Safe Travels: Run For Your Lives 6z5a10

SAFE TRAVELS RUN FOR YOUR LIVES

Tim Dale

Copyright © 2015 Timothy M Dale.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Cover artwork by Timothy M Dale.

Archway Publishing 1663 Liberty Drive Bloomington, IN 47403 www.archwaypublishing.com 1 (888) 242-5904

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only. Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-1766-1 (sc) ISBN: 978-1-4808-1767-8 (hc) ISBN: 978-1-4808-1768-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015907114

Archway Publishing rev. date: 6/12/2015

Contents

Chapter 1 It Begins

Chapter 2 Woman in Black and the Toad

Chapter 3 What’s in the Box?

Chapter 4 Enter the MacBaers

Chapter 5 Everyone Wants Morgan

Chapter 6 Information Revealed

Chapter 7 On Their Trail

Chapter 8 Riding Dirty

Chapter 9 Business to Attend To

Chapter 10 Confused Thoughts

Chapter 11 Soup Bowls and Threats

Chapter 12 In the Rain

Chapter 13 Seeking Shelter

Chapter 14 Ambushed

Chapter 15 The Challenge

Chapter 16 Irwin’s Tavern

Chapter 17 Talk before Bedtime

Chapter 18 MacBaer in Waiting

Chapter 19 Three More

Chapter 20 Road to New Anvindr

To my beautiful wife, Sandy. Thank you for helping me create the best things in my life. And to my father, Thomas Dale Sr., and mother, Diane Manzon.

Thank you for always being there. I love you all very much.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to thank Ashley, Theresa, and Sheryl for pointing out my many mistakes.

Amber, Ashley, Alexandra, Timmy, Braddock, Justin, Abby-Rose, and the newest addition, Aidan: thank you for inspiring me to finally do this.

I also want to thank those that helped fund this project: Joey, Amber and Justin, Diane and Andy, Susie, Chad, Ashley, Theresa and Steve, Tony, Christy and Steve, Sheryl and Tom, Nikki and Tommy, Barbara and Jim, Suzanne, Tina, Katie, Centon Enterprises, James, Kenneth, and Erin.

CHAPTER 1

It Begins

K ainos was the name of the planet. It was similar to Earth in many ways, populated with humans and many of the same plants and animals. The climates were comparable to those on Earth as well. Different regions had different governments, customs, and religions. Most areas were divided into kingdoms and ruled by kings. Unlike Earth, Kainos had two moons. The smaller of the two was located closer to the planet. Technology was more than several hundred years behind Earth on the vast majority of the planet, and in some areas, it was further behind, but in a few rare locations, there were some surprise advancements with unknown origins. This planet was also riddled with magic and many forms of sorcery. It was prominent in some areas and run out of others. There were forms of dark magic that were practiced and carried out by evil beings and horned creatures from the shadows and dark pits that forever attempted to spread their evil influence across the lands. There was a constant struggle to keep the dark forces at bay. The northern continent of Junia had constantly acted as the battlefield of the conflict against darkness. On the western side of the continent rested the kingdom of Walcaster. This kingdom was large with many prominent cities. Once nearly overrun with witches, Walcaster had now been absent any witch for about twenty years. That was about to change. A notorious thief had recently been detained there, in the town of Coulterfield. The witches wanted her and were willing to risk returning to Walcaster to get her.

The dungeon was dim. With the majority of it being underground, light was secluded to one small window. The bars going across let in only a minimal amount of light. The dungeon was old and leaked in the corners, and it smelled of mold and mildew and rotting prisoners’ bodies. Chains hung among the

columns that filled the room, with more along the walls. In the far east corner lay a skeleton of a man sentenced to life in prison. Two old men were in chains for raping and murdering young women throughout the town. These cases were usually dealt with by execution. However, being former workers of the magistrate allowed them their lives. Rats made the place their home, lurking in the shadows and eating off the prisoners. A woman was chained in the corner of the dungeon. A steel collar was around her neck and chained to the wall. She sat on her knees with her hands tied behind her back. She wore only skimpy panties and tattered shoes. Everything else had been ripped off of her when she was captured. Her name was Morgan. She was young with short, blonde hair and was in good physical shape. The door opened, shining light on her, and revealed fresh bruises and running mascara. The chain was unlocked from her neck. One of the guards grabbed her arm and yanked her up, then dragged her through the door. The collar was replaced with a rope. With her hands still tied behind her back and her body still barely clothed, Morgan was led outside and down the street of the town square, barely able to see over the brightness of the sun. As Morgan was dragged through the town square, her eyes adapted to the sun. Being in near-death situations her entire life afforded her the ability to remain calmer than one would expect. She looked for ways to escape while she was pulled to the other side of the wide square. She couldn’t help but notice the beautiful town she had come to visit. This was the town of Coulterfield, one of the wealthiest cities in all of the kingdom of Walcaster, only second to the Royal City. This kingdom was enriched by its extremely productive timber industry. Walcaster was known for having the tallest trees on the entire continent. As she continued to look for a way out, she saw that the town was as clean as she had been told. With everything in its proper place, she saw no horses to take or structures close enough to run behind. The area was wide open with spaced out trees and bushes that were as well manicured as the lawns where they grew. In either direction, the buildings were close to a hundred yards away, and they looked to be built by true craftsmen with the finest-quality materials. They had stone exteriors with large, hand-hewn, wooden beams for decoration. They surrounded the town’s entire square. The roads and walkways were paved with cobblestones. The sun shone brightly in her face as she tried to look forward. As they approached peddler stands, she hoped one might be a blacksmith that sold

weapons or at least something sharp, but because of the brightness of the sun, she had to turn away. The guard dragged her like an animal on a leash, tugging forcefully as she turned, jerking her closer to him. When she regained her footing, she noticed the many faces of patrons gathered there. They gawked at her. Women covered their children’s eyes and turned them away. It was a hot, sunny day and almost noontime, the busiest time of day for the square. She looked forward through squinted eyes at the stands that were now within reach. They entered the area designated as the farmers’ market. Morgan became a little angry when she noticed what kind of stands they were. She saw nothing of use to her. On each side of the main road were dozens of fresh produce stands set up with every vegetable imaginable, along with various fruits and herbs. Frustrated, Morgan jerked and pulled away from the guard, trying to resist. He held her leash with both hands and jerked her forcefully back toward him. She fell into him and down onto one knee. She looked up and saw the many people looking at her. The guard forced her back up to her feet, choking her as he pulled on her leash. More people took notice of the nearly naked woman being led by leash to the execution platform. Crowds of people began to form. They all wanted to see the beautiful, young lady who was being led to her death. The center of the town was populated with men and women of middle class. They were clean and looked like they didn’t deal with the suffering and sickness found on the outskirts of town. Morgan ed the poor and sickly folk, mostly outcasts, she had seen when she arrived. They were now gathered in the square. During this time of day, all of the different classes of citizens came to this busiest part of town to buy or sell wares. She became overwhelmed with the amount of people that surrounded the area. The crowd continued to gawk at her. She heard whispers from people as they tried to find someone who knew who she was. Not once did she hear her name as she was dragged through the growing crowd. A second guard grabbed her, and they dragged her away from the people toward the execution platform, which stood in front of the town courthouse. She saw a glimpse of a man standing on the platform waiting for her as she was thrown forward to a different guard. She tried to resist, but a forceful pull from the guard holding the rope was all it took to keep her moving the way he directed her. She was extremely tired and weak from the night without sleep as she recovered from the poison they used the night before to drug and capture her.

She was led up to the stone platform and tied to the wooden post with blocks of wood surrounding her feet. This town, known for its history of burning witches, had become accustomed to using this method for all of its executions. She looked into the eyes of the extremely tall man who had been waiting. He was the magistrate. He stood there, all seven feet of him, wearing his uniform armor with mail underneath. His chest armor was adorned with the kingdom’s insignia. His head was shaved bald, and his face was beaten, his left eye black and bandaged. He moved in close to Morgan and whispered, “You should have accepted my offer last night.” Then he slightly raised his voice. “Now you can burn, whore.”

In the center of the town square stood a copse of cherry blossom trees in the center of the road on a raised bed. Surrounding the trees were manicured bushes and stone steps to the road. Within the trees, three women hid. They watched as a blonde, topless girl was dragged through town to the platform. The blonde whispered, “Is that Morgan?” The tall brunette replied, “Not sure. But she does fit the description we were given.” They watched as the magistrate turned away from his prisoner and faced the crowd and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, behold, here before you stands the infamous Morgan. She is wanted for theft in over fifteen western territories.” The crowd shouted loudly now that they knew who she was. Their excitement for an execution grew stronger. The tall brunette looked at the blonde beside her and said, “That answers your question. That’s definitely her.” The third woman, a brunette in red, added, “Megan, let Green know we found her.” The brunette, Megan, lifted a necklace with a large jewel from inside her shirt. As she lifted it up, it began to glow. Megan spoke to the jewel. “Mr. Green, we found her. She’s here in the town of Coulterfield, like you said.” Perplexed, she added, “She’s about to be executed.” The other two women gathered close to look at Mr. Green’s image in the stone. “You can’t let that happen,” said a panicked Mr. Green. “You have to stop them. You need her.” The one in red turned away, irritated. “This is about to get ugly before we even start this mission.” “Do what you have to do. We need her,” said Mr. Green. “Don’t worry. We’ll have her in a minute,” replied Megan.

“Good to hear, girls. Let me know when you have her. Safe travels.” He disappeared from the stone as Megan tucked her necklace back into her shirt. “I really hate when he says that. Every time he says, ‘Safe travels,’ we end up running for our lives,” said the blonde. The one dressed in red pushed past the branches of the cherry blossom trees, down the few steps, and toward the cobblestone road. “Let’s get this over with,” she said as the others followed. They stepped out onto the road and marched toward the crowd.

The magistrate’s men finished tying Morgan to the post and stepped away. She thrashed about and tried to wiggle loose. The magistrate continued to speak to the crowd. “She is also charged with prostitution, murder …” The crowd gasped, for they did not know of such acts. “I’m no prostitute, and I’ve never murdered anyone!” Morgan shouted. The people shouted her down. A man screamed, “She is a liar!” The magistrate spun around to face her. “You’re walking around naked,” he said while he tugged on her nipple. “And you killed two of my men last night.” “Punish her!” a voice in the crowd screamed. “She deserves to burn!” said another. The townspeople taunted him to finish her off. “You ripped off my clothes!” Morgan screamed. “And the two men you speak of were helping you.” The crowd lowered its volume. “How dare you?” the magistrate growled. Outraged, he backslapped her face. “I’ll hear no more of your lies! If this is some sort of weak attempt to get someone to feel sorry for you, you are mistaken.” The three women worked their way through the crowd, getting closer to the platform. The magistrate shouted, “You are hereby sentenced to death for the murder of two of Coulterfield’s guards!” The crowd cheered, as they had come to expect an execution. Now that they knew she had killed two of their own, their excitement to see her burn grew. “You took their lives without the slightest hesitation. You even smiled with satisfaction as you did it,” the magistrate added.

“Burn her now!” taunted the crowd. “You showed no remorse, no comion for life! Now you can repay your debt to Coulterfield!” He lowered his volume as he spoke directly to Morgan. “You can pay by burning.” He was handed a lit torch. The crowd cheered, and Morgan looked up to face the crowd one last time. She wanted to curse them. As she thought about her last moments, she scanned the crowd, looking at their faces. As they begged for her to die, she noticed the three women that pushed through them. The one with a red hood and cloak walked toward the platform, headed directly for the magistrate. The other two spread out around the one in red. Morgan looked over to her left. There was the tall brunette. Her hair was braided on each side. She wore a button up, white-collared, long-sleeve shirt that was open at the top and revealed a large amount of cleavage. It tied in the front at her waist and showed her midsection. Her sleeves were rolled up above the elbows. She wore a very short, plaid skirt and white, thigh-high stockings. She carried a long staff and twirled it, ready to strike, as she got closer to the platform. Morgan had never seen anyone dressed in such a way. Morgan quickly glanced over at the blonde on the right side. She also wore an outfit that left little to the imagination. Lots of cleavage, a bare midriff, an extremely short, pleated, blue skirt, and thigh-high stockings with blue and white stripes. She carried two small crossbows. Morgan looked again at the third woman that approached in the middle, but the magistrate blocked most of the view. All she could make out was that she was the shortest of the three and wore all red. Some brunette hair was visible, hanging out of her hood. The crowd was so fixated on the magistrate’s torch that they barely noticed the women as they stepped out in front of them. The magistrate took a step closer to Morgan. “Any last words?” he asked. The blonde turned her body halfway around so she could face the crowd and still keep an eye on the magistrate. She lifted her crossbows into the air and pointed them at the armed guards. “Yeah. I got your last words right here. Everybody stand down and nobody gets hurt,” she shouted out confidently.

The crowd began to laugh at the blonde, because they assumed it was some kind of joke. But the interruption infuriated the magistrate. He threw the torch down onto the wood piled up around Morgan’s feet and turned quickly as he growled through his teeth, “What? Interrupt me?” While he turned, the brunette ran up behind him, out of his view, and knocked the torch off the wood with her staff. The magistrate was turned completely around, and his scowl faded when he saw the beautiful woman in red before him. “Oh … uh. Hello, ladies. What can I do for you?” said the awestruck magistrate. The crowd laughed even louder. The woman in red approached the magistrate and faced the blonde, “They’re laughing at you, Alexandra.” The blonde, Alexandra, responded, “I think they’re laughing at all of us.” “Can’t be. No one laughs at me.” The one in red looked straight ahead at the magistrate, who had a perverted grin on his face. She jumped up in the air and elbowed the unsuspecting magistrate in the jaw, knocking him back. As he stumbled back, the crowd went silent. The guards had never experienced any disturbance from the crowd, so they were hesitant to act. The stunned magistrate reached up to grab his jaw while the woman in red dropped down and swept his legs out from under him, sending him crashing down past the smiling Morgan, off the platform, onto his back. She leapt down beside him and kicked him in the face and then jumped back onto the platform and opened her cloak. She drew both of her katanas. The sun reflected off of them into the crowd. Her outfit was open in the front from her neck down to below her navel, revealing almost everything. It was fastened together with seven straps that went across the front and buckled together. Her large breasts were barely covered. Her legs were bare down to her leather boots below her knees. She moved across the platform, back toward the crowd. Guards drew their swords. The tall brunette knocked away the smoking logs from around Morgan and then jumped off the platform and whacked the magistrate’s head with her staff when he attempted to move. Alexandra pointed her crossbows at the guards closest to them. The townsfolk slowly moved back.

“Everyone, back off!” shouted the woman in red. “We just want the girl.” The crowd moved back a little faster. The ones in the rear ran away. “Alexandra, if anyone moves toward us, put an arrow in them,” commanded the one in red. Guards stopped advancing forward and moved the crowd back. As the brunette untied Morgan’s feet, the one in red sliced the ropes that restrained her upper body to the post. She looked down at the magistrate while he held his jaw and slowly rolled over. “Hurry this up. The big guy won’t stop moving,” said the woman in red. They quickened their pace to free her. “We’re rescuing you in exchange for your help.” “You will help us. Agreed?” asked the brunette. “Yeah, yeah, agreed! Just get me out of here,” Morgan replied. Morgan looked out at the crowd. The guards remained still, in fear of Alexandra’s arrows, but several men in black forcefully pushed their way through the crowd toward them. “They’re moving in on us,” Morgan blurted out. “You guys, they’re coming!” shouted Alexandra. She looked at them confused. “Who are these guys?” None of the women were too familiar with Coulterfield, but it was obvious that these men in black were not from around there. They didn’t fit in with the rest of the townsfolk. They looked and dressed differently, wearing all black. They had on pieces of armor and carried several weapons on their dark uniforms. Most had black or very dark brown hair, and they all looked experienced at warfare. These unknown men in black moved forward with swords in hand. The town guards stepped aside and allowed them to . Alexandra aimed her crossbows and released two arrows. Each hit the intended targets. Two men in black stumbled back. One dropped to the ground but the other regained his composure and returned to moving forward. Alexandra stepped back to reload as the woman in red moved toward the crowd to engage the approaching men. The woman in red took a deep breath and leapt off the platform. She landed in front of them and sliced into the one out front on her right. Blood sprayed out on all that stood near. As he fell, the one on her left swung his sword down. She

blocked it with her left sword and quickly thrust her right through his midsection and kicked him back. He flew into two others that approached, and they all fell back into the crowd. The crowd pushed them off while they tried to move back. She moved to her right and attacked the other men in black that moved closer. They tried to block and defend themselves, but she moved too fast, and her skills far exceeded theirs. She cut into more as they rushed toward her. Alexandra released two more arrows and took down two more men. As she reloaded, she took notice of the magistrate, who was trying to get up. She pointed a crossbow at him, so he dropped back to the ground on his butt and crawled backward away from them. The crowd screamed out and ran away. Some trampled over each other, and some pulled loved ones away. Some of the guards moved toward them while the brunette struggled with the last of Morgan’s restraints. With the guards approaching, she whistled for their horses. The woman in Red stepped back onto the platform, still cutting into the men in black that continued to attack. Alexandra fired off two more arrows and quickly reloaded. The town guard rushed in now, and the magistrate saw his chance as Alexandra reloaded. He moved toward Morgan from behind. The woman in red stayed at the edge of the platform and fought back any that tried to attack, giving time for the brunette to cut the binding that remained on Morgan’s arms. The magistrate stepped up on the platform and focused on Morgan. The brunette stepped around her and slammed her staff in the side of his head. The brunette’s eyes lit up as she hit him, and a bright flash burst out from the impact. Caught again by surprise, he slammed back down toward the ground and slammed his head on the edge of the platform, knocking him out. The brunette followed through with a second hit to his head as he lay there. Morgan jumped down and kicked him several times in his ribs. Three horses ran up to them. The brunette grabbed one and climbed up. “Red, Ali, let’s go!” she shouted. Morgan leapt up onto one of the horses. Red kicked one guard back as she cut

into another man in black. Alexandra released two more arrows and then ran for her horse. She hopped up onto it while Red jumped up onto hers with Morgan. She held on tight to Red from behind. They took off, with the town guard and more men in black after them on foot. Morgan held tightly to Red with her left arm as she turned around as much as she could to face the men that chased. She gave them a mean look while she lifted her hand and gave them the finger. Their speed increased, and the distance between them and the guards grew. The men slowed and stopped as they watched them ride out of view. The four women rode away as fast as they could. “Turn right up there at the next cross section!” Morgan shouted as she pointed the way. They had to shout to be heard over the horses as they raced down the city roads. “That’s not the right way,” explained Megan. “We need to be headed south, in the other direction.” “Look, lady. You said you need my help. I can’t help you without my gear. My gear is that way.” She continued to point. “It’s Megan. My name is Megan. We’ll buy you new gear. We can’t risk getting caught, and we didn’t come here to be killing any town guards.” “You can’t just buy that kind of thing. Don’t worry. This is a big city. They have no idea where we’re going. They’ll never find us. I’ll show you the way. And besides, I need some damn clothes. You try being paraded in front of the entire town in nothing but underwear you’ve been wearing for a couple days.” The others looked at her. “I’ll . I was hoping you were including some clothes in there with your gear,” said Alexandra. Red cut in. “Let’s just hurry up and get what she wants. She’ll probably need some of it for what we need her to do.” “Fine. We just better not run into any more problems. Like I said, I’m Megan. The one you’re riding with in the red, her name is Red.” She pointed to Alexandra. “And she’s Alexan—” Alexandra cut her off. “It’s Alexandra, but most just end up calling me Ali.”

“Got it. Megan, Red, and Ali. I’m Morgan. I’m sure you already knew that, but thanks anyway for showing up when you did.” They turned down the road Morgan wanted to be on. “Just keep pointing the way. Don’t get us lost,” said Red as she turned around to face her. “I know the way. When the road begins to curve to the left, take the first right.” As they continued on, Morgan tilted her head and reached to the back of her aching neck and massaged it. Spending the entire night chained to a wall had taken its toll on her. They continued at a rapid pace down the narrow back road. Being the middle of the day, there were a lot of people out walking along the roadway. On one side of the road there was a walkway for citizens, but they still crowded the main road. The people shouted at the women as they rushed by. They just ignored them and continued to push through. Along the road were long rows of connected buildings of various businesses and living quarters. Some stands were set up along the road where merchants peddled their wares. Some stretched out into the street and blocked much of that side, causing the space to be even more narrow and dangerous for them to race through. People on foot jumped out of the way of the three horses that sped toward them. “It would be real easy to get boxed in on such a narrow space with no exits. We need to get off these tight roads. We need a route that’s more open with more escape routes available. We’re too vulnerable here right now,” explained Red. “Once we take the next right, it opens up, and the buildings aren’t all connected. It’s right up here,” assured Morgan. They continued down the street and forced more startled and angry people to jump out of the way.

CHAPTER 2

Woman in Black and the Toad

T he magistrate was still lying on the ground unconscious. Guards ran over to him to see if he was okay. He was bleeding from his bandaged wounds and from the new wound on the side of his head. One guard knelt down beside him and looked him over. “Magistrate, Magistrate,” he called out as he shook him. He continued to lie there without responding. “Get me some bandages and water,” the guard commanded. Some of the townsfolk moved closer and gathered around to check on the magistrate. He was a man of many faults, but the people of Coulterfield gave him a high level of respect. He kept the town safe and cleaner than any normal town. He ran a tight ship, keeping everything in order and at peace. It was rare for them to see such lawlessness, as they were accustomed to a calm atmosphere. Several of the remaining men in black gathered around to see if the magistrate was up yet. “Everyone, back up. Give us some space,” stated a guard with a loud authoritative tone. “That goes for you men too,” he said to the men in black. Screams could be heard in the distance. People in the crowd, along with the guards, turned to look. More screams were heard. A couple of guards pushed through the small crowd to see what the screams were about. More people screamed and took off running in every direction. The guards now had a clear view and were shocked when they saw the dark, black-caped creature that approached them. The sun was behind her and corrupted the view, but they were still able to make out her wide-brim hat and long, flowing cape. They backed up

quickly as the men in black went toward her. The guards attending to the magistrate looked over in that direction to see the cause of the commotion. When they saw what was coming their way, they too began to move away. One dropped the bandages and sprinted off. Only one lone guard, with a terrified look on his face, ignored the danger approaching and went to the side of the magistrate to finish bandaging the wound. People ran away and screamed until there were no more citizens left in view. Several more guards showed themselves but remained at a distance. The men in black gathered around the dangerous woman in her black dress that dragged along the ground. She waved them out of her way and looked down at the magistrate, who was still unconscious. The guard was about to cut off the excess bandage but then stopped, frozen with fear as he looked up at her, not knowing what to do. “Finish,” said the woman with her eerie, unpleasant voice. The guard cut the bandage with his shaking hands and made sure it was secure. Then he stood and took a step away while he faced her. Her shadow fell over the magistrate as she stepped closer. Many concerned guards moved in as she moved closer. The guard that had bandaged him stood close, with his hand on his sword. “Toad!” she shouted. She leaned over him. “Toad,” she repeated. “Wake up, my sleepy little toad.” She leaned down further and clapped loudly. Then she shouted, “Wake up!” The magistrate slowly turned his head. Several guards stepped closer. One knelt down beside him. His eyes barely opened.

“There you are, my little toad. Wakey, wakey.” The magistrate put his hand on his head and let out a low groan. He heard voices and irritating shouts. Slightly confused, he opened his eyes more and saw only blurred images. He lifted up slightly and saw a dark mass in front of him. He blinked and tried to focus on it. The dark mass crouched down in front of him. As he blinked to clear his vision, she moved her face up close in front of his. “Boo,” said the women in black. The magistrate dropped back down on the ground and tried to pull away when he focused enough to realize who it was. “You scared, little, pathetic toad. Be a man. A big, strong man like you, surely you cannot be afraid of little ole me. After all, I am merely just a woman.” “You’re no woman. You’re a witch,” the magistrate declared. She lunged into his face and expressed the most evil of scowls. “That is right, I am a witch! A witch of the most vile kind.” She moved even closer. “And you had better fear me,” she added through clenched teeth. She drew back slightly and shouted, “Now get up! Get up, little toad.” He kept his eyes fixed on her as he struggled to get up. She stared hard with a scowl on her face. He looked into her dark eyes in their deep, dark green eye sockets. The large brim of her black hat cast a dark shadow on her face, but he was still able to make out all of her green features, her hooked nose with warts, her protruding chin with another wart, her sunken cheeks and high cheek bones. A guard grabbed his arm to assist him in standing. His head still throbbed with pain, and he was off balance as he stood. The witch remained in his face, still staring. Her scowl disappeared, and her facial expression changed to confusion and disbelief as he straightened up. She took a step back to get a full view of his unbelievable height. She took another step back. He stumbled to his side and held his head as he looked at her through squinted eyes. She wore all black with a dress that skimmed the ground and a cape draped over her shoulders that hung down low and rested on the ground.

“Whoa, you are big,” she said as she looked at him, still in disbelief. “And you just had your ass handed to you by a little girl.” She shook her head at his failure. “You fool.” He turned slightly and took a step to catch his balance. He held his head tight. “It was four,” he explained as he squeezed his head in pain. “If one more person hits me in the head, I’m going to kill everyone,” he growled through his teeth. “She had help?” “Yes, she had help,” he mumbled. “Pardon me?” He turned to her, frustrated. “Help. She had help,” he said with a raised voice. “It was a total of four girls.” The witch quickly scanned the surrounding area. The magistrate also looked and saw her downed servants, lying on the street. “Yes. I can see that she must have had accomplices,” the witch confirmed. The witch’s servant, one of the men in black, walked up behind her, dropped to his knees, and begged, “Excuse me, my queen. I—” The witch jerked around and cut him off midsentence as she violently thrust her pointed finger in his face. Several more men in black dropped to their knees as she faced them and spoke with a hostile tone to the one in front. “Where are your manners? Never interrupt me.” She quickly removed her finger as she stared into his eyes. “I will deal with you momentarily.” She spun back around to face the magistrate. “You know my kind is not welcome here, so my servants were sent to keep you informed and to assist with the capture of Morgan,” the witch reminded him. “More specifically, to let you know when she arrived here in your precious town of Coulterfield. Her capture should have given you quite the bounty. But instead, you decided to let her escape. I practically gave her to you.” She threw her hands down to her sides in frustration, “You worthless toad.” The magistrate stood silently, agreeing that she was not welcome there.

She lifted her hand up to her chin as she thought about how to proceed. She looked to the magistrate again. “What about these other girls? Who were they? What do they look like?” “I, uh … I don’t know who they were. First time I’d ever seen them.” “Well? What did they look like?” The magistrate looked down and tried to , but everything was a haze. “Uh … I don’t … I can’t re …” His head was still slightly spinning. She stepped closer, staring at him. As he concentrated, memories came to him. “Cleavage,” he blurted out. “I cleavage. Lots of cleavage.” His only recollection irritated the witch. She reached up, snapping her fingers in his face. “Wake up, toad. Your fantasy is over, you miserable pervert.” He stepped back. “Now focus,” she demanded. “Tell me something useful.” He looked back down, thinking. “I cleavage,” he rambled to himself. More realization hit him. “I red … the color red. The first girl to hit me was wearing all red. She had on a red, hooded cloak.” “There was a blonde with crossbows,” added a guard. The magistrate pointed at him and agreed. “Yeah, yeah, a blonde bitch with crossbows … and the third … the last one to hit me, she had brunette hair. I think it was braided. She hit me in the head with a staff. Her eyes … I think they lit up when she hit me. Like some kind of … maybe she practices magic or something.” The witch pondered the descriptions. “I don’t know of any red cloak … but I wonder … a girl with a staff, whose eyes light up?” She looked up to make eye with the magistrate. “It was three additional girls, you say?” “Yes.”

The witch turned away and looked down, lost in thought. “Three girls. I have heard rumors of three girls within the witch community from years ago. One of them wore all red. They stole …” She looked forward and whispered, “Could it be them?” She turned back around quickly to face the magistrate, with a frantic look on her face. “Morgan,” she blurted out with desperation. “What did you do with her belongings? Last night, when you captured her, what did you do with her things? That is all that truly concerns me,” she confessed. “They were uh … I left them with the innkeeper. She had a room full of belongings. He was instructed to hold them there until we came to gather them today.” Her face turned to disgust. “You really are a fool. You have no idea what she was carrying. I instructed you to seize all of her possessions!” “It was too much to seize. Since no one ever mentioned any specific thing, I wasn’t aware of the proper significance of all her junk. The emphasis was put on capturing Morgan, and that’s what I did,” he fired back forcefully. “The innkeeper can be trusted to hold them.” “Send your garrison there now. That is where they are headed.” “They’re making a run for it. I don’t think—” She cut him off and snapped, “Two things. I gave you two things to do. And you could not do either.” She turned back around to the man in black, who remained kneeling, and commanded, “Gather all your men that remain. Send them with him … all but you …” She leaned closer. “You stay right here with me.” As he stood, she turned back around and was surprised to see the magistrate still standing there. “I don’t think—” he tried to say until he was cut off again. She leapt toward him and screamed, “That is your problem. You do not think. You better get your head right and start thinking. Thinking about moving your men. You have no idea what is in her possession. She would not dare take off without it. Now move it, toad. Get your men moving.” She pushed him in the

direction she wanted him to move. The magistrate did not like being bossed around. He liked being pushed even less. His facial expression was proof. But his king, King Regis, had given him specific orders to follow the witch’s instructions without obstruction in order to get her out of the kingdom as quickly as possible. He stared at her with disapproval and she continued to stare back and then moved to push him again. He turned to face his men and shouted, “We’re going after them. Get to your horses.” “Some have already been dispatched, but no word if they found them,” said one of his guards. “We’re headed to the inn where we captured her. Send any word of their finding to me there.” “Yes, sir.” The town guard had heard their orders and responded quickly. Those that had already assumed a pursuit had already retrieved their horses and were ready to depart. The men in black moved beyond the square toward their own horses. Seeing that his men were moving as commanded, the magistrate moved toward his horse, which was being led to him. As he moved, he turned around to face the witch again, displaying his displeasure for following her orders. He did not fear the witch but felt compelled to follow the orders of the king who did. She sneered at him as he moved away. He grumbled and turned back toward the direction of his horse.

The witch turned away from the magistrate and stepped toward her lead man in black. He quickly dropped back down to his knees. She stepped toward him in a ferocious way. “My queen, I only live to serve you. Please allow me a chance to make this up to you,” he begged with fear. She had long grown tired of his actions and failures, so she raised her hand and manifested a ball of flame. “I have lost my patience with you and your disgusting habits. You have failed me for the last time,” she chided, in a most hostile tone. “No, my queen. I beg you, spare me, please! Please!” She launched the fireball at him. He raised his hands as it slammed into his chest and engulfed him in flames. He screamed out in pain as his flesh melted away. It quickly ended as he burned down into a charred corpse. The smell of charred flesh filled the air. The magistrate and his men watched from their horses as they rode by. The horrific event convinced them to pick up their pace. They rode off in the same direction that Morgan and the other women had fled. The witch smiled at the fear she saw in the guards’ eyes. She took a slow look around at the buildings that stood on the lands her people used to call their own. The thought angered her further. She turned to her broom that leaned against a tree and reached her hand toward it. It lifted and flew into her hand. She grasped it with both hands, stepped forward as she dragged it to her side, and leaned onto it until she was sitting on it. She lifted off and raced through the sky, between buildings, on her way to catch up to the magistrate and his men.

CHAPTER 3

What’s in the Box?

T he women rode through the town. The people they ed took notice of them. The way they ed by so fast and the fact that Morgan was basically naked, they were hard not to notice. Morgan leaned to the side of Red to get a better view of what was ahead. These streets were much more open, and some of the buildings were taller and more architecturally detailed. This area was not as calm and laid back as the town square. It was still Coulterfield, but this part of town had a little more pizzazz. They noticed the smells coming from the different eateries, and they ed performers and entertainers on the road performing various acts. As they neared a stand, Morgan smelled the appetizing aroma that filled the air. The merchant had a tray of skewers, laced with meats and vegetables. He was about to hand one to a customer. Morgan leaned far to her right, and as the customers jumped out of the way, Morgan reached out and snatched the skewer from the outstretched hand of the merchant. He shouted obscenities at them as they rode away. “Would you sit still? Or you’re gonna pull us off the horse,” urged Red. “It’s right up here around the corner on the left,” said Morgan, with her mouth full. “Wha …?” Red twisted to look at Morgan and saw her smile as she bit another cube of pork from the skewer. She pointed forward, with a mouthful. “Up there. Left around the corner.” Red turned back and shook her head. “Take a left around this corner,” shouted Red to the others.

Up ahead, Morgan saw a juggler with several different fruits. She hurried as she bit off the last piece of meat on her skewer. As they got closer, she leaned to the side with her skewer gripped tight in her hand, reached out, and stabbed her skewer into an apple as they hurried past. The juggler lost his rhythm and dropped the remaining fruit, then shouted as they fled. Morgan just smiled and took a large bite of her fresh apple. They cut around the corner. “Large corner tavern on the left,” explained Morgan. They rode straight to it. Morgan was the first off a horse. As the others dismounted, she pulled the remainder of apple off her skewer and reached it out to the horse she had ridden. The horse snatched it up with one bite, and it was gone. Morgan tossed the skewer to the ground and walked up the front steps on the corner of the building while the others tied off their horses out front. Then they ran up the steps to catch up to Morgan, who was already going through the door as she stepped over the ed-out drunkard lying across the front porch. A second drunkard took the ed-out drunkard by the arms and tried to drag him away from the entrance, but when he saw the naked woman ing by, he dropped him and watched her walk in. He smiled, revealing his corroded and missing teeth.

Alexandra took a quick study of the exterior. She was impressed with what she saw. The tavern-inn was a corner building that was attached to the buildings on each side of it. Even though they were attached, the tavern stood out with its fine carvings and detailed architecture. It had large glass windows, very rare in these lands. The building had a lower level that was only midlevel underground, so they had to walk up steps to the first floor. It had an additional two levels, three in some sections, above the first. Its protruding dormers and bay windows were highly detailed with trim. They walked across a large front porch that went down along the entire building on each side. Very detailed, fine-crafted rails and posts lined each side of the porch. “This place looks awesome. Next time we come through here, this is where we’re staying,” Alexandra suggested. The drunkard reached back down to pull the other out of the way, without taking his eyes off the beautiful women that ed by. “If there is a next time,” said Red. They stepped through the door. Morgan walked right in and moved toward the center of the large front lobby area. She looked to her left at the bar and shouted, “Hey, everybody, I’m back. Now where’s my stuff?” She spun around to face the front desk. Everyone in the bar looked at the naked lady that shouted from the lobby. Three drunkards got up and moved toward the lobby. Ali looked around at all the movement and nearly bumped into a barmaid that carried a drink tray over her shoulder from the lounge area on the right, headed toward the bar. The barmaid ducked her head and shifted the tray of empty steins to shield her face as she hurried past her. Morgan shouted, “He’s the innkeeper!” Ali spun around and looked at Morgan as she lunged toward the innkeeper at the front desk. His eyes widened with fear and he stepped back against the wall and large windows. Morgan leaned over the desk but couldn’t reach him. He sprinted toward the side door. Without hesitation, Red pulled one of her knives and threw it. It plunged into the door, inches away from his hand as he grabbed the handle. “Hands off,” ordered

Red. He jerked his hand away from the door and leaned back against the wall with his hands up, facing them. “Please. I have no quarrel with you.” Red and Morgan both darted toward him. “Just hand over my clothes, and you’ll be fine. I heard the magistrate tell you to hold them.” The three drunken men from the bar moved closer behind them. Megan turned around to face what she heard behind her. “You guys just back off. This doesn’t concern you,” Megan commanded. They stood there with glazed looks on their faces. One took a step closer. Alexandra tried to check out the interior of the establishment, but the drunkards distracted her. She moved closer to Megan, who had lifted her staff up to the chest of the drunkard in front and pushed him back. Because of his drunkenness, he lost his footing and stumbled back into the others and then went down. “I warned you,” Megan snickered. A second man stepped forward, and Alexandra lifted her crossbow and shouted, “Back off!” “Now yube juss wai-i-t a minute there, purdy laby. Ya camp go-in heeere all half dressss-ed and what not, and starp arrasssin the custobers,” the drunk slurred as he stumbled forward. “We don’t have time for this,” Red shouted as she slammed the innkeeper against the wall. Red reached past the innkeeper and yanked her knife out of the door, only to shove it up against his throat. “Where’s her clothes?” she growled. Morgan moved in closer. “Is it still in my room?” The innkeeper just stood there shaking, unable to speak. The third drunkard stepped toward Megan, so she punched him in the face. He stumbled back but not down. “Hey,” he muttered. Megan slammed her fist into his face a second time and this time knocked him down. She stood over the first

drunkard she had knocked down. He lay there and grabbed at her legs. He tried to pull her down as she stepped back. He had a hold of her as she dragged him back a step. He reached up under her skirt at her thong and tried to pull it down. “Knock it off,” Megan screamed, followed by a downward swing of her staff. It whacked him in the top of his head, and he fell back hard to the floor. “Stop playing with them,” Red shouted while she slammed the innkeeper’s head into the wall and jammed her blade tighter against his throat. “Where’s her stuff?” The innkeeper finally pointed to the ceiling. Morgan turned and ran toward the steps, and up she went. Alexandra hit one of the drunkards so she could follow Morgan. “Why d-ya keep hittin me? I juft wan a bet-r look at dat gal’s booobies,” the drunkard slurred. Red dragged the innkeeper over toward the men and drop kicked the biggest drunk, and he flew back toward the bar and fell down onto the floor. All the women moved toward the stairs. “We have to hurry,” explained Red. “They’re coming after us.” Red dragged the innkeeper up with them. Morgan reached the second floor and ran to her room. She quickly returned. “It’s locked with a thick chain, and I don’t have any of my tools to pick it,” Megan complained. Red slammed the innkeeper into the wall. The wall shook, and a framed picture dropped to the floor. “Where’s the key?” Red shouted. “I don’t know,” he cried. Red jerked his wrist and slammed it against the wall. She stabbed her knife into the wall and severed one of his fingers. He dropped to his knee, panting as he tried to breathe. He let out a loud cry and groaned in pain. “I don’t know. Please! Please! I don’t know. They came and took her away, then put a lock on the door.” He slid down the wall to the floor and cried, “They didn’t leave me a key.”

Morgan looked up. “There’s a balcony out back. I bet I can get across from the room next door,” she explained. “We’ll check it out. One of you get the horses, and the other take watch,” Megan ordered. Red and Alexandra turned and went their separate ways. “I got the horses,” called out Red. Morgan kicked the neighboring door in. Red ran down the steps. Alexandra stayed on the second floor and ran to the front corner to look out the large bay window. From there she could see down the entire street for quite the distance. The innkeeper remained on the floor holding his bleeding hand. Alexandra couldn’t help but notice the elegant furnishings of the wide-open sitting area she was in. The ceilings were tall, and the bay windows were huge. She ired the curtains and stroked them as she glanced out the windows. “So pretty. You have a beautiful establishment here.” “Thank you,” the innkeeper cried.

Megan followed Morgan into the neighboring room. They heard a muffled scream from the whore that was attending to the room’s patron. She jumped toward the headboard as the man tried to cover up with blankets. Morgan waved as she stormed past. “Hey there. How’s it going?” she asked. He nervously waved back and replied with a low, confused voice, “Good, I suppose.” The room was fairly large with a second bed just past the half wall that separated the two sleeping areas. The second bed was unoccupied. Morgan opened the balcony door.

Red untied the horses and mounted hers, then rode down past the tavern-inn with the other two horses in tow. She found an arched ageway tunnel that led through the buildings to the back alleyway. She ed through into the alley. From there she saw Morgan had already crossed to her balcony, and Megan was climbing over. Morgan reached for Megan’s arm and pulled her across. The balconies were a good distance apart. Megan was clearly not as experienced as Morgan at that kind of exercise. Red moved closer and watched as Morgan kicked in the back door to the room she had rented for the night before. Morgan quickly entered, and Megan followed. The man from next door stepped out onto the balcony wrapped in a blanket. The woman stepped out behind him and pulled him back in. Before she shut the door, she stuck her head out to look herself. Red observed the back of the building. The lower level was completely out of ground on the backside, so they were three stories up. She tried to figure out a way for them to get down.

Morgan and Megan were in. There was random stuff thrown everywhere. Morgan looked around at everything, and then she dropped to the floor in front of a chest of drawers and jerked one of the draws out and threw it. Megan ripped the bed coverings off as she watched Morgan poke her head inside and reach up behind a higher drawer. She pulled out a satchel and reached in. She dropped the satchel and held a little wooden box. As she opened it, a shimmer of light reflected out on her face, and she smiled. She snapped the box shut and set it down. As Megan pondered what could be in the box, she took a quick look around at all the junk strewn all over the place. She walked back out on the balcony as Morgan rummaged through her piles, looking for clothes. Megan looked down and saw Red. “You’re up there pretty high, Megan. Better figure out how you’re getting down here. I have no suggestions,” Red warned. Megan went back in and yanked more of the beddings off the bed. She tied some sheets together while Morgan hastily changed into some new panties. Next she put on a shirt. Megan tied off another sheet and threw it out to the balcony, looking over at Morgan as she dragged her long boots out of her pile. “Looks like they threw your things all over the place. Did they take anything?” asked Megan. “No. I don’t think they even came in here.” “Oh.” Megan cringed as she looked around at the disheveled mess. “Well, I hope you’re a little more tidy while you’re traveling with us.” “Sure, Mom. I’ll do my best,” Morgan smirked. Megan stepped over some articles of clothing and went out to the balcony. She started to tie the sheets to the rail. “Hurry up,” Red shouted. “What could possibly be taking so long?”

