The Boy's Companions Chapter 4

    Oliver's hands began to tremble uncontrollably. The one in his pocket had a tighter grip on the medallion than ever before. He struggled to find his words, and let out a pathetic
     "I don't know."
    Linette at last discarded her fake smile, and her face distorted into a scowl. She stood up and began to turn around, no longer interested in anything he had to say. With her back to the boy, she looked up at the starry sky and talked aloud.
    "Well, your father and the medallion not being here does throw things off a bit. My plan will still work though, but I'm afraid you'll have to come with me. After all, if I do end up running into him, I'll need something to convince him to hand it over."
    Before he could even process what she had said, she turned around without warning. She extended her arm in his direction and a spark erupted from her open palm and struck him in the shoulder.
    He felt a brief pain course through his body as he stumbled backwards and collapsed. When he tried to get back up, he found himself completely unable to move. This wasn't, however, the movement-prohibiting fear he had felt earlier. It was an evil spell, cast by a witch.
    She let out a cackle, and then covered her mouth.
    "I'm sorry dear, it's just been so long since I've gotten to use magic like that."
    She then lifted his body by the underarms, and propped him up against a nearby tree. While placing his hood over his eyes, she spoke to him, despite his inability to reply.
    "You seem like a sweet kid, and it's a real shame I have to do this. But, I've been waiting 100 years for this day, and the groundkeeper is the only one that will be able to stop my soldiers."
    She then patted his head, and promised to return in a moment. She made her way back to the center of the graveyard to resume her self-given task. She raised her hands skyward, and began to shout words which were incomprehensible, causing the ground to rumble as her voice grew louder.
    Oliver was completely terrified, but he could only sit silently as the witch cast another spell. Lightning bolts began to rain down, striking nearly everything, aside from him and Linette. He couldn't see through the hood over his eyes, but he could feel the ground begin to shake.    
    The loud rumbling sounds lasted a few moments, but abruptly stopped. The only audible noises left were heavy footsteps, and the voices of several men. 
    Upon hearing them, Oliver immediately knew what had happened. The heroes he had looked up to had at last returned to life. He, of course, surmised that they had come back as a result of the witch's arrival. He hoped that they would be able to take care of her, and rescue him. These naive hopes perished however, once the witch spoke again.
    "My soldiers, I welcome you back to the world of the living. Let us not delay what I've summoned you for tonight. We shall promptly depart for the castle and take back what is rightfully ours."
    Oliver began to panic once again. They hadn't returned to stop her, they were here because she summoned them. The only people that could stop this woman were being controlled by her. He had failed his only job, and there was nothing he could do about it, all he could do was sit and listen. 
    But, he remembered the medallion, which was still in his pocket. His hand was frozen, but he still had a death grip on it. If he could keep it hidden from her, there was still a chance he could right his wrongs.
    While he was wrapped up in his thoughts, yet another figure approached from behind him. It lifted him by the back of his cloak, and slung him over its shoulder. It then sprinted away from the graveyard full of bewitched soldiers.
    Oliver was startled of course, but couldn't utter a single sound. His hood had finally moved to where it no longer hindered his vision, but he could not see the person that had run off with him. He could only see their legs, which were clad with boots and armor. When he glanced up, he could see the graveyard disappear into the distance.