"I thought the bad men were all gone," Effie said with bewilderment as Anise pulled her through the small door and back out into the alleyway.
"Most of them have gone," Anise replied breathlessly. "But I'm not surprised that a few of them stayed behind to look for us since they know we're still here in the city somewhere. Not many, so as not to arouse suspicion, but enough. They must be under very strict orders from the king if they're working this tirelessly. I believe that if the king has his way, not a single suspected witch will be spared. Even if some non-witches are mistakenly killed in the process. Everyone is just fodder in his mad bid to rid the city of all witches. It seems he's willing to sacrifice any life in his rampage. It makes me sick to my- Oh no, watch out!"
Suddenly Anise jumped back, jerking Effie around the corner of a nearby building by the arm just as two soldiers marched by. There, Effie and Anise clung to the side of the wall as if they were desperately holding onto the precipice of a cliff to keep from plummeting to their deaths. Then they waited.
Once the soldiers had passed and they knew that they had narrowly escaped the men's sights, Effie released a breath of air she didn't realize she'd been holding onto.
"That was close," Anise exhaled. "Come on Effie, let's keep going. There aren't enough soldiers anymore to guard all exits. There's got to be a way out now."
Then they were weaving through the alleys once more, but as the morning sun rose higher in the sky, they were afforded less shadows to hide in. But then, as if by some miracle - as if the endless nightmare of a long, dark night was drawing to an end -- Anise and Effie crossed the city's boarder and found themselves in Moonshadow Forest, surrounded by enough evergreen trees to choke out most of the sun's light.
It was a relief to be out in the wilderness, to feel the cool breeze tickle their skin as it gently rustled the branches of the nearby trees. In place of suffocating buildings and bustling townspeople, the chirruping songs of the birds echoed around them, lulling them into a brief state of comfort. And the trees themselves... it was almost as if the trees were whispering sweet words of warmth into the wind above their heads. But they couldn't revel in it yet, they were still much too close to Avanthia for comfort, and the possibility of guards patrolling the wood immediately surrounding the city was all too probable.
But being in Moodshadow Forest, a renewed spark of life had returned to Anise's dulling eyes. She had said that she knew this forest like the back of her hand. She was in her element now, and she knew it.
If only the same spark of life had ignited inside Effie's deadened, purple eyes as well. But leaving Avanthia, the only home she'd ever known, never to return... well it was almost more than her little heart could bear. She was leaving her home, her life, her precious memories of her mother -- she was leaving it all behind. And the more she thought about it, the more she came to despise the men who had ripped it all away form her.
"I hate them," Effie finally spoke, her voice quivering more out of anger than fear. "They killed mama. I hate those bad men. If I had my witch powers, or... or if I could use the power of the Moonshadow Stone... I'd kill them all!"
Deep in the center of her chest, Effie felt a white-hot fire of rage begin to burn. It was a level of animosity she'd never before felt. It was as though the anger was about to rip its way out of her body and rampage out of control. And almost in response, the Moonshadow Stone began to burn with a heat of its own, stinging against her skin. Or... was that just her imagination?
"I know, Effie," Anise replied, kneeling down at eye-level with the girl. "I know you hate them, for what they've done. If I'm honest, I can't really blame you. I hate them too. But as witches we musn't use our powers to kill. Not ever. Not even out of hatred or revenge. If we do that, we'll prove to everyone that we are the exact monsters they paint us as. And... and there are a few witches out there who's powers have gone rogue. I've seen it before with my own eyes. It steals their humanity away, and does truly turn them into monsters. So learn to quell the rage, Effie. You must be in control of your powers, and not the other way around, or all that awaits you in your future is darkness and devastation."
The chill of a warning froze Effie to the bone in response to Anise's words, instantly snuffing out the burning flame in her chest until she felt nothing but coldness and exhaustion. But the memory of the flame remained imprinted on her heart. There had been something so primal about her rage just now. Something so feral and uncontrollable. Her powers hadn't even awakened yet, and they weren't supposed to for some time. And yet... yet she could still feel the dark side of them edging in, trying to gain control within her. It was terrifying.
"I hope you understand what I'm saying," Anise pressed, concern written all over her face.
"I... I think I do..." Effie's voice was small now, and weak. Tired.
"Good. That's very good. Since you understand, it's time to keep moving. It's been a while since either of us had anything to eat. Follow me, I know of a clearing nearby where wild blackcurrants grow. And would you believe, they're the sweetest blackcurrants I've ever tasted? You must try them for yourself. Come on."
Anise held Effie's hand firmly in her grasp. With her other hand, she hiked up her skirts to the knee as they zigzagged through the forest. Anise expertly dodged every rock, and jumped over every branch on the ground as if she knew exactly where each one of them would be. She weaved through the trees and ducked past underbrush without slowing, like a hound on a scent.
And it wasn't long before they made it to the clearing. Surrounding a little bubbling brook were about a dozen wild blackcurrant bushes, their leafy branches all dotted with small round, black fruits that glistened with dew. Anise immediately set to work harvesting the berries, collecting them her apron while Effie looked on, too tired to move. She knew she should have been hungry by now. It had been more than a day since she'd eaten anything. But somehow, she was just too exhausted and grief-stricken to feel even the slightest bit peckish.
"Come, come, have a bite," Anise urged, holding a blackcurrant up to Effie's lips. "You may not be hungry, but you must keep your energy up."
And though she didn't have the will for it, Effie still managed to get the berry in her mouth. She chewed it slowly, bitter-sweet juice bursting across her tongue. Then, she swallowed it.
"Good girl," Anise praised. "Here, do you think you can manage another?"
