Watcher

There weren't always dragons in the Valley.

I can hear Eli's voice ringing in my ears as I race through the wood, darting between the trees, breathing hard. Amara's hand clasped tightly in mine, I will her to keep up. The snapping of twigs followed by the rustling of leaves. Glancing back as we go. Are they close?

I can heard the thudding of our feet hitting the ground as we pound along. Are they following us? There weren't always here! Why did they have to come back? Eli's voice comes back to me as we tear through the trees...

"There weren't always dragons in the Valley. They used to live in the caves by Black Cove, we would go down to the rocks by the water every summer to watch them fly over the waves at sunset."

"Why did they come here?" a child's voice asked.

"They're guarding something."

"Why?"

"Because it's their job."

"What is it?"

"Something truly beautiful, my dear boy. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

The boy ponders for a moment and then squeaks, "A baby dragon!"

Eli booms with laughter and nods, "Perhaps, mi lad. Perhaps."

"Arghhh!" Amara's cry brings me back to the forest, back to the darkness. Back to fear. "Jacob! Jacob, stop! My leg..." I become aware of her limping and realise that I've been dragging her along.

"What is it? Wha-"

A shriek echos through the woodland. We both freeze and I see Amara's eyes widen with fear, I look down at her leg in the moonlight, blood is soaking through fabric of her jeans. She pulls the jean leg up to reveal a deep gash across her shin, she must have caught it on a branch as we ran. A howl goes up among the trees, much more closer than I expected. I look down at her, "Can you move?" I breathe.

"It hurts too much." Her voice is strained and laced with pain. "You'll need to help me, I can do it if you hold me."

I grab her arm and put it around my shoulders, lifting the weight off her legs and begin move, it feels like we're trudging through the mess of dry leaves and twigs too slowly, but I keep moving. Surely, we aren't far from the road...?

After about ten minutes, I sense movement in the silence up ahead and stop. A figure begins to form in the distance. My heart begins to pound harder. The outline doesn't look clear enough but I don't want to risk it. I look around and dart behind a tree trunk, holding Amara close to me. Another fallen trunk lays across the path, I look down, the roots are large too. Amara, panting next to me, slowly slides to the ground in agony. I sense her crawl along the ground to sit behind the leg of tree root. The moon highlighting the fear in her big dark eyes. I put my finger to my mouth and signal for her to stay quiet, and peer out from behind the trunk in the direction of the figure, it seems to have disappeared. Suddenly a blanket of fog floods in towards us. My heart jolts. The figure appears on the other side of my trunk. I can hear the blood pumping in my ears. I look down at Amara, her head vaguely outlined above the fog. My blood is pumping so loud, I'm sure the figure can hear too. It seems to be listening to...something? I watch, frozen in shock, as it stays still, back towards me, head cocked to one side. A sudden shriek breaks the silence, the figure's head snaps up at the noise, apparently looking in it's direction. But it doesn't move. Why won't it go?

Without warning, it turns around to look directly at me. I feel my heart skip, but then a voice speaks, "Viswavel." I look at her, a woman hooded in mystery and magic. Amara on the ground, cries out in horror, "Jacob! Where- Jake? Where are you? I can't see you!" The panic sets in, I look up at the woman, "What have you done?!" I urge.

"Jake?"

"You should never have come here." The witch warns, "The dragons are ferocious, yes. But they are not what hunts you. I have cloaked you, Jacob Isla, this spell can only be done once in a nightfall, I did not sense your sister's presence else I would have cast it longer. Though... it does explain why the pursuit of you brings them so close so fast." She adds thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" Amara pants, now on her side, hugging the fallen trunk.

"Your blood has left traces in the air, Amara." The witch's green eyes pierce the darkness as she looks down on the frightened little girl, head held high.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"You must run." replies the witch simply.

I see the realisation dawn on Amara's face, she scrambles to get up and stumbles, falling back down again. "Amara, I'm here!" I grab her arm and pull her up, she cries out in pain, leaving behind bloodstained leaves. "healeth", the witch says, I hear Amara gasp softly. She looks down and whispers in disbelief, "What?". Both blood and wound has gone. The shrieks take flight again. I look up at the noise and then at the witch and plead, "Can't you stop them?! Can't you help us fight?". But her eyes seem to have glazed over. A chill falls over us, we both notice it and glance at one another, then back at the witch. Something about her stillness unnerves me and I slowly back away, no one I know has ever encountered a witch before. They are known of, yes, but they are rare. Steeple Forest isn't known for witches either. Howling and shrieking ring through the night again, we need to move. I pull Amara behind me in a bid to shield her. The witch remains as still as ever.

"Come on. We need to get you out." I breathe.

"Jacob, I can't-" Amara wriggles frustrated, tossing head this way and that, "I can't see you!"

I grip her arms and face her directly, breathing into her face, "I'm here, okay! Just don't let go of me, follow my sound. Let's go!" She nods, a shriek rings through the trees behind me, I look back, the witch still stands, frozen in time. But then, just past her I see branches moving, the rustling draws nearer, another shriek is called. This time I know it's too close. "Go, go, go!" I push Amara forward and begin running, losing all sense of direction we both race through the trees. I notice tiny dots of light ahead, they appear to be directing us, "Amara!" I yell, "Follow the lights..."

"I'm trying-"

"It's a path-"

The lights glow like beacons of hope in the darkness and our footfalls turn to them, stamping through the trees -

I sense Amara divert -

"No, here!"

Branches rustling, I can hear twigs snapping ahead of me -

Her hair glints in the moonlight as she zigzags through trees, I can still see her. I can still make her out...I look back at the path, the lights have gone. I look back at her. I can't see her! Where is she?

"No! No, no no..." There's no glint of her hair, "AMARA!"

I can't hear her! Where-

THUD