Chapter 1

The suppressed giggles that accompanied the next stop in the museum tour were completely predictable. The little terra-cotta figure was roughly shaped, but there was absolutely no doubt whatsoever that it was male; and high-school students are not notable for their restraint when it comes to sex. Even Gina diCosta, who normally took field-trips very seriously, leaned over and whispered in amusement to her friends Sam Raven and Cameron Robertson,

"Jeez, he could *fish* with that thing!"

to which Cameron promptly replied,

"As long as he's careful with the hook!"

The long-suffering tour guide was used to this reaction from school groups. She waited for the chuckling to subside before launching into her spiel.

"Believe it or not, this is one of the most important items in the Pre-Columbian collection here at the museum. This is a totem figure, probably representing (as you've no doubt guessed) a fertility spirit." She paused while more giggles arose, then went on. "Shamans used figures like this to summon spirits to possess them and grant them supernatural powers. In many tribes the office of Shaman was hereditary, and figures like these were carefully handed down from father to son, and protected like treasured possessions. Any questions?"

After one or two token queries, the tour guide led the group into the next room. Sam, Gina and Cameron lingered for a moment behind the others. The three of them were all "good kids" and serious students, and tended to hang out together. They were tolerated by their classmates -- Sam and Cameron both boxed, and Gina was on the gymnastics team, which saved them from the opprobrium normally heaped on the studious -- but were certainly not in the social center of things. Cameron was thin, with sandy hair and a prominent Adam's apple; Sam was a bit shorter and stockier, with straight black hair and dark brown eyes framed by surprisingly dark lashes; Gina was short and slender, though curvy enough that her figure had given her some trouble in gymnastics when she started to develop. Gina wore her long blonde hair in tight braids, and thick glasses which she took off only to compete or to sleep. Sam secretly thought that Gina would have been very pretty if she had worn her hair differently, dressed in something other than baggy sweatshirts and jeans, and worn contact lenses, but he had never ventured to tell her that -- she had a very sharp tongue when annoyed, and he had always been a bit shy with girls, even his friends.

The three of them were sophomores, but had been friends since elementary school. Cameron was the most voluble and outgoing, but Sam, though quieter, generally determined what the trio would do.

Contemplating the statue, Cameron commented "Not what I would call a work of art."

"Oh, I don't know," said Gina, giggling again. "It sort of *grows* on you!"

The other two gave obligatory groans, and Cameron said, "Say, Sam, you're part Indian, aren't you? You might be descended from a Shaman."

"My dad was half-Indian," Sam conceded, "but it probably isn't even from the same tribe."

Gina was reading the card by the figure. "It says this was found near here. Your father was from this area, wasn't he?"

"There you go!" Cameron said. "Go ahead. Summon up a spirit!"

"Ha ha," Sam said sourly. In truth, he found the sight of the little figure strangely disturbing. Trying for bravado, he added "OK. Come on spirit! Up and at 'em!" and patted the figure on the head.

As soon as his flesh touched the rough clay a feeling like a powerful electric shock surged through him. Sam staggered back. Gina and Cameron seized his arms to keep him from falling over backward.

"What happened?" Gina asked. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Sam mumbled, shaking his head to clear it. There was a low rumbling in his ears, like the roar of the sea in a sea shell. He felt dazed, and his limbs seemed loose and unconnected.

"What did you touch it for?" Cameron demanded nervously. "You might have set off an alarm!"

"Forget it," Sam said, shaking off their hands unsteadily. "Let's catch up with the group."

The three of them hurried into the next room after the others. The roaring in Sam's ears seemed to get louder with every step. He could no longer feel the floor under his feet. Gray spots began to swirl in front of his eyes, and his vision contracted to a bright point just in front of him. He seemed to be floating in a cloud. Then the ground rushed up to meet him and everything went black.