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the stars-there's a story that once she turned all the stars into mice to impress the witches on earth. So

they made her Queen of the Witches."

Cassie grinned. "I think it would take more than that to impress Faye."

"Probably. Some people say that her legend was based on an actual person, who taught magic and was a

champion of poor women. Other people say she was first a Sun Goddess, but then she got chased out

by male Sun Gods and turned to the night. The Romans got her confused with the Greek goddess

Artemis-you know, the huntress-but she was much more than that. Anyway, she's always been Queen of

the Witches."

"Like you," Cassie said.

Diana laughed and shook her head. "I may not always be leader," she said. "It all depends on what

happens between now and November tenth. That's the day of the leadership vote."

"Why November tenth?"

"It's my birthday-Faye's too, coincidentally. You have to be seventeen to be permanent leader, and that's

when we both will be."

Cassie was surprised. Diana was still only sixteen, like her? She always seemed so mature, and she was

a senior. But it was even stranger that Faye was so young, and that the cousins had the same birthday.

She looked at Diana, sitting there on the bed. As beautiful as the girl in the last print was, Diana was

more beautiful. With hair that indescribable color, like sunlight and moonlight woven together, and a face

like a flower, and eyes like green jewels, Diana resembled something from a fairy tale or legend more

than a real person. But the goodness and-well, purity that shone out of Diana's eyes were very real

indeed, Cassie thought. Cassie was proud to be her friend.

Then the light flashed on the gold key around Diana's neck and she remembered what she was there to

do.

I can't, Cassie thought, as her stomach plummeted giddily. She could feel the slow, sick pounding of her

heart. Right this minute around her own neck was hanging the crescent-moon necklace that Diana had

given her at her initiation. How could she steal from Diana, deceive Diana?

But she'd been through all that before. There was no way out. Faye would do exactly what she had

threatened-Cassie knew that. The only way to save Diana was to deceive her.

It's for her own good, Cassie told herself. So just stop thinking about it. Do what you have to and get it

over with.

"Cassie? You look upset."

"I-" Cassie started to say, no, of course not, and change the subject the way she usually did when

somebody caught her daydreaming. But then she had an idea. "I don't really feel like going home alone,"

she said, grimacing. "It's not just the walk-it's that house. It creaks and rattles all night long and

sometimes I can't even get to sleep. Especially if I'm thinking about. . . about..."

"I-" Cassie started to say, no, of course not, and change the subject the way she usually did when

somebody caught her daydreaming. But then she had an idea. "I don't really feel like going home alone,"

she said, grimacing. "It's not just the walk-it's that house. It creaks and rattles all night long and

sometimes I can't even get to sleep. Especially if I'm thinking about. . . about..."

Cassie's face flamed and she had to struggle not to look at the cabinet. She would never have mentioned

the skull herself: she couldn't have gotten the word out. "Okay," she said, trying to keep her voice normal.

"Thanks. I'll call my mom and tell her I'm staying over."

"We can drive to your house so you can get dressed in the morning-I'll check on the guest room." As

Diana left, the voices in Cassie's mind were rioting. You little sneak, they shouted at her. You nasty,

weaselly, lying little traitor-

Shut up! Cassie shouted back at them, with such force that they actually did shut up.

She called her mother.

"The guest room's ready," Diana said, reappearing as Cassie hung up the phone. "But if you get scared in

the night you can come in here."

"Thanks," Cassie said, genuinely grateful.

"What are big sisters for?"

They sat up and talked for a while, but neither of them had had much sleep the night before, and as the

clock's hands edged closer to ten they were both yawning.

"I'll take my bath tonight so you can have one in the morning," Diana said. "The hot water doesn't last

long around here."

"Isn't there a spell to take care of that?"

Diana laughed and tossed a book to her. "Here, see if you can find one."

