The Catalyst
There are no new arrest between October and December, 1692, and many of those in prison, who were charged on 'spectral evidence' alone, are set free, although some are detained until they can pay their fees. Some remain in prison awaiting trial. The Court of Oyer and Terminer is disbanded, and replaced with the Superior Court of Assizes and General Goale Delivery. Trials resume in January of 1693.
On January 4th, 1693, Sarah Buckley, Margaret Jacobs, Rebecca Jacobs, and Mary Whittredge are tried and found not guilty. On the 5th, Job Tookey and Hannah Tyler are tried and found not guilty. On the 6th, Mary Marston, Elizabeth Johnson Sr., and Abigail Barker are tried and found not guilty. On January 7th, Mary Tyler is tried and found not guilty. On the 9th, Rebecca Johnson is cleared by proclamation.
On the 10th, Sarah Wardwell is tried and found guilty. Her two daughters, Sarah Hawkes and Mercy Wardwell, are tried and found not guilty. On the 11th, Elizabeth Johnson Jr. is tried and found guilty. Mary Black is cleared by proclamation. On the 12th, Mary Post is tried and found guilty. Mary Bridges Sr., Hannah Post, Sarah Bridges, and Mary Osgood are tried and found not guilty. Thomas Farrar Sr. is cleared by proclamation. On the 13th, Mary Lacy Jr. is tried and found not guilty.
On February 1st, Sarah Cole (of Lynn), Lydia Dustin, Sarah Dustin, Mary Taylor, and Mary Toothaker are tried and found not guilty. Lydia Dustin is not released because she is unable to pay her jailer's fees. On the 3rd, Jane Lilly is cleared by proclamation. On the 21st, Governor Phips writes to England that fifty-three people have already been cleared, failing to be indicted by grand juries or found not guilty at trial, and that he has vacated the death sentences of those who have been sentenced to be executed.
On March 10th, Lydia Dustin dies in custody. On April 25th, John Alden is cleared by proclamation. On May 10th, Susannah Post, Eunice Frye, Mary Bridges Jr., Mary Barker, and William Barker Jr. are tried and found not guilty. Sarah Cole (of Salem), Dorothy Faulkner, Abigail Faulkner Jr., Martha Tyler, Johannah Tyler, Sarah Wilson Sr., and Sarah Wilson Jr. are cleared by proclamation. A grand jury fails to indict Tituba. On the 11th, William Hobbs is cleared by proclamation.
On May 27th, Josiah Whitaker is tried for murder and witchcraft. He is sentenced to hang.
…
Salem, Massachusetts, May 26th, 1693
Josiah sat in the shade of a tree in the small cemetery, brushing imagined dust from the tombstone. He placed the bunch of gathered spring wildflowers on his father's grave. As he stared at the carved stone, he thought about the last seven months.
He had lived in fear that Gerald would run to the authorities and accuse him of witchcraft, but the larger boy had remained silent. Was it because he feared the pale boy's power, or because he feared his own secret becoming known? Josiah didn't know, but avoided the boy as often as possible. It had been easy as the winter months settled in. Freezing temperatures and heavy snow kept most of the villagers indoors in November and December.
This had also made it harder to sneak away to spend time with William, but they had managed on each full moon, and on an occasional afternoon. Unfortunately the harsh weather in January had taken its toll on his father, and he had passed late one evening in early February. Josiah had never felt so alone, with only the sporadic visits from his love to relieve the bleak thoughts chasing through his mind. He had not told William about Gerald's kiss and accusation. He feared the younger boy would seek revenge, and the cry of witchcraft would start up again.
March finally arrived, and with it, the first breath of spring. William came to visit him more often, and on the Vernal Equinox, they had met at their spot on the cliff to celebrate. They had cast the circle, and then performed a rite to bring peace and solace for the coming year. Afterwards, Josiah could fight temptation no longer, and they had truly become lovers.
