Cracking branches underfoot, the sound of labored panting, distressed utterances in the dark. The once silent forest now echoed with the chase. Rudolph ran as fast as he could. He tried to find his way back to the capital, but he felt like a needle on a compass that couldn't find north. He had to have been running in circles, but he had to getaway. He had to live. If he could get to a town, get to other people, the wretches would be too fearful to attack him. He had definitive proof now that they lived in this blasted state. He couldn't let them rattle him! He had to get away!

Rudolph took a sharp turn to the left, finding a large branch with his foot. He grabbed the tree next to him for balance. He had to calm his heart. He wouldn’t win if he didn’t have a cool head. He took a deep breath, trying to get a bearing of where he was. As he peered into the darkness, there was movement amongst the trees. Uncertainty and fear swirled inside him again, clouding his judgement. He couldn’t tell if he was really seeing something or if it was his imagination. Either way, he had to run.

He pushed away from the tree, dashing out into the woods again. More and more he saw movement, forms of people in the shadows chasing after him. Laughs, more of those insidious laughs. He couldn’t figure out what they were doing, just chasing him? Blasted unholy creatures! The laughing echoed around the forest, it was impossible to pinpoint where it was coming from or how many there were.

He saw them everywhere now, swarming around him like a pack of hyenas. Ugly, beastly demons! He grabbed his knife from his belt. Maybe if he killed one of them then they’d learn their lessons. He saw that movement out of the corner of his eye. With trained, swift action he lunged towards it.

Suddenly the ground left his feet. He was in the air, floating...no not floating...falling…

He met the ground again, his leg turned underneath him with a sharp snap. Incredible pain coursed through his body as he tumbled down the edge of a bank. He crashed to the ground, crying out as he came to stop in the mud. He heard claps echoing from one side of him to the other. Deliberate claps in an jarring, repeating rhythm.

Forcing himself to his feet he saw them, scattered in front of him, crouching in the clearing, standing by the treeline, sitting on low hanging branches, those twisted, sick smiles splattered across their faces.

That man, that wicked man stepped out from amongst them. A man who had fallen into his deeper base desires and followed the witch. They were few and far between, but there were those men who couldn’t keep their wits about them. Those men whose will became clouded by these cunning women with the promise of something special. That Lord was one of them, a slave to his darker needs.

Rudolph forced himself to up, despite the searing pain in his mangled leg. “You…” he panted, but pain made it harder to think.

“You wanted to find the Coven, didn’t you, Mr. Rudolph Stapher? Well, here we are!” He jeered.

“Oh dear, Mr. Stapher, it seems you’ve been hurt!” He looked to his left. The first woman who had spoken to him as he came out of the water sat on a low hanging tree branch. That fucking minx! She’d be the first one he got his hands on when he made it out of here. “Tch,” he heard an annoyed click. Below the woman stood another, younger girl. At least she’d wiped that filthy smile from her face and looked at him with her true feelings of disgust.

“Brother, it does seem Mr. Stapher has begun thinking some cruel things,” She said with a vicious hatred in her voice. She was surely too young to play the games the others were playing.

“Cruel things? That can’t be right, Sister. You wouldn’t do that, would you Mr. Stapher? After all we were quite enjoying ourselves. It would be a pity to have to end the hunt early for something like this.” Their tones and their words were as different as light and dark. It brought a burning anger to him to hear them speak so casually, so sweetly knowing full well what they were intending. Nothing but mockery.

He wasn’t going to listen anymore. He’d deal with the pain later. For now he needed to go get away, needed to escape. He ran as hard as he could, away from the group. He heard the cackling behind him. Damn Witches!

He ran.

He ran hard until the pain blurred his mind, but finally he found a clearing. The light of twilight fog was heavy, coating the ground in a thick layer of distortion, but he could see a wooden gate. That was it, he’d found help. He limped towards the gate, his vision was creeping inwards, threatening to take his consciousness from him, but by the glory of the great sun Cors he wouldn’t have it!

He pushed open the little wooden garden gate, stumbling past it. The fog was thick, and he was too pained to see anything, but he pushed onward. He’d find a front door eventually.

The fog cleared and he saw it, a country village! Little cottages surrounded by gardens! Blessed by the sun! His heart leapt as he made his way through the garden path of one of the little cottages. He braced himself against the side of the home and veimentally banged on the door. “Please! Is anyone awake please! I am in need of help! I’m injured!” He shouted, banging on the door. “Please!”

His heart rose as the door rattled. A older woman opened the door. “Oh dear!” She gasped, startled. She opened the door wider and he could see what must’ve been her young son toddling towards her. “Madam! I’m so sorry to alarm you and to wake you this early but you have to help me! It’s not safe to stay out here! I’m being chased by Witches! If you let me in I can protect you don’t worry,” He begged desperately. She wasn’t stepping aside, why wasn’t she letting him in. “Ch-chased?” She asked.

“Madam please don’t fe-”

“Oh, Ms. Genevieve.” That voice. That voice of that wicked man! Rudolph looked over his shoulder at his slow approach. From the foggy path they all came. Bold of them! Out in the open now! Lord or not he wouldn’t be able to hide now.

“Madam for the sake of your son-”

“Mr. Edwin, what is going on?”

Did this woman know him? Could she not clearly see who he was? He made no attempts to hide. The black attire, the lace veil, the hat. All of it clearly made him a witch! All of them! A whole coven standing to his back.

“M-madam…” she had to listen to him.

“I’m so sorry Ms. Genevieve. We weren’t expecting him to go through the gate on his own. I apologize for the disturbance, but don’t worry,” that man smiled so sweetly at the woman. “This catch is for the Mistress, so there’s no reason to fret.”

A strong hand found his shoulder. He turned back to the woman, one last hope that she’d see what was happening and help him. “Please,” He begged. Why did she look so uncomfortable!

“If the whole circle is out...is he dangerous?” She asked, but she wasn’t asking him, why was she asking that man!

“Not anymore,” he replied with a smile. The pressure on his shoulder pushed onto his broken leg. He let out as the pain became unbearable. “Go take little Liam back to bed,” He urged the woman. She nodded and closed the door, leaving him abandoned there. “Now, I do believe you’ve disturbed these poor people enough.”

The pain was too much and the blackness took over. He reached for the door, but his body went limp, falling backwards, and his consciousness was gone.