A Salem Awakening

Chapter 51

Joseph immediately resumed his defensive position in front of Abigail – who would knock at the door? Nobody knew they were there. He opened the door cautiously, remaining very protective of their new Master.

Standing at the door were the two vaguely familiar men. The two men Elizabeth Porter asked to help Tobias. The two men who performed any task Tobias asked of them. The two men who were trying to get into this same house the night Rennik went to fight Junius. Joseph scoffed and asked, "What are you two doing here?"

Aberash recognized the men and came to the door, "You're right on time. It's good to see you both again." Aberash asked them to enter nearly pushing Joseph to the side without even realizing it.

Joseph and Abigail were both stunned by Aberash's welcome. Junius was the most shocked. Aberash looked around the room, "Do you not know who these two are?"

Abigail responded, "We all certainly know these men, but I assume we know them in a different capacity than you, based on how you greeted them."

Aberash laughed, "Well Abigail, you will get to know them quite well. These are the Master's bodyguards. They are here to protect you since you are now officially the Master. They work for you and will do anything you ask."

Abigail's mouth was so wide open she could have fit three eggs side-by-side in at once. "If they are the guards of the Master, why didn't they protect my father and why were they working for Tobias?" She was feeling angry again – emotions pivoted quickly in her, something she would need to be careful with.

One of the men stepped forward and spoke. "Those are good questions, ma'am. Master Rennik wrote you this letter and asked me to give it to you under this exact circumstance." He handed a letter to Abigail.

Abigail slowly opened the letter and began reading to herself.

My dearest Abigail,

I suspect you're reading this in the presence of Aberash Mbande. If not, you must meet with her at your soonest. If she is there with you, please read this aloud for her as well.

Abigail spoke up, "It says I should read this aloud." She continued reading the letter to everyone.

Aberash is an amazing person – the finest you will ever meet. If you are together, I would guess you've already asked her to be Master again and take you on as her pupil so you didn't have to bear the responsibility, and I'd also guess she said no. No matter, just be sure to keep her as an advisor. I did, and it was one of the smartest decisions I ever made.

I know the guards have given you this letter, and you are likely surprised they work for the Master. Regardless what you might think, they do. They are the finest bodyguards and will do anything you require.

After we arrived in Salem, I realized I did not need them to act as guardians, but rather, I needed them to help execute and monitor the plan Aberash and I formulated. I ordered them to work for Tobias – acting as if he were their Master. He was the leader of Salem and I thought they could keep tabs on the trials. At the time, I did not know he was actually Junius. But behind the scenes these two men were always working for me. Even though they carried out some plans that were personally abhorrent to them, they needed to carry on in order for you to rise to Master. We needed them to keep Tobias appraised on what was transpiring so we could control his actions and see the plan to fruition. The fact you are reading this means we were successful.

You may not trust these two men immediately, after everything you've known them to do. But believe me, you can trust them both with your life. They are and always will be, loyal to the Master.

Stay well, my dear Abigail. Lead the Order well – I have every confidence you will.

With love,

Your Father

Abigail folded the letter back and started to cry. It was not because of the contents of the letter, rather she cried because she received this message from her father beyond death. She felt close to him again and that filled her with happiness, so much so that it brought tears to her eyes.

Aberash spoke gently, "I can corroborate what your father wrote, Abigail. I've known these two for a very long time. They are loyal to the Order and will do anything you ask. Rennik asked them to work undercover to help execute our plan. In case you have not formally met them, allow me to introduce you to Jacob and Stoddard. The two finest guards a Master could ask for."

Abigail nodded at them both. "It's nice to meet you officially. Please understand if I take some time to be comfortable around you."

"Of course, ma'am," Stoddard responded.

Junius curled his left eyebrow at an attempt to understand this all. Apparently he was under Chwaer's influence and Rennik's double agents duped him as well. His shoulders collapsed in as he realized he was not nearly as smart as he prided himself to be.

Abigail asked Aberash, "So how does this all work?"

"They will be with you continuously, even if you cannot see them. They are always close and if you need them, you simply need to call out for help."

"So Joseph no longer needs to protect me?"

"We shall all protect you from now on. But Jacob and Stoddard are your first line of defense."

Joseph and Junius both started shaking their heads with confused looks on their faces, as if something was caught in their ears and they could not shake it out. Abigail was concerned, "Are you both all right?"

Joseph spoke first, stuttering. "Yeah, yes. I'm just getting a lot of messages coming in at once. It appears the word is out throughout the regions that we have a new Master. I have many members asking me about you."

Junius confirmed, "Yes, me too. It's dizzying."

Aberash smiled, "I too am getting questions from Africa. Come, let's all take some time to communicate with our regions. They all need to know about the new Master. Joseph, is there a coven spot nearby?"

"Yes, it's not far. Follow me."

Aberash looked to Abigail, "If it's all right with you, should we have Jacob and Stoddard bring Chwaer's body with us? We can provide a torrent for her so she can be with her family."

Abigail nodded her approval, still stunned by everything. She looked to Jacob and Stoddard and gave them a nod. They gently lifted Chwaer's body onto Stoddard's shoulder and they all followed Joseph out of the Sampson house and into the woods.

As they walked, Abigail moved next to Aberash. "May I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"We healed Junius and brought him back to life. Is this an ability my father would have known about?"

"Yes, I suspect he would."

"Then why didn't he do something for Millie, or Mr. Putnam or my mother? And why didn't he have me heal him?"

Aberash stopped and turned Abigail to face her. She put her hands onto Abigail's shoulders. "Your father was executing an important and dangerous plan. His only priority was protecting you and finding a way for you to become Master. If he saved any of the others, or even himself, he would have thrown our plan into jeopardy. He did exactly what he, as Master, needed to do. It's not always easy – and this is an important lesson for you to learn from your father. There will come a time where you will need to make a tough decision and you must be able to put your personal interests and fears aside and do what is best for the Order." She removed her hands from Abigail's shoulders but leaned in closer. "Do you understand?"

Abigail tucked her lips into themselves and nodded. She understood Aberash's words but was not sure she would be able to do what might be needed when the time came. She hoped it would never come.