Halfway through our drive, Alex and I swapped over to give my legs a break. To my own surprise, I didn't worry too much about losing control over my car. He didn't race down the road as I expected him to and I relaxed into the journey fairly easily.

After a polite conversation about his dad, the hunters and the music playing softly on the radio in the background, Nathaniel drifted off into a long nap and failed to notice us stop for a short while to stretch our legs and swap over drivers. Alex glanced over his shoulder, checking that Nathaniel was still asleep.

"Do you think something happened with him and Florence last night?" he asked.
I frowned. "What makes you think that?"
"I spoke to Alfie this morning and he said Florence didn't get back to her room until late last night. She made quite a racket about it as well."

Did he mean...? No!

My face contorted as I spotted Nathaniel's floppy blonde hair in the mirror and I spun around to open my mouth. Alex pushed me back down in my seat.

"What are you doing?"
"Don't you yell at him for this."
"He..." I gestured to Nathaniel, who still slept soundly, and stuttered, "he... and Florence!"
"And Florence," Alex echoed. "There's two people involved in this."
"And both will receive adequate scolding," I warned. Alex chuckled.
"Consenting adults, my darling. You can't control them both."

I scowled, folding my arms as I slumped further into the chair. "It's too soon. They've only known each other for a couple of days."
He laughed out loud. "You can develop crushes in a matter of hours."
"That doesn't mean you should act on them."
"Oh? And you've never act on a superficial crush? Not once?"
I scowled. Not inclined to give an answer to that question, I reversed the topic back to Nathaniel and Florence. "I just don't like the two of them together."
He laughed at the digression. "Why not? He likes her, she likes him. It's simple enough. If they like each other, why not act on it?"
"It's not that simple," I argued. "As a hunter, Florence has responsibilities. She has to think about her job, her training, her family. Compromising herself as soon as she starts her career isn't going to do her any good."
"And is this speaking from experience now?"
I blinked, shocked he'd even mention it. "Maybe it is."

He didn't know what to say to that. Instead, he trapped his fingers on the top of the steering wheel, creating a nervous beat on the leather as I turned to look out the window.

"Do you regret spending time with him?" he eventually asked.
I sighed. Dad taught me that relationships between hunters were doomed to fail. We were entwined in the supernatural world of danger and the unknown. Our jobs came first, at least during our earlier years. This was the decade I was meant to make my mark on the hunting world; I shouldn't waste my time with those who could damage that mark. "I should regret it," I replied.
"That's not what I asked."
I wasn't sure. The thought of never seeing Pete again made me sick to my stomach. I coped during the months we hadn't seen each other with little phone contact but I had the chain he gave me. We weren't entirely cut off from one another and I never wanted that to happen. "I don't know," I said. "I just don't."
He sighed. "I know I said it earlier but you're human, Erika. You're a lovely woman. Please don't give up everything you are for the sake of a job."

I pondered his last sentence until I remembered the one that came before it and smiled. "Lovely, am I?"
"I can take that back if you like."
"No! No. You're... lovely too, I guess."
He mirrored my smile, which faded as Nathaniel woke up. "I think I'm gonna be sick!"
I groaned. "The one time I try to be nice."
"No, really!"

Alex swore and swiftly pulled over as I warned Nathaniel not to harm the car. He glared as Nathaniel hopped out the vehicle, running over to a nearby bush.
"What?"
"You could try to be a little kinder."
"Do you want to drive around in a car stinking of vomit?"
He shuddered. "Not really. Might make the witches steer clear, though."
I sighed. "Always a silver lining with you, isn't there?"

Nathaniel returned to the car looking sheepish. I handed him a water bottle and a packet of mints, more willing to help now that his stomach had settled.

"Are you feeling better?" I asked.
He nodded. "Yeah. Just carsick, I think."
"You felt ill last night too," Alex remembered with a frown. "Are you sure you're okay about the plan? You can still back out if you're not feeling up to it."
"I've got no choice," he choked. "I can't back out now."
"You've always got a choice," Alex replied. "Don't think we're going to force you to do anything."
"We can't turn back now but we can drop you off somewhere safer until we're finished," I suggested. If we finished, that was. "I know it's not ideal but you can relax somewhere else."
"No." He took a gulp of water. "No, I'm doing this. Please let me do this."

