The Witch of Willow Lake

Nine

My back hit a nearby tree with a mighty thud that caused me to scream out as pain burned and radiated along my entire spine; then, more pain came to my chest as I landed on the ground with a softer thud.

"Hallie!" Alicia shouted, "they've surrounded us! They trapped us!"

I pulled myself up, spitting out the mouthful of dirt I'd taken as I fell to the ground, and my eyes found Alicia. The soil left a horrible taste of mud and grass lingering in my mouth, but I didn't have time to worry about that.

They had Alicia pinned under the same black coat that'd caught us off guard while a brown and white-coated wolf stood near. I watched as Alicia wrestled, desperately trying to prevent their teeth from piercing her skin. I quickly scanned the area as my brain kicked into overdrive, going through the fight, flight, freeze responses and quickly opting to fight. I had no other choice and looked for an opening.

I took a deep breath, focusing my eyes solely on the Wolf on top of Alicia, and pushed my hands out as a wave of almost invisible energy tore through the air, forcing the Wolf off Alicia.

Alicia had taken a knock too, but she quickly recovered, which allowed her to get away from the Wolf before he could recoup.

"Hallie, come here."

I ran over to Alicia, closing the small gap between us as we stood back to back. I pushed out another force of energy, encasing us in a protective dome, but I knew I wouldn't be able to hold it for long. I was shocked that I'd even managed to pull it off as I watched two wolves slam against the invisible force and be sent backward.

I lowered my voice to a whisper, "what are we going to do?"

"One mile, I would guess they won't risk getting seen by humans by getting much further to the opening. You know they're unlike the Wolves humans are familiar with."

She was right. Our Wolves were much more significant; their coats were thicker and shined more, and their eyes also had a bright glow. Even their cubs stood three times larger than an adolescent wolf. They were faster and more durable, so they never risked getting found, primarily because humans hunted them a fair few times in history.

Alicia continued, "We will have to fight our way through them. Both packs are here, so there are twelve, including the two alphas! We got this, and we can do this. You ready, Hallie?"

"Well, we got no choice; I can't hold up the wall any longer."

I felt myself weakening and struggling to hold on to the surrounding dome. I knew from Zachariah's training that the protective wall or dome was one of the most formidable spells to maintain. It required an immense amount of energy, and it drained you rapidly.

I missed my brother and family every day, but I missed them more than usual. If they were here, we'd already somewhere safe, Zachariah and my father were remarkably strong, and my mother was wise. Alicia and I wouldn't have found ourselves in this position if they had been here with us.

I also began regretting that I'd been unable to summon my weapon the way my father and grandfather had, and Zachariah would have been able to, given a chance.

Six Wolves was one thing for us to handle, but twelve would be impossible. I knew Wolves were just as strong as Vampires, especially as we were on a day when the moon was full; they were at their strongest. They were quick and unforgiving, like rabid animals who only had one goal; attack and kill.

"Soon as it's down, they'll come for us." Alicia braced herself, readying herself for the attack, "Be smart and try to stay close. On three. One. Two. Three. Now."

I let down the wall, and suddenly multiple shades of black, gray, white, and brown fur coats came barreling toward us like high-speed bullets.

"Take my hand," I called as I held my hand out to Alicia's, and she took it without question.

I let out a surge of energy and spun Alicia, allowing her to kick a Wolf with enough force to knock him and one other against a tree.

We fought them off the best we could, but there were too many. I'd never used this much magic since I developed my powers. I was wearing thin, and my energy bursts weren't as powerful, making it harder to knock them back for us to progress forward.

A Wolf pounced on my back from behind, knocking me to the floor as it held me to the ground. As teeth sank into my shoulder, a cry of anguish ripped through my throat, and I felt as if someone had lit my entire body on fire.

I located Alicia, trapped under two others nearby, as their friends stood ready to jump in.

I let the static flow through me, causing the Wolf to let out a loud whimper as it released its fanged teeth from my shoulder and collapsed beside me.

I tried to pull myself up, but before I could even take a breath, another two replaced their fallen comrade. They were intelligent, skilled, and coordinated.

We only had to make it another kilometer, and we'd be safe, but they knew our plan. Six stood in the exit's way, blocking us, while the other six attacked.

The physical pain I felt from the teeth and claws was indefinable. It almost felt as if my body had been engulfed by merciless flames and burned. The blood pouring from the wounds felt both ice cold and boiling as tears formed and flowed freely from my eyes.

My head felt light and dizzy as my vision lost focus. I was running on empty, yet more Wolves came, not allowing me to catch even the slightest grasp of oxygen.

I lost hope as I could see Alicia in a state no better than me; both of us were too beaten, worn, and overwhelmed. The Wolves were far too strong for the two of us.

I cursed myself for not training more than I had, not honing my powers entirely, and not being as strong as Zachariah or my father. If I'd practiced more, or if I could have been just half the Warlock they were, we'd have escaped long before now.

My mind flashed back to the day of the attack, the day I watched my family struggle to fight the enemies, killing our people, our family, and once again, I felt worthless and weak.

I was tethering on the verge of giving up, accepting that there was no way I could save us when a beastly roar stripped through the air.

Howls and whimpers of pain came from several wolves as the two surrounding me abruptly ceased attacking me to turn their attention elsewhere.

"Alicia! Hallie!"

"Emmett," I whispered in relief, and I felt a burst of energy at the welcomed sound of his voice. The explosion of power was strong enough to knock the two Wolves off of my back.

Emmett grabbed me quickly, putting me on my feet before running towards Alicia, knocking the wolves off her.

"Run, now, I'll take Hallie," Emmett called, "Go, Alicia, I got her."

Alicia looked over to me before she became nothing but a blur as she ran as Emmett instructed.

Emmett was in front of me in a flash, scooping me up in his arms, and he ran. However, before I could thank him, everything went black.