“They’re coming! They are coming! And it’s a lot of them,” Alexandra shouted from the hall. She beat on the door and repeated herself. Megan looked back in at Morgan. “All right, you heard her. Let’s go.” Morgan squeezed her foot into her second thigh-high boot. She pulled it up and latched it to her belt. She then grabbed a rolled-up cloth and spread it out on the bed and revealed ten long throwing blades. She quickly inserted them into the sheaths on the shins of her boots, five in each boot. She adjusted her sword on her belt and fastened it tight. Megan threw the sheets over the rail to create their escape. Irritated, Megan shouted, “Morgan, hurry up.” Morgan pulled her hair back and tied it into two little pigtails, then ran to the corner beside her bed. Megan ran back in from the balcony to see what was taking so long, while Red tugged on the hanging sheets to make sure they were secure. Morgan shoved things into her satchel as Megan stared at her, waiting impatiently. Megan ran back out and saw Red looking up at the sky, so she looked too. She saw something moving through the sky that turned around and was heading straight for them. “What the hell is that?” Megan pondered. As it moved closer, a look of terror came over Megan’s face. “Oh no,” Megan gasped. Morgan stepped out and moved in front of Megan, ready to climb down. Megan grabbed her and threw her back in and almost knocked her down. “What’s your problem?” Morgan questioned with a puzzled look on her face. Megan jumped back in with a finger to her lips to shush her. Then they heard the thunderous sound of heavy footsteps marching up the stairs. “What are we doing? They’re here,” said Morgan. The guards beat on the door and fumbled through keys. Megan told her with a low voice, “Just hold on for one second.” Megan slowly moved to the edge of the balcony door and peeked out. She saw the witch flying

toward them, fast. She gripped her staff tightly and held it ready to swing. Just as the broom handle ed through the door, Megan swung her staff as fast as she could and hit the witch in her chest, knocking her back and altering her course of direction. The witch flew up into the ceiling, bounced across the room, and slammed into the wall. “Holy crap,” Morgan gasped. Megan grabbed Morgan’s wrist and took off out the door. “Let’s go!” Megan was first over the rail and climbed down the sheets. Morgan was over and descended faster. She leapt off over Megan and landed beside a horse. She jumped up onto it. Megan dropped down the rest of the way and climbed up with Morgan on the same horse. Alexandra was already on her horse and tied a rope across the side tunnel entrance, where Red had entered the alley. Back inside, guards unlocked the chain and crashed through the door. The witch struggled to get up. The women took off on their horses down the alley. The magistrate and his men headed for them from inside the side entrance way. “There they are!” shouted the magistrate as they rode past the end of the tunnel. His men out front hit the rope Ali had tied off and were knocked off their horses. The magistrate and others pulled back on their reins and stopped. He reached out with his sword and severed the rope. Three guards stepped out from Morgan’s room onto the balcony. The witch barged out behind them and pushed her way through to the front and knocked one off. He desperately grabbed the rail as he flipped over. He got a grip and held tight. The witch held up her broken broom and threw it off the balcony, screaming as she launched fireballs toward the fleeing women. The magistrate and his men came riding out into the alleyway and ducked the fireballs. Some moved back to safety in the ageway. Megan jerked out of the way, but Alexandra was hit in the back by a fireball. She lurched forward and barely held onto the horse. Morgan gasped. “Ali, are you all right?” Megan screamed.

Alexandra looked over and nodded. She smiled at Morgan but looked like she was in pain. More fireballs flew past and in between them.

The witch looked at the magistrate and screamed at him with a loud hostile tone, “You better get them. Bring me Morgan’s satchel.” She returned to throwing more fireballs. They hit nowhere near their intended target. The women were too far away. The building on the other side of the alley had caught fire because of the witch’s short throws. The magistrate and his men still ducked, afraid to pursue out of fear of being hit. The magistrate turned and shouted at her, “Would you knock it off?” She gave him a disgusted look and grasped the railing with both hands. His men took off after them as the magistrate kept an eye on the witch and waved them out of the tunnel.

The women raced through the town streets again. Alexandra leaned forward as she held onto the horse. Red moved close and tried to examine her back. “Looks like your shirt may need a little repair, but you look fine,” Red said. “That actually hurt this time,” Alexandra complained. “I told the both of you, the longer you were here, the more susceptible you would become to magic. And there it is, Alexandra,” Red pointed out. “So you’re good?” Megan asked. “Yeah, I’m good. The pain is already subsiding,” Alexandra replied. They saw the forest of tall trees in the distance. As they reached the edge of town, the streets turned to dirt. There were no more large buildings to by. They now only saw fencing and a few wooden structures. They continued moving toward Walcaster Forest. Megan turned back to look. The guards still pursued from a good distance back. “They’re still coming,” she warned. Morgan turned around and tried to judge the distance, but all the dust that was kicked up made it difficult. “Too much dust to see anymore.” “I have an idea.” Megan looked up ahead as they entered the forest. A small party of travelers was riding the same direction as they were. When they got closer to the group, Megan shouted out to them, “Watch out, friends. We’re being chased by witches. They’re killing everyone in their path.” The people looked at them with fear in their eyes and kicked hard into their horses, taking off at a much faster pace. Witches once plagued and ravaged these lands, and all that lived there or close by were all too familiar with the memories or stories of such devastation. They all rode alongside each other and kicked up more dust. They stayed together for a short while, and then the women began to slow. Once all the travelers had moved ahead them, the women slowed down drastically and turned off the dirt road on the right side.

“Slow down more. Try not to kick up any dust,” insisted Megan. They moved off the trail and rode down into a ravine through thick forestry. They ducked down and silently waited. They listened to the garrison as it rode by. It felt as though the ground shook. “Has to be more than fifty men,” Red whispered. Megan looked at Morgan and wondered why such a large group … and a witch were after her. What was Morgan hiding? She knew they wanted her for some reason, but she was more concerned with why she needed her, so she let the rest go unmentioned. “We need to circle back around the town and get to the other side. We need to be heading southwest,” said Megan. “But let’s take a different route. Stay off any road we’ve already traveled. I suggest we avoid Coulterfield altogether,” Alexandra suggested. The other three nodded in agreement, and they slowly headed down along the ravine.

CHAPTER 4

Enter the MacBaers

I n the eastern outskirts of Coulterfield, dozens of men were gathered at a trading post. The east side was outside of the developed communities and located in the heart of Walcaster Forest. It was just past the middle of the sunny, hot day, but the men and horses rested in the shade of the two-hundred-foot-tall trees. Horses were tied off at the troughs, and the horse-drawn wagon with provisions and a few birdcages was set up in the center of the men. These men were dressed for war, and all bore the crest of House MacBaer. Most men were positioned nearby and around a drinking well, and there in the center, drinking with a large ladle, was Lord Randall MacBaer himself. Randall was the only one to wear solid black armor, as his father had before him, with a large crest in the center. But he had modified his armor to be more easily distinguished from his father. The armor that covered his left shoulder was shaped into a large bear’s head with a gaping mouth. He also allowed his black hair to grow longer than that of a normal soldier and wore a full beard. He carried a larger than average battle sword and had two knives side by side that protruded out sideways from under his back plate on his right side. He stood six feet, with an above-average athletic build. He was a strong, determined man, extremely skilled with a sword and well trained in the art of warfare and military tactics. However, he was a man of many faults. In his life, he was surrounded by many that were loyal to him. He paid them well for it, but he was not a man with many friends, if any. He was self-centered and snobbish, and he cared only about his reputation and legacy. He would lie and exaggerate to boost that reputation. Though a good leader, he was still willing to sacrifice many to achieve his goals. He didn’t care who was in the way when it came to getting what he wanted. He did have a moral code to a point but lived by his own rules and answered to no king or council. Lady Brianna MacBaer, his wife, stood on his right. And his son, Randall II, was further off to the side practicing his sword skills with one of their captains. They

called him Rand for short. He had just turned nineteen and was full of energy. So much so that he could not wait there patiently, so he practiced his sword with whoever was willing. His desire to learn pleased his demanding father. Randall MacBaer took another sip of water and then watched his son with a smile of approval. “He has a great deal of energy, but I hope he doesn’t wear out your men.” Brianna chuckled. Randall wiped the water from his beard with his hand. “Nonsense. My men are the best, most well trained around here. Trained most myself. A little sparring with a boy is not enough to wear them down.” “A boy that’s bigger than quite a few of your men and taller than you. He is more than a boy and not so easily sparred against.” “Of course he’s an irable opponent; he is my son,” he stated proudly. They both watched as their son sparred. Their son was a good student. He listened intently to the instructions from the captain as he sparred against him. Rand was young but strong enough to easily move in his chainmail tunic and armor. He carried a sword and short sword, along with a concealed dagger. The armor was a very dark gray, matching the armor of MacBaer’s men. On the right side of his breastplate was the round crest of his family’s house, a bear that had symbolized the MacBaer house for generations. He proudly wore it. Randall’s wife, Brianna, had even fewer friends. Anyone that knew her truly knew the meaning of the word bitch, when applied to a woman. She had a horrible childhood and an even worse early adulthood. After her parents were killed, she was abused and tortured by every person she ever came across while growing up. She learned to survive and fight under the harshest of circumstances. Though not tested, she could probably best all of the men under her husband’s command. With an entire life spent in the worst of conditions, she now demanded the best of everything, and Randall was willing to provide it for her. She was tall, with professionally styled, blonde hair, a beautiful face, and unbelievably large breasts on her very athletically built body. She always wore makeup and perfume. Her shirt was a long-sleeve, blue leather mesh with armor over her breasts, and her leather pants were tight and dark gray, with an expensive fur trim around her waist. Thigh-high, leather, black boots, matching

gloves, and a short, dark gray cape with a fur trim around her shoulders finished off her outfit. She carried a man’s sword at the hip and an unknown amount of hidden blades. She hated the world but loved what had become of her life with her husband and son. A rider approached. “The scout returns,” a soldier informed. Randall turned and watched as he arrived. Then he reached in and scooped out another drink of water as he leaned against the well. “Lord. Lord, I bring news,” the scout declared. “Out with it, man,” he replied. “Our earlier information was correct. They did capture the girl Morgan last night, but unfortunately she was scheduled for execution a short while ago. If that’s the case, sir, she is already dead.” Randall drew back, surprised. Rand stopped sparring suddenly and ran over. “What did you say?” Brianna lifted her hand to silence him as they spoke. “Executed? For theft?” Randall doubted. “Apparently, she killed some of the guards when they were putting her in the dungeon.” A noticeably upset Rand pushed his mother’s arm down. “She’s just a harmless girl,” Rand proclaimed. “Hardly capable of killing anyone.” Randall turned to his son and shouted, “Son, I told you—that girl was not who you thought she was.” He turned to his wife. “This complicates things. If she’s dead, they’ve taken all of her possessions. That means they have what’s mine. To get it back will be difficult. I’m not on good with their king. Worse with the local magistrate … as you should know. They’ll never turn it over to me.”

“Damn. She can’t be dead,” Rand argued. “Shut up, boy. Shut up. There are things far more important here than your little slut,” Randall roared. “She was not a—” “Rand, shush. You’re pissing your father off. What exactly did you think your father was going to do to her once he got his hands on her?” his mother explained. Rand turned away, frustrated and upset. He walked away quickly. Randall looked to his captain. “We ride. Gather the men.” Randall and his wife quickly mounted their horses as the captain signaled for all the men to prepare to leave. Randall took off with his wife at his side. The men mounted their horses and filed into formation. They traveled toward the town square in Coulterfield. Randall looked over at Brianna and smirked. “If they won’t hand over what’s mine, then I’ll just have to take it.” “Yes, my love. Of course you will. Just like old times.” “Yeah. Just like old times.”

CHAPTER 5

Everyone Wants Morgan

T he women had already ridden back around Coulterfield and were about to exit on the south side. They still rode hard. Alexandra looked over at the new girl, Morgan, and gave her dirty looks behind her back. “I think we’re safe now. We lost them,” Megan said, hoping. “Yeah, we lost them all right, but I gotta ask, what the hell was that?” Alexandra demanded. “What do you mean?” “You know what I mean. Where did that witch come from?” “Are you asking me?” “I’m asking everyone here. What was she doing there?” “I don’t know,” assured Megan. Morgan shrugged her shoulders. “I mean, this was supposed to be simple. Find Morgan. Ask for her help, then we’re off on another one of Megan’s exciting adventures, but no. First, Morgan is locked up and about to be burned to death. We had to fight the whole flaming town to save her,” Alexandra snapped. “It can’t always work out perfect,” Megan explained. “Yeah, Alexandra. Crap happens. You know how it is,” chided Red. Alexandra rode up closer and slightly ahead of Megan, so she could face

Morgan. “Hey, Morgan, I thought you never get caught, or some garbage like that,” Alexandra said. Morgan smirked. “I don’t.” “Well, hello. You just were.” “Something happened,” she tried to explain. “Yeah, I’ll say. Something happened. Lucky for you we showed up when we did. You owe us big time.” “I said thanks.” Red turned around and stared hard at Alexandra. “Would you shut up and back off? We need her help. You’re going to run her off.” “Excuse me for asking a question. We just got chased by like a hundred men, and I want to know why,” Alexandra insisted. “They were chasing us because we stole their prisoner and kicked the magistrate’s ass in front of the whole town,” explained Megan. “The amount was excessive, and I’m mostly talking about the witch. Out of nowhere just appears a devil on a broomstick? Why?” Alexandra shouted. “How does she fit into all of this?” “You’re starting to repeat yourself again,” stated Megan. “Well, I haven’t gotten an answer yet. What’s a witch doing in Walcaster? I thought they were all run out of there. Years ago. By … um … that guy. Uh, what’s his name? You all know the dude I’m talking about.” Red piped in, “MacBaer.” “Yeah. That dude. The MacBaers. They killed all the witches, and they haven’t been seen around here for years.” “About twenty,” Red added. “She does have a point, Megan. Why was the witch there?”

Megan looked at Red, confused. “Why are you asking me? How am I supposed to know?” “You’re the witch expert.” “I’m so sick of hearing that. You have a run in or two with a witch, and everyone thinks that makes you an expert. Well, the both of you were there with me, so does that make you experts too?” “We were there, but you’re the one that killed them all.” “That was an accident, and you know it. Maybe we should be asking Morgan about the witch.” Megan turned around on the horse, and the others faced her too. “Don’t look at me,” Morgan requested. “You don’t know anything about why she was there?” asked Alexandra. “Nope.” “You didn’t steal anything from her?” “I make it my business to stay as far away from witches as I can. And I don’t just steal from people … usually. I’m hired to steal from people. If I’ve somehow crossed that witch, I’m sorry, but I’m not aware of it. Let’s just hope with that broken broom she won’t be moving around much.” “She’s after something. And they don’t usually give up that easily. Not till they get what they want, or they’re dead,” Megan explained. “See. She’s the expert,” Red jested. “You can just add another notch to your collection.” Red and Alexandra smiled at her as she cut them a look, but then she began to smile herself. “I don’t have a collection. And I don’t want to hear about it anymore.” Megan leaned back and turned to speak to Morgan. “They joke about me being a

witch expert because when we all first met, I accidentally killed a bunch. A total accident and pure dumb luck.” “Like you said, we were there. It was a little more than luck,” explained Red “Hope you’re satisfied, Ali. None of us know anything about the witch,” Megan stated. Alexandra smirked and looked forward. She kept quiet but knew Morgan was a liar. She feared if she forced the issue, Morgan would disappear, and the others would blame her, so she dropped it but kept an eye on her.

Meanwhile, back in the town square of Coulterfield, the MacBaers and their men arrived on the southeast end, next to the magistrate’s office. They saw not a single person about in the streets. Randall and Brianna looked around, confused. “Where is everyone?” asked Rand. “I don’t know,” muttered Brianna. “I don’t understand. This was always a busy time of day here. There should be more than a hundred people out here walking around.” “More than that. Look there.” Randall pointed. “All the fruit stands are still out.” “I see, dear. But where are the farmers?” They moved slowly toward the courthouse on the north end of the square, where the execution platform rested. “Look at how clean the streets are. That dumb-ass still wastes good coin sweeping the streets clean,” Randall ridiculed. “I think it looks nice,” Brianna stated. “Of course you would. You’re a woman. You naturally hate coin. That’s why you all get rid of it as fast as you can,” Randall explained. He turned to his men and ordered, “Spread out and be on guard. Something’s amiss here.” They obeyed his orders and spread out as they entered the farmers’ market section. The riders in the grass ed by the fruit stands and snatched up a quick bite. Randall turned when he heard the crunching sound as the rider bit down into a fresh apple. He raised his hand, and his man tossed him one. Randall bit down into it as he continued to look around. They approached the execution platform. One rider was around the other side and dismounted his horse. As he picked up the formerly lit log, Randall noticed the miniscule amount of partially charred logs at the burning post. “Sir, this never had a chance to burn,” the rider informed. “I see. I’m looking at the entire thing. It’s barely been lit. No one’s been executed here today,” Randall confirmed.

Rand was elated. “She’s still alive.” Randall was happy about the news but for different reasons. His son still managed to irritate him. Randall shouted out to the town, “Hello! What has taken place here?” They looked around and saw no movement. Heard no reply. “We only wish to ask a few questions,” Brianna added. “We mean you no harm. Someone, come out.” Still not a sound. The scene felt eerily familiar to Randall. He looked to his wife. “This is ridiculous. This reminds me of the old days. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear there were wit …” Randall gasped as he looked down and saw the pile of ash on the other side of the platform. He quickly moved toward it for a closer look. He stared at the pile and then looked all around. He spun his horse around in circles and looked up in the sky. “What is it?” Brianna pleaded. Randall looked at the men with a serious face and commanded with a stern voice, “Spread the men out. Form a perimeter.” “What’s wrong?” she demanded as the men followed their orders. Randall looked her in the eye. “Witches.” Everyone turned to him in disbelief. Brianna gasped, “Are you sure?” His son echoed the same words. “I spent the better part of my younger days hunting down witches. I know a witch when I see one.” He pointed down to the pile of ash, and everyone looked. “See that? A witch did that.” Everyone was more alert now. They spun around and looked in every possible direction, including up. “I never thought I would live to see the day witches would dare to return to these

territories,” Randall confessed. “I’ve never even seen a witch,” Rand stated. “That’s right. That’s because I killed them all. I hunted down and killed every single one I could find. A few of the smarter ones fled before I could get to them, but I choked the life out of so many with these very hands.” He held his hands up and looked at them with iration. “Ah … those were the days.” “With your bare hands?” “With these hands right here. It’s all about fear, boy. They used it against everyone. But if you show no fear, they become consumed with it themselves. And their black magic becomes useless. Then you’re free to kill them however you like.” Randall looked around again. “I have no time to go door-to-door to force information out of these cowards.” He took off through the grass beside the road toward buildings and called out, “I am Lord Randall MacBaer. I have come to slay a witch. Would one of you be kind enough to tell me where she went?” His men rode up closer to him. Finally a few windows began to open. The door of a dry goods shop cracked open. The merchant poked his head out slowly and looked around before he stepped out. He looked around again and then bolted toward Randall. More people began to step outside their doors to look around. Randall moved closer to the merchant to speak to him. “What has happened here?” As the merchant explained about the botched execution and Morgan’s rescue, Randall continued to keep his eyes open, in search of any other witches. “Where was the magistrate during all of this?” Randall questioned. “Oh, he was right there in the middle of it. They whacked him in the head with a big stick, and he was out cold.” “What?” Brianna said. “Duncan? You’re talking about Duncan? They knocked him out cold?” Randall

responded in doubt. “Yes, sir, for quite a while. Was the witch that got him up,” the merchant explained. “But Duncan is more than twice the size of a normal man. I find that hard to believe.” “Shock for us too, sir. But they got the drop on him. When her friends confronted him, they had all their womanly parts all hanging out, distracted him real good, and the other one hit him from the side, right in the head. I thought for sure he was dead, the way he went down and all.” “Then the witch got him up? Did she attack him?” “No. She screamed at him for a minute. Then the magistrate got his men and they took off. She flew off with him.” “They’re working together?” he blurted out in shock. “I suppose. Don’t really know much about that. Saw most of it while I was running away.” Randall looked over at Brianna, and she looked back at him. They were both disturbed by that information. The merchant pointed. “That’s the way they all went. The witch too. “Don’t worry about that witch anymore. You tell your people not to worry. She won’t be back.” “Thank you, sir. I sure hope you find her.” “Trust me, I will.” Randall turned toward the direction he needed to travel and looked at his men. Rand looked at his father and beamed with excitement. “I knew it. I knew she was still alive.” Randall shook his head with disappointment. He had thought maybe his son was

excited about hunting down a witch together. “You’re testing my patience, boy. You’re really pushing it. You better hope that witch gets to your precious Morgan before I do. I’m going to do much worse to her than that witch ever could.” Rand jerked away at the comments and took off in the direction that Morgan had gone. Randall looked at Brianna. “I don’t know how our old friend got mixed up into business with a witch, but they’re all after our son’s slut. That means they want what’s mine. I may be forced to kill them all.” She shrugged her shoulders and pretended she didn’t care, but Randall knew she was upset. “I’d still like to know how he got taken by a bunch of women,” Randall said as he pondered the situation. “Your old boyfriend, what an idiot. After all these years, he still chokes up when it comes to fighting a woman. Ever since we …” Randall stopped abruptly. He shouted to his men, “Move out. We got us a witch to hunt.” The men took off. “Ever since you what?” Brianna asked. He looked at his wife with a stern expression. “Never ask me about those days.” “Well you brought it up. Talking all proud about yourself.” “It was a mistake … drop it. I need to focus on what’s ahead of us.” Brianna looked over at him with a seductive grin. “Oh, Randall MacBaer rides again. I’m so excited.” She smiled at him hungrily. “Yeah,” he snickered. “You just hold onto that. I got just what you need right here.” They took off fast, still looking at each other. Randall reached over and squeezed her breast over the top of her breast armor. She smiled and blew him a kiss. Many more townspeople walked out into the square and watched as they rode off. They shouted and wished them success.

The neighboring city to the north of Coulterfield was Chosterfield, and the road the magistrate was traveling led there. As he crossed into the city, there was a large wood mill with dozens of work hands moving about. Some cleaned up as the end of the workday drew near while others strapped down large pallets of freshly stacked, cut wood. Another group cleared newly arrived timber from wagons to be prepared for the next workday. There were several smaller buildings and sheds in the rear of the property, and there in front was the large wood mill. A laborer carried out wood and stacked it on a horse-drawn wagon for delivery. The magistrate and laborer knew each other. When he saw the magistrate approach, he stopped what he was doing and greeted him. The magistrate also saw him. “Hey there.” “Hello, good sir. Long time no see. How you doing?” asked the laborer. The magistrate turned his horse around and looked in all directions as his many men spread out between the buildings. The laborer looked at them, confused. “What’s going on? You running from witches too?” The magistrate jerked around to face him. “What’s that?” he barked. Surprised by his tone, the laborer tried to explain, “A few traders came—” “Four women came through here?” he interrupted. “No, sir, just a few of my regular customers. All men,” he assured. “There were no women?” “No. No women at all. Only men. They came racing through here. Said they were being chased by witches.” “You’re not lying to me, are you?” He frowned in total confusion. “No, sir. Why would I do that? We go back quite a ways. I got no reason to lie to you, especially about some drunk fools and their

drunken tales. Haven’t been witches in this territory for many years.” “I gotta ask one more time. Are you sure no women came through here?” “No, sir. Not a one.” The magistrate continued to look around. “Yeah. I know you’re telling the truth. As good as them babes looked, the mere mention of them would have you smiling like a boy after his first screw. Which way you said them traders went?” The laborer laughed lightly, still thinking they babbled drunken nonsense. “Those fools went up that way. Hiding in one of my wood sheds. All afraid of them imaginary witches.” He pointed to the sheds. “I wouldn’t be laughing too much. Those fools aren’t as drunk as you think them to be. You’ll be seeing a witch here shortly.” “What are we to do?” he gasped. The magistrate looked to his man and pointed up to the wood sheds. “Check it out. Question them thoroughly.” “Yes, sir,” replied the guard. The magistrate looked back to the laborer. “Are you kidding or serious?” asked the laborer. “I would never joke about witches,” the magistrate assured. “W-what should we do?” “Don’t you worry about a thing. She’s with me. She’ll bring you no harm.” “T-t-then w-what’s her b-business h-here?” The magistrate turned around and spotted the witch as she approached from a distance down the road. “Speak of the devil. Here she is now.” The laborer took a step around the magistrate’s horse to get a better view. She was about a hundred yards away on a horse. He thought that to be strange. As a

child, he had only ever seen them travel by broom. As she got closer, he slowly stepped backward to the other side of his wagon. His horses shuffled around and made noises. Her approach put them at unease. He was terrified but at the same time couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She got close enough to speak. “How can you ride these monstrous creatures? This is most uncomfortable,” she complained. “Yeah, I’m sure. As compared to riding around with a broom handle stuck in the crack of your ass all day,” the magistrate joked. “Watch your tongue, toad,” she sneered. “We do not straddle the broom, you ignorant fool. We do what you would refer to as sitting side saddle.” “Excuse me for not being properly versed on the way a witch’s ass is used.” Her scowl worsened. “You will overlook the fact that I am a witch, and you will address me with the proper respect of a lady and watch your choice of words.” “Then perhaps you should consider not calling me a toad.” “I see you as a toad, so toad it is.” “What about what I see you as? How would you like me—” “Enough!” the witch growled. “Why have you stopped? Do you have her?” “Bad news, my lady. We’ve lost them.” Her eyes bulged and her neck tightened as a scowl formed across her face. “Tear this place apart,” she demanded. “They are here.” The witch was now next to the magistrate. “They’re not here.” “How can you be so sure?” The laborer stepped out from behind his wagon, and she stared at him. “M-mma’am, uh … ma’am. I-I’ve b-been here all d-day. Y-you’re the first lady I’ve seen to come through here,” stammered the laborer.

The witch looked at her saddle, trying to figure out how to get down. She lifted her left leg up to swing over the back of the horse. The magistrate jumped down and rushed to help her. Her back was to him as she lowered down. He placed his hands on her sides, and she flinched and dove against the horse to pull away from him. She turned to look at him with a most vicious expression. “Don’t you ever put your hands on me again,” she bellowed. “What? You said to treat you like a lady.” Raising his voice, he added, “I help ladies get off horses.” “Don’t touch me again,” she echoed with a low, hostile voice. She lowered down and planted her left foot on the ground. She tried to put her right foot down, but it was stuck in the stirrup, and she fell back. The magistrate caught her. She flailed around and tried to get her foot loose. “Set still,” he ordered. He grabbed her ankle from underneath and lifted her foot out of the stirrup. She slammed her foot down to the ground and spun away from him, then swung her arm into him to move him as she stormed past toward the terrified laborer. “So I am to believe you are a truthful man, now are you?” she said loudly. “Y-y-yes, m-ma’am. Yes I am.” “Yes. That is correct. You would not dare lie to me, now would you?” “N-n-n-no, ma’am.” The witch raised her hand and motioned him away. “Run along now. Run along,” she suggested. He started to walk away backward, quickly. The witch continued, “Yes, you run along now. Go home to your little brats. Tell them scary stories, scary stories about the witch and your grand tale of survival from the clutches of the hideous witch. Indeed, what a grand tale that would be.” He turned and ran away as fast as he could.

She turned to face the magistrate, but before she could speak, he spoke. “Insulting his kids was real ladylike,” he teased. She smirked and shook her head. “Well, well, well. What is a toad to do now?” “First I’m going to inform you that you are to address me as magistrate or sir. No more of the toad nonsense.” She smirked. “You were informed that it was I that would be giving the orders on this little excursion.” “I grow tired of this charade. You are not—” “Lower your tone. I accept your request. No more toad business, and to make us both happy, we will consider this a partnership. You want Morgan for making you look like a fool, and I want what she has that belongs to me. Together we will get both.” “Fine. Then what am I to call you?” “Ma’am or madam will do just fine. Even your condescending gesture of ‘my lady’ is acceptable.” “What? You don’t have a name?” “Witches do not give out names. Our business is our own.” The guard that had been sent away returned with information. “Sir.” “Go ahead.” “Sir, the men were approached while en route to this location by four women matching the description. One of the women told them witches were chasing them and that they were killing everyone in sight. The men believed them and took off fast to get away. The women were riding alongside them for a while, but at some point they noticed the women were gone. Not sure where, but that is all they know.” “That’s just great. Let’s thank all the witches,” he leaned down in the witch’s face, “and their terrifying reputation.”

The witch smiled. “So, it would seem the oaf has finally found his sack.” He laughed. “Now I’ve seen it all. A witch with a smile on her face that makes such lovely, ladylike comments.” He lifted his hands and placed them on each of her shoulders. “This partnership might just work after all,” he added. She stared at him and then pushed a hand off. He removed the other and leaned back in the straight position. Her smile disappeared. “Don’t get too brave, my frisky giant. Your attitude will change soon enough … when my associates arrive.” “We have more than enough men here already, between yours and mine.” He turned to get back on his horse. “They are not men,” she explained. He lowered his foot back down and turned with a shocked look that turned to anger. She began to smile again. He hopped back up on his horse. “That’s not going to help,” he declared. “I don’t know how you imagine that it would. My men won’t be able to function. They have a hard enough time with you here. Now they’ll spend more time worrying about all of you witches than about doing their jobs. Every wrong move or miracle they can’t make happen, they’ll have a fireball up their ass, like you did to your man in black back at the square. I have a responsibility to my men.” “What I did to my servant is of no concern of yours. This is all your fault,” she said while she struggled to get back on the horse and failed. “You did this. I gave you two simple tasks. Take her possessions and hold her. You failed at both. Why were you trying to execute her in the first place? She’s just a thief,” the witch questioned as she struggled with the horse. “What I was doing to her is no concern of yours,” he mimicked. She looked at him hard. “She killed two of my guards,” he snapped. “I had no choice. You said you only wanted her possessions anyway. She was to remain with me.” “It does not matter. It is still your fault. And my associates will be here soon, you giant oaf.”

“Just when I thought we were starting to get along, you go and screw it up.” He looked at her as she continued to struggle with getting up on the horse. “Do you need my help getting …” She pulled herself up, finally, before he finished and grunted as she positioned herself properly on her saddle. “This foul beast will be the end of my back,” she snapped. “You’ll get used to it.” She turned her horse to face him straight on. “This is of the utmost importance to my Witch Order. We must find Morgan.” She changed her tone. “Do not worry, my handsome buffoon; no harm will come to you. You belong to me.” “Would you stop with all the ridiculous names!” “I agreed to no more toad. I’m trying my best to find another suitable name for you, but none of them sound as good. I may have to go back to calling you toad … toad.” The guards and men in black gathered around ready to depart. The magistrate turned from the witch and called out to the men, “It’s obvious we ed them. They turned off at some point on this road. I want the trackers out front on each side looking for tracks or any other sign of their movements. Let’s move out.” The men took off back down the dirt road toward Coulterfield. Trackers moved up front and to the sides. The magistrate lagged back and looked at the witch. “Why do you insist on calling me that?” She smiled again as they trotted off. “You’re an ambitious man. Think about it. If you fail me, what fun would there be in killing you? Not when there are so many more creative ways to punish one as ambitious as you. The joy it would bring me to know your life continued on as you watched it by, hopping from one little lily pad to the next. Hop. Hop. Hop,” she laughed as she demonstrated the movements with her hand. He frowned at her and asked, “You’d turn me into a toad?”

“Warts and all,” she jested as she laughed louder. He called out to his men, “Pick up the pace. We need to backtrack this entire road until we find their trail. We’ll be losing daylight soon.” They picked up the pace as the magistrate continued, “You turn me into a toad, and I’ll—” She cut him off, “You will what?” “I’d rather you just kill me like you did to the guy in the square.” “Why do you insist on bringing that up again?” “Because. I’ve had to execute people before. It’s not easy to take the life of an unarmed person that can’t defend themselves. You didn’t seem to have any difficulty with it.” “You that.” She looked ahead and thought for a moment. “You attempt to judge me when you don’t even know the circumstances surrounding his demise. You were about to execute a young woman for theft.” “For murder,” he snapped. “She murdered two of the guards, just like you murdered your servant in black as he begged for mercy. I had no choice. It was my responsibility. The king would have had my head if I didn’t carry out the law. If you kill a town guard, you’re executed. End of story.” She looked at him, offended, and retorted, “What I did was not murder. It was punishment. I have never murdered anyone.” “Failure to do your bidding is hardly a crime deserving a punishment of death.” “That was not his crime.” “What then? He stepped on your dress, maybe?” “He liked to touch little girls,” she snapped. “Little girls in your town of Coulterfield. He could afford all the finest whores the mighty Walcaster Kingdom could provide, but instead he liked to touch little girls. He liked to take them off into the shadows and ruin them,” she screamed. “That was not the first time he begged for my mercy, but you can rest assured it was his last.”

He looked straight ahead, not knowing if he should respond. He had responded to two complaints concerning children in the days since the king agreed to work with the witches. He now wondered if her servant was the cause. They continued on in silence for a moment. “I am a witch, not a monster.” “Then I thank you for what you did. I am aware of some occurrences.” She focused forward with a stern look on her face. Several minutes ed without a word spoken. “When should we be expecting company?” the magistrate asked. “Soon enough. No need to worry. They will be here soon enough,” she smirked. He smiled back, and she laughed a sinister little laugh.

Randall MacBaer rode in front of his group. He glanced over at his son, who rode alongside his captain. He then faced his wife. “I need words with my captain. I’ll be back in a moment.” Brianna smiled. “I’ll be here waiting for you.” He smiled back and slowed down. Then he moved over beside the captain and looked at his son. “Son, your mother would like to speak with you.” “About what?” Randall snarled at him. “Go to your mother, boy.” Rand frowned, kicked his horse, and sped up to his mother. The captain looked at Randall and asked, “You wish to speak with me, sir?” “I do.” Randall sat silently for a moment and thought about the right words to choose. “We’ve known each other for a very long time. You used to be my father’s right-hand man.” “Yes, sir.” “You know how I am. You’ve seen me in many battles.” “I wouldn’t want to go up against you.” Randall smirked at him. “I’m not really talking to you to talk about me. I want to talk about my son.” “I’m listening, sir.” “Killing a witch is nothing for me. It’s actually rather easy. But I’ve never confronted a witch before when I was more concerned about those that rode with me. I can’t be worrying about the well-being of my wife and son if anything out of our control should arise.” He looked at the captain with a stern expression. “What do you need me to do, my lord?”

“I want you close to my wife and son, particularly my son. She will instinctively go to him if she feels he is threatened. But your job is to keep him safe. You drag him away if you have to.” “Your son is quite capable, sir. He might surprise you.” “I know he is capable, but I’ve already lost one child. I will not take the chance of losing another.” “I understand, my lord. No harm will come to either of them.” Randall set his hand on his captain’s shoulder. “Thank you, Bruce.”

CHAPTER 6

Information Revealed

T he women ed the border out of Walcaster Kingdom. They headed southwest on a dirt road in thick forestry, traveling along a large river. Many deer were visible within the trees as they ed. Morgan’s stomach rumbled. She took notice of the deer and hoped the others did too, but they maintained their course. Morgan, being new to the group, had no idea how the others operated. She had been thirsty for more than an hour and had waited for them to stop at some point, but they remained silent and continued on. Being a loner and not accustomed to waiting on others, she came to the conclusion she had waited long enough. “Are you guys ever planning to stop? I’m thirsty,” she said. Megan tilted her head back slightly, and Red glanced over and nodded in agreement. “All right, you guys, it’s time to stop, give the horses a rest,” Megan announced. “And I suggest we move over to the river side.” “Agreed. I need some rest myself,” itted Alexandra. “We should be stopping anyway if we’re planning to cook something. With all of Walcaster after us, I don’t want a campfire tonight when it’s dark,” Red added. “There’s a lot of deer out here. I say we get us one,” Alexandra proposed. They moved off the road and went down to the river. Once they found an area low enough for the horses to easily drink, they stopped and led them to the river’s edge. They observed the surrounding area. The river’s current was strong and moving fast. It was at least fifty feet wide, with large stones protruding out from the water. There were stones on the land as well. The ground was more stone than soil, and still, many extremely large trees surrounded the area, growing out of the stones. Morgan lay down on the river edge and used her hand

to scoop water to her mouth. Megan reached toward her with a steel cup. “Use this,” Megan offered. “Thanks.” Morgan dunked it into the water and filled it up. She guzzled some and then wiped her mouth while the others filled their flasks and bottles. “So, what’s the deal? What do you need my help with?” asked Morgan. Megan lowered her flask of water and swallowed. “You pick locks, right?” “Of course.” Red cut in. “The place we’re going is impenetrable. No one has ever been able to break in. Until now, I don’t know why anyone would have ever tried. But we’re pretty sure the locks are enchanted. And we were told you wouldn’t have a problem with that kind of lock, and with your picture posted in every town we entered on our way here, wanting you for theft, we assumed it must be true.” “Enchanted locks are a piece of cake,” Morgan assured. “Then why is it you’re the only person in this world that can do it? You don’t look like a sorceress to me,” Alexandra said. “You don’t look like a sorceress to me either, yet you can withstand a direct hit from witch fire,” Morgan argued. “I’m not from around here. Magic doesn’t work right on Megan and me. This isn’t about me. Just answer the question. Why are you the only one that can pick enchanted locks?” “It doesn’t require a sorceress. You just need to know how, and I’m not telling you how. That’s how I make my living,” Morgan retorted. “Why’d you put in such an effort to get me if you doubted my abilities so much?” “Most of us don’t doubt you,” Megan corrected. “You can do it, right?” asked Red. “Yes. I can get you through any enchanted lock. Some take longer than others, but none have ever stopped me.”

“We’ll see,” said Alexandra. “Would you back off a little?” demanded Red. “Yeah. What’s your problem anyway?” Morgan asked. “I’m still pissed off over that witch showing up. I hate witches. I’m sick of dealing with them, and I think you know exactly why she was there, and it pisses me off that you won’t tell us why,” Alexandra answered. “I wouldn’t tell you even if I did know,” Morgan stated as she stared at her hard. Changing the subject, she said, “Where are we going? Where are these enchanted locks?” “New Anvindr,” volunteered Megan. Red quickly looked at her with disapproval for giving the location. “Wha … are you crazy? The land of the giants?” Morgan protested. “That’s where the job is. Afraid of a little danger?” Alexandra teased. “Afraid to be someone’s dinner, yes,” Morgan stated. “Maybe you’re just afraid of getting caught again. Which of course, you never do. Even though you just were.” “You’re not going to interrogate her again, Ali,” Megan announced. “Oh come on. Like that was an interrogation earlier. I just asked her a couple simple questions. But since you brought it up, I would like to know how you got caught since you never do,” Alexandra said snidely. They smiled at Morgan, and she knew they wanted to know, but she tried to avoid answering, keeping a stoic expression on her face. But then her cheeks flushed, she swallowed nervously, and she smiled in embarrassment at her tarnished reputation. “I guess there’s a first time for everything,” she blurted. “So what happened?” Megan asked. “Honestly, I’m not sure. I kind of don’t it all.”

“Tell us what you do .” Morgan leaned back against a large stone and told the story. “Well, I was in the tavern where I took you guys. I went down to the bar to get some food and drinks. I was scoping out the place, trying to figure out who I could swindle into buying it for me. So I was flirting with all the cuties.” The women chuckled as she ed the night before. “The tavern was crowded. Dark outside, so there was no light coming in from the windows. Only torchlight to light the way, so it was pretty dim. Lot of people in there, mostly guys and their bar whores. When I came down the steps, I basically had to push my way through them to get in the tavern. The place is pretty nice; they have a band that was playing in the back corner, past the bar. Barmaids walked back and forth between the bar and front lounge area with drinks. One was that bitch we saw earlier that tried to hide her face from me. Stupid bitch. I bet she was in on it … but anyway, I squeezed my way through people that were blocking my way to the bar. Once I got in there, they were all checking me out because I got it like that. When I finally made it to the bar counter, I had to yell for the barkeeper to give me some service. Once he saw me, he stopped talking to those other skanks and ran over.” “Oh, please. You are so full of yourself,” Alexandra accused. “I’m just putting it on a little thick so I can irritate you, Alexandra. But as I was saying … everyone was checking me out, and now the barkeeper was flirting with me too, but then I saw a real hottie. He was walking straight at me. Had a little sparkle in his eye and real clean teeth. Totally gorgeous and wanting to buy me a drink. He asked me what I wanted and bought two. Such a gentleman, he even stirred my drink for me, and it was so …” Morgan stopped abruptly. An angry expression came over her face. “That son of a bitch. This whole time I thought it was the barkeeper, but I bet it was him. He’s the one that put something in my drink. That dumbass.” “Why do you think it was him?” Megan asked. “Because right after he paid for it, I walked away and flirted with some others so they could get me a second drink. But before they could, my head started spinning. I don’t even know what I did with the drink in my hand. I was heading for the stairs to get back to my room. I pushed my way through and made it to

about the second or third step, and then I was out. Other than hearing someone tell the innkeeper to hold my things, I don’t anything else after that … until I woke up in the magistrate’s cell.” “How’d he get you?” Alexandra asked. “I don’t know. I just told you I was unconscious. “What did he say to you when you woke up?” Megan asked. “Did you see those bandages on his face?” Morgan asked. The others nodded, and Morgan continued. “I was basically naked, and he hovered over me …”

“Morgan. Can you hear me?” the magistrate asked loudly. “Wha …” Morgan slurred. “I am the local magistrate, and you are in my custody. Do you understand what I’m saying?” “Who?” she asked, still groggy. She looked around some more. His eyes were fixed on her body. “I’m willing to work with you, Morgan. A lot of the young women that through my office … how should I put this? Let’s just say they like to perform certain favors in exchange for my being lenient. Are you following what I’m saying?” She looked at him, confused, barely able to comprehend what he was saying. He leaned down and kissed her stomach while he rubbed down her legs. “I’m trying to offer you a deal. Are you interested in getting out of here?” “Yeah. I want to go home,” she groaned with a low voice. “Then all you got to do is do what I want.” He moved up to her breast and sucked on her nipple.

