Narrow Escape

The villagers had scattered. Chaos echoed around them as the witch hunters, armed with anti-magic weapons, slowly closed in, forming a circle around the witches. Their expressions were cold, calculating-hunters, hunting their prey.

Aurora's heart raced. She stood beside Idris, Maelis, and Iris, their backs pressed against one another, their eyes flicking from one hunter to the next. The weight of the anti-magic in the air pressed down on her chest, and for a split second, she felt a flicker of doubt. They were outnumbered. She had seen these men in action before-when they had come for her mother.

"Don't move," one of the hunters barked, stepping forward. His voice was low and menacing as he motioned toward Aurora. "You-step forward."

Aurora's blood ran cold, but she stood her ground, trying not to let her fear show. She could feel it building inside her-the power she had only just begun to tap into. But she kept it locked down, knowing that one wrong move could end everything.

"You really think you can run?" another hunter jeered. "You'll die just like all the others."

Maelis, standing closest to Aurora, made eye contact with her. The tension in the air was thick, and she whispered, "Not yet. Wait for my signal."

Idris, his eyes narrowed in concentration, was already gathering his energy. "I don't like this," he muttered. "We're not in a good position. We need to-"

A sudden movement. One of the witch hunters raised his weapon and pointed it directly at Maelis.

"Move!" Idris shouted.

Without hesitation, Maelis raised her hands and cried, "Voluminara!" The ground beneath them cracked, and from the earth, thick vines burst forth, twisting and winding around the nearest witch hunters. They were fast and strong, the vines binding the hunters tightly, choking their movements. Some of them struggled to cut through with their swords, but the vines were relentless, crushing the hunters' limbs and rendering them immobile.

But it wasn't enough. The witch hunters were prepared for magic.

A tall man with a cruel grin held out a gleaming stone embedded in a necklace. He shouted an incantation of his own, and a flash of light erupted from the stone, cutting through the vines and redirecting the magic back toward Maelis. The vines recoiled violently, and the energy rippled back at her. She had only just managed to dodge the backlash as the stone pulsed with power, amplifying the counterattack.

"Get down!" Idris shouted as a witch hunter rushed forward, their anti-magic shield raised high.

Iris stepped forward, her voice calm as she raised her hands to the sky, her fingers crackling with energy. "Voltara!" The air thickened with electricity as she summoned a powerful bolt of lightning, sending it straight toward the group of hunters.

But just as quickly, the leader of the hunters activated his shield. The bolt deflected, and the redirected lightning sped back toward Iris. "Look out!" Idris yelled.

Iris dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the bolt. The lightning grazed her shoulder, searing through her cloak and leaving a scorch mark. She hissed in pain but didn't stop. "Damn it!"

Idris stepped forward, His hands clenched into fists, and a violent gust of wind erupted from his body, sending debris flying in all directions. The air swirled around him like a hurricane as he directed the wind toward the witch hunters. Some were knocked off their feet, but others managed to shield themselves with their anti-magic weapons, absorbing the force of the wind.

The fight was escalating quickly, and the witch hunters were starting to fight back with more precision.

Maelis moved again, her voice a low chant. "Virastra," she whispered, weaving her hands through the air. Thick vines shot from the ground, wrapping around several of the remaining hunters, pulling them to the earth. Some of them tried to cut through the vines with their weapons, but the force of Maelis's magic only intensified. The vines grew faster, ensnaring their arms, their legs, squeezing tighter with every moment.

It wasn't enough to stop them, though.

"Stay focused!" Maelis shouted, her voice urgent as she pulled another wave of vines toward her. "We can't lose here!"

Aurora's chest constricted. She watched the others fight with all their strength, their magic pushing back the hunters. But she couldn't just watch anymore. Something inside her snapped. The surge of power that had been flickering within her suddenly surged outward.

She copied Iris's movements instinctively. She had seen the lightning before-watched Iris summon it, felt its power. She raised her hands, mimicking the motion. "Veltara!" she cried out, her voice trembling with both fear and determination.