Alex and I shared an unsure look. On one hand, he was a willing hunter ready to fight for us and our families, as well as his on. On the other, however, he was still just a child playing well out of his league with no experience. He had less training than both the twins and they weren't even welcomed on this job.

"Are you absolutely positive?" I asked.
Nathaniel nodded. "Yes. I am."
I sighed. "Alright then. Alex, let's go."
"But--"
"He said he's positive. We can't say anymore about it."

Huffing in disagreement, Alex started the car again and rejoined the road. The other cars were well ahead now but we had a map with us to guide us to Bekker's. There were three hours left of the journey now: three hours for Nathaniel to think over the fight ahead and change his mind once more.

"I'm sorry," he said, swirling the water in his bottle around. "I really am."

***

The hunters rendezvoused at the entrance of Bekker's Forest, parking our cars far enough away so not to attract attention from any nearby witches. With another confirmation from Nathaniel that he still wanted to take part, our little trio exited the car and armed ourselves at the boot.

I had my crossbow as normal, but decided on a larger quiver of arrows to arm myself further.I then took a small dagger to strap around my belt in case a witch got closer than planned. Alex had his gauntlet and a shotgun.

"This feels strange," he said.
"What do you mean?"
"They're so human. And here we are, picking out weapons to kill them."

I didn't think twice about harming demons, monsters and creatures so ready to hurt me or my family. As Alex said that, my stomach knotted in the way it did when I killed Viviane. I couldn't hesitate when I faced them, but the thought of initiating a fight against people so human made me uncomfortable.

Dad would have told me to ignore those thoughts. They were detrimental to the job and I needed to forget them.

"It's for our families. I don't like it either but it's for the greater good."
He sighed. "Okay."
"What do I do?" Nathaniel asked.
"Take a gun," Alex replied. "It'll keep the witches at a distance."
"And this," I added, handing him a small blade, the hilt bronze, possessing a pattern of branches. "Just in case we need to keep quieter."
He nodded, looking down at his gun with apprehension. "I'll do my best."
"That's all we can ask for," Alex replied. "Come on, we should speak to the others."

The hunters had left their cars and gathered in a group by the entrance to the forest. I was met with a nervous smile from Pete and a sigh by Vanessa.
"Nice of you to join us," she greeted.
"We had to stop for a while," I replied. "Apologies for the delay."
"No harm done," Wyatt replied. "But now we can't afford further distraction."

Wyatt reached into his pockets and unfolded a map of the forest. He pointed to the edge. "This is where we are. And this..." He pointed to a wide opening exactly in the centre. "This is where the ritual took place last time." That was where our families would be taken. "The hunters won't be kept there -- it's too obvious. But when I am taken, they will be. I will walk through the middle of the forest, towards the centre, and I expect the witches to wait until I reach the ritual site. Then their Shadowtraveller should bring the remaining hunters there and that is when you will attack."

"We'll split into groups," Pete continued. "That way, we can circle around the ritual site and close in on the witches."
"Five groups should cover it," I suggested. "One keeps back, two cover the sides and two run ahead to cover the head of the clearing, meeting in the middle. That way, we can secure the perimeter."
Pete nodded thoughtfully. "Good idea."
"Ideally you should be in position by the time the other hunters are revealed to us. When that happens, I will communicate with my son through the crystal and he will provide the signal to attack from the ritual's perimeter."
"What's the signal?" Alex asked.
"When I run in shouting with my sword raised high, you'll know," said Pete with a grin.
"This is it now," said Wyatt. "Look out for one another, keep your heads held high and remain strong. Good luck."

Wyatt folded up his map and turned to make his way into the dark mouth of Bekker's Forest. He stopped, however, as his son called out to him.

Tears in his eyes, Pete forced his father into a tight hug. "I love you, dad."
Wyatt sighed. "I love you too, son."
Pete let go of his father, who smiled up at him. "You've made me proud, Pete. Don't ever forget that."

***

Our group was instructed to run around the west side of the forest to take position at the head of the clearing. We needed a fast group so myself, Alex and two other hunters, who introduced themselves as Lily and Lucie, accompanied us, claiming to be fast runners. Nathaniel insisted he came with Alex and I, but I had to refuse. He was an inexperienced hunter; there would have been more difficulties trying to get him to run fast towards the position, so Vanessa agreed to keep him to the south-west placement as our group broke off from them.

