My arms conjured up something special, moving faster than I could even think.

They lifted the staff and swung it hard, catching the witch a terrible blow on the side of the head.

She gave a sort of grunt and fell sideways into the river. There was a big splash and she went right under but came up very close to the bank about five or six paces downstream. At first I thought that that was the end of her, but to my horror her left arm came out of the water and grabbed a tussock of grass. Then the other arm reached for the bank and she started to drag herself out of the water.

I knew I had to do something before it was too late. So, using all my willpower, I forced myself to take a step towards her, as she heaved more of her body up onto the bank.

When I got close enough, I did something that I can still remember vividly. I still have nightmares about it. But what choice did I have? It was her or me. Only one of us was going to survive.

I jabbed the witch with the end of the staff. I jabbed her hard and I kept on jabbing her until she finally lost her grip on the bank and was swept away into the darkness.

The Spook's Apprentice Chapter 9