A surge of blue energy shot from her hands, the crackling bolt arcing through the air with frightening speed. It struck one of the witch hunters square in the chest, sending him flying back into the dirt. The hunter collapsed, twitching from the electricity.

Iris's eyes went wide. "You-"

"Aurora!" Maelis cried, her voice full of shock.

Aurora blinked, stunned by what she had just done. "Did I-"

"There's no time to talk!" Idris shouted, his voice panicked. "We need to move!"

They didn't need to be told twice. The moment Aurora had unleashed her magic, the witch hunters were even more determined to stop them. The ground beneath their feet rumbled as the remaining hunters activated their weapons, sending waves of anti-magic that struck the witches with a force that could shatter bones. The fight was growing more desperate.

Maelis whipped out more vines, sweeping a few of the hunters off their feet, while Iris conjured more lightning, directing it at the approaching hunters. But the more they fought, the more the witch hunters adapted, using their anti-magic shields and weapons to fight back with deadly precision.

In a last-ditch effort, Maelis and Idris created a barrier of magic together, forcing their way through the witch hunters and sprinting toward the forest. The hunters gave chase, but the witches had one advantage-their ability to weave magic and move with speed.

Panting and wounded, they finally made it to the trees, slipping past the witch hunters who were slowed down by their injuries and the unpredictable nature of the magic at play. But they weren't out of danger yet. The hunters would be relentless in their pursuit.

They didn't stop running until the safety of the Grove of Shadows lay behind them. The group slowed, panting, wounded but alive. Maelis checked her wounds-scratches, bruises, nothing too serious-before turning to the others.

"Are you all okay?" she asked, her voice tight with worry.

Iris, who had been remarkably calm through the entire encounter, nodded. "We got lucky. That was too close."

Aurora's heart still raced in her chest, her mind reeling from what had just happened. She couldn't believe how easily her magic had surged out of her control, how effortlessly she had mimicked Iris's lightning strike. But the sight of the witch hunters, their twisted faces full of hate, haunted her.

"We can't let this happen again," Aurora muttered, trying to calm herself. "I... I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay," Maelis cut her off gently. "You did what you had to do."

Idris, who had been quieter than usual, approached Aurora. "You have potential," he said, his voice rough. "But if you're going to survive, you need to learn to control it."

As they made their way back to the Grove, they were greeted with wary eyes. Elara, who had been waiting for their return, raised an eyebrow as she observed them.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice sharp with concern.

Iris, still catching her breath, was the first to speak. "There was a fight", she turned to Aurora, "You... you mimicked my lightning spell. That wasn't just some fluke. You have magic, too." Her voice was a mix of awe and disbelief. "That's spell casting magic, Aurora."

Elara, who had been watching from the shadows, stepped forward. Her eyes scanned Aurora with a deep understanding. "That's impossible," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "Aurora only has elemental magic..."

Idris's eyes widened in realization. "No, she's got something else... She's got another power."

Aurora, her hands still trembling from the shock of using magic for the first time, looked from one face to the next. She hadn't even known what had happened until Iris had pointed it out.

Elara's expression softened, as if realizing something she had long suspected. "Witches can only harness one of the five known powers-clairvoyance, necromancy, spell casting, elemental magic, or healing. Those who possess two powers... they are rare. And incredibly powerful."

Aurora's head spun. She had always felt different, but this-this was something else.

"I always knew you were special," Elara said, almost as if to herself.

Aurora was still trying to process what Elara had said when suddenly, she felt a tingling sensation at the back of her neck-an instinctive awareness that something was wrong. Her breath caught in her chest as she turned to Elara, her voice urgent.

"There's danger nearby," she said, her voice trembling. "Someone is coming."

Before Elara could respond, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the entrance of the Grove. The air went cold as the figure emerged from the shadows.

A witch hunter.