The Sisters of Salem

by Tish Thawer

  “Oh, don’t worry, we’ll find your younger selves, and when we do, they’ll follow you straight into the flames.” Ann’s vicious snarl came into view as Caris was lifted to her feet.

  Trin, Kennedy, and Jason were already tied in place, their hands and feet bound, and with gags shoved into their mouths. Caris reached for her magic but failed, struggling to pull it forth as if it was being suppressed by Ann’s ill intent, or perhaps their enchanted knives. Kicking and flailing, Caris was maneuvered onto the final rise of logs. Then, she also was tied in place against the stake.

  “Any last words?” Ann taunted as a wad of material was shoved into Caris’s mouth. “Actually, we don’t care.”

  Tears flowed down Mathilde’s cheeks as she remained tightly sequestered in Ann’s grasp, the knife still pricking her skin.

  “Ann, please don’t do this. I swear what I’ve seen is true. If you end their lives, it will be the end of the Putnam line. There will be no going back or any way to alter the timeline to fix the mistake you’re about to make.”

  Ann shoved Mathilde to the ground. “Shut up! You know nothing of the Goddess. You should be happy you’re not up there with them for your betrayals.”

  Past any hope of salvation, Ann flicked her wrist toward the pyres, each of them bursting into a wall of flames.

  ***

  Dirt-streaked tears trailed down Mathilde’s face as she covered her ears, desperate to block out the witches’ screams and her sisters’ villainous laughs. The fires burned too hot, aided by Ann’s dark magic. It took only moments before the charred bones of Jason, Trin, Caris, and Kennedy lay in mounds of ash, smoldering on the ground outside of the Howes’ ancestral home.

  “No!” Mathilde scrambled forward, crawling as close to the embers as possible. “You’ve killed us … you’ve killed us all,” she shouted frantically.

  “Look around, sister.” Ann held her arms out wide. “There is no one here to stop us now, and once we find the younger versions of these miserable witches, we’ll stop them from ever casting the wretched spell that ruined all of our lives in the first place. Our fight is over, and all that’s left is for you to apologize to Father and return to his side.”

  Though Mathilde remained on the ground, her heartbroken demeanor shifted from sorrow and loss to one of power and revenge. “You’re right, and I think I’ll do that right now.” With the slightest whisper, Mathilde disappeared through one of her own portals, reemerging with her Father in tow. “I’ve brought you here, Father, to show you what your daughters have done.” Mathilde released his arm and backed away.

  Thomas Putnam’s hardened scowl bloomed into something ill and twisted as he gazed at the charred pyres before him. “You did it?” He snapped his head to Ann, a maniacal smile pulling deep wrinkles tight across his face.

  “We did it.” Ann lifted her chin, smiling at her sisters all in a row.

  “Then all that’s left to do is retrieve Rebecca and track her daughters in this time, and victory will be ours.” Thomas raised his hands, and his daughters surrounded him, eating up the praise they so rarely received.

  A burst of silver light blasted through the yard, knocking the Putnam family to the ground. They were forced to shield their eyes until the light dissipated. Once clear, silence reigned as four young witches stood before them—three were easily recognizable as the Howe witches’ younger selves, but one stood out in front, a stranger to them all.

  “Let us save you the effort,” the stranger spoke, her voice calm and steady.

  “What is this?” Thomas Putnam began to protest but was silenced with a single look from the unknown witch. Held in place by the girl’s sheer will, the Putnams could do nothing but writhe on the ground like the animals they were.

  Ann, most of all, struggled against the binding magic, and with a snap, a mini-tornado burst from her fingertips, reminiscent of the storm she created back in 1703. Apparently, Ann’s powers had grown stronger still, but they were no match for this powerful, young witch. With a single wink, she doused Ann’s magic, again pinning her solidly to the ground.

  The girl looked no more than sixteen or seventeen and shared the Howes’ coloring with her auburn hair and green eyes. A soft sprinkling of freckles dotted her nose and cheeks, while her full lips and confident jaw painted a picture of strength and beauty. The power radiating from her, however, made Mathilde wary as the witch walked past her, approaching the burnt-out pyres.