“What … are you do …?” He squeezed her breast and moved his other hand down between her legs. “Just give me what I want, and I’ll give you what you want,” he whispered. He kissed down her stomach toward her panties. He grabbed them with his fingers and began to pull them down. Realization hit Morgan, and she lifted her head up. “Stop,” she bellowed as she twisted her hips to break his grip from her panties. “Calm down. I’m trying—” “Get the hell off of me,” she demanded.

The women gasped at Morgan’s story. “That bastard,” Alexandra said. “How did they know you were there at the tavern?” asked Megan. “I’m thinking he may have been tipped off or something. Like you said, my picture is everywhere. That jerk put something in my drink. Probably paid to do it by the magistrate,” Morgan guessed. “What I don’t understand is, why were they executing you?” questioned Red. “Let me finish my story.” They sat there and listened intently. “Okay, there I was saying, ‘Get the hell off of me,’” she repeated.

She swung her leg around and kicked the magistrate in the left side of his face. He jerked back a little and grabbed his face. “Stupid bitch,” he growled. She pulled both legs back and thrust them forward. She slammed both feet into his face, and he flew back. She lifted up. He moved back toward her, and she

leaned back ready to kick again, but he grabbed her legs by the ankles while she squirmed and thrust around trying to break his grip. He shouted out to the other guards, “Get in here and hold this crazy bitch.” She continued to flail around but couldn’t get loose. He was too big and too strong. His grip was unbreakable. She was breathing hard and screamed as she struggled. Two guards burst into the room. They tried to grab her arms, but she moved and jerked them away. One of the guards lay down on her. With his weight crushing her, she couldn’t move. The other guard grabbed her arm. The one that was laying on her lifted off and had a grip on the other arm. She thrust her body around again while she screamed out. The magistrate stepped back and released her legs. She kicked her legs toward him again but couldn’t reach. “I’ll show you, you dumb bitch. I was trying to be nice to you, but you had to go and kick me in the face.” He began to unfasten his pants, and she kicked more violently. Her body scooted closer toward him with each thrust of her legs. The guards jerked her by the arms and pulled her body back and held her tight to the table. The magistrate lowered his pants and stepped toward her. She continued to kick. “Hold this bitch still.” She kicked him in the chest as he moved closer. He grabbed her legs and spread them apart. The guard on her right released her arm to grab the leg. She saw her chance and grabbed his large knife with her free hand. She thrust it into the chest of the guard that held her left arm. While they realized what she had just done, she had already pulled it back out and sliced it across the throat of the guard on her right. He reached up and grabbed at the gaping wound in his neck as blood poured out. The other guard on the left collapsed. The magistrate took a short step back. She sat straight up and thrust the knife toward him. He slammed the backside of his left hand against her hand and knocked the knife away. It flew across the room. He moved toward her again, and she kicked him in the face again. He grabbed her right leg, and she kicked him again with the left. He stepped back while he slammed her leg down. He stared at her, breathing hard. He stepped around her and kicked the knife further away. “Stupid bitch. I was going to let you go in the morning. I wasn’t going to hurt you.” “Yeah, you were just going to rape me, and I was going to love it.”

“I was … I was talking to you. Now you’ve forced my hand.” They both stared at each other while he bent down to pick up the knife. He fastened his pants properly. “They were good men,” he stated. He walked toward the door and turned back. “I’ll take care of you in the morning.” He stepped out. Two other guards ran in. They saw their fallen brothers and were enraged. They jerked Morgan up, slammed her into the wall, and then dragged her out of the room. They dragged her into the dark, filthy dungeon and launched her across the open area. She landed on the filthy, pissed-on, stone floor. They grabbed her again and dragged her through the soiled straw and slammed her into the wall. One grabbed her hair and jerked her head back while the other clamped the steel collar around her neck. The one that held her pushed her. Her throat jerked against the collar that was chained to the wall. She was choking and struggled for air. She got her footing and leaned back so she could breath. He checked the bindings on her arms and made sure they were tight. Then they both walked away and laughed at her. She dropped to her knees and knelt there. The chain was too short to stand properly and too short to lie down. They shut the door, and what little light there was disappeared.

Megan, Red, and Alexandra sat there and looked at Morgan as she finished her horrible story. Morgan began to smile, and then she laughed. They looked at her confused. “You know what’s funny,” Morgan joked. “Tell us,” Megan asked. “Last night I kicked him in the face, God knows how many times. Today, Red nailed him with an elbow to the face and then kicked him in the face. I kicked him again in the face. The man can sure take a beating.” “I nailed him in the face too … twice … maybe three times, with my staff. I knocked him out,” Megan bragged. “Back in the cell, when you were kicking him, why did he stop? Surprised he didn’t kill you right then and there,” Alexandra questioned. “He just gave up. He was holding his face, looked at the two dead guards … and walked out. Said he would deal with me in the morning. Then the others came in

to grab me,” Morgan explained. They looked at her in silence for a minute. “If there are no more questions for me, I have one. What’s behind the enchanted door I’m supposed to open?” Morgan inquired. “Another door,” Megan answered quickly. “And I think they’re actually gates, not doors.” Morgan looked at her and figured they weren’t ready to disclose any other information yet. “Okay. I see you’re not ready to trust me with that yet. But can you at least tell me how many enchanted locks there are that I need to get you through?” “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you later. Let’s find some food to eat before its gets dark. And a softer place than this stone surface to sleep on,” Megan suggested. “Whatever you say. Just don’t expect me to go in anywhere blind.” Megan smiled at her and stood up. She reached out her hand and assisted Morgan. She wiped the dirt off her butt and stepped toward the river. They looked down each way of the river. They saw deer moving off in the distance and moved in that direction. Megan took notice of some wild berry bushes. She stopped and began to pick some. Morgan stayed with the others and went for the deer. Alexandra climbed up the backside of a large, moss-covered stone. Red and Morgan continued past to some other large stones. Alexandra crawled up the stone until she could see the other side. She had both crossbows pointed out front, loaded, and ready for use as she scooted across the stone. Several deer drank from the river. Alexandra released both arrows, and both connected with her target, hitting the deer behind the front leg. The deer jerked to the side and spooked the others. They bolted in the opposite direction, including the one that was hit. Red jumped off her stone with sword in hand and finished him off. Morgan jumped down beside her, ready to help. Alexandra ran over and retrieved her arrows. She wiped them clean and returned them to her quiver. Red and Morgan knelt down beside the deer, and Red pulled her knife. “I’ll take

care of this. You guys go get a fire started,” suggested Red. “Good, glad you got it, ’cause I’m used to my meat coming on Styrofoam and wrapped with plastic,” Alexandra itted. Red rolled her eyes and went to cutting open the deer while Morgan was lost on the words she had never beard before. They walked back toward Megan. “You’re weird,” Morgan declared. “Why am I weird? You don’t even know me,” Alexandra argued. “The way you talk. You say weird things. And the way you say it.” “Well, I’m not from around here. Maybe you’re the one that sounds weird.” “You just sound different. I’ve never heard anyone talk like you before. Megan too.” Megan turned from the berry bush. “What did I do?” Megan asked. “She thinks we talk weird,” Alexandra answered. “I guess we used to sound weird to everyone around here, but I thought, with as long as we’ve been here now, we sounded pretty much the same.” “No. I can tell neither of you are from here. Red is, but not you two,” Morgan insisted. “Is that a problem?” Alexandra snapped. “Good grief. Calm down. I was just making an observation.” “Yeah, Ali. Quit ripping her head off,” Megan added. “Why does everyone have to take her side? She’s the one that called me weird,” argued Alexandra. “We need her help. Cut her a little slack before she takes off on us. No one’s taking a side on anything.”

“Well, it sure sounds like you are to me. I’ll get the gear out. You and your new best friend can stay here and pick berries together.” Alexandra stormed off while Megan and Morgan looked at her, irritated by her overreaction. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her. She’s been in a real bitchy mood all day,” Megan said. Morgan shrugged her shoulders because she didn’t know her, so she didn’t have a clue as to how she normally acted. They both moved back to the berries and picked some more. “Since you’re not from around here, where exactly are you from?” Megan smiled. “Red gets real mad when I open my mouth about things. Let me run it by her first before I give out any more information. Once we’ve eaten, I’ll tell you what you need to know.” Morgan was one of secrecy but didn’t like it when information was withheld from her. She went along with it for the time being. “I’ll leave you to the berries. I need to gather some wood for a fire.” Morgan stepped away.

CHAPTER 7

On Their Trail

B ack on the road the women used to escape the magistrate, dozens of soldiers in dark gray armor traveled at a rapid pace, following the magistrate’s trail. Randall and Brianna rode with them, closer toward the back now. The horses in the front slowed down when they approached one of the trackers that rode ahead of the group. He was standing out in the road and signaling for them to stop. Randall looked ahead but couldn’t see through all his men. “Why are we slowing down? Have you found something?” Randall questioned. He continued forward through his men. His captain turned to look at him. “The tracker, sir, he’s found something.” Randall pushed through, up to the front, where he could see the tracker. “Here, sir. I found a set of tracks.” The tracker knelt down and pointed. “See here. Three horses left the main route here and proceeded through these trees that way. They were moving at a slow pace.” “So they wouldn’t kick up any dust as they left the road,” Randall explained. “Yes, sir,” the tracker agreed. “Get down there and see which way they went.” The tracker took off through the trees. Randall turned to the group. “The rest of you continue this way on the main trail. I’ll wait here until we these hoof prints.” The soldiers began to move. A few seconds later, the tracker was back out from the trees. “Sir,” he shouted, “the tracks lead to a ravine and turn back toward

town. They stayed off this road. We may have ridden right past them.” Randall looked to his men that were riding away and shouted, “Hold. Come back.” He waved them back to him and added, “My gut tells me this is definitely them.” He looked to one of his scouts. “Take nine men with you and some of the birds. Keep traveling along this road toward Chosterfield. If you find anything, send word. If you come across the magistrate, remain hidden from view and follow him. I want to know exactly what he’s up to—what he’s doing with that witch. I’m going to follow this trail along the ravine, see where it leads. All right, men, move out.” “Yes, sir,” they called out. The two groups split up and moved their separate ways. The MacBaers moved off the trail and through the trees.

At the same time, the magistrate and his men were headed back toward Coulterfield on the same road. There was less than an hour between the two groups. The magistrate was close to the front of his group with the witch beside him. A few of the magistrate’s scouts and trackers were a good distance ahead of him. They rode on both sides of the road and checked for any signs of horse prints that led off the main road. A scout moved further off the road and entered some trees. He dropped down off his horse and knelt to the ground. He spotted a set of tracks for possibly a lone horse and followed along while he pulled his horse by rope behind him. He came across a small clearing not too far from the road. He squatted down and could make out where someone had slept for the night, then spotted where the tracks led back to the road. He determined it was a lone traveler from the night before that had camped out there for the night. As he stood, he turned toward his horse and nearly bumped into a witch. His eyes bulged as his heart froze. He trembled and stepped back quickly, losing his balance and falling to the ground on his butt. He moved further back as he got up into a crouched position, staring at the witch. It was a different witch, not the one that had been traveling with them. She stepped forward with a vicious scowl and protruding eyes as four more witches dropped down behind her on broomsticks. “Find something, dearie?” the second witch asked with a dry, harsh voice. “Uh … n-n-n-no, m-ma’am,” he stammered. “Speak up, dearie.” “He said no,” barked the magistrate as he approached from behind, through the trees. The witches spun around to face the man that spoke so rudely. “It would be best that you not speak unless spoken to when addressing a witch,” the third witch explained with a vicious tone. The original witch rode up alongside him through the trees.

“I’ll speak whenev—” the magistrate tried to explain as the first witch threw her hand up in front of his face to cut him off. “He is as committed to this task as we are. He only wants the girl. He has no interest in our property,” the first witch assured. They looked at her confused, because she was on a horse. “Why are you riding that beast?” witch two questioned. “The tall one broke my broom,” she explained. Witch two pointed at the magistrate. “Him?” she asked. “No. The tall one in the group we pursue. She broke it in half.” “Isn’t he the fool that lost them in the first place?” said the third witch as she looked hard at the magistrate. “Maybe if I had been given the proper amount of information, it would only be the thief missing now and not whatever it is you’re looking for,” the magistrate asserted. “Again you speak out of turn,” stated witch two as she looked to the witch beside him. “You better keep your dog on a leash before he ends up—” “Don’t you take that tone with me. He is no dog of mine. He is, however, the only one that has been offering me any assistance. Where have you five been? This task was assigned to all of us,” the original witch declared. The magistrate looked surprised she was defending him. “We made the mistake of thinking you could handle it alone,” witch three itted. “And I find your defense of the lawman quite peculiar.” Witch two moved ahead of witch three and stated, “This discussion needs no audience.” “Handle this alone?” snapped the first witch. “You knew what we were dealing with. You know the MacBaers hunted us. Murdered us. And if these other girls are who I suspect them to be, we’re in even more trouble.”

“The MacBaers? How are they involved in this?” the magistrate questioned. The witches ignored him, so he waved all his men nearby away, hoping they would reveal more if there weren’t so many others around. His scout and the other nearby guards moved away quickly. The magistrate moved up closer to make sure they knew he was still present. He would not give them a chance to ignore him again. “What makes you think these other girls are the ones we have long since abandoned our search for? We searched for years and could never find them. Why would they show up now?” witch three questioned. “I cannot be absolutely sure it is them. I only saw them for a moment,” the first witch explained. The magistrate nudged forward a little more on his horse. “How are the MacBaers involved?” he repeated. They continued to ignore him. “Still, you should have been able to handle this on your own,” argued witch three. “You should have followed your orders and come from the beginning. Now we all have to fix this,” the first witch argued back. “The MacBaers!” shouted the magistrate. The first witch turned to look at him with a clenched jaw and squinting eyes. The other five also looked at him. “Shut your dog up,” demanded witch two. The first witch still looked at him and spoke forcefully with clenched teeth, “This is not the time for questions. The MacBaers are of no concern of yours.” “We have an extensive history together. I wish to know his part.”

All of the witches’ eyes bulged. They moved closer to him. He moved his horse back slightly. “You rode with MacBaer,” the witches accused. The first witch remained still with shoulders dropped. Her eyes appeared to water. “You hunted us?” she asked. The magistrate’s face turned red at the sight of hers. He drew back on his reins. “You murderer,” witch two bellowed. “No,” he shouted. “I’ve never killed a witch. Not one,” he lied. He was overcome with guilt, which could have easily been mistaken for fear. The five new witches stepped toward him as he continued to slowly move back. “Liar,” they shouted. “You’re wrong. That’s why we parted ways. I wouldn’t do it,” he continued to lie. “I don’t believe you,” snarled witch three. Now the magistrate moved forward on his horse, irritated by her accusations. All feelings of guilt subsided. “I don’t care what you believe, you green bitch. How would you like to be the first?” he roared back. The five new witches drew back in anger and then lunged forward to strike. The first witch leapt from her horse and landed between them and the magistrate as he pulled his sword. She threw her hands up. “Stop!” she shouted. “He serves a purpose. Now back off. I claim him to be mine to deal with. He may be able to give us information on MacBaer. Surely he has set off after us by now. He will want our property back.” She continued to stand there with her arms raised. Again the magistrate thought it odd that she came to his defense. The witches relaxed somewhat and stepped back, but still they stared at him. “I do not like the way you are protecting him. What has become of you? Will this become a bigger problem for us?” witch three asked. The first witch jerked her arms down and stepped violently toward witch three.

“What has become of me?” she shouted. “Of me? There is no problem here,” she stepped closer to the other witches and pointed at them, “other than the cowardice of you five, which kept you away from this task in the first place. Will your cowardice continue to be a problem for us?” Witch two stepped up. “This is getting most dangerous. We must hurry to reclaim our property so that we can leave these lands.” Witch four moved into the middle of everyone. “We have the crystal ball,” she reminded them. “Let us put it to use and find out where the thief went. Perhaps it will help us figure out exactly who these mystery women are also.” “Excellent idea,” witch two agreed. The new witches turned to their servant men in black that had gathered behind them in the distance. Witch three motioned them closer as they stepped toward them. With the servants, they had a horse-drawn wagon that carried many travel chests and containers. They lowered one container down as they spoke to the witches. The magistrate dismounted and stepped toward the first witch. She looked at him and shook her head, then walked past him. He followed with horse in tow. Out of habit, when around women, he looked at her ass. Even under all the layers of thick dress she wore, he could make out the pleasant shape. He smiled and quickly stepped up to be beside her as they walked away from her fellow witches. “I’ve never seen witches act this way before. Do you always argue amongst yourselves like that?” he asked. She looked at him with a smirk. “Yes. Yes, we do but usually without an audience. You should feel special to have witnessed such an event. Even though you were absolutely the cause of it all.” She poked her finger into his chest armor. “I told you this is very important to my order. A great many years were put into planning this. Much is at stake. That is why there are all the short tempers.” “Yeah, because you witches have always been known to have such wonderful control of your tempers.” She almost snickered. “No more of the snide remarks, and no more outbursts. One minute you act the coward, and the next you wish to commit suicide with

your bravery. For your own safety, I suggest you remain somewhere in the middle.” “You mistake something else for fear. I assure you, what you saw was not fear.” “Whatever. You just learn to keep your mouth shut around the others, and no more questions in front of them. You need only address me when they are not present. Now go attend to your men and set camp for the night.” “Yes, ma’am,” he joked. “Is there any other way I can be of further service, my queen?” She shook her head and smiled. “You’re smiling again,” he jested. “Stop it.” He lightly patted her shoulder and stepped away. She turned with her smile fading. It was replaced with a scowl as she walked toward the other witches.

The other witches were near the wagon as their servants moved the container with the crystal ball. They were huddled together discussing the odd behavior of the first witch. “Something is wrong with her. Why would she defend the lawman’s failures? I find it very strange,” whispered witch three. “We will have to deal with that later. You know she holds favor with our queen. Right now we need to focus our attention on our goal. To find the thief and reclaim what is ours,” witch two advised. The first witch approached, and witch five alerted the others, “Quiet. She approaches.” They separated and faced the witch as she walked closer. “So delighted you decided to us,” witch three smirked. The first witch leered at her with dagger eyes. “Let us get this started.” She turned to the servants and pointed. “Place it over there,” she commanded and hurried past the others toward it. “I wish to find out where they are … so I can wrap my hands around their pretty little necks.” The other witches followed her. Witches five and six were the first to catch up and stood beside her. The servants carefully lifted the large crystal ball from its container. It was placed upon a stand, and the servants in black stepped back out of the way. Only one remained and removed the cloth cover, then also stepped back. The crystal ball was a dark maroon color with dark gray swirls that moved around on its surface. The witches gathered near and formed a circle around it. “Do you have it?” witch two asked. “Yes I have it,” the first witch replied as she pulled her hand out of her pouch under her cape. “A single strand of Morgan’s hair, taken from her room at the inn this afternoon.” She walked over to the crystal ball and held the strand of hair close enough to touch it, until it was completely absorbed inside.

They chanted a dark incantation, and the crystal started to glow. Clouds formed within the ball. The witches continued to chant and raised their voices. The clouds slowly cleared. The crystal focused in on a trail along the countryside. “Where is this?” witch three asked. “That could be anywhere,” itted witch four. “Quiet,” witch two ordered. “Give it a moment.” The image within the crystal shifted and moved along the countryside. It showed a flash of the four women drinking by the riverside, from earlier. Then it flashed to them cooking by a fire. They sat around the fire and talked. “There they are,” witch five blurted. Witch three looked on with surprise. “Is that them? I expected them to look different.” “Yes, that is them. Now silence—we need to hear them,” the first witch explained. The witches remained quiet. They moved in closer to avoid missing anything being said. They watched the tall brunette slice off some meat from the animal on their spit. She ed it around and continued to slice off more. The women were eating, and each had a mouthful. Morgan swallowed and asked, “Once we get through the first lock, then it’s a series of more?” “They’re not just one after the other. Each one opens up to another section. We have to search for the next one as we enter each different section,” the tall brunette explained. “How many are there?” “Not real sure. None of us have ever been there. We received all our information from Mr. Green. He said …” Witch three interrupted, “Mr. Green? Who is th—”

The witches quickly turned to her. “Shush,” they all demanded. They looked back to the crystal. “… one that survived. Out of the entire group, he was the only one. Like you said earlier about being afraid to be dinner. He was lucky, he …” the brunette continued. Frustrated, witch four interrupted, “What are they talking about?” They shushed her down too and missed more pertinent information. She was still explaining to Morgan, “… saw it there, hanging on the wall, as he was escap—” “Saw what? Saw what hanging?” witch three interrupted again. The first witch threw up her hands as she cringed. “Shut up and you would know. We’re missing all the important facts.” The witch turned back to the crystal with the brunette still speaking. “… far as the locks go, he was not sure how many. He was too busy running, until he was rescued. There were the few different sections, the castle, maybe the main hall, and then more at each of the main gates. That’s at least four or five that are enchanted that we know of.”

As Megan spoke, Red felt chills tingling across the back of her neck. She looked around and then up in the sky. The sky had a strange haze to it, and she knew what it meant. Morgan said, “Getting you in won’t be a problem, but how big is—” Red threw her food to the side and leapt over the fire in front of Morgan. “End this conversation now. We’re being watched!” she shouted. Alexandra was up almost as fast as Red. “I feel the same way.” Megan and Morgan jumped up to them. They spun around and looked up into the sky. “The witch. She’s using her black magic to listen in on us,” Megan announced. “I’ll take care of this.”

The witches panicked, because they had not gotten enough information. Witch two placed her hands on the crystal. “No, no, no, not now,” she cried. “Just a little more.” The crystal moved in on Megan. She was all that could be seen in the image. “See her. Look at her,” the first witch pointed out. “I think she’s the leader of their little group. She broke my broomstick.” The crystal focused on Megan. It began to glow. A powerful force of light burst out from the crystal and knocked all the witches back. The crystal went black. They rushed to get back up and moved to the crystal ball. They saw nothing but a black, empty sphere. The crystal ball was destroyed. “Curses,” witch two snapped. “Did you get a good look at them? They’re the ones I was talking about. It must be them. They’re the ones that killed our former queen, along with our sisters,” said the first witch. “How can we be sure of that? No names were spoken. The girls we were looking for were younger and not ones to venture off on dangerous quests,” answered witch three. “It was years ago. We were all younger. They dressed in strange clothes. The two were wearing strange clothes. One wore red. How did they ruin the crystal ball? Think about it. The girl that killed our former queen stole the Rose Quartz Anklet. The anklet could easily destroy our crystal ball. It has to be them. It has to be,” she argued. Witch four interjected, “Who is Mr. Green?” “Never heard of him,” answered the first witch. “Forget about him. We need to figure out where they are going,” explained witch two. “Correct. Now what was it that she said about being afraid to be dinner?” witch five piped in.

“It was an odd statement. She was making no sense,” witch four opined. “It sure didn’t help that none of you would shut up,” the first witch chided. “What were they talking about? Someone escaped from being a meal,” witch three pondered. “Isn’t it obvious?” theorized the first witch. “No, it is not to me,” witch two argued. The other witches moved closer to the first witch and hoped for an answer. Witch three impatiently begged, “Where? Where are they going?” “There’s only one group around here, located on the edge of these territories, that was ever accused of eating people,” hinted the witch. “Giants,” witch two blurted. She moved toward the first witch with a smile on her face. “Yes, giants.” “And they have a big main gate with an enchanted lock. They mentioned locks,” witch two added. Witch three, always one to disagree, argued, “Impossible. They would never go there. It is far too dangerous.” The first witch stepped forward and leaned toward her. “It is the only place that makes sense. That is why they need Morgan.” “What does she have to do with where they are going?” “Same reason we needed her. She’s the only one we have ever heard of that can pick an enchanted lock. I am telling you, it is the only place that makes sense. They are headed to New Anvindr, where there are many enchanted locks.” Witch four cut in, “And why would they be going there?” The first witch turned and sneered. “For whatever was hanging on the wall.”

“What fools, the whole lot of them. They play with certain death,” added witch three. “Yes they most certainly do, so we better get to them quick, before we end up playing with certain death ourselves.”

The magistrate watched and listened to the witches from nearby. He laughed at their constant bickering and noticed more about the witches than he ever had before. In his past, his only dealing with a witch was the amount of time it took to dispose of her. He had hunted and killed many with his old friend Randall MacBaer. The magistrate played a large part in clearing them out of Walcaster. But now, he stood there looking at them and noticed all the differences between them. He had always thought they looked the same, dressed the same, and behaved the same. Of all the witches there, the second one was covered up the most. The only flesh that could be seen was her face, hands, and a small portion of her neck. Like the others, her face was green and malnourished looking, with sunken cheeks, deep eye sockets, and several warts. She also had a long, pointed nose and protruding chin. Her cape was long and tattered, he assumed from all the years it dragged the ground. The thing that struck him as most odd was that she had a color on her outfit that was unique to her. They all had their own color. Witch two had a large, dark purple ribbon tied to her hat, just above the brim. It hung down past the middle of her back. Around her waist she wore a very tight cincher with dark purple and black vertical stripes. There were four buckles in the front to help keep it tight. The cincher helped exaggerate her impressive shape. He was shocked by how attractive her form was. She also acted like she belonged in command. At least she asserted herself in a way that made him think that. He looked at the third witch to compare. From the beginning, he noticed she was the nastiest bitch of the group. She always had an unpleasant scowl across her face, she always had something to say, and she always had to be in the front where everything was happening. Her outfit was highlighted with a blood-red color—the ribbon that hung from her hat and the edging on her cape. A red line ran down each side of her long dress. She wore a corset that showed a surprising amount of cleavage. He didn’t recall ever seeing cleavage on a witch before, but she had it. The front was open from the near top of her breasts up to her face. Her arms were covered with a black material that had many holes and tears throughout. The corset had gray and black vertical stripes in the front, with red and black on the sides. There were also buckles on each side to keep it tight, and she had an even more impressive shape than the second witch. Witch four was the most revealing. She had a slit in her dress that revealed her

very fit leg. She also wore a cincher. It hooked in the front and had dark blue and black horizontal stripes across the entire front. She had very nice hips under her tight dress. He thought it was a shame that her cape concealed her ass. She wore a black leathery-looking top with long sleeves. There were small slits in the sleeves that were spaced out beside each other, going all the way up to her shoulders. There were also a few openings in the front at her breasts that revealed a desirable amount of cleavage. Her color was dark blue. It was the color for the edging that ran along the slit of her dress and again in the ribbon on her hat. The fourth witch did not speak over the others but did involve herself in the conversations. She knew her place among the others and accepted it. Witch five had some kind of bat-shaped decoration made out of thick, black leather on the front of her outfit. It formed the top at her covered breasts and extended up her shoulders and became the part that her cape latched to. She wore an orange cincher with five buckles in the front, with a pattern sewn into the fabric. Her top had short sleeves, but she wore long gloves, made of black overlapping strands of material that went up her arms and stopped just below her short sleeves. The backsides of her hands were covered, except for the green of her fingers. Her cape had orange edging, and the bottom was the most tattered of all the capes. It was also longer and dragged along the ground. Her hat ribbon was orange, and she did not talk much, but she had her eyes fixed on everything going on around her. Then there was the sixth and final witch. He had not heard her say a word since she arrived. She had a thin, chiseled face with piercing eyes. She chose the color silver to highlight her black outfit. Her ribbon was silver, the edging on the cape was silver, and her cincher was silver, with six buckles in the front and a pattern sewn into the fabric. She wore a black leather top with long sleeves that revealed a large amount of cleavage. She also wore long, black leather gloves that were open at the fingers. This witch looked as though she might be the youngest of the group. After seeing the differences between the new witches that arrived, he looked over to the one he had spent the majority of the day with. He had not noticed any color on her, only black. With the others in the way, he was unable to . He continued to look at her, trying to get a glance at her outfit. Her cape covered her shoulders and the majority of her chest, so he could not see if she wore anything revealing. But he had been able to get a clear picture of her ass. The thought of it brought a smile to his face.

The crystal ball was placed back in its container, and the first witch walked toward him. The other witches followed close behind. As they neared, the magistrate stopped leaning on the tree and stood there waiting. The men in black that traveled with him and the witch walked up behind him. The first witch called out to them, “Bring me a map.” “Yes, my queen,” the man in black responded. He moved away to get one. The magistrate turned as the witch walked past, so that he could walk beside her. “A map? So you know where they are headed?” the magistrate asked. “I thought it was unclear.” “We heard enough. They travel to New Anvindr.” He looked at her in doubt. “You sure? That’s uh … about a four days’ ride southwest from here.” “This no longer concerns you. We can be there in a day with flight,” witch three interrupted. She fixed her eyes on the first witch as both she and the magistrate turned around to face her. “We do not need him or his men any longer. Send them away.” “That’s right. His uses have expired,” witch two agreed. The first witch snarled with a scowling face as she grabbed them both and pulled them away. She whispered through her teeth, “Those girls have a weapon, maybe two, that each on its own could easily be used to destroy us. We continue to need his assistance.” “I have had enough of this. Your desire to defend him and keep him with us, long after his uses have expired, I find disturbing,” witch three professed. “I must agree. What is going on here?” witch two added. The first witch burned with anger. She clenched her fists while her arms shook in anger, her eyes widened, and her nostrils flared. Then she opened her hands and manifested a fireball in each. She spun around and created a ring of fire. She slammed her hands downward, and the ring of fire burst outward and knocked the two witches down and the others back. As they tried to crawl back from her,

she stepped over them with new flames in each hand and looked down at them. She held her chin high with a corded neck. The flame reflected off her eyes. She stared at them and lurched forward. “By far, I am more powerful than each of you.” She looked around to the others. “Each of you!” She looked back at the two cowering on the ground and continued to scream, “While you five cowards were off shirking your duties, it was I alone that was fulfilling our responsibilities. I came alone to this land that banished us, that slaughtered us. Trying to reclaim something from the very man that did all the slaughtering. Then by some unforeseen force, I run into the other three. And I know it is they, the very three that killed all our sisters and former queen. I did this alone except for his help. He is not one of us, he most likely hates us, but he was the only one that was assisting me, and he still is. If any of you would just shut up for once and look past your own ignorance, you would see that I am only using him to obtain our goals. One more word from any of you about this, and I will destroy who ever brought it up. Am I clear?” The witches remained silent. She turned to make eye with each. “Am I clear?” “Yes,” each answered. “You are clear,” some continued. The witch turned and stormed away. The man in black nervously approached with map in hand. She motioned him away and kept walking. The magistrate stepped to her side. “Having problems, are we?” he jested. “Not now, toad,” she cautioned. “So we’re back to toad again?” She did not answer and kept walking but then smiled. She stopped, erased her smile, and turned back around. She stepped toward him. “Do you have a map?” she asked. “For you, of course.” “Knock it off. I’m in no mood.”

He extended his hand out in the direction they needed to go. She stepped that way, and he walked beside her. As they walked toward his campsite the men were setting up, he looked at her hat and smiled. For the first time, he could see that she did wear something of color. The ribbon on her hat was a very dark maroon. “I thought you witches only wore black,” he said. She cocked her head and smirked at him. “Yes, yes. You all think the only colors in our lives are green and black. We all sit in our dark, dank, stone fortresses and pet our black cats all day long. We only love dark and gloomy skies and only venture out when we want to eat your children,” she described. “Uh … I don’t know what to say to that.” They stopped and faced each other. “We do not eat children. I thought I made it clear how I felt about harming children earlier. I have never had a cat. Our buildings and structures are made the same ways as yours. I personally like wood. Only the queen wears all black. I hate dark and gloomy skies because they usually mean rain. We don’t like the rain. I like the sun. I like sunny, bright days with no chance of rain. Did I leave anything out?” He smiled, and she smirked again. They headed over to his things, and he pulled out a map and unfolded it for her. She traced along until she found where they thought the women might be. The sun was setting, and the magistrate’s men worked quickly at setting up the tents and starting some campfires. The men in black set up the witches’ tents away from the others on the other side of the clearing. Only a small patch of trees separated the two camps. The magistrate pointed at the map. “They’re obviously traveling the more popular route. Most likely the only one they know of. Look here at this road. Not known to many. Not as smooth a trip but a much straighter route. They have to go all the way down here and loop back up. We take this lesser known route and cut a day and a half of travel time off, and we ambush them here.” The witch smiled with excitement. “Then this is the route we take.”

Hidden in the trees a good distance away were Randall MacBaer’s scouts. Four of them stood with the birds. Four others were up in trees with bows and kept an eye on the two that went closer to the campsite. The two scouts heard all that they needed to hear and made their way back to the others with information to send to Randall. The newly gathered details were written in a note and tied to a bird. The bird was lifted up, and it took off flying into the darkened sky.

CHAPTER 8

Riding Dirty

M egan, Red, Alexandra, and Morgan remained in the same spot. Morgan cut off additional meat as Red put out the fire. Morgan continued to eat some as she cut it off. She looked at Red and wondered how it was that she knew they were being watched, disappointed that she had not seen it for herself before the others pointed it out. Occurrences involving magic rarely ever slipped by her. “Red, how did you know we were being watched?” Morgan asked. “Uh … it’s just one of those things, I guess. I had a feeling. The hairs on the back of my neck were tingling, so I looked around. Saw that hazy look in the sky, coming from behind you. Wasn’t the first time,” she answered. Alexandra added, “Same here. And I got goose bumps.” Morgan looked at Megan. “You’ve got all kinds of tricks up your sleeve. I didn’t know you were into magic.” “Magic? What magic?” Megan denied. “You didn’t just use magic?” Morgan asked as she implied to the contrary. Megan shook her head and smirked. Morgan dropped her hands and let out a loud sigh. “Okay. Whatever you say. I imagined the bright flash.” “Oh, that. That wasn’t really magic. It was just a gift, a little gift … given to me by a witch.” “Why would a witch give you a gift?” “She was a good witch.”

“Never seen a good witch. And I’ve seen a lot of witches … green, gray … none were ever good. If they did exist, I assumed they got killed off in the last major war. I really just thought they were a myth.” “No, not at all. They’re no myth. They’re very real and very powerful. The ones that I know have moved into hiding under orders from the Council of Magic. You’ve probably met a good witch before but just didn’t realize it. You’re used to seeing the grotesque ones. Trust me, good witches are out there.” “See, I told you she’s the witch expert,” Red joked. A loud wolf howl came from the woods, and it was close by. Morgan jumped at the sound while the others looked in the direction from which it came. Then Red smiled. “Damn, that sounded so close,” Morgan stated as she continued to look around. She looked at Red and asked, “What are you smiling about?” “I’ve been waiting to hear that,” Red replied. She walked away toward the trees. “Are you going after that wolf?” Morgan called out. “More like the wolf is after her,” Alexandra explained. Morgan stepped toward the trees, “I’ll come with you.” Red turned around, and she and Alexandra both yelled, “No.” “I’ll take care of this alone,” added Red. Red vanished into the darkness of the trees. Morgan turned back to the others, confused. Megan and Alexandra sat there with huge smiles. “She’s going to get some tonight.” Alexandra snickered. “Some what?” Morgan demanded. They both started to laugh. Morgan was getting even more confused. “Some what?” she repeated. “Some lovin’ … she’ll be riding dirty all night long,” Alexandra laughed.

“With a wolf?” Megan and Alexandra still laughed. “No silly. That’s her man,” Megan explained. “Her man sneaks around in the dark and howls like a wolf?” Morgan said. “Actually, an evil sorceress turned him into a wolf,” Megan explained further. “It was Red’s stepmother that did it. We hear she’s an evil bitch,” added Alexandra. “He’s a wolf now … and she’s still going to do it with him?” Morgan gasped. “He can change back,” Alexandra snapped. “Well how was I supposed to know,” defended Morgan. “Mr. Green has been looking for a spell that can reverse it permanently,” Megan announced. “Right now, he can only change back for short periods of time, but it’s getting more difficult for him.” “This guy, Mr. Green, sure sounds like a real helpful guy.” Morgan sat back down with the others and bit into some more deer meat.

A wolfish figure moved quickly through the trees. It ran on its back legs like a man. Occasionally it touched down with its arms as it moved between trees. The creature had the head and face of a wolf but a body more like that of a man. He had bushy hair at his neck and on his back, but his huge, bulky chest was mostly short fur. He had longer than normal arms with long hair on the backsides and big hands with long, sharp, dagger-like nails. He had the tail of a wolf, big, muscular legs, and the feet and ankles of a beast. He stopped and sniffed the air, then changed direction and moved faster. The creature leapt up into a tree and then jumped across to a large stone and sniffed the air. He tilted his head up and howled like a wolf, then crouched back down and sniffed some more. He leapt off the stone and continued through the trees. The wolfish figure slowed his pace and sniffed again. He saw Red walking toward him, so moved closer. She looked at him as he ducked down to all fours and moved around her, sniffing her like an animal. He lifted up on his hind legs behind her. Her smile faded, and she became angry and turned to face him. She had to look up. The wolfish creature, she still considered her boyfriend, stood over eight feet tall. He leaned down, hunched over her, and sniffed her more. She stepped back and warned, “I’ve told you about this. Change back now or go away.” The wolf growled and revealed his large, sharp teeth, then sniffed her again heavily. He moved around her and tilted his head up and howled loudly. She spun around with him and flinched when he howled, then took a step back. She pulled out her sword and held it strong with her right hand while she placed her left to her crotch and lightly rubbed herself. “If you want some of this, change now. But keep sniffing me like a dog, and you’ll get this.” She thrust the sword within an inch of his neck. The beast jerked away and dropped to all fours again and shook and wriggled as if in a great deal of pain. He lifted his face to look at her. She watched as the hair shortened and his wolfish snout receded back. He looked down, and his large torso began to shrink to a frail form, and the hair drew back within his skin to reveal human flesh, leaving only short, dark hair on his head. He tried to stand but collapsed forward into her arms. His transformation completed, he went limp

against her. “You okay?” she asked with concern. He took in deep breaths and looked up at her through strained eyes. “It’s get … it’s getting much more difficult to change back. You need to get your friend to move faster. The one that you said could help me.” “He’s working on it,” she assured. “I’m changing more. My senses are changing. And you … you smell so good. I can barely control myself. You smell incredible. Even in human form, I’m starting to act like an animal. If he doesn’t find a cure soon, I’m afraid I’ll change into a wolf and never be able to change back again.” She looked him in the eye. “He’s working on it.” “I know, I know, but how’s he supposed to do it if you won’t even introduce me to him?” She looked at him with concern and smiled. “Don’t worry, my love. He will find a cure. It won’t be much longer.” Red pecked him on the lips. “It is so good to see you. You don’t have to always stay hidden in the bushes. The others won’t —” He stopped her from speaking when he pressed his lips to hers. He moved his hands down along her body and felt her up. She pulled away with a lustful grin. He watched the moons reflect off her skin as she removed her clothing. The clothing was discarded to the side across one of the many large stones that surrounded them. He stepped around her and hugged her from behind, then kissed her neck and moved his hands gently across her body. He kissed her shoulders and her back until she leaned forward against a large stone. He ired her perfectly shaped body in the faint moonlight, then slowly traced her back with his fingers and continued down to her hips. He leaned to kiss her back again. She reached back and rubbed his chest as he entered her from behind and moved slowly at first. He increased his thrusts to her moans. She arched her back and moaned louder. He vigorously pounded into her as she pushed back to meet his thrusts.

Morgan sat there in the dark and observed the moonlight as it reflected off the river. She glanced over at Megan and Alexandra and thought about all of the options in front of her. Her past experiences with people told her she should run as soon as the others fell asleep. But they did go through quite a bit of trouble to free her, she thought. Paying for her to help had been mentioned. She knew the magistrate and witch were still after her. She knew MacBaer must have been looking for her too. She thought that if she were stupid enough to enter the gates of New Anvindr, none of them would be stupid enough to follow her in there. She wondered, if she stayed with them until they reached New Anvindr, could she get them through the first enchanted door and then after that make a run for it and take her chances across the Liefr Sea? But then she ed they had offered to pay for her help. She looked at Megan and Alexandra again. “How much coin did you say I was going to get paid for helping you?” she asked. “We already paid you by rescuing you,” Alexandra explained. “Don’t listen to her,” Megan snapped. “She’s just kidding with you. You’ll be rewarded handsomely. Mr. Green is very wealthy.” “Who is Mr. Green?” Morgan asked. Megan looked down to avoid answering her. “Are you ignoring me?” Morgan asked. “Why are you being so secretive all of a sudden? Who is the guy? You said after we ate you were going to tell me everything I needed to know.” “There’s no reason to know about him. He’s a very private man with lots of wealth. What else could you possibly need to know about him? I seriously doubt you will ever even meet him,” Megan explained. “Why can’t I meet him?” “He likes his privacy,” said Alexandra. “Have y’all even met the guy?” “Yes, we’ve met him. I’ve known him for years. But I can only tell you what I’m

instructed to tell you,” Megan explained. “Then how am I supposed to get paid?” “He’ll have some one meet us once the task is complete. Don’t worry. You’ll get your money … uh, um … coin. Or whatever you call it.” “Look, I understand the need for secrecy, and I understand everything you’re saying, but you have to understand I’m very good at what I do, and that’s because I find out all the information involved before I take a job. I need to know what I’m getting myself into.” “We saved you. You owe us,” Alexandra demanded. “You did, and I’ve thanked you. I can be trusted.” “We don’t know that yet. We just met you today,” Alexandra continued to argue. “Yeah, well, I’m not some idiot that blindly jumps into something that involves certain death. I’ll agree that I owe you, but that doesn’t mean you own me,” Morgan argued back. “All right,” Megan snapped, to keep Alexandra from escalating the discussion into a full-blown argument. “Everyone, just calm down. I’ll tell you a little about him. Mr. Green is like a go-to guy. If you need something, he’ll get it for you. His organization has many clients with various needs. When they need something, he sends us. We make the client happy, and then Mr. Green is happy. We get rewarded, and then we’re happy.” Morgan looked at them confused. “What? What is he, your pimp?” Megan and Alexandra looked at her really confused. “Pimp? What the hell are you talking about?” Alexandra demanded. “You just made it sound like you’re his whores. He sends you out to make his clients happy. Sounds like some kind of prostitution ring to me. So that’s what this is. I’m supposed to get you into the castle. Then what? We put on some kind of sex show and get gang raped by a bunch of flaming, twelve-foot-tall giants. You guys are crazy. We won’t be walking right for months—if we ever walk again, that is. I’m sorry, but I’m just not into that kind of sick trash.”

