Witch Hunt #Wattys2018

Chapter 4

I remained in my sad state of mind for the next three hours as I stood in the hole. The sounds of people talking grew louder and louder, and I knew that my time was coming.

"Did you find them?" I heard Mira ask someone, just in earshot.

"No M'lady." An unknown male voice replied. Something about his was, different than the others. Not as raspy.

"I should have expected as much." Mira replied bitterly, "At least Daimhin and Giolla got the girl."

"They did M'lady?" the man asked

"Yes, they did." I could tell she was trying to not laugh

"Have you done anything to her yet." He asked

"No, not yet." She replied, almost sounding sad, "I want it to be a very public event." She explained, "She's in the hole." She added off handedly.

I heard no more conversation between the two, and figured that they had walked away, until a man looked over the edge of the hole. He couldn't have been more than two years older than me. It struck me how normal he looked. He had a full face, no hollow cheeks or sunken eyes. His vibrant blue eyes stared down at me.

"You will have ten seconds to climb out of here. I'll give you a signal." He said, then disappeared over the edge of the hole

"Wh- what?" I yelled back at him, but I heard no response.

The sounds of people continued to grow louder, until I heard Mira yelling for them all to be quite.

"Today is a special day!" She bellowed, "Today we will avenge my son's death!" The entire cavern filled with screams of joy.

"WE WILL SHOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU KILL A WARLOCK!" Mira screamed at the crowd, making them get even more hyped.

I felt as if I was going to pass out. Witch? Thomas was a warlock?

Before I had time to comprehend ony of this information I heard the man for before yell, "NOW!"

My body comprehended this before my mind did, I used the jagged edges at step, nad climbed up the rocks. Some cutting into my hands, reopening cuts from the night before when I had fallen on the dock. I climbed out of the hole, and before I could do anything, the man grabbed my sleeve. He pulled me to the hole on the other side of the cavern. All of the witches watched stunned for a moment, and then started to retaliate. A ball of fire whizzed by my head, as claw like fingers gripped my shoulder. The man turned and kicked the woman that had hold of me and yelled "Run!"

I did as I was told and bolted towards the hole in the wall. As my hand touched the opening, Mira's bony claw like fingers gripped my neck and pulled me to the ground. I let out a groan as my head hit the rock.

"You won't escape that easily." She hissed. Her black knife appeared in her hand. She ran the blade down my face taunting me with it. She turned the blade from the flat part to the sharp part. The knife cut into my face, not enough to kill me, but enough to draw blood. I could feel the blood sliding down my cheek. It ran down my neck, and stopped at my nightgown. At this point I wasn't very concerned for the night gown, as it was covered in more blood than I had in my body.

Mira, pulled the knife back, and raised it high, ready to stab my neck. I closed my eyes, accepting this fate, and waited for the painful death.

Except, instead of a knife to the throat, I felt Mira's weigh suddenly thrown off of me. My eyes sprung open.

The man had tackled Mira, and was struggling to stay on top of her.

"What are you waiting for?" He yelled, "Go!"

I did as he said and climbed into the hole. The light left the moment my entire body was in the hole, and I was left in complete darkness. I crawled, until I was in open air, the man appeared a few seconds after I stepped out. My only indication being a glowing white necklace.

"Shouldn't we run?" I asked as he leaned against the rock wall to catch his breath.

"They won't follow us out here." He huffed, "Mornings soon, they work better at night, they'll probably try to place tracking spells on us, take out everyone."

"Everyone?" I asked

"You're not one of us." He asked, stepping closer to me

"Part of what?" I looked up at him, wishing I could see his face.
"The Witch Hunters."

I had never heard of them, until a year ago witches weren't even something we talked about. I didn't know people actually hunted them

The man groaned when I told him this, "Normally I would just tell you to go home, but if what Mira personally wants you dead, it's not safe for you to go home just yet, plus, your injured, you'd better come with me."

"Where?" I asked, not wanted to go some where unknown with a total stranger, even if he did just save my life.

"To the Witch Hunters." He said as if it were obvious.

I suppose if I weren't so tired it would be.