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I fell to my knees, the ground unforgiving beneath me, and pain shot through my body. My hands grazed against the rough forest floor as I desperately tried to push myself back up. Tears blurred my vision, and my breaths came out in ragged gasps.
I looked behind me. I still couldn’t see Luke, but I knew he was close. I knew that he would reach me within moments. Yet, I couldn’t stand up. I was exhausted.
I heard footsteps behind me. My mind raced. I could feel droplets of sweat trickling down my forehead. I tried to wipe them with my hand. When I looked up, Luke had arrived and Evangeline was by his side, just appearing out of thin air. She was grinning wickedly. I knew what that meant. Adrian was not there. She must have done something to him back at the cottage.
Still stumbling, I managed to get up, although my ankle screamed silently with pain. It took all of my conscious effort to keep my balance. But I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of kicking me while I was down. I wanted to show them that I would fight until there wasn’t a single breath left in my body.
“One down,” the witch cackled. “One to go.”
“This one won’t go down easily,” I threatened her, feeling my fingers curl into a fist.
I glanced at Luke. I didn’t even know why. I knew he wouldn’t help me. Then again, it wasn’t a glance asking for help, but rather, it was a glance asking for clarification. A part of me still doubted the veracity of everything. I knew this man. I knew who he was. I knew who I grew up with. How could this be that same man? It was impossible. And yet, reality struck me like a ton of bricks.
“Since you’ve amused me greatly, you can choose the way you go,” Evangeline spoke, as if doing me a favor.
“You mean choose the way I die?” I ask, frowning.
“Yes, my dear,” she cackled again. “See? You cannot say I’m not courteous and generous.”
“You are anything but,” I snarled. “Do whatever you want but know that I won’t take it. I will fight you until there is a single ounce of strength left in me.”
“Oh, I expect you to,” she nodded, lifting her hands into the air, just like she did back at the cottage.
The air seemed charged with an eerie energy, and the rustling of leaves and the howling wind felt like a haunting chorus. Nature itself seemed to be responding to the witch's presence, amplifying her dark powers.
Even Luke took a step back away from her, while I tightened my grip on myself, trying to steady my nerves. The witch’s figure was enshrouded in mist now, and the sinister aura that surrounded her made my blood turn cold. The strength ofher magic was palpable. She closed her eyes, keeping her arms outstretched to her sides, as she muttered incantations under her breath. The wind seemed to bow to her will, strengthening with every word she spoke. It was as if nature itself aided her in weaving this web of darkness that was to become my undoing.
I had no idea what to do. I was no match for this woman. But I refused to back down. Too much was at stake. If I died, I would do so knowing that I stood up to the forces of evil, the same forces that took my sister away from me.
The wind howled louder and louder. Panic threatened to consume me as the witch’s spell seemed to grow stronger. My hair flew up into the air, like a cobweb. The witch opened her eyes. They were glowing a bright green. It was a frightening sight.
At that moment, she extended her arms toward a nearby tree. With a chilling whisper, she began to channel her malevolent energy into the ancient oak. The ground underneath me trembled. The air crackled with the intensity of her spell, almost as if it was on fire. The wind howled, gripping at the branches. My eyes widened in terror as I watched the tree’s roots lift from the ground, its branches trembling. The evil magic enveloped the entire tree, twisting and contorting it with a cruel intent. It was as if the very essence of nature was being violated, giving itself to the witch, becoming a puppet to the master of her malevolence.
With a gut-wrenching tear, the tree was ripped from the earth, its roots now bare and exposed, dangling like severed limbs. The immense weight of the tree seemed inconsequential to her as she lifted it with ease, brandishing it as a weapon.
I knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to throw that tree onto me. I frantically looked around for anything I could use as a weapon. She was too far away from me to attack her, but Icould throw something at her. This might buy me enough time to get close to her. But there was nothing I could use.
I knew that time was of the essence. I had to do something. Now. Otherwise, it would be too late.
Seconds seeped through my fingers like fine grains of sand, never to return. The hour of my reckoning had come. Strangely, I stopped being afraid. I had been hurt too much to be afraid of anything anymore. What else could they do to me that they hadn’t already? I gritted my teeth, my fingers curled into fists.
“Bring it on, you old hag!” I shouted against the wind, which hit me forcefully, lifting my hair even more up, so that now I looked like Medusa, threatening anyone who dared to look at my face.
The witch seemed to like this. She laughed wickedly. And just as she was about to throw the tree in my direction, I saw a large rock fly right towards her and hit her straight in the shoulder.
“Argh!” she screamed, her arms falling down to her sides.
Immediately, the tree fell with a loud noise. A flutter of wings was heard in the distance.
I looked to my side. “Adrian!” I shouted, relief washing over me. He looked haggard and covered in blood. “Are you alright?”
He cleared his throat, standing in front of me, spitting to the side. He proceeded to wipe the corner of his bloodied mouth with the sleeve of his shirt.
“I will be when we deal with these two,” he told me, without taking his eyes off of them. His body was now sheltering mine.
The witch looked at us both angrily, rubbing her shoulder. “Do you think a rock will save you?” she hissed.
“No,” Adrian replied, shaking his head. “That was just the beginning.”