Alexandra looked at her like she was crazy, and Megan burst into laughter. Then, as Alexandra figured out what she said, she also began to laugh. Still laughing, Megan tried to explain, “No, no, no. That’s not it at all. That must have come out all wrong. He’s a member of the Council … dammit. I’m not supposed to be telling you any of this.” “The Council of Magic?” Morgan asked. “Red and Mr. Green are going to be pissed off at me, but yes, the Council of Magic. He deals with everything in the realm of magic and sorcery. The dark forces are rising again, and something huge is about to happen. And he’s trying to get everyone prepared for it. He plays a key role in trying to stop it from happening. And we assist him and anyone else committed to this.” “If they’re as powerful as everyone claims them to be, then why don’t they do all this themselves? Why do they need us to do it for them?” “It’s because the forces of darkness have gone after the council. They have been forced into hiding and secrecy, so they need people like us that can continue to carry out these missions for them. No one would ever suspect us for working for the council.” “Not until Megan opens her big mouth and tells everyone,” Alexandra snidely interrupted. Megan smirked at her and continued, “We’re sent out to locate and gather all the lost relics and sources of magic that are out there. And that’s what we’re doing right now. We take them from people that shouldn’t have them and give them to the ones that should. That’s why we’re going to New Anvindr.” “So we get to keep our clothes on?” “Yes,” Alexandra assured. The women laughed a little. Morgan was still not satisfied and wanted more information. “That’s still not enough. I want to know what we’re after, where you guys are from, and more importantly, how much coin am I getting?” Megan leaned back and let out a deep breath. “How much history do you know? Do you know anything about the last Great War, besides that it happened?”

“I know a little. Rumors mostly. You never know what you can believe … but I heard they brought someone here from a different world. Brought here with some kind of powerful weapon that helped kill many of those evil Dagore creatures.” “Yeah, pretty much. But none of that is rumor. It’s all true. Me and Ali here, we’re from that same planet.” Morgan sat up, and her eyes beamed with excitement. “No way!” “Yep. We’re from a planet called Earth. And so is Mr. Green. That’s why we talk funny and why magic doesn’t affect us as much.” “Keep going. I want to hear everything.” “Okay … so hopefully you understand that every so many hundreds of years, the dark forces rise again. The last time was under four hundred years ago, and the council has evidence to show it’s about to happen again. I just hope it’s not in our lifetime. But who knows for sure? Anyway, each time a new war breaks out, the dark forces come back stronger, so forces for good, in their desperation to remain the victor, have reached out for help from other worlds. The Council of Magic discovered rifts between worlds where many traveled through to assist your planet of Kainos. They found a particular success with help from those that came from our planet, Earth. Because we’re from a planet without magic, we are able to stand up against magic. Like what you saw happen to Ali, it has little effect on us. Red has a theory, and Mr. Green s it. Perhaps because we don’t believe in magic and have never seen real magic, our brains have a disconnect from it.” “What does that mean?” “Well I’m sure you are aware that magic is connected to willpower. The stronger the mind, the stronger the power … and the stronger the mind, the stronger your ability to stand up against it. So … because our brains don’t perceive it to be true, and see it only as an illusion, we have the advantage of naturally standing up against it.” Ali cut in and added, “But the longer we are here and the more we see it being used, the more it begins to affect us. Today was actually the first time it ever really hurt. Felt like a hundred bees stung me all at one time.”

“That’s crazy … but I did see it with my own eyes. Please continue. How did Green and you two end up being the ones to come here?” Morgan asked. “Well, Mr. Green has been moving back and forth between Earth and Kainos for more than forty years. He has become a key player in organizing the efforts to prepare for the next inevitable war. The relics I was telling you about … I’m sure you know about all the jeweled weapons and other magical devices that plague your world. Well, he has organized several groups that set out on missions to obtain all those things. The council hopes to use the devices to increase their strength for the next war, while also keeping them out of the hands of our enemies. But the evil ones have become aware of these groups and have dispatched their own to take ours out. Many of the small teams that have worked for Mr. Green and the council have been found and killed. Now the evil ones seek out the council directly, which has forced the Council of Magic into hiding. And because of Mr. Green’s help and determination, they recently elected him to the Council of Magic. He is the first ever elected from a different planet. After losing several of the groups, Mr. Green changed his tactics and created his most successful group that he has ever used to gather the magical devices. This new group is made up of three females—all pretty hot, I might add—with two from Earth of course. Because we’re women, we’re easily overlooked. The evil idiots keep looking for male warriors while we prance around right under their noses.” “That sounds so unbelievable. How did you two end up being the ones?” “We have no idea,” Ali said. “Some chick showed up, asked me my name, then snatched me up and dumped me off. I didn’t even know I was on a different planet until I looked up and saw the two moons. Talk about a bizarre moment. I was freaking out.” “Yep. Same for me. Some chick jerked me up. Only saw her for a second, then poof … I was here. I was taken back home to Earth the same way and then brought here a second time. All the same—” Megan abruptly stopped talking when a loud wolf howl was heard coming from the trees. They all turned and faced the darkness in the trees. “Red’s done,” Alexandra said. “That was quick,” Morgan added. “Thought you said it would be all night long.” Red came out of the trees while she fastened the buckles that held her outfit on.

“Quickie tonight, Red?” Alexandra joked. “Need to save my energy. Don’t worry, it was still good … a little rougher than I wanted but still good,” Red assured. “When you going to start sharing?” “Hey, you find your own boyfriend,” advised Red. They laughed as Red sat down. Red reached for more of the warm deer meat. “So what all did I miss? Or what all did you tell her? That’s the better question.” “Pretty much everything,” Alexandra said. “She went all the way back four hundred years.” Red shook her head and smirked as Megan smiled in shame. “Sorry, I can’t help it. I got a big mouth,” Megan explained. “You’re lucky I like Morgan,” Red said. Morgan smiled. “But you still never told me what we’re going there for.” “She pretty much just did. We’re going for another stupid relic. Weren’t you paying attention?” Alexandra snapped. “Would you stop ripping my head off? Good grief! Go back to Earth,” Morgan retorted. “I would if I could. Go back to your burn pole.” “How bout I hit you with—” “Shut up!” Red barked. “The both of you. You’re like a bunch of little kids.” “She started it,” Morgan said, pointing at Alexandra. Red groaned and leaned back on the ground with her eyes closed.

CHAPTER 9

Business to Attend To

A t MacBaer’s camp, the men and Rand were gathered around campfires. All of their tents had been set, and Randall MacBaer’s tent was set up off to the side. He and his wife, Brianna, had already retired for the night while the rest sat around the fires, eating and talking. Captain Bruce sat next to Rand, always close by to give continued instruction. As they talked, a bird lowered and perched itself on the wagon next to the other birds. “Sir, they sent a bird,” announced one of the men. “Fetch the message and take it to Lord MacBaer,” the captain ordered. “Wait. I want to see it first,” stated Rand. The captain pulled him back as he stood. “The message is for your father. He’ll decide when or if you need to know what it says.” “I’ll take it to him then.” “You will not. We each have our duty here. Sit and finish your meal. It is already taken care of.” Rand shook his head with disapproval but knew the captain was correct, so he sat back down. The messenger walked to the bird and retrieved the rolled-up message. He hurried away toward Lord MacBaer’s tent.

Inside the tent, Randall was on top of his wife. She lay there on her stomach as he drove her hard from behind. Her arms were curled up around her pillow as she buried her face into it to muffle her loud moans. Their bodies were positioned to face the opening of the tent. They had one candle lit, and Randall saw when the arm slid into the opening and began to open it wider. It was only opened enough to speak in. “Sir, a bird has returned,” the messenger informed. Randall continued to pound into his wife. “Enter,” he called out. Brianna looked up as the messenger stepped in. He kept his eyes focused above them and reached forward with the note. Randall ignored it and kept working into Brianna. He was breathing hard and grunting. She turned her face away and moaned into her pillow. “Just read it,” Randall demanded. “Yes, sir.” The messenger unrolled the parchment and tilted it around to catch the candlelight. He read, “They have found the magistrate. Between his and the witches’ men, they are approximately seventy strong. And there are now six witches.” Randall stopped for a second, fraught with concern. Brianna also looked up to the messenger. “Seventy men … six witches? It says there are six witches?” Randall questioned. “Yes, sir. There are six. And Morgan and her companions are allegedly headed to New Anvindr.” He was even more shocked. “New Anvindr? What the hell is going on? Why there?” “That is all, sir. No reason why.” Randall sat up straight, and Brianna twisted around to look at him. “Six witches!

Giants! What are these sluts mixed up in? Witches and giants! Witches and giants? … Send word back to them. They are to stay with the magistrate and follow him. I want to know exactly what their plan is. We will continue this way after Morgan but will hold back. They are obviously going to attempt an ambush somewhere. We’ll let them fight it out. I’ll kill all the leftover witches and that slut Morgan. But no matter what, we can’t allow them to reach New Anvindr with my property. Fighting a giant is one thing, but an entire kingdom is a different matter. Go ahead and send that, and have them continue to report. Also send a separate message to the trading post. Have them send more men; double our numbers.” “Yes, sir.” “Now leave. I have business here to attend to.” “Yes, sir.” Brianna smiled and turned back around with her face to the pillow again as the messenger exited. Randall leaned back down on her and went back to ramming into her. Her moans got louder as the messenger walked away from the tent.

CHAPTER 10

Confused Thoughts

A wide clearing along the road was chosen for the campsite, resting a short distance back, surrounded by the enormous trees of Walcaster. The magistrate waited for his camp to settle. Not trusting the new witches, he kept an eye on them while his men finished setting up their tents and prepared the night’s meal. When the witches gathered around their fire, he felt his time had come to set his own tent. Being the type that led by example and pulled his own weight, he did not allow his men to set it for him. He had a lantern held while he assembled his large tent. “What is the plan, sir? The men are not happy with taking orders from these witches,” explained the soldier holding the lantern. “None of you are as pissed off as me. This is the king’s idea. I argued against it, but his orders are to do as they wish until this fiasco is over,” he explained. “Then what is our objective, sir?” “I don’t give a damn about whatever it is the witches are looking for. I just want Morgan and her accomplices. Back to the burning post for her, and the other three … they will spend quite a long time in my dungeon. Nobody makes a fool of me in front of my own town. They’ll pay for that.” “What about—” “We’ll talk in a little bit. You just keep an eye on my back while I do this. I don’t want one of those green bitches sneaking up on me.” “Yes, sir.”

He pulled one of the ropes tight and hammered the tie-down spike into the ground. In the center of the campsite next to a grove of trees, he chose to place his tent, to keep his men separated from the witches and their servants. Minutes later, the tent was complete. He picked up his gear and stepped in. The tent was large enough for him to lie down comfortably and high enough for him to stand. Being one of the tallest men outside the realm of giants required having an extremely large tent. His gear was unlatched and rolled out, and then a blanket was thrown on it. He stepped back out. The magistrate dismissed his help and scanned the area, looking for the witch he had dealt with most of the day. He didn’t see her anywhere. She was not even with the other witches, so he walked over to his men where food was being distributed. While waiting in line for his portion, he glanced around the campsite. The presence of the witches had his nerves in an uproar, making it difficult for him to relax. Stew boiled over a fire, and a sizable stack of bread loaves and potatoes rested on the horse-drawn wagon. Each guard received a small metal container with stew, potatoes, and bread. As the magistrate received his, he spoke to the guard serving him. “Have you seen the first witch anywhere? The one that’s been with us since this afternoon.” “No, sir. Perhaps you should look over by their camp. They all look the same to me.” He walked away, still looking. His men had several fires burning, and they were all spread out and eating. He walked around the entire campsite and observed what each group was doing. The five witches hadn’t moved since before he set his tent. They huddled around their fire in a tight circle and spoke amongst themselves at a low volume. The magistrate could not hear what they were saying, but he felt the cold chill of their leering eyes as he walked by. They watched his every move. Their servant men had their own fires going. They were off to the far side of the witches but remained close enough to them in case they were needed. They just sat or stood there, not speaking a word. Perhaps out of fear they might miss a command. Some were eating. The only one he did not see was the original witch that had been with him throughout the day. He continued to look but could not find her.

The magistrate circled back around to his men and ed them at one of the fires. He found an available seat on an old, dried-up, fallen tree and took it. He then finished off what little food remained on his metal dish. As he chewed his food, he leaned close to his man beside him and whispered, “I want you to this message around to all the men, and do it quietly.” “What is it, sir?” he asked.” “I don’t trust any of the five new witches that showed up—or their servants. I want you all to keep quiet around them and keep your distance.” “And what of the witch that was already here?” “I’m more inclined to trust her,” the magistrate said. “I don’t believe she intends to harm us, but the new ones, I think once they have what they came for, they may turn against us. Just keep your distance and tell everyone to be on guard. Be ready for any kind of attack.” “I would also advise you to be careful around my servants,” the first witch whispered. The brim of her hat hit the shorter man in the side of his head as she moved in closer. When they heard her voice, they both jerked to the side and turned to look at who had spoken. The guard jerked with such force he fell off his log and was about to go into the fire. The magistrate grabbed a hold of him and pulled him back. “Damn, woman. What are you doing, sneaking up on us like that?” the magistrate snapped. She laughed. “Awe, poor little baby. Did I scare you?” “It’s not funny,” he said as he returned to his seat. She knelt down with a large grin on her face. “I did not know you were so easily spooked,” she smirked. “My men are loyal to me, but they will side with the others over your men if you are correct about them turning against you.” “And what about you? You assured me and my king that you would not bring any harm to my men.” “It was my queen that spoke to your king, but it was I that gave you my word.

And I will keep my word.” “Why are you telling me any of this?” “As evil as you may think my queen or myself to be, we honor our agreements. The others have entered no agreement with you. I do not trust them either.” The magistrate smiled at her, and she pulled back a little. “You are a strange woman. Haven’t quite figured you out yet. You’re warning us against your own people.” They both stood and the magistrate turned back to the guard. “ that information along, and keep it quiet while you’re doing it.” “Yes, sir,” replied the guard. The guard moved over to the next guard to spread the word.

The magistrate and witch stepped away from the others, and he lifted his hand to her shoulder with a smile on his face. She slowly turned her head to look at his hand upon her shoulder with a disproving expression and then turned back with a scowl on her face. “We don’t like to be touched,” she expressed with a hostile tone. He smiled more and stared her in the eyes. He lifted the other hand to her other shoulder. “You know what? I don’t believe you. When this is over, I’m going to take you somewhere and buy you a pint,” he promised. A heat instantly came over her. So much so, she instantly perspired. At the same time, her head jerked back slightly, her shoulders dropped, and she turned to the side as she tried to grasp the confusing circumstance she found herself in. “Uh … What? Y-you want to t-take me on a … uh … What do you people call it?” “I want to take you out for a drink of mead or ale. You know, we sit there and have a pint. You can call it whatever you want.” “I don’t understand.” “It’s simple. We drink, we talk, and you explain why you’re being so nice to me.” “I think you’re confusing me with someone else. Witches don’t like to be touched, and we never go out for a … pint.” “Whatever. Fine, you can just sit there and watch me have a couple.” “I think you must have already had a couple too many. You’re talking nonsense.” She jerked her shoulders away from him and began to walk away. “Do what you want, but I’d still like to. I’m enjoying your company.” She turned and faced him with a baffled look. She turned back and walked away.

At the witches’ fire, the witches stood and talked. “Where is she?” demanded witch three. “This is most peculiar,” added witch two. “Perhaps she is just angry because we did not come with her to Walcaster,” witch five guessed. “Do not attempt to cover for her strange behavior. She has only been here for a day,” argued witch three. “It has been longer than a day. She has been dealing with this for weeks,” witch five argued back. “But only in Walcaster for a day. We’ve been here almost as long as she has,” barked witch three. “She also set up the meeting with the thief. She spent time just outside of House MacBaer,” witch six interjected. “So what. She—” witch three argued until interrupted. Witch two informed, “She was not engaged with him. There was no threat. She just lurked in the shadows.” “We are just saying that you are overreacting. She is angry with us. She will be fine in a day or two,” witch six explained. Witch five added, “But not if you two keep accusing her of strange behavior to her face.” Witch four chimed in, “None of this matters. We stick to our kind. Even our servants know their place and keep a distance. And where is she? Angry or not, she should be here with her own people.” “There are a large number of people here to move quite a distance. She may be working out arrangements with the lawman and his men,” suggested witch five.

“I do not like that man. What is he? He is almost a giant. I have never seen a normal man that tall. What does he eat?” pondered witch three. “I do not know what he eats, but if he rode with MacBaer, his blade has tasted witch blood. I do not care what he says. Look him in the eyes, and you can see it. He does not look upon us like a normal man. He has definitely spilled the blood of a witch,” witch two declared. Witch three scowled and promised, “And when this is over, I will spill his. We should spill the blood of all of Walcaster for what they did to us. For what they took from us.” Witch four snapped, “Plot your war for another day. We need to find the thief first.” “Here is the giant now. Checking on us again, the fool,” witch three snarled. They looked at him and watched as he walked past. “Perhaps she was not with him. He walks alone,” said witch six. They watched him walk away.

The magistrate made one last trip around the entire camp. Everyone was where he or she belonged. He walked away from the witches. All were there but the original one. She moved about in the darkness leering at him, following his every move. Once his trip around the camp was complete, he made his way toward his tent and made one last look each way before he stepped inside. She wondered if he was looking for her. He did not see her, but the lone witch saw him. She watched him from afar as she hid in the shadows and felt disappointment when he entered his tent. The feeling angered her because she was conflicted and didn’t understand why she was so fixated on what the magistrate was doing. She stared at his tent for about twenty minutes as she tried to unscramble her thoughts. All the emotions that ran through her mind were confusing and alien to her. She felt as though he had something that was hers. She felt a need to get it from him, but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was that he had taken from her. She leapt down from the branch of a large tree and walked toward the camp. She kept moving past the magistrate’s side of camp, toward her own side where her fellow witches were. She felt compelled to look at the magistrate’s tent as she ed it. She couldn’t help but feel drawn to it. The internal struggle continued as she forced herself to move past. Closer, she moved to her side of the camp, enough to see the witches as they stood there around their fire. They stood like statues, with miserable expressions. For the first time, the sight sickened her. She turned back and looked again at the tent, then looked past it at the magistrate’s men. Most were still around their fires, and she could see them laughing. She saw two pretend fight with sticks that were burning on the end. An unknown sensation came over her. Her eyes were drawn again to look at the magistrate’s tent. She hesitantly moved toward it. She moved her head around and tugged her clothing from her neck as her temperature continued to rise. The opening of the tent was within reach. She paced back and forth while she tried to figure out what she was doing. She kept asking herself, “What does he have that I want? Why do I feel I must go in?” A lack of understanding flooded her mind. She kept pacing. Again she turned to look at the opening. Paced some more. Sounds could be heard coming from his tent, so she stopped. She stood still for a minute and listened. Then it was heard

again. The sounds were that of the magistrate snoring. It brought a smile to her face. She went to walk away … but understanding hit her. She realized what it was that she wanted. And what she wanted was in the tent. She spun back around and quickly entered. Once inside, she stood frozen and stared at him in the darkness. He continued to snore. She was so nervous that her body trembled. She worked up enough nerve and took a step forward. Her toe touched his foot, and she stepped back. His snoring pattern changed. “Are you asleep?” she blurted out with a whisper. He continued to snore. She slightly increased her volume. “Hey … are you asleep?” More snoring. She twisted to the side of him and knelt down beside his feet and placed her hand on his leg. “Hey,” she barked out with a loud whisper. He flinched and lifted up slightly on his elbows. “Wh-what? Who’s there?” he mumbled. He was disoriented and trying to see in the dark. “Me,” she answered with a low voice. “Who?” “Shhhhh. It is me. Will this help?” She used her finger to create a flame and pointed at his oil lamp. The flame shot into the lamp and lit it. The tent quickly lit up, bright enough for him to see.

The magistrate looked at her, surprised and confused. “You? What do you need?” he asked with a low voice. He could feel she was shaking, and she choked up on her words as she spoke. “Look at me.” He became more confused. “What?” “Look at me,” she snapped. “Do you see a woman?” He pulled his head back slightly with a dumbfounded look. “Yeah,” he dragged out slowly. “Do you understand … women have needs?” “What are you talking about?” “I … I, uh … I’m having a prob—” “What is it?” “Stop interrupting me. I’m having difficulty with this.” “With what?” “Shush … I am … I … I don’t understand … the way I feel.” He was still confused, perhaps because he was not fully awake, and she was frustrating him. “Please explain what you’re saying.” She stared him in the eyes and slowly removed her hat. Her intentions became clearer to him, so he moved up more. She let her hair down. He ired her long, black hair as it fell and swayed across his leg. She placed her hand on his leg again. “I … feel that … I need to be here … with you.” “Oh, I see,” he spoke softly. His eyes widened as he finally realized what might be happening. Thoughts

raced through his head. He knew he had flirted with her. And he knew he purposely overdid it, but never in a million years did he imagine that she would respond in a way that led to any kind of sexual encounter. He never imagined having sex with a witch before, but there she was touching his leg. He began to sweat, and his emotions ran wild, but then he thought of how nice her ass looked through that dress. But she was a witch. She was green with warts. He hadn’t been laid in weeks. She had a really nice ass. He reached for the lamp and turned it a little brighter. He sat up straight and looked into her eyes and smiled. She was too nervous to smile back, but he looked closer and noticed her face looked as though it had changed. He no longer saw the warts. Her eyes and cheeks did not look quite as sunken in, but he just assumed it had to do with the lighting. She knelt there at his feet, frozen but for her trembling. “Come here,” he said with a gentle voice. She slowly removed her cape and top clothing, then stood to lower her dress and revealed a corset and slip. Much more skin was visible. Her green shoulders and collarbones began to excite him. He ired her neck as she knelt back down at his feet and loosened the laces in the front between her breasts. Then the nervous witch reached under her slip and pulled her panties down. Unable to see, he still knew what she was doing. The thought of doing a witch was extremely exciting to him now, and he wondered how often this had happened before. He had never met a man who had bedded a witch. He cleared his mind of thoughts and focused his attention on her, iring her womanly shape. He noticed for the first time how large her breasts were as they moved around in her loose corset. His excitement grew. She scooted up beside him, and he reached out to touch her arm. She trembled. She grabbed hold of her slip and pulled it up enough for her to lift her leg over him so she could straddle him. She gently touched his chest and pushed him back to lie down. He reached to touch her face, but she grabbed his wrists and held them down. They stared at each other for a long moment. Her hair hung down on each side of his face and brushed across his chest. Even with her breasts falling out of her corset, he couldn’t take his eyes off of hers. He smiled as he realized how unexpectedly nice she smelled. She reached down between their stomachs, under her slip, and grabbed hold of him. She smiled slightly as she touched him for the first time. She adjusted him

and placed him in the correct spot and began to slowly ease down. He watched as her facial expression changed when she went down. She closed her eyes and laid her head beside his, then moved up and down slowly. As she moved a little faster, she let out a long, deep breath. He let her continue on at her own pace. When she began to moan, he moved with her, maintaining her rhythm. She lifted and moaned a little louder, then moved a little faster. He put his hands on her hips and helped her move down harder. She was grinding down on him as hard and as fast as she could and let out quick gasps of breath. Her moaning got louder.

Outside, the sound of the witch’s moans was faint. The magistrate’s men did not hear anything, as they were still laughing and carrying on in a loud way, but the moans could be heard on the other side of the small grove of trees. The five witches were still gathered around their fire. Witch three heard a faint, strange noise. She turned to pay closer attention and looked through the trees across the short distance, at the magistrate’s tent. When she thought she heard something again, she stepped toward it. The others stayed with the fire while witch three moved a little closer. Halfway there, she stopped and listened and thought she heard it again. She did not understand what the noise was, but it sounded like it came from a woman. The only women around were the witches, she thought. So she moved even closer but then no longer heard anything. Again she stopped and stood there for a while, staring at the tent. Nothing could be heard but silence. The noise had stopped. She lost interest, turned around, and as she started to walk back, she heard someone exit the tent. She spun around and saw the witch as she crept the other way around with her hair still down and her hat and top clothing in her arms. Witch three was shocked and then enraged. She moved so fast toward her that it appeared as if she was gliding across the ground. She came up behind the witch and jerked her around. The first witch’s eyes bulged in fear as she dropped her hat. “What have you done?” witch three snapped with a low shriek. “I saw you come out of his tent. I heard … I heard … I cannot believe it. I saw you come out of his tent! You had relations with that man! You are not to do that. He is not our kind. How could you? The head of our order will hear about this.” Her fear was gone, and her expression turned to one of irritation. “Hear about what?” she said. “You saw nothing. You heard nothing. You are off your rocker. I think you have been abusing your potions again.” “What! How dare you?” “Go. Leave my sight.” The first witch turned and bent over to pick up her hat. “You think you are so clever, but you will never be able to hide this.” She jerked back around. “Watch me.”

“Watch yourself. Take a look in a mirror. You will never be able to cover this up.” She looked confused by witch three’s statement. She was obviously unaware of the change in her appearance. The confused witch dropped her things to the ground and touched her face with both hands. She touched it all over and then stared in disbelief at witch three. She quickly reached down and picked up her things, then took off around the back way, toward her small tent.

She placed her hat upon her head, draped her cape over her shoulders, and tucked her clothing under her arm. She hurried toward her tent. To get to her tent from this direction, she needed to through the servants that were under her command. She grabbed one and pulled him away from the others. She commanded, “Bring my travel chest to my tent.” “Yes, madam,” he replied and quickly moved toward her things. She arrived at her small tent and threw the flap open, then ducked down to enter the darkness. She used a flame to light an oil lamp and then stepped into the middle in a crouched position to avoid hitting her hat on the ceiling of the tent. She removed it and dropped to her knees to wait for her things. Her tent was barely tall enough for her to stand, impossible with the hat on. Inside, she had a rolled-out, thin bed with blankets folded and laying across the end of it and a small wooden stand where the lamp sat. The tent was not large enough for her to keep all her luggage inside and move around in. “Madam.” She looked up while trying to conceal her face. “Slide it in and leave me.” “Yes, my queen.” He pushed in the travel chest until it reached her. He turned and hurried out. He fastened the opening closed behind him. She pushed it tight against her bed so she had room to maneuver. She was scared to look, so she stared at the chest. After a deep breath, she nervously opened it. The entire inside of the hinged top was a mirror. She leaned it back against the tent wall. She stared at herself in the mirror, and her eyes widened. After a minute, her face lost all expression, and she continued to stare. Her eyes watered, and a tear ran down her cheek. Deep, dark eye sockets were no longer so deep or dark. Her nose had straightened. Warts had disappeared, and her skin had smoothed. Tears flowed down both cheeks now. She used both hands to feel her face. She lowered them, leaned close to the mirror, and cried, “My beautiful wickedness. It is washing away.” As the tears continued to flow, she began to smile.

Witch three returned to the campsite and acted in an outlandish way. She rambled on incoherent mumbles that the others could not understand. She was in some kind of shock and hostile about whatever caused it. Witch two grabbed hold of her and shook her to calm her down. She screamed out to the others as she pulled away from her, “Come with me, quickly. We have private matters to discuss.” The other witches looked at her, and most were reluctant to move. Witch three bolted toward the largest tent but then stopped and looked at the ones not moving. “Come now,” she barked. “This is of dire importance.” The rest began to follow her. They moved toward the tent occupied by witch two, the only tent large enough for them all to fit inside. Witch three held it open as she rushed them inside. “Quickly, quickly,” she ordered with a panicked tone. Once inside, they all huddled in the center where the top was high enough for them to stand. Two were eager to hear what she had to say. The other two were quite irritated. “What is it? We had enough privacy out by the fire,” witch five snarled. Witch three looked at them with her eyes bulging, “I have discovered why she has been acting the way she has.” They all looked at her then, eager to hear the reason. “Tell us,” witch two demanded. The words came out slowly. “I saw her … I saw her come out of the lawman’s tent.” Some were shocked, and some were outraged. “Ridiculous. She would not be in there alone. We are forbidden to be alone with a man,” witch six corrected. “I saw it. Hair down. Her hat grasped in her hand with her top clothing draped over her arm,” reassured witch three. The witches were stunned by this information, and some still denied it could

happen. “Impossible,” argued witch four. Witch two shook her head in disbelief. “No, no, no. It is just not possible. It cannot be. Not her. Not her. She would never.” “I saw her. I confronted her. She laughed at me,” added witch three. Her eyes widened as she grabbed witch two by the shoulders. “Her face … it changed. She looks different. You have to go see. She is hideous!” Witch six itted, “I do not believe you. She is too close to Agatha. She would nev—” Witch three lunged across the middle and grabbed witch six by the throat with her right hand. “Do not ever again accuse me of lying,” she roared. Witch six swatted her hand away and shoved her. Witch three flew back. Witches two and four caught her to keep her from going down. “Do not touch me again,” witch six bellowed. Witch two jumped in the middle and stretched both arms out to keep them from each other. “Go have a look for yourself. You can see what her treachery has done to her appearance,” shouted witch three. Witch two, with her arms still out, ordered, “All of you need to calm down. We have never experienced a thing such as this.” “What should we do?” witch four asked. “We have no choice but to leave this up to our queen. Agatha must know,” answered witch two. Witch three moved quickly toward the opening, and as she exited, she said, “I’ll get the conversing stone.” “We should wait until we capture the thief. This will interfere with our mission,” suggested witch five. “I agree. The mission is more important and should come first,” added witch six.

“Hush,” witch two instructed. “We would put ourselves in the path of Agatha’s wrath if she finds out later. We have to tell her now. Normally I would agree with you but not on this. She would be just as angry with us if we kept it from her. We must tell her at once.” “Well, I for one do not like this. I did not see her do anything,” witch six said. Witch three stepped back in, followed by two servants. One carried the stone, and the other carried its stand. They set the stand down and placed the stone on top in the center of the tent. “Leave us. Return to the others quickly,” witch two ordered. The servants moved back out quickly. “What will you say to her?” witch three asked. Witch two jerked her head back slightly with squinted eyes. “Me? I will say nothing. You saw it. What will you say to her?” “That is great. Put this all on me.” “You put this on yourself. We all saw nothing.” “Fine. Let us get her.” They gathered around the conversing stone. Witch three was noticeably nervous. She started to chant a dark incantation similar to the one earlier. “Show me my queen, Agatha,” witch three commanded. The stone began to vibrate and cracked, revealing a light beneath its surface. A meager amount of smoke began to flow from the stone. As the smoke diminished, they saw Queen Agatha’s large castle in the stone. The image moved inside and then continued through the dark ageways and into Agatha’s study. Agatha sat at her desk. Her hat rested within reach beside her. She leaned forward and meticulously painted a little figurine. Around her workspace were a few containers of different colored paints and a larger container with a few paintbrushes standing in it. They watched as Agatha turned her attention to them.

She rubbed off the excess paint from the brush and placed it with the others. She looked straight at them through her crystal ball. She said with an irritated tone, “I am here. Speak.” Witch three leaned closer and looked terrified. Her lips were quivering when she attempted to speak. “Something has happened,” she informed. “Well,” Agatha snapped. “It was … it was … the sister in charge. She has …” “You are wasting my time. Say what needs to be said,” Agatha demanded with a hostile tone. “I saw her exit … a man’s tent … the lawman’s tent. Her t-top clothing was rremoved.” Agatha moved closer to her crystal ball. “What are you saying? Was she harmed?” she shouted. “N-no, ma’am. She engaged in relations with him.” Agatha’s eyes opened extremely wide. She moved back slowly, and they watched as her face went through a few different expressions as she tried to process the given information. Her face twisted into a vile scowl, and she lurched toward her crystal ball. “You go and take care of this right now!” she screamed in a fit of rage. “I want his head! And you drag her before me right now. I want to see her right now!” The witches moved toward the tent opening. They ran and bumped into each other as they struggled to get out. “Wait!” Agatha screamed. “Wait!” They all spun back around, still falling over each other. “Yes, my queen,” witch two responded. Agatha was still enraged but spoke in a calmer tone. “That will cause an upheaval. This is too important. You must remain on your given task. Give her

until morning. When you see her, you tell her to return to me. Your second in command will take lead and finish this. We will deal with the lawman once we have Miss Morgan.” “And what if she does not cooperate? She has acted extremely hostile and threatened force in regards to this matter,” explained witch two. “She will not refuse an order from me. We need to find the thief. She must remain the priority. If she will not return in the morning, she is to be bound as soon as you have Morgan. She is to be held until I arrive. I will deal with her personally. Kill the lawman and Morgan. But if your sister attempts to interfere with my plans, you will have to take her out, but only as a last resort. I prefer to see her face-to-face.” “We understand, my queen. I will take lead, and we will recover the thief and her possessions.” “Do not fail me as she has. No more failures will be tolerated.” All the witches lowered their heads. “Yes, my queen,” they replied. The stone filled back up with smoke, and the light dimmed. The witches looked at each other.

Agatha sat at her desk. She jerked the paintbrush out of the container and dipped it into the paint. She leaned forward and went to paint the figurine again. She moved the brush toward it, but her hand shook from the rage welling up inside. She took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. She stroked the brush along the section of her project. Her hand still shook, and she made a mistake. She jerked up and stood there as she tried to regain her composure. She leaned forward with her hands resting on the desk. The paintbrush was still in her hand, held properly through her fingers. She took many deep breaths, still unable to calm herself. She couldn’t get her hands to stop shaking. The brush snapped in her fingers. Her entire body shook with anger. “How could she do this to me?” she roared. She swatted everything off her desk, launching the figurine across the room. It shattered against the far bookshelf. Paint and paint thinner splattered in all directions, covering her books and pouring out all over her hardwood floors. She slammed her hands down on the desk as her chest heaved. “How could she do this to me?”

CHAPTER 11

Soup Bowls and Threats

H ours before sunrise, Red was awake. She stood at the edge of their campsite and looked out over the river. Both moons reflected off the water. A light, warm breeze was in the air. She put on her red cloak and walked over to the horses to untie them. Then she led them over to her friends that remained asleep. Red squatted down next to Morgan and shook her shoulder to wake her. Morgan struggled to open her eyes. “What?” she mumbled. “Come on. It’s time to get up,” Red explained. She turned to the others and yelled, “Everyone, up. It’s time to move.” Alexandra rolled over and looked at Red. “Ugh,” she moaned. Morgan yawned. “Just a few more minutes.” Red hooked her gear to the back of her saddle and repeated, “It’s time to move. We have to assume they know where we’re going. We need to stay out ahead of them.” Alexandra lifted her hands to her face and then rose up on one elbow. “Awe, man, the sun isn’t even up yet.” “She’s right. We better get going,” Megan agreed. Red mounted her horse while Megan stood and stretched. She yawned as she kicked Alexandra’s leg. Alexandra sat up and stared at the others. Morgan rose to her knees. “You guys suck,” she said, and then stood. “We’re going to keep rotating you around so we don’t wear out one of the horses more than another,” Red explained to Morgan. “So this morning, you’re starting

off riding with the ever joyful Ali.” “That’s me. Joy, joy,” Alexandra jested as she stood and stretched. Once they finished hooking the camping gear to their horses, they mounted and rode back to the main road. On the road, Morgan unrolled a cloth with the deer meat. It was a good-sized portion. She offered some to Alexandra. She took a piece, and then Red and Megan moved closer to get some. They each took a significant amount and continued on. Morgan bit off a big bite, wrapped the rest back up, and tucked it into her satchel. “We still got a few more days of riding. I know a great place we can stay the night before we should arrive at the gates,” Alexandra offered. “Yeah, these great places you always seem to know about are always really expensive,” said Megan. “So what. They’re always worth it. Don’t you get tired of sleeping in the dirt?” “Yeah, but I still don’t like to spend everything I have. We don’t have to stay at the best place all the time.” “Well, some of the places you’ve picked, I would prefer sleeping outside in the dirt,” Alexandra confessed. Excited, she said, “And now I have a new awesome place to stay. If we ever through Walcaster again, we’re going back to that tavern-inn where Morgan took us.” “I’m sure that will go over real good. Maybe the innkeeper will forgive me for cutting off his finger,” reminded Red. “Not to mention the whole town of Coulterfield hates our guts.” “If he’s got a problem with us, I’ll cut off one of his other fingers. I doubt they would us anyway,” Alexandra said. “We could wear disguises,” joked Megan. “Or we could just stay in one of those rat holes you always love so much.” “You don’t have to get offended every time I joke with you, Ali. I like the places you pick. I guess I’m just a little more tight with my limited funds.”

“I know. They’re so limited. You could probably buy the damn hotel. You’re just a cheapskate. There’s nothing wrong with indulging in the finer things every once in a while.” Megan looked over to Red and asked, “Red, how much longer before the sun is up?” “Not much longer. Maybe two hours,” answered Red. They continued on down the road with the two moons lighting the way.

Randall MacBaer, still lying in his tent, under his blankets, watched as his nude wife walked over to the entrance. She opened it up enough to peek out and let a little sunlight shine in. “They’re all up and moving about,” Brianna informed. “They about ready to move out?” Randall asked. “A few more minutes, my dear,” she replied. She shut the entrance and walked back toward him. He stared at her perfect curves and large breasts. “Looking at you reminds me why I quit all this running around and carrying on. I’d rather spend more time in here with you—” Brianna cut him off. “But instead we must rush out to the hunt. Do not worry, husband. There will be plenty of time again tonight for you to tend to my needs.” Randall jumped up and embraced her. “You mean my needs.” He gave her a morning kiss, and she playfully pushed him aside. “Get dressed and get out there to lead your men before I do.” He laughed while he put on his clothing. As they both got ready, he watched her bend over to pick up her things. And continued to watch while she dressed. He latched his armor on and then walked to her when he was finished so he could fondle her breasts before they were covered. She tried to squirm out of his reach. “Would you knock it off? I’m trying to get dressed,” she demanded. He forcefully kissed her until she kissed him back. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him deeply. He grabbed both of her breasts and lifted them up, squeezing them, then quickly sucked on one of the nipples. He wanted her but groaned because there wasn’t time to go further. So another quick kiss to her lips, and then he spun around and moved toward the entrance. “Hurry. There’s no time to play,” he advised. She smirked and shook her head as she went back to placing her chest armor on.

Randall stepped out of the tent and looked around. They were nearly complete with packing up. He looked over to his captain and called out, “Have everyone finish packing up and mount up. Have someone bring me my horses.” “Yes, sir,” the captain replied. Brianna stepped out of the tent and walked to Randall. She turned her back to him so he could pull her straps tight and buckle them. As he did, their son rode over on his horse. Randall looked up and said, “Morning, son.” “Mom, Dad, good morning.” Brianna smiled at him and placed her hand against his leg. “Did you sleep well?” “Well enough.” One of his men led the two horses over. “Enough chatter. Let’s move out,” said Randall. His men began to take down his tent. Randall and Brianna mounted their horses beside their son, and the three took off. Many men followed while a few others stayed to finish packing up the camp.

The magistrate walked out of his tent, wide-awake with a noticeable grin on his face. He immediately started taking down his tent. As he was doing so, he looked around for his witch. He did not see her. He pulled the spikes out of the ground and then removed the tie-down ropes. He saw the other witches huddled together in front of their tents while their servants took them down. He counted them to make sure. There were only five, with his not among them. The tent was folded up and set beside his other gear. He glanced at the witches again, because he could feel that they were looking at him. As one of his men walked by, he reached out to get his attention. “Sir,” the guard responded. “Take my gear to the wagon and have everyone finish up quickly. We’re about done here,” the magistrate ordered. He turned around again to look at the witches, and his witch was standing there in front of him, with her back to him. He flinched a little when he saw her there. “Sneaking up on me again, I see,” he joked. He reached out to grab her shoulder. She shrugged it away. “Be on guard. Last night was no secret,” she warned. He stepped to her side to get a look at her. “I take it that was a big no-no?” She stepped forward to avoid him seeing her face. “More like a never before. A witch of our order has never been involved with relations outside of our kind,” she explained. “We live by a very strict code of conduct. And we never … ever deviate from it. We only engage in relations for the purpose of increasing our numbers. And we only participate in the activity with our own kind.” “Then why did last night happen?” She looked down, still not facing him, and spoke calmly. “It was a moment of weakness on my part … combined with a thirst for more than just a life of every day echoing the last.” “What happens next?”

