Witch Hunters

“Where to next?” Harry asked, looking at Lilly with enchanted eyes. She had always been the brains of their operation. She was the one who picked the villages they went to, talked to the townspeople, and sorted out their payment.

It had been her role since the beginning, and she was fairly good at it. She had a kind face that people trusted, and while many other witch hunters were scorned for being thought of as fakes, Lilly’s group had always been lucky. There had been a few villagers who heckled them, but they were never run out of towns like others had been.

“There’s a village just outside of Norfolk that seems to be riddled with dark magic. Three children have disappeared within the month.”

Harry’s bright eyes went sad, as they often did at the mention of children. The innocence of a child served as a great source of power for a witch, and even though it was risky, they often encountered witches who would drain them of their blood to capture their essence.

Liam walked up to the pair with his axe in hand. He’d just headed off to sharpen the blade, and he came back with it looking as pointed as when Lilly first met him.

“I say we get the hell out of here.” Liam tucked his axe into his cloth pack, which he kept around his back. “I don’t much like the look of this place.”

He wasn’t referring to anything toxic in the village, as they’d rid it of dark magic the night before. He was referring to the older women who looked at them from inside the windows of their wooden homes. Their eyes were glistened over with pain, as the hunters had come too late to save their children.

Harry and Lilly nodded, both of them standing from the wooden stumps that were placed on the side of the muddy walkway. It had rained that morning, so the ground was sopping wet and mud caked all of their boots. They knew better to clean them off, as they’d be walking in the mud for a good many miles before they arrived at Bushill, their destination just outside of Norfolk.

From what Lilly knew, it was an average sized village, with enough people to warrant them having their own mayor and a sheriff. She’d caught wind of the attacks from the mayor himself, who had sent a messenger many miles to ask for their help. The instances when they were requested were Lilly’s favorites, as they were always from villages that needed the most help.

In just a few days of walking, they’d arrive in Bushill and be greeted by all the people who so desperately needed them there. It was Lilly’s favorite thing about what they did, and it made all the blood she’d shed and scars she’d earned worthwhile.



Bushill was filled with a turmoil that was evident the moment the group stepped into the village. The sun had only just set, and the streets were already empty. Lilly knew that it was the town’s attempt at taking precautions against the witches, but she also knew that it would do no good. Witches hunted whether people took precautions are not. It was the way they were, and the village would soon learn that unless the hunters could stop it.

The only lantern that was lit was in the biggest building in the village, and the group hoped that it would be home to the mayor, or at least someone that could point them in his direction.

Tapping her fist lightly at the door, Lilly waited for an answer, while Liam and Harry stood behind her. The door opened and she was met with a dark haired boy, with tanned skin unlike any she’d ever seen. It was clear from the small glimpse she could get that the building was not a home, but a jail, and the man standing before her was clearly in charge of it.

“Can I help you?” he asked, his voice hoarse and authoritative.

“Lilly Kinsley,” she said, holding out her hand to him. She knew most girls would have curtseyed, but she was not most girls, and the man should have expected that. He shook her hand with groan.

“Sherriff Malik.” He shifted his belt, showing off the buckle that announced his title. “Now, I’ll ask you again, can I help you?”

She batted her eyes at him, like her father had taught her to do when she needed to get her way. “The mayor is expecting. He asked for a help with a little problem.”

The man muttered under his breath something that Lilly couldn’t hear. The few words she picked up on were ungodly ones.

“If you’re referring to the witch problem, we don’t need your help. My men and I have it taken care of.”

“From the looks of your empty streets, I’d say you don’t.”

“Now listen here,” the sheriff said, his hand latching onto her arm. “I’ll be damned –”

“Get your hand off her,” Harry interrupted, taking a step forward and making himself noticed for the first time. The sheriff looked back at him, an angry glint in his eye.

“What was that?”

“I said, get your hand off of her.” Harry took another step forward, putting himself between Lilly and the sheriff. Lilly was shocked to see Harry step up like that, as Liam was always the brawn of their operation. She’d never heard him say a cross word in his life, and he was acting very out of character.

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Knock it off, sheriff,” a voice called to the left, and the four of them turned to find the mayor walking towards them, a grin on his face. “These people are our guests and I’d like to see them treated as such.” He turned to the hunters, his smile growing wider. “It is an honor to have you here. From what I’ve picked up on, the three of you are the best in the business.”

Lilly smiled. “Thank you, sir. It’s a pleasure to be here.”

“I’m sorry to be so brisk with my introduction, but I’m to have dinner with my wife this evening, so I will see to it that Sheriff Malik makes accommodations for you.” He turned to the tanned gentlemen “Show them to the inn. Muriel will be waiting for them.”

Sheriff Malik nodded, though his distain was obvious from the look in his eyes. It was clear that he was the type that always had to be in charge, and he didn’t like that the mayor was telling him what to do, especially when it came to being kind to the visitors.

When the mayor excused himself, the sheriff turned back to the group, eyeing Harry up and down. They’d only been in Bushill for a few minutes and they’d already made an enemy. Unfortunately for them, Sheriff Zayn Malik wasn’t their only enemy in the village.