He smiled softly to himself as he recalled that night two months ago. Now William often came to his home in the dark of night.
As the hysteria of the past year had begun to wane, and the gallows was dismantled by royal proclamation, many of the coven had left the area, though the Black brothers remained. Nathaniel had begun following Josiah around, taunting him, saying that he could steal William away from him easily.
"One kiss from my lips is all it would take to make him forget about you. You are pathetic, unworthy of him. Someday soon he'll see that you are weak, and will lose interest in you."
Josiah simply ignored the other boy and went about his business, content in the knowledge that William loved him like no other.
Sighing, Josiah bid his father farewell, and wiping the dirt from his breeches, left the cemetery. With a smile on his lips, he gathered up his pack and began the climb towards the cliffs, the warm breeze ruffling his hair. William had asked him to met him there at sunset. They were going to go away together. Someplace no one knew who they were. Someplace they could be together without fear of being caught.
He was early, he knew, but he didn't care. He was happy, content for the first time in months. His steps were light, and he was singing. He was so lost in his own world, he didn't notice the two boys slip from the shadows behind him.
…
William couldn't keep the smile from his face as he hoisted his bag over his shoulder and set out for the cliff. Soon they would be free of this place, free of the speculation, and free to be together. The birds in the trees, sensing his mood, sang louder, and he began to sing along with them.
He hadn't gotten very far before a figure stepped out into his path. "Going somewhere, Anderson?"
He frowned at Nathaniel, but didn't stop walking. "It is none of your business if I am."
"Off to play house with the outsider?"
William didn't look back at the other boy. Nathaniel was just an annoying pest in his ear.
"He's just using you, you know. He'll take all he can from you, your wealth, your power. He's nothing more than a leech. You'd be better off with him gone."
"Watch what you say, Black. Josiah is very powerful in his own right. And if anyone around here is a leech, it is you. You constantly want what you have been denied repeatedly. I shall never be with you."
The other boy snarled. "And you shall never be with him! I've seen to that!"
William did not want to believe the other boy, but the birds had suddenly begun to sing a warning. He spun around and slammed the boy up against a tree. "What did you do?"
The taller boy just laughed maniacally. "You won't get there in time. Neighbor and Parish will teach him a lesson, and then throw him from the cliffs!"
William punched the other boy, and then dropped his bag and began to run.
…
Josiah didn't have a chance to defend himself, the first blow left him stunned. The two boys dragged him into the woods, and proceeded to beat him. He screamed in agony as the blows seemed to go on forever.
And then suddenly the beating stopped, and he felt a hand groping at him. "You cast this spell on me! Now take what you wanted!"
He felt his breeches torn, and a hand roughly grabbing at him. Suddenly he found a burst of strength, and broke away from Gerald. Daniel just stood there in shock, not realizing what the darker boy had planned.
Josiah managed to stagger away, holding his pants up and running for the cliffs. Somewhere, somehow, his bracelet slipped off. He saw a form running towards him, and collapsed in William's arms, sobbing.
…
William saw the bruised and bloodied face of his love, the torn clothes, the shattered look, and the power swelled inside him. He heard Nathaniel running up behind him, saw the other two boys converge from the woods.
Screaming in wordless furry, he felt the wind racing around him as he held Josiah tightly to him. With the force of a hurricane, he hurled the wind at the other boys. It picked them up, slammed them together, knocked them into trees, and forced them to the edge of the cliff. Josiah whimpered in pain, and William lost control. Another, stronger blast of wind sent the three boys tumbling from the precipice, their screams cut off suddenly by the jagged rocks below.
The use of power left him feeling weak, and he collapsed to his knees, still clasping Josiah to him. From a distance, he could hear someone calling his name, but didn't have the strength to move. Moments later, his father came upon him, and saw him holding the other boy intimately. Other men rushed into the clearing, including the elder Black brother. There were shouts and confusion, but William was in a state of shock, and did not respond to anyone or anything. Someone shouted when they spotted the bodies at the base of the cliff.
