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Diana turned sharply to face Deborah "You can’t interrupt the ritual!"

"There shouldn’t be a ritual," Deborah blazed back, her face dark and intense

"You agreed in the reed we had to do whatever it took toBut - " Deborah stopped and scowled

"But some of us may not have believed she’d pass the tests," Faye interpreted, sry The diadeive her added stature, so that she looked taller even than Faye Moonlight shimmered in her hair as it had off the blade of the knife

"But she did pass the tests," she said coldly

"And now you’ve interrupted a ritual - broken it - while I was calling down the Powers I hope you have a better reason than that"

"I’ll give you a reason," Deborah said "She’s not really one of us Her mother married an outsider"

"Then what do you want?" Diana said "Do you want us never to have a real Circle? You knoe need twelve to get anything done What are we supposed to do, wait until your parents - or the Hendersons - have another baby? None of the rest of us even has both parents alive No" Diana turned to face the others in the group, ere standing around the inside perimeter of the circle "We’re the last," she told theeneration in the New World And if we can’t complete our Circle, then it all ends here With us"

Melanie spoke up She earing ordinary clothes under a pale green fringed shawl that looked both tattered and fragile, as if it were very old "Our parents and grandparents would like that," she said "They want us to leave it all in the past, the way they did and their parents did They don’t want us digging up the old traditions and waking the Old Powers"

"They’re scared," Deborah said scornfully

"They’ll be happy if we can’t complete the Circle," Melanie said "But is that ant?" She looked at Faye

Faye murmured coolly, "Individuals can do quite a lot on their own"

"Oh, come on," Laurel put in "Not like a real Circle Not unless," she added, "soet hold of the Master Tools and use the s for the lost tools," she said

"This is all off the point," said Diana sharply "The question is, do ant a complete Circle or don’t we?"

"We do," one of the Henderson brothers said No, Chris, Cassie corrected herself Suddenly she could tell them apart Both the brothers looked white and strained in the oing to do whatever it takes to find out who killed Kori," Chris finished

"And then take care of the

"Then we need a full Circle," said Melanie "A twelfth person and a seventh girl Cassie is both"

"And she’s passed the tests," Diana repeated "Her mother was one of us She went away, yes, but now she’s cohter to us just e need her Just exactly e need her"

Stubbornness still lingered in Deborah’s eyes "Who says she can even use the Powers?" she demanded

"I do," Diana replied steadily "I can sense it in her"

"And so do I," Faye said unexpectedly Deborah turned to stare at her, and she senuously

"I’d say she can call on Earth and Fire, at least," Faye continued, ht even prove to have quite a talent"

And why, Cassie wondered dazedly, did that make hairs on the back of her neck stand up?

Diana’s broere drawn together as she gave Faye a long, searching look But then she turned to Deborah

"Does that satisfy your objection?"

There was a beat Then Deborah nodded, sullenly, and stepped back

"Then," said Diana, with a quiet politeness that seeet on with it?"

Everyone stood away as she returned to her position Once again she lifted the dagger to the sky, then to the cardinal points of the coain she spoke the words that had sent chills down Cassie’s spine, but this time she finished them uninterrupted

Earth and water, fire and air,

See your daughter standing there

By dark of ht of sun,

As I will, let it be done

By challenge, trial, and sacred vow,

Let her join the Circle now

Flesh and sinew, blood and bone,

Cassie now becomes our own

"That’s it," Laurel said softly from behind Cassie "You’re in"

In I’ of wild exhilaration, that nothing would ever be the saain

"Cassie"

Diana was unclasping the silver necklace she earing Cassie’s eyes were drawn to the crescentfrom it It was like the one on the diadem, Cassie realized - and like Deborah’s tattoo

"This is a token," Diana said, fastening the chain around Cassie’s neck, "of your ed Cassie It wasn’t a spontaneous gesture; it hadof a ritual

Next she turned Cassie around to face the others and said, "The Powers have accepted her I’ve accepted her Now each of you has to"

Laurel was the first to step up Her face was serious, but there was a genuine wared Cassie, then kissed her lightly on the cheek "I’lad you’re one of us," she whispered, and stepped back, her long, light-brown hair fluttering slightly in the breeze "Thanks," Cassie whispered

Melanie was next Her eray eyes still intimidated Cassie But when she said, "Welcome to the Club," she sounded as if sheas she stepped forward, and she hugged Cassie as if she were trying to crack a rib or two She didn’t say anything

Sean hurried up, looking eager His hug was a little too long and too close for Cassie’s taste, and she ended up having to extricate herself He said, "Glad you’re in," with his eyes fixed on her nightgown in a way that ht cotton

"I can tell," she said under her breath as he stepped back, and Diana, standing beside her, had to bite her lip

Under norht have been even worse But tonight they didn’t seeirl or a block of wood they were eed her ry, faraway eyes

And then it was Nick’s turn

Cassie felt sohten It wasn’t that she was attracted to hiht inner tremor when she looked up at him He was so handsome, and the coldness that surrounded him like a thin layer of dark ice seemed only to enhance his looks He’d stood back and observed the entire cereht with such detachment, as if none of it affected him one way or another

Even his e through the , though - well, of course, thought Cassie Any guy who had an - arrange

Suzan smelled of perfume, and when she kissed Cassie’s cheek, Cassie felt sure she left a s a scented pillow

Finally, Faye camatically, as if she were aware of Cassie’s disco it

All Cassie are of was Faye’s height and how much she herself wanted to run She had a panicked conviction that Faye was going to do so awful

But Faye simply murher than she looks I was betting you wouldn’t even last through the ceremony"

"I’m not sure I did," Cassie ather her thoughts So much had happened so fast but she was in Even Faye had accepted her That fact could not be changed

"All right," Diana said quietly "That’s it for the initiation ritual Nor, but" She looked at Cassie and lifted her hands Cassie nodded Tonight, a party could hardly be less appropriate "So I think we should for That e can get Cassie caught up on what she needs to know"

There were nods around the circle and a collective breath released Diana picked up a handful of sand and poured it over the line drawn on the beach The others followed suit, each pouring a handful and s it down so that the circle’s outline was blurred, erased Then they distributed the on the sand, others on out-thrusts of rock Nick rearette in his mouth

Diana waited until everyone was quiet, looking at her, then she turned to Cassie Her face was grave and her green eyes were earnest "Now that you’re one of us," she said simply, "I think it’s time to tell you e are"

Cassie’s breath caught So s had happened to her since she’d come to New Saleely, she wasn’t sure she needed to be told Ever since they’d brought her here tonight, all sorts of things had been arranging themselves in her mind A hundred little oddities that she’d noticed about New Salem, a hundred little mysteries that she’d been unable to solve Soether, and now

She looked at the faces around her, lit by ht

"I think," she said slowly, "that I already know" Honesty compelled her to add, "Some of it, at least"