Debby needed only to glance at the psychic auras of Cassie and Ned to know they were excited. An aura had what she called a "potential" band. It glowed brighter whenever the person was feeling a strong emotion. She did not have Cassie's empathy, but the glow of their potential bands combined with their voice and mannerisms allowed her to intuit emotional state.

Cassie's dream band, however, gave her cause for alarm. She had never seen it so agitated, as if Cassie were disturbed about something down to the subconscious level. She dearly hoped Cassie would accept the invitation to dinner.

Heather arrived on Richie's bike. Her sexuality band glowed in obvious post-coital brilliance, but Diane's was strangely quiescent, save for what lingered from her line energy channeling earlier that morning. Debby solved the puzzle when Richie arrived via the back door and hoped Diane was as free from jealousy as she claimed.

The sense of anticipation affected Debby as well, as if the Harbingers were projecting it over the link. She sat down at the end of the sofa next to Heather and Diane. Cassie sat in the easy chair, and Ned sat on the floor at her feet. Richie grabbed a chair from the dining room and turned it around before he sat, resting his elbows on the back of the chair.

"So Cassie tells me you found something, Ned," said Debby.

Ned nodded and lifted the notebook at his side. He opened it to a page and tossed it onto the coffee table, where it bumped against the spine of a gardening magazine and nearly pushed it off the edge. Debby leaned over and peered at the matrix of three-digit numbers, fifteen rows by three columns. At the bottom were the words "ingredient, preparation, amount."

Debby traced a finger down the page and stopped at the words. "This is the primer?"

"Sorta, yeah," Ned said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So I was right?" Diane said in an excited voice. She looked down at the page. "But what exactly do the numbers mean?"

"Now, see, that's our li'l problem. I have no clue."

"Okay, let's think about this, everyone," Cassie said. "The numbers have to be some sort of sequence, right? Or maybe they translate somehow into words."

"I tried a coupla things," Ned said. "Nuthin' worked. If the numbers were bigger, I'd be thinkin' some kinda code where the numbers become letters. I even tried that anyway, but that got nowhere fast."

Debby shook her head. "No, it has to be simpler than that. Elizabeth would not have made it that complicated. As brilliant a Witch as she was, she was a very straightforward thinker."

"Could've fooled me," Richie grumbled. "Just looks like a bunch of stupid numbers to me. Reminds me too much of that matrix shit we had to learn in math this semester."

"Wait, is that it?" Cassie called out. "Some sort of mathematical puzzle? No, that would be too complicated, wouldn't it?"

"I remember that matrix stuff," Ned said. "Ya need more than one ta do any kinda math with it."

"But maybe you have do some sort of operation from row to row?"

Ned shook his head. "Nah, that's not it. I think Mrs. R. is on the right track. This smells of something dirt simple."

Richie frowned. "Yeah, so fucking simple us geniuses can't figure it out."

"Okay, look," Heather said, leaning forward. "If it really is that simple, then each of these first numbers must be a single ingredient, and each of these second numbers is the way to prepare it. Like ... like something Jason described once in computer programming ... shit, what the hell did he call it?"

"A lookup table," Diane said.

"Yes, that's it!"

"But what about the third column?" Cassie asked. "Ned, did you find anything that told you what it meant?"

"I don't follow you, Cassie," said Debby.

"Well, the number could mean anything, right? Ounces, grams, or--"

Debby shook her head. "No, that's not how Witches' recipes work. All measurements are done in parts. You can't know ahead of time how much will be needed, so you simply describe the proportions in relation to one another. How much one 'part' is depends on how much you need to make."

"Well, that's one down," Ned said. "Ain't gonna do us much good if we can't figger out the rest, though."

"Ned, I think Heather and Diane are onto something," Cassie said in an excited voice.

"Yeah, I know but--" He paused when the gardening magazine slipped. He snatched it before it could fall and held it up. "But unless ol' Lizzie left Mrs. R. something like this, we're shit outta luck."

"Mrs. Radson, can you tell us again everything Elizabeth left you?" asked Cassie.

Debby nodded. "Yes, she left me her Book of Shadows, which describes all her rites and rituals, a Book of Simples, which describes simple potions and preparation techniques, and a locket."

"And that's all? Are you sure there's nothing else?"

"Positive." Debby said in a distracted voice as something flickered in the corner of her eye. She looked towards Ned, his potential band spiking as he stared intently at the magazine. "Ned, what is it?" Debby asked in a voice tinged with excitement despite her attempts to suppress it.

Ned said nothing at first despite all eyes upon him. He pulled the notebook into his lap and stared at the numbers for a few long seconds. "Mrs. R., how many pages does this Book of Simples have?" he asked, not lifting his eyes from the notebook.

"Pages? Um, around one hundred and twenty or so. Maybe a little more."

Cassie suddenly gasped.

Ned traced his finger down the page. "That Book of Shadows, do any of the rites use stuff like herbs or plants or whatnot?"

Debby understood at once, and her heart soared. "Yes! Yes, many of them do!"