  Bending down, the young witch started rifling through the ash and bones with her bare hands, the lingering heat having no effect on her skin.

  Rage and panic flared. “Get away from them,” Mathilde shouted, unsure of the girl’s intentions.

  The witch ignored her, retrieving something out of the pile from where Trin had just burned.

  Moving next to Jason’s remains, she dug through the smoldering soot, continuing her search.

  Finally rising from the ground, the witch placed whatever she’d found into the folds of her skirt, polishing the items clean. With a satisfied gleam in her eye, she lifted her hand, revealing a bright ruby pendant hanging from the end of a long chain. With a loud snap, she fit the gem into the top of a gold skeleton key, then turned the jewel within its new socket and smiled.

  The ground shook, and all the debris around them rose into the air. Ash, wood, and bits of charred bones flew into the sky. The wind whipped Mathilde’s hair, stinging her face as she fought the torrents of magic surrounding her. Squinting to see through the powerful storm, she watched in awe as everything reassembled into the forms they once were—including Trin, Jason, Caris, and Kennedy. Her friends now stood atop the pyres, tied to the stakes again, but now very much alive.

  Mathilde’s gaze snapped to the strange girl as she stalked forward to where her father and her sisters lay on the ground.

  In a voice filled with power and peace, the witch called out, “The dead speak through me. Hear me now, for I AM the witch you could not burn!”

  With no more than a thought, Mathilde’s entire family disintegrated into thin air … exactly as the Goddess had shown her they would.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The witch turned to Mathilde, holding her gaze as the three young Howe sisters raced to release the future versions of themselves. Freed and with the gags removed, Kennedy shouted, “What’s happened? Who are you?” Desperate to access the threat, she pushed the young girls behind Trin and Jason as Caris stepped up beside her.

  Caris’s mind froze—not from lack of the witch’s response, but utterly fixated on the key hanging around her neck.

  The golden skeleton key that Lionel used to send them here was the missing piece of the puzzle that fit around Karina’s pendant. It was the right height and material, and the ruby stone set perfectly into the opening. “Find the two that create one, as only then will your fight be done.” Caris recalled Mama’s words from the vision, and she couldn’t believe they hadn’t figured it out before.

  “This is impossible,” Caris muttered under her breath.

  “Not impossible, my sweet girl.” Mama’s voice sounded from over the young witch’s shoulder, bringing with it an almost immediate flood of tears.

  Caris looked up and gazed upon her mama—Rebecca Howe, in all her High Priestess glory. Her auburn hair flowed loosely around her shoulders, lifted by an invisible wind as she stood barefoot in the grass in her modest cotton gown. Raising her arms, the Goddess’s power flowed through her, setting her eyes alight with a bright silver glow. “All those who seek to harm my family, beware. For you will meet your end by my children, if you dare. Remove this stain, now from my land. Washed clean and cleansed, by the Goddess’s hand.” Mama’s words echoed through the sky, carrying with them a level of power Caris had never experienced before. A burst of magic blasted out from where Mama stood, clearing away the remains of the Putnam family and the pyres they’d erected to kill them all this night.

  Mama nodded to the young witch, then snapped her fingers. Instantly, the neckla
ce the girl had been wearing appeared in Mama’s hand. With soft steps, Mama walked over to Trin and lifted the transformed talisman over her head, laying it gently around her neck once more.

  “I don’t understand,” Trin admitted, running a finger across the ruby stone and key

  Stepping back, Mama held a hand out to the strange girl, welcoming her into her arms. “You will.”

  Gazing up into Mama’s shinning eyes, the young witch whispered, “Hello, Mama, it’s so good to finally be home.”

  Trin, Caris, and Kennedy gasped, their eyes snapping to Mama’s.

  “Girls, I’d like you to meet your sister, Salem.”

