Most people ran after the scarecrow. Sophie ran the other way, through the broom cupboard into the shop, grabbing her stick as she went.
“This is my fault!” she muttered. “I have a genius for doing things wrong! I could have kept Miss Angorian indoors. I only needed to talk to her politely, poor thing! Howl may have forgiven me a lot of things, but he’s not going to forgive me this in a hurry!”
In the flower shop she hauled the seven-league boots out of the window display and emptied hibiscus, roses, and water out of them onto the floor. She unlocked the shop door and towed the wet boots out onto the crowded pavement. “Excuse me,” she said to various shoes and trailing sleeves that were walking in her way. She looked up at the sun, which was not easy to find in the cloudy gray sky. “Let’s see. Southeast. That way. Excuse me, excuse me,” she said, clearing a small space for the boots among the holiday-makers. She put them down pointing the right way. The she stepped into them and began to stride.
Zip-sip, zip-zip, zip-zip, zip-zip, zip-zip, zip-zip, zip-zip. It was as quick as that, and even more blurred1 and breathless in both boots than in one. Sophie had brief glimpses between long double strides: of the mansion2 down at the end of the valley, gleaming between trees, with Fanny’s carriage at the door; of bracken on a hillside; of a small river acing3 down into a green valley; of the same river sliding in a much broader valley; of the same valley turned so wide it seemed endless and blue in the distance, and a towery pile far, far off that might have been Kingsbury; of the plain narrowing toward mountains again; of a mountain which slanted4 so deeply under her boot that she stumbled in spite of her stick, which stumble brought her to the edge of a deep, blue-misted gorge5, with the tops of trees far below, where she had to take another stride or fall in.
And she landed in crumbly yellow sand. She dug her stick in and looked carefully round. Behind her right shoulder, some miles off, a white, steamy mist almost hid the mountains she had just zipped through. Below the mist was a band of dark green. Sophie nodded. Though she could not see the moving castle this far away, she was sure that mist marked the place of flowers. She took another careful stride. Zip. It was a fearsomely hot day. The clay-yellow sand stretched in all directions now, shimmering6 in the heat. Rocks lay about in a messy way. The only growing things were occasional dismal7 gray bushes. The mountains looked like clouds coming up on the horizon.
“If this is the Waste,” Sophie said, with sweat running in all her wrinkles, “then I feel sorry for the Witch having to live here.”
She took another stride. The wind of it did not cool her down. The rocks and bushes were the same, but the sand was grayer, and the mountains seemed to have sunk down the sky. Sophie peered into the quivering gray glare ahead, where she thought she could see something rather higher than rock. She took one more stride.
Now it was like an oven. But there was a peculiar-shaped pile about a quarter of a mile off, standing8 on a slight rise in the rock-littered land. It was a fantastical shape of twisted towers, rising to one main tower that pointed9 slightly askew10, like a knotty11 old finger. Sophie climbed out of the boots. It was too hot to carry anything so heavy, so she trudged12 off to investigate with only her stick.
The thing seemed to be made of yellow-gray grit13 of the Waste. At first Sophie wondered if it might be some strange kind of ants’ nest. But as she got neared, she could see that it was as if something had fused together thousands of grainy yellow flowerpots into a tapering14 heap. She grinned. The moving castle had often struck her as being remarkably15 like the inside of a chimney. This building was really a collection of chimney pots. It had to be a fire demon16’s work.
As Sophie panted up the rise, there was suddenly no doubt that this was the Witch’s fortress18. Two small orange figures came out of the dark space at the bottom and stood waiting for her. She recognized the Witch’s two page boys. Hot and breathless as she was, she tried to speak to them politely, to show she had no quarrel wit them. “Good afternoon,” she said.
They just gave her sulky looks. One bowed and held out his hand, pointing toward the misshapen dark archway between the bent19 columns of chimney pots. Sophie shrugged20 and followed him inside. The other page walked after her. And of course the entrance vanished as soon as she was through. Sophie shrugged again. She would have to deal with that problem when she came back.
She rearranged her lace shawl, straightened her draggled skirts, and walked forward. It was a little like going through the castle door with the knob black-down. There was a moment of nothingness, followed by murky21 light. The light came from greenish-yellow flames that burned and flickered22 all round, but in a shadowy way which gave no heat and very little light either. When Sophie looked at them, the flames were never where she looking, but always to the side. But that was the way of magic. Sophie shrugged again and followed the page this and way and that among skinny pillars of the same chimney-pot kind as the rest of the building.
At length the pages led her to a sort of central den17. Or maybe it was just a space between pillars. Sophie was confused by then. The fortress seemed enormous, though she suspected that it was deceptive23, just as the castle was. The Witch was standing there waiting. Again, it was hard to tell how Sophie knew-except that it could be no one else. The Witch was hugely tall and skinny now and her hair was fair, in a ropelike pigtail over one bony shoulder. She wore a white dress. When Sophie walked straight up to her, brandishing24 her stick, the Witch backed away.
“I am not to be threatened!” the Witch said, sounding tired and frail25.
“Then give me Miss Angorian and you won’t be,” said Sophie. “I’ll take her and go away.”
The Witch backed away further, gesturing with both hands. And the page boys both melted into sticky orange blobs which rose into the air and flew toward Sophie. “Yucky! Get off!” Sophie cried, beating at them with her stick. The orange blobs did not seem to care for her stick. They dodged26 it, and wove about, and then darted27 behind Sophie. She was just thinking she had got the better of them when she found herself glued to a chimney-pot pillar by them. Orange sticky stuff stranded28 between her ankles when she tried to move and plucked at her hair quite painfully.
“I’d almost rather have green slime!” Sophie said. “I hope those weren’t real boys.”
“Only emanations,” said the Witch.
“Let me go,” said Sophie.
“No,” said the Witch. She turned away and seemed to lose interest in Sophie entirely29.
Sophie began to fear that, as usual, she had made a mess of things. The sticky stuff seemed to be getting harder and harder and more elastic30 every second. When she tried to move, it snapped her back against the pottery31 pillar. “Where’s Miss Angorian?” she said.
“You will find her,” said the Witch. “We will wait until Howl comes.”
“He’s not coming,” said Sophie. “He’s got more sense. And your curse hasn’t all worked anyway.”
“It will,” said the Witch, smiling slightly. “Now that you have fallen for our deception32 and come here. Howl will have to be honest for once.” She made another gesture, toward the murky flames this time, and a sort of a throne trundled out from between two pillars and stopped in front of the Witch. There was a man sitting in it, wearing a green uniform and long, shiny boots. Sophie thought he was asleep at first, with his head out of sight sideways. But the Witch gestured again. The man sat up straight. And he had no head on his shoulders at all. Sophie realized she was looking at all that was left of Prince Justin.
“If I was Fanny,” Sophie said, “I’d threaten to faint. Put his head back on at once! He looks terrible like that!”
“I disposed of both heads a month ago,” said the Witch. “I sold Wizard Suliman’s skull33 when I sold his guitar. Prince Justin’s head is walking around somewhere with the other leftover34 parts. This body is a perfect mixture of Prince Justin and Wizard Suliman. It is waiting for Howl’s head, to make it our perfect human. When we have Howl’s head, we shall have the new King of Ingary, and I shall rule as Queen.”
