Dragonjuls` Storybook
	Incantations
	Main Story Concept by:
	JM Dragon
	As Suggested by: Heruda
	Contributing Authors: JM Dragon, Vi, Heruda, Erin O'Rielly
	© by JM Dragon, Vi, Heruda, EO 2002
	mail: incantations
	Site and Story Disclaimer

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.MAIN CHARACTER LISTING.

SARAH GOOD – SMALLHOLDER – WITCH

ABIGAIL PARRIS – PHARMACIST – WITCH

INCREASE MATHER – PROFESSOR – LIBRARIAN

ANNE PUTNAM – STUDENT

JOHNATHAN PROCTOR – STUDENT

DORCAS GOOD – SARAH'S DAUGHTER – WITCH APPRENTICE

GUY DE-VILLE – PROFESSOR – WARLOCK

DALE ROUNDTREE - BULLY

GLORIA-ANNE PUTNAM'S HOUSEKEEPER

TEKCHUBA – SARAH’S CAT

BALTAZAR – ABIGAIL'S DOG

JULES – SARAH’S ACCIDENT

GLASTONBURY – LEADER OF THE WHITE ORDER

BELDEVRIE – LEADER OF THE BLACK ORDER

EVIL – DO I NEED TO SAY MORE!

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Three Hundred Years ago…

“That was a close call, next time we take action much earlier!”

“What do you mean earlier, how would we know?”

“Our people were being persecuted on a grand scale so there wasn’t the best time to intervene. We should ensure that a failsafe is put out to prevent it.”

“As always Glastonbury, you think your potions and incantations will do the trick.”

“You would suggest otherwise Beldevrie?”

The head of the white cauldron order gave the head of the black cauldron order her full attention. As always, the warlock decried everything the white order did and made fun of its plans. One day the warlock would rue the day, for the moment having thwarted the dark demon that wanted to take over both orders and the population of earth. They had stopped the menace this time, however had not completely distinguished the threat. In centuries to come it would re-appear and the old remedies would not be of any use to them.

“I suggest when and if the time comes again we act. Only a fool would waste resources on such an idle threat, we did after all win.”

Glastonbury had not enjoyed the uneasy alliance she had to forge with the black order to remove the threat not only to their orders but the whole of humanity as it was now. She had to hope that in the future should it happen and she was sure it would at some stage; they didn’t have to combat both, the ignorance of the masses and the evil too. Time would only tell on that.

“Perhaps this battle and not the war! You must do what you think is right. I will, of course, do what I think is fit in the circumstances.”

“They won’t praise you for it Glastonbury and it will weaken your defences against my order.”

Beldevrie had long watched his opposite gather more witches to her ideal of witchcraft and he had to watch it dispassionately. In the future, the world would change and more and more would head in his direction. Greed seemed to be a habit that forged alliances to his black art. As it had always done in the past, so shall it be in the future. According to Golgolyne, in a couple of hundred years they would far outstrip the whites in numbers and that pleased him greatly. He could wait, what was a few hundred years between friends.

“I do not want praise, I want my people to be safe in their practice. As should you Beldevrie, as should you.”

“Oh if one or two fall by the wayside there will always be others. Look at what I gained from this last fiasco, a coup I would say.”

The warlock glanced over to one of his followers. She was a fairly new recruit of only forty years. It had been her death that had made her what she was today, a follower of the black magic rituals. Strange that she was an innocent at the time of her death but alas, there are always innocents in a battle and she had decided to join his ranks on her way to the proverbial heaven these uneducated masses loved to talk about.

He had joked with Cousin Gabriel about the conquest, as she had fallen victim to her own kind’s prejudice. So she had been offered another chance to follow him in the black cauldron order. It was rare and few consented. This one had been angry and easily fell to his charm.

Glastonbury looked around her and felt pity for many that had succumbed, at the end, to the black side of their art. She had not done so badly herself out of the fiasco; surprisingly there had been the odd one or two that had followed the white order. Having reason to be thankful, one in particular had been something of a coup for her side, especially knowing whom the father was.

“Yes a coup. I hope this is a final goodbye Beldevrie.”

As the light slowly descended the horizon, the head of the white cauldron order disappeared without waiting for an answer.

“And she says we use magic for effect!” Beldevrie chuckled as he looked forward to his new order rubbing his hands. Now, was as good a time as any for a really good party.

Present day…

Increase Mather had been a professor of folklore and legend for thirty years. It was a fascination as a boy that had led him to the special study of the occult and magic. He’d even go so far as to say he was something of an expert on the subject of witchcraft. Mind you, with a name like he had it wasn’t surprising that he had developed this particular interest.

His name derived from the 1700’s puritan who was part of the dreadful witch-hunts when all hell had been let loose. However, his mother had been what she called a Wicca…a solitary one, as she lived too far away on a remote farm to join a coven. His father had been an easygoing guy who had thought his wife’s fascination with witchcraft, something of a family standing joke. Although his mother had come into her own when she had used one of her potions to help the local doctor, when an epidemic of influenza had threatened the nearest town population, having run out of standard medicine to treat them. She had been feted for years afterwards and he, naturally been inquisitive, had found out as much as he could from his mother. Over the years he had become basically embroiled in the subject without actually becoming warlock himself.

Now working in the bowels of the local library he had chosen over a professorship of a prestigious University five years ago, he had followed every lead and snippet of information in his quest to understand the subject with authority.

He had never come across, physically, a real witch, either black or white who had special powers…the ones who could command spirits or the shape-shifters and the worst one of all…the witch with the evil eye.

“Professor Mather, do you think you could spare me a few minutes?”

The quiet question posed by a rather curvaceous blonde young woman whom he had met at a lecture he had given at the Local College this semester. Since then, she had been over to see him several times on research for her paper about the social crisis in Salem back in the 1600’s.

Pulling off his reading spectacles he smiled warmly at the young woman, if only he were thirty years younger. Sighing quietly at the thought, he stood up from his desk and walked over to the doorway where she stood.

“Of course, of course Ms. Putnam, it will be a pleasure.”

“Please professor, I’d prefer it if you call me Anne, no one calls me Ms. Putnam unless I’ve been caught napping in class.”

The smile and gentle tinkle of laughter brought a grin to the older man’s face as he watched her. She was a New Englander by birth but had been forced to move to the mid-west when her parents had been killed in a car accident and her aunt was now raising her.

“Okay, I think I can do that if you promise not to fall asleep when I impart the information you want.”

“Oh professor really! You are never boring enough to send me to sleep. Quite the reverse, I find your talks riveting. Makes me wonder why you hide yourself away inside the library and don’t actually teach class full time?”

“Well Anne, call it a fascination that I have been lucky enough to indulge in most of my life and I’m really quite happy browsing through all these old books. What can I do for you?”

“I was wondering if you knew the backgrounds on a few of these people or can steer me in the right direction to find out.”

Showing her list to the professor, Anne saw his face crease in concentration. He really was such a sweet man and so knowledgeable about this area of history. Some of the other students called him an odd person and stayed clear of him because of his lack of interest in the social side of the small town.

Walking out of the building Increase mused over the list. All of the names were people who had died at the hands of the witch hunters of Salem. He could pretty much recite all their life histories if required. However, he felt that the young woman would be better served if he gave snippets of information and she did a little research herself.