"An' how many pages does--"

"Two hundred forty or so!"

Ned's eyes scanned down the page and stopped at the end. "Two hundred forty six?"

"I think so, yes."

"You found it?!" Heather suddenly cried.

"That has to be it!" Cassie cried. "Mrs. Radson, it fits with what Elizabeth told you. She said 'it's all in there.' This is what she meant!"

"Holy fuck," Richie murmured.

"Goddess, I can't believe it was right in front of me all along," Debby said, laying a hand to her cheek. "I feel such a fool for not seeing it."

"Mrs. R., you would had ta have found the numbers in the first place," Ned said. "I'm surprised I managed ta do it."

Cassie reached down and hugged him. "Ned, I'm so proud of you," she said softly into his ear.

"I'd take the praise, babe, but I wanna see if this really pans out. An' we got one li'l other problem, but that can wait." He looked up. "Mrs. R., can we see those books Lizzie gave ya?"

Debby let out a slow sigh. From his voice and face, she could tell he understood the gravity of what he was asking. She stood. "I'll get them, but I would like to make a solemn request. Please only let me touch them. I already feel it was a violation to keep the books in the first place, let alone peruse them."

"That's fine, Mrs. Radson," Cassie said.

"Yeah, no prob," Ned said. "You're the best one to understand 'em anyway."

Debby nodded her appreciation and headed away, her heart pounding. She wished she had taken the time to cast a circle about the living room, and she considered going back and doing just that; it was not like the others had never seen her naked.

She decided it would be an empty gesture, an excuse to put off something she had not wanted to do. She headed into the pantry, turned towards a far corner, and dropped to one knee. She pulled out a small wooden chest with a decorative latch. She closed her eyes in prayer for a few moments, asking for both fortitude and forgiveness from her Goddess. She slowly opened the chest with a creak of old hinges and reached inside with trembling hands.

She withdrew a cardboard box, its sides warped and faded with age. Nestled inside were two black leather bound books, the covers shiny and pristine save for a few cracks near the spine. Debby sighed as she ran her fingers along the thicker of the two books. Once a week she removed the books from the chest, dusted and treated their covers, and returned them unopened.

Debby stood, and something in the box rattled. She stared down at the locket, its pentagram symbol reminding her too much of the pendant which had caused so much trouble for her daughter and nearly loosed a great evil upon Haven.

She balanced the box in one hand and picked up the locket. One side was dented, jamming the latch shut. She turned it over and peered at the ankh inscribed on the back as something settled inside the locket. She imagined it contained the ashes of someone Elizabeth had loved. Debby knew Elizabeth's lover had died first, and would account for how the ankh appeared to have been etched much later.

Debby considered leaving it in the chest, but placed it back in the box and carried the lot back to the Harbingers. They had started to chat among themselves, but fell silent when Debby approached.

Debby sat down. "All right, if these numbers really do describe a potion, then the first one or two rows would be the base."

"Huh?" said Richie.

"Potions and salves have a base, something you mix them with. Most use water or oil, sometimes mixed with alcohol." Debby picked up the thicker book. "Ned, what's the first number of the first row?"

"One-four-six," Ned called out.

Debby slowly opened the book, the binder crackling softly. To her relief, instead of an overwhelming sense of guilt, she felt a sudden renewed connection to her old friend through the yellowed pages and flowing black script. Perhaps it was a good omen that the ritual she found on the first page she saw was for fostering good will between friends.

"One-four-six," Debby murmured as she turned the pages with care. She smiled. "This is a ritual for purifying water. Water must be the base."

"That has to be it!" Cassie cried in a bright voice. She glanced at the notebook. "Look, it says fifteen parts. That's the largest amount of any of the ingredients. Ned, call out the next number, the preparation one."

"Hokay, the number fer the prep work is zero-three-eight," Ned said.

Debby put down the Book of Shadows and picked up the Book of Simples. She opened it with less hesitation but no less reverence. "Yes, I think you've got it!" Debby cried. "This is a recipe for a salve. It has to be brought to a roiling boil, then slow-boiled as the other ingredients are added, then simmered on very low flame for eight hours and allowed to cool for another four." She put down the book. "What's the next ingredient number?"

"Zero-three-one," said Ned.

Debby sensed the tension in the room. Richie was more focused than Debby had ever seen him, his hands gripping the back of his chair. Diane bit her lip and stared, her psychic aura suggesting either intense contemplation or a mind racing ahead of her thoughts. Cassie's was one of sheer hope.

Debby opened the Book of Shadows again and turned to the page. "Alcohol!"

Richie's eyebrows rose. "Booze? What kind, though?"

"Not booze, Richie. Ethyl alcohol. You can find it in the liquor store as Everclear."

"But how would you prepare something like that?" Heather asked. "Doesn't it just, well, sit there?"

"Let's find out," Ned said. "Mrs. R., next number is zero-six-seven."

