7. FAILURE

Abby found herself outside the prison and walked around the building until she found the window to Sarah's cell. Sarah was in the basement level so Abby had to lie on her belly on the ground while Sarah stood atop her bed. The small window was barred but the two sisters held hands through the window while they talked.

"Sarah, I'm so sorry that this happened to you." Abby said, "Please, tell me how I can help."

"There is something you could try but you would have to use the craft. Are you willing to do that?" Sarah asked.

"Yes Sarah. I will do anything! I tried to put these ways behind me because I thought God was punishing me for doing that spell but even after I stopped terrible things continue to happen. I just don't know what to make of it." Abby said.

"Maybe I didn't do a very good job of teaching you. The craft is hard to define. It's not necessarily magic and it has nothing to do with devil worship as Reverend Parris would have you believe. I told you before that it is more about bending the laws of nature to your will. Like knowing its language and being able to communicate with it. There is no good or evil in it, it is just nature. Do you understand?" Sarah's eyebrows were pushed together.

"Yes, I think so. But tell me what to do! Is there a way to make nature bend these bars?" Abby pushed on the bars but they didn't budge at all.

Sarah smiled. "I'm afraid not. But there is something else we could try. I want you to go home and get the ingredients I tell you to. Do you think you could remember them?"

"Yes, tell me." For the first time, Abby had hope.

"Get the wooden bowl out of the kitchen that we used in practice. Then you need to add a handful of the chamomile flowers, one passion flower, grind up some valerian root and add that as well, a few star anise, and then add a pinch of nutmeg. Get some fresh flowing river water and bring it home. Boil the ingredients so that they release their juices into the water. Return it to the wooden bowl. Now listen carefully Abby- you have to bless it. When I showed you the spell with Jeffrey I just went ahead and blessed it myself. It's very simple and you can do it in your own mind or say the words aloud. You must say:

'Winds of the North, Winds of the East, Winds of the South and the West- I bid you help me in my task and all my endeavors bless. Light of Sun, Light of Moon, Light of Stars at night- Shine upon me and bless this spell, make every wrong now right.'

"Can you remember all of that Abby?" Sarah asked.

Abby said the chant over and over a few times until she got it down. "What do I do once I've said the blessing?"

"Bring the bowl back here and set it near the entrance of the prison, as close to the guards as you can get it. The combination of herbs I gave you makes up a sleeping spell. It will make the guards fall asleep- not like in the story sleeping beauty where she fell asleep and nothing could wake her, the guards will be in a normal sleep pattern and any slight sound could wake them. You must be very careful Abby! Once they have fallen asleep you will have to steal the key from them and let me out. Then we can run away from this place." Sarah's eyes glistened in the moonlight.

"Okay Sarah. I will go now to make the preparations and I will return in the morning. They will allow me to visit with you so when I come in I will stash the bowl near the guards and then while I'm visiting with you they will fall asleep. Then we can get away." Abby kissed Sarah's hands through the bars. "I love you!"

"I love you too! Good luck!" Sarah said through her tear stained face.

Abby raced home and did exactly as Sarah had told her. She grabbed the wooden bowl and filled it with all the right ingredients: a handful of the chamomile flowers, one passion flower, ground up valerian root, a few star anise, and a pinch of nutmeg. Then she ran to the river with a pot and collected the cool fresh liquid. She brought it home and boiled the ingredients in it, then returned the soup-like mixture to the wooden bowl.

The sun was just beginning to rise and Jane came out of the bedroom. "What are you doing, Aunt Abby?"

"Just gathering a few things together. I'm going to go visit your mother this morning."

"Can we come with you?" Jane asked with excitement.

"No Jane. I'm sorry but you and Alec need to stay home. You won't be going to school today but I want you to stay inside the house. Do you understand me?" Abby was very serious.

"Okay Abby. Should I go wake up Alec?" Jane asked.

"No, let him sleep in for as long as he likes. Remember, do not leave the house under any circumstances. I'll be back later." Abby was about to head out when Jane called her back.

"Wait! Can you bring mommy a new dress? The one she was wearing yesterday got dirty." Abby remembered how the rat's blood had poured down and stained her white dress.

Jane ran into the bedroom and came out with one of Sarah's black dresses. Abby took it because she didn't want to take the time to argue with Jane. Once Abby was outside, she recited the blessing that Sarah had taught her.

"Winds of the North, Winds of the East, Winds of the South and the West- I bid you help me in my task and all my endeavors bless. Light of Sun, Light of Moon, Light of Stars at night- Shine upon me and bless this spell, make every wrong now right."

Then Abby hurried back to the prison and walked through the front door into the entry way. There was a dimly lit short hall and at the end of it she could see where the guards were sitting. Just before the opening to the room, Abby stashed the bowl right around the corner in the dark hall. She hoped no one would notice it there.