Just as they entered the lawn area, a large brown, ancient looking hound dog ambled over. Certainly not a threat to anyone, it stumbled a few times and looked up with hangdog eyes at the professor.

“Now boy what are you doing here at this time of the day?” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a treat for the dog, which immediately scoffed the morsel and looked for more.

“Is he yours?” Anne leant down to stroke the dog, who starred at her for inspection for a few seconds, then accepted the caress easily.

“No…I have no idea who he belongs to. He arrived a few weeks ago from out of nowhere and has turned up everyday either here in the gardens or at my home for a treat and just sits watching me and then gets up and leaves. He doesn’t seem under nourished far from it. He must belong to someone locally but I don’t know who.” Although I have my suspicions."

“He follows you home?”

“Not exactly, he turns up at my home at the weekends. If I didn’t know better I’d say he was spying on me.” Laughing at the absurd thought.

“Do you live far away?” Anne’s interest had peaked at the disclosure. "Wonder who he belongs to?"

“No, the house you can see on the hill.”

“Want me to make enquiries in town?”

“Sure, he’s a harmless old thing like me I guess and loves a little company.” The old man chuckled as he sat down on a bench describing some of the people she had mentioned in her list.

“Sarah where the heck are you?”

Abigail Parris shook her red hair kept tidy to a degree by the simple ponytail. Nothing spectacular just a habit she had never forgotten from her childhood. Her angular and determined features silently cursed the woman she shared the small homestead with.

She was just about to shout again when Dorcas Good spun out from around the lobby door almost bowling her over. Not entirely the truth but close, as the small girl was like her mother in many ways, stocky. Although actually saying that about a six-year old female was debatable, nonetheless to Abigail it was the truth.

“Dor have you seen your mother?”

Baby blue searching eyes looked into the amber one’s of the woman who was her friend crinkling her nose as she answered.

“Nope, not likely Abby, you know she doesn’t like me running around the house.”

Giving Dorcas a long thoughtful glance Abby asked, “what have you been up to today?”

Slipping her hands to her side Dorcas gave a palm up sign, as she spoke, “nothing!”

Abigail had lived in this house with the Good women for over a year and she had seen that expression before indicating the child was into a prank or two.

“Is this nothing something I need to know about?”

“Don’t think so Abby,” then had to smile as the woman didn’t believe her, she had a way of always knowing when she was telling stories. Thank goodness her mother didn’t have that talent.

“Really, so where are Jules not to mention Tekchuba?”

Then the door to the room opened and a rather flustered and grimy faced, short, stocky woman bustled in muttering.

Both the woman and child observed the brunette walk around them. Seemingly they were invisible and as she started to look in every cupboard drawer.

“Can I help you with anything?” Abigail had seen this before. The last time drawers had been emptied onto the floor and it had taken them hours to tidy up afterwards.

Looking up, her brown eyes dazed for a moment and then she realised who was in the room with her, “Oh, it’s you! What are you doing home, it’s only midday?”

Shrugging her shoulders Abigail growled slightly, this woman aggravated her beyond belief but she would get over it. She would! She was sure of it…may the white cauldron order help her!

“I have some news that I thought you might be interested in.”

Straightening up to her five feet two inches, which had nothing on the much taller woman at five eleven, “Okay what?”

“I think I’d like you to answer my question first?”

“Why? I’m not doing anything.”

“Now I know where Dorcas gets it from.” Exasperated, Abigail sat down at the kitchen table and moved away some of the articles that Sarah had thrown there.

“What? What are you talking about?” this time Sarah glanced down at her daughter, she was cute no getting away from it and for some odd reason she liked Abigail Parris. One had to wonder why the woman was so stuffy and self-righteous. Not surprising with her upbringing but even so, did she always have to be the one to have all the answers first?

“Sarah we need to talk, I need Baltazar has anyone seen him?”

Mother and child looked at each other and with the same expression shrugged their shoulders and tipped their heads.

“Just tell us the bottom line Abigail, I’m sure he won’t mind not being here. You can tell him later.”

Deciding that Sarah was probably right, she looked at mother and daughter and gave them a serious expression.

“Seems we have an incident in town and it can only be what we hoped wouldn’t happen. Seems Johnathan Proctor has been meddling where we didn’t want him.”

“A boy has? But why, what does he know and how do you know?”

This was serious if he had been meddling it wasn’t the right thing to do at this time. They had too much to lose.

“I think you will also find that the local librarian has been snooping or should I say inciting the situation.”

“The old man who lives on the hill? He seems so nice.”

Abigail had to wonder about Sarah at times, she really wasn’t on the ball. Just as well, she always was.

“Nice is okay but we know better don’t we.”

“What does the boy know Abigail?”

“He’s been putting everyone around here onto his data base and checking them out…figure that one out.”

“He can’t do that it’s…it’s illegal! I told you those computer thingy’s were the main evil on earth. No one listens to me though do they!”

Sarah pouted. She really didn’t like that at all. Couldn’t the boy find something better to do with his time?

“Illegal it may be but unless someone finds out and tells the authorities, then he can do what he likes and obviously does.”

“How did you find out and who else have you told?”

Abigail looked at Sarah with disgust. This was turning out to be a trial and a real patience breaker.

“I haven’t told anyone else yet but I’m about to if I can find Baltazar. Where does that dog go? He seems to go missing frequently these days.”

“Probably to get away from you most likely. Where is Tekchuba anyway? She’s usually here for all the gossip?”

This time Sarah looked at her daughter who innocently smiled back up at her.

“Come on Dor, what have you done with her today?”

“Nothing!”

“Are you sure? Last time you said that, I found her locked in a cupboard?”

Giggling, the child had to stifle the laughter as both adults gave her a grim expression.

“Oh no, not again!” this time both women echoed the same statement.

“You look in the cellar Sarah and I’ll go upstairs. Can’t you keep your child under control for just one minute?”

As a departing retort Sarah glared at the other woman and spit out, “I would if you didn’t meddle so and help her with those new spells!”

Abigail flicked the child’s chin gently and grinned at her, yeah who? She obviously!

A Year earlier…

“She’s not progressed Beldevrie, I’m sorry.”

Beldevrie had long since kicked himself over accepting this particular member into his order. It had been a coup at the time but now three hundred plus years later, she was nothing more than a clumsy burden who still hadn’t mastered the most simple of spells.

Many times he’d toyed with the idea of sending her to the white order for the fun of it. Old Glastonbury would love the challenge. Plus she had baggage that caused problems too; together he doubted Glastonbury would cope.

“We have little time to prepare her, have you done what I asked?”

“Yes. May I ask, can’t someone else go in her place? Others better able to carry out such a major task and better suited for the role of protector of our order?”

Beldevrie pulled at his short dark beard. He was especially proud of the fact that his beard still looked as it did the day he took over the order, what was that now…oh yes, eight hundred years ago, how time flies when you’re having a blast!

Except at this moment in time he wasn’t. He was annoyed that once more he was being forced into an alliance with that bitch who controlled the white cauldron order. Glastonbury would be laughing at him, he was sure. Well, she had asked for the same people that had helped in the last battle with the evil, which threatened them again and so be it, she could have it and gladly. Maybe his burden wouldn’t come back.

“Bring Guy to me, I have a task for him. Now, I need to speak with our witch here and explain what she needs to do.”