Josiah was pulled from his grasp, and William became like a feral animal, attacking those around him, until he collapsed from exhaustion. He heard someone singing softly as he sank into the darkness.
…
The pale boy was in shock, pain and despair clawing at him. He could hear everything that was going on around him, but he could not bring himself to care, until hands grabbed him and yanked him roughly away from his love. He saw William thrashing and attacking those around them. Fearing the other boy would harm himself, or make them believe he was bewitched, he began to sing softly, a lullaby.
Unfortunately, his actions backfired. "He has bewitched my Son! You all are witness to this! See how he controls him?"
Josiah didn't have the strength to protest as his hands were bound behind him, could only wince at the pain. He was certain his ribs were bruised, and his left shoulder dislocated. They carried him away, and locked him in a cell.
He had only one thought, protect William at all cost. If it meant allowing them to execute him for witchcraft, he would do it to protect the man he loved.
…
The trial was a mockery. He only spoke once, when they asked for his plea. He glared at them, face still swollen and bruised. "They attacked me. I defended myself." He would not let them see his fear, would not let them see how much pain he was in. His only concern was that William was not there. Was he alright?
He remained stoic as they read the verdict. "Guilty."
He remained stoic as they sentenced him to be hung immediately, "to stamp out the witchcraft, once and for all!"
He remained stoic as he was lead to the gnarled tree near the cliffs, and stood on the wooden block. He glared out at the crowd as the noose was placed around his neck.
His only regret was that he would not get the chance to tell William one last time that he loved him.
…
William woke slowly, unsure where he was. As the world came slowly into focus, he recognized his own bedroom. How had he gotten here? And where was Josiah? As the thought flitted through his mind, he had a distinct memory of his father cruelly pulling the boy out of his arms. He sat up and looked around. The house was silent. His father was gone, then.
He dressed quickly, intending to go to Josiah's home and see that he was alright. As soon as he stepped outside his door into the midday light, however, he knew that something was wrong. The birds were silent. A flash of yellow caught his attention, and a small warbler flew near, dropping something at his feet, before retreating into the woods. He glanced down at the object glinting in the sunlight.
Josiah's bracelet.
His heart raced, fear coiling through him. He picked the strand of stone beads up, and suddenly, he knew. He could feel the other boy's fear, could sense his resolve to protect him.
William began to run, the birds in the sky guiding him. He broke into the clearing with a shout. "Father! Stop!"
He saw his love's face fall at the sight of him. "William! You should not have come!"
But he had to. He couldn't let this happen. He couldn't let the man he loved die for him. He heard his father speak, to call his love an affliction.
"Love is not an affliction! I love him!" He could hear the murmurs of the crowd, but all he could focus on was the man who held his heart.
"William! No! Don't!" Josiah sobbed.
He turned to the pale boy. "I cannot let them do this to you! It was I who killed those boys! I confess! They attacked Josiah! I killed them to protect him!"
"No! He lies!" Josiah screamed, but William didn't stop.
"I am the one who enspelled him, Father!"
The crowd began to murmur among themselves, some looking between the two boys speculatively, some with a calculating look in their eyes.
"He has confessed to witchcraft!" He heard the elder Black brother shout.
"No! He is bewitched! He would say anything to save his master!" His father shouted, but the grumbling of the spectators grew in volume, and some of them began to push forward, unheeding of the Magistrate's proclamation.
"He is a witch!" Black shouted.
"Take him to the jail!" Gerald Neighbor's father screamed.
"William! No!" The bound boy shouted. "Run, my love! Save yourself!"
"I will not leave you!" William tried to reach for him, but cruel hands pulled him away.
"Stop!" Nathaniel Anderson called out, trying to place himself between his son and the mob calling for his arrest. "Once the witch is dead, my son will come to his senses! He is innocent!"
