Salem Moon (25 page)

“
By the end of that very same week, Richard caught a terrible cold. He died shortly thereafter from Whooping Cough.

“
Joshua was completely devastated by the loss of his infant children. He was never the same after. He drank all the time, refusing even the loving comfort of his wife
’
s arms or his neighbors
’
thoughtful gestures.

“
For he knew what they did not
,
that he
’
d
killed them as surely as if he
’
d
smothered them to death with his own hands
.
The curse had come full circle, and there was only one thing to be done about it, one place for him to go. He would never know peace or joy again. He walked into the woods, the very land that had once belonged to the
Blackstones
and he put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger,
”
Lawrence said.

Gabriel was mortified
.
He knew Joshua had conspired along with his brother to help bring about the death sentences of both him and his sister.

He
’
d known Joshua in his boyhood and was certain that he would never have acted as he did without his brother, Thomas to egg him on.

Add to that the mass hysteria that Lawrence spoke of
which
provided the justification for committing evil acts, under the cloak of righteousness
. These two things made Joshua a doomed man.

It was not that Gabriel would ever
forgive
Joshua for the role he had played, but he felt a profound sadness for the loss of the man
’
s children. They too, were innocents and yet they had paid the price for the sins of their father.

“
Since that time, there have been no twins born to any member
s
of the Snow family
that have
survived, including those
who
married and no longer carried the Snow name.

“
As technology made great strides and the ultrasound was invented, some of the Snow women who knew they were going to have twins, terminated the pregnancy rather than suffer the loss of a child. Those
who
chose to carry the twins to full term,
hoped
this time would be different, that these twins would live
, and some did, but not for long.
N
ot a single one ever reached their first birthday.
”

Gabriel could hear the sadness in Lawrence
’
s voice. That it had come to this between two families who may have been lifelong friends and neighbors if not for events that occurred
300
years ago.

“
Tell him about Lily,
”
Chloe said.

Lawrence sighed, looking at his wife before beginning.
“
Look
,
Gabriel, this is just as hard for me to tell as it will be for you to hear, let alone believe.
All
I ask is that you keep an open mind. You deserve to know who she really is
.
What
she really is. I understand what it
’
s like to be young and in love. Chloe and I fell in love at sixteen. We were high school sweethearts, you know and I love her as much today as the day I first set eyes on her.
”
Lawrence stole a glance at his wife and she smiled at him.

“
Have you met Dylan yet, Lily
’
s brother?
”
asked Lawrence.

“
Yes, I like him very much, why?
”

“
Did she tell you that he had a rare form of leukemia? A death sentence is what it was. But Lily refused to accept it
.
There were many arguments with her family over it. Then one night, years ago, on the eve of Halloween, a mysterious cat came to her home. The cat was a vile animal, letting no one near it; no one except Lily. She named it Magick and of course, her family being Wicca and all,
it was
said it was Lily
’
s familiar, that it had the ability to enhance her powers. Lily conceals her powers from the world;
especially
because of her family
’
s ties to Wicca. She doesn
’
t want to be exploited
; although
, in all fairness, even the
ir
coven master, Keith Knightly respects her wishes, not to have her powers exposed.

“
Anyway, to keep a long story short, while their parents were at the Samhain ritual ceremony, Lily was able to conjure up an ancient spell, found in some obscure book. I think it
’
s called
The
Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and
Demonology
, but I
’
m not sure. There are just so many books, out there on witchcraft,
and
with Lily being such an avid historian, I
’
m sure she found the right spell for the right malady. I guess it really doesn
’
t matter
how
she did it only that
she did
. She cured Dylan of leukemia, cured him completely as if such a thing were possible in the natural world. The doctors were baffled, of course
,
as were Lily
’
s parents.

“
People in Salem became suspicious and fearful of Lily. Except for the foolish young boys who were always tryin
’
to date her
; after all, she is quite beautiful and they wanted
to see her powers firsthand.
After the miraculous recovery of Dylan, Lily became almost reclusive, only going to school or the witch museum to study. Other than Dylan, she trusted only her friend Lilac, her parents and Brianna Swanson, the curator at the museum. That is, until you came along, Gabriel.
”
Lawrence stopped talking, watching Gabriel
’
s response to what he
’
d just heard.