“You’re mad!” Sophie said. “You’ve no right to make jigsaws35 of people! And I shouldn’t think Howl’s head will do a thing you want. It’ll slither out somehow.”
“Howl will do exactly as we say,” the Witch said with a sly, secretive smile. “We shall control his fire demon.”
Sophie realized she was very scared indeed. She knew she had made a mess of things now. “Where is Miss Angorian?” she said, waving her stick.
The Witch did not like Sophie to wave her stick. She stepped backward. “I am very tired,” she said. “You people keep spoiling my plans. First Wizard Suliman would not come near the Waste, so that I had to threaten Princess Valeria in order to make the king order him out here. Then, when he came, he grew trees. Then the King would not let Prince Justin follow Suliman for months, and when he did follow, the silly fool went up north somewhere for some reason, and I had to use all my arts to get him here. Howl had caused me even more trouble. He got away once. I’ve had to use a curse to bring him in, and while I was finding out enough about him to lay the curse, you got into what was left of Suliman’s brain and caused me more trouble. And now when I bring you here, you wave your stick and argue. I have worked very hard for this moment, and I am not to be argued with.” She turned away and wandered off into the murk.
Sophie stared after the tall white figure moving among the dim flames. I think her age has caught up with her! she thought. She’s crazy! I must get loose and rescue Miss Angorian from her somehow! Remembering that the orange stuff had avoided her stick, just as the Witch had, Sophie reached back over her shoulders with her stick and wagged it back and forth36 where the sticky stuff met the pottery pillar. “Get out of it!” she said. “Let me go!” Her hair dragged painfully, but stringy orange bits began to fly away sideways. Sophie wagged the stick harder.
She had worked her head and shoulders loose when there came a dull booming sound. The pale flames wavered and the pillar behind Sophie shook. Then, with a crash like a thousand tea sets falling downstairs, a piece of the fortress wall blew out. Light blinded in through a long, jagged hole, and a figure came leaping in through the opening. Sophie turned eagerly, hoping it was Howl. But the black outline had only one leg. It was the scarecrow again.
The Witch gave a yowl of rage and rushed toward it with her fair pigtail flying and her bony arms stretched out. The scarecrow leaped at her. There was another violent bang and the two of them were wrapped in a magic cloud, like the cloud over Porthaven when Howl and the Witch had fought. The cloud battered37 this way and that, filling the dusty air with shrieks38 and booms. Sophie’s hair frizzed. The cloud was only yards away, going this way and that among pottery pillars. And the break in the wall was quite near too. As Sophie had thought, the fortress was really not big. Every time the cloud moved across the blinding white gap, she could see through it, and see the two skinny figures battling in its midst. She stared, and kept wagging her stick behind her back.
She was loose all except her legs when the cloud streamed across in front of the light one more time. Sophie saw another person leap through the gap behind it. This one had flying black sleeves. It was Howl. Sophie could see the outline of him clearly, standing with arms folded, watching the battle. For a moment it looked as if he was going to let the Witch and the scarecrow get on with it. Then the long sleeves flapped as Howl raised his arms. Above the screaming and booming, Howl’s voice shouted one strange, long word, and a long roll of thunder came with it. The scarecrow and the Witch both jolted39. Claps of sound rang round the pottery pillars, echo after echo, and each echo carried some of the cloud of magic away with it. It vanished in wisps and swirled40 away in murky eddies41. When it had become the thinnest white haze42, the tall figure with the pigtail began to totter43. The Witch seemed to fold in on herself, thinner and whiter than ever. Finally, as the haze faded clean away, she fell in a heap with a small clatter44. As the million soft echoes died, Howl and the scarecrow were left thoughtfully facing one another across a pile of bones.
Good! thought Sophie. She slashed45 her legs free and went across to the headless figure in the throne. It was getting on her nerves.
“No, my friend,” Howl said to the scarecrow. The scarecrow had hopped46 right among the bones and was pushing them this way and that with its leg. “No, you won’t find her heart here. Her fire demon will have got that. I think it’s had the upper hand of her for a long time now. Sad, really.” As Sophie took off her shawl and arranged it decently across Prince Justin’s headless shoulders, Howl said, “I think the rest of what you were looking for is over here.” He walked toward the throne, with the scarecrow hopping47 beside him. “Typical!” he said to Sophie. “I break my neck to get here, and I find you peacefully tidying up!”
Sophie looked up at him. As she had feared, the hard black-and-white daylight coming through the broken wall showed her that Howl had not bothered to shave or tidy his hair. His eyes were still red-rimmed and his black sleeves were torn in several places. There was not much to choose between Howl and the scarecrow. Oh, dear! Sophie thought. He must love Miss Angorian very much. “I came for Miss Angorian,” she explained.
“And I thought if I arranged for your family to visit you, it would keep you quiet for once!” Howl said disgustedly. “But no-”
Here the scarecrow hopped in front of Sophie. “I was sent by Wizard Suliman,” it said in its mushy voice. “I was guarding his bushes in the Waste when the Witch caught him. He cast all of his magic that he could spare on me, and ordered me to come to his rescue. But the Witch had taken him to pieces by then and the pieces were in various places. It has been a hard task. If you had not come and talked me to life again, I would have failed.”
It was answering the questions Sophie had asked it before they both rushed off.
“So when Prince Justin ordered finding spells, they must have kept pointing to you,” she said. “Why was that?”
“To me or his skull,” said the scarecrow. “Between us, we are the best part of him.”
“And Percival is made of Wizard Suliman and Prince Justin?” Sophie said. She was not sure Lettie was going to like this.
The scarecrow nodded its craggy turnip48 face. “Both parts told me that the Witch and her fire demon were no longer together and I could defeat the Witch on her own,” it said. “I thank you for giving me ten times my former speed.”
Howl waved it aside. “Bring that body with you to the castle,” he said. ‘I‘ll sort you out there. Sophie and I have to get back before that fire demon finds a way of getting inside my defenses.” He took hold of Sophie’s skinny wrist. “Come on. Where are those seven-league boots?”
Sophie hung back. “But Miss Angorian-”
“Don’t you understand?” Howl said, dragging at her. “Miss Angorian is the fire demon. If it gets inside the castle, then Calcifer’s had it and so have I!”
Sophie put both hands over her mouth. “I knew I’d made a mess of it!” she said. “It’s been in twice already. But she-it went out.”
“Oh, lord!” groaned50 Howl. “Did it touch anything?”
“The guitar,” Sophie admitted.
“Then it’s still in there,” said Howl. “Come on!” He pulled Sophie over to the smashed wall. “Follow us carefully,” he shouted back to the scarecrow. “I’m going to have to raise a wind! No time to look for those boots,” he said to Sophie as they climbed over the jagged edges into the hot sunlight. “Just run. And keep running, or I won’t be able to move you.”
Sophie helped herself along with her stick and managed to break into 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 the pottery fortress. By that time they were not running, but skimming forward in a sort of slow-motion lope. The stony51 ground sped past underneath52. Dust and grit thundered around them, high overhead and streaming far away behind. It was very noisy, and not at all comfortable, but the Waste rocketed past.
“It’s not Calcifer’s fault!” Sophie yelled. “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 was always my weakest flank.”
