When Mary arms the Malum for the Grand Rite, the coven wants her to use Alden as the final sacrifice.

Mercy is in the pits, talking to the dead. A boy worked to death, a woman who died in childbirth giving birth to her uncle's child, the baby that was smothered to hide the evidence... They are all her children now.

Mary finds Mercy in the pits and tells her she and her girls will all have a place in the new world after the Grand Rite. What is coming? Death, Mary says.

Cotton is researching the Grand Rite and the apple runs through almost every photo. Malum means evil and also apple.

Anne appears at Cotton's door, asking for him to search her for the mark of the devil. As he puts his hands up her dress, she is turned on, her eyes go red and a snake's tongue pushes through her lips. Cotton sees no mark and assures her if she was a witch, she would know it.

Increase is with Mercy's girls. Whoever will speak will not burn. They look horrendous. Four are captives and one is outside. Mercy assures them they still serve the Queen, who will save them. For now they must do as Increase asks and speak against John Alden at the trial.

The cauldron witches tell Mary Alden is the important sacrifice. It's difficult to imagine how Mary could look at they who say they have been like her mothers and want to be like them -- blinded, blistered, missing a nose.

Cotton tries to explain to Increase the Malum is an actual object. Increase thinks Cotton is arrogant to think he can stop the Grand Rite. Increase claims to have stopped it once himself. There is only one way to stop the Grand Rite. Kill the witch who began it before the moon that will end it. Increase thinks it's Alden.

Mather v Mather begins. Alden refuses to speak about what happened while he was away. Increase has decided he sent his familiars to do his business from afar. Increase points to a scar on Alden's neck as proof he suckled one himself.

Cotton turns the tables on Increase by revealing his torture tools.

Alden claims to have buried the Malum in Giles' grave. Cotton digs up his grave, but finds but bloody guts in the dirt.

Increase, meanwhile, is blooding himself and giving a bloodied cloth to someone asking if he knows what to do with it.

Cotton goes to Increase. He is deathly afraid. He knows the Malum was here and he saw and touched it. It is lost. Telling his father that Alden had the Malum only makes Increase more certain Alden is a witch. They search Alden's house for the Malum.

Cotton tries to explain that Alden caught the witch, Increase decided Alden was eliminating an enemy.

While Cotton is talking to Alden, Increase has an angry mob take Mercy's girls to the gallows. One of the girls stops at Alden to apologize for falsely naming him. Cotton tries to stop his father. The girls die above Alden's head.

Dalia is alive and goes to Mercy. Mary's master lied about protecting them.

Increase takes the time to introduce the crimes against his own people as a reason to hang Alden even if he isn't a witch.

Cotton wants Alden to cast aside his doubt that he's a good man. Alden questions if Cotton knows the difference between good and evil or if he thinks like Puritans that the world is black and white. Alden contests that the world is nothing but gray.

Alden shares the story of the Indians with Cotton. He became like one with them, and when he discovered all of their women and children killed, he fought on the side of the Indians who killed without a care for which tribe they slaughtered.

Cotton can't tell if, after everything they've been through, if Alden needed a friend or a pawn.

Isaac comes upon Mary in her chamber, weeping. He's still bleeding. He tells Mary he has always called her Magic Mary because she can do anything. She always could, even when they were just sprouts.

Mary is in Alden's cell. They will hang him tomorrow. He asks isn't she one of them? He suggests she go back to her life. Mary can save him. Alden admits he is guilty of treason and murder and he's ready to hang for it. Plus, he's tired of living without her. Mary wants to promise him. He wants her to be quiet. She asks him to dream with her one last time, they kiss and she transports him to the woods.