The Witch Watch Read Free

Watch. It was a woman. She looked thin, almost waif-like. She had stood at the back with a pistol in her hand, and now that the men had taken cover she was walking up the hill, heedless of the shooting and supposed danger of spellcraft. Shockingly, she seemed to be wearing trousers.
    Gilbert saw no more of her. As curious as it was, he was more concerned with not being shot or (worse) captured. Great Britain prided herself on even justice and humane executions, but the Witch Watch was one of the last institutions that - if popular gossip was to be trusted - still wielded the older, harsher style of law enforcement.
    Gilbert sprinted away from the watchmen, casting aside his staff as he did so. Simon had wisely begun running several seconds sooner, and thus had a good head start. Nevertheless, Gilbert’s great strides allowed him to catch up quickly. He was glad to discover that whatever strange things had befallen him, he was still as able-bodied as ever. He wanted to look back and see what his pursuers were doing. Gilbert wondered if the riflemen were giving chase or sharpshooting. He was also anxious to get another look at the woman, just because. But he didn’t dare take his eyes off the ground in front of him. They were running through a graveyard at night while being shot at. Tripping could be fatal.
    The gunshots rang out surprisingly quickly, and at an even rate.
    “They have very good rifles,” Gilbert commented as they ran.
    “What?” Simon gasped. His steps were already faltering.
    Gilbert grabbed him by the shoulder and hauled him sideways, “This way. Into the trees.”
    The shots fell silent as Gilbert and Simon dove into the shroud of the forest. The men shouted to each other, but Gilbert could not catch the words.
    “We’ll never escape them all,” Simon gasped. He stopped and conscripted a tree to keep him from falling over.
    “We don’t need to escape them all,” Gilbert pointed out. “They won’t all follow and leave the Four Horsemen unattended. I suspect no more than half of them will give chase. Come on. Walk if you can. The woods are big and lanterns can’t see far. We should be fine as long as we can get some distance before daybreak.”
    It was dark here under the trees, and Gilbert could only barely make out Simon’s outline as he pulled himself upright. The bright moon was fortunate. There was just enough light for them to move without running face-first into a tree. Simon stumbled now and again on tree roots, but the shouts of their pursuers became increasingly distant.
    “How many are there, do you think?” Simon asked as he struggled for breath. “I didn’t think to count them.” They had been fleeing for perhaps a quarter hour and had now stopped for another rest.
    “There were six men,” Gilbert replied, “Four rifles. Two swords with lanterns, one of which was their captain. Plus the woman. They won’t send both lanterns away, which means we only have one lantern chasing us. Most likely not the leader. He’ll want to investigate the goings-on at the tomb, and leave the chase to his men.”
    “You know a great deal about the Witch Watchers,” Simon marveled.
    “No. I know a great deal about being a soldier. And the task of running around in the woods looking for a deadly wizard, at night, with one lantern, is exactly the sort of job that an officer would delegate.”
    Simon slumped down against an old tree-trunk and hung his head between his knees. “I see. You’re right. They must be assuming you’re a wizard. Who ever heard of performing a revivification on a common soldier?”
    “Who ever heard of reviving the wrong person?” Gilbert shot back.
    Simon was quiet for some time. Gilbert waited patiently as the boy recovered his breath with much coughing and sighing. For his own part, Gilbert didn’t feel short of breath or even tired.
    When Simon’s breathing had settled, he pushed himself upright. “You said there was a woman there. I hadn’t noticed her. I