The Power Page 0,47

and her hand closed on something smooth and cool. It was so heavy she had to use both hands to lift it out.

"A document box," Diana whispered, when Cassie set the thing on the floor in front of the fireplace. It looked like a treasure chest to Cassie, a little treasure chest made of leather and brass. "People used them to store important documents in the 1600s," Diana went on. "We got Black John's papers and things out of one like it. Go on, Cassie, open it."

Cassie looked at her, then at Adam leaning on his pickax, his face decorated with soot. Her fingers trembled as she opened the little box.

What if she'd been wrong? What if it wasn't the Master Tools in here at all, but only some old documents? What if -

Inside the box, looking fresh and untouched as if they'd been buried yesterday, were a diadem, a bracelet, and a garter.

"Oh," breathed Diana.

Cassie knew the diadem that the Circle always used was silver. The one in the box was silver too, but it looked softer, somehow; more heavy and rich, with a deeper luster. Both it and the bracelet looked crafted; there was nothing machine-made about them. Every stroke of the bracelet's inscriptions, every intricate twist of the diadem's circlet, showed an artist's hand. The leather of the garter was supple, and instead of one silver buckle, it had seven. It was heavy in Cassie's hand.

Wordlessly, Diana reached out one finger to trace the crescent moon of the diadem.

"The Master Tools," Adam said quietly. "After all that searching, they were right here under our noses."

"So much power," Diana whispered. "I'm surprised they sat here so quietly. I'd have thought they'd be kicking up a psychic disturbance - " She broke off and looked at Cassie. "Didn't you say something about it being hard to sleep here?"

"Creaks and rattles all night long," Cassie said, and then she met Diana's eyes. "Oh. You mean - you think ..."

"I don't think it was the house settling," Diana said briefly. "Tools this powerful can make all sorts of strange things happen."

Cassie shut her eyes, disgusted with herself. "How could I have been so stupid? It was so simple. I should have guessed - "

"Everything's always simple in hindsight," Adam said dryly. "Nobody guessed where the tools were, not even Black John. Which reminds me: I don't think we'd better tell Faye anything about this."

The two girls looked at him, then Diana nodded slowly. "She told Black John about the amethyst. I'm afraid you're right; she can't be trusted."

"I don't think we should tell anyone" Cassie said. "Not yet, anyway. Not until we decide what we're going to do with them. The fewer people who know about this, the safer we are."

"Right," said Adam. He began replacing the bricks in the fireplace. "If we leave everything looking fairly normal, and find a good place to hide that box before morning, no one should ever know we've found them."

"Here." Cassie dropped the garter back in the chest and put the chest into Diana's hands. "Faye's got the other ones; these are yours."

"They belong to the coven leader - "

"The coven leader is a jerk," Cassie said. "These are yours, Diana. I found them and I say so."

Adam turned from his brick-replacing, and the three of them looked at each other in the light of the cold, quiet kitchen. They were all dirty; even Diana's beautiful cheekbones bore gray smudges. Cassie was still sore and exhausted from what had been one of the longest and most horrible days in her life. But at that moment she felt a warmth and closeness that swept the pain and fatigue away. They were - connected, all three of them. They were part of each other. And tonight they had won. They had triumphed.

If Diana hadn't forgiven us, where would we be? Cassie wondered, as she looked down at the hearth again.

I'm glad you're the one who has him; I really am, she thought then. Glancing up, she saw that Diana had tears in her eyes, almost as if she knew what Cassie was thinking.

"AH right. I'll accept them for now - until it's time to use them," Diana said.

"This is finished," Adam said. They gathered up their tools and left the house.

It was when they were driving back to Adam's that they saw the silhouette beside the road.

"Black John," Cassie hissed, stiffening.

"I don't think so," Adam said, pulling over. "Too little. In fact, I think it's