I jogged at the head of the group alongside Lily and Lucie, Alex trailing behind. We needed to reach the position as soon as possible and Alex was lacking.

"Your friend isn't very fast," said Lily.
"For all his confidence, you're not wrong," I replied. I wouldn't have said anything, but my chest ached and my throat grew dry.
"I can hear, you know?" he panted.
"Shocking really, from all the way back there," Lily replied.
"Come on, Alex. I wanted you in this group because you're fast and now you're embarrassing me," I teased.
"I've got... more muscle mass. That... makes me... slower."
I snorted. "Of course it does."
"Be nice, girls," Lucie warned. "It's not his fault he's got lower endurance."
"That's not what I... I give up." Alex sighed.

Lucie wasn't wrong. And Alex wasn't alone in that fact. I wasn't a bad runner but a stitch had formed on my left side, which twisted and grew more agonising every minute we ran. The other girls seemed to feel the same way, as they became quiet, letting the mindless distracting chatter drift into silence. We reached the position eventually and Lucie double-checked her map to ensure we were where we needed be.

"We're here," she said between deep breaths. "Now we just need to wait." She wiped her forehead, sweat matting her blonde fringe. Lily laughed.
"What's the matter? Low endurance?"
Lucie frowned at the keeled-over Lily, who panted and sweated just as much as she did. "I'm fine, thank you for being concerned."
"What about you?" I asked Alex. "Are you okay?"
He gave a thumbs-up. "Running isn't my strong-suit."
"Then why did you come with us?"
He shrugged. "I wanted to come with you."
I rolled my eyes. "I told Nathaniel to stay behind yet you come with me, knowing you can't handle it?"
He gestured to himself, sweating and bending over to catch his breath. "Do I look like I can't handle it?"
I looked him up and down, watching him sweat, pant and gasp. "You look completely fine to me."
"Ha! See."

For ten minutes we waited, weapons raised and starring forward in the direction of the clearing. We couldn't see the ritual site from our position -- we were too far out -- but the distance between us and Pete's group at the north-east part of the forest was small enough to hear him as he made his charge. When our arms grew tired, the four of us sat down. I clutched my crossbow and Lily her daggers as Alex picked grass and Lucie played with her hair.

"You could be a bit more professional," Lily scolded at them both.
Lucie sighed. "We've been waiting for ages."
"Ten minutes, Lucie," Lily replied.
"Ten minutes is too long," Alex added. "Something's happened."
"Did we miss it?" Lucie asked.
"No," I said, still watching the trees packed tightly together. "We would have heard fighting if we missed it."
"Then what's going on?" Lily snapped in frustration. "I can't stand sitting here any longer."
I sighed and brought myself to my feet. "I'll go take a look."
"You'll what?" said Alex.
"I'll see what Pete's group is up to. It's been too long -- I don't like it."
"Then I'm going with you. Are you two good to stay here and hold the position?"
Lucie and Lily both nodded. "If you don't find anything, come back," Lucie said. "If something's gone wrong, we need to know."
"Okay," I said with a sigh. "Then let's go."
"Good luck to you both," said Lily. "Stay safe."

***

The forest was unusually still as Alex and I made our way towards the position Pete's group should have been in. No birds chirped, no mice scuttled and even the wind in the air failed to rustle the shrivelling leaves in the treetops. There was an emptiness that surrounded us; a stillness that warned of something watching us. The plan wasn't going the way it was supposed to. I couldn't have explained the feeling to Alex but I just knew something had gone wrong.

"Do you hear that?" Alex whispered.
Nothing. The stillness and emptiness remained. "No," I said, just as quiet.
"Exactly."
"You feel it too?"
"We're in trouble. Stay on your guard."

I stepped over a root to stand closer to Alex and raised the crossbow to the level of my eyes, ready to fire when necessary. Alex checked then lifted his shotgun, which I lowered with my index finger.
"It'll attract too much attention."

He sighed but listened, checking his gauntlet was functional instead. He kept in step behind me, letting me lead the way with the crossbow pointed in front of us. Although anxious, panic didn't settle in for either of us until we reached the position we expected to see four hunters in, including Pete.

"They should be here," I said, glaring at the floor as if they would emerge from the ground. I looked over my shoulder, back at Alex, who turned in his spot as he looked for any sign of them. "They should be here."