“I thought Wales was!” Sophie screamed.
“No! I left that deliberately53!” Howl bellowed54. “I knew I’d be angry enough to stop her if she tried anything there. I had to leave her an opening, see? The only chance I had of coming at Prince Justin was to use that curse she’d put on me to get near her.”
“So you were going to rescue the Prince!” Sophie shouted. “Why did you pretend to run away? To deceive the Witch?”
“Not likely!” Howl yelled. “I’m a coward. Only way I can do something this frightening is to tell my self I’m not doing it!”
Oh, dear! Sophie thought, looking round at the swirling55 grit. He’s being honest! And this is a wind. The last bit of the curse has come true!
The hot grit hit her thunderously and Howl’s grip hurt. “Keep running!” Howl bawled56. “You’ll get hurt at this speed!” Sophie gasped57 and made her legs work again. She could see the mountains clearly now and a line of green below that was the flowering bushes. Even though yellow sand kept swirling in the way, the mountains seemed to grow and the green line rushed toward them until it was hedge high. “All my flanks were weak!” Howl shouted. “I was relying on Suliman being alive. Then when all that seemed to be left of him was Percival, I was so scared I had to go out and get drunk. And then you go and play into the Witch’s hands!”
“I’m the eldest58!” Sophie shrieked59. “I’m a failure!”
“Garbage!” Howl shouted. “You just never stop to think!” Howl was slowing down. Dust kicked up round them in dense60 clouds. Sophie only knew the bushes were quite near because she could hear the rush and rattle61 of the gritty wind in the leaves. They plunged62 in among them with a crash, still going so fast that Howl had to swerve63 and drag Sophie in along, skimming run across a lake. “And you’re too nice,” he added, above the lap-lap of the water and the patter of sand on the water-lily leaves. “I was relying on you being too jealous to let that demon near the place.”
They hit the steamy shore at a slow run. The bushes on either side of the green lane thrashed and heaved as they passed, throwing birds and petals64 into a whirlwind behind them. The castle was drifting slowly down the lane toward them, with its smoke streaming back in the wind. Howl slowed down enough to crash the door open, and shot Sophie and himself inside.
“Michael!” he shouted.
“It wasn’t me who let the scarecrow in!” Michael said guiltily.
Everything seemed to be normal. Sophie was surprised to discover what a short time she had really been away. Someone had pulled her bed out from under the stairs and Percival was lying in it, still unconscious. Lettie and Martha and Michael were gathered round it. Overhead, Sophie could hear Mrs. Fairfax’s voice and Fanny’s, combines with ominous65 swishings and thumps66 that suggested Howl’s spiders were having a hard time.
Howl let go of Sophie and dived toward the guitar. Before her could touch it, it burst with a long, melodious67 boom. Strings68 flailed69. Splinters of wood showered Howl. He was forced to back away with one tattered70 sleeve over his face.
And Miss Angorian was suddenly standing beside the hearth71, smiling. Howl had been right. She must have been in the guitar all this time, waiting for her moment.
“Your Witch is dead,” Howl said to her.
“Isn’t that too bad!” Miss Angorian said, quite unconcerned. “Now I can make myself a new human who will be much better. The curse is fulfilled. I can lay hands on your heart now.” And she reached down into the grate and plucked Calcifer out of it. Calcifer wobbled on top of her clenched72 fist, looking terrified. “Nobody move,” Miss Angorian said warningly.
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 tighten73 my grip.” Her hand that was holding Calcifer squeezed until its knuckles74 showed pale yellow.
Howl and Calcifer both screamed. Calcifer beat this way and that in agony. Howl’s face turned bluish and he crashed to the floor like a tree falling, where he lay as unconscious as Percival. Sophie did not think he was breathing.
Miss Angorian was astonished. She stared at Howl. “He’s faking,” she said.
“No he’s not!” Calcifer screamed, twisted into a writhing75 spiral shape. “His heart’s really quite soft! Let go!”
Sophie raised her stick, slowly and gently. This time she thought for 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 knuckles the biggest crack she could.
Miss Angorian let out a squealing76 hiss77 like a wet log burning and dropped Calcifer. Poor Calcifer rolled helplessly on the floor, flaming sideways across the flagstones and roaring huskily with terror. Miss Angorian raised a foot to stamp on him. Sophie had to let go of her stick and dive to rescue Calcifer. Her stick, to her surprise, hit Miss Angorian again on its own, and again, and again. But of course it would! Sophie thought. She had talked life into that stick. Mrs. Pentstemmon had told her so.
Miss Angorian hissed78 and staggered. Sophie stood up holding Calcifer, to find her stick drubbing away at Miss Angorian and smoking with the heat of her. By contrast, Calcifer did not seem very hot. He was milky79 blue with shock. Sophie could feel that the dark lump of Howl’s heart was only beating very faintly between her fingers. It had to be Howl’s heart she was holding. He had given it away to Calcifer as part of his contract, to keep Calcifer alive. 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 Angorian that she had failed. She ran for the door, with Sophie’s stick hovering80 over her, still clouting81 at her.
“Stop her!” Sophie shouted. “Don’t let her get out! Guard all the doors!”
Everyone raced to obey. Mrs. Fairfax put herself in the broom cupboard with her broom raised. Fanny stood on the stairs. Lettie jumped up and guarded the door to the yard and Martha stood by the bathroom. Michael ran for the castle door. But Percival leaped up off the bed and ran for the door too. His face was white and his eyes were 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. Miss Angorian saw the bushes standing still in the haze outside and raced for the door with inhuman82 speed. Before she reached it, it was blocked by the scarecrow, looming83 up with Prince Justin hung across its shoulders, still draped in Sophie’s lace shawl. It spread its stick arms across the door, barring the way. Miss Angorian backed away from it.
The stick beating at her was on fire now. Its metal end was glowing. Sophie realized it could not last much longer. Luckily, Miss Angorian hated it so much that she seized hold of Michael and dragged him in its way. The stick had been told no to hurt Michael. It hovered84, flaming. Martha dashed up and tried to pull Michael away. The stick had to avoid her too. Sophie had got it wrong as usual.
There was no time to waste.
“Calcifer,” Sophie said, “I shall have to break your contract. Will it kill you?”
“It would if anyone else broke it,” Calcifer said hoarsely85. “That’s why I asked you to do it. I could tell you could talk life into things. Look what you did for the scarecrow and the skull.”
“Then have another thousand years!” Sophie said, and willed it very hard as she said it, in case just talking was not enough. This had been worrying her very much. She took hold of Calcifer and carefully nipped him off the black lump, just as she would nip a dead bud off a stalk. Calcifer whirled loose and hovered by her shoulder as a blue teardrop.
“I feel so light!” he said. Then it dawned on him what had happened. “I’m free!” he shouted. He whirled to the chimney and plunged up it, out of sight. “I’m free!” Sophie heard him shout overhead faintly as he came out through the chimney pot of the hat shop.
Sophie turned to Howl with the almost-dead black lump, feeling doubtful in spite of her hurry. She had to get this right, and she was not sure how you did. “Well, here goes,” she said. Kneeling down beside Howl, she carefully put the black lump on his chest in the leftish sort of place she had felt hers when it troubled her, and pushed. “Go in,” she told it. “Get in there and work!” And she pushed and pushed. The heart began to sink in, and to beat more strongly as it went. Sophie tried to ignore the flames and scuffles by the door and keep up a steady, firm pressure. Her hair kept getting in her way. It fell across her face in reddish fair hanks, but she tried to ignore that too. She pushed.