“You had better make it simple or better yet tell Dorcas, something tells me all of Sarah’s common sense went to the child when she was born.”

Beldevrie laughed at the slight, for it was probably true, Sarah did have trouble with the simple things in life.

“Sarah please come over here, I have a task for you…”

Same Time Frame In The White Order…

“Abigail, let me get this straight, you have no wish to do as I ask and go back to earth and help in this rather dangerous mission?”

Abigail starred at the leader of the order she had no wish to anger her. At the same time, she had hoped after the last time she was on earth she might just be allowed to forget it and stay away from the physical world.

“Glastonbury, I wouldn’t quite put it like that. Are you sure the old evil is stirring again? Who brought you the information and has it been corroborated by the followers of Beldevrie?”

“Beldevrie as we speak is arranging his own personnel. He fully understands and acknowledges the threat to our orders.”

“The information was gained at the expense of several of our singular witches. They sacrificed their lives for us to see the threat manifest itself again. I have few choices Abigail and you have no choice at all. I’m very sorry my dear.”

Glastonbury was over three hundred years old when Abigail joined the order. She had then proved to be a fine witch in every aspect and had since gained her own personal following, though only second to Glastonbury. There was no threat to her leadership however, Abigail had no need she was still a very young woman and her time would come. Or she would perish, as would their order in the wake of the evil that troubled them once more.

“I’m a white witch and although I say it myself, I’m very good. I have choices Glastonbury. That is what we pride ourselves on, not like our opposite number the black order or am I wrong?”

Quizzical amber eyes surveyed her mentor, surprised at the woman’s choice of words.

Glastonbury had a soft spot for this witch. She was brilliant but so very self-centered and that red hair of hers allowed many a fine temper to be stoked up. One would say better suited for the black order…almost!

“I understand your question Abigail. Will you listen to a story and perhaps then you will reconsider my request?”

“Go ahead seems fair to me.”

“As you know we were under threat once before and by good fortune two people in particular were, by default, on earth and made choices that brought about the dissolution of the evil before it had time to take any major control. You Abigail Parris were one of them the other was…”

“Proctor, hey Proctor, where’s my assignment?”

Johnathan Proctor wished he were with his parents in Jamaica, taking in the sun and the women. However, he wasn’t, he was here in this small town being hounded by a guy who could, by looking at him, make him quake in his boots!

The obnoxious, large man loved to kick the smaller guys around the campus. Dale Roundtree was a bully, had probably always been a bully and now in college excelled in the status even more. By accident Johnathan had left his computer terminal open with some sensitive information on it. The guy didn’t know what to do with it and Roundtree had blackmailed him with that knowledge ever since.

Johnathan didn’t have any friends to speak of. He was the shy retiring sort who kept to himself. Nonetheless the girls constantly hounded him for a date, as he had the Latin looks that made him stand out in a crowd. He would rather spend the free time he had with his computer than have a girl on his arm. He had plenty of time to indulge that particular pastime after college or so his Mom kept telling him.

“Yeah I have it.” Pulling out the sheets of paper and handing them to the guy.

“Thanks, I’ll let you know what the new assignment is after De-Ville’s lesson later. Don’t go without me seeing you or you will be sorry.”

The thick set Roundtree laughed as he pocketed the notes and went to his next class, if indeed that was where he ended up, more likely behind the gym smoking dope.

“Damn!” John spat out after the guy had left, not realising that someone was watching him.

“You should stand up to him, he’s nothing more than a bully.”

John swung around to look at the person who had seen him rule breaking.

“What would you know?” Jon muttered as he looked around sheepishly, hoping no one else had seen the exchange.

Walking up to Proctor, Anne Putnam smiled at him, he was a strange cookie this one. He could have a marvellous social life in college but he preferred to be on his own.

“Oh, I’ve seen the likes of him before, want me to do something about it?”

Giving her a strange glance Jon shrugged, “ what you going to do, put a spell on him?” The young woman had been branded weird because of her insistent interest in witches and witchcraft.

“I wish…no, I was kinda thinking that maybe a little of his own medicine.”

“You giving Roundtree a piece of his own action? Pull the other one it has bells on.”

“Hey, not everyone has to be physically strong to get the point across. I hear he comes from a stout puritan background and you know what they say about those ‘starches’, they still believe in witch hunts and the power of the supernatural.”

Perplexed the young man wondered what the woman was actually going to do? “I still don’t understand?”

“Do you believe in magic, Johnathan?”

“Never really thought about it before. Why, do you?”

“Oh sure! It’s all around us if we know where to look. Want me to find us a witch and hex the man?”

The young man shrugged, “do what you want, I’m out of here.”

Anne Proctor laughed at the man’s retreating back. She had only been joking to try and make the upset man laugh. It hadn’t but the more she thought about the prank, the more she considered it a good idea. After all, she had been brought up in an area that was soaked in witchcraft history, none other than what used to be Salem. Wouldn’t surprise her if the folks around here thought she was one!

Stomping around in the cellar, Sarah cursed her daughter and the white witch that had been her shadow for the past year. She had done as Beldevrie had insisted but hadn’t realised that the deal meant living under the same roof as a white witch. They had to pretend to be friends. She was a widow with a small daughter and her friend had come along to help pay the bills. The one saving grace was they had decided on a homestead far enough from the town to enable them not to have to live that close together. Fortunately, Abigail was of the same mind and she had completely refurbished the old stables to her taste, which she had done with her gift of spell creating.

Sarah on the other hand, had taken over the ramshackle house on the land and tried several times, unsuccessfully, to do the same. Sarah had done more damage than good as her spells had a rather irking ability to go wrong every time. Dorcas had finally howled that she wouldn’t stay in the house if her mother didn’t stop trying to literally bring the house down.

She was a disappointment to Beldevrie. She had known that after the first century. After all, she was still in the first class of witchcraft and had been there for over three hundred years. Dorcas had progressed further than she had in the single year she had been on earth but only because of Parris, who had reluctantly taken the child in hand and tentatively passed over some of the white witch secrets. Abigail had said it was safer. The safer part did not dawn on Sarah until much later.

Now, she was grubbing around in the cellar looking for the newest spell that Dorcas had cast on the other members of the household. Suppressing a grin of pride as she considered how clever Dorcas was for a six-year-old…okay, three hundred and fifty six.

What was in the cellar that hadn’t been there before…

Abigail, along with Dorcas holding onto her hand, checked for anything new upstairs, that had appeared suddenly. The child played around with spells that were far more portent then she was capable of and as usual Tekchuba and Jules took the brunt of the young witch’s mistakes.

Although Abigail was annoyed at the situation, she had to praise the young child. She really was rather good at the spells. Certainly far more adept than her mother, who really should consider a career change, she was hopeless.

“Do you remember which spell you used today Dor?”

Glancing around she heard the negative response and continued her quest. If Glastonbury ever knew what she was creating, she was pretty damn sure the leader of the order would have her ousted. Still, they were working with the black order at the moment, so what could it possibly harm.

As she looked around the attic space, Dorcas stood looking out over the rooftop her eyes glued to a spot. Abigail wondered what had caught the youngster’s attention and went over to look out for herself.

“I see it Dor…”

Placing a gentle hand on the child’s shoulder, she turned her away and whispered for her to go and fetch her mother. It would take the two of them to retrieve this situation.

