Free A Spell for the Revolution by C. C. Finlay Page A

Deborah my friend describes,” the old woman said.
    Deborah stiffened in reflex as soon as Magdalena spoke; she had an instinct to argue with everything the old woman said just to show that she was in charge.
    “He cannot go by himself because it is too dangerous,” Magdalena said. “But there is no one to go with him. I cannot walk at all. Zoe and Abby are too young, and Sukey and Esther, they are too old. Neither Ezra nor you, Deborah, can be spared. We cannot go one day without you. So, sadly, we must forget about this orphan boy.”
    “You can go without me for a day,” Deborah said, even if it was mostly politeness that required her to say it.
    “Of course we could,” Magdalena said. “Sukey could teach your lessons for a day. She knows more about healing wounds and fevers than I do.”
    Deborah spoke without thinking—Proctor could see it in the way she leaned across the table. “My mother always said that no one knew more about healing wounds and fevers than you do. And she said you were the best midwife she ever knew.”
    Magdalena shrugged indifferently. “It is true she thought that once. She used to have me teach the new students for her. But that was a long time ago.”
    “Deborah could go with Proctor,” Abby suggested.
    “I’m not sure,” Magdalena said. “They don’t have a chaperone.”
    “They don’t need one,” Abby said. Looking at Deborah,she added, “My apologies, Miss Deborah. But who is there to worry about your reputation? Neither of you has parents or family around, you don’t belong to any church or meeting, you don’t even have neighbors. There’s nobody but us, and we know the two of you are just like brother and sister.”
    “I think it’s a marvelous idea,” Sukey said. “We could get a different perspective on the healing arts.”
    “I would like that a great deal,” Esther agreed, completely unprompted.
    Ezra looked at Zoe. “Seems like somebody should go fetch this boy. And we could use an extra hand in the rigging.”
    “Do you even realize we’re not on a ship anymore?” Zoe asked.
    “I don’t want to be the only one holding back,” Magdalena said. “Not when the rest of you have made your opinion clear. I can never be the teacher that Deborah is, but I will do my part to do her work while she is gone. Are we in unity?”
    Sukey and Esther, Abby and Zoe and Ezra affirmed their unity at once. Seven faces turned toward Proctor. He suppressed a smile. He admired the way Magdalena had planted the field and then waited to harvest it. All she wanted was a chance to teach the students. He suspected that they would all do better with a brief change.
    “I am in unity with the rest of you,” Proctor said. “I believe we have to stop the Covenant’s plans, whatever they are. But I’ll feel better with someone to help me.”
    “Deborah?” Magdalena said.
    She sat for a long time, trying to think of a way out. Finally, she smiled and ducked her head toward Magdalena. “I don’t want to be the only one holding back. Not when the rest of you have made your opinion clear.”
    Magdalena nodded. To her credit, she didn’t smile orgloat. “That is what we shall do then. You will reinforce our borders before you leave.”
    Proctor and Deborah went outside without the others. They walked past the well and the pile of stones toward the barn. He carried his musket and looked across the horizon to the high blue skies aswim with shreds of cloud.
    “Is it true?” he said. “Are we just like brother and sister now?”
    The whole mound of stones rose into the air at once, from pieces the size of marbles to chunks bigger than his fist. Deborah flung her arm, and they flew at the barn like grapeshot from the barrel of a cannon. The smaller stones clattered against the clapboards like hail, and the bigger stones tore holes in the wood. The pigs squealed, disturbed from their afternoon slumbers into a brief melee in the mud as they dodged for cover.
    Proctor stopped in