The heart went in. as soon as it had disappeared, Howl stirred about. He gave a loud groan49 and rolled over onto his face. “Hell’s teeth!” he said. “I’ve got a hangover!”
“No, you hit your head on the floor,” Sophie said.
Howl rose up on his hands and knees with a scramble86. “I can’t stay,” he said. “I’ve got to rescue that fool Sophie.”
“I’m here!” Sophie said, shaking his shoulder. “But so is Miss Angorian! Get up and do something about her! Quickly!”
The stick was almost entirely in flames by now. Martha’s hair was frizzling. And it had dawned on Miss Angorian that the scarecrow would burn. She was maneuvering87 to get the hovering stick into the doorway88. As usual, Sophie thought, I didn’t think it through!
Howl only needed to take one look. He stood up in a hurry. He held out one hand and spoke89 a sentence of words that lost themselves in claps of thunder. Plaster fell from the ceiling. Everything trembled. But the stick vanished and Howl stepped back with a small, hard, black thing in his hand. It could have been a lump of cinder90, except that it was same shape as the thing Sophie had just pushed into Howl’s chest. Miss Angorian whined91 like a wet fire and held out her arms imploringly92.
“I’m afraid not,” Howl said. “You’ve had your time. By the look of this, you were trying to get a new heart too. You were going to take my heart and let Calcifer die, weren’t you?” He held the black thing between both palms and pushed his hands together. The Witch’s old heart crumbled93 into black sand, and soot94, and nothing. Miss Angorian faded away as it crumbled. As Howl opened his hands empty, the doorway was empty of Miss Angorian too.
Another thing happened as well. The moment Miss Angorian was gone, the scarecrow was no longer there either. If Sophie had cared to look, she would have seen two tall men standing in the doorway, smiling at one another. The one with the craggy face had ginger95 hair. The one with a green uniform had vaguer features and a lace shawl draped round the shoulders of his uniform. But Howl turned to Sophie just then. “Gray doesn’t really suit you,” he said. “I thought that when I first saw you.”
“Calcifer’s gone,” Sophie said. “I had to break your contract.”
Howl looked a little sad, but he said, “We were both hoping you would. Neither of us wanted to end up like the Witch and Miss Angorian. Would you call your hair ginger?”
“Red gold,” Sophie said. Not much had changed about Howl that she could see, now he had his heart back, except maybe that his eyes seemed a deeper color-more like eyes and less like glass marbles. “Unlike some people’s,” she said, “it’s natural.”
“I’ve never seen why people put such a value on things being natural,” Howl said, and Sophie knew then that he was scarcely changed at all.
If Sophie had any attention to spare, she would have seen Prince Justin and Wizard Suliman shaking hands and clapping one another delightedly on the back. “I’d better get back to my royal brother,” Prince Justin said. He walked up to Fanny, as the most likely person, and made her a deep, courtly bow. “Am I addressing the lady of this house?”
“Er-not really,” Fanny said, trying to hide her broom behind her back. “The lady of the house is Sophie.”
“Or will be shortly,” Mrs. Fairfax said, beaming benevolently96.
Howl said to Sophie, “I’ve been wondering all along if you would turn out to be that lovely girl I met on May Day. Why were you so scared then?”
If Sophie had been attending, she would have seen Wizard Suliman go up to Lettie. Now that he was himself, it was clear that Wizard Suliman was at least a strong-minded as Lettie was. Lettie looked quite nervous as Suliman loomed97 craggily over her. “It seemed to be the Prince’s memory I had of you and not my own at all,” he said.
“That’s quite all right,” Lettie said bravely. “It was a mistake.”
“But it wasn’t!” protested Wizard Suliman. “Would you let me take you on as a pupil at least?” Lettie went fiery98 red at this and did not seem to know what to say.
That seemed to Sophie to be Lettie’s problem. She had her own. Howl said, “I think we ought to live happily ever after,” and she thought he meant it. Sophie knew living happily ever after with Howl would be a great deal more eventful than any story made it sound, though she was determined99 to try. “It should be hair-raising,” added Howl.
“And you’ll exploit me,” Sophie said.
“And then you’ll cut up all my suits to teach me,” said Howl.
If Sophie or Howl had had any attention to spare, they might had noticed that Prince Justin, Wizard Suliman, and Mrs. Fairfax were all trying to speak to Howl, and that Fanny, Martha, and Lettie were all plucking at Sophie’s sleeves, while Michael was dragging at Howl’s jacket.
“That was the neatest use of words of power I ever saw from anyone,” Mrs. Fairfax said. “I wouldn’t have known what to do with that creature. As I often say…”
“Sophie,” said Lettie, “I need your advice.”
“Wizard Howl,” said Wizard Suliman, “I must apologize for trying to bite you so often. In the normal way, I wouldn’t dream of setting teeth in a fellow countryman.”
“Sophie, I think this gentleman is a prince,” said Fanny.
“Sir,” said Prince Justin, “I believe I must thank you for rescuing me from the Witch.”
“Sophie,” said Martha, “the spell’s off you! Did you hear?”
But Sophie and Howl were holding one another’s hands and smiling and smiling, quite unable to stop. “Don’t bother me now,” said Howl. “I only did it for the money.”
“Liar!” said Sophie.
“I said,” Michael shouted, “that Calcifer’s come back!”
That did get Howl’s attention, and Sophie’s too. They looked at the grate, where, sure enough, the familiar blue face was flickering100 among the logs.
“You didn’t need to do that,” Howl said.
“I don’t mind, as long as I can come and go,” Calcifer said. “Besides, it’s raining out there in Market Chipping.”
