The Witchtale

A Brother in Need

Immobile Zachariah watched as the man muttered something in the local dialect and aimed at Aliya below. Suddenly he started and something flew at him shining briefly in the moon light. He exclaimed, lost his balance and fell down.

Then Aliya yelled Zach's name, breaking the numb spell that had overtaken him. He looked down and saw her looking up, a few distance away the man was lying eagle spread with his neck at an odd angle and his eyes wide. Someone was kneeling over him, checking his pulse. Then he looked up and Zach saw in the moon light that it was Aliya's elder brother – Yusuf.

For a moment, Zach debated whether he should be relieved or more stressed. Then he decided, he should just get back on the ground and face what's coming.

When he was finally back on the ground, he started saying, "Sufi! You really saved us back th... Ugh!" the rest of his appreciation got cut off as Yusuf landed a punch on his face.

"Bhai!" Aliya cried out.

"Why the face?!" Zach said when he got his breath back.

"That's," Yusuf replied as Zach go up from the ground, "for taking her along on your reckless plans."

"Why does it feel like there was a 'and not me!' that you left off in that sentence?" Zach muttered rubbing his chin.

"I'm not kidding here, Zach. My knife didn't hit him – he lost his balance and twisted his neck... so it was luck that Aliya survived and because she did you are alive as well." Sufi replied.

"Was I going to die?" Aliya asked looking over at the dead man and quickly averting her eyes.

"Yeah – yeah ... I accept my plan was reckless. But don't blame me if she's involved – she tagged along, I didn't take her along. Ask her if you want." Zach said to Sufi.

Sufi turned to his sister, who quickly escaped his gaze.

"So, how did you get here?" Zach asked going over to the man and took up the rifle that had fallen down with him.

"Followed you guys, I think this guy here saw me coming up and came out to check... there was another guy with him... they almost had me when we heard a shout from the riverside... they headed there and I followed them."

"And you managed not to get caught?" Zach asked amazed.

Sufi grinned.

"Well, when they were at the shore I was on the grounds above... couldn't risk that downward slide in the dark... so while they didn't see anything I clearly saw the wet stones that marked footsteps receding from the river... So I understood that you guys had been there and then I headed back to the gravel path and waited to hear something... that's when I saw this guy get up on this tree and the other one go further up on the road and turn left in the woods."

"So it was you because of whom we are trapped here." Zach muttered.

"Wrong – it's you." Sufi replied

"Okay," Aliya interrupted their cold war before it got too hot, "so what do we do now? We can't just sit here till sunrise... and sneaking around would be a lot tough with sun on our head... so?"

Both of them glared at each other for some time. Aliya counted back from five then Sufi stood up.

"Okay," he said picking up a stick, "Let's review all that we know till now."

"There is witch in the Upper House, apparently." Zach started saying, "but there are also local bandits here on the island."

"Right." Sufi nodded and sat down. He drew a circle on the ground.

"They are not living in the upper house; they are living in the forest somewhere..."

"Yup, since they are hiding, it has to be on the side of the island that's not facing the mainland." Aliya added.

"Brilliant... so we can figure out where they are more likely to have camped!" Sufi said drawing a smaller circle in the first one. He then made a line, "So we came in by the under bridge..."

Then he made another line connecting the smaller circle to the outer line. "Here is the path that leads to the House; whoever is living here would need an easy access to water source... Are there streams or such on this island?" Sufi asked.

"I know, there are one or two streams down on the left side, deep in forest and there is also a watering hole close to the House... also to the left." Zach replied taking another stick from the ground and drawing the streams and the watering hole in the circle.

"Also," he added, "They have rigged the right side of the forest with traps for hunting. So they can't have settled on the right side... they need to keep the environment around the traps as untouched as possible to snare anything."

"Oh..." Aliya remembered the hanging rodent.

"This means trouble... we need to clear out of here as well. The other guy might have heard something of that fall" Sufi muttered.

"So, we cannot go in the deeper forests nor can we stay outside as the path is most probably guarded by these men... not the docks... and the house is up those freaking stairs... God knows what's up there waiting for us, where do we go?" Sufi tapped the ground with his foot.

We stared at each other.

"I think that's enough discussion we should move." Aliya spoke up.

"Yes. Ally's right." Zach said.

"But where do we go?" Sufi said.

"The house." Zach replied, "I don't know about the witch – but we need to get there to unlock the doors."

He began moving in the direction of the woods to the right.

"I think it would be better if we go to the left side." Aliya said.

Yusuf and Zach looked at her questioningly.

"If they come – they won't start searching for us until they get here... and from here they will start searching to the right. Besides, the island rises towards the right – I won't be able to be walk fast in that condition."

They stared at her and then at each other. Then Yusuf chuckled and said, "Sounds like a plan."

Then almost as if remembering something Sufi said, "Ah! I forgot..."

Both Zach and Aliya perked up.

"How are you Aliya? I think you were limping a little."

Their shoulders slumped.

"I'm alright." she replied.

"How did you manage to get hurt in the first place? You fell or something?"

"It was a trap... down at the docks." Zach replied.

"Hmm... I'm sorry Al, but don't worry – your brother will get you out of here." Yusuf said and patted Aliya's head again. "Now, ladies I have a plan."

Then he grinned.

"There is only one girl here, jerk!" Zach grumbled.