A. N.: Okay, you can all torture me as much as you want. Even kill me. I deserve it. I wanted to update sooner, but I just didn't. I'm really sorry. But I think you all won't believe me anymore since I left you all hanging so often. I'm really sorry though. I hope you can at least let me live until I finished this story. ANd lazy me couldn't even respond to all your kind and lovely reviews, oh kill me just...

Buuuuut, I want to correct them, my mistakes (at least for now :'( sorry...). First of all, 32 reviwes. HOLY SHI*! I was gob smacked (correct spelling?) when I noticed the number. And it made me really, really happy. And then my bad conscience kicked in... So you all are really the best readers someone could wish for, because you are all puting up with me. And since I was also non responsive on the reviews/watch-list/favourite-list I'm just gonna mention you here. So thanks to MelRose520, lemonilicious, dddynamite, The-Cheshire-Neko, fate, Gabrielle, Dramione-Fan 17, Skystroller, Aya-chan's Alice, Beforethedawnbreaks, Shannon the Original, 1LovesLatin3, crazyfan45, pepepal2011, Peaceful Dragon Rose, YUMISUNAKO, Mysticbreeze327Lo0pster, CrimsonHeart77, mimichiro, Dark knightress, Mollz33, Glorytommy, smfan, BeautifulAngel08, DracoNHarryFan, fairyberry, foxywolfcub12345, Green Rider Girl, HipHopB2ST46, kuehpeipei, sexy evil nat, Storylovers91, The Trio of Twilight, xXx laffy taffy monster xXx, 1 crazy lady, AkayaKirihara, bluestripedpanda, China Moon, Chocopie09, dragongarcia, Dramione-Fan 17, emiilyholder, Jenni the Jester, KellyD.R, Kitten123130, MaximumRideTwilightLover, RARRRRRR, Sephyra, SleepyFairy9, soshasfuchsbau, starzforu, The Fluffy Muffin Queen, The Lifeless girl and Yumi Reitenshi.

Last time:

He quickly searched for the one signature mark that would tell him who wrote the note.

In the middle he found it. Seven shooting stars, but at the same time they seemed to build something greater, more like they were symbolizing some threads or… hairs. Hairs built from the tails of shooting stars. There was only one person who would have a signature like this. Sophie…

Chapter Nine: Revealed

Sophie had sent the message. He never got to teach her sorcery marks properly, which would explain the childish style. But how was that possible? How did she manage to send him this bird-thing?

He quickly scanned the sorcery marks and all his blood drained from his face. He had to sit down. The marks showed a chained, covering girl (Woman or child?) protecting a feather (Was that feather symbolizing him or something that was his?), that lay on her stomach (Why on the stomach? Why did it need to be hidden?), from two shadows, who were holding a key in their hands. Oh no. That couldn't be. That simply couldn't mean what it seemed to mean. And yet, it was possible, if he remembered the events that took places before Sophie was kidnapped.

Sophie was pregnant with his child if he got it right. She didn't know how long she would be able to hide that from her two captivators anymore. The seven shooting stars were also meaning that it was near midnight. Time was running out if midnight meant that everything would be lost by then.

He shot one, quick look at the stars he could see through his window. It was almost sun rise, twilight shone through the window. "Huh", Howl thought to himself, time sure flew by."

Howl wanted nothing more than to follow the magical bluish-silver thread, which was softly glowing, waiting to lead him to his beloved Sophie. But he couldn't do that. If life ever taught him one thing than that it was never easy. He knew the sort of magic Sophie used would only show him the way in complete darkness. The more light fell upon the spell, the less he would glow. His mind wandered back to the day where he explained to Michael how to spell it right, the side effects and the negative side to this special spell.

-Flashback-

"This is stupid. What benefit does it have if I can't use this spell in the daylight? And he is too damn bloody difficult anyway," Michael grumbled at Howl after his sixth failed attempt. Howl just shook his head while his chest rumbled with his suppressed laughter. Behind him he could hear Sophie softly humming to herself while she was sweeping the wooden floor.

"True, this charm is difficult and surely not easy and it might seem in vain because you can only try in the dark. But it is a great spell. It was created to find what can only be found in the darkness or need to stay in it by using the specific aura of this object or person. And as you already know are the colours of auras overlapped by sunlight and their glow is even dimished by the faintest, softest moonlight. Practically it is a simple location spell with some specialities, at best used in the pitch black that is only created by new moon."

