Anise and Effie ducked into the alleyway behind the cottage, sticking to the shadows to avoid the yellow, mid-morning sun from betraying their position.
Effie's heart thundered wildly in her aching chest, a mixture of sadness and fear gripping her lungs like a vice until she could scarcely catch her breath. Her small hand was gripped tightly in Anise's; so tightly it would have ached if Effie's body wasn't too numb with adrenaline to notice.
"This way," Anise said breathlessly, gently yet firmly tugging Effie's arm to turn the corner down another, long alleyway. "It won't be long now. The exit into the woods is just this way."
"Auntie Anise?" Effie asked between burning gasps of air.
"Yes, dear?"
"Do you think mama will be alright?"
"Of course she'll be alright," Anise smiled down at the child, though the concern in her eyes didn't quite match with her words. "She's a powerful witch, you understand? She will stop those bad men soon. Don't you worry."
"Mama's a witch, huh?" Effie pondered. "I heard you say earlier that you and mama are both witches. So it's true then?"
"Oh, you heard that, did you?" Anise sighed. "Well, it's true. Your mother and I are both witches. And you have witch blood in your veins too, although your powers are still dormant until you reach puberty. Anyway, there are some bad people out there who don't like witches, and wish we didn't exist. And those bad people are trying catch us right now so they can get rid of us. But we won't let that happen, will we Effie?"
"Nu uh," Effie shook her head, determination now burning in her round eyes. "But Auntie Anise... if you're a witch why don't you use magic to stop those bad men?"
"It's not that simple," Anise shook her head. "Not long ago, the King's men discovered a type of crystal that can tell them if magic is being used somewhere close by. If I use any magic, they'll be able to detect it right away and send hundreds of soldiers to catch me. And no matter how powerful my magic is, it's no use against hundreds of men, you see? So it's safer to just lay low, and try to escape without using any magic."
"I see..." Effie mumbled in quiet contemplation.
"But don't fret, dear. We're almost out of the city. We'll be in Moonshadow Forest soon, where we'll have the advantage. I guarantee you that I know the wood better than anyone else, including the King's silly foot soldiers." Anise winked, and for just a few, short moments, Effie truly thought that everything was going to be alright.
"Halt, in the name of the law!" The booming voice of a man echoed through the empty alleyway, causing Anise to freeze in her tracks.
Effie's stomach grew heavy like lead, plummeting to the ground as one of the king's soldiers dressed in chain-mail armor, stepped out of the shadows, blocking Anise and Effie from the alleyway's exit into the woods.
"Who goes there?" The soldier ordered. "What are you two doing sneaking around the city like thieves at a time like this? Are you aware that the King has ordered a royal decree to have the whole city searched for witches? Unless you were ALREADY aware.... You weren't trying to escape in the commotion, were you?"
"Oh, no sir. It's nothing like that," Anise said, putting on an act of innocence. "Don't mind us. My granddaughter and I were just out for a morning stroll when we got lost, you see? My memory isn't what it used to be, and this dear little girl is only five years old, so together we got ourselves quite lost, as you can see. In fact, we were just on our way to visit a sick friend in Evanore the next town over. So if there is nothing you need from us, we'd best be on our way."
"I'm afraid that won't be possible," the soldier smirked dangerously, making it obvious that he didn't buy her story at all. "All exits and entrances leading to and from Avanthia have been blocked until the entire city has been searched thoroughly. So I suggest you ladies head back home if you know what's best for you, and wait for the soldiers to come along to search it."
"The- the soldiers already searched our home," Anise swallowed, digging her heels into the ground to appear unmovable. "We were cleared, and now we really must be on our way. Please, sir. Let us go. My sister is in poor health and won't last much longer. We must go see her before it is too late."
"Your sister?" The soldier raised an eyebrow, advancing toward Anise. "I thought you said it was a sick friend."
"D-did I?" Anise faltered, but she didn't shrink away. "A slip of the tongue. As I said, my memory isn't what it used to be."
"That's quite a thing to mix up, isn't it?" The soldier hummed. Then his eyes flicked to little Effie, her slight form clinging onto Anise's skirts. "Quite an unusual looking child you got there. Those eyes sure remind me of something..."