There on the apex of the roof, stood a figure. It was black as night and looked like a statue cast in iron, very much like a weather vane but this vane was different, oh yes, very different.

A dragon’s head on a cat’s body gazed out over the horizon, oblivious to everything around them. That was where Tekchuba and Jules had disappeared too; they had been cast into an unusual weather vane. How did that child accomplish such a fete? It was hard to change the composition of the physical form for even some of the most practised witches but young Dorcas had the knack and she used it.

Opening the window, Abigail tentatively looked out over the roof. She really hated heights but someone had to go retrieve the object and bring it back into the house so that they could reverse the spell.

Slowly, with her eyes fixed on the object she required, rather than the distance between her and solid ground, she made her way towards her goal.

As she reached her destination, the wind appeared to shift suddenly in speed and felt it tugging at her with a vicious force. That was all she needed, to be blown off the roof!

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Sarah knew of Abigail’s dislike of heights. It was for her a flaw in the perfect veneer that the woman seemed to transmit. Why did she always have to go it alone? Serve her right if she fell off!

“What does it look like?”

Placing a hand firmly on the object, she pulled and tugged for several seconds but couldn’t release it.

“It won’t budge.”

Dorcas, with bright blue eyes, watched as her mother climbed out the window and joined Abigail on the roof. Slowly, sidling towards the taller woman who was tugging with little luck at the weather vane.

Finally arriving at her side “let me try.”

Placing her smaller but stronger hands around the neck of the vane she tugged hard. Several attempts later she had the object in her hand but as she did, several slates slipped and she felt herself falling towards the edge.

“Oh shit!”

Abigail had been watching the tug of war and watched in slow motion as the woman slipped and began a descent that could injure her.

“Watch out, I’m coming!”

Reaching towards the smaller woman who had one hand clutching the object and the other a part of the roof, Abigail grabbed Sarah's shirt to prevent her from slipping any further.

“You’ll have to drop the weather vane and I’ll haul you up.”

Sarah stared into the amber eyes of the white witch. Did she know what she was asking?

“You know I can’t do that! If it was Baltazar, you wouldn’t consider it either.”

Was she right? If it had been Baltazar, would she have said drop the object?

“Sarah, I can’t hold you like this for much longer, you are too heavy.” It was true too, the stocky woman wasn’t exactly a lightweight and her shirt was starting to rip.

“Thanks for that reminder!” Pondering her predicament she knew that Abigail was right, when wasn’t she! What of her friends though, if she did? Any damage that a fall of that dimension might inflict may be irreversible.

Wishing it was otherwise; she reluctantly released the weather vane and watched it fall to the ground with a crash.

Abigail held out her other hand, bracing her feet against the roof to stop herself from falling. Sarah grabbed the outstretched hand and was hauled up to a safer point as they both looked down to stare at the ground and the mangled metal object that used to be their friends.

Both women gave each other a solemn glance and startled, they then gasped, as a familiar voice shouted up at them, “Watch what you send flying off the roof please, some of us walk around down here!”

The affronted superior voice of Tekchuba whined at them as they smiled at the fact that maybe the falling from the roof had broken the spell.

Looking around, the two women anticipated seeing Jules but no evidence of her could be seen.

Scrambling off the roof, they both flew out of the attic space with Dorcas smiling and following at a much slower pace. Adults, they did some strange things.

As they both flew out of the side exit, they had to pull up short or they would have kicked the black cat that was smugly cleaning a paw in what appeared to be boredom.

“Jules, where are you Jules?”

Scanning the area they both saw nothing but pieces of debris from the weather vane and what they surmised to be their friend Jules.

“Look what you made me do?”

Brown eyes accused the white witch; as Sarah bent down to examine the pieces on the ground.

“Give me strength from inept and ungrateful black witches,” Abigail muttered under her breath.

As they both speculated on what to do next, a throat was cleared behind them and a tall blonde handsome man stood watching the rather desperate looking females digging in the dirt. One was much taller than the other, her appearance chic and elegant in a casual way. The other looked like she had just mucked the stables out, her clothing in a complete state of disarray.

Looking up at the intruder, they both groaned for different reasons.

Abigail, because she hated the man and wished she could ban him from the homestead and Sarah because she wondered why everytime he came around, she looked such a mess.

“Dare I ask what you two ladies are doing?”

Rolling her eyes, Abigail stood up and declined to speak leaving it to Sarah, after all, he was her ‘friend’.

“Oh Guy, how nice to see you we…that is we had a slight accident, Dorcas has been experimenting again.”

Guy turned to stare with his seemingly black eyes at the small child, who gave back the level glare without flinching. She did however, move closer to Abigail who put a friendly hand on her shoulder.

“You really should restrain her Sarah, we don’t want to bring attention to the homestead, do we?”

Sarah, rather shamefacedly, looked down at her leatherwork boots embarrassed. She wished that just once, she could come out looking good in his eyes. It hadn’t happened yet but one day surely, one day she would.

“We’ve lost Jules.”

“Lost Jules? Oh my dear you haven’t, mores the pity, the pathetic looking creature is coming over the ridge with Baltazar, unless you sent Baltazar out looking for her?”

“She is? Wow, that’s wonderful! Abigail, we haven’t a problem, it wasn’t Jules and Tekchuba on the roof after all!”

Brown eyes sparkled at the news, ignoring his sarcastic description of their friend. Shaking her head, Abigail had to wonder what Sarah saw in the malevolent man, he surely was related to Lucifer himself!

“I’ll go check, you can appraise De-Ville of the current status.”

“Great!”

Sarah motioned for Guy De-Ville to follow her into the house and as she did so, he bent down and stroked the black cat’s ears.

“Nice to see you Tekchuba.”

The cat purred in satisfaction at the attention and licked the man’s hand. “Nice to see you too Warlock De-Ville.”

Striding towards the paddock area, Abigail saw two figures turn into the grassland and then heard a small voice breathlessly shouting her.

“Can I come too Abigail? I don’t like that man!”

Starring at the child who was running as fast as her chubby small legs would allow, she wondered how strange it was that this child should have to live with the black order, when all her talents and her inclinations were towards the white order. Glastonbury might be able to help the youngster at some stage, they would have to wait and see.

As the child came closer Abigail dropped down and lifted her up and placed her on her shoulders, “let’s go see what Baltazar and Jules have been up to.”

Grinning, the child looked over to the two ambling figures, one a hound dog who always looked sad and tired but really wasn’t. The other was a three-foot tall dragon with an emerald green body and a tuft of blue on its head. This was the only dragon that couldn’t breathe fire, but she was great fun to have around, even if she was one of her mother’s mistakes.  Jules really should have been a cat!

Johnathan looked over the new data he had been correlating of the people in the town. Other than the odd speeding citation nothing much happened around here, except for the odd case of bullying that was never reported, as he well knew.

He had been fascinated in people’s daily lives, not really to be a sneak more to understand the social structure in the town. They had been given an assignment to gauge the social patterns in the area but he had gone further and actually had a working model on his computer that out stripped anything the lecturer had in his notes. He would take the data and use the information for graphical and statistical data only. He wasn’t out to persecute or snoop on people he only wanted to prove his theories, he needed to delve deeper and had the facilities and knowledge to do so and did!