Again, Effie thought she'd rather throw up the souring bile in her empty stomach than cram another berry down her throat. But she did as she was asked. And then she ate another. Then another. And as she continued eating, she felt a little bit of energy trickling back to her weakened body, filling her cold, aching muscles with a bit of warmth.
"You've done well," Anise said, finally popping a few blackcurrants past her own, dry lips. Then she stuffed the rest of the berries into her apron pocket. "I'll save the rest for later. For now, we must keep moving. Though it's true that we have the advantage being in a witch's wood, that doesn't mean we're out of danger yet."
Anise and Effie continued through the wood, this time walking instead of running, offering Effie's tired muscles some reprieve. As they walked, Effie's ears began to fill with soft, murmuring noises like the sounds of distant whispering, growing nearer and nearer with each passing second. It was almost as if the the trees and the plants were trying talking to her. But she couldn't understand what they were saying. Surely.... surely this was all in her imagination too?
But then, one of the whispers became loud. Urgent. Impossible to mistake for imagination. "Danger!" it warned. "Run!" The air was suddenly sucked out of Effie's lungs, gooseflesh crawling along her skin like spider legs.
"Auntie Anise!" She gasped, tugging on the older woman's arm so hard, she almost pulled them both over.
But before she could say another word of warning; before Anise could respond; before they could even run, the form of a man stepped out from behind a tree directly in front of them, blocking their path.
"Found you," a familiar voice lilted in a mocking tone. And Effie recognized it immediately. How could she forget the wretched voice of the captain who inflicted so much pain, who nearly captured them both, but above all, he was the captain who took part in her mother's execution. Even though his face was obscured in shadow, the memory of his his features were emblazoned upon her brain.
"You..." Effie whispered, feeling that white hot rage trickling back into her chest, though she tried her best to suppress it.
"It's been amusing, chasing you two all over Avanthia and into the wood," the captain went on. "But don't you think it's about time we end this little game of cat and mouse, hm? You may be witches, but you certainly aren't trained soldiers of the king. You should have known you could never truly escape. This whole thing was over before it even began."
Anise hardened her brow with resolve, grabbing Effie by the wrist, and turning to run the opposite direction. But more soldiers began stepping out into the open, revealing themselves, and blocking Anise and Effie from all sides. There were countless men who had been waiting in ambush. Waiting... their presences somehow undetectable to the two witches who would normally have been able to sense that a many people.
"How... how did you find us?" Anise demanded.
"Oh, it honestly wasn't as difficult as all that," the captain answered smugly. "We really only ended up using some of your own dirty tricks against you."
"Tricks?" Anise scoffed. "Don't tell me you've started using magic too. I thought that was forbidden for you."
"Don't think of it as magic. Think of it as... as nothing more than a tactic. A trick that was far more successful than I anticipated. But more to the point... I think I'm really going to enjoy ripping you two apart after the way you disrespected me back in Avanthia. I really, truly am."
The captain stepped forward into a stray beam of sunlight that was trickling down from between some tree branches, revealing a contorted, maniacal expression that made Effie's stomach twist into sickening knots. Meanwhile, the rest of the soldiers followed suit, all advancing forward, the circle around them closing in.
"Don't come any closer," Anise warned, pulling Effie toward her, nearly suffocating the girl against her bosom.
"Oh? Or what? You'll use your little powers against me? We both know that no witch alive today is strong enough to take out this many men without being chopped down. You're powers are nothing compared to the legends. Your kind is weak now, and dying out. And besides, you don't want to risk your powers going rogue over the killing of some soldiers, now would you? No, I think you'd much rather die. So let me help you out with that. In just a few moments, the world will be rid of two more, vile witches."
There was a glint of metal as the captain drew his sword from the sheath. More than twenty-five other soldiers followed suit, unsheathing their swords one by one until Effie's ears rang with the reverberating sound of metal.
If this was it... if this was the end, then why wasn't she scared? Why wasn't she cowering, burying her face in Anise's skirts and preparing for the sword to strike her in two? But no, instead of feeling all those sensations, the only thing that Effie felt in that moment was an explosion inside of her. The white-hot flame in her chest spreading throughout her whole body until she felt as though she were being consumed by fire.
The girl pierced the air with a blood-curdling scream of power and rage, sparks and flames spewing from her fingertips. The soldiers eyes grew wide. Dropping their swords, they began to back way as Effie's tiny body became overwhelmed by so much power she felt as though she would be torn to pieces. She barely held herself together. Her eyelids flew open the rims of her violet eyes sparking and illuminating.
Even Anise fell back, scrambling to get clear of the girl as Effie's head snapped back beyond her control, contorting in an unnatural manner. Another wave of searing pain coursed through her body, followed by another scream, and then the world disappeared in a blinding flash of white. After a few, dizzying moments of blindness, the world slowly faded back into view, and all Effie could see was red.
Rivers of blood trickled along the forest floor; the soldier's mangled bodies, bent and broken, lay splattered across the landscape in a perfect, crimson ring surrounding Anise and Effie. They had been squashed like insects in a matter of moments. Not a single man was left alive.
Anise sat frozen on the ground, staring up at Effie in absolute horror and awe. Her chest heaved up and down visibly as struggled to figure out what to say or do next. Finally, she struggled to her feet, approaching Effie with caution.
"Your... your powers... it seems they've already awakened."
In confusion, Effie stared down at her blood stained hands; at the thick blotches of crimson splattered across her skirt. Her vision began to grow hazy, her knees weakening beneath her. And before she collapsed on the ground, she heard Anise's final words.
"What have you done, Effie? Oh, what have you done?"