"Hello. I'd like to see my sister." Abby announced to them.

There were four guards and three of them were playing cards. The other seemed more alert and sat at a desk. He was the one to answer her.

"Sign the log here." Abby went to his desk and signed in.

"What have you got there?" he asked.

"It's just some clean clothes for her to wear." Abby answered.

One of the other guards chuckled, "She won't be needing those." The others joined him in laughter.

The more serious guard took the dress from her and shook it out to make sure nothing else was wrapped in it. When he was satisfied he handed it back to her and then walked her to Sarah's jail cell. Sarah was already standing at the bars, waiting. It was obvious she hadn't slept at all. She and Abby were both exhausted. The guard left her side and went back to join the others.

"Jane thought you'd like some fresh clothes." Abby said as she passed the black dress through the bars.

The corner of Sarah's mouth lifted just slightly. It was the best smile she could muster. There was no one else around so Sarah went ahead and changed her clothes. As she did so, Abby began to ask the questions that had been burning in her mind.

"Sarah, you need to start telling me about Jane and Alec. You need to explain to me what happened."

Sarah paused and debated telling Abby the full truth for a moment. Then she sighed and gave in. "Did Father ever tell you about my mother?"

Abby shook her head no. "Not really."

"Well she was part of a long line of Natura Defero, it's Latin for 'those who speak with nature'. It is said that the power comes down through the bloodline. Some of the Natura Defero have been very powerful, more so than others. This is where the ideas of witches stem from. But the world has twisted it to be an ugly and evil thing. My mother taught me about who I was and what I was capable of.

"When Jane and Alec were born, I knew that they were special. I knew that they would be one of the more powerful Natura Defero. With Jane's temper, she can draw in the power of nature to cause pain to another creature without even touching them. She's a sweet girl but her gift is wild. I was planning on teaching her how to tame it when she reached the right age. I never dreamed that she would use her gift against another person." Sarah shuddered at the thought.

"But Alec, he is so very special. He is the balance to Jane. Where she can cause pain, he can take it away. When he was only two years old I burnt my finger while cooking. He took my finger into his hand and made the pain disappear. He's my little angel." A single tear rolled down Sarah's face.

"You must understand, Abby, they are very special. They need someone to protect them and to teach them about being Natura Defero. I'm afraid that you'll have to be the one to do that." Sarah's face was very sad.

But Abby didn't understand. Weren't they going to break out? Abby looked back into the hallway down at the guards. They were still wide awake, playing their card game. "Sarah, it's not working."

Sarah did not respond, nor did she seem surprised. Then it clicked.

"We're not breaking out, are we?" Abby asked, the hope slipping away. "We have different mothers. I am not part of the bloodline; I am not a Natura Defero. My blessing meant nothing…" Abby was now feeling bitter.

Sarah looked up and tried to smile. "It was worth a shot."

It hurt Abby to now realize that there was nothing special about her. When she thought she was using the craft, she was only witnessing her sister use it. Her sister, the special one.

Sarah wiped the tears from her face and then pulled a pin out of the hem of her dress. It was one of the pins from the factory that she had kept tucked into her clothes. Whether Jane was aware of this or not, Abby was unsure. Sarah picked up a tin cup they had given her and she dumped out the water. Then she took the pin to her wrist and started digging away at the skin, trying to get the blood to flow.

"Sarah! What are you doing?" Abby asked in a harsh whisper.

"My very last use of the craft. You're going to take this cup of blood home and use it to mark every window and door in the house. It will protect the house and those within it. It's the only way that I can keep Jane and Alec safe." Sarah continued to dig away at her skin and then she let blood spill into the cup. Silently, in her mind, she blessed the cup.

She handed the cup back to Abby between the bars. Abby felt sick but she tucked the cup in the sleeve of her dress to keep it hidden. Then she started to cry.

"I can't do this, Sarah. I can't give up on you."

Sarah reached through the bars and held Abby's hand. "You have to be strong. I need you to be strong. Promise me Abby, that you will take care of the twins until they are able to take care of themselves. Promise me that you will keep them safe."

"I promise." Abby used her free hand to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"They're going to take me to the judge today and he'll announce what he thinks should be done with me. Whatever happens, keep the twins away. I don't want them to see me, not like this…" Sarah knew what was coming but she wanted to protect her children.

Abby said goodbye and left the prison, picking up the wooden bowl on the way out. She had tried to be strong in front of Sarah but as soon as she walked out of the building she broke down and the tears came back with a vengeance. This was so wrong and there wasn't a thing that Abby could do about it.

When she got home she began marking the windows and doorways with Sarah's blood. The twin's asked her what she was doing but she only told them it was for their own protection. They didn't need to hear about where the blood had come from.

They stayed indoors until the afternoon. It was almost time for Sarah to meet with the judge. Abby made the twins promise to stay inside again while she went to court to hear the verdict.