"I think you know." Faye moved to the center of the room.
"We have the Master Tools now. The most powerful tools a witch could have. We might be able to bring Constance back."
Diana was silent, but Laurel shot up from her seat.
"Faye's right. Constance was teaching us so much about our powers, and that was just the beginning of our training. We need her."
Deborah nodded. "A witch as powerful as she was should be easy to bring back."
Diana's already pale face seemed to whiten further. "I don't know," she said. "I want to save Constance, but unleashing that kind of dark magic could be dangerous. We don't know what the repercussions will be."
"Have you all gone completely crazy?" Cassie asked.
"You actually believe we can raise the dead?"
"Actually," Adam said, "it's not that farfetched. I know this is still all new to you, Cassie, but necromancy has been used since the third century."
"There's an actual term for it?" Cassie could hardly believe it.
"It derives from the Greek," Laurel said. "From nekos,
"It derives from the Greek," Laurel said. "From nekos, meaning dead, and manteia, which means divination." Cassie looked to Diana for confirmation, and she nodded. "But for the Greeks, necromancy signified the descent into Hades," Diana said. "It was used as a way to consult the dead. It wasn't intended to actually raise the dead back into the mortal sphere."
"But," Adam interjected, "we know for a fact that it was used that way by our own ancestors. In fact, Diana, don't you - "
Diana's green eyes flared to shut Adam up. But Faye, always vigilant, picked up on it. "Diana, don't you what?" Diana rested both her slender hands on the Pembroke table in front of her. To keep from falling over, Cassie imagined. Then she spoke warily. "There's a resuscitation spell in my Book of Shadows," she said. "Adam and I discovered it a few years ago."
Faye released a moan of pure satisfaction. "I knew it."
"Let's do it," Deborah said. "We have the power, and we have the spell."
Suzan agreed. "We have to at least try." Adam was quiet, but Cassie perceived a quivering excitement beneath his noncommittal expression. He wanted this - to test the limits of his power. It was the side of Adam that Cassie often forgot was there. Behind his relentlessly responsible facade, he was an adventurer at heart.
Diana, still looking weary, said, "I suppose it is worth a try. As long as we're extremely careful. But we should put it to a vote."
Laurel joined Faye at the center of the room. "I'll do the honors in Melanie's absence," she said. "All those in favor of saving Constance, raise your hand."
Everyone's hand went up except Cassie's. Laurel looked at her, surprised the vote wasn't unanimous.
"I want to," Cassie said. "Of course I want to. I'm just . . .
scared."
"We can't do this spell without a full Circle," Diana said.
"It's all or nothing."
Laurel's voice took on a pleading tone. "This is Melanie's family we're talking about. Her only family." But Diana was firm. "We can't force Cassie to perform a spell of this magnitude against her will." Cassie felt the room's attention rotate to her. "I'll do it," she called out before anyone else could say anything.
"Nobody's forcing me. Constance was family to all of us, and I want to do it."
Faye clapped her hands together and immediately began giving orders. "We have to work fast," she said. "And we need the Tools. I'll go get the garter." She pointed to Cassie and Diana. "You two go dig up the bracelet and diadem from wherever you hid them. And Diana, don't forget your Book of Shadows. The rest of you, go get Melanie." She paused. "And the body."
"The body?" Sean asked, aghast. "You mean we have to bring it here?"
Faye gave him a shove. "Where else do you suggest we revive it? Now go!"
Cassie went to where Diana was seated at the table while the others sprang into action.
"The diadem's hidden in my room," Diana said solemnly.
"Should we go together?"
Cassie nodded. "So it seems Faye's getting her way after all. She wanted to use the Tools, and now we are." Diana reached for her bag. "You can still back out if you're not comfortable with this."
"Are you comfortable with it?" Cassie asked.
"I want Constance to be alive," Diana said. "And once we're done with the spell, we'll put each relic right back in its hiding place."
"But you said there could be repercussions." Diana remained still for a moment and then spoke with care. "All magic has repercussions, Cassie. Power always comes with consequences."
Then she turned away as if the statement was nothing and fished through her bag for her keys. "Let's go get the Tools. I'll drive."
Chapter 8
The kitchen was shadowy and quiet when Cassie stepped inside. Her mother wasn't home, and she was glad. She didn't want to have to explain why she was hauling bricks out of the fireplace. Just up the block, Diana was retrieving the tiara and whatever other materials they'd need to complete the resuscitation spell. And a little farther down Crowhaven Road, the rest of the group was somehow going to convince Melanie to allow them to bring her great-aunt's body to the lighthouse. Before this year, Cassie had never even seen a real dead body, and now she was going to put her hands over one and try to bring it back to life.
The fireplace wasn't such a creative hiding spot for the bracelet, Cassie knew, but it had worked successfully for so many years, why try to think up someplace different?
Deep inside its gaping stone mouth, she found the silver document box just as she'd left it. And when she removed its ancient lid, the bracelet glistened inside, as if it were celebrating the sudden, surprising light.
Cassie allowed herself to admire the bracelet's beauty for only a second. She ran her fingers over the intricate design on its rich silver surface and felt its weight in her hands. But then Diana called to her from outside.
"Be right there!" she yelled, and ran upstairs to quickly change into her ceremonial white shift.
Once she was dressed and ready, she found Diana waiting for her on the front porch swing with a large cotton sack at her side. She'd also changed into her ceremonial shift, but there was a composure to Diana's appearance that Cassie could only aspire to. Even under all this stress, Diana remained in control.