"Run, William! Please! Get away!"
The Magistrate turned to the accused. "This is your fault! You infected my son's mind with your corruption! The Devil take you!"
He saw his father kick out, knocking the block of wood out from under Josiah. The resounding snap of the neck was shockingly loud in the sudden silence. For a moment, all was still, except the swaying of the body, and a small yellow bird that had been startled from it's perch in the tree's branches, causing the songbird to take flight.
William could only stare in shock for a moment, refusing to believe that his love was dead. He reached out a hand, but could not touch that beloved face, for that would force this to be true.
He clenched his fist as the power began to surge within him, stronger than he had ever felt it before. Slowly he turned to face the man who had sired him, who he hated more than anyone else.
"You killed him! How could you! You killed him!"
"I did it to protect you! His spell over you is broken now!"
William looked down at the ground, closing his eyes briefly. He could feel Black's gloating gaze upon him, fueling his rage even more. When he glanced up, he saw his father flinch in fear as he saw the raw power glowing there. His mother's line had been one of the most powerful in all of Europe, and the most powerful among the coven here, and he harnessed every ounce of that power now.
"I was never under his spell, Father." As the dark boy spoke, the ground beneath his feet began to shake. The crowd began to panic as they stumbled against each other. Even Black was stunned by the amount of power he was using. The skies overhead darkened with storm clouds, as all of the elements converged within him. "I am my Mother's child! It was she who taught me the craft in secret! Do you think I did not know it was you who had her accused and hung? And now you have killed the man I loved!"
He could barely contain his rage, could feel the Earth roiling beneath his feet as it soaked up his emotions. He felt as if he could rend the Earth in two, destroy them all for what they had done to his precious Josiah.
"I am the witch you seek, Father! Now hear my words, for this is my curse upon you! You shall remarry, and produce a son, and he will grow and produce a son, and he will produce a son, but none of them will be content in life! Their love will wither and die inside them, and they will know no joy, for generations to come, until the day my love is reborn. Only he will have the power to break the curse!"
He clenched his love's bracelet in his fist, whispering to the man before him as the power broke free. "You are no longer my father. From this day forward, I claim my Mother's name. William Anderson is dead!"
Thunder boomed, echoing in his ears as lightning flashed, and he felt himself being transported away in a vortex of wind.
"Long live Mathias Dalton," he whispered into the sudden silence, before he collapsed, spent.
…
Lima, Ohio, October, 2010
Kurt smiled down at his phone as he read the single word again. Courage. He had found himself smiling more in the last few days than he had in almost a year. Blaine made him feel as if he could take on anyone or anything.
Which is why he found himself chasing down Karofsky minutes later, after the jock had slapped his phone out of his hands and shoved him into a locker. He confronted the boy, demanding to know why the jock would not leave him alone. They shouted in each other's face.
And then the larger boy was kissing him. He stood in shock for a moment. Something snapped inside of him. He felt something welling up, and then burst forth from him. He was surprised when the larger boy stumbled away, pushed back by an unseen force.
Kurt felt a tingle from the bracelet on his wrist, but could only stand there, staring at the stunned football player. After a moment, realizing what he had done, Karofsky punched the locker next to Kurt's head, and ran from the locker room.
Suddenly feeling weak and shaken, the pale boy slipped to his knees. What the hell had just happened? He felt tears begin to fall from his eyes. He didn't know what to do. Instinctively, he pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed a number.
…
In a hidden underground cellar below Dalton Academy, Wes opened his eyes. "He has awakened."
…
A/N Okay, I had intended to explain more about Dalton's coven in this chapter, but it got much longer than I expected. Next chapter I will cover the coven's origin, and you'll learn more about Black's curse.
As you might have guessed, we've pretty much finished with Salem, and the rest of the chapters will focus more on what happened after William (now Mathias) appeared in unclaimed Ohio territory.
Reviews are always welcome!
