The Valley

Every night, evil spirits come through the valley, hungry for power--which they gain by destroying things. Once, an old witch fought the spirits alongside her trusty familiar, but one night they both disappeared. Now only the witch's young apprentice, Melody Moss, remains to defend the town using her rare protective magic. A mysterious and arrogant wizard lives on the mountain over the valley, but despite the townspeople's pleading him to move in and take over spirit duty from the child and her barely-older best friend currently protecting them, he has refused.   One night, Melody discovers a spirit which isn't wreaking havoc. In fact, it seems barely alive, and she hesitates--doubly so when it starts begging her for mercy. She has a conflict of morals: she's never hurt a spirit that wasn't already trying to destroy the town, and this one doesn't give off bad vibes like the others. Weighing her principles against what the townspeople might say or do if they found out she was sheltering one of their greatest enemies, Melody makes the hard choice to save the spirit.   Later, when it proves its intentions, Melody discovers she's willing to stick to her principles at all costs--even at risk to her own life and the safety of everyone in the valley. But what will happen when her neighbors find out?