“Just be on guard.” He stepped forward, trying to look at her, but she turned and walked toward her horse. He followed, wondering if she avoided looking at him on purpose. The other witches moved toward them. The first witch took hold of her horse and swung up onto the saddle, with improved form. The magistrate mounted his own. Before they could move, the witches were there with witch two in front. The magistrate and his witch looked forward to avoid looking at them. “Uh-hum …” Witch two cleared her throat loudly, while the other witches tried to get a good look at her face. The magistrate thought their behavior was odd, and then he tried to look at her to see what had caught their attention. Witch two continued, “Certain events have come to my attention. We have all discussed this and agree I am to take your place and lead this operation. You are to return to the castle and go before our queen.” The magistrate’s witch looked down from her horse and stared into her eyes. They could all see her face, and their eyes noticeably widened. They each took a short step back. She gave them long enough to gawk at her new appearance as she continued to stare at them. “You take whatever place you like, but if you get in my way, I will use your skull as a soup bowl. I will remain here. I will see this through until my fingers are wrapped around Morgan’s neck,” she explained. Witch two and three gasped, outraged by her words. The witch and magistrate started to slowly move away, with him attempting to get a better look at her. “I am not through talking to you,” declared witch two. “I am through with you, soup bowl.” The magistrate couldn’t help but snicker and smile. “You wipe that smile from your face,” witch three commanded. He smirked at her. “Your head would make just as lovely a soup bowl as hers.” “That’s it,” she bellowed.

The first witch jerked her horse around to face witch three as the other four witches held her back. The first witch raised her hand and created a fireball. The magistrate shifted his horse over, behind hers. “Do I need to teach you your place?” she shouted from her horse. The witches fixed their eyes on the flame. Witch five pointed at it. “Look. It is blue.” The first witch turned to look at her own flame. She and the magistrate saw the blue flame that swirled around inside the fireball. She focused on it and concentrated. The entire fireball turned blue. He did not understand the significance of it being blue. She began to laugh and turned back to the witches with a wide smile. “That is right. It is blue. Now back off,” she said with a snide tone. All five drew back, fearful of the blue flame. The witch and magistrate galloped away from them. When they were several yards away, she held her hand up and created another fireball. Once again it was blue. She laughed lightly. “What’s so funny?” he asked. “It is a blue flame … very rare. And very powerful,” she explained. “They’ve never seen you do it before?” “I have never done it before.” She concentrated, and the flame turned a more vibrant blue. She shifted it around in front of her face, moving it back and forth. “What are you doing differently?” he asked. “I do not know. I seem to be experiencing quite a few changes … since I met you.” He reached over and tilted the brim of her hat up out of the way so he could see her face. “I’ve noticed.” She turned and looked at him with a stoic expression. His smile widened as he ired her new, attractive features. A very slight smile came to her, and then she tilted her head down a little, as if lost in thought. “Get your men moving. No

more talking for now. I have too many things going on in my head. I need to think. Let’s just find the thief and end this.” He called out to his men, “Let’s move out.” The magistrate’s men finished loading everything up and mounted their horses. They rode off down the road, following the magistrate toward his short cut.

The five witches watched as they rode away. Witch two turned to the servants. “Finish this. I want you caught up to the others quickly.” “Yes, madam.” Servants loaded up the last of the witches’ things and retrieved their horses. The witches reached toward their brooms that were leaning against each other and standing next to where their fire was. The brooms pulled apart from one another and flew into the hands of their owners. They took flight through the sky. “Did you see her face?” begged witch four. Witch two shook her head and replied, “Hideous.” They flew off out of sight. Their servants in black moved in the same direction.

CHAPTER 12

In the Rain

W hile the women headed toward New Anvindr on the more popular route, close to a day behind were the magistrate and his garrison, along with the witch and her men. Traveling at an even greater distance behind were the other five witches and their men. The magistrate chose a different route, a shortcut according to him—one that would put them ahead of the women within two days. This shortcut was much less traveled because of the terrain. It was very narrow, barely wide enough for any of their few wagons, with a great deal of overgrowth, especially at this time of year during the summer. The magistrate’s men moved along with no more than two riders side by side. The magistrate and witch were close to the front. The riders had to occasionally duck out of way of the long branches that grew across the path in some places. The ever-watchful magistrate frequently glanced behind him and up in the sky where the witches flew. They flew high above the trees and avoided the nuisance of all the growth. He saw when witch two separated from the other witches and flew down along the trail, to the side of the witch with him. “Here comes your friend,” he warned. As she turned, witch two slowed down beside her. “May I speak with you?” witch two asked. “Of course,” the first witch replied. The magistrate kept a watchful eye on her while they talked. “We have all agreed to continue as planned, with you in the lead. In the past, you have always led us well, but we need to know your intentions once this task is complete. Surely you must know, the head of our order, along with many other , will never forgive you for what you have done.”

“I know … and I have given this much thought. I will find Morgan, reclaim what is rightfully ours, and hand it over to you, in the hope that it will please the order and soften any of their desires to punish me. But no matter what, I will never return. I have given my entire life to our order, and now things are changing for me. So I will live my life and follow a path of my own choosing and see where it takes me. Perhaps one day you will be able to understand that.” Witch two looked baffled by her plans but agreed with them anyway. “Very well. As long as your intentions are to follow through with this, we will follow your lead.” The witch nodded to witch two in agreement. Witch two lifted up and flew ahead of them above the trees and circled back to the others. The witch looked over at the magistrate and slightly smiled. He smiled back and then reached over to touch her arm, but she pulled away out of habit. “Do not get carried away,” she advised. He shook his head and continued to smile. “Do you trust them?” he asked. “At this point, you most likely trust them more than I do. Does that make you feel any better?” He looked at her with a lustful grin. “Last night made me feel better.” Her mouth opened slightly, and her eyes widened. She jerked her head forward. He had embarrassed her. He went to place his hand on her shoulder, and she shrugged away again.

Dark clouds were moving in across the sky. Red noticed first. “Look at the sky. A storm is moving in. Looks like we’ll be getting wet.” Alexandra looked over at the clouds, not happy with the prospect of spending the day riding through a storm. “Great,” she snapped. “Now we gotta deal with the rain too. And I’m sure waiting it out is out of the question.” “Not with all these people after us. Actually, I think this may be a good thing. A witch doesn’t do too well in the rain. You know how devastating water is to them,” Megan explained. “Exactly what I was thinking,” agreed Red. “This should keep that witch off our backs.” “All right then, I guess. I can live with that,” Alexandra itted. Morgan sat behind Alexandra and thought to herself, Yeah. So can I. She would go along with anything that would keep the witch off her back. She stared at the dark clouds and smiled as she lifted a piece of cold meat to her mouth. “Hey, guys, I gotta pee,” announced Alexandra. “What else is new?” Megan jested. “I gotta pee like right now, or else Morgan will be experiencing something new.” “Okay, we’re stopping.” They slowed and moved over into the trees and brush. Megan hopped off her horse first. “I suggest we all go while we’re here. We can’t keep stopping every time someone needs to go.” Alexandra ran over to the closest tree and squatted down. The others walked further into the trees.

The magistrate kept looking over at the witch, but she only stared ahead. He was thinking about her nighttime visit to his tent. He had never imagined getting intimate with a witch before. He hadn’t even been sure they could or did get intimate. He had never seen any men of their kind. He had seen girl children before, but up until this point, he had never thought about what adult witches did in their personal lives or where the children came from. Now he knew they could have sex, at least this one would. He was even more surprised by the fact that he enjoyed it so much. He looked over at her and hoped there would be more. She sneered over at him. “Why do you insist on continuously looking at me?” “I was just thinking about what you look like under that dress.” He embarrassed her again. She turned away, not knowing how to react. She reached up to move her fingers along her neck between her clothing and skin as she began to perspire. “I know you are worried about what the others think, but I was hoping you could make a habit out of entering my tent at night,” he continued. She jerked over, almost ramming her horse into his with her face just under his. “Would you shut up, you fool,” she growled. “Before I set your tent on fire with you in it.” “Be that way then. See if I let you in my tent again,” he argued. “Just shut up,” she said. She moved away a little, and he attempted to put his hand on her shoulder. She twisted her shoulder out of his reach. “Stop it,” she snapped. “You must stop this instant!” He shook his head at her and drifted off into thoughts about different ways he’d like to engage in sex with her. He turned away while thinking and noticed the dark clouds forming in the sky. He turned back to her. “Have you noticed these dark clouds we’re about to be riding into?” he asked. “Do not concern yourself with that,” she stated. “Okay. I just always thought water was quite devastating to you and your

friends.” “My kind does not have friends. We are sisters. And do not worry about the rain. You just better hope this shortcut of yours works out.” “Don’t worry about my shortcut. I showed it to you on the map. You know it will get us ahead of them.” “It better.” “And you better visit me again in my tent.” She looked back at him with death in her eyes. He began to laugh and lightly plucked the brim of her hat. “My patience is wearing thin with you,” she itted. “What? You want me to get the tent out right now?” he joked. She lifted her hands and shook them in front of her while she growled in frustration, “What is wrong with you? Why can you not just shut up?” He leaned toward her and smiled as wide as he could. “Because I’m having the time of my life irritating you,” he answered. She swatted a backhand at his face. He jerked back, and she missed. “When I get my hands on you …” “That’s what I’ve been talking about. I can’t wait for you to get your hands on me again.” She looked at him hard with a scowl. He stared back at her with his own phony scowl. She turned away and cracked a little smile. He began to laugh.

High up above them and a little ways back, the witches flew over. Witch two looked down at them and watched as they interacted and played with each other. It infuriated her. Witch three flew over closer to her and said, “Disgusting, is it not?” “When we are through with Morgan, while you four go after our former sister, he is mine. I will keep his eyes as a trophy,” promised witch two. She turned to the other three and shouted, “Prepare for rain. Looks like we will be in it for quite a while.” All five witched looked at the dark clouds with a look of dread in their eyes. As they flew, they tightened up their clothing and pulled their hats down lower. Witch two pulled her cape tighter and wrapped it around to get bundled up tight. One by one, they chanted a protection spell on themselves.

Megan, Red, Alexandra, and Morgan continued under the overcast sky. Raindrops began to fall. Red lifted her hood to cover her head and then looked down and sighed. Rain might be a good thing for them right now, she thought, but she still was not in the mood to be wet. Lightning struck, lighting up the sky. It was followed by loud thunder that shook them all and startled the horses. Red looked over at the others getting wet. Megan looked irritated but not too much. Alexandra looked pissed off, like she did so often. Morgan looked at Red and shrugged with a big smile. Red knew that she and Morgan, both from this planet, were accustomed to the discomforts of weather on a regular basis. She also knew that Megan and Alexandra were not. Memories of the stories they had told her entered her mind. Being from Earth, they were accustomed to a more comfortable life with temperature-controlled dwellings. Where the three of them lived now, with Mr. Green, Red had also experienced a small part of the life Megan and Alexandra were used to. She feared Megan and Alexandra were in over their heads and lacked true understanding of what this world was all about. Megan looked at her life here on Kainos as just one big adventure and did not truly consider the dangers they faced. Red was against this mission and a little angry with Mr. Green for offering it to them. She only agreed to come to keep Megan and Alexandra safe … or at least try to keep them safe. Megan jumped at this opportunity to go to New Anvindr. She was excited about the idea of seeing a giant. She had no idea how big they really were and what they were capable of. Red was already at unease with the mission, and now before it had truly begun, it had gotten worse. She worried about the witch and magistrate, along with the large group of men that traveled with them. She glanced over at Morgan again. She also worried about what Morgan was hiding from them. She wanted to know why so many were after her.

A steady downpour soaked the riders. The dirt road had become nothing but mud with large puddles. Some areas had fast-moving water running across them, which made the ride much more dangerous. Brianna MacBaer was soaked and rode with a piece of a tent draped over her head to keep the rain off. The entire MacBaer group continued on through the rain and mud. Misery swept across their faces. Brianna moved closer to her son. She reached out and touched his shoulder to get his attention. He turned and looked at her, rain dripping from his hair. He wiped the water from his face and pulled his hood back to see her properly. She looked at him sternly. “I know you have feelings for that little whore, but I want you to know, if your father doesn’t take care of it, I’ll cut the little bitch’s head off,” Brianna promised. “You know there’s more to this. We don’t even know what she’s done,” Rand argued. “It’s because of her that I’m out here in this. I hold her solely responsible.” “She wouldn’t have the means to do what you’re accusing her of. If you ask me, the witches had something to do with it.” “Don’t worry, they’ll get what’s coming to them too.” “Well before any of you harm Morgan, I’m going to talk to her and find out what happened. If she stole them, I’ll get them back from her.” Brianna shook her head at him. “Next time you decide to bring a girl into our home, you make sure you know who she is first.” “All right. I understand.” “You should also try finding one a little more modest next time.” Rand smiled. “What are you smiling about?” Brianna questioned.

“Just thinking about Morgan. She wasn’t modest at all,” he bragged. “You just watch your mouth. I don’t want to hear that.” “You brought it up.” “You just better think before you act next time. I’m not old enough to be a grandmother. And if you’re going to be taking idiotic chances like that, make sure it’s with a more respectable woman that isn’t wanted all over the continent.” “How was I supposed to know? None of you knew either.” “Just keep your damn pants on, and we won’t have to worry about anything.” Rand wiped water out of his eyes and looked at his mother with no response. Brianna shook her head and moved back over beside Randall.

Morgan rode on the horse that carried Red now. Alexandra wiped the water from her eyes and then pulled her hair out of her face and tied it back. She looked over at Morgan and wanted to kick her off the horse and leave her behind. She blamed Morgan for the fact that they were stuck riding in all this rain. Normally they would have found a place to stay and waited the rain out. But because Mr. Green insisted on them needing her help, they were stuck with everything that came along with it. That included being chased by dozens of heavily armed men and a witch. She looked down at her soaking wet horse and saddle. The skin on her legs was getting irritated from rubbing against the wet saddle. She wanted to stop somewhere but knew Megan would never agree to it. It was times like these that Alexandra doubted her reasons for being there, on a different planet, trying to solve problems that were not her own. She missed the comforts of her dry, airconditioned apartment. As her stomach growled, she craved a hot slice of pizza with strands of cheese pulling from the other slices as she lifted it. She looked over at Morgan and fantasized about slamming a hot slice into her face and smearing the burning, hot cheese all over her and then jamming it down her throat so she would choke on it. Red turned and looked at Alexandra. She ignored Red and focused on Morgan with all her hate displayed on her face. Red smiled with a cheesy grin, trying to get her attention, but she did her best not to smile back. The rain bounced off Red’s hood into Morgan’s eyes. Morgan wiped her eyes and smacked the hood to knock off the excess water from it. Then she leaned over to get a view of Red’s goofy face and saw that she was looking at Alexandra, so she turned to look too. Alexandra made a goofy face back at Red, and when she saw Morgan looking at her, Alexandra lifted her hand and gave Morgan the finger. Morgan smiled and swung her arm out, returning the favor. Megan turned around and looked at everyone. Alexandra and Morgan still gave each other the finger while Red continued with the goofy faces. “What are you guys doing?” Megan questioned. “Just having fun in the pouring rain,” explained Alexandra. They dropped their fingers, and Alexandra looked at Megan in her soaking wet, white shirt. “Looks like we know who won this wet T-shirt contest,” added Alexandra.

Megan looked at her, confused. “What are you talking about?” “That see-through shirt you’re wearing. I think it puts you in the lead.” Megan looked down at her chest and could see her nipples through her shirt and bra. She turned red and spun back around. “Well, stop looking. It’s not my fault you weren’t as blessed as I was.” “I was blessed just fine, thank you. And with Morgan here now, I’m no longer the least endowed.” Morgan looked down at her breasts and then over at Alexandra’s. “Hey, you’re no bigger than me, Alexandra,” argued Morgan. “You’re crazy,” Alexandra argued back. “I’m clearly bigger than you. At least by one full cup size.” “I don’t know what a cup has to do with anything, but at the least, we’re the same size, if I’m not bigger.” “Please. Those little nubs.” “I’ll beat you upside your head with a nub. You clearly have poor eyesight.” Red looked at Alexandra and asked, “Is this what the women do on your Earth? You sit around and argue about breast size?” “No. And we don’t spend all day in the pouring rain running from a witch either,” Alexandra declared. “Good. Because arguing about whose boobs are bigger is stupid. Especially since mine are clearly bigger than all of yours,” Red said. “That’s only because of that ridiculous outfit you wear.” “Whatever, Ali. You should be thankful for having such puny, little boobs. You’ll never have any back problems,” Red said as she looked at Alexandra with a joking smile and then laughed. Megan ed in. Alexandra gave them all the finger and fired back, “At least my boyfriend

doesn’t have a tail.” “That’s because you don’t have a boyfriend.” “Yeah, well, when I get one, he won’t have a tail.” They all smiled at each other. Morgan shook her head and laughed. “You guys are hilarious.” They laughed a little more and continued moving down the muddy road in the pouring rain.

The first witch stared forward with a slight hunch, shoulders drawn up, looking as though she had no neck. The brim of her hat was weighted down from all the rain. She looked more miserable than normal. And again, the magistrate’s eyes were fixed on her. The way he ogled over her made her feel awkward. Without looking at him, she said, “I had wanted to push on through most of the night, but this downpour is too much. Next somewhat clear location we find or anything with cover, we will stop for a short break. Hopefully this rain will stop. In the event that it does not, we will just have to take our chances and return to moving in this horrible weather. We cannot take the chance of allowing them to get ahead of us.” “I will on the information,” he responded.

High up above the trees, witch four returned from scouting ahead. They were all soaked, with rainwater dripping off the brims of their hats. Like the witch below, they hunched forward with their shoulders drawn in. They feared the rain. “There is a place suitable for us to set camp not too far ahead,” witch four informed. “Good. I cannot take much more of these intolerable conditions,” itted witch two. She faced witch three and ordered, “Inform the servants to be ready to set camp. And I want the rest of you to fly ahead to the location and secure our spot. I don’t want any of these insects in my way. I want the highest ground available. I will go inform the traitor of our plan. She wanted to ride through the night, but I will leave what she does up to her. As for myself, I need to get out of this accursed rain.” Witch three quickly flew down toward their servants as the other three flew ahead toward the newly discovered clearing. Witch two tilted her broom handle down and descended toward the other witch and magistrate.

Randall MacBaer looked over at his captain riding beside his son. Water flung from Randall’s hood as he spun his head to face them. He wiped water out of his eyes and away from his beard. He waved his captain to come closer. “Yes, sir?” he questioned. “The hour is getting late. Before we run out of light, I want you to ride ahead and secure us lodgings,” Randall ordered. “Sir, there’s not really anything available that is close enough.” “I know there’s no inns, but we’ve ed a farm or two. Find us a barn or stables. I don’t really care as long as it’s dry. Just go and find something. Take two others with you.” “Your son will want to come.” “Not with witches about. He’s not to leave my sight.” “Yes, sir. I’ll return shortly.” The captain looked at the two closest men, and they took off quickly. As Rand moved closer, Brianna said to her husband, “Thank God. I thought you were going to force me to stay in this all night.” Rand interrupted, “Where are they going?” Randall looked at his wife. “What kind of man do you take me for? I’ll not have you getting sick out in this. We’ll dry off for the night and begin again in the morning.” He looked at his impatient son. “I sent them ahead to find us a barn for the night.” “A barn? I don’t want to sleep in a barn,” announced Rand. “You’re more than welcome to sleep outside.” “Can’t we get a room at the next inn?”

“Sure. You find us an inn, and we’ll all sleep on a nice bed with feathered pillows.” “All right. Then I’ll find us one.” Brianna grabbed his arm. “Look around, son. We’re in the middle of nowhere. There are no inns. We’ll be lucky if we find a barn.” “Well I didn’t know. It’s not like we ever leave home.” Randall smacked his son’s shoulder with a little force. “No need to get offended, boy. I merely jest with you. Trust me, if we see an inn, that’s where we’ll be staying. Can’t the last time I slept in a barn.” Brianna kicked him in the leg. “I can the last time I slept in a barn.” Randall looked at her lustful grin. He smiled as he ed what she was thinking about. “Oh yes. That is a good memory.” “Oh brother,” mumbled Rand as he slowed down to pull back from his parents. Brianna moved closer to her husband.

CHAPTER 13

Seeking Shelter

T hey arrived at an open area large enough for them to stop. The magistrate got down from his horse and splashed mud as his foot hit the soaked ground. The rain picked up much harder. Lightning cracked down in the distance, quickly followed by loud thunder. The witch still sat atop her horse and looked at the other witches. “They have claimed the higher ground. If your men attempt to set their tents, the water will just wash through them,” she advised as she looked at the water running across the ground. “There’s no time to put up tents. Do not worry about them,” he stated as he stepped close to her. He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her off the horse. She stiffened up and looked at him like a madwoman. “What are you doing?” she screamed and then beat on his chest. “Calm down. I’m just helping you off your horse.” He set her down, and she fell back against the horse. She jerked her finger to his face and yelled, “I do not like to be touched. Keep your hands to yourself.” “You have enough trouble getting up and down in good weather. I didn’t want you to fall.” Several of his men watched as they bickered. She noticed all the men looking at them. “They saw. I do not want to be seen with your hands upon me. The others could have seen. I do not wish to provoke them.” “Who cares about what anyone saw. I don’t care what any of them think about me helping you off your horse.”

“It concerns me. I will not tolerate any additional problems with my sisters.” “Well, when they’re gone, you’re mine.” “Wrong,” she assured him, which was met by his disappointed face. “When they are gone, you are mine.” She sneered at him in a lustful way as she turned away from him. He smiled wide then turned to his men and called out, “Do your best to get dry and as comfortable as you can. Looks like this rain isn’t letting up anytime soon.” The men remained still and displayed their disgruntled expressions, so he raised his hands up, showing them he had nothing better to offer. “Take it up with the king. I’m just following his orders,” he said to any that were unsatisfied. Some smiled because they knew the situation sucked and there was nothing to do about it. Some of the men moved into the trees and began to tie some rope from tree to tree. They draped some of the larger tents across to create a makeshift covering for them to huddle under.

“I want to thank you for your hospitality,” stated Randall. “I wouldn’t feel right leaving you and your men out in this. That’s one hell of a storm out there,” the merchant replied. They stood inside the front of a large barn while Randall’s men tried to dry off behind them. The barn was full of sacks of grains and flour. Brianna walked up behind them, wiping the water from her face with a cloth. “The coin you were given was also a nice bonus,” she said. The merchant spun around to the unexpected female voice. Randall turned to look at her. “My wife is unaware that you tried to turn down payment.” The merchant immediately took notice of her overwhelming breasts that tried to pour out from her armor. “He still took it,” she added. “I-I-I … only because your husband insisted.” Randall gave Brianna a mean look. She knew he did not approve of her attitude. She smiled and patted the man on the shoulder. “I did not mean to insult. I’ve been on a horse for days, and with all this rain … I think a little attitude is to be expected.” “No insult taken, ma’am. I just cleaned up from it myself. Only came back today for more supplies for my bakery back in town.” “Bakery?” Randall said with excitement. The merchant shook his head and smiled. “Sorry. My wife’s the baker. She’s at the shop. She’s probably expecting me right now. I was supposed to have returned, but not in this weather. Can’t risk my flour getting wet. I haven’t even had a chance to get loaded up yet. Took most of the day just to get here.”

“We appreciate you letting us stay in your barn. My men will help you finish loading your wagon. Just point everything out for them.” “Thank you, sir. And first thing in the morning, she’ll have the entire store full of fresh breads. You’re welcome to all you can eat. As long as you stay on this road, you can’t miss it.” Randall and his son smiled at the merchant. The merchant walked over to his wagon and began to place the large sacks of flour in the back. Randall pointed at a few of his men, and they began to help him. The other men were spread out within the large barn and rested on the floor. Some turned the nearby lanterns off. Randall looked at his wife’s wet breasts and smiled. She smirked at him and then looked down and noticed how wet her chest was and began to wipe it dry with her cloth. He grabbed her hand and walked her away from the others. Rand looked around and then moved toward the captain, who stood at a large window, looking out. It was dark outside, and the rain continued to flow. Lightning flashed and lit up the inside of the barn for a second. The captain pulled the window shut as the thunder sounded off loudly.

Five witches sat on the floor of the one tent they had erected. They sat in a circle around a floating ball of flame. They heard the rain as it beat down against their tent. They whispered their plan of betrayal. “According to the lawman, the terrain is very rocky at the intended point of ambush, unfit for their horses. They will leave the horses behind and attack on foot,” whispered witch two. She looked at witches five and six. “You two will be the lookout. When you see Morgan approach, you will fly back to us and inform us.” Then she looked at witch four. “At this time, everyone will be in his proper place. This is the most perfect time for you to release their horses. I don’t want any of them to be able to escape. Once we kill Morgan and the other women she rides with, you will all turn your attention quickly to restraining our traitorous, former sister while I unleash fire and death upon our Walcaster enemies.” “And what of our servants? All the horses will be together. I will not know which belongs to whom,” said witch four. “Release them all,” advised witch three. “Our servants have feet. They can walk.” Most of the witches snickered.

It was pitch dark, and the women had to slow down because they couldn’t see a thing ahead of them. The rain still poured down. Occasionally the lightning would light up the sky enough for them to see they were still on the road. Lightning struck again and flickered across the sky. Megan said, “I think I saw …” Thunder drowned out her words. “What?” they all asked. “Up ahead. I think I saw some buildings.” “Are you sure? You said we wouldn’t run into civilization until morning,” Alexandra responded. “I based that comment on this weather slowing us down. I guess we’re moving faster than I thought.” “Could just be a farmhouse or something. We’ve seen a few of those,” added Morgan. Megan sped up to check it out. The others quickened their pace as well. Lightning struck again. They all saw the clearing of what appeared to be a very small town. They headed for the first building and stopped. Morgan was the first off. She dropped down onto the road that was covered in water. She ran up under the front porch overhang of the small building. The others tied off their horses on the side and ed Morgan on the porch. Morgan was looking through the front window but couldn’t see anything through the thick, old-styled glass. It was too dark. “Check this out. This little place in the middle of nowhere has glass windows,” said a surprised Megan. “I thought only the big cities around here had glass.” “Actually, this entire western region is pretty advanced. The place I want us to stop at in Cheltonham, the entire town has glass windows,” Alexandra explained. “How would you know? We’ve never come to this area before.”

“Well, I have. I told you before,” Alexandra said. “She’s right, Megan,” Morgan stated. “These territories are where the coin is. Why else do you think I’m wanted all over this region?” Morgan knelt down at the door and pulled out a little piece of metal. “What are you doing?” demanded Red. Morgan looked up at her, even though they could barely see each other. “I’m going in,” she replied. Megan stepped closer and interjected, “We’re not breaking in here. There could be people inside.” “There could also be food,” Morgan explained. “We can’t just go in there,” Megan continued. Red started to bang on the door loudly. Morgan jumped back. “What are you doing?” “Trying to see if anyone is in there,” Red snapped. “There goes our chance at getting some food.” “We’re not thieves,” announced Red. “And we have money … uh, coin. If there’s food in there, they will sell it to us,” Alexandra added. “Fine. Don’t let me save you some coin.” They stood and waited a few minutes. No one came to the door. Morgan went back down and inserted her device into the lock. Red banged on the door again. Morgan ignored it and opened the lock. She turned the latch and opened the door. She stood as she stepped in. She turned to the others, “You coming in or what?” Morgan stepped in further, and the girls followed. Lightning struck and shown in through the door and windows, enough for Morgan to see a lamp. She moved

toward it and felt around in the dark until she had it. She pulled a little container out of her satchel filled with thin little sticks and lit one of the match-like sticks with a piece of flint. She lit the lamp. “There better not be anyone in here,” declared Megan. “There isn’t. Just look around for food,” Morgan said. They heard the crunch of dried-up mud as they walked through the store. “This place smells like horse crap,” complained Alexandra. “It’s from the customers tracking it in from outside,” Red explained with a low voice. “They never heard of a broom?” They walked around and looked at the various things, mostly tools. There were many barrels along the floor under the shelves. “This is mostly farming tools and fabric,” Megan observed. She pulled on a bolt of cloth and unwound a piece of it. “Ugly fabric at that,” she whispered. Alexandra opened a barrel. She sniffed it. “I think I found some … smell this. Smells like oatmeal to me.” Megan leaned over and smelled it. “Yeah. Definitely oats of some kind.” Red opened another barrel. “This one is kava beans.” “Get some of that,” Morgan yelled across from the other side. Megan leaned over and smelled it. “Yeah, we call it coffee.” Red grabbed an empty pouch from the shelf above the barrel and filled it up with kava, coffee beans. “Hope you have a grinder for this,” Red stated. Morgan grabbed one of the many grinders from the shelf. “I sure do.” They looked in more barrels and found some sugars, unknown powders, and

various spices. “I’m not really seeing anything we can eat without the help of an oven … oh, wait. I found some cheese,” Alexandra announced. She stepped over to a shelf with a few assorted cheeses. She picked up a round package. Megan stepped closer to a wall of shelves with many little jars. “Morgan, bring that lamp over here,” said Megan. Morgan moved closer with the lamp as Megan held up some jars to look at them. “What is this?” Megan asked. Morgan took it and held it next to the lamp. “I think this is strawberries. Crushed-up strawberries.” “Like jelly?” Morgan looked at her funny. Red walked over and grabbed it. “Yes. It’s a jam, or jelly, like you call it.” They gathered around and looked for different flavors. Several more minutes ed, and each chose her own jar of jam. “Okay. We got cheese, jelly, and coffee. I don’t see anything else we can eat,” Megan stated. “Let’s check out the place next door. I was expecting to find some eggs, or better yet some bread or salted meats,” said Morgan. Red stepped in front of Morgan. “We’re not going into every store in this town until we find everything you want.” “Fine. The next one is the last.” Morgan stepped around Red and headed for the door. “Wait,” Megan called out to her. “See this?” Megan held up a few coins and then set them on the counter. “As long as you’re with us, we’ll pay for everything you need.” “Just don’t go crazy,” Alexandra added.

“Suit yourself. Let’s check out the next one,” Morgan said, and bolted out the door. They followed her and shut the door behind them. They entered the next one, following the same procedure. Red knocked as Morgan picked the lock. They stepped in and could instantly smell bread. This shop was kept much cleaner than the other one. The floor was swept, and everything looked clean. Morgan still held the lamp she had taken from next door. They walked up to the counter and saw the empty displays. Morgan stepped around the counter and saw two large baskets on the floor. Each was full of different breads. Short loaves, round loaves, and long baguettes. “Found the bread,” Morgan declared. The other women leaned over the counter. “Probably yesterday’s bread that didn’t sell,” said Megan. “Good enough,” Red said. Morgan lifted a basket over to them and carried the other herself. Megan set more coins on the counter. They sat down on the floor and ate bread and cheese. They dipped the bread into their jars of jams and tasted the different flavors. “What’s this brownish jelly called? It’s good,” said Megan. “That’s brown berry. Grows a little south from here,” Morgan answered. “It’s actually called the Cula berry. It’s from Corcula, located on the southern continent. It is also green depending on the time of season,” Red explained. “Yeah, it’s green too, but everyone prefers it when it’s brown. Too sour when green,” Morgan said. Red looked up and saw a little boy staring at them in a little white bed gown. Red froze, and the boy gasped loudly in fear. He turned and ran away while he screamed for his mother. Red jumped up. “Dammit. There’s people in here, and we’ve scared them.” A woman came toward them from the back holding a large cast-iron pan in her

hands. Her boy grasped her leg tightly, and a little girl was behind them. The mother was holding the pan out and shaking hysterically. The other three jumped up beside Red, and all held their hands up. “Y-y-you, g-get out. M-my husband w-will be here any m-moment,” the scared woman stammered. Megan pulled Red back beside them and stepped forward a half step. “We mean you no harm, ma’am. We just came in from the rain. We left you some money … uh, coin. We left you coin on the counter for the bread. We knocked before we came in, but no one answered. We thought no one was here,” Megan rambled off quickly. The women remained still with their hands up. “I t-thought I heard s-something, but it w-was hard to hear over all this rain.” “We don’t want to hurt anyone. We just wanted to dry off and eat something.” The woman looked at the counter and saw the coins, then looked back at the women. “You gave me too much. That bread was set aside for the hogs.” “It’s still really good,” Morgan said. “Why do you carry so many weapons?” the scared woman asked. “Just to keep safe, ma’am.” She stepped closer to the women and looked at them. She lowered her pan. “I am expecting my husband. He should have been here before dark, but this weather must be delaying him.” “It is a mess out there,” Megan explained. The woman picked up the coins and handed them to Megan. “Here, take it. This is too much for old bread.” “No. That’s for you. We entered your home uninvited and scared your children.” “Then let me cook you something to earn this. You up for eggs and potatoes?”

“Yes, ma’am,” they all announced. “Then follow me.” They followed her into the back. The little boy smiled at Megan and reached for her hand. She held it as they walked back.

Hours ed. The women were asleep in the living quarters on the backside of the bakery store. There was a dim light from the fireplace. Alexandra and Morgan were asleep on the floor, sitting against the wall, leaning on each other. Megan and Red were asleep at the table, their heads on their arms on the table. Red twitched and then jerked her head up quickly. She looked around and saw where everyone was. She stood up and walked over to her cloak that was draped over a chair near the fireplace. She felt it to see if it was dry and smiled because it was. She lifted it up and put it on, then walked over to Megan and shook her arm. Megan looked up at her. “Come on, it’s time to go,” whispered Red. Megan sat up and rested back in the chair for a moment, then stood up. They both walked over by Alexandra and Morgan and looked at them. Megan smiled. “Awe, isn’t that sweet. Wish I had my camera.” Red kicked their feet. She kicked Alexandra again when she didn’t budge. Megan reached down and shook Morgan’s shoulder. They both opened their eyes and looked at them. Realizing they were leaning on each other, each turned to face the other and drew back with a sneer. “I don’t want you drooling on me,” Alexandra snarled. “Shhhh. Be quiet,” Megan whispered. “Get up. We’re moving on,” Red said. They got up slowly and yawned. They opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch. Megan pulled the door shut behind her. It was still dark, and the rain was still coming down. They

looked miserable as they walked toward the horses on the side of the building.

CHAPTER 14

Ambushed

T wo more days ed. The rain let up slightly at times but continued. It was just past the middle of the day, but it was much darker than normal. The sky looked like one giant, dark cloud. The water running off the road had created small ditches that flowed along the sides and across the road in places. The roads were nothing but soft, soupy mud. The women were drenched and had become numb to the rain. Their wet hair hung down in their faces. They all had stoic expressions and said nothing to each other. They moved at a snail’s pace as they moved uphill. It seemed to get darker as they moved into a thicker part of the forest. Tall trees blocked out what little light there was. To their left were large embankments along the road. Trees grew out of large rocks that covered the entire embankment. Some of the stones were as large as a man and looked like they could break away and roll down onto the road at any time. They kept to the right side of the road, just in case. Red looked to her left at the trees and large stones and then spoke in a low, solemn voice. “I don’t like this place. I’m getting a bad feeling.” Morgan was sitting behind Red and leaned forward. “I hope it’s this weather, because I’m getting the creeps too.” “Well, since the witch can’t come out in this, I suggest we start looking for a place to rest and wait this rain out. Going on three days in this is enough,” Alexandra said. “The magistrate and his men are still out here,” Megan advised. “Come on. He’s probably still looking in the wrong direction,” Alexandra argued. “The witch may have killed him for failing to find us,” said Morgan.

“See. Even me and Morgan kind of agree with each other.” “That witch wouldn’t have killed all of them. She would use them to track us. They’ll continue after us as long as she tells them to. And we all know witches don’t give up that easily,” Megan argued. “And we embarrassed the magistrate in front of their whole town. He needs to drag us back in there to save face. He’s still after us for his own reasons,” assured Red. They moved around a sharp bend in the road, still moving slightly uphill. “We’ve still got to be as least a day ahead of them,” Alexandra guessed. “With that many people, this rain has to be slowing them down more than it is for us. And besides, with that witch not able to come out in this, I’m pretty sure the men aren’t quite as motivated as they would be if that witch was out here with them.” Alexandra continued talking as they completed the bend. The road leveled off, and they entered a short straightaway that led to another bend turning to the right, with the large, stone-covered embankment continuing on the left. Alexandra slowed her speech as she looked ahead and her eyes widened. They all looked straight ahead now and stopped. Up ahead, standing on the embankment, was a lone witch. Her head was tilted down, hiding her face. Water was dripping from the brim of her hat. They could hear a wicked, little laugh as she tilted her head up, revealing her sinister smile. She laughed again, louder. “How did she catch up to us?” Red whispered. They were in shock. As her heart began to race, Red pulled out her swords and did a quick scan of the area, looking for other threats. An embankment followed along the entire visible road on the left side. To the right, it opened up to a large field of grass that led into the forest. She saw no additional threats but knew the witch was not alone. Then she heard laughter above them, and she looked up. Five other witches flew back and forth, high above them. The women gasped and began to tremble. The witches slowly lowered, toying with them and surrounding them while flying around in a circular pattern. Red stared at the witches that circled above and then glanced over at Megan and saw that she was terrified. This was exactly what

Red had always warned her about. Red knew they were in way over their heads. The witches laughed as they flew around them, and lightning cracked down across the sky. Loud thunder shook the ground. The women flinched. “There are so many,” Megan whispered in terror. Red looked at Alexandra. She and Megan were extremely terrified. “We are so dead,” Morgan stated confidently. “No,” argued Red. “Not today we’re not.” Red heard Morgan draw her sword behind her as she watched Alexandra pull her crossbows out and Megan grip her staff with both hands. Red turned to look at the witch on the embankment and now saw the magistrate step out from the tree behind her, along with many other men. The witches circling them began to slow and readied their attack. The witch on the embankment thrust her arm forward and pointed while shouting, “Attack! Separate them!” The men yelled out as they charged forward down the stone-covered embankment. The witches’ servants in black were out in front of the magistrate’s men. The witches above turned inward and darted toward the women. Witch three was out in front. Red repeated herself, “Yeah, not today we’re not.” Witch three flew in fast above Red and Morgan while forming a ball of flame in her hand. Red pulled her legs up into the squatting position on top of the horse, then leapt into the air and swung her right sword across, slicing witch three in half at the torso, across her ribs. The shocked witch three screamed out as her two halves dropped toward the ground. The other witches pulled back, and their laughter stopped, stunned by the sight of their fallen sister. Red landed in the crouched position on the soaked road, splashing water and mud. Witch three’s halves crashed down beside her and flailed around as she screamed. Red removed her glove as she rose up, put her fingers in her mouth,

and whistled loudly, spinning around to face the others. She hoped her werewolf boyfriend was close enough to hear her desperate call for help. The witches flew around faster, with Alexandra trying to aim. She was hit in the shoulder with a fireball from behind and shrieked in pain. Another flame flew toward Megan, but she leaned back and held her staff up to block it. The flame hit her hands and staff. As the flame spread up her arms, she groaned through her teeth in slight pain. The witches had dumfounded expressions on their faces; their powers were useless. Witches two and six were enraged and flew toward Megan. The men stormed down the embankment up ahead of the women and from the left side of them. Witch three flailed her arms around as she continued to scream. Morgan leapt from her horse and landed on what remained of witch three’s upper torso, driving her sword down through her face to silence her screams. Red whistled loudly and moved toward Megan as the witches approached. The witches were right in front of Megan, speeding toward her. She swung her long staff and smashed it upside the head of witch six, knocking her off her broom. She leaned hard to her side to avoid witch two, but she swung the backside of her broom around and smacked into Megan, knocking her off her horse. She landed on her back in a large mud puddle and quickly rolled over and back up to her feet. Witch six was ri from the ground to her knees, and Megan swung the staff around again, hitting her on the other side of her head, this time knocking her unconscious. Balls of fire rained down on Alexandra. She took the pain and screamed out while she let two arrows loose into the crowd of approaching men. Two men in black were knocked down in front. As she was reloading, witch five charged toward her on her broom. Alexandra slid off her horse. Witch five missed her by inches and flew past. Alexandra finished loading two arrows and looked around. She saw witch two had circled back around, headed for Megan again. An arrow pierced witch two in the leg. She jerked her broom in the other direction as she shrieked in pain. She flew out across the open field and crashed into some trees. Alexandra turned back to the charging men and released the second arrow into the crowd, taking another down. She quickly began to reload.

An archer moved closer to the magistrate. “Sir, we’re just standing here.” “Well, you can’t hit your targets now. You might hit one of those goddamn witches flying all over the place!” shouted the angry magistrate. He turned and looked at the first witch and then shouted, “This is why we should have done it my way, but you wanted to coddle those bitch sisters of yours and let them toy with them first.” The witch lunged toward him, nearly stumbling on the rocks as she screamed, “This is not my fault! These are the tactics we are accustomed too. We strike fear in those that lay eyes upon us!” He looked out at the battlefield, took a step closer, and said with a calm tone, “Those days are long gone in this region.” He looked to his archer. “Hold your positions. Our men don’t attack until all men in black are down. You archers are to follow your orders and be ready to strike any of the other witches if they turn against us. This will be over soon. It’s just four skinny broads in short skirts.” The magistrate felt the heat from flames behind him as his witch threw a large, blue fireball. The women dove out of the way, but Megan’s horse was hit in the rear, and a large section of the horse’s back half was seared off. The rest of the horse collapsed. Red and Alexandra’s horses took off down the road away from all the commotion.

