The Witch In The Woods

The Robed Men

     I stood in a short line shooting arrows with my father and his best friend Daniel. 
They took turns shooting and missing their targets. August, Daniel's son came up and shot his arrow but missed the target. After August, it was my turn. I stood in my stance but decided to give a little challenge. 
"Daniel call the shot!" 
"Below the lid!" He called out over loud music. I shot my arrow and not only hit below the lid but knocked the lid off. My father's reaction told me he was impressed. 
"How do you do that!" 
"I aim." I replied sarcastically but he didn't get it.
"I aim to but somehow I always miss."
"Ok I want you to knock your arrow." He picked up his arrow and knocked the arrow. 
I took my time going over his stance so I could help him.  
"Ok the first thing is your legs are too close together. Spread them out shoulder length." He did so. 
"Then I want you to relax your bent arm and lock your straight arm, and relax your legs a little." He did so. My way was so much more comfortable to me though." 
"That may be but it didn't work for you." Once I was satisfied with his stance I added… "Now touch your cheek." He looked at me with a question on his face. 
"Just do it. Now inhale and when you shoot exhale." He did so and took his shot but missed his shot.
"What did I do? I did everything you told me to but I missed."
"It wasn't you. Your bow is too heavy for you. It's not the right bow for you." He gave a sigh and slammed his bow on the picnic table while mumbling.
"I think I'll stick to the bb guns."
"No you just need to have the right sized bow for you and practice. Ok I want you to see my stance and copy it with my bow." I picked up my bow and  got into stance. 
"Do you see how my arm that is bent relaxed but my straight is locked?" He nodded his head. 
"Ok you want this. Now do you see how my legs are spread out shoulder length?" Again he nodded his head. 
"This is what you want." I took my shot but surprisingly missed my target. I placed my bow down on the table and warned everyone to cease fire. 
   I trenched into the woods, through the trees and the leaves trying to find my arrow. I was close to giving up when I came across a clearing with an altar right in the middle. I walked towards it to get a closer look. From what I saw I was deeply disturbed. 
There was a pile of human bones inside a pentagram with candles around it and a dagger. I stepped even closer and placed my hands on the human bones. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate but I couldn't. Somewhere in the distance a twig snapped in the distance indicating someone was coming. A figure came into view moments later. 
"Daniel! What are you doing here?"
"I came to check to see if you're ok. Thought you got lost." 
"I'm fine. Did you know about this?" 
"No, what is it?" He asked.
"It's an altar. It can be used for many things depending what kind of spell you use. But this one looks like it's used for conjuring." 
"You're going to see things that don't make sense. But you can't tell anyone and you can't ask questions." He nodded with a confused look on his face.
"No. Let me try this first and if I find out what happened then you can call once we make it out." 
"What are you? you talking about putting your hands on a pile of human bones. So what are you?" 
"I can't tell you. I'm sorry but it's too dangerous." 
"You're willing to use whatever it is you're doing and see who this was but who can't tell me what you are?" 
"Let me do this Daniel and later if you still want to know then I'll explain it." I walked back to the altar and placed my hands back on the bones. I closed my eyes and instantly bright colors flooded the darkness under my eyelids. Then I saw images, visions of a blonde woman, with light blue eyes standing in a circle much like this one. The next image that comes she's laying on the forest floor. After that I see smoke filling the forest with red eyes. I opened my eyes with a jolt. I tried to catch my breath. It felt like I ran and ran and ran for miles. 
"What's going on?" Daniel asked. I could see from the look in his eyes, he's frightened. 
"I think there's a conjuring ritual going on here." Just then we heard a twig snap then three more. I went to grab my arrow and marched toward the way we came in. But we were caught off. I looked around for a way out but didn't see anything. 
Go into the bushes. Go now."
     As we go into the bushes, the men come closer and closer to the altar.  They start a ritual. As Daniel and I watch the ritual take place, we watch them slice open their arms one by one. Then the leader or who I think is the leader raised the dagger in the air as an offering then they started chanting in an ancient language.
"Do you know what they're saying?'' 
"They're conjuring something evil." As I watch the ritual, Daniel is watching me when he whispered in my ear.
"You know I'm going to ask questions. Not right now but I will." As I watched the ritual, bright colors flooded my sight and I had a sharp pain on my left side of my head. I closed my eyes and almost as quickly the images came. I saw the same blonde woman laying in the middle of the circle and the leader of the robed men standing, towering over her lifeless body with the dagger raised. My eyes opened with the same jolt as before. This vision scared me. I don't know what's being conjured but I do know it's powerful.
   I tried to think of a plan to get us out without using more of my magic. But every scenario called for it. 
"I think I have an idea." I whispered to Daniel. 
"Better be good." he whispered back. I started chanting a small easy spell.
"par le pouvior que jei donne les dieux jobies a cet objet pour bouger." Only a couple objects moved on the altar. So I tried again focusing on the dagger.
"Par le pouvior que jei donne les dieux jobies a cet objet pour bouger." The dagger went flying then. But the leader's attention was turned towards us, in the bushes. 
"Um Kaya… Kaya they found us." 
daniel said. I opened my eyes and came to the realization that the leader has the same black eyes as the man in my visions. 
"Go!" I ordered Daniel. I tried to get up and run but I couldn't. I was stuck. The man started walking towards me when an idea hit. I stretched out my hand and focused. Before long, the man was levitating in the air. And I repeated the chant used for moving the knife but for a human. Then I started another chant.
"Banish now with spell and will Banish now with spirits grace banish now with magic's power all that's wrong and out of place." The man went flying and the magic banished from this sight. I started running, running as fast as I could towards the house.