Something woke Tala up in the middle of the night.

     It was dark outside. She had left the curtains open, as was her habit, and the sky was full of stars, shining steadily and brilliantly. An owl hooted. She listened with her green ears while being careful not to reply. <This is my patch,> the owl was shouting to any other owls that might be close enough to hear. <I know you're out there, trying to poach mice on my turf. Get out of here before I get hold of you. I'll rip your wings off.>

     Tala smiled to herself, reflecting that ordinary people thought that the hooting of owls, and other types of birdsong, was delightful and romantic. She was pretty sure they'd be less enthralled if they knew what they were actually saying to each other. The natural world was vicious and brutal. People deplored the violence that humans inflicted on each other, but there wasn't a single kind of living creature that wasn't just as bad, or even worse. Even plants tried to poison each other with chemicals left by their roots in the soil. Even a beautiful, spreading oak tree was a brutal killer that murdered any acorns that tried to germinate too close to it.

     Was it the owl that had woken her up? No, she didn't think so. There was something else out there, in the darkness beyond the smoky, green glass of her bedroom window. Something malevolent and evil. A wolf? Was it Black Tooth, searching for her so he could betray her to the Crone? He knew her smell, after all, and she must have left it all around the farm by now...

     <There you are!> cried a gleeful voice, and Tala cried out in terror. <I've found you!>

     It was the Crone, or at least her astral projection, and it was right here in the bedroom with her. Tala pulled the woollen blankets up to her chin as she stared out into the darkness, as if she'd be able to actually see the woman who'd been searching for her for so long. And she could see her, she realised with horror. The moon was in the sky somewhere, although she couldn't see it. There was enough of its light reflected from some clouds down near the horizon to allow her to see the vague shapes of furniture around the room, and it illuminated something else as well. The merest suggestion of a face, hovering in the air over her bed, so barely there that she could almost convince herself that she was imagining it. The face of an elderly woman, grinning with gleeful eagerness and desperate longing. The face of a woman willing to do anything, commit any cruelty, any atrocity, to get what she wanted.

     <So pretty!> the Crone sang, staring down at her. <I knew you would be. Pretty and healthy. Many, many healthy years ahead of you. Strong, healthy and pretty. Perfect. Just perfect.>

     "Go away!" said Tala aloud, screwing her eyes shut and pulling the blankets up over her head.

     <Your friends in town were so helpful,> said the Crone. <So eager to help a lonely old woman looking for her only niece. She lived in the cottage that burned down, I said, and they told me exactly where you were.>

     <You're here?> said Tala in horror. This time she remembered to use her green voice. <Actually here?>

     <Just a few miles away, and eager to meet you in person.>

     <Leave me alone! Why can't you just leave me alone?>

     <Ah dearie, if only I could.> Tala sensed the Crone's face dropping lower and she cringed in terror. <If things were different, the things I could teach you. We green witches can do so much more than you know. I can sense your strength. I could have taught you to be one of the greatest of us. One of the greatest there's ever been. What a pity.>

     <What do you want from me? Why can't you just leave me alone?>

     Something pulled the blankets down from Tala's face. To Tala, it felt as if there were someone physically in the room, pulling with their hands. The invisible hands gave a powerful yank and the blankets were pulled clean off the bed, leaving Tala naked on the mattress. She curled up with a gasp of fear and tried to cover her body with her hands.

     She felt cold, invisible hands take hold of her wrists and pull them up beside her head. They were as strong as the hands of a powerful labouring man. There was nothing Tala could do to stop them. She opened her eyes and saw the face gazing down with appreciation at her body. <Ah, I can see what that young man sees in you,"> the Crone said. <As fine a body as any woman ever had. I can't wait to wear it.>

     <Wear it?> said Tala. She struggled in the grip of the invisible hands but there was nothing she could do.

     <I'm dying,> said the Crone. <My spirit has lived many times longer than the oldest man. When my body grows old, I find a younger green witch and move my soul into her body. I know that you can see me. I can see how hideous you think I am. Would you believe that, fifty years ago, this face was as pretty as your own?>

     Tala stared in horror. "No!" She gasped aloud. "No!"

