Chapter Seven ~ Witch Hunt

“Um… Where do we start?” Eva asked once they were outside. “Not entirely sure…” Hazel admitted. “You volunteered without knowing where to go?” Pierce questioned in a condescending tone. “You came along. Do YOU know where she is?” she retaliated. He started to respond but stopped. “Are people still being interrogated?” Wen commented. Pierce nodded. “Instead of asking about the kids, start questioning about Ximena.” she suggested. As Pierce went off to reinform his soldiers, Eva whispered to Hazel, “Do we have time for this? Why don’t we just leave this to them?” “What will happen if our kingdom needs something one day? They will look back to this. Just planning ahead.”

The soldiers were all over town. Hm. Looks like they’ve been notified about Ximena. Good. Let’s give them a little information.

Pierce narrowed his eyes at the figure walking towards him. The man (or was it a girl?) wore a dark cloak, so no skin was showing. “Who are you? Show yourself!” he exclaimed. “Come any closer and you’ll lose priceless information.” a feminine voice replied. He stopped. “What do you know?” “The location of a particular witch.” she responded. Beneath the hood, she chuckled at the sudden flare of interest in his eyes. “Where?” “There’s a cave in the forest. There are a few marked trees in front of it, so you’ll know when you’re there.” she stated casually. Tilting his head, he asked, “Why are you doing this?” “Why does it matter? Now go meet back up with the others. Every second you waste here is one more second the kids are captured.” she answered. The stranger turned and walked away, leaving Pierce to do as she said.

All of the knights were surprised to see Pierce running up the trail. “Back already?” Emily commented. “Just follow me.  I know where to find her.” he stated. Hopping on horseback, they all made their way into the forest. “Search the trees. There’s supposed to be an indicator outside her lair.” he announced. Sure enough, they did indeed find a cave. Two trees stood before it, both marked with large Xs. “Everyone ready?” Hazel called out, drawing her sword. Wen pulled an arrow from her quiver. Kylie and Emily readied their daggers while Rowena pulled out a handful. Bruno heaved a mighty club. Ryne and Eva brandished their swords while Jack held his hesitantly. Time for my REAL first battle. With that, they walked into the cave.