Now he had stumbled upon something strange, he had been correlating the smallholdings just outside of town and one in particular didn’t hang true.

The Bishop farm was a small one barely fifty acres of farmland, the home to two women and a child. Sarah and Dorcas Good and their friend Abigail Parris, nothing strange there at first. It wasn’t uncommon for two women to run a farm in this day and age. However Abigail didn’t run the farm she was a pharmacist and worked in the local pharmacy in town, the old man who had previously owned the shop retired a year ago in unusual circumstances and she had taken over. All that he could find out was basic stuff her birth, school records and college; absolutely nothing was available on her financially or personally.

That had made him suspicious and so did the same checks on Sarah Good and surprise, surprise she came out exactly the same zilch! The daughter too was an enigma, no matter what track he went down they were more like a statistic than a real person.

Having contemplated this he knew that talking to the authorities was out, they would find out about his illegal probing into people’s lives however innocent.

Should he maybe go over and see the women and ask a few pertinent questions, he could use a college assignment as the excuse for asking questions.

He didn’t rightly know what to do and he didn’t know anyone well enough to help him make the decision, maybe it was better to forget it altogether, less trouble that way.

As he considered that he remembered his encounter with Anne Putnam…yeah perhaps that might be interesting she looked the type who loved a little mystery.

Anne Putnam I have a little task for you!

“The boy is irrelevant he will find nothing amiss we covered everything remember when we came here.”

Abigail was stroking the head of Baltazar as he lay beside her chair, he listened as intently as his mistress did, and he was not fond of the black Warlock and knew his mistress hated the man.

“I’m aware we think we thought of everything if he probes too deep….”

“You white witches are so cautious! Of cause he wont find anything, now we have other matters to discuss Zeb is coming.”

“Zeb? Oh does that mean what I think it means?”

Sarah smiled as she thought of the rather ugly goblin that was the message bearing from both orders. The Goblins had become quite invaluable for their middle of the road stance, they neither cared nor took sides in any dispute, and their only pursuit was to make a living and this they did between the two orders.

Zeb was an affable character and loved to visit Earth, he found being in the sunlight stimulating after spending centuries in the dark caverns.

“Does that smelly creature have to come here?” Tekchuba whined as she sipped from the milk in her dish.

“I think he’s fun.” Jules preened back her small wings that allowed the dragon a modicum of flight as she countered the cat’s rude comment. Other than Sarah and the dumb blonde guy, Tekchuba was self-centred pretty much tolerating the rest of them including Dorcas.

“Same here,” was the rumble from Baltazar as he continued to relish the gentle touch from his mistress.

“It usually means we have more news, perhaps finally Beldevrie has convinced Glastonbury that the threat she perceived wasn’t a threat at all but some petty bickering between witches.

“We don’t bicker in the white Order” Abigail glared at the man she didn’t like him but a part of her hoped he was right they really hadn’t seen any evidence of the evil returning.

“Really? You could have fooled me I thought all women bickered and it was all women that perished I do believe?”

Sarah knew the antagonism between the white witch and the black warlock could become quite fierce if allowed to continue and she had put Dorcas to bed and didn’t want to disturb the child.

“Enough! When Zeb arrives we will know. When will that be Guy?”

De-Ville snorted as he answered, a primal need rang out in his body each time he encountered Abigail Parris and it was getting stronger and stronger. Sometimes he didn’t know what he wanted to do most, kill the witch or make love to her, perhaps one day he would find out!

Continuing to spar with the white witch as their eyes captured the others, “Tomorrow afternoon. I have a lecture that I can’t put off but make sure the both of you are here to listen to him, and I’ll catch up with you in the evening to discuss the news and make the necessary plans.”

Standing up he picked up his dark cloak that looked rather silly on him in Abigail’s opinion, she didn’t commented however as she loved knowing he was a fashion disaster and all the campus laughed behind his back.

As Guy left them for the evening, Abigail heard Sarah muttering under her breath. “I hate planning they never seem to work out.”

Stifling a smile she had to agree…Sarah’s plans never did quite work out, now hers had a rather better success rate.

Tomorrow they would know what was happening; maybe they all could go back home to their relevant Order’s. As she considered that she wondered if she would miss anything about this last year on earth…Dorcas and Jules she figured, otherwise…

Her eyes wandered to the woman who was still muttering… okay maybe Sarah too in a strange kind of way. For the woman was rather irritating and needed looking after when things didn’t go her way, which was rather regularly in her opinion.

Tomorrow they would find out.

Anne Putnam was drinking a Cappuccino in the local Starbucks, her favourite coffee-house except for her mother’s own brand which now tragically was lost to her. Reflecting on her family, there were the odd times when she wallowed in her grief. It was becoming less and less these days and her aunt was wonderful.

Lisa Putnam, her aunt, was a businesswoman who travelled the globe for her company, a logistics expert fluent in four languages, which helped to smooth the path somewhat. Never having settled down, she had been shocked that her elder sister had asked if she would be guardian until her niece was twenty-one. At first the thirteen year old and the thirty something had a difficult time, eventually they had found things that they both had been interested in. At the next vacation time, she was going to have a month long trip to China with her aunt, who had to go there on business. Having travelled Europe and most of America in the last six years, she had to admit she had been very lucky. Her aunt could have been a selfish bitch and dumped her in a boarding school. She hadn’t, finding a decent housekeeper who became a mother figure for them both, Anne suspected. Gloria even commented on some of Lisa’s girlfriends. Sometimes she wanted to ask her aunt if she was the reason none of them stuck around, although Gloria had once said her aunt was too picky and anyway she was never around to keep up a decent relationship. Whatever it was, she hoped her aunt would find someone to settle down with one day and be happy.

“Is it okay if I sit with you?”

Johnathan Proctor lifted his eyebrows to his forehead and waited for the woman to answer him.

“Sure, are you taking up my offer on the bully situation?” Grinning, Anne saw the embarrassment flood the handsome face, well it was better than most of the handsome jocks she had ever met, they always thought they were God’s gift.

“Not exactly…I do need your help though.”

Placing his espresso on the table between them, he dropped a manila folder in front of her.

Glancing up into his eyes, she saw a doubt creeping in, the guy was one shy cookie. Okay, she would play along with the situation.

“I take it you want me to read this?”

“Yeah, would you like another coffee, my treat?”

“Okay, Cappuccino please.” Opening the file and looking at the contents, Johnathan left to fetch another coffee.

A few minutes later, he was back with a selection of cookies too.

“You hungry?” Anne smiled as she saw the selection; maybe he had a sweet tooth.

“No, at least yes, I thought maybe you might like to share?”

Selecting a chocolate chip cookie, she looked at the man in front of her; he was the kinda guy your parents would love. He appeared to have everything except a sense of his own worth. Otherwise, why be bullied?

“What do you think?”

“What do I think?”

“Yeah, about the details inside the file?”

“Well…”

“Yeah?” The young man eagerly awaited her answer.

“I think you need to do more research.” Passing the file across to him and biting down on another cookie, blueberry this time.

Disappointed, he gave her a hangdog expression and collected his papers as he stood up.

“Where are you going? You haven’t finished your coffee or cookies yet?”

“You can have them, I need to…do more research as you say.”

