and down, no sound escaped from the motion. It was eerie but amazing.
Like a stealthy thief in the night, she made her way up the main staircase, through the lavish living room, to Faye's bedroom door. She turned the knob and pushed the door open with assurance.
The room looked the same as Cassie remembered it, but darker. Moonlight shined in from the wide window, but it was still difficult to see, and Cassie couldn't risk waking Faye with the beam of her flashlight. There were many red candles strewn about, but of course they were all unlit.
Cassie waited a few seconds to let her eyes adjust, and then words she hadn't known before came to her.
By the power of the sun, make the dark become light And give me sight to see at night
Suddenly, Cassie could see in the dark as if she'd slipped on night-vision goggles. And there Faye was, sleeping, snoring ever so softly. For a split second, Cassie felt a tenderness toward her - it was by far the most peaceful Cassie had ever seen Faye. She looked almost childlike, serenely curled up in her huge bed, surrounded by soft cushions and embroidered pillows. Her tangled, pitch-black hair cascaded down in long full curls, framing her face in such a way that Cassie could hardly remember what it was that made Faye so scary in her waking hours.
But Cassie shook herself from the notion. She knew she was in a dangerous place, and Faye was like a sleeping dragon protecting a jewel. One false move, and Cassie would be -
Before she could even finish her thought, the dust ruffle on the bed stirred, and out poked the head of an orange cat, followed by a gray one.
Cassie had forgotten about Faye's bloodsucking kittens.
They were fully grown cats now. No doubt with sharper teeth and claws than the last time Cassie encountered them.
Cassie stood very still and watched the creatures slink out from beneath the bed. She may have been silent, but the cats could still see her and smell her. They sniffed at her toes, purring. The orange one pawed up her leg to the knee and then hissed. Then the gray one clawed at her foot and took a vicious swipe at the skin of her ankle.
Glancing at Faye, she kicked the gray cat from her right foot, sending it tumbling across the carpet. But that only seemed to make the orange one angrier. From where it was perched with both paws upon Cassie's left knee, it leaped for her face, swiping its sharp claws at her cheek.
No! Cassie screamed, but her voice made no sound.
With a swift motion of defense, she grabbed the cat by the scruff of its neck. It cut at her wrist with its claws and bit through the skin of her hand. Blood dripped down from her fingers to the floor.
She tossed the orange cat out of the room, closing the door in its face before it could take another lunge at her.
Meanwhile, the gray cat had jumped up on the bed, needling at Faye's neck, trying to stir her awake.
"Ouch!" Faye cried.
And with the speed of a cat herself, Cassie bolted for Faye's closet, soundlessly shutting herself inside before Faye could detect her.
"Ow - what has gotten into you?" Faye, fully awake now, scolded the gray cat.
Out of habit, Cassie held her breath and closed her eyes from inside the closet.
Faye got quiet again, but Cassie could hear the rustling of bedsheets. She was sure Faye sensed something was amiss. Explanations and apologies raced through her mind. If only she knew a spell to make herself invisible. That was the only thing that could save her now if Faye opened the closet door.
But then Faye chuckled absentmindedly. "That's better," she said. "Now let Mama get her beauty rest. You can sleep up here with me tonight if you promise to be good." Cassie exhaled. That was too close. But when she reopened her eyes, the closet appeared different. An unusual aquamarine light was radiating from a piece of clothing hanging in the closet.
The location spell had worked, and it was still working for her. The glowing light was hovering just inside Faye's favorite leather jacket, the one she wore every day in spite of the weather. Cassie rubbed her fingers over its soft leather and across the smooth red satin of its interior lining.
Of course. Faye had sewn the garter into the jacket's lining. It made perfect sense.
Cassie clawed