They stood there in near shock. Martha Corey was a real witch. Yet she maintained her innocents till the end. But what confused them was why she had not said anything about Melinda and Rachel or any of the others in their coven.
"Ok so that kinda explains why she wants revenge against us." Piper said as she stepped towards the window.
"Yeah Prudence was the key to our arrival. Who ever Martha's new Master was, knew that Melinda would eventually be found out and burned at the stack. He needed Prue dead so that the Charmed Ones would never exist." Prue put the pieces together.
Phoebe starred down at the words they had just read. Something seemed familiar to her. "They knew. They've always known. They still do." She rambled out almost catatonic.
Prue and Piper looked at each other and then back to Phoebe.
"Phoebe, honey. What are you talking about?' Piper asked as she looked at her sister wondering what was going on.
Phoebe didn't say anything at first. Then she looked up at her sisters. "When I was in NYC some friends and I went to Salem."
"Ok not a very good place a for a witch to go." Piper put in.
"I didn't know then. Anyway we went and stayed at Stacey's cousin Sam's. His place looked right over a graveyard." She waited but got no reply from either sister. "Well he was telling em that every year on the date that the witches were killed, the people of Salem leave flowers on the graves of the witches and on the headstones that are up marking the towns dark past. Anyway every year it's the same. There is never anything to remember Martha or her husband. Sam says that the town felt that they truly were evil."
"Looks like the town was right." Prue said after a long pause.
"Ok we get that she was evil here but why does she want to kill us all of a sudden. I thought she was after those that convicted her." Piper said in puzzlement.
"I don't know. But I don't think we are going to find out tonight. Let's get some sleep and figure it out in the morning." Prue suggested as she made her way to the attic door.
Piper looked after her and then to Phoebe before following her sister out of the attic.
Phoebe waited a few minutes before she reached down and picked up the book they had been reading. Closing the door to the attic she slowly made her way down the stairs to her room with the book in her hand
Curling up on her bed she pulled the covers around her as she leaned against the headboard. Picking up the book she continued to read where she and her sisters had left off.
"I had just lost my husband and best friend in one night." Phoebe started to read out again.
Salem 1691:
"Melinda are you sure you do not want me to stay?"
"I'm ok Rachel really."
"We have to do something with them. They nearly killed Prudence."
"And if they had then the prophecy of the sisters three would not come true. She is the key to them I am certain. Otherwise why would they want to kill her and not me?"
There was silence between the friends as they both thought of what was lost that night. A husband and a friend. A friend that had turned to the black magic that they had sworn to fight against.
"Melinda if you need anything you let me know."
"I will. Please be careful, there is no telling what Martha will do to stop us."
"I will." Rachel step out of the door from her friends small house. She nodded to the policeman that was standing there protecting her friend. If he knew he was protecting a witch he would not be so eager in his job. But it was not assured of anyone who was a witch. Only that Martha and her husband had committed a crime and the law sought them after.
--- ----
"Martha what are we to do?"
"We will not panic Giles. We will succeed in this task if not for us then for all of the witches everywhere. That child will be our finally destruction."
"But she will also be the start of the destruction of the evil presence in the world."
"Her heirs will bring forth the most powerful witches we will ever know. It is those witches that will bring down our new Master."
Giles looked up at his wife. He knew she was right. But he still had a hard time getting used to what they had truly done.
"Giles we must stay together and we must stay strong."
"I know my dear. But Prudence is just a baby."
"A baby that will one day bring us all down." She explained again as she walked in front of her husband into the forest deeper.
--- ----
"All I can tell you Mr. Stoughton is that I feel Martha and her husband are possessed by the devil himself. She tried to kill my baby last night and her husband tried to prevent my own husband from stopping her. I lost him in the fight to protect Prudence." Melinda explained the next morning when the magistrate appeared at her door.
He looked back and forth between Melinda and Rachel. And then over to the small bundle that lay sleeping in the cradle. "I will send my men looking for them. So far we have had no luck finding them at their home or near by."
"Thank you William."
"No thanks needed Melinda. You are my friend and this witch business in this town must stop. And I pledge my sworn oath that I will stop it." He stated as she left the house and started down the small rock path to the road.
"Corporal. Find the Coreys. I want their necks in a noose."
"Yes sir." The corporal answered as he went in search of more men.
They were all scared of the witches that had been accused in the town. No one knew what he or she could do. Or what they would do to prevent their arrest.
"Melinda what are we going to do?"
"We are going to stop them only way we know how." She said as she saw the wonder in the faces around her. "We are going to find them and bind their powers. So when they are caught they will not escape."
Everyone looked back and forth between themselves. Could they do that? Bind the powers of one of their own?
"It is the only way. If they are caught they could harm an innocent person and we can not have that." she further explained. Though everyone understood what he or she needed to do.
--- ----
They moved with caution towards where they felt they would be hiding. Setting the crystals in the correct places they stood outside the small cabin and joined hands reciting the spell that they all knew to well.
In this hour and in this time
We call upon the ancient times
Those bound within the magic
Their magic no more exists
A bind that is now a bind that is forever
No more does this magic exist
They held fast as the wind swept around them. Not sure what to expect they waited until Martha appeared from the door before them.
"What have you done? This is not over yet Melinda. Your family will not endure what is to come."
"It is Martha and your evil days are over. You tried to kill my family's future. I will not let you continue this."
"You can not stop me. You are not strong enough to stop me."
"I am, and I have. You turned to the other side and that is something none of what. We were family Martha and you betrayed that trust."
"Your future will not come to pass Melinda. You can stop me now but some one will stop your line from becoming your future."
Melinda looked up at Martha. What had gone so wrong between them all? She turned at the sound of people coming through the woods as she and the rest of the coven disappeared into the darkness. They could hear the small struggle as Martha and Giles tried to fight off the police and soldiers that had come for them.
"You will not get away with this Melinda. You have not heard the last of me." Martha cried out to the darkness.
The months went by and nothing more was said about Martha or Giles. She had been found guilty of witchcraft yet her husband was yet to stand trial.
Sept 19, 1962
"Giles Corey you are to be interrogated for your refusal to stand trial for the accusation of witchcraft."
"You can not do this. I have done nothing wrong." He cried out fighting those that held his arms fast
The judge looked down at him knowing what he had done yet with out the accused standing trial he could do nothing about it.
They had led him out to the courthouse and to the gallows where his interrogators would torture him into confessing.
The pressure was more then anyone could bear. One by one another rock was placed on the other ones. Gasping for breath as the pressure increased, soon unable to take in another breath, Phoebe bolted upright trying to get air to her lungs. As she cried out in pain to her ribs and stomach as her sisters came rushing in.
Prue and Piper held her as she tried to regain some awareness around her. Piper rubbing her back gently as she slowly took in the air around her, as Prue just held her hands and whispered that everything would be ok. But would it? She felt the death of a man she didn't even know from hundreds of years before her birth. Was this the beginning of something that they were now involved in or was this the revenge the ghost spoke of?