I fold my arms and jut my hip out.
"Exactly what do you want for you to tell me where my sister is?"
She giggles again before her face suddenly morphs into a serious expression.
"Your flesh," she whispers before falling into a fit of laughter that eerily bounces off the trees.
I adjust my hat as James forces the girl to her knees. I crouch in front of her.
"Where. Is. My. Sister?"
She bites her lips as if holding back more laughter. That is when I smell it.
"How many mushrooms did you smoke?" I ask, grabbing her chin and examining her wild eyes.
She giggles again. James sighs and clubs her on the head with the bottom of his dagger, knocking her out. Her small body crumples to the ground as she begins snoring softly. I shake my head and stand up.
"She's high, she won't be able to tell us anything. We can't just walk into the Coven's layer blindly now, we won't be able to hide under the cover of night, we need a plan."
James nods. "Ideas?"
I look up at the sky though the trees. "It's nearly daylight, they'll see us if we stick to the original plan. That thing took up too much of our time."
I swallow and wet my lips. "Um I have an idea, but it involves me doing something that is technically outlawed in our Coven, and it is something that I shouldn't even be able to do but I can and-"
"Jackie, what is it? You're scaring me."
I push my hat back and level my gaze with James's. "This."
I close my eyes and mentally get a feel for my surroundings before inhaling a long deep breath. The wind sweeps through me as my feet lift off the ground and I begin to rise.
"Oh my God," James whispers.
I open my eyes as I lift myself higher and higher into the air, until I'm above the trees, and that...that is when I soar. I spread my arms and tilt my body upwards, gliding over the treetops. The adrenaline kicks in as I remember why I'm doing this. Concentrating my vision downwards I lower my position and fly closer down, not enough for the Finger-Less Coven to see me, but so that I can see them. It isn't long before I find the line that divides them from us, Stakes sticking out of the dark soil, each one with a freshly chopped head sticking up from it. Disgusted shivers run through me as I move forward. I judge the distance between James and the camp before flying back to him. His dark green eyes are wide as my feet touch the ground again and sink into the soil.
"You can fly," he says softly.
I nod, feeling the pink flush in my pale cheeks.
"Witches don't fly," he says, staring at me.
My smile fades. "I know, I should've told you."
"When did this start?" he questions, a hint of anger seeping into his voice, which I suppose I deserve. We made a pact, to tell each other everything...and I've broken it.
Hanging my head, I cast my eyes to the ground. "Since I was three years old."
A gasp of disbelief flies out of his mouth. "The pact...."
I scan his features carefully before speaking. "I know, I should never have broken the pact. I should never ever have lied to you. I am so so sorry James, truly I am."
He exhales and runs a hand through his hair. "We don't have time to talk about this. Did you locate the camp? How far is it?"
I shake my head. "It's not far, only a few hundred meters that way," I say, pointing my index finger to the north.
He nods, avoiding my eyes. Picking up his pack he slings it over his shoulder and starts treading down the path. I follow behind him quietly.
"James," I whisper, looking behind me a few moments later.
"Yes?" he answers, still looking ahead.
"The young witch...."
He turns around to see what I'm looking at. His eyes widen. "She's gone."
I exhale and shift my gaze up to the trees. "Uh..Jay?"
His eyes slide to me. "Yes?"
"Are those trees moving?"
As if on instinct, he places his arm in front of me.
"Get behind me," he says, his voice filled with warning.
I open my mouth to protest, but think better of it and step behind him. Drawing my wand, I keep my trained gaze on the tree tops.
And that is when I hear it.
A scream. A young girl's scream. A pain filled voice, one that I know so well.
"Ellie," I whisper.
I hiss as something hits the back of my leg. Falling to my knees, I twist to see what it was. My eyes widen at the sight of a hooded figure pouncing on me. Slamming my upper body to the ground, the figure swings her leg over until she's sitting on me. I struggle to free myself as James is attacked from the front by two other figures. I squeeze my eyes shut as the thing on me presses something to my head. It takes me a moment to realize it's a wand. My stomach drops as the truth hits me. They are all from the Finger-Less Coven.
"Don't hurt them," one of them says, "boss would want them alive."
"Yessss," another one agrees, "we need more fresssssh blood in the coven."
"Get off of me!" James shouts, barely being held down by four witches. I squeeze my eyes shut as the witch on top of me digs her knee into my abdomen, pressing on my scar. Coughing from the pressure, I turn my head to the side. Blood splatters on the moonlit leaves next to me. James locks eyes with mine as a wand is pressed to his head.
Pressing her wand harder into my head, the witch breathes an incantation over me. I cough again before the trees fade in and out of focus. The last thing I see is her filed down teeth before everything fades to black.