The Phantom Man 2 - The Book of the Dead

XVI - The Witches of Salem

"You bet. The savages have a pact with the devil. Not a single one of them believe the Puritans' preaching. We need to finish them off and to take their land. Maybe they're the ones casting spells on Salem's women."

"Maybe. Anyway, what this community really needs is to be united to eliminate them from our colonies."

"That's right. It's really nice to meet a wise man like you, reverend. What's your name again?"

"Klaus Rizoni."

After talking to a merchant and other locals, Klaus was fully aware of the situation.

At night, in the lodging room, Klaus and his evil brother had a chat.

"We both have made some interesting discoveries. The fear of witchery that the English have brought with them to the colonies plus their horror of the savages have created a mass hysteria, which is very similar to the one that sends innocent people to the bonfires. On top of that, it seems to me that the magistrates have a special interest in sentencing people even though the accusers are merely children."

"Why don't you kill everyone in this place, master? I can assist you with that in a heartbeat. The village would become a ghost town," said the creature, smiling.

"Hahaha! Don't make me laugh. What a thirst for blood, my friend! I want victims, but only the ones that can bring me power. And there is no magic here. Just some selfish interests, and a possible problem of lack of mental health. However, I'll keep following the track the book has shown me. According to the Colony law, I'm not allowed to inherit the defendants' possessions, nor do I want any piece of land here. I want power, Fratello! Power..."

Disappointed with the local law, the evil warlock decided to take immediate measures that would allow him to leave that place as soon as possible. He would conduct a deeper investigation to detect if there were any wizards or sorcerers around.

Next day, he planted a small potion in the homes of the girls that accused people of witchery. Janda, the hag that had been his prisoner at Absents' Castle for years, had taught him the preparation.

"Just a pinch mixed with rye and the person will have visions, and then tell you everything they know." He recalled with precision the herbs and the other ingredients that Janda used to prepare the potion.

However, the blend was not a poison, but a kind of fungus with which he contaminated the rye bread. The substance caused hallucination with subsequent revelation of the most hidden secrets in someone's mind.

After the creature contaminated the food, it followed the ones accused by the County court, and realized that they were no wizards. Thus, its master would have no magic to absorb. For this reason, Klaus decided that the only option he had left was to do the job that he enjoyed the most: killing for fun. He could not leave Salem without leaving his mark.

Klaus entered the court of law and asked the notary officer if he could talk to the judge. The man answered that the judge usually stayed at his office, but now he was busy at the witches' case hearing.

"The judge will not be able to receive you. You'll have to schedule a meeting, preferably with your lawyer," said the officer.

"I don't have time for chit-chat. Kill him now."

"What do you mean by that, sir? Is this a threat? Who are you talking to? I don't see anyone else in here," said the man when he noticed that Klaus was talking to someone that was not there.

"I won't talk to a dead man. Kill him now!" The outsider seemed to be talking to someone by his side.

Suddenly, the man felt a shadow surrounding him. It had a strange scent of incense. Something was caressing his chin as if choosing the best spot to attack. Fratello was spotting the carotid artery by feeling its fast beats of fear.