Debby returned to the Book of Simples. She smiled and nodded. "Yes, this is it. This is a recipe for an infusion of common herbs in alcohol. It's a very common addition to most potions to make them easier to digest."

"Oh, this is wonderful!" Cassie cried. "We have the potion!"

"Now, wait, babe, don't count yer cauldrons before they're bubblin'," Ned said. "I wanna try a few more, and then we can talk 'bout the nigglin' li'l problem we got."

Ned called out the next set of numbers. "This is a rite of relaxation," said Debby as she consulted the Book of Shadows. "It uses chamomile flowers. And ..." She perused the Book of Simples. "... they need to be steamed, then dried and crumbled."

Ned recited the next. "Ginger root," Debby said. "Cut fresh, then grated."

Ned read out two more, and Debby responded with two more recognizable herbs. When Ned was about to recite the next, Richie said, "Okay, I call bullshit on this!"

Heather rolled her eyes. "Really, Richie, even Jason could accept--"

"Nah, let him talk," Ned said. He turned to Richie. "Speak, kemosabe. I got a funny feeling I know what yer gonna say."

"Look, I know I'm not as smart as some of you, and I ain't no Witch," Richie said. "But even I recognize the names of those things, and I don't remember them giving anyone super mental powers."

"It's not meant to give power, Richie," Cassie said. "It's meant to give protection. I'm over-simplifying that, I know. There was stuff about splitting the mind, but--"

"That's just it. How the fuck is this gonna do that?"

"Okay, now we come ta my problem," Ned said.

Debby glanced at Diane. She had been far more perturbed by Richie's interruption than even her more vocal lover.

"See, when I read the journal, Lizzie went on and on 'bout some special ingredient in the potion. Despite this potion bein' her ace-in-the-hole against the big evil poobah, she acts like she just drowned a buncha kittens."

"Why would she think that?" Heather said.

"I remember, Ned," Debby said in a solemn voice. "She spoke about that ingredient at length, and for the longest time I had no idea what it was. She had destroyed a few years of her journal, soon after befriending someone named Mara."

Heather's eyes widened. "Wait, what?!"

"Yes, that makes sense," Cassie said softly. Ned craned his neck and gave her an inquisitive look. "Heather and Richie can speak better to this, Ned, but remember what they told us about the House at the end of the street? How they met the spirit of Mara, and she showed them what happened so many years ago?"

"Yeah, I do now, but I don't recall the details."

"I-I do," Heather said in a quavering voice, her eyes shimmering. "At least most of it. I remember Mara saying she had been a sex slave, that some sort of drug was used on her."

"Holy shit, yeah, I remember, too!" Richie cried. "It was some kind of leaf, right?"

"Yes. She kept it in a little wooden box. Shit, is that the special ingredient in the potion?! Elizabeth freaked out over it! She was supposed to be very good with herbs and never saw something like that in her life."

"I'm afraid there's more to it," Debby said, clutching the Book of Shadows to her bosom over her pounding heart. "Jason told me of the House and Mara. Mara had Elizabeth bind her spirit to the house. I believe she used one of the remaining leaves to do so."

"Wait, I don't understand," Diane said. "Heather told me that story, too. I thought the leaves just messed with your mind."

"I suspect the leaves contained powerful magic, Diane," said Debby, her voice quavering from dark thoughts about an old friend. "She harvested them for the raw magic. Or more likely, she altered the magic to change it from controlling to binding." She heaved an unsteady sigh. "Which is what she was doing with the potion. The common herbs are there just to alter the function of the leaves."

"Mrs. Radson, are you all right?" Cassie called out suddenly.

Debby closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it go as a slow sigh. She pulled the Book from her bosom and stared down at it. "I'm all right," she said in a subdued voice. "I'm having trouble accepting that Elizabeth would concoct a ritual with that awful thing just to have an entry in the Book of Shadows to complete the code."

"I don't think ya need ta get yer panties in a bunch over it, Mrs. R.," Ned said. "Unless ya got a little wooden box in there somewhere, I doubt we could ever find that stuff again."

"That's not the point, Ned," Debby snapped, then sighed and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, never mind. But I'm afraid you're right. What you see on the table is everything she left me."

"There has to be something else!" Diane suddenly cried out.

"Yeah, what the fuck?!" Richie snapped. "We do all this shit for nothing? Game fucking over, player one? That's bullshit!"

"Hey, I don't like it either," Ned said.

"Fuck that!" Richie said, bolting out of his chair. Debby just managed to catch it before it could tip over into the coffee table. He snatched the notebook from Ned's hands. "This is a freakin' ingredient list, right? It has to be in here."

Ned stood up and yanked the notebook back. "Even if it is, how the hell do we get any? Think Mrs. R. can just pop down ta the pharmacy and say 'I'll have one mind control drug leaf, please.'"

Cassie stood and nudged them apart. "Richie, Ned, please, don't fight over this."

"I'm not!" Richie cried. "I just don't wanna fucking give up on this!"

