As soon as they emerged she threw another stream of fire at them causing them to separate into different direction.
Prue pushed her sisters as she rolled towards Martha ready to use her powers the moment she stopped rolling.
Piper pushed Phoebe away from her and behind the small railing, hoping that it might help hide her sister to some extent, as she rolled to the other side of the small balcony.
Phoebe shook off the effects of her sisters pushing her out of the way as she started to get up. Though the next thing she felt were the cold hands around her waist and on her neck.
"Going somewhere witch?" he whispered in her ear.
Phoebe though quickly planted her foot down hard on his instep as she then spun around landing a roundhouse kick to the middle of his chest, sending him sailing backwards. She then turned to locate her sisters
The second Prue stopped rolling she was on her feet and sending her power straight through her hand sending Martha staggering backwards. But unfortunately it was only a stagger, as if Prue had only pushed her lightly with her own hand.
"You powers grow weak witch. The longer you are here the weaker they will get. You are no match for me." Martha laughed at her as she merely flicked her wrist and Prue felt herself flying through the air.
"PRUE!" Piper cried out as she watched her sister go flying. She immediately jumped out from her hiding place on the small balcony and went to her sister, pulling Phoebe by the arm in the process.
"WITCH!" the voice yelled out at them as Piper instinctively spun around to freeze whoever was yelling at her. To her surprise a crowd of the towns folk stood just on the edge of the woods. "Ok come on Phoebe we have to get the hell outta here." She stated as the panic rose within her.
"No Piper. It's now or never." Phoebe protested
"Then its never because unless you want to feel that rope around your neck again this is over. Face it we are stuck here. We are not strong enough to beat her." Piper shot back as she reached Prue whom tried to shake off her own dizziness from her flight.
"Whoa. So that's what my power feels like?" Prue said as Piper helped her back up shakily.
"Yeah it does. Now lets get out of here." Piper insisted.
"Piper we have to finish this." Prue said as she looked over at Phoebe who to her still looked pale
"Prue we can't defeat her, she is to powerful."
"Maybe we can help."
The sisters all turned to the sound of the voice and looked at one in particular. It was one they had seen before. It was not that long ago but they would recognize her anywhere.
As she approached the sisters she smiled knowing who they were.
"Oh my dear granddaughters." She held out her arms in a warm embrace. As the sisters embraced their great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother; Melinda Warren.
Martha seethed as Melinda once again interfered with her plans. But she would not let her once friend, defeat her so easily this time.
"You will not win Melinda." She hollered across the opening between them.
Melinda pulled away from her granddaughters as met Martha's eyes face to face.
"Martha you can not rewrite what has been written."
"Can't I?" Martha retorted back with an evil look.
Prue stood protectively in front of her sisters as she always had. "Piper what ever you do, make sure that the towns people stay frozen."
"Ok but I still say we get out of here." Piper said as she kept a cautious eye on Melinda and Martha.
"We have to see this through. I have a date tomorrow night and I plan on being there." Phoebe put in as her sisters bantered back and forth.
"You three were sent here for a reason. You must let us help you or you were here to help us." Rachel explained to them from behind.
"Ok you were the ones that stripped her of her powers not us." Piper shot back.
"Actually you were there too. In me; through my blood. The power of three has always existed, just not as powerful as you are now." Melinda told them as she stepped slightly forward to her once friend. "It has lived on through the Warren Line of witches, and will continue to do so. Even once you are gone and the power of three has fulfilled its destiny."
"So then why are we here now? We can't defeat her, you saw what she did to Prue. And Prue barely even budged her."
"And that is why we are here to help you now."
"Because you have our blood in you and we have yours in us. The power of six?" Phoebe figured out.
Melinda laughed as she looked at her youngest grandchild. "Well I think it is more the power of four, though you get the idea." Melinda held her hand out and took Phoebes, whom in turn reached for Prue's.
"Melinda! I will not let you." As she flung her arm throwing her every strength into her power sending the two of them flying towards the trees, before Phoebe even had a chance to touch Prue's hand
"PHOEBE!" her sisters cried out as they watched her fall helplessly in front of the crowd of people.
Just as she landed the crowd unfroze. Seeing their good fortune quickly grabbed Phoebe and helped Melinda to her feet.
"You will not be so fortunate this time witch." The man who picked her up roughly sneered a she lifted her off the ground towards the nearest tree.
"Piper do something."
"I'm trying its not working." Piper stated near panic as her sister was being dragged towards her final destination.
"Get the other two!" a voice in the crowd yelled out.
"No! They are not the witches you seek."
"Melinda you are under their spell."
"Their accuser stands before them."
"It is Martha who is the witch. She has stricken them with the illness that has plagued so many of the young women in the town."
"She lies. It is they. Melinda included, that have bewitched the town with the devil." Martha started in her own defense.
"Prue we have to so something."
"I know Piper." Prue said as she looked around to some how free Phoebe first and then worry about the rest.
The men had, in the confusion, bound Phoebes hands and managed to finally get her on the back of a horse as another draped the noose around her neck once again and tossed the other end over the tree branch.
Melinda seeing what was about to happen quickly broke from the arms that held her and ran into the back of the horse causing him to bolt before they had a chance to secure the rope to the tree branch. Bolting enough steps that he was free of the crowd and Prue and Piper could easily get to Phoebe without endangering themselves.