Red jumped forward past Megan toward the charging men. Megan took a step back as the men got right up on them. Red held both swords firmly with a stern look on her face as the rain pelted down on her. She walked toward them with confidence and saw the smiles on their faces and knew that they assumed she was an easy kill. She stepped faster and lowered down, then lunged toward them with her left sword forward and right sword pulled back. She dove into the men under their swords and ripped into them. She blocked on the left, and her right thrashed through two men in black. Blood sprayed out onto the stunned men, behind the ones going down. She sliced through two more before they even noticed how fast she was moving. She smirked at the soldiers, as she knew she had just opened their eyes to their coming fate. She jumped up high and came down slashing through a head, down into a chest as she thrust her other sword into the throat of the man behind him. Both swords ripped out of the sides of her victims, and she moved to the next. She kept hacking and slashing through them. She felt the warm spray as the blood of her victims splashed all over her. She wiped blood from her face as she charged the next. Morgan dove into the men to the side of Red. She held her sword with both hands and fought with a different style but was just as successful as she blocked a strike against her and then quickly moved her sword through the leg of a different man, severing it. As he dropped, she squeezed between the crowded men, using their own numbers to shield herself as she cut into them. The soldiers’ confidence quickly changed as they saw their brothers dropping, their blood spraying out. Their confidence turned to fear and panic. They were hitting each other as they tried to strike Morgan when she moved in between them. The witch on the embankment launched more balls of blue flame at Morgan, who was surrounded by men. Morgan ducked behind some and pushed others in the way of the fireballs, using them as shields. A few of the men burst into flames and dropped to the ground, rolling frantically as they tried to put the fire out. But it was too late. They turned into clumps of ash. Some of the magistrate’s men were nearly hit, so he grabbed the witch’s arm to stop her from throwing another. Alexandra tried to keep her distance from the men and kept them back by continuously firing arrows into them. She also kept an eye on the witches that continued to circle around them on their brooms. Witch five circled back around,

turning to face Megan and Alexandra, and charged them again. Alexandra released an arrow, but witch five jerked out of the way, and the arrow missed. Megan turned to see where the other witches were, and as she finished spinning around, witch four was there about to crash into her. Megan threw her arms forward with the staff held out. She rammed her staff into witch four. Megan was knocked back by the impact, and the witch fell from her broom and crashed to the ground on top of her. With both hands turned to flame, she grabbed hold of Megan’s arms and squeezed. Megan kicked and thrust around to break her grip. One hand became free, and she punched the witch in the face. “Why will this not burn you?” the witch screamed as she slammed a ball of fire into Megan’s face. Megan jerked her head to the side, growling out in pain. She grabbed her staff and slammed it into the side of the witch’s head. As her hat flew off, she collapsed to her side, off of Megan. Alexandra kept her eyes focused on witch five and watched as she circled around again. She released an arrow into the men and reloaded for the witch. Red was keeping low and kept ducking under any strike against her. Then she would quickly thrust her sword into the attacker while she sliced into another with the second sword. Morgan held up just as well and continued to cut into them. She lacked Red’s finesse but was just as effective. Megan got up quickly but was hurt from the witch ramming into her. Witch four was getting up more slowly. Megan swung her staff downward to strike, but the witch threw her arm up as she rose to one knee and blocked it. Megan swung again from the side, and it was blocked again. Alexandra turned and saw Megan hitting witch four, then turned back to see witch five flying toward her on her broom again. She released both arrows, but the witch jerked out of the way again. Alexandra turned back around to see witch four as she pushed Megan back. Megan swung her staff again, and witch four ducked under it. Her hair bun was knocked loose. Witch four drew her arm back and created a fireball. Alexandra

stopped reloading her crossbow and dove toward witch four’s back with an arrow in her hand. She slammed into her while driving the arrow through the back of her neck. It pierced the witch’s throat, and then Alexandra ripped it back out, and the witch dropped to her knees, grasping at her throat and gasping for air as blood spewed out of the hole. Megan swung her staff into her head, quickening her death. She went down, and her face smacked down into a puddle of mud. Alexandra turned back around while loading the bloody arrow into her crossbow. Then released two into the crowd of men. She looked for witch five but could not see her. Still on the embankment, the witch kept her eyes fixed on Morgan and moved away from the magistrate to throw more balls of fire, but he jumped back down in front of her and shouted out to the men, “Spread out. Get the women separated.” Hearing the magistrate’s commands, soldiers began to move around the bulk of the conflict, toward Megan and Alexandra. They both started to slowly back away. Alexandra released more arrows. Each arrow hit a target, but they still approached. Red continued to slice through men. She moved to the other side of Morgan as she cut into them. Red had enough time to whistle again. Morgan kept fighting but looked at Red, slightly confused about the whistle. The first witch moved quickly around to the side on the embankment. The magistrate stayed close to her. The witch screamed out, “Get Morgan. Get her. Bring me her satchel.” She threw another fireball, and Morgan dove out of the way. It hit the ground and fizzled out as it rolled across the wet road. Another was thrown but hit the soldiers that moved toward her while she was down. They burst into flames and died before they hit the ground. The magistrate jumped over and grabbed her again. “Stop before you kill any more of my men. They’re all too close together.” Morgan jumped up as men were swinging their swords down at her. She blocked one and dove out of the way of another and flipped over Megan’s dead horse. She jerked her satchel off and jammed it under the horse. She stepped off the horse and leapt back into the fight.

Red could see men getting past her, headed for Megan and Alexandra, so she tried to move in that direction as she continued to fight off her attackers. Alexandra kept enough distance from Megan so she could swing her staff around. Because of Megan’s long reach with the staff, she was able to keep the men back a distance. Alexandra released more arrows into the men and took them down. She was getting low on arrows and had to move closer to the dead so she could retrieve some. Men squeezed in between Megan and Alexandra and surrounded Megan. She kept swinging and turning to keep them back. One of the men jumped back from her swing, and as soon as she turned, he darted in toward her. He had a mace and pulled it back ready to strike. He swung down to hit her in the back of her head, but an arrow pierced his throat. He jerked back, but the mace was still in motion. He was knocked back far enough to avoid getting a direct hit, but the mace still made with the back of Megan’s head and sent her crashing to the ground, unconscious. Red saw the hit and gasped. She shook with fear and worry. She pushed through the soldiers in her way and moved toward her as more men moved in to finish her off. But then she finally saw the werewolf. He leapt off the embankment with a dead archer in each hand. He threw them and landed down in the crouched position in front of Megan. He lunged into the men that were attacking her. Red was overcome with relief as the werewolf protected her.

The witch beside the magistrate was in a panic. She watched as the female in red and Morgan cut through the men like nothing. She was shocked when she saw the werewolf. He ripped into the soldiers and tore them to shreds. The witch and magistrate turned to each other, and the witch said, “These sluts are full of all kinds of surprises.” The magistrate stepped further down on the embankment. “The beast is mine,” he claimed. “No,” the witch screamed. “You stay here with me.” He ignored her and moved toward a large stone at the bottom of the embankment. She knew he wouldn’t stand idly by while the werewolf ripped through his men.

The werewolf moved over toward Red. She smiled and looked up at him. “About time you showed up.” The werewolf nodded, turned toward the bulk of the men, and leapt through the air toward them. Morgan looked at the werewolf and now understood what the whistling was for. Red looked at Alexandra and shouted, “Alexandra, get her out of here. Take her into the trees.” Alexandra nodded and moved over to Megan, who lay there unconscious. Alexandra had a strap connected to both crossbows so she didn’t lose one during combat. She slung the crossbow strap over her shoulder. One hung down at her stomach, and the other on her back. Red turned away to the werewolf and Morgan, who were still heavily engaged. The magistrate ran down the embankment at full speed. The werewolf turned and faced him and then lunged toward him. The beast swiped his large claws toward the magistrate, but he ducked under and plunged his sword to the hilt into the beast’s ribs and rammed his body into him. He moved the beast back until his arm slammed down into the magistrate’s back. The force of the impact dropped the magistrate down on his knee. He was struck in the chest by the werewolf’s other arm and launched back into the stones on the embankment. The magistrate was able to keep his sword in hand. The werewolf leapt high into the air toward him, ready to pounce on him. The witch jumped down closer and threw balls of blue flame with each hand, hitting the werewolf and knocking him back. As the witch threw more, an archer pulled the magistrate back while another released an arrow into the beast. The magistrate climbed up on the large stone so he could jump down onto the werewolf. His witch threw fireballs over him and hit the werewolf. The werewolf lurched back in pain as the blue flames engulfed his chest and shoulders. He roared loudly and focused on the source of his pain. The flames fizzled away, barely causing any damage. She kept hitting him with more and more, driving him back. None of the magistrate’s men were holding back any longer. All were engaged. Archers focused on the werewolf. The rest were fully engaged against the

women. An exhausted Alexandra dragged Megan away to safety. Megan’s head was bleeding badly. Alexandra pulled her through the muddy grass of the field. Soldiers ran around the bulk of the fight and headed toward Alexandra and Megan again. Alexandra saw them rushing toward her. She screamed out, “Red! Red!” Red was surrounded and slashing into her attackers. She looked over in Alexandra’s direction and knew she needed to get there right then, but she couldn’t pull away. There were too many in her way. She continued to hack through them as she tried to get over there. “Red!” Alexandra screamed again. She dropped Megan’s arms and lifted her crossbows. She released her arrows into the men running toward her. Two went down. She reached into her quiver, and there were no more arrows left. Terror increased for Alexandra. She screamed, “Red! I’m out of arrows. I don’t know what to do.” She dropped to her knees and shook Megan, but she wouldn’t move. “Red! I think she’s dead! Oh God, help me please. Red!” Red and Morgan turned and looked, trying to move in that direction, but they were still surrounded. Red was sick with worry. The men were right in front of Alexandra, barreling down on her. Alexandra was bent over Megan, not looking at her attackers. Then she spun around and faced them. Her adrenaline burst into overdrive, and she summoned up all the strength and ferocity she had within her. As she rose to her feet, she smashed her crossbow into the face of the soldier in front. As he fell, she swung the crossbow into the face of the next guy while ramming her body into his. They both went down, and she rolled off of him, grabbed his dropped sword, and thrust it into the third man, driving the sword into his stomach and ripping it out through his side. She jumped up and charged the man still approaching. He swung his sword, and she spun into it and blocked it while her body slammed into him, knocking him over. They both went down. They landed on a guy she took down with an arrow. She jerked the arrow out of the dead guy and thrust it into the eye of the one she was currently fighting, then ripped it back out. He lurched back, yelling in pain. He reached for her, and she swung the sword down

into him, finishing him off. She dove across to another body with an arrow in it and jerked it out. She dropped the sword and loaded both crossbows. Just as she finished, one of the soldiers kicked them out of her hands and swung down his sword. She dove to her side, and his sword hacked down into the mud. She grabbed her borrowed sword and thrust it up into him. He slowly fell back. She held onto her sword and pulled it out of him as he fell. Behind him was witch five. Alexandra was hit with a fireball and lurched back, groaning from the pain. As witch five created another fireball in her drawn-back hand, Alexandra threw the sword at her. The witch jumped to her side and knocked it away with her hands. Alexandra rolled to her side, grabbed both loaded crossbows, and rolled back to face her. Witch five hurried, trying to make another fireball, but it was too late. Alexandra released both arrows into her chest. The flame instantly fizzled out, and she dropped to her knees. Witch five’s eyes rolled back, and Alexandra kicked her in her face. She collapsed. Alexandra dove on her to make sure she was dead. She rolled her on her back, looked into her dead eyes, and then quickly jumped up and spun around to get Megan. She stumbled with exhaustion as she ran toward her.

The magistrate crouched down on the tall stone and waited for his chance to pounce onto the werewolf as it moved closer. More of his men were going down. He couldn’t believe what was happening. He thought for sure the four girls would be taken down quickly and his real battle was to be against the witches and their servants. But the girls showed much more skill than he had expected, and now with the help of the werewolf, his men were getting cut down quickly. He cursed his king for cooperating with the witches.

Alexandra grabbed Megan again and pulled her toward the trees. Soldiers were after them again. Alexandra saw them coming and wanted to cry; she knew she had nothing left. She screamed for Red again. “Red!” She began to cry and screamed, “Red! I got nothing left! Please, Red. I need you.”

Red turned and faced Alexandra, then looked past her and saw an injured witch approaching from behind, unknown to Alexandra. Red blocked the swords swinging at her. Men moved closer in front of Alexandra, with the witch coming from behind. It was witch two. She limped, and her hat was crumpled and misshapen. She had small branches and leaves stuck to her shredded cape. The witch’s flame did not work against Alexandra, so she approached in stealth. Red ducked under a sword and kicked the man that wielded it. She dove into others and pushed them back. She ran toward Alexandra. The werewolf was in front of her. She yelled out while pointing ahead. The beast looked at her, then in the direction she pointed, then back to Red. Red ran full speed toward him and leapt off the dead bodies. The werewolf slashed through a few men and pushed them away. Red flew toward him. He grabbed her and added to her momentum. She was hurled through the air toward Alexandra. As he released her, a blue fireball crashed into his back and knocked him down. Red flew through the air over the men approaching Alexandra. Red had one sword out and held it with both hands. She pulled it back behind her head. Witch two was almost within reach of Alexandra and pulled her cape back to pull out a small dagger. She stepped toward Alexandra as she raised it over her head, ready to strike her in the back, unaware that Red was coming down toward her. Alexandra looked up at Red confused, not knowing the witch was behind her about to attack. As Red was about to slam into her, Alexandra dove out of the way and revealed Red to the witch. Witch two was caught completely by surprise as Red’s sword slashed through her diagonally across her left shoulder to the right side of her waist. Red crashed into her. Both pieces of the witch flew apart. Red hit the ground and rolled along with the witch’s head and arm. Red stared into the witch’s eyes as she gasped. Red pushed the dying mass away and jumped up. She dove past Alexandra and Megan and fought off the attackers as they reached them. Morgan continued to fight the men around her. They were holding back and taking their time instead of charging forward for her to cut down. The werewolf was working his way toward the witch that kept hitting him with

fire. He ripped through any men in his way. The magistrate remained low against the large stone he was on so that he could ambush the beast as he got closer. Alexandra looked at Red and cried, “I think Megan’s dead. She’s not breathing.” Red got down on her knees beside her and pressed her fingers into Megan’s neck, searching for a pulse. Red’s heart was racing. She couldn’t find a pulse, so she smacked Megan in the face. Red was getting teary eyed and shook her. “Wake up, wake up.” She checked for a pulse again. This time she found one. She began to cry. “She’s alive.” Red smacked her in the face again. Megan’s lips parted slightly, and she moaned, “Stop hitting me.” Red pulled her up and hugged her. Alexandra dropped down to hug her too. Megan opened her eyes. “Easy. Easy. Where’s Morgan?” They both turned to look at Morgan. She was completely surrounded and looked exhausted. The werewolf was trying to get to the witch that kept bombarding him with fireballs. Red jumped up and took off toward Morgan. More men moved away from the werewolf and moved toward Morgan.

Morgan looked over at the others, and a tear ran down her cheek. Then she smiled. A sword was swung toward her neck. At the last second, she ducked and drove her sword into the soldier. She pulled it out and looked over at the dead horse. There were several men between her and the horse. She threw her sword into the first one and then ran into him and knocked him over. She pulled a boot blade out with each hand and slashed into the next guy and threw each into another man as she ran toward the dead horse. She kept pulling more out and threw them into everyone that blocked her way. She threw her last boot blade and took out another man. There was only one man left between her and her satchel that she had tucked under the dead horse. As she ran toward the horse, she dropped down to her knees and slid through the mud toward him. She grabbed a sword from the ground. He smiled and swung down toward her for the easy kill, but she ducked, and he missed. She drove the sword up into his groin as she slid through, between his legs. She hit the horse and flipped over it. Soldiers rushed in toward her. Morgan ripped her satchel open and pulled out the box. She feared what was in the box with every fiber of her being but knew she didn’t have a choice. She opened it, and a light shown on her face. She pulled out two dark gloves covered in sapphire stones. Everything went silent in her ears as she touched them. Then she heard a dark, decrepit voice surrounding her, whispering to her. “Destroy them. Break them. Rip them,” the voice commanded. She quickly put them on, just as a soldier dove over the horse with his sword swinging down toward her. She made a fist and punched the sword. The blade shattered. She grabbed the man with her other hand and ripped his head off with her gloved hands. Everyone there saw it happen and paused for a quick moment. Red stepped up beside her with both swords in her tired hands. The witch dove off the embankment and launched fireballs at her. Morgan swatted them away with the gloves. Each time she used the gloves, a power burst out of them, and she heard the voice that only she could hear. The witch ran across the road and threw more fireballs at her. “Attack her quickly before she masters those gloves,” the witch bellowed. She continued to

throw more fireballs while more soldiers rushed in. Morgan kept swatting the flames away. As the werewolf looked at Morgan, the magistrate leapt from the large stone behind him and drove his sword down into the werewolf’s back. The beast lurched forward in pain and dropped to his knees. The magistrate pulled his sword out and drove it back in a second time. The werewolf reached over his shoulder, grabbed the magistrate, and launched him across the battlefield. He landed in mud and rolled over a couple times, then slid a few more feet. The soldiers lunged toward Morgan. She made fists, and blades of light extended out of the gloves. She raised her arms and began to swing. The blades of light cut through everything in front of them—through swords, through armor, and through flesh, leaving all that did not back away dead. Red cut down the ones on her side. Remaining men started to back away. The werewolf attacked the magistrate, but he was holding his ground. He cut at the beast’s arms as he swung to attack. Some men ran to the aid of the magistrate. They surrounded the werewolf, and the werewolf buried his claws into the chest of a soldier. Before he could pull it back out, the magistrate swung his sword down and severed the arm at the elbow. A couple of the men drove their swords into him as he stumbled back. The werewolf dove through them to get some distance. The werewolf ran over to Red’s side and held his arm tight to his chest. The magistrate and his men approached them. Morgan, Red, and the werewolf stood back-to-back, looking at their enemies. The witch stepped closer. Out of all their adversaries, only seven still stood. None of the men looked willing to engage. All was calm, and then the witch launched two more fireballs at Morgan. She quickly knocked them away. The werewolf pulled Red behind him. “There’s a whole lot of dead here. Dead for nothing,” Morgan accused loudly. “You should learn to honor your agreements. None of this would have happened,” the witch argued. She threw another fireball, and Morgan knocked it down again. “Part of the agreement was that I would not deliver anything dangerous. These

gloves are extremely dangerous,” she argued back. As the witch threw another fireball, she screamed, “So what!” Morgan knocked it down. “You were paid handsomely. They belong to us. It was the MacBaer family that stole them from us,” the witch continued. “No more need to die. I can keep this up all day. Can you—” The witch cut off Morgan by throwing another ball of fire. This time Morgan caught it and lifted it up above her head. “Like I said, I can keep this up all day.” Morgan threw the ball of fire back at her. “Can you?” Morgan screamed. The witch dove out of the way, but it hit her cape, and the bottom of it burst into flames. The magistrate sprinted in her direction as she dropped to the ground and rolled in the mud to put the fire out. He ran to her side and helped her up while patting her smoldering cape. “You may have discovered a defense against water, but you don’t have a prayer against these gloves. Do you yield?” Morgan shouted. Not a word was said. Everyone stood still. Morgan still heard the gloves. They spoke to her and tried to tell her what to do. Morgan did her best to ignore the voice and made fists, letting out blades of light again. Witch six raised her head from the ground. She was extremely groggy. Red saw her and stepped toward her with a sword pointed at her face. Witch six lowered back down and held her hands out in surrender. Morgan took a quick peek at her and then looked back at the witch and magistrate. “Do you yield?” Morgan shouted. The witch stared at her with the magistrate standing beside her. She was breathing heavily and was tense. She looked at the blades of light. She let out a deep breath and relaxed slightly. “Yes,” she said angrily. “Yes, we must yield. What other choice do we have?” Everyone looked at the witch. “What is it that you propose,” asked the witch. Morgan looked at Red and then at Megan and Alexandra in the distance, then

back to the witch. She heard the gloves screaming at her, “Finish them. Kill them all.” Morgan ignored the voice and yelled to the witch, “You and the rapist, get this other witch up, and then you and all your men get out of here. Leave us and never come after us again.” “After you bring us all of your brooms and four horses,” Red quickly added. “Yeah. After that,” Morgan agreed. “Very well. We are defeated. We surrender,” confirmed the witch. The magistrate looked at his remaining men. “Gather the brooms and bring them four horses.” The men quickly dispersed. “They will betray you. They will come after you. Kill them. Kill them now,” the voice from the gloves continued. Morgan watched as the men ran around gathering the brooms. She was in a hurry to get the gloves off. She didn’t know how much longer she could take hearing the voice scream at her. She feared the gloves. She feared the rumors she had heard about them. She feared they would take over and control her. But she did not dare remove them until the witch was gone. She was too exhausted to put up a fight without them. One after another, the men brought the brooms. They dropped them down on the ground in front of Morgan. One of the men helped witch six up. She was groggy and stumbled as they walked away. The fifth broom was thrown down into the pile. Morgan looked at the witch. “Six witches. I want to see six brooms.” “There were only five brooms here. Mine was destroyed days back,” she assured. The magistrate walked up with a lone horse. “She speaks the truth. She’s been riding this horse since we left Coulterfield. This is the only horse we could find.

The rest have run off or lay dead.” “And I’m supposed to trust a rapist like you?” Morgan asked. “If you want me to go find another one, it’s gonna be a long wait.” Red stepped forward. “That’ll do.” Morgan released the blades of light and then thrashed down into the brooms and destroyed them beyond recognition. “Now leave us. Don’t come back,” ordered Morgan. “As you wish, Morgan,” replied the witch with a foul tone. The two witches, magistrate, and his men walked away and back up the embankment. The women watched until they were out of sight.

Red hugged the werewolf and then rubbed down his arm where most was missing. Bone was already visibly growing back. Red knew how fast he healed but also knew he felt pain during its duration. The werewolf shook his head and nudged her toward the others. She smiled as she patted his chest and then spun around. They rushed over to Megan and Alexandra. They hugged each other and cried. Everyone turned to Morgan. “Now we know what that witch was after,” declared Red. Morgan smiled. “You got some explaining to do, girl. You can start with why you didn’t put them on and use them from the start of this crazy battle,” snapped Alexandra. “Sorry I didn’t tell you guys earlier, but you never know who you can trust. And I didn’t want to use these things because they’re evil. This is power none of us understand and none of us can control,” Morgan explained. Red reached out and hugged her. “You really came through for us out there. You don’t need to explain anything. Right now we need to get a good look at Megan’s head.” Morgan removed the gloves, cringing as she did so. Megan sat there and held her head with a look of pain on her face. She looked at them and said, “I just need to get out of this rain and sit down somewhere dry.” “And I need to get a look at that head first,” Red demanded. “Ali, find Megan’s horse and get her bag.” “Yeah, what’s left of it,” Alexandra said, then took off toward the fallen horse. Red heard the werewolf breathing heavily. “You all right?” she asked. The werewolf nodded yes and pointed at Megan. She looked at Megan and then back at the werewolf, but he was gone. Red

quickly looked around in all directions but did not see him. She looked back at Megan. “You got a pretty good gash here. It won’t stop bleeding. I’m going to have to stitch it up for you.” Megan looked up at Red with fear in her eyes. “Are you sure?” “It looks pretty bad,” agreed Morgan. “Oh man, this is going to hurt.” Red looked at Morgan. “Can you check to see if any of these guys have any wine on them?” Morgan smiled and took off toward the battlefield. She ed Alexandra.

Morgan still heard the gloves as she held them. “You are weak. You should have killed them. I thirst for blood. You are weak. You are weak. You are weak … Morgan.” When she heard the gloves speak her name, fear grabbed hold of her. She dropped them to the ground and ran toward the dead horse where she had left her satchel. The voice continued, “You are unworthy, Morgan. Unworthy of my power.” She stopped at the horse, picked up the box beside her satchel, and ran back to the gloves. She picked them up while they continued to speak. “I will feast on your soul as I take hold of your flesh.” She quickly placed the gloves in the box. “I will feast on your soul as I …” “Screw you!” she stated as she snapped the box closed. The gloves went silent.

Alexandra sprinted to Megan and Red and handed Red the bag. “Boyfriend gone already?” she asked. “And what else did you expect?” Red asked as she opened the bag. “Just a quick second to calm down so we could all thank him.” “Yeah, well, you know how he is. I’m just glad he showed up when he did. Otherwise, I don’t think Megan would still be around with us.” Megan said, “Thank him for me the next time you see him. I’m glad he showed up too.” “Here it is,” said Red as she raised a small bottle out of the bag. She opened it up as she tilted Megan’s head down a little. She poured it slowly on the gash. Megan flinched as the coldness hit her wound. “Agh … it stings,” Megan wailed. Morgan walked up behind them with a flask of alcohol. “Found some. Drink up, Megan,” Morgan said as she handed her the flask. “Go find some more,” snapped Megan as she snatched it from her. She tilted her head back and guzzled it down. “Ali, go help her find more,” suggested Red. “Yes, ma’am,” responded Alexandra with a sarcastic tone. They both hurried back toward the bodies and looked for more. Megan coughed and choked on the alcohol because she drank too fast. “Calm down so I can put more of this on you. I want to make sure it’s completely cleaned out before I sew it up,” explained Red. “Just do it,” barked Megan. Red poured more on and Megan stayed more still that time. “Aghhhh … It still stings.”

Morgan returned with another flask. Megan took it and quickly guzzled it down again. “You were hit right on your hair braid. Looks like it took the brunt of the blow. Or at least cushioned it a little. This could have been worse,” added Red. Alexandra ran over with two more flasks. “I found two. This should do it,” Alexandra stated. “Let me start this,” said Red. “Hold on. Let the liquor take effect,” said Megan as she grabbed another flask and quickly drank it. “You’re good,” assured Red. “Now hold still. Help her stay still.” They each grabbed a hold of her, and Morgan handed her a leather strap. “Here, bite down on this,” suggested Morgan. “Be gentle,” Megan begged. She looked over the strap to make sure it was clean, then bit down on it and closed her eyes tightly. Red stitched her wound shut as she groaned in pain. Red tied it off. “All done,” declared Red. Megan jerked the strap out of her mouth and threw it down. “Give me that last drink,” she demanded. “And put some Neosporin on it … a lot!” “Neo … what? What the hell?” Morgan asked. “It’s for cuts and abrasions. It prevents infection,” Megan explained. Red laughed at Morgan as she made a strange face. Alexandra handed the drink to Megan, and she drank it while Red fumbled through the bag. “Here it is,” said Red. She opened it up and squirted some out on Megan’s head. She handed it to Morgan to close while she rubbed it in. Morgan lifted it up and observed it. “How are we supposed to bandage this up?” Alexandra asked.

“Just leave it,” Megan shouted. “No one else is touching my head. If it seeps, I’ll wipe it. You’re done. Don’t touch me.” Megan continued to drink as they backed away. Alexandra looked at Morgan. She was in the process of squirting a large amount of the Neosporin out to look at it. “What are you doing?” Alexandra yelled. “You’re wasting it, and that’s all we have.” She snatched it from her. “All right everyone, we’re done here. Retrieve your weapons. Ali, try to get as many good arrows as you can. We’ll need them. Megan’s getting the horse until we get more,” Red stated. “Where’s the top, you idiot?” Alexandra yelled. She and Morgan looked around on the ground for the top. “Nobody move. Don’t step on it. Morgan lost the top.” Megan sat there with an ill look on her face as she tried to ignore Alexandra. “I think I’m going to be sick,” she grumbled. “Let me help you onto the horse,” offered Red. Megan lifted her hand to stop her. “Just give them a few minutes to gather their things … if they ever find the stupid top. Let me sit here just a little longer.” Just then, the rain stopped. All four of them looked up. “All right. The rain stopped,” declared Morgan. “Finally,” added Alexandra. “Found it. Got the top.” She picked up the little, muddy top and wiped it off. She threw the Neosporin into the bag and headed out to retrieve her arrows. They walked around the battlefield. Alexandra ripped arrows out of various victims. Morgan retrieved her boot blades and searched the pockets of each victim, taking anything of worth she found. As Red waited on the others, she walked over to the remains of witch two. She rolled over the head and shoulder and stared at the witch’s face. Her mouth was stuck open and covered with mud. She squatted down and poked her face, and then tilted it side to side, getting a good look at her. She stood and walked back toward Megan.

Red smirked. “I got two, and Ali got two. It won’t be long before we catch up to you.” “Yeah. Good luck with that,” Megan slurred. “That last witch, was she the one we saw the other day?” “Who knows? They fly by so fast and all dress the same. They pretty much all look the same to me,” answered Red. “Why do you ask?” She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. She just looked a little different to me. Probably a different one anyway.” Megan slowly got up and staggered toward the horse. “Help me get up on this thing.” Red moved to her and helped her up. Morgan helped Alexandra retrieve more arrows. Once they had a good amount, they moved back over to Red and Megan. The sun began to shine through the opening clouds. They looked up and let it shine down on their faces, and then down the muddy road they went. Megan was hunched over on the horse trying to stay up as they continued on.

CHAPTER 15

The Challenge

T he magistrate, his witch, and six others walked through the forest. There was no road in sight, and even though the rain had stopped, water still dripped from the trees that surrounded them. The sun shone through the branches and leaves, down on them. The ground was squishy and saturated. As they walked, they kicked through the wet, fallen leaves that covered the ground. The witch was exhausted and angry. She was out in front with the magistrate close behind, on her side. He looked miserable and fraught with failure. The witch jerked her hands up and grasped at the air. Then she flailed her hands around as she said in frustration, “I cannot believe what just happened.” After several minutes of an angry tirade from his witch, the magistrate stepped up beside her and asked, “Any more ideas? Or is that it? You’re finished?” “Of course I’m finished … in more ways than one. When Agatha finds out we failed, I’m done for. There’s no chance of defeating Morgan. Not now. Not with those gloves.” The witch stopped and grasped her face, then screamed through clenched teeth, “How did she master them so quickly? I was told it takes years of practice to understand them and make them do what she did.” She kicked branches and leaves out of her way. “There were dozens of us. And they … there were only four. Four until that stupid werewolf showed up. Who was expecting that? A werewolf of all things. Where would they even go about getting one of those? Dozens … and look at us now.” She spun around to get a count. She looked at each face as she counted. “Eight,” she bellowed out. “There are only eight of us left. And not one down among them.” “The one was hurt. And I did some damage to their beast,” argued the magistrate.

“Yes, the one was hurt, but that was ridiculous. Not one of them is down for good. The beast is probably already fully recovered. We were pathetic. At least the cursed rain has finally stopped. And I hope it wasn’t you that trained your men. Their performance was less—” “Don’t you dare insult my men!” the magistrate roared. The witch was caught off guard by his ferocity and flinched back. She stared wide-eyed as he continued, “I offered my plan of attack, but you allowed that nasty skank to shout me down because you were so afraid of upsetting your so-called sisters any further. We did it her way, and she was the first bitch to get killed on the battlefield. I’m so glad that bit—” She lunged closer to him, pointed up under his jaw, and shouted, “I told you we were not accustomed to your strategies. We use fear and fire to eliminate our enemies. They should have surrendered at the sight of six of us, especially with the added bonus of all your sword-wielding idiots charging strai—” “I said not to insult my men. Your whore of a sister got herself killed along with the rest of them. It was—” “Yes, yes,” she screamed. “I will insult your men no longer. We all underestimated them, you and myself included.”

Many yards away, hidden in the trees, was the werewolf. His injured arm was wrapped around a branch above his head as he crouched down, high up enough to clearly see them. Most of his arm had grown back. Bones were almost completed on his hand while muscle fibers and tendons grew back on his forearm. He watched and listened to the witch and magistrate, to make sure they were making no further attack plans. He was relieved when he heard they were finished. As he turned to leave, he caught an unknown scent. It was close by. He took off in that direction to find out what it was. As he got closer, he slowed down and crept up on the group. It was armored men in dark gray uniforms. He did not know who they were, but it was obvious that they were following the magistrate. He moved closer to listen to them. The scout in dark gray armor ordered another to write a message on parchment. “Write down that Morgan and her three associates have survived. Morgan used the gloves to help defeat the witches. Two witches, the magistrate, and five soldiers still live. They surrendered and are headed northeast through the forest. We will proceed after Morgan and the others to reclaim the …” Once the werewolf heard they intended to go after the women, he leapt down out of the trees to attack. The soldiers were startled and tried to jump back, but the werewolf was too fast. He ripped most of them apart in seconds. One took off and tried to tie the message onto the bird. A second man was running behind him and shouting orders, “Release the bird. Release it.” The werewolf dove onto his back as he finished his command and ripped him in half. Then he took off after the last scout with the bird. The scout got the note tied off and threw the bird into the sky. The werewolf jumped up into the air, grabbed the bird, and ripped its wings off. He landed on the ground and turned to face the last scout. He dove on him and ripped him to pieces.

The four women moved slowly down the road. Megan was the only one on the horse and rode sluggishly as she was still in pain from the blow to her head. The rest were exhausted. They finally moved out of the forest to more open land. It was early evening, and the sun was still out. The few clouds left were moving away quickly. Water still dripped from the trees, and the road was still a soupy, muddy mess. Alexandra saw a horse up ahead grazing in the field close to the road. “Look, you guys. Look up there. That’s my horse,” Alexandra declared. She took off running toward it. Megan looked up exhausted. “All right. Another horse.” Still in pain, she called out to Alexandra. “Are you sure that’s him? I sure hope so.” Alexandra yelled back, “Yes, I’m sure. I know my horse.” She kept running. “It will be great if it is. We need her gear on that horse if we want our plan to work in New Anvindr,” added Red. “Whatever horse it is, at least we can double up now and get there faster,” said Morgan. Alexandra reached the horse and climbed up on it. She leaned forward and patted it on the neck and shouted, “See. I told you I know my horse.” She moved back toward the others. “You don’t see any other horses wandering around, do you?” Red asked. “Nope. Just this guy.” “Well, we’re doubling up for now until we find some more. Hopefully we can buy some in the next town,” said Megan. Morgan climbed up behind Alexandra, and Red got on with Megan. They continued on, still headed toward New Anvindr.

The witch continued to kick her way through the wet leaves as she pushed branches out of her way, only to release them to spring back and smack into the magistrate. She could tell he was getting irritated as he caught the branches, and the wetness on the leaves splashed back all over him. Because of his height, he was already dealing with the branches that were above her, but he said nothing to her, because she was quite upset and mumbling out loud to herself about all the problems that were still headed her way. “I can’t believe it. I was so close. The gloves were within my grasp. That stupid bitch—how could she control them so fast? That stupid, stupid, little bitch. I’m sick of these trees, sick of this forest. I’ve had it with being soaking wet. I want to wrap my hands around that little bitch’s neck. I want to squeeze it until her eyes pop out.” The witch continued to complain as she pretended to choke Morgan by squeezing the air. She screamed out, “My damn feet hurt! Stupid bitch broke my broom, then took my horse.” She spun around and glared at the other witch. “We rode with seventy or more men. They were all on horses. I saw them. They were all tied off.” She stormed toward witch six until the brims of their hats were on top of each other and then screamed, “What happened to all the damn horses?” Witch six stopped and cowered her head back in fear as the other witch moved closer, bending the brim of her hat. “It wasn’t my idea,” she cried. “You know how the others were. They cut the horses loose.” “Why!” “They were going to ambush the lawman and his men once we had Morgan.” “I knew it!” “I knew it,” added the magistrate. “They picked the wrong damn time to stage a double cross. Now we’re stuck out here walking for days. There’s nothing around here for days,” declared the witch.

“At least a week or more by foot,” interjected the magistrate. “A week?” screamed the witch. “Sorry. It wasn’t my idea. My feet hurt too,” cried witch six. The first witch spun back around and violently pushed through a couple branches. “Dammit, dammit, dammit. I have failed. She will be after me for sure. And I’m stuck in these damn woods.” She kicked wet leaves out of her way as she entered a clearing in the woods. “What am I supposed to do?” Witch six’s voice shook as she answered, “I don’t know, but whatever it is, you better figure it out soon. She’s on her way.” The first witch spun back around with fear in her eyes and grabbed witch six by the upper arms. “What do you mean? How do you know?” “That night. The night of your … of your … whatever you want to call it. That night, they ed Agatha and told her what you had done. She said she was coming here to deal with you personally. We were to bind you once we retrieved the gloves. The others wanted to keep this from you, but I see no reason to now.” The witch released her and stepped back. “I’m in no condition to fight her. Not right now.” The magistrate grabbed her arm. “I’m with you. I will help.” The witch’s eyes were watery, and she looked confused. She focused back on witch six. “What else did she say?” “Only that the gloves were more important at the time. We were not to worry about you until we had them in our possession. Then we were to kill the lawman and detain you until … ughh.” A spearhead pierced through her chest from behind, and as she was going down, she attempted to grab the other witch to keep from falling, but she quickly went limp and dropped to the ground, dead. The first witch gasped and stepped back in confusion. The magistrate and his men jumped back and turned to face the unknown threat.

The witch took another step back, horrified and in shock, then looked up to see MacBaer and his men charging through the trees toward them on horseback. For most of her life, she had heard terrifying stories of the MacBaers and what they did to her kind. Now she stood face-to-face with the murderer. The magistrate jumped in front of her and stepped forward. His men drew their swords. She was overcome with strange emotions she had never experienced before when she saw the magistrate step in front of her to protect her. MacBaer and his men were getting closer, and one was further out front than the others and was heading straight for the magistrate. He lunged forward and to the side of the horse. As it ed by, he grabbed hold of the horse’s halter and jerked its head downward, causing the horse to go down and its rider to fly through the air. The magistrate drew his sword and stood ready. MacBaer and his men stopped. The downed horse jumped up and moved away. “What are you doing? Kill her,” said a confused Randall MacBaer. “That’s not gonna happen. She’s with me,” the magistrate said. Tears welled up in the witch’s eyes. “What?” MacBaer’s men surrounded them. The magistrate moved closer to the witch and put his hands up to shield her. His remaining men put their backs to them and faced MacBaer’s men. “We’ve been through enough today. I’ve led many to their death, and no more are gonna die. Now leave us be,” the magistrate demanded. “You’re not in any position to be making demands. Now step out of the way,” MacBaer ordered. “You’re here for the gloves. Morgan has them. She went that way.” The magistrate pointed. “I know where they are. I have my men after her, and I’ll have my father’s gloves back soon enough. I’m here for her.” MacBaer pointed at the witch as she peered out from behind the magistrate.

The magistrate continued to stare him down, and then Lady MacBaer rode up to the front. She looked at the magistrate. “Duncan,” she said. He looked back at her. “Brianna.” The witch was surrounded by imminent death, but all she could think about was who this woman might be who called her magistrate by name—a name she had not even been aware of. “That’s Lady MacBaer to you, Duncan,” MacBaer snapped. “She was Brianna before you came along, and she’s Brianna still, Randall.” “And once she knew me, she wised up and chose the better man. So now it’s Lady MacBaer. She wouldn’t be caught dead with a lowlife like you. Look at the trash you associate yourself with.” “I stopped associating with trash a long time ago.” “Get out of the way. Haven’t I taken enough from you? I don’t know how you got mixed up with these evil witches, but I’m still trying to let you walk away from this.” “You have taken too much. That’s why it’s not going to happen. You’ll never take anything from me again.” MacBaer slowly shook his head in anger. “I’ve had enough of this. Kill them all,” he commanded. The magistrate stepped forward and yelled, “I challenge you, Randall MacBaer. I challenge you to a fight … if you’re man enough.” Randall was furious. “You are beneath me.” “You ball-less bitch,” shouted the magistrate. Randall jumped down from his horse. The magistrate didn’t flinch. “What is up with you?” Randall demanded. “She’s a witch. We used to hunt them down together. those days? You and me, we were friends. Now

you’re willing to lay down your life for her, as if … as if. No! No way. You’ve got to be kidding me? With her? You did it with her? You did, didn’t you?” The magistrate said nothing, so Randall continued. “You’re sticking her, aren’t you? Aren’t you? Oh … you have sunken to an allnew low, my old friend. I just can’t believe it. She’s a witch.” MacBaer’s men began to laugh. Brianna slowly backed up. She looked repulsed by the thought of what she once felt for him. Randall continued, “She’s a vile and disgusting creature.” The witch stepped back and bumped into one of the magistrate’s men as her heart sunk down deep in her chest. She had always known how people felt about witches but had never heard it spoken out loud in such a way. “They were created out of sickness and disease. They are putrid and filthy. They can’t even bathe. How can you lie down with a woman that doesn’t bathe?” “That’s enough!” the magistrate shouted. “Insult her no more. Are you too much of a coward to fight?” “Fine, fine. Have it your way. To the death it is.” “No. Not to the death. Just till you yield. I want you to live with your defeat. Every time your pompous ass looks at your wife and kid, I want you to see the memory in their eyes of me kicking your ass.” “You’re an idiot. Till you yield then. What are your ?” “When I win, we all go our separate ways, and you leave us forever untouched.” “Agreed. And what do I get when I win?” “You can kill us both. My men go free.” “I only want to kill her,” MacBaer said as he pointed. They looked at each other for a second. MacBaer added, “All right, agreed. Your men can go now if they like.”