"No one is, it's just ..." Cassie sighed and gave him a pained look before turning to Ned. "Maybe he has a point, Ned. Let's look at the rest and see if the Book of Shadows has anything to say about it."

Debby was dreading that decision, and thus she had remained silent while they debated. She hated herself for taking the coward's way out, but she was loathe to find anything which would tarnish her memory of Elizabeth. If they failed in this endeavor, she wanted to at least come away with her good will towards the woman still intact.

Ned looked at the list. "If it's gonna be anything, I'll bet it's the last one. Two-four-six. Sounds like the very end of the book ta me."

"I'll look," Debby said in a reluctant voice. She trembled as she turned the pages towards the back, until she found herself on two hundred forty-five. She took a deep breath and turned the page ... and found herself staring at jotted notes, reminders of appointments, phone numbers, and scribbles indicative of coaxing a recalcitrant pen to work.

Debby blinked in surprise and turned the page back, then forward again. She rubbed the page between her fingers in case two were stuck together. She did not know whether to feel disappointed or elated.

"Well?" Richie called out.

"There's no page two hundred forty-six," Debby said. "The last page is two hundred forty-five."

"What?! Let me see that--"

"No!" Cassie cried, grabbing his arm. "We promised only she could touch it!"

"Richie, chill the fuck out," Ned grumbled.

"But there has to be something!" Diane cried.

Debby wondered why Diane was so upset. Heather had noticed, placing her hand on her lover's shoulder and whispering something. Diane shook her head, lowered her gaze, and leaned against Heather.

"Mrs. R., is there anything on that page at all?" Ned asked.

"Yes, but they look like only notes and scribbles," said Debby.

Ned extended his hand. "May I have permission ta look? I won't turn ta any other pages, I promise."

Debby hesitated. She trusted Ned implicitly, but felt she could not speak for Elizabeth. Then again, she wondered if she were placing too much power in the spirits of the dead. She slowly handed it to him.

"Thanks," Ned said, turning away as he dropped his gaze.

"Maybe there's another code on the page," Cassie said in a low voice, which Debby imagined was largely to appease Richie. Debby had tried to examine his psychic aura with little success. He appeared to harbor two at once, slightly out of phase with one another, and either one or the other would shimmer into view for too short a time for her to analyze it.

"Huh," Ned finally said.

"You found something?" Cassie asked in a hopeful voice.

Ned turned to them. "Nah, not really. Jus' this funny little symbol."

Debby stood as Cassie stepped up to him. "Where?"

Ned pointed. "Right here, see? It's kinda tiny."

Cassie squinted and leaned forward. "I don't ... oh, there it is. I remember seeing that in my ancient history class. It's called an ankh, isn't it?"

"A what?!" Debby cried. Cassie gasped in surprise as Debby snatched the book from Ned. "Where?!"

Ned extended a slender finger towards the bottom left page. There, inside the loop of a letter "g" stood a tiny cross with a loop at the top.

Debby swallowed hard. "Oh great Goddess ..."

"An ankh?" Richie said in confusion. "Isn't that some sorta Egyptian shit? What's that got to do with this?"

"What is it, Mrs. Radson?" Cassie cried out in alarm.

Debby turned to the table and set down the Book of Shadows with a trembling hand. She picked up the Book of Simples. "Ned, p-please read the second number for that ingredient."

"Uh, sure ... one-zero-two."

Debby turned to that page. "Dry ... then grind into a very fine powder ... store away from light ..." She sank onto the sofa. "G-Goddess ... I-I've had it all this time ..."

Debby's heart pounded. She picked up the locket by its chain. It spun in the air, and Cassie uttered a gasp when she saw the ankh inscribed on its back.

"As much as we wanna pay our respect ta the dearly departed," Ned said in a heavy voice. "I think we need ta open that locket."

Melinda had never been more grateful for the normally loathsome half-yearly ritual of semester exams, or for the usually irksome habit her mother had of insisting her daughters spend at least two hours studying every day starting the first weekend in December. Despite playing the part of a sex toy to Aunt Jo in all things but name, her mother had not wavered on this point.

Not that she could completely forget her sex toy status. She lay stretched out on the bed on her stomach, naked save for her white stockings and garter belt. She propped herself up on her elbows, a textbook open before her. Her breasts rested against a small throw-pillow which she had stuffed under her when they began to ache from dangling under her.

Melinda frowned as she tilted to one side to free an arm to turn the page. Her breasts shifted, and she had to adjust the pillow again. How the hell does Heather deal with her boobs? Melinda thought. She must have extra muscles there or something.

She uttered a sad sigh and had trouble concentrating on the textbook. All she could think about was how her sister would be lost for another week. With Jason going under, soon she would have no one to which to turn for support.

Melinda tried to return her attention to the textbook. She drew her lower legs up and scissored them back and forth as she was wont to do when she lay on her stomach. The silken fabric of her stockings rubbed together, and she was reminded once more of how slutty she looked.