"You see, she is helping the witches. She too is possessed by the devil." Martha exclaimed as she tried once again to accuse Melinda. This time she would take her friend with her.
Having helped Phoebe down Prue wrapped a protective arm around her. As she cautiously watched what was happening in front of her. If the witch hunters killed Melinda then they would not exist.
"Come on you guys the power of three." Prue said as she took a hand of each sister.
"The power of three will set us free." They started though to their surprise nothing happened.
"Keep going." Piper encouraged. She felt something inside her start to stir. A power almost, though she wasn't sure.
"Piper try your power again." Prue said, as he too could feel the power course through her. To her relief the town's folks froze in their places.
"NO! You can not defeat me, I am stronger the you witches."
"Not today your not." Phoebe shot back casting a glare at Martha. As she took Melinda's hand in hers after she had made her way through the crowd of people
"Good witch you once had been.
Banished from this eternity.
The power of the Warren line,
Send you back to your own time."
The power swirled around them and through them ,as small particles of light shot out from where they stood, each light cast out towards Martha.
She felt the magic entering her. The power behind it was nothing she had ever felt. Powerful. "No you can not do this to me. I must win." She cried out as she suddenly burst into flames, her scream heard throughout the valley sending an eerie echo across the land.
As she disappeared they turned to the burning cabin and could hear the screams inside. They had forgotten about Giles until then as he had joined his wife in death once again.
They waited till they were certain that she had gone. Before turning back to their grandmother.
"Thank you." Prue looked at her. She saw her own mother in the eyes that looked back
"It was I that must thank you. Everything shall return to as it was meant to be."
"So how is that we are still here?" Piper asked wanting to get home and out of Salem before they found themselves with a noose around their necks again.
"I'm sorry about your friend Melinda. I know what it's like to lose someone close to you." Prue explained as she placed her hand on Melinda's arm.
"She was more then a friend. She was my sister."
The three sisters looked as shocked as anyone else did.
"You're sister? You mean sister witch right?" Piper asked though not really sure if she really wanted to know what she was thinking.
"I mean sister. She is my older sister by five years. We had our times when we got along great but then somewhere she lost her destiny. You see it was to be her children, as the oldest, that would one day bare the Charmed Ones. But then I started to have premonitions of my own family and I know that her destiny had changed.
"So because she turned to black magic and craved the power of evil." Phoebe stared to understand what Melinda was saying.
"She lost out on her destiny and they changed it." Melinda finished for her.
"Wow." Was all either of them could say.
Melinda held her arms out and once again embraced her granddaughters. "Take care of each other my daughters."
"We will." Prue answered as they all stepped back from the woman that started it all in their family and got their own destiny going.
Clasping hands with each other they felt a calm cover them as a white light basked around them. When it faded out they found themselves standing in the middle of a field with the tall oak trees around them.
"I guess we're back." Piper said as she looked around though cautious for any attacks.
"I hope so." Prue added as she looked around at their surroundings.
Seeing nothing but grass and trees she let her guard down slightly. "Phoebe?"
"I'm still thinking about what just happened to us." She answered quietly as she absently rubbed her neck where the noose was still hanging loosely around her neck. That Piper reached up and took off as she pulled her sister close to her.
"You ok?"
"Yeah. You know all in the day's work of a Charmed One. Drowned, hung, hung again."
"Well at lest you didn't add die in there." Prue laughed as she pulled both her sisters to her. The three of them hugging in the middle of the field.
"Ok can we go home now." Piper said as she took her sisters hands in hers.
"Yup. Our work here is done." Prue agreed as they started down the path that wound its way back to the village of Salem.
They were set to leave the next day after Phoebe had an evening with Sam catching up on old time.
"There is one thing I think we should do before we go guys." Phoebe said as they left the hotel for the train to take them to the airport.
The sun glistened down on the once dark village. Only the shadows from the trees could be seen as another warm day came half way down in the town of Salem. A town with as much history as Boston itself, but a history it was not proud of.
A ray of sun shone down on the memorial that was erected years before but it seemed to shine on one spot this day. And on the bundle of flowers that were there. The first bundle in almost 300yrs.
"To a unknown, but loved Aunt. May these be the light that lead you back from the darkness. Love always the Charmed Ones." The card stuck out from the flowers that were placed on the tombstone of Martha Corey. Another similar bundle was on Giles Corey. His card reading to an unknown yet loved Uncle.
Finally after over 300 yrs someone had recognized them for who they were. Witches. Good at one time, but caving to the dark side or power. Yet they were still family. Blood of the most powerful witched to ever roam the earth. Blood to the Charmed Ones. Witches that believed in and clung to their own past.
Thanx again to all those tht read my tale.. I got the idea when I was in Boston. I wanted to go to Salem but the flu prevented me the luxury.. The names or Martha Corey and her husband Giles, were real people. Giles was crushed to death and Martha was hung for witchcraft. the other names of witches that i named off in the begining were also tried and found guilty of witchcraft in Salem. Watch for my next tale, unless ou are already reading PAyment for Reveneg:The Essence of Life.. but you knwo me.. i'll have another one as well. very soon. again thnx for reading..
Stay Charmed
Di