The tone indicated to Anne that he was unsure as to what research or how he was going to go about it. If he had asked the professor, he would know all the details about the women in the folder. After all, they were on her list too and the professor had been a font of knowledge for her.

“Professor Mather knows all about the Salem people, if you want to do some decent research.”

“Salem people? What do you mean?”

Johnathan was perplexed…Salem people, what was she talking about?

“You were at the lecture about Salem and you need backgrounds on the people involved. Though I think you need to add more than those three to your research, Professor Ranclay doesn’t take it well if you only do half the assignment.”

Johnathan watched as Anne Putnam sipped on her coffee. She hadn’t got it at all, had she? It wasn’t history he wanted to know about…it was people today!

“These people are alive here in this town today!”

Anne glanced up intrigued. She knew that her name was familiar and had caused a few chuckles in the lecture hall and when she thought about it…when she thought about it, the professor had a linked name.

Picking up her satchel, she rummaged inside and brought out her notebook scanning the names she had written down and yes…yes it was here!

John Proctor!

“Johnathan, sit down please. You and I need to talk, tell me what you’re thinking?”

Smiling the young man sat down and presented the facts, as he knew them.

Sarah paced the hall, she wanted to go to the stables and see what Abigail and Dorcas were up to but her pride refused to allow it!

Looking at Jules she wondered…

“Oh no, not me this time Sarah, you promised!”

Sarah smiled at the dragon. She was cute in a reptile kind of way and all things being equal; her mistake had brought about a pet for Dorcas. The dragon always went to sleep at the end of the child’s bed and was rarely far from her side, unless Dorcas was in a mischievous mood and then everyone scattered, even Abigail who would never admit it.

“Jules, it’s really quite harmless. I just want to cast a spell on you that will have you float invisibly over to the stables. You can tell me what the two of them are up to, simple really?”

“Sarah, please, not me! How about Tekchuba, she loves to snoop and especially on those two.”

It was true, the cat didn’t like either of the females, possibly because they were a threat to her superior standing as she saw it. Sarah on the other hand, wasn’t a threat. She was far too dense to be on Tekchuba’s level, even if she was human.

Considering the plea she shrugged, Tekchuba would sense one of her spells and disappear until the threat, as she saw it, was over. The dragon on the other hand, was far too soft a creature to do that.

“It has to be you I’m afraid, Jules. Tekchuba isn’t around or I would have tried.”

Sighing heavily, the dragon considered fleeing but knew it was useless, the black witch was after all, her mistress and she had the power of control. Pity the feline didn’t ever think that.

“Okay.”

Sarah opened the door to the study where a circle was drawn and went across to the book of shadows on the pedestal at the window.

“Stand in the circle Jules.”

Flicking over the pages as she motioned for the dragon to do so. This was going to work. It had to! Everything was so simple.

Sarah saw strangers coming through the gates of the drive, what did they want? Her mind totally absorbed in the newcomers, she failed to notice that Jules was no longer in the circle, in fact, nowhere at all!

“What’s an incantation Abby?” the child grinned at her making the older woman wonder why she bothered, the child was so precocious.

“A spell, nothing more than a spell.”

Walking over to the volume of spells she kept on her oak desk, Abigail stroked a slim finger down her cheek wondering which one the child might recall this time. It was becoming increasingly difficult to prevent the child from experimenting; at least this way there was some control. Leaving it to Sarah might have the whole town on their backs by now, not to mention the world, knowing Sarah’s mix-ups!

Sarah could do certain things correctly but they had nothing whatsoever to do with magic, either black or white. The woman could cook and could she cook! She had a wonderful way with creatures on the land and was friendly enough to make the nearest farmers help her out when the rains came. She was also a very good mother figure for Dorcas, albeit the child had her own weird foibles, putting those aside, the love that Sarah gave to her child could never be questioned by anyone.

Basically, the woman was a wonderful homemaker and a terrible witch!

“Can I do a singing spell Abby?”

“You want to make people sing?” There couldn’t be any harm in that she supposed, not that she personally had ever seen the need to use such an incantation, this was a small girl and that would probably account for it.

“I’ll find one.” Flicking through the pages she found just what they needed.

“Okay Dor, let’s see if you remember this, shall we.”

The small girl watched the woman, her attention totally committed.

“That’s the general spell Dor but you need to identify who you want it to apply too and then we add the name.”

“I can do it, I can do it!” The child shouted in glee and clapped her hands.

“Okay who?”

“You! I want you to sing!” Abigail’s face turned sour for a moment and she wagged her finger in the child’s direction.

“What did I tell you when I said I’d help you with the spells. It cannot be applied to me! Under no circumstances can you use my name in a spell, do I make myself clear?”

Abby was mad, she heard that, it reminded her of the numerous arguments that Abby had with her mother, usually they made up and were friends again. Abby was worse than those people who had been mean to her last time she was on earth for getting mad, they had chained her to a wall for hours and hours and days! Sometimes, Abby frightened her but she was always nice afterwards. Not like that man who came to the farm. Sometimes he was bad, real bad. He would kick her under the kitchen table when he didn’t think anyone was looking. Her mother liked him so she didn’t say anything but one day soon she would turn him into a frog and see what he thought of that!

“Okay Abby, what about my mother?”

Smiling at the thought of a singing Sarah Good, it would be quite amusing except for one thing, Sarah was tone deaf and no spell was going to change that!

“Dor, how about someone else?”

“Jules, Baltazar or better still Tekchuba! Yeah, Tek doesn’t like us, so what about her?”

Admittedly it was tempting to do so but a white witch didn’t do that.

“Sometimes Dor we have to let people and creatures who don’t like us have their opinion and not make a fool of them because we can. How about we think about it for a short time and I’ll show you how to levitate that stone over there, what do you say?”

(Considering the offer, not that she knew what Abby meant. If Abby was offering to show her it would be worth it and she would think about the singing.)

“What’s levitate Abby?”

“Levitate…well its hovering, I suppose I’m going to make the stone rise off the ground and just stay in thin air.”

“Wow, come on Abby get on with it!”

Dorcas’s face was rapt as she waited for the action. Abby had to admit the child could easily be re-focused but that wasn’t surprising, was it. Trying to recall what she was like at six year’s old.

As she tried to recall the spell she heard voices from outside, one was Sarah’s, the other two she didn’t know…unexpected and unwanted visitors!

Increase Mather looked out towards the small farm that two women had purchased about a year ago. Maybe they owned the dog that once again had followed him home for lunch and was now resting easy on his porch waiting for the usual snacks that Increase gave the hound.

Yesterday he was sure he saw the dog and another creature, which he couldn’t quite make out, lazily making their way to the farm gates. Perhaps it was time to visit his neighbours. Not that he was a particularly visiting kind but he had heard rumours that the two women were solitary and kept to themselves generally. A trait he didn’t see as sinister. Except in their case there was a child involved and she didn’t attend kindergarten, some notion that she suffered from a disease that wouldn’t allow it. Strange because he was sure he had seen the child frolicking in the fields most days.

He didn’t have any research to do today, so why not research his new neighbours? Now what to take them as a welcome gift?

Musing that subject he looked down at the dog and spoke softly.

“I wonder if you do belong to them my canine friend and if you do, what are they really like?”

Realising that the dog couldn’t answer him back, he stood as the dog barked at him. Laughing as he thought the dog had tried to answer.

