The Second Siege

~ 1

~The Witch

Deep within a tangled corner of Rowan s Sanctuary, Max McDaniels crouched beneath a canopy of sagging pines. It had been ten minutes since he had spied a dark shape slinking among the gray foothills far below, and Max knew his pursuer would now be close. He unsheathed his knife, using the blade s coat of phosphoroil to study the crude map he d scrawled before setting out. The target was still far away. At this rate, he would never make it this opponent was much faster than the others.

Shaking off the unpleasant realities, Max concentrated instead on the illusion he had created. The phantasm was a perfect replica of Max, down to its wavy black hair and the sharp, dark features that peered cautiously from a high perch in a nearby tree. He had taken care to mark the surrounding terrain with subtle signs of passage, knowing that a trained eye would spot them.

The shrill cry of a bird shattered the pre-dawn stillness.

Something was coming.

Max s pulse quickened. He scanned the switchback below for any sign of his pursuer, but there was only the smell of damp earth and the low sigh of the wind as it blew tatters of mist across the mountain.

While the sky brightened to a thin wash of blue, Max watched and waited, still as a stone among the roots and nettles. Just when he had decided to abandon his position, a flicker of motion caught his eye.

One of the trees was creeping up the mountainside.

At least he had thought the shape was a tree one of several bent and broken saplings clinging precariously to the slope s dry soil. Slowly, however, the silhouette straightened and began to thread its way up through the sparse wood. It crept toward Max s double, as dark and shrouded as a specter. When the figure was some twenty feet away, Max realized why he had been unable to shake the pursuer.

It was Cooper.

The Agent s scarred and ruined face looked like a fractured mask of weathered bone. His pale skin was camouflaged with dirt; his

Henry H. Neff is a full-time author and illustrator. Previously he has been a business consultant in Chicago and a high-school teacher in San Francisco. He now lives in Brooklyn with his fiancée.

You can visit the author at www.henryhneff.com.