Randall slowly walked around in a circular pattern with his eyes focused on the magistrate as his men moved back on their horses to give more space. The witch was nudged to the side by the magistrate. His men stayed with her. “You know, Duncan, that was always your problem. You cared too much about the people under you. I bet you’re all torn up inside right now over the loss of so many men. That, and you always had a terrible weakness when it came to a piece of ass, a green ass in this case. Now it will be your undoing.” MacBaer bolted toward him and swung his sword at the magistrate in a comical way. The magistrate knocked it back with his sword and lunged at him, trying to jab him. Randall easily blocked it away, and the fight was on. They were both skilled swordsmen, but Randall appeared to be the better. After a lengthy exchange strikes, Randall kept swinging downward in a forceful motion, and the magistrate blocked it with his sword until his sword couldn’t hold up any longer. Randall crashed down again and broke the magistrate’s sword in half. Randall swung again, but it was blocked with his broken sword. Randall drew his sword back, and the magistrate kicked him in the left knee. He stumbled back and swung wildly, side to side as the magistrate approached. He tried to advance and ducked under Randall’s wild swings, but once Randall regained his balance, he moved forward and forced the magistrate back. The magistrate kept ducking and jerked out of the way. He slipped in the mud and went down on one knee. Randall sliced downward. The magistrate moved to his left and avoided the blow. He grabbed a handful of mud. Randall swung across, and the magistrate ducked his large body under the swing and flung the mud into Randall’s face, hitting him right in the eyes. Randall jerked back and tried to wipe the mud away. He swung wildly. The magistrate ducked under the sword and dove forward, tackling him to the ground. He rolled his body onto Randall’s sword arm and grabbed his wrist with his right hand and drove his left elbow into Randall’s head. Randall’s head split and bled. The magistrate smashed his sword hand down until he released the sword. Randall gouged the magistrate’s eye but was only able to rip the skin in the corner. He jerked away, and Randall twisted over to grab his sword. The magistrate slammed down on him and elbowed him in the head. Randall

continued to reach for the sword. The magistrate slammed his heel down on Randall’s hand while he elbowed him in the head. He jerked his hand up to his body in pain. They both swung punches and hit each other. The magistrate’s massive body was on top, and he drove powerful elbows into Randall. Randall twisted and punched, trying to get a good shot in, and finally, he connected his fist with the bottom of the magistrate’s jaw. It was a perfect uppercut, and the magistrate shifted forward. Randall knew it dazed him. He was a little dazed himself but summoned up enough strength to roll him off. Randall rolled on top and threw massive punches to his face. He pounded on him over and over. The magistrate lay there, and his arms dropped to his sides. Randall jumped off and dove to his sword. He picked it up and stood up sluggishly, breathing hard. He looked at the magistrate and shouted out to him with spit and blood spewing from his mouth, “I always liked you, Duncan. I didn’t want it to come to this.” He staggered toward him as the magistrate rose to his hands and knees. The witch was frantic and fearful of what was about to happen. The magistrate lifted up on his knees, his shoulders drooping down as if his arms were too heavy to lift. He blurted out with blood spurting out of his mouth, “You liked me? Then … then why … why’d you do it? You took my job. You took all the credit for my work. Then … then you took her. You took the love of my life.” Randall slowly stepped toward him. The witch watched in fear, afraid of losing the magistrate. She looked over at Lady MacBaer. Lady MacBaer looked slightly nervous and was looking at the witch. They made brief eye and then turned back to the fight. Randall brandished his sword. “Are you willing to hand over your woman now?” Nothing was said. “Very well. Good-bye, my friend.” The magistrate stared him in the eyes as he dragged his fingers through the mud to his legs. He spoke to Randall in a hostile tone, “You took everything back then. You will never take anything from me again … friend.” The witch looked on in horror. The magistrate smiled, absent of fear, as he embraced his imminent demise. Randall swung the sword downward. This time,

the magistrate jerked to his right to avoid the blow and simultaneously drove the tip of his broken sword down into Randall’s left foot. Randall cleaved down into the mud and roared out in pain. He tried to step back, but his foot was pinned to the ground. The witch’s mouth dropped open with relief. She knew now that her man would prevail. Randall stumbled back on his good foot and almost went down, but the magistrate grabbed him by the sword arm and held him from falling. He bit into his gloved hand until the sword was released. Then the magistrate ripped the sword tip out of Randall’s foot and stood. He drove it down into Randall’s left shoulder. Randall screamed out again and stumbled backward. The magistrate drove a powerful downward fist into his face. Randall dropped to his knees. He threw another fist to the face, sending him crashing down into the mud on his back. He dove on top and slammed a downward elbow into his face and smashed his head down into the muddy ground, knocking him out. The magistrate staggered up and stumbled over to the witch and then collapsed into her arms. She struggled to hold him up. The magistrate’s men had to help her. Brianna jumped down to the mud to help her husband. Randall’s men were still all around them and stared on with stoic faces. Some drew their swords. Rand drew his sword and shouted as he charged toward the magistrate. Brianna shouted as she tried to hold Randall up. “No, Rand!” Randall looked at his son and yelled out with a slurred, weak voice, “Stop.” He yelled again a little louder, “Stop. Do not dishonor me. You all heard our agreement. He won. Let them go.” Randall slumped back down again, but Brianna lifted him up to a sitting position. His men sheathed their swords and backed off. Rand slowly moved back. The witch and magistrate’s men helped him walk away through the trees. Randall called out to him, slurring, “Go ahead, Duncan. Go ahead. You beat me. I always knew you had it in you. That’s why you were always my favorite. You would never give up, no matter what. And you kicked my ass. You kicked it good. Now take your woman and go. May you live happily ever after. And if you ever have any little brats, bring ’em my way. I’d like to see. Will they be green?

Will they come out with a pointy little hat? Ha ha hehhh … Yeah, I would like to see.” His voice lowered as he slumped back down. Brianna could no longer hold him, and he slid down into the mud, unconscious. The witch wanted to hurry up and get away from them. She and the magistrate moved many yards away. “Everyone can let go now. I think I can manage,” said the magistrate. They let go, and everyone continued walking. The magistrate limped along, and they stayed at his pace. He glanced over at the witch and saw tears streaming down her face. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked. She faced him. “Why did you do that? Why didn’t you just stand aside?” The magistrate stepped over in front of her and gently grabbed her upper arms. Then he reached up and removed her hat and dropped it to the ground. He placed his finger to her chin and wiped away the tears while he ran his other hand over her hair. They stared at each other. “Because I’m not through with you,” he promised. She smiled. “You’re smiling again.” She smiled brighter and began to laugh, then cry. “No one has ever done anything like that for me. Never,” she sobbed. She buried her face into his chest, still crying. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. One of his men picked her hat up and wiped off the mud.

CHAPTER 16

Irwin’s Tavern

A nother day had ed, and it was late evening. There was a little less than an hour of light left as the women entered the town of Cheltonham. The wind picked up as they ed by farmhouses. It brought in an unseasonable chill. Clouds also moved in. Further into town, the houses were closer together, and they ed shops and places of business. The wind continued to pick up, and they had to speak loudly to be heard over it. Alexandra looked around and smiled as she saw familiar settings. “Hey, you guys, we’re here. That great place I told you about is up ahead. We’re staying there tonight,” Alexandra shouted. “What’s so great about it?” Red asked. “They have a bath in every r …” “A bath?” Red said with excitement. “In every room?” “Yes, in every room. With hot water and a fireplace.” “Hot bath. That’s all I need to hear. That’s where we’re staying.” Megan said, “This place sounds expensive.” “It is,” Alexandra assured. “And so what if it is? We’ve been out here for days in the rain and mud. We’re all covered in dried up blood. We’ve earned the right to stay some place nice. And besides, I know the owner. I’ll get it for half price.” “How’s the food?” Morgan asked. “Great food. He has a big kitchen and a big bar with an eating hall. It’s a real nice place. And now that we’re finally dried off, we can sit down at a table and

have a decent meal. I hope I don’t see any more rain for a long time.” Just then, the sky poured buckets of rain on them. Everyone turned and looked at Alexandra. “Way to go, Ali,” Megan sneered. “Oh, come on. Like it’s my fault,” argued Alexandra. “Yeah. You and your big mouth,” Megan continued. “Well, you can just kiss my ass.” Alexandra lifted her butt up and cocked it to the side facing Megan. She smacked her butt cheek loudly and then sat back down. She looked at the rain, shook her head, and mumbled, “Damn rain.” They picked up the pace, and Alexandra moved to the front to lead the way to Irwin’s Tavern-Inn. The high winds and rain continued. They moved toward a large, five-story building that rested between two roads. On each side of the road were many connected buildings that housed different businesses. It was much darker now and still rained hard, so it was difficult to see how far down the buildings went. Alexandra pointed at the tall, five-story building in the middle. “This is it. Irwin’s Tavern-Inn.” “Are you here for the inn?” a boy yelled from behind them. The women turned around. Behind them, a boy ran out of the stables. He looked to be fourteen, maybe fifteen years old. He held an empty sack over his head to keep dry. The wind blew hard and drowned out most of what he said. Red shouted, “Do you work here?” “Do you need boarding for your horses?” he yelled. “What?” Red shouted. “Your horses. Do you …” The wind drowned out his voice again. Megan leaned up and talked into Red’s ear. “He wants to take the horses. Follow him.”

Red looked at the boy. “Yes, we’re in need of your stables.” He waved as he said, “Follow me.”

He ran back to the stables and opened both doors. They followed him in on their horses and ducked down to fit through. The women tried to wring off some of the water and dismounted. Megan got down the slowest. “Whew. That rain is coming down,” Alexandra said. Megan wiped water from her face. “Ugh. Soaking wet again, and it’s so cold out. This place better be as good as you say it is.” “Oh, yes, ma’am. This is the finest inn on the west coast, north of Spears Point. My grandfather runs a very fine establishment,” assured the boy. “Irwin’s your grandfather?” asked Alexandra. “Yes, ma’am. He’s in there now.” The boy stared at all the wet women, especially Megan in her see-through white shirt. A mischievous grin formed across his mouth. “Good. He’s just the one I wanted to see.” Megan looked around at the structure and observed the layout. She wanted a clear view in case the witch showed up and they needed to make a quick get away, which meant they needed more horses. She looked around and saw many horses. She hated the idea of stealing two if she needed them, but she made herself feel better by thinking it was for a good cause. The boy placed the two horses in stalls. He couldn’t help but continue to stare at them. Morgan noticed and smiled. He quickly turned away. “Lots of horses in here. You know, in case we need any,” Morgan said. She lifted her eyebrows and smiled at Megan. Megan knew she was referring to stealing them; she had already thought of it. The boy walked past Megan, getting a close view of her hard nipples through her wet shirt. Megan smirked at his obvious gaze and pointed to the boy behind his back. The others snickered. “Follow me,” he said.

Alexandra quickly followed behind the boy as he exited the stables. Megan was about to step out when Red grabbed Morgan and whispered, “You got first watch.” Morgan looked at her, not sure what she meant, and asked, “What?” “You got the first watch. This ain’t over yet, and I think they’re starting to get a little too comfortable. I’m pretty sure the witches weren’t the only ones after those gloves. We both need to keep watch tonight, but you’re first. I need to take a bath.” “I agree.” “With what? That I need to take a bath?” Morgan chuckled a little. “No. To keep watch.” Megan stepped over. “Hey, I hear you guys. I know this isn’t over yet.” Red put her hand on Megan’s shoulder. “I just want you to get some real rest tonight. Your wound needs to heal some more. I don’t want it to start bleeding again.” “I’m good, Red. Just wish I had something for this headache,” Megan said. “Let’s just get in here and get something to eat,” suggested Morgan. “You’re always hungry,” Red joked. Morgan smiled as they took off out the door toward the inn. Across the wide road, Alexandra held the side door for them. She closed it when she saw them coming. As they neared the building, she opened it back up and let them run in. They stood at the opening and wrung off the excess water while looking around. They were right at the main bar. It was a huge bar that wrapped around like a large horseshoe, and on the other side of it was a large eating hall.

The boy gently grabbed Alexandra’s arm and pointed. “My grandfather is over there.” She followed the boy to the other side of the bar. His grandfather, Irwin, was serving drinks to the people sitting there. Alexandra stepped up to the bar and leaned against it, then stared at Irwin, waiting to see how long it would take for him to notice her. He was busy. He looked like he had to be in his seventies but still looked healthy. He was tall and thick, probably a real workhorse when he was young. He wore a large apron that was pulled tight around his potbelly and tied in the back. He had more facial hair than hair on his head, all of it white. He was filling some steins up from a wooden keg that sat on the island in the middle of his large bar counter. He handed off the drinks to his customers and turned to find the next. He finally looked over in her direction. “Can I help y … Ali!” He recognized her instantly and shouted, “Ali, you beautiful girl. I’m so happy to see you! You’re all wet.” He ran out from behind the bar and lifted his arms. “It’s been so long, girl,” he said. “It’s been too long,” she replied. They wrapped their arms around each other and hugged. “It’s so good to see you again, Irwin.” “It’s good to see you too. Staying the night? Need a room?” “Yes,” Alexandra said with a smile. Irwin looked at the three women behind her. “And are these lovelies with you?” Like his grandson, he looked at them standing there in their wet clothes and gazed at Megan’s rigid perkiness and then smiled bigger. Megan turned her face in embarrassment and lifted her arm in an attempt to cover herself. “Yep. We need a big room. Do you think you have one big enough for the four of us?” He looked at her with a smirk on his face. “Now, you should know, around here

the beautiful ladies always get what they want.” An elderly woman walked up beside Irwin with a smile and said, “Irwin, leave these young ladies alone. Get back over there and make them some drinks.” Irwin looked at her. “Yes, Emma, dear.” He moved back around the bar. Emma hugged Alexandra. “Good to see you, Alexandra.” “Good to see you too, Emma.” “You girls want a drink, don’t you?” Emma asked. “Yes, ma’am,” they all said. “Well, pick yourselves a seat at the bar and tell him what you want.” They moved over to the empty seats and sat down. Alexandra looked at Emma. “How you holding up? Irwin’s not still driving you crazy chasing all the pretty girls around, is he?” “It’s the only way to get him to move around here,” Emma joked. The women laughed. Alexandra sat down while Emma moved around the bar to help Irwin. Emma looked to be around the same age as Irwin. She was much shorter and a little on the heavy side. She also wore an apron, but she wore hers a little loose. Her hair was pulled back and graying. It looked like she may have been a blonde before she turned gray. She smiled and looked like a very happy woman. They handed each a stein. Irwin looked at Alexandra. “Hey, uh … I got the perfect room for you, Ali.” Irwin turned red. “Are you trying to get the half-price special?” “The cheaper the better,” Alexandra replied. She then lifted up her shirt to expose her breasts. Irwin stared and smiled. Red was caught off guard. She uncontrollably spit out her drink. “What the hell are you doing?” Red demanded.

Alexandra smiled as she pulled her shirt back down. “I’m getting our room half price,” she said proudly. “You could have warned us. You nearly poked out my eye.” Megan and Morgan laughed. “You girls want your room now, or are you going to socialize down here a bit first?” Irwin asked. “I’d like the room now, if you don’t mind,” stated Red. Megan cut in, “Lets order the food first. I’ll come down for it while you’re taking your bath.” “And I’ll help her,” Morgan added. Red agreed, and Irwin went over the selection of food with them. They placed their orders. As the food cooked, Irwin escorted the women up to their room. They followed him up the stairs and down to the end of the hall on the second floor. He unlocked the door and held it open.

“Here you go, ladies. A nice, warm, and cozy room for you. Come on in.” They walked past Irwin into the room. He had already sent someone up to light all the lanterns, so the room was bright enough for them to see. Red looked around. “You were right, Ali. This place is really nice.” Megan was really impressed too. The room was full of nice, clean furniture and decor. A stone fireplace sat in the center of the far wall. There were two beds on the right as they entered and a small, round table with four chairs. There were another two beds on the left side of the room that sat back in its own little section. The beds had nice linens and pillows. Irwin walked over to a door and tapped on it. “Right here is your bath. Got a really nice tub for you ladies and plenty of hot water. The door on the far side leads to the adjourning room, but no worries. It’s locked tight.” Red smiled and walked over. “This kind of reminds me of the nice hotels back home. I’m impressed,” said Megan. “I told you guys. I always know the best places to stay,” Alexandra reminded them. “If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll go back down and make sure they’re cooking your food right,” Irwin said. “Thanks, Irwin. We’ll be down to see you in a little bit,” Alexandra said as she pecked him on the cheek. He smiled and stepped out, closing the door behind him. Megan and Alexandra walked over to the fireplace that already had a small fire going. Megan looked down and was surprised to see a washboard and bucket. “Look. A washboard. We can clean our clothes.” Red and Morgan entered the bathroom. Megan came pushing past them with the

bucket so she could fill it. As Red looked at the tub, Megan pulled the rope lever to fill the bucket. She hurried back out and stripped her clothing off. Alexandra did the same, removing her wet outer layer of clothes.

Red picked up a large block of soap and shaved some off into the tub, then pulled a lever. Steaming hot water poured into the tub. Steam was filling up the bathroom. “Ahh. It’s perfect,” Red bragged. She stripped down and stepped up on the step to enter the tub. She set her foot in first. “Oh. Hot, hot, hot.” Red slowly climbed in and lowered down into the water and let out a large sigh as she relaxed into it. “Red, I’m real sorry for not telling you guys what the witch really wanted,” Morgan itted. “Don’t worry about it. You don’t know us. You didn’t know if you could trust us. We didn’t trust you either. Look at how many times you had to ask Megan what we needed you for. Don’t worry though; I’m sure they trust you enough now. Well, maybe not Ali. She’s weird like that.” “What about you? Do you trust me?” “I’m a pretty good judge of character. I got a good feeling I can trust you. I don’t expect you to tell me your entire life’s story, but I saw you during that fight. I saw how you kept trying to get to Megan when she was down. Without even knowing us, you were risking your life for her, for all of us. Anyone that would do that, I’ll trust for the rest of my life.” “That sure was some fight. I’ve never been a part of something like that. I’ve been in some tight spots before but never against anything like that.” “I’ve been in a few but never any quite that bad. Hey, I don’t know what your plans for the future are, but we could really use someone like you around.” “I don’t kn—” “I’m not asking you for an answer right now. Just giving you something to think about.” Megan walked in wearing a robe and asked, “Morgan, you about ready to head back down with me to get the food?”

“You’ll never see me back away from getting food. Just give me one second,” Morgan requested. Megan walked out, and Morgan removed her satchel from her shoulder. She set it down on the floor next to the tub and then used her foot to push it tightly against it. “Here, I’m leaving this with you.” Red looked at her. “Don’t worry. It’ll be safe.”

Megan and Morgan exited the room, leaving Alexandra alone. She was washing her clothes and hanging them at the fireplace to dry. She removed her undergarments and threw them into the wash bucket. She kneeled down beside it and stiffened her back up with a grimace on her face. “Ugh, my back,” she complained. She reached around and pushed on different areas of her back and side, giving special attention to her lower back. She stood and examined her hanging clothes. Some areas were slightly damaged from the witches attacking her with fire. She bent over and reached into her bag and pulled out some thread. As she stood, she felt a kink in her back and pushed on it. She yelled out to Red, “When we’re both done eating, I need you to give me a massage.”

Red was relaxed in the water with her eyes closed. Suds and steam were all around her face as it rested just above the water. She yelled back, “Just take a really hot bath. It’s doing wonders for …” There was a very loud crash, behind Red. As she spun around, chunks and chips of plaster, along with small shards of wood, flew toward her, hitting the tub and side of her head. Three men in dark gray uniforms kicked through the door from the adjourning room and destroyed most of the doorframe. Red rose up in the tub and quickly reached for her swords, but the men were already on top of her. One man kicked the swords out of her reach while the biggest one jerked Red up out of the tub by her throat. He launched her out of the bathroom, through the open door. She flew across the room and slammed into the stunned Alexandra. They both went down. The third guy picked up Morgan’s satchel and jerked it open, then removed the box containing the Sapphire Gloves. As he dropped the satchel, he yelled, “I have the gloves.” Red was on top of Alexandra, and they both tried to turn and see what was going on. “Get your tits out of my face so I can see,” snapped Alexandra. Red rolled to the side to give her a better view. Alexandra grabbed the closest crossbow and released an arrow into the throat of the soldier holding the box. Red saw their uniforms and knew exactly who they were. They were MacBaer’s men. As the wounded soldier jerked back, the box lifted out of his hands, and he fell to the ground. The soldier that threw Red caught the box and ran for the door. Red jumped up and ran for the bathroom as the third guy was coming out. She dove into him and rammed her elbow into his throat and took him down. She grabbed both swords. As she ran back into the main room, she drove her heel down into the guy’s throat. He lay there choking and gasping for air. Alexandra was putting a robe on as she ran into the hallway. Red, still naked, ran out the door behind her with a

sword in each hand. One of the soldiers had grabbed Alexandra from behind as she exited. Red crouched down low to the floor and thrust her sword into the shin of the guy holding Alexandra. He roared out in pain as he jerked back. Another soldier was above Red on the other side. Still held, Alexandra released an arrow into the guy about to pounce on Red. He lurched back with an arrow in his face under his eye. Red rose up and drove her sword up through the bottom of the jaw of the one holding Alexandra and out the top of his head. His grip on Alexandra released, and Red pushed her away from him as he collapsed. Red spun around and squeezed past Alexandra as several more men charged them. Without hesitation, she flew into them, hacking and slashing. Blood splattered across walls and her clean, naked body.

Megan and Morgan were on their way back up the steps, each carrying a hot platter of food. As soon as they reached the top of the stairs and turned the corner, they saw the soldier running toward them carrying the box with the gloves. Morgan shouted, “Hey, that’s my box!” Megan, who was out in front, leaned against the wall to give him room to get past. As he ed, she stuck her foot out and tripped him. He lurched forward off balance, and as he was going down, Morgan drove her knee upward, creating a loud thud as it rammed into his chest. The box flew out of his hands and bounced into the wall, then continued tumbling down the steps. Morgan shifted the platter to one hand as she pulled a boot blade out with her right hand. The soldier at Morgan’s feet lifted up quickly, so she stabbed him in the top of his head. Beside them at the top of the stairs was a storage closet. Morgan kicked the door open. Then she grabbed Megan and forced her into it. She handed her the second platter. “Protect the food,” Morgan told her as she pulled the door shut. Red was still fighting the group of men and pushed them back toward Morgan. Morgan ran into them and attacked from the other side. Red climbed up on them and dove over the crowd. With Red out of the way, Alexandra had a clear shot and released an arrow into the back of the neck of one of the soldiers. As he went down, Alexandra jumped on him and pushed him into the couple of soldiers that remained on their feet. She reached down and grabbed a sword from one of the fallen men and thrust it into flesh. Red made it past Morgan and flew down the stairs. Morgan and Alexandra hacked into the last two soldiers and went after Red.

Red ran down to the bottom of the stairs and saw a uniformed soldier bending over to pick up the box. She slid into the man, feet first, and kicked the box away from him. The box flew across the floor toward the bar. Heads throughout the tavern turned in Red’s direction. The soldier grabbed Red by the leg and tried to subdue her. She thrust one sword up into his chest. She jerked him over her and stood up as Alexandra and Morgan ran down the steps to stand beside her. Red saw about ten of MacBaer’s men headed for them from between the tables and patrons. Everyone in the place stared at the women. Red stood there naked with two swords, a dead body at her feet. As the uniformed men moved closer, the customers began to stand. Red shouted out to the crowd, “Someone lock the doors. No one’s leaving!” Red ran and dove into MacBaer’s men. She blocked her enemy with one sword as she cut one down with the other. Most of the local customers were up now and moved toward the hostile soldiers. Irwin ran out from behind the bar. “You leave my guests alone!” he shouted and then lifted a stool. An unknown warrior got up from the bar and moved to each set of doors and locked them. The locals jumped on MacBaer’s men. Everyone was fighting. It was a total madhouse. Irwin broke a stool over one of their heads. A few of MacBaer’s men were taken down and held. The warrior locked the last of the doors and picked up the box with the gloves. Red saw him pick it up out of the corner of her eye. She kept an eye on him as she continued to cut into her attacker. The warrior approached her. This unknown warrior was of average height but was very thick with large, muscular shoulders and arms. His hair was dark brown, long, and unkempt. His clothing looked like he had made it himself. It was weathered and sewn together with thick leather cord. He carried a larger than normal broadsword on his hip. Red considered him handsome. Most of MacBaer’s men were now being held, and a few were dead. Only one

remained. He was young and sweated profusely. He looked scared but still determined, with a sword in one hand and a knife in the other. The locals pulled several of the men back further. The one still standing was between the warrior with the box and Red. Red looked past MacBaer’s man and focused on the warrior. MacBaer’s man slowly stepped toward Red. “I need those gloves,” the soldier said with a trembling voice. The warrior backhanded the soldier from behind and sent him crashing to the ground, unconscious. Red took a step back, staring at him, and shifted her body ready to strike. She stood there naked, with blood and sweat dripping from her, holding a sword in each hand. The warrior stared at her magnificent form as he continued to approach her. Her chest heaved, and her eyes were locked on his. Alexandra and Morgan stood on each side of her, ready with their own swords. Morgan relaxed slightly. Red quickly glanced at her and saw a smile on her face. Ali smiled too. She looked back at the warrior. He held the box in his left hand and slowly lifted it to Red. With swords still in hand, Red reached to take the box from him. He raised his right hand up, and as she placed hers on the box, he gently brushed his hand across hers and stared into her eyes. She was staring at his as well. As he let go of the box, he smiled. Red turned bright red and smiled back. She pulled away.

Morgan stepped up to the warrior and said, “Thank you.” Red tossed the box to her and spun around. She quickly ran for the stairs. The warrior turned and walked away. Morgan headed for the stairs. Irwin looked at Alexandra. “Don’t you worry, Ali. We’ll get this all cleaned up for you. I’ll send for the town guard. No one will bother you and your friends for the rest of the night.” “Thank you, Irwin,” replied Alexandra. Alexandra turned around to catch up to Morgan, and they went up the stairs together. Red had already reentered their room by the time Alexandra and Morgan made it to the top of the stairs. Alexandra still clenched the bloodsoaked sword as she stepped over the bodies. She looked at Morgan and asked, “Where’s Megan?” “Oh,” Morgan blurted out as she ed she had shoved Megan into the closet. “She’s in here.” Morgan pushed the closet door open and looked at Megan kneeling there with only one of the platters. She looked at Morgan with an irritated look on her face. “About time,” Megan said. “Can I come out now?” Morgan smiled and reached down to take the platter as Megan stood up.

CHAPTER 17

Talk before Bedtime

M egan, Red, and Morgan sat at the table in their room, eating. All were in robes except Morgan. She still wore her clothes that were still a little wet. Alexandra stood at the door talking to Irwin. A few men carried the last body out. After a few minutes, Alexandra pecked Irwin on the cheek and ran back in. Irwin waved to them all and shut the door as he left. “Good news, everyone,” Alexandra declared with excitement. “The room is free for the night, and the food is on the house.” “All right. Did you have to show him your tits again?” Megan asked. Alexandra chuckled and sat down. “No, silly. That only gets half off. Since Red showed the whole package, he’s giving it to us for free.” Red turned bright red. “Are you serious?” “No. Just trying to embarrass you. It’s free because we were attacked, and Irwin’s just that kind of guy.” Red spoke with her mouth full. “How do you even know this guy? You’re like from a totally different planet.” Alexandra piled some food on her plate. “Oh, didn’t I tell you already?” “Nope.” “Damn. All the vegetables are cold,” interrupted Morgan. “Don’t worry about it. He’s sending up some fresh food,” explained Alexandra. “Good, because this isn’t enough,” said Red.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to drop the other platter, but it was so hot,” apologized Megan. “Don’t worry about it,” Alexandra said. “He’s sending another. Should give Red plenty of time to take another bath. Maybe she can finish this time.” Red, with another mouthful, said, “Yeah, I better.” She paused to swallow. “Go ahead and finish your story about knowing Irwin.” “I could have sworn I already told you guys.” “Well, you didn’t tell me,” said Morgan. “Okay. It was the second time I was pulled over to this world. I actually ended up living here for a few months. Irwin gave me a job and everything.” “Hold up,” said Morgan. “This is the second time I’ve heard you guys talking about being pulled over here. I don’t understand. Someone just shows up on your planet and snatches you up, then for some reason brings you here?” “Yes, exactly. That’s exactly what happens,” Megan blurted. “Why? Who? Who brings you here?” Morgan asked. “It’s just some woman. I was never with her long enough to strike up a conversation,” Alexandra said. “It would be nice if you could at least get a description of the woman. Mr. Green has been looking for her, but neither of you can tell him what she looks like,” Red stated. “Well, until you’ve experienced it, you can’t understand it. You are disoriented, you have no idea what’s going on, and you have no idea where you are. And it was a different person that brought me each time,” Megan explained. “Okay. You don’t know who brings you, but do you know why they bring you?” Morgan asked again. “Mr. Green told us that the Council of Magic has in its possession a magical dome. The dwarf that made many of the jeweled weapons crafted it by hand for

them. This dome reveals to the council important people. It revealed Mr. Green to the council. And it also revealed Ali and me, along with others that I have never met. The dome doesn’t speak. It doesn’t tell them why we’re important or what we’re to do; it just shows our image.” “Then how do they know how to find you?” “Somehow these people that have the ability to hop around from planet to planet are connected to the dome, and they just know. I guess they’re receiving additional information, but I don’t really know. I’m new here, so don’t expect me to be able to explain how your planet’s magic works.” They sat quiet for a minute until Morgan said, “That is all quite a bit to take in.” “It is. We’re part of it and don’t even know everything there is to know about it,” Megan said. “But I still don’t understand why it would pick you two. No offense … I just mean you’re both about the same age as me and Red. Why would our world need to bring you here from yours?” “I think a big part of it is what you’ve already seen. Your world’s magic doesn’t work on us. The first time we were brought here, we ended up rescuing a woman who just now happens to be the head of the Council of Magic. All this witch expert stuff you keep hearing them talk about … that was from when we saved that woman. No one else could get her, but here we were, just high school girls, and we got right in there and saved her. Red helped, but we just met her on the way.” “And me and Megan had only met the day before,” Alexandra added. “I’m from Pennsylvania, she’s from Virginia.” “I thought you were from Earth?” Morgan questioned. “Duh! You’re from the planet Kainos, but we found you in Coulterfield, and now we’re in Cheltonham. We have continents, kingdoms, and cities too, you know.” “Okay, got it. So when you first came here, you were just kids?” “Yeah. We were just kids and had no idea what we were doing. We were lucky,”

Alexandra added. “We were lucky. That’s pretty much how we succeed on every mission we go on. We don’t have a clue what we’re doing, but everything always seems to work out.” “That and the fact that everyone we encounter always underestimates us. They see a bunch of young women and think we’re going to cower and cry at the sight of the first brandished sword,” Red said, then snickered. “And that’s when I run my blade through their face.” They each laughed a little. “Can I finish my story now?” Alexandra asked. “Go ahead, tell us how you know Irwin,” said Red. Megan looked at Alexandra, a little confused. “How’d you end up all the way over here?” “It sucked. I woke up somewhere closer to Spears Point. I had no idea where I was. No one around and no instruction. I was totally pissed off. I wasn’t even sure what planet I was on. The first time I was pulled over here, I was at least given some information on where to go. The second time, nothing.” “Speed this up. I want to get back in the tub and finish before the food arrives,” snapped Red. Alexandra snarled at her. “You’re the one that asked me to tell the story.” “How you met Irwin. Not the rest. I already know all that.” “Well, Morgan doesn’t. I was trying to give a little background.” Red stood up. “Forget it. Tell me next week … or better yet, tell them, and they’ll tell me the shorter version later. I’m taking a bath.” She started to walk away. “Fine then. Next time, if you don’t want to know, then don’t ask.”

Red turned around to listen. “Then hurry it up.” Alexandra smiled and looked back at Megan and Morgan while they continued to eat. “So there I was, lost and walking for almost a day across a field until I found a road. Slept in a damn busted-up, abandoned carriage. Then walked most of the next day until I came across this town. I could smell something cooking nearby. So I moved in that direction and ended up outside, looking at this tall building. I walked inside and ordered some food. Irwin’s the one that served me. I only had a twenty on me, and since no one around here takes paper money, especially when it’s from a different planet, I had no coin to offer. So he offered me a job to pay it off. He was very nice to me. That’s it. Now go take your bath.” Red smiled and turned toward the bathroom. “That was the extent of your story?” Megan asked. “There’s a lot more to it, but I don’t want to get into it right now,” Alexandra mumbled. “Yeah, would have to be more to it. Spears Point is a lot more than two days of walking from here.” Morgan bit into a cold chicken leg and chewed it. She spoke with a mouthful. “What’s a twenty?” Alexandra smiled. “It’s a twenty-dollar bill. It’s money that’s printed on paper.” Morgan looked confused. “Okay, then what’s a dollar bill and what’s money?” “Money is another name for what you call coin.” Alexandra pulled out her little pouch of coins from the pile on the table and jiggled it. She dumped out the coins and picked one up. “You call it coin. Where we’re from, we call it money. All of this is money, but this one by itself you could call a dollar. You take twenty of these, and you got yourself a twenty. Where we’re from, instead of walking around with all these coins, we carry a piece of paper that represents the twenty coins. That would be called a twenty-dollar bill.” “And what’s the purpose of that? Why not just carry around the actual coin?” Morgan wondered.

“Okay. Well let’s say you’re going to make a large purchase. You’re off to buy a herd of cows. That’s a lot of heavy coins to carry around. Instead of trying to walk around carrying all that weight, you carry a couple pieces of tiny paper that you can fold up and put in your pocket. You could have thousands of coins on you if it was paper, and no one would even know. Hard to hide a thousand actual coins.” “I see. Makes sense, I guess.” Morgan stood up. “I got to get out of these wet clothes. I’m starting to get chafed. You guys have to tell me more about your world. Totally crazy that you’re from a different planet.” Megan yawned and leaned back in her chair to stretch. “That’s a topic for another discussion. Way too much to go over. And my head is starting to hurt,” Megan complained. Alexandra looked at her. “You want me to go get you something?” “Sure. Run to the closest CVS and buy me some Aleve,” Megan joked. “Yeah, I wish.” Megan laid her head down on the table. “I just want to sit here quiet for a minute.” Morgan stood by the fireplace and stripped her clothing off. Alexandra picked at the cold food, eating a little more. Megan sat up and leaned back in the chair and tilted her head back with her eyes closed. She spoke in a low voice. “Remind me to Mr. Green when we’re done eating. I need to tell him about the Sapphire Gloves.” Morgan quickly stepped over. “What about them?” “Don’t worry, he’ll pay you something for them. As long as you keep running around with them, you’re gonna be a target, chased everywhere you go. By more witches, by MacBaer, and by God knows who else when word gets out that a pretty, little, young girl has them. Mr. Green will keep them secure so they don’t fall into the wrong hands.” Morgan fastened her robe closed. “He better pay me a big something. I went

through hell over those stupid gloves.” “We know,” Alexandra said. “We all did.” Megan sat straight up and looked at them. “We still are. Red said those were MacBaer’s men you just fought. We’ll be seeing him real soon, probably in the morning. I’m surprised Red hasn’t already suggested we take off. She must have really wanted another bath.” “It wouldn’t matter. You know he has this place surrounded with spies, watching us. He’ll know the second we leave,” said Alexandra. “I already have a plan for getting out of here. Just stick close to me,” Megan stated. She looked at Morgan, “Hear me, Morgan?” “I heard you,” Morgan answered. “I’m serious. If anything goes down in the morning, stay close to me. Within arm’s reach.” “Okay. I don’t really understand, but I hear you.” There was a loud knock at the door. The women jerked their heads in that direction and heard Irwin say, “Got you some hot food out here.” Alexandra moved to the door and opened it. Irwin had two fresh platters of food. Morgan stepped toward the bathroom. “I’ll let Red know the food is here.” A few minutes later, Irwin left and shut the door behind him. Megan and Morgan each opened a platter, and steam rose up out of them. Red stepped out and fastened her new robe while she moved toward the table. She lifted a towel off her shoulder and dried her hair as she sat down. All four sat at the table and ed around food. Red lifted up a large drumstick and took a bite. Morgan was digging into the steaming hot vegetables. They were all eating while they went over what was ahead for them. “Okay, we all know we’ll be seeing MacBaer tomorrow. What’s he like? I know his wife but don’t know a whole lot about him other than he’s not someone to mess with. I’ve only seen him once,” said Red as she chewed on her food.

“He’s all right I guess. He was nice to me. But that was before I stole something from him,” explained Morgan. “He has no respect for authority. No respect for the councils. He does whatever he wants and has the manpower to back it up,” added Megan. “But that’s all stuff you were told about him. Morgan’s the only one that has met him personally and spent a little time with him,” said Red. “Everything Megan said is true, but for the most part he’s a decent guy. He’s not a bad guy. He just doesn’t like being told what to do,” Morgan clarified. “Decent he may be, but his wife sure ain’t. I owe a lot to her, but she’s a bitch. And if she’s with him, she’ll be pushing him to put a good hurting on us,” continued Red as she put more food on her plate. “I don’t think he would do anything to you guys. He just wants me.” “Well, we’re not going to just let him take you. You might have to hand over the gloves though. Concoct a story … blame it on the witches,” Red suggested. “I’ve already figured my story out, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to give him back the gloves. The witches want them, and others will try again now that they know it’s possible to steal them.” “I agree,” said Megan. “This is exactly why we do what we do. We can’t let these kinds of magical weapons fall into the wrong hands. You saw what they are capable of. There’s no way we can ever let the witches get ahold of those gloves. And MacBaer obviously can’t keep them safe anymore.” Alexandra looked at Morgan with a mouthful. “How did you even get mixed up in all of this? You had like three different groups after you, if you separate the magistrate from the witches.” Morgan smiled. “That’s it, right? There’s no one else still after you other than MacBaer, is there?” asked Megan. “I hope not. There shouldn’t be. Hopefully the witch and magistrate hold up their

end of the deal and stay backed off,” Morgan replied. “So answer Ali’s question. How are you in the middle of all this?” asked Red. “Simple. The witch hired me to steal the gloves.” Alexandra gave Morgan a hard look. “And you said you don’t do business with witches.” “I’m a thief. I throw a lie or two in there every once in a while.” “Okay, so you took the job, you stole the gloves. What happened next? You didn’t turn them over?” Red asked. “Look, they hired me to steal a box. I was told the MacBaers stole it from them all those years ago when his grandparents, great-grandparents, or whatever first started slaughtering all the witches. They said it was very important to them, and they wanted it back. They said they could go in there and get it themselves, but they didn’t want to rekindle any old wounds and stir up trouble. Enough blood had already been shed between the witches and MacBaers. They thought I could sneak in there and take the box and that the MacBaers would probably never even notice it was gone. The trick was it was locked away in an enchanted vault. So they needed me for the job. At first I refused. They threatened me a few times, but then they offered the magic number that I couldn’t refuse. So I agreed to get the box for them.” “Then what?” Megan asked. “They didn’t want to pay?” “Don’t know. Wasn’t willing to find out. Once I looked in and saw it was the gloves, there was no way, and no amount that could ever convince me to turn them over to them. Everyone knows the MacBaers had the Sapphire Gloves. One look at them, all covered in sapphires, I knew exactly what they were. So I took off. I wanted to give them back to MacBaer, but he already knew they were missing and went into a rampage, calling for my head. I’m sure he did some investigating and found out exactly who I am. I knew the witches were still afraid to enter Walcaster and that MacBaer was not welcome there because of his indiscretions with the queen and her daughter, so I figured it would be the safest place to go until things calmed down. I had no idea the magistrate of Coulterfield would be working with the witch.”

All the others looked at Morgan and asked, “What?” “What indiscretions with the queen?” Alexandra asked. “And her daughter?” added Megan. “You guys don’t know?” Morgan asked. “No. None of us know. What happened?” Red asked. “This was years ago. Back before he was married. Little Randall is nineteen, so probably about twenty-one years ago. Back when he killed all the witches in Walcaster. Killed a bunch of witch children too, I heard. But anyway, back then he was like the right-hand man of the king, King Regis. Regis caught him banging out his wife, the queen. He tried to have MacBaer arrested, but his father and family name were too well connected with powerful allies. Regis backed off, but then it was found out that the Regis’s daughter was furious with her mother for sleeping with her lover. Then everyone knew MacBaer was banging out the daughter too. He was screwing everyone back then, from the queen down to the servants. He hasn’t been allowed back on Walcaster soil since.” “Wow. I never heard any of that before,” said Alexandra. “Was it easy getting into MacBaer’s home?” asked Megan. “Couldn’t have been that easy. He’s got hundreds of men under his employ. His place is supposed to be like a fortress,” explained Red. Morgan nodded. “He’s got a rather nice home. He’s got a fortified perimeter, but I don’t think I would really call the home a fortress. His real strength is in his numbers and reputation.” “So how’d you get in then?” Megan asked again. Morgan smiled wide. “He’s also got a very energetic, sexually deprived nineteen-year-old son. Trust me, it was not difficult to get in there at all.” Morgan looked down. “I actually miss my little Rand. And he’s my ticket to get MacBaer off my back.”