A crunch of the ground made us leap back into a guarded stance. We stood back to back, weapons raised, and held our breath.

"Erika? Alex?"
I sighed. "Is that Pete?" asked Alex.
"Pete what the hell is going on?" I snapped. "Where's your group?"
He emerged from the shadows alone, hands raised to stop me from shooting. Confusion struck his features as he looked around to see it was just Alex and I waiting for him. "I don't know! We heard a scream so Simon and Brandon went to investigate but they never came back. Then Ally wandered off somewhere and I haven't seen her since."
Alex and I shared a frown. "This isn't right," he said. "Has your dad contacted you yet?"
Pete held the crystal tied around his neck. "Nothing. You don't think the witches noticed the crystal, do you?"
I swallowed. "Possibly. We should rejoin Lucie and Lily then find where to go from there."
"Good idea," Alex replied.

When we reached our position once more, we were alone. Lucie and Lily were nowhere to be seen, all traces of them vanishing completely.
"Is this your position?" Pete asked.
I ran a hand through my hair. "This can't be happening right now."
"They were right here!" Alex exclaimed. "They would have yelled if anything happened. I don't understand."
Our worst nightmare was unfolding. "The witches must have caught on. We need to regroup and do all we can to stop the--"
"Erika!"
Pete frowned. "Who's that?"
Alex squinted, seeing the same platinum blonde hair atop a slim running figure coming towards us. "I think it's Nathaniel."
"Erika! Alex!"

All three of us shushed Nathaniel as he ran towards us. "Shut up!" I hissed. "What's happened?"
"There's a-- there's a--!"

He ran behind the three of us, using Alex's frame as a shield. I raised my crossbow, Alex brandished his blade and Pete unsheathed his sword.
"He got the others," Nathaniel stuttered. "All of them."
"Shit," Pete gasped.
"That's a big witch," Alex gulped.

I'd seen him before. Bald, built like a tower and tattooed from head to toe. Kate's closest guard: Felix.

Pete's eyes widened. "Erika..."
"I'll keep him here," I whispered. "You two flank him and Nathaniel has my back. Don't fire unless you have to -- we don't need other witches joining us."
The boys agreed. "Got it," they all said, then ran for their positions.

Before the witch could even catch them running away, I fired an arrow, ready for it to come right back to me. Heat pushed through the air at the force of his magic and, as he turned the arrow around in its path, I fired another.

I stepped aside and caught the arrow with confidence as the second struck the witch in the shoulder. I'd fallen for that trick once -- I wasn't doing it again. It was a lousy shot, but I didn't have the time to aim. Any hit was a bonus.

The witch growled at the arrow and ripped it out in a fury that made me nauseous. Witches could be harmed as humans could; that arrow should have knocked him down at least.

While he watched me, the boys made their move. They jumped from the trees, slamming their blades down as the witch unsheathed blades of his own that were hidden at the belt under his coat.

Nathaniel and I gasped as the boys shared a look of panic.

"The witch has swords," Alex gulped.
"Why does the witch have swords?" Pete exclaimed.

Metal scraped against metal as the witch broke his defence and slammed his swords towards the boys. I fired another shot but struggled to aim with all the movement going on. I needed to be closer to avoid shooting Alex or Pete by mistake.

I took another step forward but found my back leg frozen to the ground. I turned as much as I could in the spot to see the solid roots hidden in the ground unveiling themselves and wrapping around my ankle.

I cursed. This must have been a powerful witch if he could cast without even looking at me. I tried pulling my leg away, having no luck, then bent down to saw at the roots with an arrow.

The roots were twisted around my leg higher and higher, making work of my other foot at the same time. If I was taken from the fight, the boys would struggle. "Nathaniel!" I called. "Help me out. I'm stuck."

I kept sawing. From nearby, I could hear the boys fighting Felix, one of them crying out in pain.
"Nathaniel!" I snapped. "Hurry up! What are you doing?"

I looked up. He watched me as I struggled with the roots, hands held out in front of him with a quivering lip and glassy eyes.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I told you I was sorry."

I fought against the roots that tied themselves around my arms, strengthened by a new flame of anger. He stumbled back, breaking his eye contact for a brief moment to look over my shoulder. As he did that, the silence of the finished battle behind hit me, as did a pain in the back of my skull that knocked me into the dirt.