The Stone Keeper's Quest- Elrich

CHAPTER FOUR

The bushes rustled. The soldiers drew their swords from the scabbards on their belts and tensed. A figure emerged from the greenery, his face grim and sweaty. It was Zachary, the First Commander. The soldiers relaxed and sheathed their blades.

"Sire, there are four witches in the clearing," Zachary reported. "And something else. A dead beast of some kind."

"A beast?" King Gilfillan II asked, his brow furrowing. "What kind of beast?"

Zachary shook his head. "I couldn't tell, Sire. It was unlike anything I've ever seen."

The king clenched his jaw. "Have I grown so weak that witches dare to hunt in my lands?" he muttered. No one answered. He looked at Zachary with a fierce glint in his eyes. "We'll take them by surprise and capture them alive. They'll pay for their crimes with their blood." He turned to his men and raised his voice. "You heard me. Follow Zachary and do as he say."

The soldiers nodded and dismounted their horses. They grabbed their quivers of arrows from their saddles and slung them over their shoulders. Zachary led them into the bushes, gesturing for them to be quiet and careful. They moved swiftly and silently, like shadows among the leaves. Zachary stopped and raised his fist.

The soldiers halted behind him. He crouched and crept forward, peering through the branches. The soldiers followed his example. Zachary reached for an arrow and fitted it to his bowstring, pulling it back with a steady hand. He aimed at one of the witches, who was kneeling by the carcass of the strange beast. The soldiers did the same, each picking a target. Zachary gave a sharp whistle and released his arrow.

The arrow flew through the air and pierced the witch's thigh. She screamed and fell to the ground, blood spilling from her wound. The other witches looked up in alarm, only to see more arrows flying towards them.

Arrows flew from the bushes, cutting through the air with deadly precision. The witches gasped and dodged, but not fast enough. Madeleine felt a sharp pain on her cheek as an arrow grazed her skin. She heard a scream behind her and turned to see Kiara clutching her thigh, where an arrow had pierced her flesh.

Gianna ran to her side and helped her onto her flying stick. "Kiara, are you all right?" she asked, worried in her voice. She glanced at the wound and saw blood dripping from it. She tore a piece of cloth from her robe and wrapped it around Kiara's leg, hoping to stop the bleeding.

Kiara grimaced and nodded. "I'll live," she said through gritted teeth. She clenched her jaw and tried to ignore the pain. She looked at Madeleine and saw blood on her face. "What about you? You're bleeding too."

"Sisters, we have to get out of here," Madeleine said. She grabbed her own flying stick and lifted off the ground. She wiped the blood from her cheek with her sleeve and felt a sting. She ignored it and focused on flying away from the danger.

The other two followed her, rising above the trees. More arrows flew at them from below, some missing by inches, some hitting branches and leaves. The witches dodged and weaved, hoping to escape. The bushes erupted with soldiers, who ran after them with swords and bows. They shouted and cursed, firing at the witches whenever they had a clear shot.

"Fly higher, but not too high," Madeleine said. "We can't let them catch us." She looked down and saw blood soaking her robe. She had been hit in the stomach and didn't even notice. She felt a surge of fear and pain but tried to ignore it. She looked ahead and saw a branch blocking her path.

She tried to swerve, but it was too late. She crashed into the wood with a loud crack and lost her grip on her flying stick. She fell from the sky like a broken bird, flailing her arms in vain. She hit the ground with a thud that knocked the breath out of her.