully,” he shouted back to thescarecrow. “I’m going to have to raise a wind! No time tolook for those boots,” he said to Sophie as they climbed overthe jagged edges into the hot sunlight. “Just run. And keeprunning, or I won’t be able to move you.”

Sophie helped herself along with her stick and managed to breakinto a hobbling run, stumbling among the stones. Howl ran beside her,pulling her. Wind leaped up, whistling, then roaring, hot and gritty,and gray sand climbed around them in a storm that pinged on thepottery fortress. By that time they were not running, but skimmingforward in a sort of slow-motion lope. The stony ground sped pastunderneath. Dust and grit thundered around them, high overhead andstreaming far away behind. It was very noisy, and not at allcomfortable, but the Waste rocketed past.

“It’s not Calcifer’s fault!” Sophieyelled. “I told him not to say.”

“He wouldn’t anyway,” Howl shouted back.“I knew he’d never give away a fellow fire demon. He wasalways my weakest flank.”

“I thought Wales was!” Sophie screamed.

“No! I left that deliberately!” Howl bellowed.“I knew I’d be angry enough to stop her if she triedanything there. I had to leave her an opening, see? The only chance Ihad of coming at Prince Justin was to use that curse she’d puton me to get near her.”

“So you were going to rescue the Prince!”Sophie shouted. “Why did you pretend to run away? To deceivethe Witch?”

“Not likely!” Howl yelled. “I’m a coward.Only way I can do something this frightening is to tell my selfI’m not doing it!”

Oh, dear! Sophie thought, looking round at the swirling grit.He’s being honest! And this is a wind. The last bit of thecurse has come true!

The hot grit hit her thunderously and Howl’s grip hurt.“Keep running!” Howl bawled. “You’ll get hurtat this speed!” Sophie gasped and made her legs work again. Shecould see the mountains clearly now and a line of green below thatwas the flowering bushes. Even though yellow sand kept swirling inthe way, the mountains seemed to grow and the green line rushedtoward them until it was hedge high. “All my flanks wereweak!” Howl shouted. “I was relying on Suliman beingalive. Then when all that seemed to be left of him was Percival, Iwas so scared I had to go out and get drunk. And then you go and playinto the Witch’s hands!”

“I’m the eldest!” Sophie shrieked.“I’m a failure!”

“Garbage!” Howl shouted. “You just never stop tothink!” Howl was slowing down. Dust kicked up round them indense clouds. Sophie only knew the bushes were quite near because shecould hear the rush and rattle of the gritty wind in the leaves. Theyplunged in among them with a crash, still going so fast that Howl hadto swerve and drag Sophie in a long, skimming run across a lake.“And you’re too nice,” he added, above the lap-lapof the water and the patter of sand on the water-lily leaves.“I was relying on you being too jealous to let that demon nearthe place.”

They hit the steamy shore at a slow run. The bushes on either sideof the green lane thrashed and heaved as they passed, throwing birdsand petals into a whirlwind behind them. The castle was driftingslowly down the lane toward them, with its smoke streaming back inthe wind. Howl slowed down enough to crash the door open, and shotSophie and himself inside.

“Michael!” he shouted.

“It wasn’t me who let the scarecrow in!” Michaelsaid guiltily.

Everything seemed to be normal. Sophie was surprised to discoverwhat a short time she had really been away. Someone had pulled herbed out from under the stairs and Percival was lying in it, stillunconscious. Lettie and Martha and Michael were gathered round it.Overhead, Sophie could hear Mrs. Fairfax’s voice andFanny’s, combined with ominous swishings and thumps thatsuggested Howl’s spiders were having a hard time.

Howl let go of Sophie and dived toward the guitar. Before hecould touch it, it burst with a long, melodious boom. Stringsflailed. Splinters of wood showered Howl. He was forced to back awaywith one tattered sleeve over his face.

And Miss Angorian was suddenly standing beside the hearth,smiling. Howl had been right. She must have been in the guitar allthis time, waiting for her moment.

“Your Witch is dead,” Howl said to her.

“Isn’t that too bad!” Miss Angorian said, quiteunconcerned. “Now I can make myself a new human who will bemuch better. The curse is fulfilled. I can lay hands on your heartnow.” And she reached down into the grate and plucked Calciferout of it. Calcifer wobbled on top of her clenched fist, lookingterrified. “Nobody move,” Miss Angorian saidwarningly.

Nobody dared stir. Howl stood stillest of all. “Help!”Calcifer said weakly.

“Nobody can help you,” said Miss Angorian.“You are going to help me control my new human.Let me show you. I have only to tighten my grip.” Her hand thatwas holding Calcifer squeezed until its knuckles showed paleyellow.

Howl and Calcifer both screamed. Calcifer beat this way and thatin agony. Howl’s face turned bluish and he crashed to the floorlike a tree falling, where he lay as unconscious as Percival. Sophiedid not think he was breathing.

Miss Angorian was astonished. She stared at Howl.“He’s faking,” she said.

“No, he’s not!” Calcifer screamed, twistedinto a writhing spiral shape. “His heart’s really quitesoft! Let go!”

Sophie raised her stick, slowly and gently. This time she thoughtfor an instant before she acted. “Stick,” she muttered.“Beat Miss Angorian, but don’t hurt anyone else.”Then she swung the stick and hit Miss Angorian’s tight knucklesthe biggest crack she could.

Miss Angorian let out a squealing hiss like a wet log burning anddropped Calcifer. Poor Calcifer rolled helplessly on the floor,flaming sideways across the flagstones and roaring huskily withterror. Miss Angorian raised a foot to stamp on him. Sophie had tolet go of her stick and dive to rescue Calcifer. Her stick, to hersurprise, hit Miss Angorian again on its own, and again, and again.But of course it would! Sophie thought. She had talked life into thatstick. Mrs. Pentstemmon had told her so.

Miss Angorian hissed and staggered. Sophie stood up holdingCalcifer, to find her stick drubbing away at Miss Angorian andsmoking with the heat of her. By contrast, Calcifer did not seem veryhot. He was milky blue with shock. Sophie could feel that the darklump of Howl’s heart was only beating very faintly between herfingers. It had to be Howl’s heart she was holding. He hadgiven it away to Calcifer as part of his contract, to keep Calciferalive. He must have been very sorry for Calcifer, but, all the same,what a silly thing to do!

Fanny and Mrs. Fairfax hurried through the door from the stairs,carrying brooms. The sight of them seemed to convince Miss Angorianthat she had failed. She ran for the door, with Sophie’s stickhovering over her, still clouting at her.

“Stop her!” Sophie shouted. “Don’t let herget out! Guard all the doors!”

Everyone raced to obey. Mrs. Fairfax put herself in the broomcupboard with her broom raised. Fanny stood on the stairs. Lettiejumped up and guarded the door to the yard and Martha stood by thebathroom. Michael ran for the castle door. But Percival leaped up offthe bed and ran for the door too. His face was white and his eyeswere shut, but he ran even faster than Michael. He got there first,and he opened the door.

With Calcifer so helpless, the castle had stopped moving. MissAngorian saw the bushes standing still in the haze outside and racedfor the door with inhuman speed. Before she reached it, it wasblocked by the scarecrow, looming up with Prince Justin hung acrossits shoulders, still draped in Sophie’s lace shawl. It spreadits stick arms across the door, barring the way. Miss Angorian backedaway from it.