Lily ran as the horrible beast flew at her, its voice sounding like a cross between a caw and a growl. It got close enough to beat its horrible leather wings at her, so she covered her head with her arms. Its claws scraped at the back of her jacket, and like the trees, as soon as the beast touched it, it fell back.

Unlike the trees, it didn’t completely give up its pursuit. It merely faltered for a moment.

She tripped again, and Lily couldn’t help but believe the trees had done it on purpose this time, raising their roots so she would fall to the ground. The creature landed on the ground behind her, giving its wings one final flap for good measure, and she turned to face her attacker.

It crouched on the ground, looking as if it meant to pounce on her, and it looked even more monstrous close up. A long, narrow tongue flicked out of its mouth, meaning to taste her, but she pulled her feet back just in time.

“I’m not afraid of you!” Lily lied. Her hand scrounged behind her as she scooted her butt backwards on the ground. Her fingers finally found a heavy stick on the ground, and she wrapped her hand securely around it.

The creature stepped towards her, its talons stepping lightly on the mud. Before it could get any closer, she swung the stick out. It collided hard with the creature’s head, but it only knocked the thing over. It lay on its back for a moment, dazed by her attack, and Lily hurried to her feet. It shook its head, then hopped back up on its feet.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Lily said, holding the stick out in front of her. “So please, go away. Don’t make me hit you again.”

The creature sized her up, staying out of the range her stick, and then it lowered its head and let out a horrible squawk. Lily wanted to cover her ears, but she needed to stay vigilant against the horrible little monster. She shook the stick at the thing, hoping to shut it up, but then she heard the flurry of wings.

She looked up to see them settling in the branches all around her. This bird-like thing had called all of his friends. About a dozen of them had circled around her, sitting in the trees, their beady eyes glowing red in the moonlight. Some of them hissed at her, flicking their slithering tongues. Worse still, the creature on the ground seemed to be the smallest of them, and it was at least three times the size of a housecat.

“I don’t want to hurt any of you! But I will! So I suggest you all just fly away!” Lily yelled. Her voice quavered a little, but she hoped they were too stupid to pick up on it.

The creature on the ground folded up its wings, then put its hands on the ground so it stood on all fours. It narrowed its eyes, and then leapt at her. She swung the stick at it, hitting it in the head again, but before it’d even hit the ground, the other ones flew from the tree at her. She swung the stick erratically over her head, trying to hit as many as she could as she stepped backwards. Claws and beaks stung at her arms and neck.

“Be gone with you!” A voice echoed through the trees behind Lily, followed by a weird crackling sound. Blue sparks flashed around her.

The creatures started to scatter. They all squawked and hissed their disapproval, but they didn’t seem willing to fight it. A few of them lingered, hoping they still stood a chance at getting a piece of Lily, and blue sparks snapped out again.

Finally, they all flew away, their tails flapping angrily behind them, and Lily turned around to see her savior.

At first, Lily could only see the dark brown cloak that covered her, and the slender arm holding a twisted rod. Lily had seen one before – when she had been snooping in her step-mother Scelestus’s things – but she knew a magic wand when she saw one. This one looked far more knotted and less elegant than the one Scelestus possessed, but it had done the trick.

“Thank you,” Lily smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come along.”

“You shouldn’t be in the woods,” the woman said, the cloak still hiding her face. “You should get home.”

“I can’t go home.” Lily shook her head.

“I suppose right now, you cannot.” The woman sighed resignedly. “Follow me.” Without waiting for a response, she turned her back to Lily and walked in the opposite direction.

Deciding it better to not question the only one helping her right now, Lily went after the woman. Lily didn’t say anything as they made their way through the brambles. They pushed through a nasty patch of elderberry bushes, and then Lily could see the soft glow of firelight through windows. A small cottage sat in the middle of the clearing. A thatch roof sat on top, with smoke coming of the stone chimney, and a twisted apple tree grew in front, the only thing in the whole forest with leaves.

“You live here?” Lily gasped. “In the Necrosilvam?”

“It’s quiet,” the woman said, as if that answer made sense, and went on to the house.

Lily went through the small wooden door and found the one-room cottage surprisingly cozy. A fire burned brightly in the fireplace, a small black cauldron sitting over it. A wooden table with two chairs sat by the front door, along with a row of cupboards and a wash-basin that served as the kitchen. A bed rested in the corner, much smaller than the one Lily slept on at home. Vials and jars and pouches littered every shelf that lined the walls and every spare inch of the counter. The whole place smelled of her step-mother’s servant Jinn, but she didn’t know exactly what it was.

“Thank you so much for rescuing me,” Lily said, shutting the door behind her when she came in.

“What were you doing out there?” The woman slipped off her worn cloak, tossing it absently on her faded bedspread.

She went over to stir the cauldron, keeping her back to Lily. Her long cinnamon hair had been pulled back in a loose braid, but most of it had come loose, falling in a frayed a mess about her head. Her dress was dirty and baggy, looking almost as old as the woman herself.

“I’m not sure exactly.” Lily looked down at her hands, touching absently at the scratch on her palm.

“You’re not sure?” The woman finally turned to look at her, surprising Lily with her appearance.

She was younger than Lily had thought, not even as old as her stepmother, and underneath the dirt smudges and tangles of hair, she was quite beautiful. Tall and thin, she had an elegance she had hidden under the cloak. Her features were delicate, and her skin looked smooth and flawless.

“Not exactly, no.” Lily shook her head.