  ***

  Shock and awe settled across the features of all three sisters as the beautiful, young witch, resembling Mama and themselves stood wide-eyed, smiling up at them with a confidence far beyond her years.

  “I’m s-sorry … wh-what?” Kennedy stammered.

  Before Mama could reply, Trin spoke up. “While I understand that the younger versions of ourselves were hidden within the Goddess’s realm,” she nodded to where she and her original sisters of the time stood next to Jason, “I’m going to need a little more information here. Did you say … sister?”

  Mama laughed and stepped forward, placing a hand on Trin’s shoulder. “Yes. I hid your original selves in the Goddess’s realm where your sister, Salem, resides. I know it’s a lot to take in, but your talisman is the key. Come, let’s go back inside, and then I shall answer all of your questions.”

  Trin nodded hesitantly, her eyes drifting between everyone as they all slowly moved back toward the house. Reaching for her hand, Jason gave it a gentle squeeze as they crossed the threshold, following everyone inside. With the back door closed and their protections still in place, Trin, Caris, and Kennedy followed Mama and the rest of the group into the living room, each taking their usual seats. Still unnerved, Trin eased down onto the edge of the sofa, while Kennedy claimed her favorite chair in the corner, leaving Caris to stand cross-armed at the window beside her. Jason remained in the kitchen, stoking the fire with a snap of his fingers, then put on the kettle to boil. In his mind, this situation was going to require a lot of calming tea.

  Mama stood in the center of the room, calling to her the younger versions of the girls—Karina, Kara, and Kenna. After taking a moment to hug their mama, the girls then followed her silent instructions and disappeared into their bedroom, leaving the rest of them behind.

  Moving to sit on the couch next to Trin, Rebecca patted the open spot beside her, inviting Salem to join them. “I know this is a lot to take in, but the talisman is the key. A simple touch and a specific thought will show you the future or the past, and a twist of the gem itself will transport you to that time … no spell or portal needed.” Mama reached for Trin’s hand. “Let me show you how it works.”

  Closing her eyes, Trin let the images flow into her mind.

  Lifetime after lifetime was shown to Trin through Mama’s eyes. Lives she lived with and without them, deviating and hidden from their original time. Mama had traveled back and forth using the pendant, protecting them all and setting up the items she knew they’d need, but also preparing for what would inevitably come. She’d witnessed it so many times, the culmination of magic—old and new, Howe and Putnam, demon and Goddess-infused—all building to the cataclysm they had all just witnessed together. But, throughout time, no matter how many deviations she’d seen, there was only one thing that could stop it completely … Salem.

  Visions spun within Trin’s mind, and she quickly realized Mama was not only a mother to them, or the High Priestess the girls knew her to be. No, she was the Goddess’s torch-bearer—her time-keeper—and she’d been blessed with another child outside of time, so that one day that child could save them all.

  Trin blinked away tears as Mama pulled back her hand.

  Looking across the room, Trin met Caris and Kennedy’s concerned gazes, then cast all she’d seen into their minds.

  “The key is yours now, as the time has come to set things right once and for all.” Mama stood, pulling Salem up with her from the couch.

  “Wait!” Trin cried out. “What are we supposed to do? I thought Salem ended it. Isn’t everything over?” Trin looked up at her newfound sister and felt the Goddess’s pull.

  Mama looked between all her girls—her daughters separated through space and time—and smiled. “All you have to do is let time unfold now. Salem has removed the Putnam line from history as it was meant to be.” She paused, winking at Mathilde who’d remained as quiet as a mouse in the corner. “For if you think back, you never knew of Ann’s father having powers, or that she had all those sisters before, did you?”

  Caris gasped. Mama was right. Time was fixing itself, which meant they’d all been here before. “That means you did erase the memories of our younger selves, didn’t you? That’s why as adults, we don’t remember any of this ever happening.”

  Mama smiled. “And if you’ll excuse me, I have three young daughters in the other room who are utterly confused and require my attention.” Mama walked into the girls’ bedroom, leaving the four of them alone as she closed the door behind her. It was clear now, this was the moment in time she needed to erase the recent memories from their minds … again.

