Chapter 9: On the Run
The narrow alleyway was still dark, but the adrenaline rushing through Everett and Evanora's veins hadn't subsided. Their breathing was heavy, and their limbs trembled, both from the exertion of the chase and the terror of what they had just witnessed.
Evanora, clutching her broomstick like a lifeline, stared down the alley, her wide eyes filled with panic. "Everett," she gasped, her voice barely above a whisper, "they're after us too. We have to get out of here."
Everett nodded, glancing nervously over his shoulder.
"Yeah, no kidding. I don't think we can outrun them forever though."
Suddenly, from behind them, there was a sharp crack — the unmistakable sound of magic being cast. Both of them turned to see one of Monroe’s henchmen standing at the mouth of the alley, his wand raised and a sinister grin spreading across his face.
“You two shouldn’t have gotten involved,” the man growled.
“Now you’re on Monroe’s list.”
Everett's heart raced as he pulled Evanora back toward the shadows of the alley.
"We need to move. Now."
Evanora, still trembling, nodded and mounted her broom.
"Get on! We can't stay here!"
Everett jumped onto the broom behind her, gripping her waist tightly as she kicked off the ground. The broom sputtered to life but immediately jerked sideways, slamming them both into the alley wall.
"Ow!" Everett yelped, clutching his arm. "Evanora, this broom! We’re gonna crash if you can’t control it!"
"I'm trying!" she shouted in frustration, her cheeks flushing red.
"Just hold on!"
The broomstick lurched forward again, this time narrowly missing a stack of crates as it wobbled through the air. Evanora struggled to steer, her hands gripping the broomstick tight. Behind them, the henchman fired a spell that narrowly missed, smashing into the wall beside them and sending sparks flying.
“Faster!” Everett shouted, ducking as another spell whizzed past them.
“I’m going as fast as I can!” Evanora cried, trying desperately to get the broomstick under control.
Suddenly, the broomstick shot forward with surprising speed, sending them hurtling down the alleyway and out into the open streets of Astoria. The magical lamps blurred as they raced past them, the city’s colorful buildings a blur of light and shadow.
“We’re out in the open!” Everett yelled over the rushing wind.
“He’s gonna catch up with us!”
Evanora gritted her teeth.
“We have to find somewhere to hide. I think I can lose him if—”
But before she could finish, there was another loud crack, and two more of Monroe’s henchmen appeared in front of them, blocking the street. One of them grinned maliciously as he raised his wand, sending a swirling vortex of dark magic straight toward them.
“Hold on!” Evanora screamed, yanking the broomstick to the left. They veered wildly off course, narrowly avoiding the spell as they shot into a side street.
Everett’s heart pounded in his chest. “We can’t keep dodging them like this! We need a plan!”
“I know, I know!” Evanora replied, her voice tight with panic.
“But what can we do? They’re too strong!”
As they zigzagged through the narrow streets, dodging spell after spell, Everett’s mind raced. They couldn’t just keep running—they had to warn the others. Monroe’s plot was bigger than just them, and if they didn’t act fast, more witches were going to be in danger.
“There!” Evanora shouted, pointing toward a narrow passageway between two tall buildings.
“We can hide in there!”
Without hesitation, she guided the broom into the alleyway, the walls of the buildings pressing close on either side. The broomstick sputtered and shook as they flew lower and lower, until finally, Evanora managed to bring it to a shaky stop behind a stack of crates.
Both of them jumped off the broom, collapsing against the wall in exhaustion. Everett’s chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath.
“That was… way too close,” he panted.
Evanora, her face pale, nodded.
“We have to warn the others. Monroe’s not just going after random witches—he’s targeting escort witches specifically. He’s trying to get their souls, and if we don’t warn them, they’re all in danger.”
Everett leaned his head back against the wall, his mind spinning. "But how do we even start? We can't just walk up to people and tell them there's a soul-stealing plot going on. We need proof. Something to convince them."
Evanora bit her lip, thinking hard. "Maybe we can go to the Witch Academy. There are stronger witches there, ones who can help. They won’t take us seriously unless we show them something concrete."
Just then, they heard footsteps approaching. Their eyes widened in fear, and Everett peered around the corner. The henchmen were closing in, their wands at the ready, scanning the area for any sign of their prey.
“We need to move. Now,” Everett whispered, grabbing Evanora’s hand and pulling her deeper into the alley.
They sprinted through the narrow passageways, dodging between buildings, desperately trying to stay out of sight. Every time they thought they had escaped, they heard the telltale sound of footsteps or the crack of a teleportation spell nearby.
“We can’t keep this up,” Evanora panted as they ducked into another alley. “They’ll find us eventually.”
“Then we need to get creative,” Everett said, scanning the area for something—anything—that could help them escape. His eyes landed on a nearby fruit stand. A plan began to form in his mind.
“Evanora, your magic—it may be a little unpredictable, but can you enchant things? Even just for a few seconds?”
Evanora hesitated, then nodded. “I can try. What do you need?”
Everett pointed at the fruit stand. “Can you make those apples fly? Just long enough to cause a distraction?”
Evanora blinked in surprise but quickly caught on. “You want to use the fruit stand to block their path?”
“Exactly. If they get distracted, we might have enough time to escape.”
Evanora took a deep breath, her wand trembling slightly as she raised it toward the fruit stand. “Here goes nothing.”
She muttered an incantation under her breath, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly, the apples on the stand began to shake, lifting off the counter one by one. Everett grinned as they floated into the air, spinning faster and faster until they were a blur of red and green.
The sound of footsteps grew closer, and Everett motioned for Evanora to stay low. “Now!”
With a flick of her wand, Evanora sent the enchanted apples hurtling toward the henchmen. The fruit collided with the men in a flurry of magic and chaos, sending them stumbling backward as they tried to fend off the unexpected attack.
“Go, go, go!” Everett whispered urgently, grabbing Evanora’s hand and pulling her in the opposite direction.
They sprinted down the street, their hearts pounding as they ducked and weaved between buildings. Behind them, they could hear the confused shouts of the henchmen, still struggling to regain their composure.
As they rounded a corner, Everett spotted a narrow alleyway leading to a staircase. “There! That staircase might lead to the rooftops. We can hide up there.”
Evanora nodded breathlessly, and they raced up the stairs, the sound of their pursuers growing fainter with each step.
When they reached the top, they found themselves on a flat rooftop overlooking the marketplace. The city stretched out before them, bathed in the soft glow of magical lamps, but the danger still lurked in the shadows.
“We can’t stay up here forever,” Everett said, glancing around for any signs of their pursuers. “But at least we’ve bought ourselves some time.”
Evanora, still catching her breath, nodded. “We need to find someone who can help us. Someone who can stop Monroe before it’s too late.”
Everett sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, but how? We don’t even know where to start.”
Evanora’s expression hardened with determination. “We’ll find a way. We have to. If we don’t stop Monroe, no one will.”
They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of their mission pressing heavily on their shoulders. The night sky stretched above them, and the city of Astoria shimmered with magic, but for the first time, it felt like the magic wasn’t enough to protect them.
Everett glanced at Evanora, her face illuminated by the soft glow of the city lights. Despite everything they had been through, despite her clumsiness and the chaos they had faced, she looked strong. Stronger than he had ever seen her.
“We’ll warn them,” Everett said firmly.
“We’ll find the witches, the wizards, the tourists—anyone who will listen. And we’ll stop Monroe together.”
Evanora met his gaze, her fear replaced by a quiet resolve.
“Together,” she agreed.