The Dark Woods

Ethan and Mia sat quietly in Ethan’s room. Mia looked angry as she tried to fight back tears. The demon king had abducted Mia’s little sister and her other friends, but Mia had managed to escape. She wants to avenge her kind and her blood boiled at the thought of evil Mammon. Ethan then looked at Mia and felt really sorry for the poor witch. Both humans and demons were against witches because they feared them for different reasons however.

Ethan swallowed and tried to speak slowly not wanting to sound insensitive, “Mia, we will need more information on the demons and their powers. The war is going to happen soon and as king, I owe this to my people,” Ethan's voice was unswerving.

Mia looked at her king with hope. Ethan was an earnest King. His intelligence was attractive. Her blue eyes were sparkling. No cheeks were flushed. She was attracted to Ethan and his ways, and she could trust him blatantly.

She stared at Ethan as she spoke, “You will find all the information at the old lady's house. She's one of the wisest souls around. She knows everything. She was the same woman that raised me, and taught me witchcraft, my foster mother,” Mia that lowered her voice, “She's a witch too. She's old well, but was once really powerful and intelligent. She stays in the dark woods and not a soul has been brave to wander around there in the night.”

Mia’s eyes were as bright as the blue sky. She spoke about her foster mother, with so much pride as she had loved and cared for her like her own child. The old lady lived in the middle of the dark woods to avoid contact with the humankind. Mia called her Mother Rose firmly. Mother Rose was one very powerful witch of her time. She was very intelligent and composed and knew the solution to every problem. After some humans tried to attack her brick house in the city, the witch had escaped to the dark woods and built a small house there for herself.

The minister brought in his dinner. He carried a huge plate with some roasted chicken and butter with mashed potatoes. The plates and cutlery were made of silver to honor guest Mia. As Ethan chomped on his chicken, he looked at Mia and spoke,

“We will have to find Mother Rose tonight. I will ask one of the guards to send me a horse you will come with me too.”

Mia looked at Ethan and raised an eyebrow. She nodded her head firmly as she could trust Ethan. She then spoke slowly,

“I haven't seen mother in a while. I have wanted to visit her for so long.”

Ethan wanted to find the old lady's house and learn more about the war and the demons. He also wanted to know more about witches and their powers. After dinner, he asked the guard to send him Phoenix. Phoenix’s black first shimmered under the moonlight. Mia sat behind Ethan as he rode the horse effortlessly.

Ethan sped past the villages and entered the dark woods. He rode through the dark woods, when he suddenly heard a loud roar. The roar was ear piercing and it sounded like a monster. Ethan pulled Phoenix's harness, signaling him to stop. The roars continued and they were getting louder. There was a loud thumping approaching them. Mia grabbed Ethan's arms and yelled,

“Ethan, I think it's a monster sent by the demons. This is all mammon’s doing. He enjoys hurting people this way.”

The monster appeared out of nowhere. He was 10 feet tall and grotesque and resembled a dragon. His body was covered with scales and his eyes were an evil green. His tail looked like a spear. The dragon like creature even had hind legs that could create craters on the ground with each step. As soon as Mia saw the monster, she jumped from the horse and stood before it fearlessly. She then looked at the monster and mocked,

“You giant demon, I know you are one of Mammon’s minions.”

Mia's voice was hoarse and her blue eyes were sharp. She looked wild to Ethan, who stood behind Phoenix and gazed at the witch. The monster roared even louder than before as Mia shouted. He stomped towards Mia as she clenched both her fists and started to chant something under her breath. Mia shut her eyes tightly and started to recite something in an alien language. She then suddenly stopped talking and opened her eyes wide. The monster was right in front of her and he stooped down to have a closer look at Mia. He tried to take another step towards her, but the monster couldn't walk any further. His hands and legs couldn't move, and he was now looking weak. His entire body was fixated in one place, and he was starting to look like he was made of stone.

Mia had learned this spell as a teenager, but never used it. It was the spell to turn something to stone. The monster roared again, helplessly. His legs were frozen and so were his arms as he had turned into a statue. After the entire creature froze into stone, she closed her eyes again. This time she chanted something loudly. After she finished chanting the statues broke into a million pieces and disintegrated magically into the soil.

Mia had used her witchcraft and saved Ethan's life. It was spectacular to watch Mia fight the deadly creature so fearlessly. Ethan approached Mia timidly. She was so powerful and Ethan was a little intimidated by what he had just witnessed. Mia turned around and sounded concerned,

“Are you okay?”

Ethan nodded his head and then smiled, “Mia, you're my hero. You saved my life.”

Ethan was beginning to feel emotional. Mia blushed as she uttered, “You saved my life first. I owe you this my king.”

Mia bowed down with respect, but her voice was sounding a little weary. She then looked up and continued to speak, “You see, Mother Rose taught me this spell when I was 15. It is the power to turn anything into stone. According to witchcraft, you couldn't use this spell unless you were in danger, as witches would misuse it too. This spell is so powerful that Rother Rose had once defeated a demon with it.”

Mia was sounding more and more tired as she continued talking, exhausted after using all her energy to kill the monster. But she didn't want to complain.

“Ethan, we must continue on our journey. We need to find Mother Rose’s house,” Mia said as she took two more steps towards Ethan.

Mia felt her legs getting weak with every step she walked. She was feeling extremely fatigued and her body was sweating. Her golden-brown skin now looked pale, and her eyes were puffy. Mia took one more step but couldn't walk any further. Mia gasped for breath with her mouth open. She could barely talk and her vision was completely hazy. She then hushed, “Ethan…”

Before she could complete her sentence, Mia collapsed.