“Come on boy, lets go see the neighbours, you can show me the short cut.”

“Who are you? What are you doing on my property?” Sarah’s brown eyes glared at the two young people that had walked into her yard.

Anne Putnam heard Johnathan try stutter out a reply, so she took over smoothly. “We wondered if we could bother you to help us with a research paper we are doing for the local college?”

“A research paper? How would we be able to help you?”

Sarah eyed the young woman carefully. Obviously she was the stronger of the two. The young man seemed totally out of his depth. Women in this time were far superior to the men at this age than they had been in hers. A slight smile crossed her lips as she wondered what the old persecutors would make of women today?

“Well, it’s about lifestyles you see and we thought if you could answer some questions…” Anne trailed off as a strident voice behind her sternly replied.

“We don’t answer questions!”

Spinning on her heel, Anne gave the intruder a sharp glance and then grinned as she saw a beautiful small girl hanging onto the taller woman’s hand, the child’s smile quite infectious.

“Really? Well if you could just look them over first, maybe you might be persuaded to change your mind?”

Johnathan felt eyes on him as he continued to look at the dirt at his feet this wasn’t going to be easy and he thought he could do it on his own! Not a chance in hell, this place could be hell.

“I resent that!”

Abigail stared at the young man as she spoke and he looked up guiltily, could she read his thoughts?

“You resent what? That I asked you to look over the notes?”

Anne was dumbfounded at the sharp retort nothing she had said so far would have warranted such a reply.

Sarah looked at Abigail and realised she had heard thoughts that didn’t sit well with her, not much did with the white witch but perhaps this time she had the right attitude.

“Sorry, we don’t believe in being research guinea pigs. If you wouldn’t mind leaving please.”

“But….”

“You heard her, now leave! Or would you prefer it if I called the police and they ejected you?”

Anne gave the stern looking woman a hard gaze, she was one party pooper this one. If it had been the other gentler woman, than she was certain she could have won her over, now what did they do?”

This time Abigail laughed at the absurdity, Sarah gentler? Wonder what she would think, if she knew she was a black witch and could turn them all into toads or snakes or whatever happened with one of Sarah’s jumbled spells?

“Are you laughing at me?” Anne was annoyed with this woman. She appeared to know what she was thinking. Maybe her own theory wasn’t far short of the mark and they might be witches, she wondered….

Abigail turned to make eye contact with the young woman; she was spunky for a child, rather more so than the drip of a boy she had brought with her. He might be a looker but he certainly didn’t have any backbone.

“Can I do it now Abby?”

All eyes turned to the child as she spoke her voice clearly happy and unaware of the tension around her.

“Not now Dorcas, later!”

“What does she want to do?” Sarah asked interested, wondering what the pair had been up too. Then she suddenly put a hand to her mouth as she remembered Jules…oh no, what had happened to Jules? Abby was gonna kill her if she had done something bad to the dragon.

This time, Abigail looked at Sarah as she spoke and then realised that something was wrong as she saw the aghast expression cross the smaller woman’s face, what has she done now?

“Please leave.” Abigail motioned to the gate as she walked over to Sarah and whispered or perhaps hissed what was wrong.

As the two older women talked quietly and walked away from the others, Dorcas looked up with innocent 'butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth' eyes at the young couple.

“Can I do it now?”

Anne and Johnathan looked at each other. Whatever it was couldn’t be any worse than the caustic tongue of the woman called Abby.

“Sure, I don’t see why not,” Johnathan replied with a grin at the child. He was much more comfortable conversing with the younger generation than his own.

“What’s your names?”

Shrugging at the innocent question Anne replied. “I’m Anne and this is Johnathan.”

The child grinned at them, and very softly started to sing. At least that was what the two onlookers thought she was doing, not that they could make out the words.

As they turned away the child shouted for them to stop. Anne turned back and smiled at the small girl, she really was a cute kid and so nice.

“We can’t your…” Anne put a hand to her mouth as she couldn’t believe it, she was singing the words.

Clearing her voice, she tried again and this time Johnathan laughed at her, as did the child.

“Anne, you need to get a life.” The young man’s eyes popped out of his head as he too sang the words reminding him of a Gilbert and Sullivan opera, as he was laughed at by the child. Who was giggling so much, she was virtually rolling about the yard.

“…Jules! You used Jules again! For goodness sake Sarah, don’t you ever learn?”

“Learn? How can I learn if I don’t practice, it’s okay for you!” Both women were screaming at each other in whispered tones. What Abigail would really like to have done is cast her own spell on the black witch but she had sworn not to do so, whatever the circumstances.

“I did it! I did it!” both women heard Dorcas shouting as she rolled on the floor laughing at something. As eyes turned to the subject of her mirth, they closed them quickly as they saw the young couple speaking to each other except they weren’t speaking, they were singing, that could mean only one thing…

“Dorcas? I told you later!”

This was too much as Abigail stomped towards the couple who glared at her in both anger and trepidation, what was going to happen next?

As she did so, two more bodies entered the yard from different directions and Anne paled in shock, as did Johnathan, were they seeing things?

“I’m not going to hurt you!” Exasperated at the expressions on the faces of the young couple, what did they think she was a murderer, far from it!

Unable to do little but point behind the woman steadily getting closer to them, Abigail turned to see what was so shocking.

As she did so, she heard Sarah say with feeling, “we have a problem, a big problem.”

For on the left of the drive from the side of the house came a tall old man they hadn’t seen before to talk to but both knew by sight, he was Professor Mather. Then to the right, having gained access from the fields was a short ugly goblin called Zeb, who had turned up just at the wrong time.

Famine to feast you could call this. Had someone painted on their entrance to the farm OPEN DAY?

Sarah looked at Abigail, she knew that they were in trouble now, deep trouble, what would the white witch do about it?

“Zeb’s gone.” Sarah smiled at the three visitor’s who still hadn’t done more than drop their jaws and wait for sense to take up it’s rightful place in their eyes.

Anne and Johnathan were loath to speak for they might still be singing and neither one of them wanted to make a fool of themselves any more than they had already. Although Abigail had assured them that she had taken care of the problem in two ways, she had broken the spell with a reversal incantation and sent Dorcas to bed on the pretext that Jules at some stage would follow the child.

The professor had literally taken the seat that was offered him in the kitchen and never moved. His eyes agape and his mouth moving every so often but nothing came out.

Looking towards Abigail who was making tea for the two of them, as the others had declined as indeed she might have done had the roles been reversed.

“What are we going to do with them?”

“I know what I’d like to do with them but it would go against my ethics. You on the other hand wouldn’t have a problem with ethics, now would you?” Abigail gave Sarah a speculative glance, would she or wouldn’t she?

“Well I…I of course don’t have the same ethics as you that’s true but…”

“Yeah, but what? If you don’t, we know who will, don’t we?”

Abigail was taunting the woman. She had been saddled with the incompetent witch for too long already and now Zeb’s news wasn’t going to make things easier.

“It was really a goblin?” all eyes turned to the professor who finally spoke out, his tone one of wonder and interest.

Rolling her eyes, Abby thought about reviewing her ethics for all of a few minutes to take care of the situation that had developed here.

“Oh yes, Zeb is a goblin and quite an affable one at that. He can tell a decent story….”