“
So, she
healed
someone! If she is a witch, then she used her powers for good
,
and I love her all the more for it
.
”

“
You don
’
t get it, do you? Lily is
unable
to
control
her powers! The day after Dylan was cured, a Blackstone family member fell ill, a young boy of eight, the same exact age as Dylan was when he was cured. Andrew Blackstone was his n
ame;
lived in Connecticut. He was diagnosed with the same form of leukemia that Dylan had. He died before his ninth birthday. A coincidence?
Maybe
, but I doubt it. Make no mistake
,
Lily is a powerful witch
. If
she can
heal
at will, then who
’
s to say she can
’
t
kill
in the same fashion?

“
And then there is the matter of children. What if you have a child with her, Gabriel?

“
Would the curse then pass back to the
Blackstones
? Would all families who brought twins into the world be doomed to suffer the deaths of these children? That
’
s the reason we can
’
t sanctify this union between the two of you
. It
’
s
too dangerous!
”

T
he shrill ring of the telephone broke the silence
which
ensued after Lawrence and Chloe finished telling that which they felt Gabriel should kno
w about the Snows.
Gabriel
’
s mind was a swirling cauldron of thoughts
. T
here was no denying that the curse was real, there was factual documentation proving it. Was Lily a witch with unimaginable powers? His intuitive heart told him it
might be
true, but he knew she was a good person. She would never hurt anyone or anything, at least not on purpose. But if what Lawrence and Chloe said was true, she could not control her powers.

“
There
’
s
a call for you, Gabriel,
”
Chloe said, coldly, her lips forming a thin disapproving line.
“
It
’
s
her
.
”

“
Gabriel?
”
He heard her lovely, melodic voice coming through the device called the
“
telephone
”
as if she were in the room with him.

“
I need you to come over right now. I
’
m…scared.
”

“
What happened
?
Lily
,
are you alright?
”
He
heard
the shaking in her voice.
The sound sent shivers down his spine.

“
He
was here, he came to me in my dreams and oh, Gabriel if Dylan hadn
’
t been here…if he hadn
’
t woken me up, I may have…succumbed to…
”

Gabriel
’
s jaw hardened, his teeth clenched. She did not need to tell him who
“
He
”
was. Lucien
.
That bastard, if he had hurt even one hair on her head, he would kill him! Angel or not, he would find a way to destroy him
.

“
I
’
m on my way.
”
Gabriel hung up the phone without saying goodbye.

As he was grabbing his windbreaker off the coat rack, Lawrence and Chloe blocked his way out. He stopped short and explained that he must go to Lily at once.

“
If you leave this house to go to her, don
’
t come back,
”
Chloe said.

Lawrence said nothing, he merely stood there, shuffling his feet and looking down as if he were ashamed to treat Gabriel in such a way, after all he was a guest in their home, and a Blackstone at that.

“
Very well, if that is your wish, I will certainly abide by it. Thank you both for your hospitality…
”

“
I
’
ll leave your things on the stoop
. Y
ou may pick them up there whenever you wish
.
”
Chloe
stepped
aside to let him pass.

Gabriel looked back only once.
“
I meant what I said. Thank you for allowing me to stay in your home.
”

“
I know you meant it, Gabriel
.
”
Lawrence
sh
ook Gabriel
’
s hand firmly.
“
I wish things could
’
ve been…different. But, they are what they are. I only hope you
’
ll think about what we talked about tonight.
”

Gabriel nodded and sprinted out the door.

“
While you
’
re over there, maybe you should ask her, where Lilac is!
”
Chloe yelled after him.

Lily was standing on the massive fieldstone landing, outside of the front door when he got there. She had on a thick, pale pink robe and still, she shivered in the cool night air. As soon as she spotted him, she rushed into his arms, burying her face under his chin, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

“
Thank God, you
’
re here!
”

He felt wetness against his neck as he cradled her in his arms. Pulling away, he was stunned. Her cheeks were stained with tears but that
wasn
’
t
where the wetness was coming from. Her bottom lip had been
gouged
,
leaving a small hole, pooled with blood which dripped down onto her chin.

Gabriel saw Dylan standing in the inside foyer, his arms folded, a look of concern upon his face. He sensed no animosity from him
. I
nstead
,
he seemed relieved to see him. He nodded to Gabriel and left the room.