“Hopefully his son can come through for you, because MacBaer is in our very near future,” assured Red. They finished eating, and Red moved to her bed for the night while the others took turns in the bath. Red lay there and relaxed as Morgan walked out of the bathroom drying her hair. Morgan jumped onto her bed that was next to Red’s. Megan entered the bathroom and sat down on the floor. She leaned against the wall while Alexandra eased herself down into the hot water. Megan lifted her necklace, and it began to glow. “Mr. Green, are you still awake?” Megan asked her necklace. She sat there for a moment, waiting. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. Through the necklace she could hear Mr. Green with his tired voice. “I’m here, dear.” “Sorry if I woke you, but we’ve been pushed a little off track.” She looked at his small image in her stone. “Where are you?” he asked. “Is everyone all right?” “Yeah, we’re good. We’re in … uh … I don’t know what this town is called. I saw the name on a sign when we arrived, but I forgot.” She looked at Alexandra for the answer, but she was leaning back with her eyes closed, in the tub. Megan shook her head, irritated. “I don’t know where we are exactly. But we’re staying the night at an inn, and I think we’re about a half day’s ride from New Anvindr. I’ll have to tell you later what this place is called.” “It’s not that important right now.” “But the problem is Morgan. She was uh … she was involved in something pretty big, and we were being chased by everyone on this side of the continent.” “Oh dear. You girls do what you need to do to stay safe. Abandon this mission if you have to.” “No. I don’t think we need to go that far. But right now we still have MacBaer on our trail. We already had a run-in with his men earlier tonight.”

“My goodness! MacBaer? Randall MacBaer?” “He’s the one.” “He’s not the kind of man you want to go and upset. What kind of involvement could Morgan possibly have with him?” “She stole his Sapphire Gloves, and he wants them back.” “Dear Lord,” he blurted. “The Sapphire Gloves! How in God’s name did she get a hold of them?” “She stole them from his house.” “The things you girls get yourselves into. Of all the people, why would she steal from that man? He doesn’t play games. You know his reputation.” “It wasn’t us. We had no idea she stole anything from him. And yes, I know his reputation. I’ve heard all about him.” “Listen to me carefully. Your safety is what’s most important here. If he confronts you, don’t let Red run in there with her swords out. You have got to try and talk with the man. He is not evil. Give him the gloves back if you have to.” “But he can’t keep them safe,” Megan argued. “Morgan was hired by witches to steal the gloves. We’ve already gone to war against them. But you know how they are. They’ll be back and with larger numbers next time. I need to get these gloves to you.” “I must agree with you on that. I do wish they were here, but not at the expense of any of your lives. I’ll get them from him if need be, but if you have to turn them over, then do so. Tell him who you work with. That might help.” “We’re working on a plan. I just wanted to let you know what was going on. We’ll figure this out, and we’ll be fine. I’ll you later when we’re in the clear.” “, safety first. I don’t want any of you getting hurt.” “I hear you. Talk to you soon.”

Megan continued to sit on the floor. She lowered her necklace and tucked it into her robe. She reached up and touched her wound and cringed in pain. “Ugghh. My head is still killing me,” she complained. Alexandra sat up in the tub and opened her eyes. “I wish we had something you could take. You’re just going to have to take it easy,” she said. Megan tilted her head back with her eyes closed. “So now you can hear me,” she mumbled. “Sure. I’ll take it easy, but prepare for war in the morning. I just hope I can get a little bit of real sleep tonight.” “The beds are comfortable. You’ve already bathed. Go lie down. You’ll probably fall right to sleep.” “I hope you’re right. But I know one thing for sure—next time I take a trip home, I’m coming back with an entire pharmacy.” Alexandra laughed a little. Megan got up and slowly walked out of the bathroom while Alexandra sunk back down into the hot bath. Megan walked over to her bed and lay down. “Goodnight, everyone,” she said.

CHAPTER 18

MacBaer in Waiting

T he next morning, Randall MacBaer arrived in town and slowly rode toward Irwin’s Tavern-Inn. It was a warm morning, and the sun was extremely bright. The sun was to Randall’s back. Brianna looked at her husband. His appearance was rough, with black eyes and a swollen face. He was in a lot of pain. They rode up ahead in front of his other men. Brianna was to his right, and his son, Rand, was close behind on his left. Brianna explained to Randall what happened after the magistrate knocked him out. “You were telling him to live happily ever after with his witch.” Randall turned to look at her with a smirk on his face. “You’re making that up,” he insisted. “I’ll it he knocked me out, but I would never sit there blathering off such nonsense.” Brianna chuckled, and so did his son. “I’m being serious. You gave an entire speech,” she continued. “What else did I say?” Their conversation was cut short when one of his scouts ran toward them. He had jumped down from an awning. Others came out of hiding when they saw Randall approach. The scout blocked the sun from his eyes with his hand as he ran toward them. He stopped at the side of Randall. The scout reported, “The inn is just on the other side of this row of buildings. I’ve had a clear view of it all night and this morning. We’ve had the inn basically surrounded the entire time. They’re still in there, but the town bailiff has several of our men. And eleven others were killed last night during the altercation.” “Damn!” Randall shouted. “This is why I gave instruction to just observe. We’re

chasing after a damn child. Why are so many of you getting killed? I pay you to be better than that.” “It’s her companions, sir. They’re all heavily trained. And they had some additional assistance last night.” “Her companions are just women. You can’t—” Brianna took offense and cut him off, “Do not discredit them on the basis of their gender. I’d like to see how many of your men could last against me.” “You are of special circumstance, my dear. There are not many women like you running around out here.” “Well, these women just walked away from battle against six witches, Duncan, and damn near a hundred other men. You sent a couple dozen after them. What other outcome were you expecting?” “They weren’t supposed to engage! And when they do, I expect my men to win!” Randall shouted. “That’s what I expect. Whose side are you on?” “Do not quest—” Randall turned from Brianna and looked at the scout. “Go get my men from the bailiff. You tell whoever’s in charge of this little joke town that I’ll burn it down if they’re not released.” Brianna moved forward on her horse to have a clear view of the scout and ordered, “Start by explaining exactly what’s going on and our purpose for being here. We don’t need any additional enemies right now.” The scout was confused. “Yes, sir. Uh … yes, ma’am. I’ll get them out. Whatever it takes.” Randall looked at him. “Take her approach first. Use mine as a last resort.” “Yes, sir.” He took off toward his horse. Randall and his crew continued toward the tavern-inn.

“I do not like it when you interrupt me when I’m speaking to my men,” Randall warned. “They’re all familiar with how we interact with each other. They’ve come to expect it. It does not diminish their respect for your position.” “It better not.” He smirked at Brianna. “So what else did I say to Duncan?” Brianna smiled. “You said that if they were to ever have kids, brats you called them, that you would like to meet them. You’d like to know if they would be green or if they would come out wearing pointy little hats.” Randall laughed loudly and faced her. “Now that I can picture myself saying.” He continued to laugh, and she ed him. He suddenly stopped laughing and pondered, “Would they be green?” “I have no idea,” she replied. “Where do they come from? You know all the time I’ve spent dealing with witches; I have no idea where they come from. I’ve never seen any green men. Do they have green men?” “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it,” Brianna answered. “Do they just lay eggs? Are they hatched?” Randall turned and looked at his men and shouted out, “Have any of you ever seen or heard of green men?” The men looked at each other and then back to Randall. “No, sir.” “Then what the hell? Where do they come from? Next time we see a witch, someone needs to remind me to ask her before I take her head off.” They arrived at the tavern. Randall looked at the front door and the side door. He positioned himself on the road at the corner so that he could keep an eye on both doors. A second scout walked over to him. “They’re still inside. They just finished eating breakfast. I believe they are about to leave,” said the scout. “Good. How many exits to the building?”

“Not sure, sir. The backside is connected to the entire row of buildings. Not sure how many it may have access to.” Rand moved up beside his father. “Let me go in there and talk to her. I’ll—” “Out of the question, son. She’s a thief. She’s already played you once. And her friends are killers that don’t know you.” “I just want to ask her to give the gloves to me. It can’t hurt to ask. If she refuses, she’s all yours.” Brianna went to speak, and Randall held his hand up to stop her. “All right, son. You walk around back. Look for a back entrance. If you find one, you can go in and talk to her. I’ll keep watch on these two doors.” Rand smiled. “But you keep your distance from her friends,” he shouted. “I can take care of myself,” Rand assured him. “Prove it to me another time. Not today.” Rand smiled and jumped down from his horse and quickly ran around the building. He went around out of their sight and continued along the backside of the building looking for another door. Randall looked at his captain. “You move over there and keep my son in your line of sight.” He turned to his other men and shouted, “The rest of you spread out and keep these doors covered. These chicks appear to be well skilled with the sword, so do not underestimate them.” The men began to spread out.

Irwin opened a door to a back storage room, and the women walked in. Alexandra was the last to enter and hugged Irwin. “Thank you, Irwin. Hope we’ll be able to see you again soon,” Alexandra said. “You girls just keep yourselves safe. That back door will take you out on the backside of the inn. Just go to the right, and it’s a straight shot to the stables,” Irwin explained. They stood at the back door with weapons in hand while Alexandra waved to Irwin. “You know they’re going to be out there waiting for us,” stated Red. Megan grabbed the door latch and jerked it up. “Let’s just get this over with.” She opened the back door, and a very bright sun shone in. It was so bright they couldn’t see. It was even reflecting off the mud puddles on the road. Out they went while blocking the light with their hands. When Megan’s eyes adjusted to the brightness, she saw that no one was out there. They stood in a small open area between Irwin’s and the connecting establishment. Megan started to smile in relief. They were excited and laughed a little. “We showed them. They know better than to mess with us again,” Alexandra said. “We sure did,” agreed Morgan. They laughed as they stepped out from the small alley area on the backside of the inn. Morgan continued, “Yeah. What, with Red, the naked psycho, running around knocking everyone down with her big ole titties flopping around.” All but Red laughed harder. Red blushed. “Shut up!” she snapped. Morgan tried to talk through her laughing. “I don’t even think you realized you

were naked. Not until mister cutie pants showed up and smiled at you. Then you turned so red. It was so romantic.” They stepped around the corner to the right, and Morgan slammed into a young man’s chest and fell back. All the laughing stopped. Megan gasped when she saw his armor. Morgan stepped back stunned and then smiled. “Rand, I’m so glad to see you,” she said. She jumped into his arms and hugged him. He pushed her off. “Don’t lie to me again, thief,” he yelled. Morgan appeared upset, and her eyes watered. “How can you say that? I love you.” He got excited and stepped toward her. “You do … no, wait. You’re lying. You just used me to get to the gloves.” “That’s not what happened.” The women continued moving forward and forced the young man to walk backward as he listened to Morgan. “I didn’t take the gloves from your father. It was your fault.” Rand looked at her confused. She poked him in the chest. “You left me alone in your house. Then all them witches came in. They scared the hell out of me. They tried to kill me. They’re the ones that took the gloves. When they tried to leave, I was able to get them from them and I ran. I ran and ran, trying to find you. But then I found out your father was accusing me and was going to kill me, so then I was running from him too. You have to believe me. I’ve missed you.” They still moved and neared the front side. Megan saw another of MacBaer’s men looking at them and pointing. She kept her eyes focused on him. Red stepped to the front and gripped her hands tighter on her swords. Rand put his hands on Morgan’s shoulders. “Then just give me the gloves. I’ll explain everything to my father. He’ll understand.” They turned the corner, and sitting there on his horse with two-dozen men behind him was Randall MacBaer and his wife, Lady MacBaer.

Morgan whispered to Rand, “I can’t. I don’t have them anymore.” He looked at her frustrated. Megan looked at Randall MacBaer and could see what rough shape he was in. “Whoa,” Megan shouted. “What happened to you? You look like you ran into a tree.” Alexandra turned to look at the boy, Rand. “Forget it, lover boy. We took out several of daddy’s men last night. He won’t understand crap.” Red stepped out further. “Megan, get out of here. I’m going straight for MacBaer.” Megan noticed Red and MacBaer’s wife exchange glances but couldn’t tell what that meant. “You’re a really funny girl,” Randall shouted. “Let’s end this now. Return my property.” Brianna moved up closer and grabbed his arm. Rand turned and shouted, “They don’t have the gloves anymore.” Randall looked furious and jerked from his wife’s grip. He charged forward while shouting, “What do you mean? Where are they?” Megan knew he wasn’t about to calm down, so she grabbed Red and pulled her back. “We’re all getting out of here. I’ve got this all planned out. First, we need to ditch lover boy.” Rand faced Megan when he heard himself mentioned. Her staff was swinging around to hit him. She aimed it for his face, but he raised his arm and blocked it. Alexandra was a split second behind her and punched him in the jaw. This stunned him long enough for Megan to drop lower and sweep his legs out with her staff while Red pushed him in the chest and sent him flying down. He flipped over into the inn’s wall. Randall was almost on top of them when he saw his son knocked down. His men charged toward them on their horses. Alexandra looked at Morgan. “Sorry for hitting your boyfriend.”

Megan grabbed the others as they brandished their weapons. “What are you doing?” asked Morgan. “Just lock hands and move in tight.” Morgan looked at Rand as he rolled over to face her. “Sorry.” Megan wrapped her arms around the women and rubbed her left ankle with her right foot. A glow came from the piece of jewelry that was barely visible on her ankle. In a bright flash, they all disappeared.

Randall and his men stopped and pulled back on their horses’ reins. He shook his head and blinked in shock as he shouted to his son, “What just happened? Where the hell did they go? Boy, get up! Where did they go?” Rand shrugged his shoulders and looked around. Randall shouted to his men, “Look around. Check inside. Check the stables.” Some men moved toward the inn, and the others moved toward the stables. They heard someone move out of the back of the stables in a hurry. The four women raced out of the back, each on a horse. “They’re behind the stables,” Randall shouted. “After them! Move! Move!”

The women jumped the back fence behind the stables and raced along the backside of the buildings, headed in the direction of New Anvindr. MacBaer and his men pursued. Some of MacBaer’s men pursued behind the buildings, following the women, and the rest stayed on the main road, headed in the same direction. The women were ahead of MacBaer a pretty good distance, on their well-rested horses. Red looked over at Megan. She looked pale and leaned over, almost about to fall from her horse. Red shouted, “Megan, are you all right?” Megan’s nodded as drool dripped from her open mouth. Alexandra started to vomit. They continued to ride as fast as they could, but Red feared for Megan and moved closer to her. “Megan,” she shouted. Megan tried to sit up. “I’m fine,” she struggled to say. “That just took a lot out of me. Never moved four people before.” Morgan looked at them confused. “If you could always do that, why didn’t you do it …” Morgan threw up. Megan turned and yelled at her, “I have to have a hold of you in order for it to work. Plus, we were separated during that fight. And I had never teleported four people before … on horses for that matter. Look at how sick we are doing it without the horses. Right now we have to focus on not falling off our horses, so pay attention to the road.” Megan was feeling better and sat up while Alexandra and Morgan continued to throw up. “There went breakfast,” Morgan complained. Red was sweating, and her face was getting pale. A horrible sickness came over her. A chill followed. She struggled to avoid vomiting but was about to lose it. Megan called out to her, “Don’t fight it, Red. Just let it out. You’ll feel much better once you do.” “She’s right,” explained Alexandra. “I’m feeling much better already.”

Red finally gave in and let it out. The women continued gaining distance on MacBaer. They exited what was left of the town and moved along the countryside.

CHAPTER 19

Three More

A couple hours ed. Still pursued by MacBaer, the women continued as fast as their horses would go. They left settlements behind. All that separated them from New Anvindr was a forest. Megan looked over her shoulder at MacBaer and his men. She could barely see them because they were so far behind. The forest they entered was open with lots of sunlight shining in. “Should only be a little more than an hour before we reach New Anvindr,” Alexandra shouted. “Yeah. It’s a straight shot. We just have to keep outrunning them,” added Megan. “I’m sure they were riding all through the night. Their horses have had no rest,” Morgan said. “I think you’re right. We’ve been steadily gaining distance on them,” said Red. “Let’s hope our horses hold out until we reach the gates,” said Megan. “There still might be another problem,” suggested Red. “MacBaer could alert the giants to our presence.” Megan looked at her. “Damn. I never thought of that. What are we supposed to do now?” “How would he do that?” Alexandra said snidely. “It’s not like he has him on speed dial. He doesn’t even have a mobile phone.” “Quit being stupid, Ali,” Megan chastised. “He could beat on the gate until someone responded, and then tell them they got humans running around in their

kingdom.” “Oh.” “Lets just hope he doesn’t know we’re going in there and keeps traveling by when he reaches the gates,” Megan offered. Just as Megan finished her statement, Morgan heard laughter close beside her. Right beside her, flying on a broom, was a witch. The sight stunned Morgan. She was so shocked to see a witch beside her, she jerked away to her other side and fell off her speeding horse. She hit the ground and flipped over and rolled. Red had to jump her horse to the side to avoid hitting her. Megan saw the witch too. She gasped at the sight and pulled away. This new witch was adorned with the color yellow, which trimmed out her black outfit and cape. The witch was reaching for Morgan’s horse. A second witch came flying up on the other side of Megan and Alexandra. Megan jerked her horse back the other way. This witch wore black like every other witch but was trimmed out with a violet color. Alexandra was pulling out her crossbows as Red moved toward Morgan’s horse to stop the yellow witch. Morgan’s satchel was hooked to her saddle. The horse ran faster now that it had no enger. It bucked wildly when the witch neared, giving Red a chance to catch up. The yellow witch continued in her effort to reach the satchel. Megan moved back and forth between the witches, waiting for one to strike. They appeared to be more concerned with the satchel, with the violet witch drawing most of the attention away from it. Megan twisted around to check on Morgan and saw that she was back up on her feet and running from a great distance back. Red pulled out both swords, and while the yellow witch focused on the satchel and the bucking horse, Red swung her right sword downward and severed the outstretched hand of the witch. The yellow witch jerked back and howled out a wretched scream and pulled away, staring at her missing hand. The violet witch moved closer and pulled her hand back, forming a ball of fire. Megan swung her long staff, and the witch ducked under it. Alexandra aimed her

crossbows, so the violet witch lifted high up to avoid being hit. On the other side, Red moved toward Morgan’s horse again as the injured witch returned. She threw a fireball at Red but lost balance because she couldn’t hold onto the broom. The fireball didn’t come close. Red jumped from her horse to Morgan’s and struggled to calm it down while the yellow witch hovered close by. Red moved the horse side to side to avoid more sloppily thrown balls of fire. The yellow witch moved closer and tried to knock Red off. Red swung her sword again, and the witch jerked to the side out of reach and then rose up over her to come down on the other side, unaware of the fact that Red had two swords. As she lowered down to attack Red again, Red slashed through her neck with her left hand, severing the yellow witch’s head. The witch let out a gurgling groan as Red cut through her neck. The head flew up into the air while the broom and body bumped into Red and then fell to the ground and tumbled a few times. The violet witch threw fireball after fireball at them from up high. The women ducked and swerved to avoid them.

The MacBaers pursued them into the forest on their tired horses. Brianna looked at her husband and chastised him. “Look at how far ahead they are now.” “You think I can’t see that?” Randall shouted back. “They’ll reach the gates and be inside before we ever reach them. The Sapphire Gloves will be lost forever. You wasted too much valuable time playing with the witches.” “You shut your damn mouth. That’s what I do. That’s what my family has always done. We hunt witches. I don’t need my decisions to be second-guessed by a damn woman. When I need your worthless opinion, I’ll ask for it.” “Looks like maybe one of them has decided to hunt you for a change.” “What?” Randall looked ahead, in the same direction his wife was looking. Up ahead on the road between him and the women he was chasing, a lone witch was walking toward him. She began to laugh loudly. MacBaer’s men slowed and pulled back on their reins.

Standing before the MacBaers was the most powerful of all the dark witches. She was the highest of all dark orders. Her name was Agatha. She wore only black, the only witch with absolutely no other color on her. She was also taller than a normal witch. Her cape was under a short cloak she wore, and it was flowing out to each side of her as if the wind was blowing it, but there was no wind. She had large pieces of leather armor that hung down in a pattern around her dress. She had longed for this day since she was a young lady, to be face-to-face with the murderer, MacBaer. Now that she knew he no longer had the gloves in his possession, she decided this was the day to settle old scores … but it would have to wait. Even though the spilling of MacBaer’s blood was more important to her, possession of the Sapphire Gloves was more important to her order. Even still, she could not resist the temptation to demonstrate her powers to him. She wished to instill fear within him, the same fear he instilled in the witches and their children long ago as he butchered them. “You do not scare me, puny MacBaer,” she bellowed in a vicious tone. Agatha spread her arms out and scattered a reddish powder to each side of her. MacBaer and his men came to a complete stop as she bent over and grabbed hold of the soil and ripped it up higher than her head. She flung it forward as if it were a large piece of cloth. Large waves rippled through the ground toward Randall and his men, knocking many down off their horses. Trees were knocked down and fell toward the men. They jumped and dove out of the way. Some horses managed to get away and took off through the trees. A massive crevice was created between her and the butcher MacBaer. The crevice looked to be as long as they could see in each direction. “What manner of evil witchcraft is this?” Randall shouted. “You are a joke, MacBaer,” Agatha roared. Randall charged her on his horse over the destroyed ground toward the long crevice. “Joke!” he screamed. “I’ll show you a joke, you skank, bitch!” Agatha engulfed both hands with dark fire. She thrust each hand along the crevice, and it filled with fire along its entire length. Then she lifted both hands,

forcing the flames to grow higher. Now a wall of fire existed between Randall and the witch. He jerked back on the reins and stopped. He walked his horse back from the flames and began to pace back and forth. “I’m coming for you, whore. You hear me?” Randall roared. “I’m coming for you!” “Don’t worry, butcher, I’ll be back for you in a moment.” Agatha turned away, laughing loudly. She walked toward the women with the gloves and began to glide across the ground toward them.

Alexandra was firing arrows at the other witch, but the witch kept avoiding them as she threw fireballs back at them. Red grabbed hold of the loose horse and turned around to get Morgan. “Keep that witch off my back while I go to get Morgan,” shouted Red. “We’re coming too,” Megan shouted back. “Aghhh!” she screamed as a fireball singed across her shoulder when she turned around to follow. Red twisted back and saw Megan patting her smoldering shoulder. “Just go, I’m fine,” Megan shouted to Red as she waved for her to continue. She was fine, but like Alexandra said before, it felt like a thousand bees stung her all at once. Alexandra released another arrow, and it ripped through the violet witch’s cape. She pulled back on her broom and moved higher. Alexandra turned with the others to get Morgan and looked back to keep an eye on the witch. The violet witch came again and threw another fireball. Alexandra shouted for everyone to move to the right to avoid it. She released another arrow and missed again. “Quit wasting arrows. We don’t have time to retrieve any, “ Red shouted. Morgan was running toward them, but there was a great distance between them. The women moved off the road to ride in the trees to cause interference for the witch flying after them. The violet witch ducked and swerved through the branches and continued to throw fireballs, but her aim was horrible. Trees were hit with fire, but the flames quickly snuffed out. Alexandra moved around a tree, released another arrow, and finally hit the witch in her stomach. The witch grunted and jerked back. They were close to Morgan now. The violet witch was coming again. Morgan pulled out a boot blade. As Morgan got closer, she launched her blade into the air. The witch’s eyes were fixed on the other three and never saw Morgan’s blade. It buried deep into her arm beneath her shoulder. The witch lurched back and twisted to the side she was hit, but her broom continued to carry her forward. Morgan ran toward Red at full speed. Red leaned over to the side of the horse as Morgan approached and grasped her hands together. Morgan leapt into

her grasped hands and Red lurched back as forcefully as she could and launched Morgan higher into the air. As the violet witch twisted back around to face the women, Morgan drew her sword and sliced through the witch’s neck. Morgan dropped to the ground and rolled over. As she stood, the witch’s head plopped down on the ground beside her. Her lifeless body crashed down onto the ground a distance away and tumbled a few times. The women turned back around toward Morgan. They stopped while Morgan pulled her blade out of the corpse. As she moved toward the horses, they heard movement behind them and turned around. Agatha stood there before them. She smiled a sinister smile. “Great. Another witch,” Megan complained. Red turned her horse and bolted toward her. She dove off her horse, swinging down her sword with a deadly strike. Agatha remained in her place and reached up with unbelievable speed and caught the blade. The blade shattered, and the shard in her hand turned to smoke and ash. Red hit the ground in a roll. Agatha launched a ball of flame at her. Red dropped to the ground flat, and the flame missed. Agatha quickly followed with a wave of her other hand, which forced a strong gust of wind that threw Red several yards into the trees. Red slammed into a tree and dropped to the ground, still grasping her destroyed sword. Alexandra released two arrows. Agatha smiled as she waved her hand in front of them. Both arrows were caught as they pierced her hand. She created a ball of fire, and the arrows turned to ash. The holes in her hand closed and healed up in the flame. She launched a fireball with each hand. Alexandra dove off her horse out of the way of one, directly into the path of the other. The flames burst out all over her. She dropped to her knees and growled out loudly in pain, “This bitch’s fire burns hot!” Agatha turned her head slightly, bamboozled by Alexandra’s failure to die. Before she could throw another, Megan jumped off her horse and twirled her staff. A light breeze blew up from behind her. A pink glow flowed from her ankle under her boot as she stepped between Agatha and Alexandra.

Agatha looked at her. “And who might you be?” Megan said nothing. Morgan pulled Alexandra back. Agatha lurched forward and screamed, “Who are you?” She threw two fireballs at Megan. Megan was hit and knocked back a step. The flames engulfed her and stung, but she remained on her feet and did her best to ignore the pain. Her eyes glowed pink, and the flames dispersed. “Off worlder!” Agatha roared as she unleashed a strong force of wind toward Megan. “Is that why we could never find you?” Megan was forced back another step, and most of the wind blew past her. It grabbed hold of Alexandra and Morgan and carried them off into the trees behind them. “Is it?” Agatha repeated. Megan remained silent. Red, Alexandra, and Morgan were up and moving closer. Morgan was walking up behind Megan. “I asked who you were. Tell me!” Agatha demanded. Alexandra yelled to Megan, “Don’t answer her, Megan.” Red gave Alexandra a mean look. Alexandra realized what she had just done. “Uh, damn. Sorry.” “The name is not what I’m looking for. Who are you? What interest do you have in this?” Agatha continued to ask. Megan took a step closer to Agatha. Agatha looked at Megan and then turned to Red and Alexandra. “Are you the ones I seek?” Red yelled at Megan, “Get away from her.”

“Years ago, it was three young girls, dressed like whores, that killed my sisters and former queen. One wore all red.” She stared at Red. “And another wore a very short skirt and carried a long stick.” Agatha stared at Megan. “What difference does it make? You’re not going to do anything about it,” said Megan, confidently. Red looked at Megan with anger in her eyes and motioned frantically with her hands to move. Agatha jerked both hands up and screamed, “I’ll show you what I’ll do about it.” She threw her hands forward. Trees, dirt, and debris flew toward Megan from behind Agatha. Megan’s ankle glowed brighter, almost blinding. For the first time, the anklet hidden beneath her boot spoke to her. Megan heard a calming whisper in her ear that explained what to do. Her eyes lit up, and she thrust her staff forward, holding it with both hands. A light burst out of the staff from between her hands and blew all the debris back. Her friends were knocked back off their feet. Agatha was blown back but stayed on her feet. The trees were scattered everywhere, lying across the ground and piled on each other. Agatha lunged toward her and threw fireballs with each hand. Megan’s eyes glowed a pinkish color as she knocked the fireballs away with her staff. Red and Alexandra stared at what Megan was doing. Even Megan was confused about it. She had never done anything like it before. Agatha dove toward her, and Megan swung her staff, but Agatha blocked it with her arm. Megan struck again, swinging at her leg, making strong . Agatha dropped to one knee and slammed her hands forward, hitting Megan’s hands, knocking the staff out of them. Agatha stood quickly and grabbed Megan with both hands by the neck, lifting her off the ground. Megan was kicking and jerking as the life was being choked out of her. Megan’s eyes began to roll back, but she was able to lift both arms up forcefully between the witch’s wrists and break her grip. Megan dropped to her feet and drove her palm forward into the witch’s jaw. As her palm connected with the jaw, there was a blinding flash of pink light.

Agatha flew back and flipped over, crashing to the ground. The other three moved closer, and Megan waved them back. Agatha was up quickly and spun around, throwing a burst of wind toward Megan. She was thrown back but landed on her feet in a crouched position, placing her hand on the ground to balance herself. Red lunged for Agatha, swinging her good sword with her left hand, coming from her right side. Agatha ducked just in time, but the sword managed to slice into her hat and almost knocked it off. At the same time, Red was swinging her right hand around with the broken sword. Agatha realized too late and raised her right hand to block it. Red’s blade ripped through her wrist and severed her right hand. Agatha dropped and screamed out in pain as she waved her left hand toward Red. Wind threw Red several yards away again. Agatha stumbled back while grasping her wrist and fell down to one knee. She clumsily stood back up, and Megan was there in front of her, swinging her staff. The staff slammed into the left side of her head, sending her down hard. Agatha adjusted her hat as she rose up again. Megan grasped the staff with both hands and slammed it into her chest. Another bright flash hit her. The witch was sent flying through the air.

Agatha flew a great distance through the trees and landed close to MacBaer. She rolled a few times and looked up to see her flames lowering, due to her weakened state. She no longer had the strength to maintain them and even less strength to put up a fight. As the flames lowered, MacBaer and his men came leaping over the crevice toward her. Randall was in front with his sword held high over his head. Agatha struggled to get up but finally managed. She held her right wrist under her left arm, tight to her chest. She was in severe pain and stumbled as she moved. She stared at Randall MacBaer and cursed herself for underestimating the women. She wanted to destroy the man charging toward her but would now have to wait longer for her revenge. MacBaer barreled toward her and swung his sword down to strike her. She mustered up enough strength to leave Randall with a condescending smile. Then she waved her hand and vanished in a smoldering puff of smoke, followed by flames.

MacBaer’s horse reared to the side at the sight of the flames. His momentum kept him moving forward off the horse. He flipped over through the smoke and flame, rolled across the ground, and quickly got up onto his feet. He spun around and dove into what was left of the smoke and swung his sword violently, hitting nothing. “The bitch is gone,” Randall barked. He spun around and shouted to his men as he pointed his sword in the direction of Morgan. “After Morgan. After her.” As his men took off after Morgan again, he ran with a terrible limp and struggling, jumped back up on his horse. Unbelievable pain coursed through his veins from the injury to his foot that he received during his fight with the magistrate. The pursuit was on again.

Red ran up behind Megan and grabbed her from behind, excited. “Where did all that come from?” Red asked. Megan hugged her. “I … I …” Morgan could see MacBaer’s men advancing. “They’re coming. Get on your horses,” she screamed. As Red and Megan moved toward their horses, Red patted Megan. “Good job, Megan. Let’s get out of here.” All four grabbed their horses, and as Megan grabbed hers, she got a glimpse of someone over in the trees. It looked like a woman in a white dress. She mounted her horse and looked again and thought she saw a familiar face on the woman. The woman was smiling at her. Megan cleared her eyes and looked again, but no one was there. She kicked her horse hard, and they all took off fast. She looked back one last time and saw no one. The four women rode away quickly and got back on the road. Red moved along side Megan. “Megan, how did you do that?” “I don’t really know. I kept hearing a voice in my head. And then it felt like something came over me. I can’t explain it. I was told that my anklet was very powerful and that I only needed to learn how to use it. Maybe the thing has a mind of its own, because everything you just saw came from this anklet.” Red shrugged her shoulders and smiled. They raced down the road again, still chased by the MacBaers.

CHAPTER 20

Road to New Anvindr

T he women raced through the forest on their horses. Large statues of giants were set back from the road as they neared New Anvindr. The trees were equally spaced apart and trimmed. The road widened, and the edges of the road were decorated with stones, some with carved symbols, outlined with an interlaced ribbon. Some had writing in the giants’ language. As they continued on, the road became stone with intertwined blocks, and the edging became more decorative. There were large, carved stones depicting scenes of nature and animals. The giants were known for their intricate designs and carvings. More statues were ed along the road. Most statues were of animals that stood over twenty feet tall. There were wolves and deer, and a large bird perched on a bear. They rushed by too fast to make them all out. But one particular statue stood out. It was that of a large giant, standing dozens of feet tall, with large wolves at his sides. They reached the end of the forest and came out into a clearing as they ed through two large statues of wolves. They stopped and looked forward at the massive stone wall that surrounded New Anvindr. It was at least sixty feet tall. The stones used to construct it were taller than a normal man and stacked upon each other. Artisans sculpted and carved scenes out of stone on the wall. Large murals depicted giants along with animals engaged in battle against large serpents. They looked at the large gates and were amazed at the size of it all. They were constructed out of long, thick iron rods with hand-hewn wooden beams in between. Iron wolf heads were fabricated into each side of the iron gates. “Look at the size of these gates,” Megan marveled. “Amazing,” said Morgan. “I’m impressed. These walls go on for as far as I can see,” said Red. “Look at the elaborate scenes carved into them.”

They looked at the carvings. Megan and Morgan touched them, rubbing their hands across them. “Now we figure out how to get in,” said Morgan. “I don’t see any lock to pick on these gates, and we don’t have the time to look for one. The MacBaers are still coming.” “Everyone, grab your gear. We need to do whatever we’re doing fast,” advised Alexandra. They moved along the wall to the left toward the trees. They grabbed all the gear they needed from their horses. “There’s plenty of grass and water here for the horses. Hopefully they’ll still be around when we get back,” said Megan. “Yeah. We have no idea how long this will take. We can’t tie them off,” Red stated. They heard horses coming at a rapid pace from a distance. The women glanced over in that direction and hid from view. MacBaer and his men stopped in front of the walls. Brianna and Rand rode up beside Randall. They took a second to look at the massive walls then Randall began to look around. The women ducked further behind trees. The road that moved along the wall to the right was a long straightaway with no signs that anyone had been on it. “I’ll have to teleport us up on the wall. There’s no other way around without them being in the way. From there we will get a clear view of the kingdom and formulate a real plan,” whispered Megan. “Okay. Here we go again,” said Red. They all locked hands. “Prepare to get sick again,” said Alexandra as Megan tapped her ankle and they disappeared. They reappeared a little above the wall and dropped a couple feet down, lying there on top of the wall. Megan looked pale and raised up onto her knees, leaning forward, holding herself up with her hands. The others continued lying

there until they started to grab their stomachs. Red crawled over to the edge and peeked down. Down below, over in front of the gates, Randall and his men continued to look around. They looked as far as they could see in each direction and saw nothing. “Damn. We must have missed them. Spread out and find them. Check for tracks. They couldn’t have climbed these walls that quickly,” ordered Randall. The women began to throw up. Randall heard something and looked around and then up. Red rolled over out of his view and curled up as she held her stomach. She could hear Randall shouting from below.

“Everyone, stop moving. Listen. Did you hear that?” Randall said. His men stood quietly. Morgan puked again. Randall looked up and then shouted up to the top of the wall, “I see you up there. I want my gloves now.” Morgan leaned over the edge, wiping her mouth. MacBaer and his men ran over a little ways to be directly under them. Morgan shouted down, “Please, Mr. MacBaer …” She threw up again, and the men jumped back below. “Please just let us go.” “And why would I do that?” “I told your son already. I didn’t steal the gloves from you. The witches did.” “Then how did you end up with them?” Morgan smiled. “I stole them from the witches.” “Then just hand them over, and I’ll go.” Megan leaned over the side. “We can’t do that.” Randall’s veins in his neck bulged as he roared, “Why not? They’re mine!” “There are more than just witches out here trying to get them.” “That’s my problem, not yours.” “If anyone else gets them, it will become our problem. You can’t keep them safe,” argued Megan. “I’ve kept them safe since before you were born, little girl—as did my father before me, and many generations of MacBaers before that. Hand them over now.” “Where are they now, Lord MacBaer?”

“You play games with me now.” “Last summer you were invited to a summit meeting, before the High Council. You did not attend.” Randall was caught off guard by her statement. He was not expecting that from her. He wondered how she could know that. “I do not have time for any outdated committees and the old has-beens sitting on their self-appointed thrones.” “Perhaps you should reconsider. They hold you and your family in high regard. They respect you greatly. They have much to discuss with you. That is where you will find your gloves,” Megan explained. Morgan looked down at Rand and waved. He smiled and waved back, irritating his father further. “You’re a representative of the council?” Randall asked. “You could say that.” “Which one?” “I’m not … I can’t give out that information, Lord MacBaer.” “There are so many now. Would it even matter?” “There’s only four that count.” “They all mean nothing to me. I just want what’s mine.” “Then you will have to go before the High Council.” “And you expect me to believe that you are not in possession of the gloves now?” “We are not. We no longer have them. You didn’t think we were able to take your men down alone last night, did you?” “Your flattery will not work with me. I already know you survived your confrontation with the magistrate of Coulterfield and his witch whores.”

“We’re on a tight schedule, Lord MacBaer. We are already days late for this meeting.” “What is your business in there? Why would you have a meeting with giants?” “Perhaps if you had attended the summit, you would know.” “You little girls are crazy. Giants are not the kind you go sit and drink tea with. I’ll be going to have a talk with the high and mighty council. If I don’t hear what I want to hear, I’ll kill them all. Then I’ll be coming for you. Not this cat and mouse game either. You’ll all be dead, especially you, Morgan. Is that understood?” Red stepped to the side and looked down. Brianna looked up at her, and they stared at each other again. Red nodded in respect. Brianna did not reciprocate. Randall turned to his wife and wondered what that was about. “We hear you,” Megan shouted. Randall pulled his horse’s reins and turned away. His men followed. Brianna broke her stare with Red and followed. Rand called out to Morgan. “Will I ever see you again?” “You will. I promise,” Morgan answered. Randall spun around and scowled at his son while Morgan blew him a kiss. Rand smiled and waved good-bye. He moved toward his father then turned for one last look. Randall jerked him by the arm to keep moving. Randall looked back up at the women. Morgan smiled and waved. Red jerked Morgan’s hand down. Randall smirked and headed out. Brianna rode up beside Randall. “If those tramps were ugly, this would’ve been a much different outcome,” she growled. “What do you want me to do? Climb the wall with my injured shoulder?” “Alert the giants. Don’t tell me you believed what she was saying.” “She knew I was invited to the summit. There was some truth to what she said. It

could have all been true.” “I didn’t believe a single word of it.” “I don’t want to hear it.” “Well, you’re going to hear it. The whole way home.” “I’ll have you tied up and gagged.” “You go ahead and try …”

The women walked to the edge of the wall and looked out, over the kingdom of New Anvindr. They could see the road leading into the far-off distance, into a forest, past the open fields. Not a single dwelling or structure was in sight. Megan put her arm on Alexandra’s shoulder. “There it is.” Megan pointed. “There’s a bunch of fields and forests … and somewhere in all that is Castle New Anvindr. That’s where we’re headed.” Red stepped over and put her arm on Megan’s shoulder. “Looks like our next adventure is about to begin.” As they looked out over the vastness of the kingdom, Megan couldn’t help but think about all the adversaries they had to get through to get there. She thought about the dead ones and wondered what those who still lived were doing.

The magistrate was walking through the woods with an exhausted look on his face. The witch was beside him walking. She looked just as exhausted. Her black dress and ragged cape were filthy and covered with dried mud and dust. Five of the magistrate’s men were walking behind them. They all had expressionless faces as they tried to keep up.

Red’s boyfriend, the werewolf, was sitting in a pasture, devouring a freshly killed cow. His severed hand had almost completely grown back. Flesh covered it now, and some of the fur had returned. He stopped eating and turned. He sniffed the air and stood up, then took off quickly, running across the field.

Back at Irwin’s Tavern-Inn, several of the town’s guards stood watch over MacBaer’s imprisoned men as they cleaned Irwin’s place in exchange for their freedom. Some were repairing the destroyed door in the bathroom on the second floor in the women’s room. MacBaer’s scout was talking to Irwin and Emma, apologizing for the damage they caused.

Agatha was surrounded by smoke and held her injured wrist, screaming in pain while her magical powers carried her back to her castle.

The yellow and violet witches were lying dead in the woods, their severed heads several yards from their bodies.

Witch six was lying face down in the mud, in a deep part of the forest, with a spear sticking out of her back.

Dozens of soldiers rode up on the large battlefield of dead. The dead were the magistrate’s men, the witches’ men, and the witches themselves. The soldiers looked out at all the carnage—too many lifeless bodies to count.

Witch two was out in the field in two pieces. Her head and shoulder lay there with a lifeless stare. Her mouth hung open, and her face was covered with dried mud.

Witch three’s upper torso lay in a large puddle of water, her face destroyed by Morgan’s sword. Her legs lay tangled in her dress, several feet away.

Witch four lay on her side with her mouth open and a hole in her throat.

Witch five lay staring at the sky with two arrows sticking out of her chest.

The soldiers walked among the bodies and lifted all the magistrate’s men up onto large horse-drawn wagons.

Mr. Green, like Megan and Alexandra, was from Earth, and he paced around in his office that was fashioned after Earth’s 1950s, his favorite time period back home. As always, he was wearing a three-piece suit with a green top hat. He was in his late sixties and walked with a cane. He looked nervous and worried. He had expected to hear from Megan by now and hadn’t yet. “I wish she would me. She has no idea how much I worry.” He continued to pace back and forth and wiped some sweat from his forehead with the handkerchief from his pocket.

Randall MacBaer was riding back home on the same road. He was in the middle of his men. He stared ahead, trying to block out the harsh ramblings of the mad woman behind him, to his side. There she was, Lady Brianna MacBaer, continuously screaming a bunch of incoherent words that added up to a whole lot of nothing, showing her absolute disagreement with how he had ended the ordeal. She just kept screaming the same things over and over, so he kept looking forward and ignoring her, making her even angrier. Randall adjusted his injured foot in his stirrup.

Rand followed at the rear, lost in thought about the next time he might see Morgan. Captain Bruce rode close by, keeping an eye out for any stray witch that might show up.

Megan, Red, Alexandra, and Morgan stood on top of the wall. They looked out over New Anvindr and prepared for what was next.

… Not the end …