The Shadow Rises

by K.S. Marsden

  *****

  The next few hours passed in a haze of activity and breaking news - none of it good. Australia fell, despite the positioning of a small army at their MMC headquarters. Japan fell; China; Russia; India - with the witch-hunters nearly completely destroyed.

  Reports came in from the battles that were still going on, with varying degrees of failure. But one thing was becoming clear, for some unknown reason, even when the witches were winning against the witch-hunters, they all pulled back like obedient troops and disappeared.

  Which meant that this was only a brief calm and something worse was in store.