第21章最后的胜负[最终章]
大部分的人都去追赶稻草人，但是苏菲却往另一个方向跑，穿过储物柜，跑住店里，手里一路抓着她的拐杖。
“这都是我的错！”她喃喃自语：“我是做错事的天才！我应该把安歌丽雅小姐留在室内的！我只需礼貌地跟她说话，可怜的人！豪尔虽然在许多事上都原谅我，但这件事绝对没那么容易了！”
到了花店，她把七里格靴由橱窗摆设拿下来，把里面的木槿、玫瑰和水一股脑地全倒在地上。她打开锁住的店门，将湿漉漉的靴子拖到拥挤的街道上。“对不起，”她对一堆挡到她的鞋子和垂袖说。她抬头望向太阳，在多云灰暗的天色中并不容易找到。“让我看看，东南方。是那边。好，对不起、对不起。”说着，在庆祝节日的人群中清出一小块地来放靴子。她将靴子的方血向对好，脚踩进去，然后开步走。
滋滋，滋滋，滋滋，滋滋，滋滋，滋滋，滋滋。就是这么快！而且，两只靴子比一只跑起来更快，景色更模糊，更令人喘不过气。苏菲在两个长步之间可以短暂瞥见：山谷尾端的大房子在树林之间发光，芬妮的马车就停在门前。山丘边的羊齿，一条小河奔流向一座绿色山谷，同一条河滑进一个更大的山谷，同一个山谷变宽到几乎无有边际，远处变成蓝色。还有远处一堆像高塔聚集在一起的，很可能是金斯别利。平原再度朝着山峦变窄，一座山在她脚下陡峭地倾斜。虽有拐杖的帮助，她仍然蹒跚欲倒，踉跄的脚步将她带到一座有蓝雾的深邃峡谷边缘，远远就能看到下面的树顶。若非她赶紧又跨了一步，就要摔下去了。
然后她降落在碎碎的黄沙上。她将拐杖插进沙里，小心地四处探望。在她右肩后面，几哩远的地方，一片白色如蒸气的雾几乎掩没了她刚刚穿越的群山，雾霭下面是一条带状的深绿。苏菲点点硕，虽然隔这么远看不到城堡，但是她很确定雾霭处就是群花所在的地方。她小心地再跨一步。滋。温度热得可怕。黏土般的黄沙往各个方向延伸，在高温下微微发亮，岩石不规则地散落着，唯一生长的，是偶尔可见的可怕灰色树丛众山看起来彷佛是地平在线升起的云。
“如果这是荒地的话，”苏菲说，汗水顺者所有的皱纹往下流。“那我真是同情女巫，必须住在这样的地方。”
她再跨一步，扬起的风一点也没能让她凉快，岩石与树丛看来仍是同一模样，但是沙的颜色变灰，而山似乎沉到天底。苏菲透过前方闪动的灰色强凝视，她觉得似乎看到比岩石高出许多的东西。她又跨了一步。
现在温度简直像烤炉了，但是在前面四分之一哩处，有一个形状特别的堆状物，站在稍稍隆起的岩石地上。那是一栋形状奇特的城堡－－一些形状扭曲的小塔拱着一座稍稍倾斜的主塔，像是多节的老人手指。苏菲把靴子脱掉，天气太热了，无法携带这么重的东西走路。她只在拄着拐杖，蹒跚地走去调查。
这建筑物似乎是由荒地那些黄、灰色的砂砾所造成。起先，苏菲想说这会不会是一种奇怪的蚂蚁住的蚁丘？但是走近后，她才看到那是将数千个有粗砾的黄色花花盆黏在一起，成为一个顶端尖细的建筑。她忍不住微笑起来，她常觉得移动的城堡很像是烟囱的内部，而眼前这个建筑则很明显的是烟囱顶的集合体。这一定是出自火魔之手。
当苏菲喘着气往上走时，她突然再无任何怀疑－－这确实是女巫的碉堡！两个小小的橘色身影由碉堡底下一个黑暗处走了出来，詀着等她，她认出那是女巫的两个侍童。虽然她又热又喘着气，还是试着礼貌地跟他们知道她跟他们无怨无仇。“午安。”她说。
他们只是闷闷不乐地看着她，其中一位对她鞠躬，然后伸出手，指向烟囱顶造成的弯曲柱子间，一个造型不佳的黑暗拱门。
苏菲耸耸肩，随他走进去，另一个侍童则跟在她身后。当然，她一进门，入口就消失了。苏菲再度耸耸肩，这个问题等回程的时候再来伤脑筋。
她把蕾丝披肩重新披好，拖得脏脏垮垮的裙子拉好，然后往前走。那感觉很像是城堡的门把黑色朝下时，走出城堡大门的感觉，有好一会儿的虚无，然后是朦胧的光。光来自四周燃烧、闪烁的绿黄色火焰，但这些火焰很阴暗，不散发出热量，亮度也非常低。当苏菲注视它们时，火焰绝不会在她目光所及处，一定是在旁边。魔法就是这样吧！苏菲再度耸耸肩，跟着那侍童在烟囱顶造成的细柱间穿梭。
最后，这两位侍童将她带到一个像是中央私室的地方，又或许，那只是位于一些柱子间的一块空间。苏菲已经有些搞胡涂了，这碉堡似乎很大，但她怀疑这跟移动的城堡一样，只是幻觉。女巫站在那里等她，很难说苏菲怎么会知道，但是，不可能有别人了不是吗？眼前的女巫看起来非常高瘦。头发是金色的，缠成发辫垂在瘦骨嶙峋的一边肩膀上。当苏菲手中挥舞着拐杖，对着她走过去时，她往后退。
“少威胁我！”她说，声音听起来很疲倦、衰弱。
“把安歌丽小姐交给我，我就不威胁妳。”苏菲说：“我会带着她离开。”
女巫又往后退，伸出双手做了个手势，两个侍童一起溶成两颗黏黏的橘色球体，升到空中，对着她飞过来。“好恶心，走开！”苏菲边叫边用拐杖打它们。橘色黏球似乎很不喜欢她的拐杖，闪躲着，四处穿梭，然后对着她的背后直飞过去。
她才在想她打败它们了，却发现自己被它们黏在一根烟囱顶造成的柱子上。当她试着挣脱时，黏黏的橘色线状物质将她的足踝捆住，还用力扯她的头发，把她弄得很痛。
“我几乎要比较喜欢绿色黏液了！”苏菲说：“我希望这两个不是真正的小孩。”
“只是被赋予能力的形体。”女巫说。
“放开我！”苏菲叫道。
“不行！”女巫说完就转身走开，似乎对苏菲完全失去兴趣。
苏菲开始担心她一如以往，又把事情搞砸了。那些黏黏的物质似乎越来越硬，越有弹性。当她试着移动时，它们就她弹回去紧靠在陶制的柱子上。“安歌丽雅小姐在哪里？”她问道。
“妳找不到她的，”女巫说：“我们就在这儿等豪尔来。”
“她不会来的。”苏菲说：“他比我有辨别力。还有，的咒语根本没能生效！”
“会的。”女巫微微一笑：“既然妳中计跑到这里来，豪尔这次想不诚实也不行了。”她又做了一个手势，这次的对象是模糊的火光，一个像王座的东西由两根柱子间滚动出来，上面坐着一个男人，身穿绿色制服及光亮的长靴子。起先，苏菲以为他在睡觉，头侧靠在另一边所以她看不到。但是女巫再比了一个手势，那人就坐直了。他肩膀上面是空的，没有头。苏菲这下知道了，她眼前看到的是贾斯丁王子剩下的部分。
“假如我是芬妮的话，”苏菲说：“我就要威胁说我要晕倒了。马上把他的头放回去！她这样看起来好难看！”
“我好几个月前就把两个头颅都处理掉了。我卖掉苏利曼巫师的吉他时，也顺便卖掉他的头骨。贾斯丁王子的头则和其它剩余的部分一起在外头乱走。这个身体是贾斯丁王子和苏利曼巫师的完美组合。现在只等豪尔的头来合成一个完美的人类。等我拿到豪尔的头，新的印格利国王也就随之产生了。我将以王后的身分来统治这个国家。”
“妳疯了！”苏菲叫道：“妳无权把人像拼图一样拼来拼去，而且，我不认为豪尔的头会听命于妳，他会想办法溜掉。”
“豪尔将对我言听计从，”女巫说着，露出一个狡猾、神秘的微笑。“我会控制住他的火魔。”
苏菲意识到自己其实非常害怕，她知道事情被她搞到一团糟。“安歌丽小姐在哪里？”她挥动着拐杖问道。
女巫不喜欢苏菲挥动她的拐杖，她向后退，说：“我累了。你们这些人一直破坏我的计划。先是苏利曼巫师不肯靠近荒地，我只好去威胁薇乐莉雅公主，好让国王命令他来，但是他来了后却躲在那里种树。接着好几个月，国王都不肯让贾斯丁王子来找苏利曼。好不容易他出来寻找了，却不知为什么跑到北边去，我必须想尽办法把他引来。豪尔给我惹的麻烦更多，他逃走过一次，我必须动用咒语来套住他。而就在我四处搜集与他有关的资料以施放咒语时，妳却闯进苏利曼剩下的脑子里，给我惹出更多麻烦。现在妳落在我手里，却还在那里挥舞妳的棍子跟我吵架。我为了这一刻已经努力了很久，我不准任何人来破坏。”她转身走开走入阴暗中。
苏菲的眼光跟随这个高高的白色身影，在昏暗的火光中移动，她的年龄终于追上自己了。苏菲心想，她疯了！我一定得想法子脱身，把安歌丽雅小姐救出来。她想到那橘色物质跟女巫都避着她的拐杖，举到肩膀后，朝着那黏黏的物质与柱子接触的地方挥舞，同时叫道：“走开！放我走！”她的头发扯得很痛，但是那些黏黏的东西开始向旁飞开。苏菲更用力地挥动拐杖。
她的头和肩膀都松开时，突然传来一阵闷闷的隆隆声。苍白的火焰摇晃着，苏菲身后的柱子也一阵震动。然后轰然巨响，像一千套茶具同时摔下楼梯，碉堡的一部分被炸开。光线从一个长长的、锯齿状的缺口照射进来，令人目盲。一个身影由洞口跳进来，苏菲热切地转头去看，希望来的是豪尔，但是那个黑色轮廓显示的只有一条腿，来的是稻草人。
女巫气得尖叫，朝它扑过去，金色的辫子飞扬起来，两只骨瘦嶙峋的手臂直伸出去，稻草人也对她跳过去，又是一阵巨响！两个人笼罩在魔法的云雾当中，就像豪尔跟女巫战斗时，笼罩在避难港上空的那种云雾。云里看不见两个人的激烈缠斗，只听见灰尘飞扬的空气中充满尖叫声和轰隆声，苏菲的头发跟着滋滋作响。云不过在几呎之外，在陶制的柱子间移动，时东时西，墙上的破洞也离她很近。正如苏菲猜测，碉堡其实不大。每当云雾移过那令人目盲的白色洞口时，苏菲可以看透它，看到两个瘦瘦的形体在其间战斗，她边看边对着背后挥动拐扙。
就在她除了腿之外全都获得自由时，云再度由光线前尖叫着移动过去。苏菲见到一个人从云后方的缺口跳进来，这个人有飞扬的黑色长袖。那是豪尔！苏菲可以清楚看到他的轮廓，双手交叉，站在那里观战。好一会儿，看来他好像有意让女巫和稻草人继续打下去，但是接着豪尔举起双手，长袖啪哒啪哒地鼓起，喊出一个很奇怪的长字，声音盖过尖叫和轰隆声，一串长长的雷声随之响起，女巫和稻草人同时受到冲击，啪啪声绕着陶制的柱子，造成一串串回声，绵绵不绝。每次的回声就令魔法的云雾少掉一些。终于，它化成小缕的轻烟，像朦胧的漩涡般消散了。当它变成非常稀薄的白雾时，高高的、有长辫子的那个人形，步伐开始蹒跚。女巫似乎自动在缩小，越来越瘦、越来越白。最后，当雾全部散去时，她跌在地上发出一声轻响。而当数百万个轻柔的回声都消散时，豪尔跟稻草人面色凝重地注视着对方，底下是一堆白骨。
很好！苏菲将腿也解放出来，走到坐在王座上、没有头的那人身边，这景象实在令她很不舒服。
“不行的，朋友。”豪尔跟稻草人说。稻草人一直在女巫的骨头间跳来跳去，还用脚将骨头推来推去。“不行的，你在这里找不到她的心脏，那一定被她的火魔拿走了。我猜她受到她的火魔控制已经很久了，真是令悲伤！”就在苏菲将披肩拿下来，好好地铺在贾斯丁王子的肩上后，豪尔说：“我想你在找的剩余部分应该是在这里。”他对着王座走去，稻草人在他后面跳着。“老是这样！”他跟苏菲说：“我费尽力气赶到这里，妳却好端端地在整理善后！”
苏菲抬头看他，就像她所担心的，由破洞照进来的阳光清楚明白地告诉她，豪尔既没刮胡子也没梳头发，眼睛的红眼圈仍在，黑袖子则破了好几处，看来跟稻草人一样糟。天哪！苏菲想着，他一定很爱安歌丽雅小姐！“我是来救安歌丽雅小姐的。”她跟豪尔解释。
“我还想说如果我安排妳的家人来拜访你，妳就会安分一阵子！”豪尔很不满地说：“结果呢……”
这时稻草人跳到苏菲面前，用它那模糊的声音说道：“我是受苏利曼巫师差遣的。我原来是为他看守树丛，驱赶来自荒地的鸟。女巫抓住他时，他把所有能转移的魔法都移到我身上，命令我去救他，但女巫把他分成好几片，分散在不同的地方。这工作实在太困难了，假如不是妳路过，借着说话把生命给了我，我早就失败了。”
