“I saw the television,” Sarah said. “Were you watching television?”
“Me, too,” Sam said. “Em. . .”
“Yes, there’s something wrong with the storm,” Em said.
“What’s with the storm?” Susannah asked as she, Alice, and George came in from the front.
“It’s Em’s demon,” George said.
“Shit,” Wilmot said as she ran into Sam.
He grabbed onto her, but they both stumbled out of the way as Elizabeth Howe appeared in the same spot. George’s cell phone rang a beat before Em’s rang. He answered the phone and went into the bedroom.
“Hello,” Em said into the cell phone. “Elizabeth! You have to move!”
Elizabeth jumped out of the way just a moment before Margaret Scott appeared. Elizabeth grabbed Margaret and pulled her out of the way of Ann Pudeator, who arrived in front of the television.
“Martha! What the hell!” Giles’ angry voice came from Em’s cell phone. “Martha Corey, I demand that you speak to me at once.”
“Giles,” Em scowled into the phone.
“I can feel your scowl, Martha,” Giles said with a laugh in his voice. “Bridget is upset, and frankly, I woke up with terror in my heart for you. Are you in trouble, Martha?”
“It’s the storm, Giles,” Em said. She looked up to see everyone watching her. She rolled her eyes at the phone.
“Fine,” Giles said. Bridget’s worried voice came from the background. “Bridget is pregnant, Martha. She cannot come to you.”
“Stay there,” Em said. “We’ll call you as soon as I know something.”
“You give me your word,” Giles said.
“I give you my word,” Em said. “You will be part of the solution.”
“Enough said,” Giles said and hung up.
She was about to put her phone down when John Willard called. The phone call went about the same way. Mary Eastey was upset and wanted to come. John wouldn’t let her come, but he was worried as well. What was wrong? She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Mary Eastey.
“You okay?” Mary Eastey whispered.
Em nodded. Over the phone, she assured John that she would call him when they had a plan. She was hugging Mary Eastey when she hung up the phone with John.
“You should go back,” Em said. “He’ll freak.”
Mary Eastey rolled her eyes and kissed Em’s cheek.
“I hate to be on injured reserve for something as dumb as being pregnant,” Mary Eastey said.
“You are almost four hundred years old!” Em said.
“You’re one to talk!” Mary Eastey said.
“Go,” Em commanded.
Mary Eastey laughed and disappeared. When she looked up, most of her witches were standing in the living room. George came out of the bedroom.
“What can we do?” Alice asked.
“I think that’s a good question,” Em said.
“You don’t know?” Susannah asked.
“I have no idea,” Em shook her head. “The demon found out that I, Bridget, and Mary Eastey were pregnant.”
“Me, too,” Elizabeth and Sam said in unison.
“Yay!” Alice hugged Elizabeth and Sam.
“I didn’t know that,” Em said.
“He seems to know only what you know,” Wilmot said. “That’s curious.”
“He knows what he’s doing with this storm,” Em said. “Sarah? Susannah? Can you guys put your heads together?”
They both nodded.
“Martha Carrier? Margaret? Can you look at logistics?” Em asked. “The city will be shut down, but we may need to get out of here.”
“You bet,” Martha Carrier said, and Margaret nodded.
“Sam? Can you check everyone’s homes, particularly the old ones?” Em said. He nodded and disappeared.
“Elizabeth? Do you still keep track of our cars?”
“I do,” Elizabeth said with a wave of her hand. “I have the spreadsheet on my phone.”
“Wilmot? Can you call Sarah Good?” Em asked. “Giles and John both called, but I haven’t heard from her. Let’s make sure she’s not in trouble. Can you go if she needs help?”
“Of course,” Wilmot said, with pride in her voice.
“Mary Ayer? George is going to need help,” Em said. “You know how he is when he’s overwhelmed. Can you. . .?”
“Got it.” Mary Ayer nodded and left the room to find George.
“Everyone, please think hard about what we can do to fight this thing,” Em said. “Or mitigate the damages. He said he would take a hundred fold what we were creating. We cannot lose four hundred humans. Don’t forget Giles and Bridget. They are at Bridget’s mansion across the Common. John and Mary Eastey will help, too. John’s just worried about Mary. They will do whatever we ask. I’m sure there’s a bunch of things I haven’t thought of. Just. . .”
Everyone nodded. The witches began talking amongst themselves. George came in from the kitchen.
“Can you find out about the storm?” George asked. Em gave him a hard look. He smiled, and said, “Yes, I know it’s precognition. You’re better than anyone else, even though you refuse to do it.”
Shaking her head, she sighed.
“It makes me sick,” Em said. “Every time. My father said it’s common for our family. I won’t be of any use to you later.”
“The others can fill in until you’ve recovered,” George said.
“I don’t know,” Em said.
“Do it!” George commanded.
“George, really. . .” Mary Ayer put her hand on his arm. He looked at her and shook his head.
“Lives are at stake because you’re fighting with this creature,” George said.
Em sighed. Even though he was acting crazy, he was right. She’d brought this curse to her beloved Boston. She should do everything in her power to make this right. Closing her eyes for a moment, she gathered her strength. She took a deep breath and let go of the present in a long sigh. She took another breath and paused for almost a full minute.