  “I’m sorry if this is upsetting to you.” Salem broke the silence, returning to the couch. Folding her hands in her lap, she looked up at her three big sisters. “I know it must be hard to realize you have another sister who you knew nothing about.”

  “Yes, it’s definitely strange.” Trin walked to the other side of the room, gravitating to Caris and Kennedy. “But that doesn’t mean we’re not happy to learn of your existence. It’ll just take some time for us to process, is all.”

  Salem frowned. “Unfortunately, time is the one thing we don’t have.”

  Trin touched the pendant resting against her chest. “I don’t understand. I thought with this, time was no longer an issue.”

  “It’s not, but for things to work out as they should, you need to return to your time, and allow this one to play out here exactly as it did before.” She met Trin’s eyes with a sad smile.

  “Meaning, we can’t save Mama or stop the spell I originally cast, can we?”

  Salem nodded, her confirmation crushing Trin’s heart.

  Kennedy slammed her foot to the ground, rattling the chair. “Then what was the point of all this? If we can’t save Mama, then why did we even come back here?”

  “You did save her,” Mathilde’s sweet voice sounded from the corner. “And me. If you hadn’t come back, I never would have received the Goddess’s vision, or found the courage to help your mama escape. It was the events you created by following Ann back to his time that led us here … to the end. Without you, things would have gone very differently. The Howe line would have been wiped out instead.”

  Jason entered the room in that precise moment, carrying with him Mama’s silver serving tray and providing the perfect reprieve. Taking tea, they all settled into a flurry of conversation and questions, learning as much as they could about each other and the experiences they’d all shared, though from different points of view.

  Salem listened intently, though without much to add. Her genuine smile warmed Trin’s heart, but the sorrow that surrounded her existence was almost too much to bear.

  Joining them again, Mama reentered the room. “Your younger selves are sound asleep and safe within their correct timeline.” See eased down onto the couch next to Salem, claiming a teacup for herself. “Salem exists out of time, and that’s how it has to be if history is to move forward correctly from this fixed point,” she interrupted the conversation, as if reading Trin’s mind. “Once you get home, the Ann of your time will no longer exist, as she is the one who met her end here with the others.”

  “But that means the Ann and Heinrich of this time are still alive and will no doubt proceed with their plans,” Kennedy added, elaborating on Mama’s explanation.

&nb
sp; Trin shivered at the mention of the demon’s name and thought of all they’d have to face as their younger selves again. Time would move forward for them, bringing with it Mama’s illness and eventually her death the following winter. The spell Karina cast that set them on their soul journeys would happen in a few short years after Ann reported her for being a witch. Trin’s eyes shifted to the kitchen, again noticing the floorboards where she’d be forced to scramble for her life.

  Shaking her head, she looked around the room. Though the past was something they’d already endured, and would ultimately endure again, Trin reminded herself that after everything—the centuries searching for one another and all the hardships they’d face—it had led them to this very moment, surrounded by family, and finally, truly free.

  With her heart as full as it had ever been, Trin crossed the room and knelt down in front of Jason, emotions pooling in her eyes. “My love, for centuries you have waited for me, dodging demons, time loops, and doppelgangers alike. But finally, our time has come. Here and now, and in front of our true family … Jeremiah, will you marry me?”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Lavender tickled the underside of Salem’s feet as she watched her big sister walk down the flower-lined aisle. Flicking her finger at the birchwood arch, Salem added a few more morning glories and smiled as they burst open, their deep purple coloring complementing the lavender and green grass carpeting the hill. Trin had selected the spot—eyeing a bramble of blackberry bushes with a smile—then the entire family went to work.

  Stumps topped with candles and crystals sat near the front on either side of the arch, while vines of delicate snow-drops edged the carefully prepared path. Ribbons flowed from the tops of the willow tree spires that completed a half circle behind the arch, while swaths of ferns and forget-me-nots gently climbed up their magically-thinned trunks.