它这是在回答两个人分别匆忙跑离城堡前，苏菲所提的问题。
“所以贾斯丁王子订购寻人咒时，那些咒语一直都指向你啰？为什么？”
“指向我，或指向他的头颅。”稻草人说：“因为我们是他身上最有价值的部分。”
“那波西瓦是苏利曼巫师和贾斯丁王子的混合体啰？”苏菲问道，她不太确定乐蒂会欢喜地接受这个事实。
稻草人点点头，“两个部分都告诉我，女巫跟她的火魔已经分道扬镳，我可以独力打败女巫。”它说：“谢谢妳给我十倍于从前的速度。”
豪尔招手将它叫到一边。“把那个身体带回城堡，我会将你重新拼装，苏菲跟我得趁着那火魔尚未找到破解城堡防卫系统的方法前先赶回去。”他抓住苏菲的手。“走吧！七里格靴在哪里？”
苏菲不肯走。“还有安歌丽雅小姐……”
“妳难道不明白？安歌丽雅小姐就是火魔呀！若让她进入城堡，卡西法就完了，我也完了！”
苏菲两手同时捂住嘴巴。“我就知道我把事情弄得一团糟！她已经进入城堡两次了。可是她…它又出去了。”
“天哪！”豪尔呻吟道：“它有没有碰任何东西？”
“吉他。”苏菲承认。
“那它还在城堡里，”豪尔说：“快！”他拉住苏菲往破墙走，并回头跟稻草人喊道：“小心地跟着我们。”然后跟苏菲说：“没时间找靴子了。我得起风，御风而行！”他们爬出破洞到外面炙热的阳光下。“往前一直跑，不然我没办法移动你。”豪尔嘱咐道。
苏菲借着拐杖之助蹒跚地跑，不时还绊到石头。豪尔在旁边跟着，拉着。风来了，呼啸着，然后转为怒吼，热而且带着砂砾。灰色的沙在他们四周升起，形成风暴，击打着陶制的碉堡，发出咻当的声响。这时他们已不是跑步，而是以一种慢动作向前浮掠。多岩石的地表迅速在底下飞掠过去，灰尘与砂砾在身旁发出震耳欲聋的声音，连头上极高处也是，甚至拖到身后甚远之处。非常吵，而且非常不舒服，但是荒地很快就被抛在身后。
“那不是卡西法的错！”苏菲叫道：“是我叫它不要说的。”
“它本来就不会说，”豪尔喊回来：“它绝对不会背叛同为火魔的同伴。它一直是我最弱的一点。”
“我以为韦尔斯才是！”苏菲尖叫。
“不是！那是我故意留下的破绽！”豪尔喊道：“我知道如果她在那里下手，我就是利用她下在我身上的咒语去接近她。”
“所以你一宜都打算去救贾斯丁王子！”苏菲大叫：“那你为什么假装跑掉？是为了欺骗女巫吗？
“才不是！”豪尔叫道：“因为我是胆小鬼。唯一能让我能让我做出这么可怕的事的方法，就是告诉自己我不会去做它！”
噢，天哪！苏菲看着四周旋转的沙石，想道，他说了实话！而造是一阵风，咒语的最后一句已经完成了。
炎热的沙不断打在她身上，豪尔也抓得她手痛。“继续跑！”豪尔叫道：“照这个速度的话，妳会受伤！”苏菲喘着气，再度努力地跑。现在可以清楚看到山了，下面一条绿带是开花的树荫。虽然黄沙一直在眼前旋转，山似乎长大了，绿带子朝着他们飞来。
“我所有的侧翼都很弱！”豪尔叫道：“我原本还寄望苏利曼仍活着，但是当我发现他剩下的只有波西瓦时，我吓坏了，只好出去喝个烂醉，然后偏偏妳又上当落到女巫手里！”
“我是家里的老大！”苏菲尖叫：“注定失败！”
“乱讲！”豪尔叫道：“妳就是不用大脑！”豪尔速度开始慢下来，灰尘在旁边形成厚厚的云层。苏菲听到夹着砂砾风扫过树叶的声音，才知道开花的树丛已在附近。他们砰地一声掉落在树丛间，然后继续快速往前，豪尔必须以曲线前进，然后拉着苏菲浮掠式地跑过一个长长的湖面。“妳就是太好心了！”声音中夹杂着水声，以及沙石扫过荷花的声音。“我原想依赖妳的妒忌心，把火魔拦在城堡外呢！”
他们以慢动作抵达冒烟的岸边，绿径两旁的树丛随着他们行经，波动起伏，枝叶乱摇，鸟与花瓣都被扫落到他们身后的旋风里。城堡在绿径那头对着他们轻快地飘过来，烟逆着风向后飘。豪尔把速度减到二好撞开门的程度，带着苏菲冲进去。
“麦可！”他大叫。
“不是我放稻草人进来的。”麦可怀着罪恶感辩白。
一切似乎都很正常。苏菲惊讶地发现，其实她才难开很短的时间。有人把她的床由楼梯下拉出来，波西瓦躺在上面，仍然不省人事，乐蒂、马莎和麦可都团在旁边。苏菲可以听到菲菲克斯太太及芬妮的说话声由楼上传来，混杂着咻咻的挥舞和砰砰的撞击声，意味着豪尔的蜘蛛正遭逢浩劫。
豪尔放开苏菲的手，扑向吉他，但是他还没能碰到它，吉他就爆炸开来，发出一个长长、悦耳的声音。弦断了，木头碎片扫向豪尔，逼得他必须后退，以一只破烂的袖子遮脸。然后，安歌丽雅小姐突然微笑着站在壁炉旁边。她一直藏身在吉他内，等待最好的时刻现身。
“妳的女巫死了。”豪尔跟她说。
“那真是太糟糕了！”安歌丽雅小姐显然毫不关心。“现在我可以为自己打造一个远比她好的新人类。咒语的条件都完成了，我现在可以安心拿走你的心了。”说完她就伸手到炉架里，将卡西法抓出来。卡西法在她握住的拳头上摇晃，满脸惊恐。“谁都不准动！”安歌丽雅小姐警告道。
没人敢动，尤其是豪尔。“救命！”卡西法微弱地喊着。
“没人能够救得你的。”安歌丽雅小姐说：“你将帮助我控制我的新人类。让我示范给你看，我只要像你这样握紧拳头。”她握着卡西法的手用力握下去，指关节因用力而变成浅黄。
豪尔和卡西法同时尖叫。卡西法痛苦地左右窜动，豪尔则脸色发青，像树一般倒向地板，跟波西瓦一样昏迷不醒。苏菲不认为他有在呼吸。安歌丽雅小姐也吓了一大跳，盯着豪尔说：“他在演戏吧？”
“不，他没有！”卡西法尖叫着，身体扭成痛苦的螺旋状。“他的心真的非常柔软！放开我！”
苏菲轻轻、慢慢地举起拐杖，这次她行动前先思索了一下。“拐杖，”她喃喃地说：“打安歌丽雅小姐，但不要伤到别人。”
然后她挥动拐杖，用尽吃奶的力气往安歌丽雅小姐紧握的拳头一击。安歌丽雅小姐发出一声像湿木头燃烧的嘶叫，丢下卡西法。可怜的卡西法无助地在地上滚动，燃烧着在地板上侧滚，害怕得哑着声音吼叫。安歌丽雅小姐举起一只脚去踩它，苏菲必须放掉拐杖扑到地上去救卡西法。令她惊奇的是，她的拐杖会自己行动，一次又一次、再一次地击打安歌丽雅小姐。它当然会的嘛！苏菲想到，潘思德曼太太告诉过她，她藉由说话赋予了它生命。安歌丽雅小姐发出嘶叫声，脚步踉跄。
苏菲站起来，手里握着她的拐杖在殴打安歌丽雅小姐的同时，也被她身上的热烧得冒起烟来，相反地，卡西法好像不怎么热，它因为休克而呈现柔和的蓝色。苏菲可以感觉到，她手里握着那块黑色的块状物只剩下轻微的跳动。是的，她握住的这块一定是浩尔的心脏。他把它给了卡西法，当作契约的一部分，好让卡西法活下去。他一定是很可怜卡西法，才会这么做。但是，这是多么愚蠢的事啊！
芬妮和菲菲克丝太太匆忙下楼来，手里仍拿着扫帚。她们的出现似乎让安歌丽雅小姐相信她已经失败，于是逃向门口，苏菲的拐杖紧追不舍，继续击打。
“拦住她！”苏菲叫道：“别让她逃了！守住所有的门！”
每个人都迅速地听命行事，菲菲克丝太太拿着扫帚守住储物柜的门，芬妮站在楼梯上，乐蒂跳起来守住通往后院的门，马莎站在浴室门口，麦可跑去守城堡的大门。但是波西瓦却从床上跳起来，也冲往大门。他的脸色惨白，眼睛也闭着，居然跑得比麦可还快。他先跑到门口，并且打开了门。因为卡西法处于无助状态，整个城堡已停止移动。安歌丽雅小姐看见树丛静静伫立在外头的强光下，马上趁机以非人的极快速度冲往门口，但她还来不及抵达门口，门已被稻草人挡住。
他肩上隐约浮现出贾斯丁王子，安歌丽雅小姐只好后退。追打她的拐杖现在着火了，金属那一端发亮着，苏菲知道它再撑不久了。幸运的是，安歌丽雅小姐因为憎恶它，所以抓过麦可当盾牌来挡。拐杖曾被告知不得伤害其它人，只好徘徊着，燃烧着。马莎冲过来，试着拉开麦可，结果拐杖也必须躲她。苏菲一如以往，又把事情搞砸了。没有时间浪费了！
“卡西法，”苏菲说：“我必须打破你的契约。这会让你没命吗？”
“别人做的话就会，”卡西法沙哑地说：“这就是为什么我要你来做的原因。我知道你能藉由说话予人生命，看看你对稻草人和骷髅头所做的就知道了。”
“那么，再活一千年！”苏菲说着，同时投入全神的专注，以免只有说话仍嫌不足。她一直非常担心这件事。她握住卡西法，小心地将它由那个黑块上摘下来，就像是由茎上摘掉一个死去的花苞。卡西法转身松开，像一滴蓝色泪水般在她肩上飘浮着。
“我觉得好轻！”它说，然后它突然明白发生了什么事。“我自由了！”
它转到烟囱，冲上去，飞得不见踪影。“我自由了！”苏菲隐隐听到它穿过帽店上头的烟囱顶时呼叫的声音。苏菲手里拿着几近死气沉沉的黑块走向豪尔，动作虽然迅捷，心里其实毫无把握。她一定得做对这件事，但她不确定该怎么做。“好，就这样吧。”她小心地将黑块放在他胸部左边，她自己不快乐时会觉得疼痛的地方，然后用力推。“进去！”她告诉它：“进去那儿，然后开始工作。”
她推了又推。那心脏开始沉进去，越下去跳动得越有力。苏菲试着对门口的火焰与打斗视而不见，只专注于保持稳定、有力的推动。她的头发一直掉下来，遮住她的脸，转而露出一束束红红的头发。但是她也不去搭理，只是推着心脏。
心整个进去了。它刚一消失，豪尔就动了起来，大声地呻吟一声，转身朝下趴着。“见鬼了！”他说：“我宿醉！”
“才不是，是你的头撞到地板。”苏菲说。
豪尔以双手和膝盖将自己撑起。“我不能待在这里，”他说：“我得去救那个傻瓜苏菲。”
“我在这里！”苏菲摇晃他的肩膀。“可是安歌丽雅小姐也在这里。快起来对付她！快！”
现在整支拐杖都起火燃烧了，玛莎的头发被烤得滋滋响。安歌丽雅小姐想到稻草人是会起火燃烧的，开始引着这根烫来烫去的拐杖往门口走。苏菲想，我又一如以往，思虑不够周密！
豪尔只看一眼就明白了。他飞快地站起来，伸出一只手，说出一个被一阵响雷掩盖住的句子。灰尘由天花板掉下来，每样东西都在震动，但是拐杖消失了。豪尔后退一步，手里握着一个小小、硬硬的碳块，形状与刚才苏菲推进豪尔胸膛的一模一样。安歌丽雅小姐像打湿火一样发出可怜的声音，伸出双手恳求着。
“恐怕不行，”豪尔说：“你的时间已经到了。依这个来看，你也试着要找一颗新的心脏吧？你想拿走我的心，让卡西法死去，对不对？”他把那黑块放在两掌之间，手用力一合，女巫年老的心脏碎成黑沙、煤灰，然后什么也不剩。心碎掉的同时，安歌丽雅小姐也开始消失，当豪尔张开空空如也的双手时，门口也见不到安歌丽雅小姐的身影。
另一件事也发生了，就在安歌丽雅小姐消失的同时，稻草人也消失不见。如果苏菲愿意分神的话，她会看到两个高个子男人站在门口，互相微笑。脸庞粗犷的那个有一头赤黄色的头发，穿绿制服的那位则轮廓不甚明显，肩膀上仍披着一件蕾丝披肩。但那时豪尔正好转过来看着苏菲。“灰色并不真的适合你。”他说：“我第一次见到你时就这么想了。”
“卡西法走了。”苏菲告诉他：“我必须打破你们的契约。”
&nb
收听单词发音 |
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blurred
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| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
