~3.9~

It came from a younger man, standing near the edge of the ragged circle. He started screaming like a maniac and jerking his leg like something had caught hold him and he was trying to pull free.

“It’s got me!” he yelled. “Somebody help!”

For a moment, everybody stared at him helplessly as his eyes widened, he began to flail around, and his foot began to slide towards the edge of the copse.

“Somebody help me!” he begged as his legs seemed to be jerked out from under him and he fell to the ground.

Lee dived to the ground, grabbing for the stricken man’s legs. He was moments late, and was left watching as the man was yanked out of sight.

“What the hell was that?” Adam asked. “What grabbed him?”

“Nothing!” Lee said, jumping to his feet and edging away from the edge of the clearing.

“You mean you didn’t see it?” Adam asked.

“I saw,” Lee said. “I saw perfectly. I was looking right at him… there was nothing there.”

“That’s impossible,” Adam said.

“Yeah?” Lee said. “How many impossible things have you seen, lately?” He looked around the stunned faces of the group. “Who here’s got some craft?”

The question was met with blank stares.

“Come on, people,” Lee said. “Now’s not the time to play dumb. Something is out there. We need witches. Who here’s got any power?”

Two people, a man and a woman, raised their hands. Immediately, with an audible crack, like a whip, the woman was pulled off her feet. Detweiler lunged and caught her by the wrists, and for a moment she was suspended, stretched out horizontally above the ground… then she started to slip from Adam’s grasp, and then she was gone.

“I guess that puts it down to you,” Lee said to the male witch, taking him by the shoulder and pulling him away closer to the center of the copse. “If you’ve got something to do, make it good… and fast.”