“If we fight him, the snowstorm will last for three days, but he will return. The snow will return,” Em said in a flat, deep voice. “If we do not fight, he will take the entire city back to the beginning, back to 1692. The land will fall into the sea. Thousands will die. All services will be lost. That’s what he wants. He wants to take us back to the beginning.”
Em blinked. She took a breath, and then another. She blinked. Her eyes looked up at George for a moment before everything went dark. She felt herself crashing toward the ground.
“Fuck,” George grabbed at Em.
“THIS WILL BE THE FINAL BATTLE OF THE SALEM WITCHES,” Em’s flat, deeper voice boomed.
As if she were suddenly coated in butter, Em slipped from George’s hands. Her body hit the floor.
Em groaned and rolled onto her back. She felt movement, but it was too dark to see who was there. She felt George grab her hand.
“Em,” George said.
She moaned in response.
“I’m so sorry,” George said. “I forgot about the baby, and. . .”
Em rolled toward his voice. He was kneeling next to the bed.
“Ann’s been here with her crazy machine,” George said. “Our son seems to be all right, but Ann’s angry with me for pushing you. You’re just always so tough, so strong. It never occurred to me that you’d get so sick and. . .”
When Em squinted, George stopped talking.
“Say something,” George said.
“Hi,” Em grunted.
George clutched Em. She felt moisture on his cheek. She sputtered and pushed at him.
“Need some. . .” Em started to say before she threw up.
George laughed and held her tighter.
“Get off me, you crazy man,” Em said with a laugh.
Laughing, he helped her up. George held her on her feet as the wind battered the building. He followed her into the bathroom.
“Go,” Em said.
<
br /> “You know I can’t leave you,” George said.
“Go!”
“You might be sick again!” George said.
She lit an electric spark, which chased him out of the bathroom. The door slammed with a satisfying wham! Laughing, he leaned against the door. She lingered in the bathroom to spite him. When she came out, Ann Pudeator was waiting for her.
Ann checked her heart and listened to the baby. She ran Em through a variety of tests to make sure she was all right. Em tried to be patient, but the steady tap of snow against the windows reminded Em of the demon’s promise.
“You’ve been out for a day,” Ann said. “Promise me that you’ll rest.”
“Scout’s honor,” Em said.
Ann raised her eyebrows and laughed at Em.
“Try to keep your great ideas to yourself,” Ann said to George.
Ann pointed a finger to George. He raised his hands as if she were holding a weapon. Shaking her head at him, Ann left the room. Em looked at George. He’d changed his shirt and washed the vomit off his neck.
“Is everyone still here?” Em asked.
“Most,” George said. “A group of them went to Bridget’s. They’re opening her house for people who don’t have electricity or power. Neighbors are dropping blankets and food there. It should be a wild community event. Your Isaac has rallied his flock, as well.”
“It sounds really fabulous,” Em said.
“Sarah sent an email out from the shop,” George said. “Less than an hour later, we had twenty slow cookers full of soup or stew. She’s organized a knitting brigade. Sam has sorted out snow clearing by neighborhood. Ann’s working to support emergency services. And the rest. . . well, they’re generally awesome.”
George gave her a proud smile.
“We have the nicest friends,” George said. “Everyone has chipped in.”
“And Sarah Good?” Em asked. “She wasn’t here and hadn’t called when I passed out.”
“She’s stuck in Washington,” George said. “She’s fundraising among her rich friends. They are trading convention visits to get the hotels to donate rooms for those who are out of doors. She also has raised enough money to buy rooms. They’ve found enough rooms for most of my people.”
“We can put money into that.” Em smiled.
“We’re feeding everyone,” George said. “The elderly. . . the vulnerable. . . Susannah’s filling the ‘in need’ list. Ann’s already delivered two babies in the middle of the store.”
“Nice of us,” Em said.
“Of course,” George said. “When you’re up and around, I’m heading out to get my folks indoors.”
Despite her sinking heart, Em gave him an encouraging smile.
“You said that we needed to fight the demons,” George said. “Do you remember?”
“I think so,” Em said in a vague voice.
“We aren’t sure how to do that,” George said. “Mary Ayer and Wilmot have been around the world looking for information about how to fight demons. They should be back any minute.”
Em shrugged.
“You just have to remember that they want to help,” George said.
“They’re being annoying?” Em asked.
“Pull-your-hair-out annoying,” George said.
“Good to know,” Em said.
“Listen,” George said. He sat down next to her on the bed. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Susannah or Ann?” Em asked.
George flushed bright red. Shaking his head, he looked away.
“I need to tell you something,” Em said.
George’s eyes flicked to her.
“Do you know why they arrested me?” Em asked. “In Salem Farms, I mean.”
“To break people’s resistance to the trials?” George asked.
“You really don’t know,” Em said.
“Because Giles was a demented old fool when he first talked to them?” George asked.
Em shook her head.
“What are you saying, Martha?” George asked. “And why are you saying this now?”