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mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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acing
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| vt.发球得分（ace的现在分词形式） | |
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slanted
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| 有偏见的； 倾斜的 | |
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gorge
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| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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askew
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| adv.斜地；adj.歪斜的 | |
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knotty
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| adj.有结的，多节的，多瘤的，棘手的 | |
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trudged
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| vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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grit
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| n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关 | |
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tapering
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| adj.尖端细的 | |
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remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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murky
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| adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗 | |
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flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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deceptive
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| adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的 | |
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brandishing
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| v.挥舞( brandish的现在分词 )；炫耀 | |
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frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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stranded
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| a.搁浅的，进退两难的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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elastic
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| n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的 | |
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pottery
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| n.陶器，陶器场 | |
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deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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leftover
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| n.剩货，残留物，剩饭；adj.残余的 | |
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jigsaws
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| n.线索( jigsaw的名词复数 )；拼图；拼板玩具；神秘莫测的事物 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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jolted
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| （使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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swirled
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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eddies
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| （水、烟等的）漩涡，涡流( eddy的名词复数 ) | |
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haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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totter
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| v.蹒跚， 摇摇欲坠；n.蹒跚的步子 | |
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clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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slashed
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| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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hopped
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| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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hopping
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| n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式 | |
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turnip
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| n.萝卜，芜菁 | |
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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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bellowed
