Sorry it's taken so long to get this out but school work sucks. :( Since I'm on break for only a couple more days I hope to update a bit more often, but no one hold their breath on that. I'm not good at updating stories. ~Faresia

I flicked my wrist. This witch was a fast one and I wasn't sure I could get her, but my throw was true and my silver chain wrapped around the witch's mouth, preventing her from saying a spell, and around her body so she couldn't run away.

The Spook and my friend, Alice, limped over to me from the nearby inn where they were hiding in. The Spook had gotten hurt from the witch and he needed someplace to go so Alice could dress his wound.

"Good job, lad." The Spook congratulated me. "She was a tough one. Unnaturally strong."

A heard a sultry giggle coming from the witch I had just bound. My eyes grew wide and my heart got caught in my throat as I watched her remove the silver chain with her hands and stand up as if nothing was wrong.

"Honey, silver doesn't work on me." She threw the chain perfectly and it wrapped around Alice, immobilizing her. The witch ran at the Spook, gripping his rowan staff without flinching, and swung it around, hitting my master clean in the back of the head, knocking him out. "Rowan wood doesn't work on me either. You really should have done your research before going against me." She clenched the staff, setting it on fire. "I am Jewel Nightingale, and I need your heart Tom Ward!"

My heart was racing. I never dealt with any creature like this before and I wasn't sure if stabbing her with the knife hiding in my rowan staff would be enough to kill her or if I would require something more elaborate. I had no time to react as Jewel came at me with the flaming wood.

The training I got with Bill Arkwright immediately came into play as I dodged and weaved out of the way of the flaming wood. Some of the inhabitants of the village were coming out to watch the spectacle. I couldn't let it go on any longer.

I took a chance and pressed gently on the crevice of my staff, and with an audible click the knife retracted from the staff and I quickly stabbed the strange witch in the chest.

At first she looked surprised and then her pale face broke into a wide smile. This smile unnerved me and I quickly took the knife out of her chest and swung it around, cutting her head clean off her shoulders.

I fell to my knees, keeping as far away from the body as possible. I didn't know what this witch was capable of and she could easily stand up and attack me again. Instead a strange fog appeared and surrounded the body, and when it went away the body was gone and in its place was a multi-colored jewel.

"Well, that was unexpected." heard Jewel's voice. I turned around and saw Jewel with five other young girls who looked exactly like her. They all had pale skin and long pitch black hair, but while Jewel had hazel eyes none of the others had the same eye color.

"Jewel," said a girl with white eyes. "Are we going to kill him? We need his heart!"

"I know Diamond. For now I need amusement. We will let him live. Tom, you may keep my jewel. I have many where those came from."

All six of the girls climbed on pure black horses and rode away.

I know this chapter was short but I'm trying to write longer ones for you to enjoy more. If I can't do that then . . . well . . . this will be a very easy read. Thank you everyone who has read this and I'm hoping to get more chapters and more stories out soon.