It was the Book of Shadows Diana had brought to Cassie's initiation, the one that had been in Diana's

family since the first witches came to New Salem. The brittle yellow pages had a mildewy smell that

made Cassie wrinkle her nose, but she was glad to have this chance to look at it. Toward the beginning

of the book the writing was small and almost illegible, but further on it became stylized and beautiful, like

copperplate. Different authors, Cassie thought, different generations. The Post-it notes and plastic flags

on almost every page were the work of the current generation.

It was full of spells, descriptions of coven meetings, rituals, and stories. Cassie pored over it, her eyes

moving in fascination from one title to the next. Some of the spells seemed quaint and archaic; others

were like something out of a modern pop-psychology book. Some were just timeless.

A Charm to Cure a Sickly Child, she read. To Make Hens Lay. For Protection Against Fire and

Water. To Overcome a Bad Habit. To Cast Out Fear and Malignant Emotions. To Find Treasure.

To Change Your Luck. To Turn Aside Evil.

A Talisman For Strength caught her eye.

Take a smooth and shapely rock, and upon one face carve the rising sun and a crescent moon,

horns up. Upon the reverse, the words:

Strength of stone

Be in my bone

Power of light

Sustain my fight.

I could use that, Cassie thought. She continued flipping through the pages. A Spell Against Contagious

Disease. To Hold Evil Harmless. To Cause Dreams.

And then, as if her guilty conscience had summoned it up, another spell appeared before her eyes. For

an Untrue Lover.

Standing in the light of a full moon, take a strand of the lover's hair and tie knots in it, saying:

No peace find

No friend keep

No lover bind

No harvest reap

No repose take

No hunger feed

No thirst slake

No sorrow speed

No debt pay

No fear flee

Rue the day

You wronged me.

Cassie's pulse was fluttering in her wrists. Would anyone really put a curse like that on someone they

loved, no matter how unfaithful?

She was still staring at the page when there was a movement at the door. She shut the book hastily as

Diana came in, hair wrapped in a towel turban. But her eyes were drawn instantly to the gold chain Diana

was dropping on the nightstand. It lay there next to a round stone with a spiral pattern in it, gray swirled

with pale blue and sprinkled with quartz crystals. The chalcedony rose that Diana had given to Adam,

and that Adam had given to Cassie. Now it was back where it belonged, Cassie thought, and something

around her heart went numb.

"The bathroom's all yours," said Diana. "Here's a nightgown-or do you want a T-shirt?"

"A nightgown's fine," Cassie said. All the time she was washing up and changing she kept seeing the key.

If only Diana would leave it there . . .

It was still on the nightstand when she popped her head back in Diana's room. Diana was already in bed.

"Want me to shut the door?"

"No," Diana said, reaching up to turn out the light. "Just leave it open a bit. Good night."

"Good night, Diana."

But once in the guest room next door Cassie propped herself up on two pillows and lay staring at the

ceiling. Strangely, it was almost peaceful, lying there and knowing that for the moment there was nothing

she could do but wait. She could hear the sound of the ocean behind Diana's house, now louder, now

softer.

She waited a long time, listening to the quiet sounds. She felt relaxed, until she thought about getting

up-then her heart started to pound.

At last she was sure Diana must be asleep. Now, she thought. If you don't move now, you never will.

Breath held, she shifted her weight in the bed and let her legs down. The hardwood floor creaked slightly

as she crossed it, and she froze each time.

Outside Diana's door, she stood straining her ears. She could hear nothing. She put her hand on the door

and slowly, by infinitesimal degrees, she pushed it open.

Carefully, lungs burning because she was afraid to breathe too loud, she placed one foot inside the

threshold and let her weight down on it.

Diana was a dim shape on the bed. Please don't let her eyes be open, Cassie thought. She had the

horrible fantasy that Diana was just lying there staring at her. But as she took another slow, careful step

inside, and another, she could see that Diana's eyes were shut.

Oh, God, Cassie thought. I have to breathe. She opened her mouth and exhaled and inhaled silently. Her

heart was shaking her and she felt dizzy.

Take tiny steps, she thought. She crept farther into the room until she was standing directly beside Diana.

