The Divide Page 0,17

walking it over to Melanie. Cassie followed close behind her, removing the bracelet from her wrist on her way.

In a few minutes, the room had been properly prepared, and Diana called for the ritual to begin.

"Faye and Cassie, will you do the honors of casting the circle according to my instructions? Forgive me if I go slowly - this text is really hard to read - but I'll do my best. Is everyone ready?"

Cassie looked around the dimly lit room. She wasn't the only one who seemed nervous, but nobody was about to back out now. Melanie appeared to be in a cloudy-eyed daze, but she looked more beautiful wearing the Master Tools than Cassie had ever seen her.

Diana cleared her throat and began reading aloud. "A magic circle is to be formed upon the ground with an ink of soot and port wine. A second circle is formed half a foot within the first."

Together Cassie and Faye formed the circles around Melanie and Constance, using the chalice of ink Diana had prepared.

"And within there," Diana continued, "cast a triangle, the center of which will serve as the resting place of the deceased and primary conjurer."

Cassie and Faye formed the triangle within the circles, outlining Melanie and Constance.

"Everyone get inside," Diana said. "And then I'll close the outer circle with the four layers of protection." Quickly the group arranged itself, kneeling upon the outer circle's perimeter as Diana called on the elements.

"Powers of Air, protect us," Diana called out. "Powers of Fire, protect us."

Cassie closed her eyes and listened.

"Powers of Water, protect us." Diana enunciated each syllable with precision. "And finally," she said, "I call on the powers of Earth to protect us."

Diana then joined the circle beside Cassie and continued reading from her Book of Shadows. "To commence, the conjurer must light a black candle and cast it over the body seven times thereon, calling the name of the spirit to be raised."

All eyes turned to Melanie now. Cassie wondered if she had the strength to do it. But the Tools glistened, and Melanie's posture straightened as she lit the candle and passed it over the white sheet, calling out, "Great-Aunt Constance, Constance Burke, hear us."

Diana continued, "Then from a golden chalice of dried amaranth flowers, sprinkle the body and its surrounding area."

While Melanie did the sprinkling, Diana said, "Melanie, repeat after me: Thou who art mourned, see now the nature of this mourning."

And Melanie repeated, "Thou who art mourned, see now the nature of this mourning."

Cassie felt her eyes fill with tears as Diana chanted: This is the spell that we intone

Flesh to flesh and bone to bone

Sinew to sinew and vein to vein

Constance shall be whole again

They all concentrated hard, harnessing their powers together as one. Cassie could sense an energy rising up from the center triangle, webbing out to each member of the group, linking them all together in a maze of light.

Diana read aloud, "After a moment of silence and concentration, uncover the face of the deceased. Then call to the spirit again, affectionately. Say 'Welcome.'" With

quivering

hands,

Melanie

gently

unveiled

Constance's face. "Great-Aunt Constance," she said.

"Welcome."

"The body will stir," Diana read. "The eyes will open, and then the desired awakening."

The room crackled with energy. Cassie could feel it zipping and twisting around her in spirals, but she wasn't afraid of it anymore. The air around them warmed, and Cassie could see the life flickering back into Constance's face slowly, like the rising sun.

Then a shape began to form. Cassie noticed it faintly at first in the glow on Constance's forehead, but then it grew bigger and brighter until it stood out like an iridescent bruise. It was most definitely a symbol, a primal-looking mark resembling two crooked U-shapes within a hexagon.

Then everything went dark. The light that had come to Constance's face, the symbol, the candles ill uminating the room - all of it disappeared, as if a heavy blanket were dropped from the ceiling, snuffing the room to death.

Diana lit her lantern and held it up to Melanie's grief-stricken face. Her great-aunt Constance was still dead. And now she had to experience her death all over again.

"The spell didn't work," Laurel said.

"But it was working." Diana's eyes franticly searched the group. "Didn't you all feel it?"

"Yes, of course," Adam said. "I don't understand what went wrong."

Faye was silent but looked just as confused as the others.

Adam spoke out again. "Is there anything more to the spell, Diana? Does it say anything else in your book?" Diana squinted at