Melinda let out a slow, ragged sigh. She no longer remembered what it was like not to be sexually aroused. Her pussy remained on a constant, low burn, her folds moist enough to make any impromptu touch a delight and open the floodgates for more to follow.

For not the first time she wondered what it would be like if Jason enslaved her. Would it really be as bad as Heather thought? Whether she went to Aunt Jo or Jason, her future was the same. She could see no way out. Perhaps the cult had left more inside her than she had been told, and they had already primed her to be a sex slave for the rest of her life.

Melinda sighed and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. She regretted having no vision for her future. She had no idea what she wanted to do as an adult. The only hobby she ever had was jotting down little stories in her notebooks, but she doubted they were any good. Now she would spend her life tending the needs of any cock or pussy which presented itself.

She let out a husky sigh and parted her legs, bending them at the knee and drawing her feet towards her. She draped her hand over her belly and resisted the urge to send it further south. If she started masturbating now, she doubted she would stop before dinner.

This is all Mom's fault, Melinda thought, trying to build up a head of righteous fury to counteract her lust. She started to have some success when the door suddenly opened. Melinda closed her legs and drew her knees to her chest as she sat up. She frowned at her mother, who stood dressed in only her underwear.

"Don't you ever knock anymore?" Melinda snapped.

"Melinda, I'm not in the mood for your brattiness right now," Penny said. "I have to get dressed to be ready to take Heather back to Laura."

"Yeah, don't remind me. Shit, can't she even stay for dinner?"

"We are not going there. I need to ask you a question, and you will answer it truthfully. Do I make myself clear?"

Melinda nodded, staring.

"Do you know where my pendant is?"

Melinda gave her a nonplussed look. "Huh? What pendant?"

"The gold heart-shaped pendant your father gave me a long time ago."

Melinda tilted her head, looking pensive. "Oh, that pendant! I haven't seen you wear that in years."

"I wear it under my clothes every day when I go out. It's ... very important to me."

"If it's that important, why do you hide--"

"Melinda, just answer my question!"

Melinda shook her head. "I don't know where your stupid pendant is. Why the hell would I know?"

Penny sighed and rubbed one of her temples. "Please, Melinda ... don't make me ... just tell me."

"I said I don't know!" Melinda cried in a shrill voice.

"What about Heather? Would she know? Does she have it?"

Melinda was very tempted to respond with "if I did, I wouldn't tell you," but that would serve only to implicate herself. Had Heather done something with the pendant? Why would she? "I have no idea. That's the truth. Even if she did do something, she sure as hell didn't tell me about it."

Penny gave her a pained look, and for a moment, Melinda wanted to believe her mother was having a moral debate. It mattered not a few seconds later when Penny advanced across the threshold, a sultry smile on her face, her hips swaying.

Melinda bit her lower lip and crawled back towards the headboard as her mother sat down on the edge of the bed. Penny draped a hand over Melinda's calf and ran her fingers down the soft, tight stockings. Melinda let out a ragged moan, her knee falling to the side at her mother's gentle nudge, her folds glistening with a renewed surge of moist desire.

Penny caressed the inside of Melinda's thigh until Melinda squirmed, her legs parting further in silent invite. She struggled to regain her anger towards her mother and failed, her eyes half-lidded as they fell on her mother's sexy bosom. She watched it jiggle when her mother leaned forward until her eyes slid closed in wet pleasure as Penny's fingers teased her clit.

"Mmm, doesn't that feel good?" Penny cooed.

"P-please, I have to study," Melinda said in a helpless voice, even as she slid her hips forward in a plea for more.

"You can go back to that later. Lay back and enjoy this."

Melinda resisted for only another few seconds before she did as she was told. She uttered a low moan as fingers eased into her cunt. Her breath became a soft pant, her hips rocking in time with her mother's finger-thrusts. Her thighs quaked in anticipation as her pleasure rose, her body going limp in total submission. She licked her lips as she pined for the taste of her mother's pussy on her tongue.

"Such a slutty little girl you are," Penny said in a soft voice.

Melinda shuddered as her nipples became hard and tingly. In a dim corner of her mind, she registered the fact that her mother no longer hesitated when calling her own daughter "slutty."

"Slutty girls have no secrets," Penny purred.

Melinda felt her mother's fingers slip out of her tunnel and rub her clit with firm, circular strokes. Melinda arched her back and moaned, her pleasure rising faster, her mind slaved to the needs of her body. "Uhng ... ohmigod ... uhhng ..."

"Tell me what I want to know," Penny said. "Tell me about my pendant."

Melinda gasped as Penny stroked her harder. "Uhng! ... Uhnn! ... I-I don't ... uhng! ... I don't know anything ..." She tilted her head back as her pleasure peaked, her pussy straining for release.

Melinda heard nothing but her own labored breath and the wetness of her pussy against her mother's fingers. She squealed as her pussy suddenly let go, her hips jerking with the first few powerful throbs. Orgasmic bliss swept her body and mind, and she hoped she would have the privilege of worshiping her mother's mature body in return for such a beautiful climax.