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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swirling
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 ) | |
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bawled
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| v.大叫，大喊( bawl的过去式和过去分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物） | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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swerve
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| v.突然转向，背离；n．转向，弯曲，背离 | |
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petals
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| n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 ) | |
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ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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thumps
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| n.猪肺病；砰的重击声( thump的名词复数 )v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的第三人称单数 ) | |
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melodious
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| adj.旋律美妙的，调子优美的，音乐性的 | |
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strings
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| n.弦 | |
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flailed
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| v.鞭打( flail的过去式和过去分词 )；用连枷脱粒；（臂或腿）无法控制地乱动；扫雷坦克 | |
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tattered
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| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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tighten
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| v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧 | |
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knuckles
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| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
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writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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squealing
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| v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的现在分词 ) | |
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hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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milky
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| adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的 | |
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hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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clouting
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| v.（尤指用手）猛击，重打( clout的现在分词 ) | |
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inhuman
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| adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的 | |
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looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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maneuvering
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| v.移动，用策略( maneuver的现在分词 )；操纵 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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cinder
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| n.余烬，矿渣 | |
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whined
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| v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨 | |
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imploringly
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| adv. 恳求地, 哀求地 | |
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crumbled
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| （把…）弄碎， （使）碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 衰落； 坍塌； 损坏 | |
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soot
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| n.煤烟，烟尘；vt.熏以煤烟 | |
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ginger
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| n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气 | |
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benevolently
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| adv.仁慈地，行善地 | |
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loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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