This will be the page with everything on the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood, the prophecy and the town of Chatham. This page will have spoiler for those who did not read the book!
The Sisters :
At the beginning of the book, we learn that the Sisters are the feminine part of the Brotherhood, without power. They live isolated in convents and spend their lives in service to the Lord, teaching, sometimes serving as governesses and nurses as well as "visiting the sick and dying and feeding the poor". They are dress all in black.
Joining the Sisterhood is an alternative to marriage. No one in Chatham has joined them in years, before Cate. Cate thinks that she could not join the Sisterhood and teach : "I'm fairly certain I'd murder my pupils."
In the middle of the book, we learn that the Sisters are witches as well.
The Brothers :
There are always twelve and they are the town council.
Brother Elliott is the oldest (he is grandfather) and Bother Malcolm, the youngest (20ish).
Brother Ishida is the head of the council. He reports twice a year to the National Council in London.
The Prophecy :
Here is The Oracles of Persephone part, from Born Wicked :
"By the time of the writing, the author suspects there are only a few hundred witches alive in New England. All of the priestesses in temples across the country have been dead since the summer of 1780. Women suspected of witchery were burned and beheaded in mass numbers into the early nineteenth century.
The Great Temple of Persephone was burned to the ground at sunrise on 10 January 1780. The doors to the temple were locked and barred from the outside to prevent escape. Several priestesses jumped from the roof rather than be consumed by fire.
The Book of Prophecy was burned to ashes-and with it, records of hundreds of years' worth of the oracles' work.
But it was rumored that one final prophecy was made-a prophecy that gave hope to the doomed priestesses. It foresaw that before the turn of the twentieth century, three sisters-all witches- will come of age. One of them, gifted with mind-magic, will be the most powerful witch in centuries, capable of bringing a new golden age of magic-or a second Terror. This family will be both blessed and cursed, for one sister will "
And here is the letter Cate's mother let her :
"Dearest Cate-
If you have found this, I am gone. Have you read my diary? If not, you will find it nearby. That is the place to start.
I do not know how to tell you this... I am not as brave as you, my dear girl, but you must know it. You must know it and do everything in your power to guard against it.
If Tess is a witch, then the three of you may well be the three sisters of the oracle's last prophecy. The prophecy foretells that one of the sisters will be the most powerful witch born in centuries-powerful enough to bring about the resurgence of the Daughters of Persephone or, if she falls to the Brotherhood, bring about a second Terror. But only two of the sisters will survive to see the twentieth century-because one sister will kill another.
My heart breaks to think it-I cannot imagine suche a thing. All sisters have their petty arguments and jealousies, but I have seen how you and your sisters love one another.
Yet your godmother spent years researching the oracles, and she found no fallacies. The prophecies of Persephone's oracles have always come to pass.
You must find a way to prevent this, Cate.
If Tess has manifested, I imagine the Sisters are watching the three of you very closely. Mind-magic is a rare gift. If they discover that you possess it, they will want you to join their fight against the Brotherhood. They can offer you many things- protection and education among them. But they don't think of individuals, only the legacy of magic.
I do not regret many things in my life, Cate, but I used mind-magic at the Sister's behest when I was at their school and I do not believe it was warranted or right. I used it again to escape that life, and I have never forgiven myself. It is wrong to go into the minds of others without their consent. I have tried to instill in you the belief that it must be used only under direst circumstances. The Sisters would have us wield it freely to regain the witches' power. Their goals are worthy, but their methods can be suspect.
I would not have you forced into a war you did not choose, but with your gifts, I fear it is inevitable.
Be careful, Cate. Choose wisely. Protect your sisters.
Love always,
Mother."
Chatham :
Chatham is the town in New England where the Cahill sisters are living.
"The Church and its white spire dominate the town square. The holding cell in the basement and the Brothers' council chamber serve as jail and courthouse. All of Chatham strectches out from here : the general good store, the stationer's, the chocolatier's, Belastras' bookshop, the seamstress's, the apothecary's, the butcher's, the bakery, a few dozen homes. Most of the population of Chatham lives on farm outside town, where they grow potatoes and corn, oats and hay, apples and blueberries"
All of this is coming from Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood.
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