So, I went to Salem, a coastal trading town set up in the New World that had been named after Jerusalem.
The people of Salem had sworn to make it a town of pure, traditional values, and it was the perfect setting for my scheme.
Balance naturally manifests in situations where one force heavily outweighs another.
Because of how hard the people of Salem were trying to follow ‘the way of God,’ I knew this would be one of the easiest places to kick up a little mayhem.
Any of Hecate’s people who lived here would be in hiding, and if I exposed them, all it would take is a gentle nudge for the entire town to fall into hysteria.
Once Hecate learned that her people were at risk, she would come to save them, and I would be fucking waiting.
Salem, Massachusetts - 1692 AD
Tituba was a smart woman. It was one of the reasons I chose her. She deserved to be more than a slave to the Reverend Samuel Parris, and I like to think that although I put her through quite a bit of *ahem*dramafor lack of a better word, I had freed her in a way. She was one of the only women accused who survived the trials. I had made sure of it. It was the least I could do after I used her as the fuse to the powder keg I had set up with the sole purpose of plunging the entire town of Salem into mass hysteria.
It was satisfying to watch Tituba’s asshole master descend into a panicked mania.
I targeted the reverend’s daughter and niece, the children Tituba was tasked with caring for. Despite the fact that she was a slave, she clearly truly loved these children, and they loved her back.
Ididfeel a slight twinge of guilt when they turned on her.
Collecting an idea seed from the Infernal Woodlands in Hell, I broke it in two. The children were small enough that a half dose would do. Disguising the seed as two brightly colored piecesof candy, I gave them to the girls one day while they played outside and Titiba was busy with her needlework.
I gave the children a dark smile as they munched on their sweets, tutting my tongue at them.
“Let this be a lesson,” I cooed. “Never accept candy from strangers.”
Over the next few days, they began to act like little psychos, throwing bibles and speaking in tongues.
It was honestly fucking hilarious. I’d brought Arteqoph with me, as I knew I would need help overcoming Hecate’s guardians when she finally showed up.
Art and I watched through the windows of the reverend’s home and laughed quietly to ourselves as the man and his wife panicked over the fact that their children had been‘touched by the Devil.’
Tituba grew increasingly concerned. Her intelligent eyes took in the anarchy I had sown, and after several days of this‘game,’she finally left to seek help.
Tituba retired to the woods, seeking solace and support from her own brand of dead gods, where I’m sure she was hoping to find a Caribbean deity but found me instead.
“Devil!” she hissed, pointing a shaking finger at me, her eyes wide with fear. I glanced at Art, shrugging.
“Demon. But close enough.”
“You have cursed those girls.”
“I didn’tcursethem. I just gave them anidea.” And ideas were dangerous things. Plant one in the right person under the wrong circumstances, and they tend to grow. Like invading weeds, ideas had the power to corrupt nations, brew rebellion, and end empires.
They were my favorite forms of corruption, and I used them often.
“The reverend will be looking for someone to blame,” I informed the slave, holding out a book for her to examine.
She narrowed her eyes on me. She already knew this, and as the foreign slave who was in charge of the girls, she knew she would be the easiest scapegoat for her masters to persecute.
She took the book from me. Inside, I had written nine names. “When they come for you, point them toward these individuals. I will reward you if you do.”
The names I had placed in the book were a farce. Some of them were true followers of Hecate, but I had sprinkled in some randoms just to keep things interesting.
“You are a monster,” Tituba breathed, though I could tell by the way she rubbed her weathered thumb over the script that she would do as I said.
I grinned. “As I said, I prefer the term demon, but ‘monster’ will do.”