     <Oh yes,> the Crone replied. <And with my soul in that body, my power will be greater than ever before. Come to me, my young and sweet. Give yourself to me and you shall save yourself a great deal of unpleasantness.>

     <Never!>

     The Crone laughed. <Ah, they all say that,> she said. <They run and fight, but to no avail. Even those stronger in the green than I am fall in the end because I know tricks and skills learned over half a thousand years. Your fate is sealed, my dear. Best resign yourself to that now.>

     <Never!>

     One of the invisible hands let go of her wrist and clamped down hard over her mouth instead. The other pulled her from the bed and stood her upright beside it. <I found an old cottage a few miles from here,> she said, pulling her to the window. <Perfect for my needs. I've arranged everything I need. All we have to do is stand in the circles and our souls will switch bodies. You won't suffer for long in an old body, though, I promise you. I can't have you running around telling people what you know about me. Don't worry, though. I'll make sure that your death is quick and painless.>

     The window opened, seemingly by itself, and Tala was dragged over until she was leaning over the drop, eight feet down to the flower bed below. She tried to cry out for help but her mouth was sealed shut with what felt like gnarled, bony fingers. She only had her green voice. <Please let me go!> she begged. <Please!>

     "Tala?" said a voice from outside the door. Sarah. She must have heard her crying out when the Crone first appeared. "Are you alright?"

     <Tell her you're alright,> the Crone demanded. <Tell her you were just having a bad dream.>

     The invisible hand went from her mouth. Tala tried to call for help, but some power was on her and she had no control over the words she spoke. "I'm okay," she said. "I just had a bad dream. About the fire." Tears leaked from her eyes in despair at her helplessness. She felt them running down her cheeks.

     "That's only natural," Sarah replied, her voice kindly and understanding. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Do you want to come sleep with Drisco and me? I know you're not a child any more but it might help you get to sleep again."

     "No thank you," Tala heard herself replying. "I'm okay now. See you in the morning."

     "See you in the morning." Tala heard Sarah moving away down the corridor and wanted to weep in terror and despair.

     The invisible hand returned to her mouth and clamped down hard again. <Compelling someone takes a lot of strength,> the Crone said. <This is much easier. And now, out the window we go. Don't worry, I won't let you fall. You'll drift down light as a feather, and then we'll take a nice walk to the cottage.>

     Tala struggled madly, with no more success than before, but then an idea came to her. She was fighting the Crone with the muscles of her body, but the Crone was using witchcraft. Muscles were clearly no use against witchcraft, but Tala was a witch too. Younger and less experienced than the Crone, maybe, but the Crone had said she was powerful. Maybe she could fight the Crone's witchcraft with her own.

     She was imagining the Crone's power as invisible hands, so she imagined a pair of hands of her own. She imagined them reaching out to the wrist of the hand over her mouth and pulling. The Crone gave a gasp of surprise as the cold, bony hand came away, and Tala gasped with relief, sucking in air.

     She pulled back against the force pulling her to the window, this time using her green power instead of the muscles of her body. The Crone pulled harder with a snarl of fury and Tala pulled back. Then, she pulled one of her invisible hands back, balled it into a fist and punched with all her might.

     She hit something. Some force in front of her made of pure green energy. The Crone's astral form. The thing was thrown back and Tala heard it give a cry of pain, surprise and anger.

     It released her and Tala staggered back to the bed. <Powerful indeed,> said the Crone with grudging admiration. <And a quick learner, but I have tricks and skills you can't imagine. It seems we're going to have to do this the hard way.>

     <I have people to protect me now,> said Tala, staring at the barely visible apparition floating in front of her. <If you dare come here in person, they'll get you.>

     The threat wasn't an empty one. In the early days of the witchhunt, some of the witches had tried to fight back. Some had been powerful enough to control entire packs of wolves and compel them to attack their hunters. Some had even been able to bring trees to life, causing branches to wrap themselves around witchhunters like snakes and strangle them. All had failed, though. No matter how powerful the witch, a dozen men with spears and arrows could always take them down. Every single witch identified by the Knights of Vell had eventually ended up in the stocks being stoned to death, even if they had sent some of their hunters to Hell ahead of them.

     She heard the Crone giving a snarl of frustration, but Tala could sense that it was nothing more than annoyance at an unexpected complication. She clearly still felt confident that she would get what she wanted. <You're not the first to put up a fight,> she said, but the astral form was drawing back at the same time. Preparing to depart, for the time being at least. <It's still not too late. You can still come fo me of your own free will. It'll be better in the end. You'll see.>

     <Never!> said Tala again. <Find someone else. You won't get me.>

     <Alas, there aren't many of us left,> said the Crone, though. <The Knights of Vell have been far too efficient. When I'm wearing your body, you'll have lots of children, to make sure I have another body to move into when yours grows old. Maybe that young man of yours will father some of them.>

     <Get out of here!> cried Tala desperately. <Just go!>

     She raised her invisible fists and prepared to punch again, but the Crone was already leaving. <Later, sweetie,> she said, her green voice fading as the distance grew. <See you soon.>

     She gave a final cackling laugh and then she was gone, leaving Tala sobbing with relief as she collapsed onto the bed and curled up into a ball. She got no more sleep that night.