"So Marie and her comrades have begun their voyage," Betty commented, "I take it they arrived in the New World at roughly the same time that the witches began what they thought would be their final move before the battle between them and the "hunters" changed that."
Glass Marie nodded, "Captain Wesley's ship, the Chance, did get favorable winds, but it still only traveled as fast as most other sailing ships of its type. It would take them time to reach the New World. Time the witches would use to get ready for what they figured to be one HELL of a New Years Day."
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"So you will be taking in all the children that have caught this madness?" Joella asked innocently as Golgotha laid down several magically charged stones that would act as beacons.
The stones would lead those they'd already "infected" with madness to them where the witches would "adopt" the insane children under the pretense of caring for them. They would then allow Gomorrah to compensate for the loss Solome and even to an extent for the loss of the fairies. Golgotha and Gaal had also both agreed to remain vigilant to add to what would be their "orphanage" as if each child was to become a channel for their magic to flow through, they would need many in order to amplify their powers beyond what the witches themselves could generate, so that their spell would eventually take over the entire world and eradicate the "Dog's" (as they now referred to Marie Cruz) "God".
"Yes dear," Golgotha nodded, while making sure that Joella didn't see the deformity in her face, "we will take care of them... after all, you've been working so hard to help them. It isn't fair to you that you should have to do so much..."
++++++++
"That sounded half-way responsible," Maddex commented.
"It may have sounded that way, but I assure you, it wasn't," Marie sighed, "Gomorrah needed a replacement for Solome and the children they had driven mad were the perfect replacement for them... the problem for Golgotha is that if she had been truly honest with Joella..."
"Joella might have lost her support for her "parents"," Lawrence finished.
Marie nodded, "and that is something that the witches didn't want."
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A group of four men quietly made their way into Glendale on horseback or in a wagon coming from the west. They were originally from the western part of the colony and were bringing their produce to Boston for sale. The wagon was full of loaves of bread that had been backed back at their respective farms. They hoped to make a lot of money from the sale.
Alvin sat on one of the lead horses with his neighbor Samson riding the other horse. Benjamin and Magen rode on the wagon.
"So this is the cursed town?" Samson asked as he looked around.
"Yes," Benjamin answered, "closer to the center you'll see the burn-mark of some rune in the earth... I think it is what is causing this disease of madness that is going around the town."
Samson shuddered on his horse, "let's get through this place quickly then. I don't want catch anything."
"You won't be going anywhere," came three voices that seemingly came out of nowhere.
Samson and Alvin stopped their horses and quickly grabbed the reigns of the horses pulling the wagon as three women seemed to appear out of nowhere... or had they simply not paid attention to their presence?
"Who are you?" Alvin demanded.
"We are who you've come to see, Alissa," the three said in unison.
"My name is Alvin."
"Is it?"
Alvin looked back the three when he suddenly felt his clothing become larger and looser. He was getting smaller.
"What are you doing?!"
"Making you free, making you a good little girl," the three said in unison.
"NO!" Alvin yelled as his clothes suddenly shifted into a common dress for a young girl of the time and as his hear began to grow longer and stylized into how his own daughter did her hair, "NO!"
"My, that posture is certainly un-ladylike," the witches snickered and snapped their fingers. The transgendered and youthafied Alvin seemingly vanished from the horse, which was now standing in front of the two horses that had been pulling the wagon, fitted with a harness of its own.
A young girl then appeared on the wagon seat between Benjamin and Magen.
"Alvin?!" Magen gasped.
"Mommy, I'm Alissa," the girl then hugged Magen.
Magen looked down at the girl hugging him and as she made contact with him, Magen felt something strange go through him. It started as a tingle, but then changed rapidly into pressure as his hips felt too narrow. He then felt his hips begin to slowly widen.
"What is happening to me?" Magen gasped as he felt his chest push forward into two modest breasts and as his muscle mass lessened.
"You're becoming beautiful, mommy," Alissa said as Magen's clothing changed from a man's into a period dress that covered everything appropriately.
Magen's hair also lengthened and moved into the same style as Alissa's.
"Magen?" Benjamin gasped.
"Magdalena, dear, certainly you haven't forgotten my name," Magdalena answered and put her hand on Benjamin's, "We brought our daughters here to help a Miss Golgotha run a home to care for those that have been struck by the wandering demons striking this poor town."
Benjamin looked over at Magdalena with a sort of glassy eyed look, "Of course, dear, I'm sorry... it was a long ride."
Magdalena gave him a polite smile.
"Samantha! Quit bothering the horses and come back beside your sister," Benjamin called to Samson, who seemed to be incapable of fleeing the scene as two of his friends changed genders, and one became a child.
In a trance-like state, Samson dismounted his horse, which then moved to stand beside what had been Alvin's horse, its saddle becoming a harness holding it to the wagon. Samson then walked slowly toward the wagon. As he took each step, he grew shorter, his hair longer, styling itself like Alissa and Magdalena's hair. Once he reached the front wagon wheel, he reached up and Benjamin pulled "him" into the wagon and set "him" beside Alissa.
"Why do you pester the horses, Samantha?!" Alissa asked.
"I'm not pestering them," Samantha answered, "I like the horses. They like being petted."
"Not while we're headed into a new town, looking for work," Benjamin gave a half hearted scold from the other side, "I'm sure you'll be allowed to brush them once we get to this "Golgotha's" house."
"I stand before you," Golgotha spoke, "My sisters and I will lead you there if you do not mind."
"Not at all," Benjamin spoke, "I apologize if Samantha slowed down your progress."
"Oh, if anything, she's helped speed it up," Gomorrah commented cryptically.
Benjamin gave her an odd look, but shrugged it off and urged the horses to follow the witches.