Instead, when the haze of sexual bliss began to dissipate, she opened her eyes to see her mother walk towards the doorway. Melinda cast a forlorn and wanting gaze on her mother's ass.

"All right, Melinda," Penny said in a more contrite voice. "I believe you. I'm sorry I disturbed you. I'll talk to Heather while I'm driving her to Laura's."

By the time Melinda could quell the lingering lust for her mother's body, Penny had already left and closed the door behind her.

Debby had a confession she would not share with anyone other than the Goddess: she had not believed the story of the House in its entirety.

Never did she believe Jason had lied to her. Yet if Victor had taught her anything, it was that perceptions could be altered, either by supernatural forces or one's own mind. She had believed they had encountered a strong Presence, the lingering energy of a departed spirit. She had trouble believing it had more substance than that, for it would mean having to believe the terrible thing Elizabeth had done to anchor Mara's spirit to the House.

As sweet a woman as Elizabeth was, and as noble a cause for which she had fought, Debby shared the same sentiments Elizabeth had herself. Such magicks were unnatural, perverting the natural cycle of life and death. Any self-respecting Witch would shun such things.

Yet as she watched Ned apply the tip of the needle-nose pliers to the errant latch, she saw herself about to follow the same path. If the locket did indeed contain the dried and powdered remains of the last leaves of that infernal plant, she would have no choice but to pick up the mantel which Elizabeth had laid down.

She tried not to think about how it had caused a great Witch to become a frail old lady too scared to pick up her craft again.

Everyone stared at Ned in stark silence such that every little metallic scrape could be heard. Debby had been so taken aback by the revelations that she had no mind for detail; now an invitation to dinner seemed inadequate compensation for Cassie having the presence of mind to place a large plate under the locket to catch any grains which might escape.

A sudden snap caused both Debby and Cassie to flinch. "There," Ned said with a slow sigh as he set the pliers down, the broken latch in its teeth. "Finally got the bastard loose."

Debby stared down at the locket. Already the pentagram face was slightly canted from the body of the locket. She had only to poke a finger at it to open it. Debby let out a tremulous sigh. She still hoped the locket was empty or indeed held someone's remains. For if it did not, she would have to step into shoes far too big for her and do a job far beyond her capabilities.

Her hand trembled as she reached for it, and she felt vaguely embarrassed. She was supposed to be the adult, the one from whom children could draw strength. She glanced at them and could not help thinking how vulnerable they looked.

She dropped her gaze and took a deep breath. She grasped the locket with one hand and swung the face away with the other. She uttered a shaky sigh as she gazed upon the dark brown grains. She tipped it slightly and watched the grains move with the locket, flowing as if they had been dried and stored only the day before.

"This is remarkable," Debby breathed. "I could never store an herb for this long without at least some mold or dry rot."

"Well, it was protected in the locket all this time," Cassie said.

"No, Cassie, the only way to preserve an herb this long is to seal it in a jar or can it. The locket was enough to keep it from spilling out, but no way was it anything close to a perfect seal."

"So that means this is the real stuff, right?" Richie said. "This is the same crap they used on Mara?"

"Never thought of that," Ned drawled as he rubbed his face. "How would we know it was the real deal?" He looked at Heather.

Heather shook her head. "I don't have the foggiest idea. I saw what the leaf looked like, and I barely remember that. No way I could know if it would like this when dried and powdered."

Debby delicately placed the locket down and closed it. She straightened up and faced the others. "Without any other possibilities, this has to be it. It would not have remained preserved for so long if it still did not have potent magic associated with it. Great Goddess, I can understand now what made Elizabeth so nervous in the vision Mara showed the original Harbingers."

"It was because she had never seen it before, right?" Heather said.

Debby shook her head. "If I'm recalling correctly what Jason told me, she became very upset the moment she touched it. To me that means she could sense the power contained within it." Debby let out a shaky breath. "I've always felt something from this locket, but I had assumed it was just a bit of Elizabeth's Presence, as powerful a spirit as she had. But now I see that was not what I was feeling at all."

"Hokay, we agree this is the genu-ine article," Ned said. "So what do we do with it?"

Debby saw Cassie glance at her. Before she could open her mouth, Richie barreled in. "What the fuck do you think we do with it? We make this stupid potion."

"That's what I assumed we would do," Diane spoke up. "Then we--"

"We give it to Jason," Cassie said, likely without realizing she had spoken over Diane, considering the excitement in her voice. "Then he can resist whatever horrible things they're doing to him at the Inn."

Richie snorted. "Little late for that."

"It can't be too late! He only just started to get an Aura last week."

"No, wait, you're forgetting--" Diane tried again.

"You haven't been talking to him," said Richie. "I have. He's been running off his nerd mouth about how everything is just fine, and how they're not teaching him anything bad, that any shit he did is a-okay, it's everyone else who's wrong."

Cassie looked stricken. "But ... can they really corrupt him that quickly?"

"Hold up, old hoss," Ned said. "Shit he did? As in past tense?"

