Clem: September 13, 1888
Mother,
How could you not tell me of the stoning deaths? Did you mean to protect me? Did you think I would be frightened off? Mother, I am not protected if I act in ignorance. I am not a child of eleven anymore, terrified and helpless. I understand that you wish me to risk as little as possible, but keeping the truth from me solves nothing.
I learned of it from a constable who came to our door and observed that the paper missiles at the courthouse bore a resemblance to the pattern made by the stones in these abominable murders.Murder, Mother. Why, why didn’t you tell me?
You understand, you must, that this changes everything. Freeing you is not enough. What freedom would it be, to carve out our own place of safety while other women’s lives are in peril? What freedom would it be, to live in a place where such crimes go unchecked? Even if we were to think only of ourselves, you must see that a society capable of such murders will also stop at nothing to seek vengeance, and I doubt we would find refuge even by fleeing Salem. No—there will be no peace for us when you are free.
A lone, earnest police constable is apparently their sole antagonist. I didn’t know whether tolaugh or cry. He will be crushed, and they will continue their destruction.
We must do more, Mother.
Love,
Clem
Sam: A Lesson
Once you have closed the door to the portal, turn and survey the realm. The spirit realm lies before you, filled with countless human souls, from the most worthless villain to the most noble monarch. Your thew will be there, waiting for you, and she will greet you with open arms.
—Eugenio Orrua Olivares,The Art of Securing a Thew
Thursday, September 13, 1888
Clementine arrived at Keel House just before nine.
Wister was waiting for her at the front door. “Good morning,” she said as Clem approached the house. “We will begin outside today.” She pointed to a pair of worn, rusty greaves that lay on the doorstep. “Start by putting these on.”
“Are we going to the portal?” Clem asked hopefully.
Wister chuckled. “No. But the single thing most important to your survival is staying anchored. You need to build up your leg strength and practice walking with weighted armor.”
“I see,” Clem replied. She put down her satchel and sat down on the doorstep. “These must weigh ten pounds,” she observed, lifting one of the greaves.
“Seven and a half. We will work up to higher weights slowly. Eventually you will want at least fifteen on each leg to avoid being swept away.”
Clem raised her eyebrows but did not complain.
“Now,” Wister said, “take a look at this.” She held a rolled piece of paper in her hand, which she unfurled and held up for inspection. “This is my map of the spirit realm.”
“What detail,” Clem remarked. It showed an archipelagoshaped roughly like a question mark. Only one island was labeled: “The First Isle.” Two lines connected it to outposts marked “Shelter,” and each shelter cast three lines outward toward doorways marked “Portal.” In a curving band, an unlabeled barrier separated the shelters from the archipelago. Filling one portion of the map were small curved arrows running parallel to one another in graceful swirls. The section with the currents was labeled “Weer.”
“What are these?” Clementine asked, pointing to the arrows.
“Currents. Originally, I thought the currents were changeable, and that’s true to some extent—just as the wind can change direction, so can these currents. But there are also consistent patterns, much like the trade winds. The currents pull you in almost at once, away from the portal, and then carry you in a stream, like a whirlpool, toward the archipelago.”
“Is this a particular portal,” Clem asked, pointing to the doorway, “or any portal?”
“This is our portal. The distance from the portal to the shelter is about a third of a mile. From here to that oak,” Wister said, pointing to a massive tree near the cliffs, “is half that. While we discuss your objective, you will practice the walk with those greaves. Back and forth to the oak, twice.”
“Very well,” Clem agreed.
“So, tell me what you know so far about finding a thew.”
Clem took a step forward, the greaves shortening her stride considerably. “Well, it begins with finding a portal. The Boston area has one portal, its location known only to the enchanters who have used it. Once at the portal, you pass through it backward, closing the door in front of you. There’s no clear instruction after that point. Some accounts say ‘journey until you find a thew,’ others say ‘proceed to the first isle,’ and Olivares even says‘a thew will be waiting for you,’ which seems unlikely.”
“Yes. The instructions are vague in the extreme.” She kept pace with Clem, hands clasped behind her back. “We can identify four steps. Locating the portal, finding a spirit in the realm, returning to the portal, and binding the spirit. Tell me which of the books you read for today will illuminate these steps.”
