Witches (The Order)Revised

Chapter 10

Merianna

I almost immediately started hearing cries of pain, surprise and fear as I was enveloped in the mist. I didn't dare to stop though, I didn't dare look at what was going on around me. It was each one for himself in here, and I could care less about what was happening to the others.

I heard unearthly growls, maniacal chitters and skin crawling clicks. I shivered involuntarily as the sounds enveloped me while I could barely see seven feet in front of me. The mace was heavy in my fist and I held it at my side, ready to swing it at whatever might jump out at me. I ran as silently and as quickly as I could, going left, right, and then back again when I hit a dead end.

It never helped to try and create a map of the maze in your head through all the training sessions, the vegetation constantly kept changing! Even during the training sessions you were be able to hear the leaves rustle and some branches crackling as they shifted positions and made new pathways.

I cursed as a ball of fire suddenly came shooting in my direction. I quickly dove to the ground and rolled with my momentum as it sailed right over my head, I swiftly jumped back onto my feet and kept on running in the same direction. I was NOT going to get caught like a sitting goose on a pond. I REFUSED to get caught.

My breath heaved as my legs propelled me as fast as they possibly could. Next thing I knew as my foot thudded against the ground was that I was falling. The earth opened up beneath me and vines were snaking in from the hedge's sides.

Blindly grabbing at the air I propelled myself over the yawning gap that stretched at least 20 feet across from where my feet were. I brought the air up underneath me and had it lift me over the gap while my momentum carried me through to the other end.

Once I landed in a roll I jumped up and looked behind me quickly, just in time to see that the vines stilled their movements and a heavy low-hanging mist covered the hole that I just escaped.

A second before I turned around completely to start running again I saw a flash of clothing and heard the thudding of feet. Silently sending up an "I'm sorry" to whomever foolishly followed in my steps I thundered on while hearing incessant cursing following a heavy thud into something deep.

I ran for what felt like hours until I came to a point that had a pathway splitting to either left or right. Aiming to go left, I sprinted at the turn and crashed into a wall. Okay, not an actual wall, but it was a close enough description.

A gruff "Oomph" exploded out of the wall as I bounced off of it and fell backwards. Quickly, I bent my spine and flipped over pushing my hands against the ground so I landed on my feet again. I lost my mace that now lay at the feet of one of the burlier guys in the training group. His light brown hair was tousled, blood was running down the right side of his face and his left arm looked like something had tried to chew on it.

I grimaced and stood back up in a ready stance. Looks like I finally had someone I had to fight, and here I hoped that my lucky streak would hold...

He stood still seeming to think about something, glancing from me to a spot far ahead of him as I felt a tingling of energy emerging behind me that felt suspiciously like Raska's.

Oooooh no. Pleeease no. No, no, no, no. Don't let it be Raska. Don't let it be Raska. Don't let it be the demon...

I chanted the mantra in my head as a cold shiver ran down my spine. When the energy fully manifested the guy in front of me paled so much that I wondered if he had suddenly died on his feet.

This really can't be good.

I slowly turned around and came face to face with Raska.

Oh gods, I'm dead.