"He's got two slaves already, so he tells me."

"Oh goodness ..." Cassie cried softly, dropping her face into her hands.

Diane sighed and thumped a fist against her thigh. "Look, remember when Jason--"

"Th-then we need to take it!" Heather cried. "So we can stop him from doing something to us."

"We're not abandoning him!" Cassie cried.

"I didn't mean that! But I don't see--"

"Will you all shut up for a minute?!" Diane shouted.

Silence came with the swiftness and impact of a sledgehammer as all eyes turned to her. Debby surged forward when it looked like Diane would lose her nerve. "Diane, what is it? Please, tell us what you're thinking."

Diane took a deep breath, her voice shaking. "Jason said something when he last met with all of us. He said that rescuing him at this point would be easier than stopping him."

Ned slowly nodded. "Yeah. I see what yer gettin' at. This is what we talked about at school the other day, ain't it?"

"Yes." Diane glanced at her lover for a moment, who was giving her an inquisitive look. "In one of the journal entries Jason didn't have a chance to tell us about, Elizabeth tested out her potion. She actually rescued someone from the Darkness."

"Yes, I remember that part now," Debby said.

"How the fuck did she do that?" Richie demanded.

Diane flinched. "I don't know, I didn't ask for details."

"I did," Ned said. "And, frankly, most of it?" He whipped his hand about a half foot over his head. "Whoosh. But I got enough of it ta understand it ain't like a freaking video game where ya drink the potion and suddenly ya got invulnerability fer part of the level. She had ta fight fer it. All the potion did was make the Dark Poobah think it had Lizzie controlled but really didn't."

"Wait, what the fuck does that mean?" Richie said. "It's a shield?"

"Nah, that ain't right either. Fuck, I don't have the right words ta explain it."

"Let me try," Debby said. "I don't remember all the details off the top of my head, but I do recall it involved a means of splitting your psyche. The best way to put it is that it lets you sort of step out of your body. You can allow outside influence to affect it, but you can take back control at any time."

"Yeah, something like that," Ned said. "She was tryin' ta do it by herself and it was too hard. She conjured up the potion ta do it for her."

"Which explains why she used the remaining leaves Mara gave her." Debby sighed and shook her head. "Poor Elizabeth. She was playing with fire as hot as the sun on all fronts."

Silence fell again, and everyone looked to her. Debby cast her reluctant gaze upon them, coming to rest on Diane's shimmering eyes. She could guess what Diane wanted, and she had no idea if she could provide.

Debby let out a quavering sigh. "I must be honest with you all, for your perseverance deserves nothing less. I'm not sure I'm up to this."

No one said a word. No one interrupted. Richie wanted to, that much was obvious. Diane bit her lip and gripped the front of her seat. Heather looked strangely impatient, until Debby noticed the spikes of horrible black worming their way into her sexual band. The band itself had begun to swell, and Heather squirmed in response. Whatever force of will she was using to fend off Laura's influence, she was about to exhaust it for another week.

Debby's heart leapt into her throat. They needed her help. That she could quite possibly do more harm than good was irrelevant. "But I'll try. The Goddess as my witness, I will try."

Cassie remained tensed, as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. Her eyes remained sharp and focused on Debby. It was hard for Debby not to feel them boring into her. She wondered if she were broadcasting her emotions so loud that Cassie could almost read what she was thinking.

"So who's gonna be the one to take the stuff once you make it?" Richie asked the question Debby was sure Cassie was thinking but could not get herself to voice it.

"It has to be someone very close to Jason," Debby said in a soft voice. "Emotionally, that is. Physical intimacy would make for a stronger bond, so that ... that excludes the males."

"Melinda is close to Jason," Heather piped. "But ... shit, my aunt has her so fucked up right now."

"I-I'll do it," Cassie said in a tiny voice.

Ned turned to her. "Babe, normally I'd say ta back off from this, but ..." He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Shit, I don't know what ta say."

Cassie shook her head and squeezed his hand. She looked up at Debby, her eyes shimmering. "I'm the only one who can do it. I'm the only one that close to him who ..." Her eyes flicked over to Heather. "I-I mean ..."

Debby's heart ached. She felt she was forcing Cassie into a more mature role before she was ready for it, or before she was willing to accept it.

"Cassie, you need to know what you're getting into," Debby said.

"I do. I know this is going to be hard--"

"No, it's not that." She gestured towards the locket. "This leaf, the power inside it ... if I get this potion wrong, Cassie, if I botch even a single step, it could affect your mind."

Cassie swallowed. "You mean I could become a mindless slave."

Diane shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Crap," Ned muttered.

"I'll just have to take that chance," Cassie said in a quavering voice.

"Even if the potion is good, there will be other things you will need to do before you can try to bring Jason back," Debby said. "Ned, could you please bring me the journal and Jason's notes tomorrow? And leave the page with the recipe code."

Ned stood, snatching up the notebook as he went. He tore the page with the number matrix from its spiral binding and handed it to her. "Here ya go. Ya want that stuff tonight? I don't mind hoofin' it back here."

