Disclaimer: The Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters characters are not mine, just borrowed for this story.
Warnings: language and violence.
Reviews are always welcome
Sequel to Red in Tooth and Claw
A Fate Worse than Death
Edward shifted back and forth a little to allow the rough bark of the tree he was leaning against, tend to an itch that refused to be silent. He watched as the soft orange flames flickered, casting their light on the three sleeping beings curled around the small fire. The flames were just big enough to ward off the slight chill that had griped the air, warning that fall was fast approaching and not long behind it the cold sting of winter. Out of the three trusting souls counting on the troll to keep the night watch, Edwards eyes were drawn to Hansel curled at the end of the row behind his sister.
Images of their last great battle ran through his head, particularly the moments Hansel had fought with Katja in the barn. The display of latent magic hadn't repeated itself in the jobs the group had taken since and as far as the troll knew Hansel hadn't breathed a word about what happened in the barn to Gretel. The hunter hadn't mentioned it to anyone, and the troll was certain that he believed that no one knew what happened, hell Hansel himself probably didn't completely understand what had transpired. Edward knew though; a burden he was now plagued with.
A terrible fate was destined upon the hunter; it wasn't a matter of if but rather of when. His interference would probably be unappreciated and what good would it do in the end? Hansel had made his stance on magic perfectly clear and Gretel had made her devotion to her brother equally as clear. Knowing what evil lurked on the horizon wouldn't change what was about to happen; the question before Edward was would it be better for them to know the end was coming or be blissfully unaware?
There was always a chance that Hansel's display of uncontrolled, unintentional magic had gone unnoticed in the world, a fluke mistake never to be repeated or possible again. The troll would keep his eyes peeled for any evidence that others might pick up on. There was no need to destroy Gretel's happiness unless he had to; there was always the off chance he had been mistaken. She was so relieved to have Hansel back, beside her, that Edward couldn't find it within himself to darken those moments, especially if there was a possibility it would be their last.
As he watched his friends drift in the throes of peaceful sleep, he hoped they would never have to learn what became of those males cursed with witches' magic.
"I've got her," yelled Ben bringing his rifle to bear. The bullet whizzed through the air, hissing as it sliced through it, only to embed itself in the thick bark of the tree behind the witch.
Bark rained down and Hansel gave his head a shake to dislodge the debris. "Could we not kill me in the process?" he choked out, the witch's arm impossibly tight around his chest.
Ben gave an apologetic grimace while searching for another way to free his friend from the witch. The raven witch's dark eyes darted over her opponent as her razor sharp talons dug into Hansel's neck. The hunter let out a hiss of pain; there was no need for appearances, he was on his knees at the hands of a witch they should have been able to take out in their sleep; pride left when she got the jump on them.
A low throaty growl passed through her beak like lips as her muscles tensed, arm slowly forced Hansel to his feet. Ben could see the witch was about to go in for the kill, ripping her prey's throat out with her massive jaws. A slight tremble ran through him as he tried to keep the gun steady. The window of opportunity was small, his opponent had placed the hunter in front of her making it almost impossible to hit her without taking out the man struggling in her arms.
Ben did owe Hansel for shooting him in the shoulder when he was at the mercy of Muriel, but as much confidence the younger hunter had in his skill with a rifle, he didn't feel sure enough to risk the other man's life. He stood there frozen, watching the witch's hand squeeze tighter, her mouth getting closer to snuffing out the life in her grip. Ben jumped back, his finger slipping off the trigger as both Hansel and the witch toppled forward. A flash of brown and black pulling the demon free from the stunned hunter as three figures tumbled in the dirt.
Hand still tightly wrapped around the thick branch she had used to knock the witch down, Gretel took every opening available to slam the hard wood into the soft flesh of her enemy. She was sore and bloody but she couldn't stop yet. This witch was crafty, strong and well versed in physical combat; not what they wanted to cut their teeth on after what happened in Sage.
Gretel knew it was too soon to take on a job; they were still trying to find their balance again, build reserves back. The simple jobs they had taken were mostly misunderstandings, the wrongfully accused and those that had required actual skill, had been for a skill level far beneath theirs. But Hansel had been insistent and after everything, Gretel couldn't deny him something he clearly wanted, needed. It was a decision she was going to regret, she thought as she found herself flying through the air.
Every bone in her body came alive with pain, eclipsed only by the sound of the thud as she slammed into a tree. Gretel opened her mouth to try and pull in a desperate gasp of air but her lungs refused to work. Her chest heaved in vain as her fingers curled in the dirt. Finally the spasms in her chest ceased and she pulled in a mouthful of air tainted with the taste of fresh dirt.
"Gretel look out!" shouted Hansel, concern dripping from the words.
Gretel lifted her head enough to see Ben picking himself off the ground while Hansel stumbled to get his feet under him and over to her. She was going to tell him not to worry about her, to pay attention to the witch but the dark shadow looming over her caused the words to tangle in her throat.
The witch towered above, head cocked to the side as metallic black eyes danced over the prone body. Her feather clad back arched like a cat as she threw her head back to build enough momentum to slam her beak like lips down on the human's neck.
"Gretel, no!" came the anguished cry from Hansel at seeing his sister at the mercy of the creature. Panic rose up, clawing his insides apart as he struggled to get his feet under him; he had to get up, had to move, had to save the most important person in his life. He had been failing in many things lately, spotting Gretel's secret foray into magic, the enemy that had been his right under their noses, the fact that not all witches were born to evil and now as the witch moved in for the kill, he was going to fail Gretel. The thick pit of desperation gluing him to the earth changed to a burning tingling sensation that welled up from deep within his being. It surged through Hansel, curling around his bones and down his outstretched hand that was too far away to offer any help to his sister.
Like a tidal wave, a crackle of blue light emanated from Hansel's hand spreading out across the forest and slamming into the beings engaged in battle. The force of the energy knocked Ben off his feet, sending him tumbling back to the rocky ground, his head connecting with the hard surface with a sickening thud. Gretel felt the energy flow above her but the greatest evidence of its presence was the howl of pain coming from the witch who was no longer looming over her rather beside her writhing in agony.
The witch spasmed and choked, the energy crackling around her, boiling her skin. The stench of rotting flesh flowed off of her in waves as the burning skin flaked onto the ground. A pressure built inside of her, pressing impossibly hard against her chest until she imploded, scattering her charred remains across the forest floor.
Gretel closed her eyes as the smoking body parts rained down upon her. When the muffled plopping sounds ceased, she tiled her head to try and get a line of sight on her brother. Hansel, still frozen in the same pose before the wave of energy hit, seemed to be unscathed by the event, until his eyes rolled in the back of his head. Gretel swallowed back her alarm as she watched him flop down in a boneless heap.
"Hansel," she whispered as she surrendered to the fatigue forcefully pushing her towards the darkness clouding her vision.