On the nightstand, just a few inches from Diana's sleeping face, was the key.

Feeling as if she was moving in slow motion, Cassie put her hand out, placed it flat on the key. She didn't

want to make any noise, but as she slid the necklace toward her, the chain rattled. She closed her fingers

over it and held it tightly.

Now to get away. She forced herself to creep, all the time looking over her shoulder at the bed-was

Diana waking up?

She reached the cabinet, and the little brass keyhole.

Fit the key in. She was fumbling; her fingers felt clumsy as sausages. For a moment she panicked,

thinking, what if it isn't the right key after all? But at last she got it in and turned it.

The lock clicked.

Hot relief swept over Cassie. She'd done it. Now she had to get the skull and call Faye- and what if

Faye didn't answer? What if Diana's father caught her phoning in the middle of the night, or if Diana woke

up and found the skull missing . . . ?

But as she eased the cabinet door open the world blurred and went dark before her eyes.

The hall light was shining into the cabinet. It was dim, but it was clear enough to show that all Cassie's

caution had been in vain, and all her fears about getting the skull to Faye were pointless.

The cabinet was empty.

Cassie never knew how long she stood there, unable to think or move. But at last she pushed the cabinet

door shut with shaking hands and locked it.

If it's not here, then where is it? Where? she demanded frantically of herself.

Don't think about it now. Put the key back. Or do you want her to wake up while you're standing here

holding it?

The journey back to Diana's nightstand seemed to take forever, and her stomach ached as if someone

were grinding a boot there. The key clinked as she replaced it on the nightstand and the chain stuck to

her sweaty hand. But Diana's breathing remained soft and even.

Now get out, she ordered herself. She needed to be alone, to try and think. In her hurry to get away she

forgot to be careful about placing her feet. A board creaked.

Just keep going, never mind, she thought. Then she heard something that stopped her heart.

A rustling from the bed. And then Diana's voice.

"Cassie?"

FOUR

"Cassie? Is that you?"

Sick dismay tingled down Cassie's nerves. Then she heard her own voice saying, as she turned, "I-I was

scared ... I didn't want to bother you ..."

"Oh, don't be silly. Come lie down," Diana said sleepily, patting the bed beside her and shutting her eyes

again.

It had worked. Cassie had gambled that Diana had just woken up that instant, and she'd been right. But

Cassie felt as if she were reeling as she went over to the other side of the bed and got in, facing away

from Diana.

"No more nightmares," Diana murmured:

"No," Cassie whispered. She could never get up now and call Faye, but she didn't care. She was too

tired of stress, of tension, of fear. And something deep inside her was glad that she hadn't been able to go

through with it tonight. She shut her eyes and listened to the roaring in her own ears until she fell asleep.

In her dream she was on a ship. The deck was lifting and dropping beneath her, and waves rose up black

over the sides. Lost, lost. . . What was lost? The ship? Yes, but something else, too. Lost forever . . .

never find it now . . .

never find it now . . .

Why, it was Diana's Book of Shadows! But no, the cover was different, red leather instead of brown. As

she leafed through it, she saw that the writing in the beginning was very similar, and the titles of some of

the spells were the same as in Diana's.

A Charm to Cure a Sickly Child. To Make Hens Lay. For Protection Against Fire and Water. To

Hold Evil Harmless.

To Hold Evil Harmless!

Her eyes moved swiftly across the words after it.

Bury the evil object in good moist loam or sand, well covered. The healing power of the Earth will

battle with the poison, and if the object be not too corrupt, it will be purified.

Of course, Cassie thought. Of course.

The dream was ebbing. She could feel Diana's bed beneath her. But she could also hear a fading voice,

calling a name. "Jacinth! Are you in there? Jacinth!"

Cassie was awake.

Diana's blue curtains were incandescent with the sunlight they held back. There were cheerful pottering

noises in the room. But all Cassie could think about was the dream.

She must have read that spell in Diana's Book of Shadows last night, absorbed it unconsciously as she