"No, that's fine. With the recipe code I can list the other ingredients I'll need."

"Where the hell are you gonna find all that shit?" Richie said. "I don't think that camo-whatever grows here."

"Chamomile," both Debby and Cassie corrected at the same time. Debby continued, "I don't make salves or potions myself very much, but I know some in my Coven who do. Some of them get their supplies from shops in Randall. For a few I may have to make a trip to Denver. If we had more time I'd order it all online and have it shipped."

"Overnight it?" Heather suggested.

"Too expensive," Debby said.

"And my mother is looking more carefully at what I spend money on," Cassie said in a miserable voice.

"It's all right, Cassie," said Debby. "Please, trust me, I have this covered."

"So ... how much is this going to make?" Diane asked.

Debby glanced at the page. "The amount of the special ingredient is listed as one part, so everything else will be relative to that. I won't know until I actually start planning this in detail."

"Fer that matter, we don't know what a single dose is s'posed ta be," Ned said.

"I might be able to derive that from the journal. Having Jason's notes will be a big help finding the right entries."

"So what if there's more than one dose?" Diane asked.

Heather draped a hand across her face. "No, Diane."

"Why not?" Diane cried. "If there's enough of the potion for more than one person, why can't I--?"

"I told you and everyone else that I don't want to be rescued!" Heather cried. She let out a husky sigh and squeezed her legs together. Cassie gasped and turned to look at her. "I-I mean, I don't want anyone to try."

"And you still haven't told me why!"

"I've told you a million times why--"

"I mean a reason that makes sense."

"Hey, I want some of this shit, too!" Richie cried. He stepped up to Cassie. "Jason left you in charge. If there's enough of that stuff, you're gonna let the rest of us have some of it, right?"

Ned stepped between her and Richie. "Back off, bub. Stop badgering her."

"Ned, please, let me handle my own battles!" Cassie cried.

"There ain't gonna be no battle 'cuz the great white wonder here's gonna cool his jets."

"Fuck you, Ned!" Richie cried. "Jason said it himself! This shit could free Melinda from her aunt and Heather from that fucking bitch of a principal. If it can do that, then it sure as hell can save my--!"

"That's enough!" Debby shouted.

Silence fell, leaden and tense.

"First of all, I know we're all on edge right now, but you're all better than this. And Cassie, while I recognize you as the leader of the Harbingers in Jason's absence, I feel I'm going to have to play the adult card here. This potion represents something far too dangerous to be handled by anyone other than me, and even I have doubts about my own abilities.

"And, yes, I remember what Jason said, Richie. But I will not subject any of you to unnecessary risks. I could not live with myself as a mother if I did that. All decisions about who receives the potion will come from me, and will be final. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Mrs. Radson, that's very clear to me," Cassie said in a relieved voice. "I agree, this is something beyond what we can handle."

Debby hated doing this, as necessary as it was. Nothing pained her more than to see Diane withdraw into meekness again, guaranteeing she would not say another word for the rest of the meeting. Ned grumbled something under his breath but gave Debby a curt nod. Richie glared at her and stalked away, preferring to fume in semi-privacy. Heather was becoming a mess. Whatever reaction she may have had to Debby's speech had already been lost in the flood of forced lust corrupting her sexuality band.

As much as she appreciated Cassie's support, she thought it came too easily. Cassie was not settling into her role as leader very well. Debby knew the stress of these strange visions of a forgotten childhood were no help, but she suspected the problem ran deeper.

"I think this would be a good place to end the meeting," Debby said. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "We all have a lot to absorb and I have to start preparing dinner soon."

Cassie glanced at the others as they dispersed. She gave Debby a forlorn look and stepped toward her. "I hate to be a bother, Mrs. Radson, but I really need to talk to you about what I've been seeing while I sleep."

"I know, Cassie, and I was hoping you'd consent to staying for dinner."

Cassie's eyes widened. "What? Dinner? Here?"

Debby turned to the now smiling Ned. "Ned, I apologize I can't extend the invitation to you. I'll have enough to stretch to one additional person but--"

"Hey, no prob, Mrs. R.," Ned drawled.

Debby smiled and said to Cassie, "I doubt what I'll be making is remotely as high-class as anything you'd normally have, but if you--"

"I'd be delighted to stay for dinner!" Cassie gushed. "I'll have to call my mother and get permission, but ... oh, goodness, I hope she doesn't give me a hard time about this!"

"Her mother ain't 'xactly what ya would call an accomodatin' person," Ned said.

"I had a feeling," said Debby. "But if you can stay, Cassie, this would give us some time afterward to talk."

"Yes, I'll call her from the limo so Harry will know what's going on," Cassie said as she headed towards the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes!"

Debby and Ned watched her go. "Hope her mother don't go all apeshit on her," Ned said. "Wish the Kendall queen would let her little girl be a little girl, ya know?"

"Yes, you and me both, Ned," Debby said.

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