"I think we need to enact a buddy system. One hunter can't perform the killing curse on a witch alone. The best thing we can do is make sure we're not alone either," Cassie said.
Deborah let out a whoop of laughter. "That's your big idea? For us to hold hands in the hallway like preschoolers?"
"I never said it was a big idea," Cassie said defensively. "It just makes sense for those of us who are marked to be with another Circle member at all times. Including overnight."
Faye's honey-colored eyes blazed. "No way. I won't agree to having a babysitter. I'd rather die."
"You just might die if you don't agree to this," Melanie said. "It's the only way we can be sure you and Laurel remain safe."
Laurel looked up from her untouched lunch. She didn't appear any more eager than Faye to accept this new rule. "But Cassie, you said before that you've been talking to your mom about your father, and that you're learning ancient things that could help us."
Cassie felt herself tense up. She could sense Adam's cavernous eyes watching her, and she swore she could actually hear Diana's jaw unhinge before any words escaped her mouth.
"What ancient things?" Diana asked, with a hint of suspicion in her voice.
The entire cafeteria seemed to fall silent and Cassie shifted uncomfortably. "I was just telling Laurel that my father once saved someone who was marked. I'm trying to learn more about how he did it."
Diana furrowed her brow at Cassie's discomfort. She was unwilling to let the matter drop. "Do you think he used something similar to the witch-hunter curse we memorized from my Book of Shadows?"
"Probably something like that," Cassie said, trying to sound nonchalant and upbeat.
"Why don't we just use the witch-hunter curse from Diana's book now? We know Max and his dad are hunters," Suzan said. "I don't understand what we're waiting for."
"I second that," Nick said.
Diana released a frustrated breath. They'd been over this before. "Because this is our chance to use the hunters' ignorance for more information. We still have surprise on our side. They don't know we know who they are. And we also don't know for sure how that curse works, or what it'll do. It's a very rough translation, so it's our absolute last resort. If we try it and it doesn't work, then we'll all be marked in a matter of seconds."
"In other words," Faye said, "we have no clue if those words we memorized are a witch-hunter curse or a fairy tale."
Diana was quiet for a few seconds. She chewed on her lip nervously.
"We can't rely on that mediocre, pieced-together translation from Diana's book," Adam said. "No offense to you, Diana, but whatever curse Black John used, that's the one we want when we go up against the hunters."
Diana nodded and looked down at her hands. Adam turned to Cassie. She could tell he was struggling to restrain himself from telling the group about Black John's book, but she also knew he'd never betray her trust, no matter how difficult it was for him.
"What about the protection spell?" Laurel asked. "Shouldn't that keep me and Faye safe enough so we can at least continue leading normal lives?"
"It seems to be intact." Diana raised her head, hesitantly. "But we don't know how long it'll last. That spell is kind of a one-shot deal, and once it wears off, that's it."
"And," Melanie said, "even if it does last, we can't be sure it's strong enough against the hunter's killing curse. It probably isn't."
Faye stared off into space, for once too upset to argue.
Cassie momentarily considered her own situation. If the protection spell wore off, she'd really be powerless against Scarlett. As it was, she was jumping at every shadow and freezing up at the sight of every redhead who walked by.
"How are you going to do it?" Faye called out to Cassie, like she'd just snapped out of a daydream. "How do you plan to figure out the curse Black John used?"
Cassie glanced at Adam, but his expression kept her secret safely hidden.
"I'm trying to learn what I can from my mother," Cassie said. "She's blocked out a lot of the past, but when I get her talking sometimes things come to light."
It was a good answer for being put on the spot, and even true. But Cassie knew it would take more to save her friends and defeat the hunters than simply getting her mother to talk about the past. She had to get her father's book back.
Chapter 4
Cassie's mother appeared at the top of the stairs the moment Cassie stepped through the door. "Good, it's you," she said. "I'm glad you're home."
"Were you expecting somebody else?"