-Flashback End-

A faint smile graced his worried and battered face. The first ever since Martha's outburst a few weeks ago.

"Oh, my dear Sophie, my little sly goddess, you finally found a way to contact me, didn't you? You put enough essence of yourself and your magic into it that it will connect wherever you are being held. Everything will soon be okay, I promise you. I am going to rescue tonight. Whatever I have to sacrifice for you, I will do it. You won't have to suffer anymore," Howl thought grimly to himself. Today was the day he would fight his long-time enemy Keyl Smith. Tonight their Showdown would be held. Everything would finally end.

°`~*o*~´°

Fanny Smith set by the window drinking her afternoon tea, while watching the cloud pour their wet carriage onto the earth. It was a bit chilly inside, but Fanny didn't notice it. She was far too gone in her mind, only faintly registering how sad and utterly melancholic the world looked right now. When was it that her happy marriage turned cold? When was it that her husband's loving mask dropped? When was it that she was labelled as a womb, simply used for bearing sons and prestige?

Was it when her husband grew an unhealthy interest in her oldest stepdaughter? Was it when she was left alone, only with maids and butlers surrounding her, for weeks? Was it when he forced himself on her and slapped her when she simply wouldn't get pregnant?

And above all that was her husband's strange behaviour. Like when she heard strange noises in the middle of the night and when asking only receiving to be backhanded as an answer. Her sudden ban to go down into the cellar. They all suddenly leaving their safe house, which was far away from any village or town, only to come to Kingsbury. Her not allowed to visit the west wing in their townhouse, or to even go near it.

Fanny couldn't ask her husband, as her last attempt was still visibly on her face in form of an ugly green-yellow bruise, covering her whole left cheek. And she also couldn't try to enter the forbidden wing as she was being watched her whole day by the maids and butlers.

A lone, single tear made its way down, expressing all the feelings of betrayal, hurt, anger, sadness, melancholy and depression. She had nothing but money as company, and even this is limited, Fanny thought bitterly.

°`~*o*~´°

Keyl Smith sat relaxed in his favourite chair, and staring at a floating mirror he had conjured in his dark salon. Only the smallest flicker of the moonlight was making its way into the room. A glass of red wine in his left hand, while he leaned his head onto his right arm. He was watching his plane boring little prisoner through it. Right now she was again projecting her magic at her unborn child, right after she had sent that little message in form of a bird. He had known right from the start that she had some serious power, she didn't knew how to canal them though, let alone how to use them the right way. He had been disappointed when he found out that her fiancé hadn't even taught her the wheeziest bit of magic. They could have had so much fun if she knew how a magic duel worked. So he had let her use her powers, since this was working in his favours, and watched her half amused, half disgusted. Besides, she wasn't that powerful. And she had made a huge mistake in her spelling, one she would pay dearly for, but then it would be too late to save anything.

How Howl would even find her pretty was beyond him. Sure, she was a little outstanding because of her starry hair, but beside that she was nothing but a Plane Jane. And even her hair was only because of her…

He still remembered vividly her beautiful red hair, her creamy skin, her lovely face… the sheer power she emitted by only standing in a room. She was a brilliant among endless mountains of coal. She had helped him when everybody had turned their back on him, left him out in the cold, only to worship the ground this cretin was walking. She had seen his endless potential, had rescued him from himself and the world, had taught him the real meaning of magic's use, taught him real magic, had become his most important person, was his sole purpose for living. Why, oh why had she needed Howl? He would have given her everything she ever requested from him, anything. His body, his blood, even his heart. But no, she had refused him, laughed in his face when he advanced her his request, said only Howl could give her what she desired.

How her words and laughter at him had stung, how shock and betrayal had crashed him, left him as a wrack and how he still yearned for her touch, her smooth spoken words, a simple praise… he missed her dearly and even now only thinking her synonym sent Goosebumps down his body and cold sweat broke out. She had been so powerful…

The Witch of the Waste…

Last A. N.: Okay, like always, thanks for reading my story, if you didn't like it, I can understand, and respect you even more since you read till the end. And sorry for not updating for more than two months, my humblest apologize. If you want to leave it I would really apreciate it, but if you don't, then well I can't do much about it. And I hope that the lenght of this chapter will please you, it is a little bit longer than the former and finally everything starts rolling. So, hope ta' see ya' all again, fantasyfreak17.