Scarlett held her cloak up over her head, and faced the opposite direction as she vanished.

........................................................................

Over in the distance, a dark mist swirled, casting shadows on the ground. "She's coming!" Benjamin warned the villagers. She appeared through the black veil as everyone grew silent.

Scarlett bared her fangs and a snarl escaped her throat.

A boy in dusty rags took a few steps close to her. His hair was long and raggedy. "You're not going to hurt these people...." He squeaked, swallowing the fear that was trying to climb out of his throat.

She laughed.

"Max! Get back here at once!" An older lady in the group shouted.

No, he thought to himself. He needs to stay put. Max shook his head as he looked over his shoulder. "I won't let her harm these people, mother."

His mother retorted. "You don't even know what you are getting yourself into, boy!"

The witch laughed. "You better listen to your mother, child."

He whipped his head and pointed a finger at her. "Stay out of this, witch!"

Before he could move again, she put her hand around his neck, lifting him off the ground.

"No!" His brother Benjamin shouted. He launched himself at her. She dodged, her grip still squeezing Max's neck. He tried desperately to pull her hand off of him.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"He's not the one to blame! I am! I pushed you! I pissed you off! Spare my little brother, please!"

"Ben...." Max gasped. "Don't!"

Scarlett gave this a thought. "Okay then." She dropped Max and left him on the ground, gasping for air.

Once the witch had her back turned to him, Max pulled out a knife from his pocket and snuck up behind her. Before he could thrust the blade into her leg, Benjamin pulled out his own and charged, hoping she'll stay distracted by him. As he swung the blade at her, she catches it before it could pierce her heart and studies it.

"Ben, what have you done!" Max cries.

"YOU LITTLE BEAST!" She screams. Scarlett runs a hand over the blade and strikes it in the boy's heart. She chanted her spell, her eyes locked on the boy's pained expression. She slipped her newfound weapon into her boot.

Max screams as he thrust his weapon through her back, hoping it'll reach her heart.

Scarlett gasps in shock and pain. She quickly shouts in a different language, like a command. Who was she sending?

When she was done talking, she collapsed.

Suddenly, a giant timberwolf lunges at him. Max struggles to get his brother's blade out of the fallen witch. He swung his arm over his face to keep it from the wolf's reach. He finally pulled the blade from the corpse of the witch and shoved it in through the monster's chest.

The wolf howls in pain, slowly backing away from Max.

He slowly got up, then stared at the body of his former enemy. Suddenly, he heard the wolf again. The boy prepares for another attack, but then, he looked into the eyes of the wolf, and there he saw it. The depth of the wolf's eyes lies something very familiar. The beast then changed.

In place of the wolf, standing before Max was Benjamin. Frozen to the spot, he drops the blade.

There was blood all over his chest where Max had thrust the weapon. Dirt and sweat covered his brother from head to toe. Benjamin looks at Max, before collapsing.

"NO! BEN! NOOO!" the boy runs to his older brother, he holds him as he bleeds.

"Quick! Put this on the wound, it should stop the bleeding." A village girl Max's age, gives him a handful of .....something. "It's yarrow. He's not going to die, it hasn't reached his heart. Your brother should be fine." She says softly.

He looks up at her. "Thank you."

People then came by to examine the witch.

"Hey kid, is this yours?" A blacksmith shows the weapon to Max. He still had his, that's got to be Ben's.

"It's my brother's." He replied.

The man gave it to him, then looks at Benjamin with a mean expression on his face.