“I have this feeling that the next weeks will change everything,” Em said. “I don’t want all of this life and living to end without you knowing the truth.”
“What ‘truth,’ Martha?” George asked. “Which ‘truth’? That I loved you completely and was stupid enough not to make you leave Henry? Not to marry you right then and there? That I was too bullheaded to let you pay my debts, or that I was so certain they would pay me for my services or at least match the debt with what they owed me? Is it ‘truth’ that I was too vainglorious to see that nothing I could say would change their minds? That the entire escapade had nothing to do with witchcraft or godliness but rather. . .?”
Em put her hand over his, and he stopped talking.
“The only ‘truth’ that I have found is my love for you,” George said with a shrug.
“They wanted to know where you were,” Em said. She was so ashamed that she couldn’t look at him. “They tortured me for a month until they started on Thomas and Benoni. I finally. . . I finally. . .”
A tear ran down her face.
“Of course, you did,” George said.
“They dragged you from your dinner,” Em whispered.
“I knew they were coming,” George said. “Like the fool I am, I assumed that they would be reasonable. I wanted one last meal with my child and wife.”
“You knew they were coming?” Em asked.
“I knew the moment they arrested you,” George said. “But yes, I was warned as soon as they entered the county.”
“You knew they arrested me to find you?” Em asked.
“Of course,” George said. “I wanted to turn myself in so that you wouldn’t suffer, but. . .”
He scowled at her.
“What?” Em asked.
“I don’t know ‘what,’ Martha,” George said. “I didn’t. I knew that you were the only person who knew where I was. I knew that you were suffering terribly. I. . .”
George sighed and shook his head.
“I’d sent you away,” Em said.
“You told me to leave and never come back,” George said. “If I had known about Benoni or that the trials were coming or that living with you, day in and day out, would make me the better man I longed to be. . .”
George gave her a sad shrug.
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” George said. “You were tortured for weeks. They came after your children. Everyone breaks down at some point, Martha. Everyone. They were willing to find everyone’s breaking point. Good Lord, they pressed Giles to death!”
She held her arms out, and they hugged.
“I will tell you, my love,” George said. “I never will forget how I felt the moment I entered that filthy jail and found you there. I knew there was a God in Heaven because I got to spend my last days by your side.”
“And if it all ended tomorrow?” Em asked.
“I will thank the Lord for giving me so many perfect days and years,” George said.
He kissed her.
“I’ll talk to Susannah and Ann,” Em said.
“You’re sure?” George asked.
“They want a baby,” Em said. “Sam is already helping Elizabeth and a few of the others. John won’t. Giles wants to wait until Bridget has their child. It makes sense that you could help out.”
“You’ll let me know?” George asked.
Em gave him a quick nod. He kissed her.
“I love your generous soul,” he whispered.
There was a tap on their door.
“That’s Mary Ayer,” Em said. “I need to get up. Will you help me?”
George gave her a soft smile. Even though pregnancy hadn’t made her large, she’d grown out of most of her clothing. She had to guide George to clothing that she could still fit into. He helped her out of bed. The moment her feet hit the floor, a blast of wind shook the building
to its foundation. Em bounced back onto the bed.
“What was that?” George asked.
“It’s the demon,” Em said. “You might not be able to see him, but you can feel his wrath.”
George glared out the window.
“At least you know I’m not making this up,” Em said.
“Oh, Em, I never thought you were making this up,” George said. “You’re too. . .”
“Boring?”
“Honest,” George said with a smile. “Real, grounded, present. . . beautiful.”
Em touched the side of his face. For a moment, their eyes caught, and their deep love for each other passed through their eyes.
“Throw me my clothing,” Em said.
He tossed her a pair of his jeans, an undershirt, and one of his thick flannel shirts. He helped her get dressed while she lay on the bed. He grabbed her snow boots from the closet and set them next to the bed.
“It’s worth a try,” he said and gave her a soft smile.
She sat up and slipped one foot into a boot. When nothing happened, she slipped the other foot into the second. She smiled and stood. The wind and snow pummeled the building. George moved to help her sit down again.
“No,” Em shook her head. “This is my fight. I need to get to it.”
“It’s our fight.” George pulled her to him. “I’m sorry I put that burden on you. I was ridiculous. If some creature has a fight with you, he has a fight with me. Doesn’t matter if it’s Cotton Mather or a demon from hell. Your battles are mine to fight.”
“Ours, too,” Mary Ayer said.
Em looked up to see Mary Ayer standing in front of Susannah, Ann, Alice, and Wilmot. Alice came forward to hug Em. Soon Em was surrounded by her witches. The wind picked up, and the snow drove against the building, but they stood within the strength of their love for each other.
“George! George! George!” said a deep male voice, breaking their silence. The spirit of Martha materialized in Em’s bedroom dressed as Michael. She was wearing his US Army fatigues. For all of her feminine ways, this aspect of Martha’s spirit was all male.
George looked up from his position in the middle of the witches.
“Stop fucking around, Captain!” Michael said. His voice was so deep that it seemed to shake the air around them.
When George turned to look at the spirit, the witches shifted away from each other.
Suffer a Witch Page 36