“Sarah please! Professor Mather, what exactly were you doing coming to our home?”

“My dear, I was bringing home your dog and I thought I would welcome you as my closest neighbour.” He dragged out a rather ragged looking brown package.

“We have been here a year and now, today of all days, you wanted to come over and welcome us, was there a large arrow pointing to our farm as visiting day today, by any chance?”

The sarcasm dripped from Abby’s voice. She couldn’t help it, they had to do something before De-Ville came or these poor souls wouldn’t see the light of day for several centuries, knowing his warped mind.

“No my dear but I do a great deal of research and …”

“Research you say, you wouldn’t by any chance be in collusion with those two, would you?”

The professor turned to glance in the direction of Anne Putnam and Johnathan Proctor. Shaking his head he smiled at the two sorry looking youngsters, they must be frightened as he was himself but age had a way of making you a little more self reliant in unusual circumstances.

“No, although I do know Ms. Putnam, she needed some help on her research recently.” He didn’t see the point in lying these women might be capable of far more complicated things than casting a spell that made people sing, not to mention had visitations from goblins.

“I see, what was the research?”

Sarah asked the question. Abby had done all the talking as usual but she had a mind of her own too and wanted to know as much as possible.

“The Salem trials and the unfortunate victims.” Sarah gasped at the statement and Abigail could understand how that would affect the black witch.

“Really and did you find out anything interesting?”

“Depends what you call interesting?” This time Johnathan spoke. He didn’t know why he did because these women scared the hell out of him but he was as interested as the professor; that was why he was here now!

“Yeah, it does.” Anne piped up for good measure. She wasn’t going to be left out and at least now she and Johnathan didn’t sing the words.

Sarah caught Abby’s gaze and decided to answer. It was up to her, the other woman was giving her the chance to explain in whatever way she wanted.

“You said you wanted to ask us questions on a research project, was that it?”

“In a way, yes.” Anne responded and gave the woman a tentative smile she looked so gentle. The other woman must have a hold over her surely.

“Go on please, what else.”

Anne turned to Johnathan, this was his idea in the first place.

“I found out that there are few records of you or Dorcas.”

Angry at the boy’s prying, Abby walked determinedly over to stand directly in front of him.

“So you are Johnathan Proctor? You have the audacity to check up on us? What gives you the right!” The boy shrank back in fear her words indicated she knew of him…but why?

“Abby, please! Getting angry doesn’t solve anything, does it? Guy will be here soon, he will decide what to do.”

Closing her eyes briefly, Abby knew that was what she should do, let De-Ville take care of this mess but…

Ignoring Sarah, Abby turned to the three others in the room and gave them all a long assessing glance, it would be up to them. Gulping in a deep breath she made her decision.

“You can come with me and I’ll explain certain elements of what’s happening here. Or you can wait with Sarah and take your chances with Guy, your call?”

The words were carefully modulated, they implied little to the people who listened, amber eyes that remained steady and calm gave no indication of anything either.

Sarah placed a hand on Abby’s arm as she starred at her in shock, what was she doing?

“Leave this to Guy Abby, it’s for the best!”

“We shall see, wont we.”

Professor Increase Mather knew there were messages he should have understood passing between the two women, after all, he had lived with a Wicca for a mother, hadn’t he? How did you tell if one was good or bad, who practices the white and who the black? Though in a household, his understanding was that the two branches did not mix in anything! Was this an evil household or a good one?

Anne didn’t like the Abby woman she felt safer with Sarah, although the mention of someone called Guy did kind of put a spin on the situation.

“I’ll take my chances with you, please.” Johnathan stood up and starred at Abigail Parris. It was a chance to understand and he was taking it.

Abigail gave him a shrewd glance and motioned for him to go to the door leading to the yard.

“Anyone else?”

Professor Mather glanced at Sarah and then to Abigail, neither woman gave anything away in their expression. “I’ll come too.”

“Okay, let’s go then.”

“What about me?” Anne spluttered, she hadn’t decided yet.

“You can follow if you want, if not I’m sure Sarah will make your stay pleasant until Guy arrives.”

Abby left the house with the two men in tow.

Starring at Sarah in question, “who’s this Guy person?”

Laughing as she wondered how to describe Guy it was quite difficult to do under the circumstances. “Oh Guy’s just Guy, you might know him, he’s a member of the faculty at the college, teaches archaeology.”

“Professor De-Ville? Is that Guy?”

“Yes, do you know him?”

Sarah’s expression became puzzled as she saw the distaste cross the younger woman’s face. “God do I! He thinks he’s God’s gift to women, no way do I want anything to do with him. I’ll take my chances with the she devil out there.”

Anne quickly exited the room and shouted to the three figures that had arrived at Abigail’s rooms at the stable.

As the young woman left to join her friends, Sarah wondered what she meant and then smiled as she thought about the last comment that the young woman had given. Abby was a hard task person but underneath it, she was as soft as putty in your hands. She however, might come across as soft but deep down she could be as hard as nails and it really wouldn’t have worried her too much if Guy had taken care of the three interlopers. It was his job, after all, to clean up any loose ends they might have. He was one of Beldevrie’s best warlocks and knew it too, that just added to his charm in Sarah’s eyes.

“I wonder how Abby’s going to stop him finding out about them?”

“If you want to remain safe and well, you must never and I mean never divulge what I’m about to tell you now. Not only could it be the end of us but also the end of the human culture, as you now know it.”

Abby’s face was solemn as she tried to relate why they were there.

“Go on Ms. Parris.” The professor was now totally absorbed with what was going on and if he could help, he would.

“It goes back three hundred years, to the time of the Salem massacre…now we are back again. One of the white order and one of the black to prevent the evil from coming back to take over! It is our charge that we find the evil and denounce it for what it is and make the general population aware of its duplicity without them finding out about us.”

“How will you do that?”

“We don’t know yet, we haven’t had any sightings or heard anything strange since we arrived here but things are changing according to Zeb and will change fast from now on.”

“Why here?”

Abby looked at the three rapt faces, each with their own degree of scepticism, as she expected.

“This is where the white meet the black, a gathering place you might call it, the only one that can lead to the destruction of our orders. It is here that we must stay and if the final stand comes, it will be here that we battle the evil.”

“What happens if you fail?”

“If we fail, then the human race will be enslaved by evil and nothing will ever be the same again.”

“Okay, okay everything sounds so melodramatic but what is the evil?”

Smiling wryly at the woman’s remark it was a very good question, “the evil of the heart Ms. Putnam. It is already seeping through the human race rapidly but now it is being controlled and soon very soon it will begin to knock at the door of all witches and warlocks or anything that stands in its way.”

“It isn’t tangible, we can’t see it?”

“At times, it takes form, very deadly form and even we have trouble controlling it, however we have so far and we will.”

“You sound so sure that you will stop the rot and prevent it from destroying everything.”

“Oh I am not so foolish as to think that. I do have some special skills that will help and now I want only your words that you will keep our secret.”

“Sure.” they all replied. If that was all she wanted, their word, that was easily given.

Please repeat after me, each one of you, in turn the following.

I...give my word freely and will honour it as I place this pledge of secrecy to the white and black order for the duration of the evil that rises. Let me not break this solemn pledge for evil will avenge it.

Grinning, Anne spoke the pledge as she w