"Don't touch her!" Anise cried turning to shield Effie, but the soldier was too fast.
The world reeled around her as Effie was ripped from Anise's side by the collar of her dress, and held up at eye level with the soldier.
"Ah yes, those eyes remind me of a story," he said looking deeply into Effie's eyes. Effie trembled with fear in his grasp, but she did not break his gaze. "A story about a very powerful witch with eyes that burned like blazes of purple flame. A witch who escaped the king's wrath over a hundred years ago. Yes, indeed. The child's eyes are burning exactly like that."
"Please, let her go!" Anise pleaded, falling to her knees before the soldier. "I'll.. I'll do whatever you want. Just don't hurt the child."
"Now where's the fun in that?" The soldier's laugh was dark and twisted. "I think I'll have a bit of fun torturing this small creature. It'll be like torturing a helpless little bunny. And there's nothing you can do but sit back and watch, isn't that right?"
Anise knew he was trying to illicit a certain response from her. He wanted to trap her. To make her use her powers to rescue the girl, and expose herself as a witch. And in all honesty, at this point, Anise was seeing no other option. She had promised to protect the child at all costs. And she knew she would gladly sacrifice her life for that innocent little girl. Anise clenched her fists at her sides, her head bowed low to hide the intentions hidden in her eyes from the wretched soldier. Then she let the power bubble up inside of her, ready to unleash it with focused concentration when Effie suddenly shouted something at the soldier that tore Anise's concentration away from the spell.
"You're a mean man!" Effie had cried, spitting a huge glob of saliva directly into one of the soldier's eyes.
He grunted angrily, releasing his hold on the girl, and she tumbled painfully to the pavement below. "You disgusting creature!" He growled, lunging for the girl. Anise scrambled across the rough roadway, desperate to reach Effie before he did, but again she was too slow, and watched in horror as the soldier's boot connected with Effie's stomach.
Blaring pain exploded throughout Effie's mid section, knocking the very breath out of her lungs. But she hung onto consciousness, clutching her stomach while she writhed on ground. Hot tears sprung to her eyes, but she didn't cry out. She didn't make a sound. She didn't want the soldier to know that he had hurt her, if it was the last thing she did.
"Effie!" Anise threw her body over the little girl's, shielding it from another solid kick.
"You two are really ticking me off," the soldier snarled, standing over them like a predator regarding its prey. "You know I can have the two of you killed on the spot simply on suspicion of being witches? I don't even have to have any evidence. I can just say the word, and you two will go up in a column of fire."
"Do what you will to me," Anise begged. "But please, leave the girl alone. She's only a child."
"Child or not, a witch is a witch. And if she is one, she must be done away with according to the king's law. And right now, I'm really feeling that this little runt here might learn a thing or two from a taste of the flame."
"Please, sir-"
But Anise's next words were stolen away by the voices of more soldiers racing over to the man hovering above them with deadly intent.
"Captain!" One of them said. "You need to come right away. A suspected witch has been confirmed. We found her in a nearby cottage. She's the owner of a bakery down the street, and there's no doubt that she's a witch. And a feisty one at that."
The burning pain in Effie's stomach was instantly drowned out, her entire body now engulfed in new sensation of sheer terror. "Mama!" She tried to scream, but Anise had already clapped her hand over the child's mouth, stifling the cry.
"Excellent," the apparent captain replied. "The king will be pleased by this news. I will be right over to deal with the wench. But first, there are a couple of trouble-makers over here that need to be handled."
"Uh... sir," one of the soldiers raised a brow in confusion. "I don't mean to speak out of turn, but... what trouble-makers?"
The captain flipped around, turning his attention back to the spot on the ground where Anise and Effie had just been laying a moment ago. But as if having vanished into thin air, they were now gone, leaving no trace.
"Why those wretched creatures!" The captain cursed, gnashing his teeth and clenching his fists at his sides. "Those... Those witches! How could I have let them escape?! Men, search the area for a small child and a middle-aged woman traveling together. I believe the two to be witches. They can't have gone far. And since there are guards stationed at every exit I doubt they'll even be able to leave the city. It shouldn't take long for you to find them."
"Yes, sir," the soldiers saluted, and prepared to carry out their captain's orders.