Chapter 41

Debby needed only to glance at the psychic auras of Cassie and Ned to know they were excited. An aura had what she called a "potential" band. It glowed brighter whenever the person was feeling a strong emotion. She did not have Cassie's empathy, but the glow of their potential bands combined with their voice and mannerisms allowed her to intuit emotional state.

Cassie's dream band, however, gave her cause for alarm. She had never seen it so agitated, as if Cassie were disturbed about something down to the subconscious level. She dearly hoped Cassie would accept the invitation to dinner.

Heather arrived on Richie's bike. Her sexuality band glowed in obvious post-coital brilliance, but Diane's was strangely quiescent, save for what lingered from her line energy channeling earlier that morning. Debby solved the puzzle when Richie arrived via the back door and hoped Diane was as free from jealousy as she claimed.

The sense of anticipation affected Debby as well, as if the Harbingers were projecting it over the link. She sat down at the end of the sofa next to Heather and Diane. Cassie sat in the easy chair, and Ned sat on the floor at her feet. Richie grabbed a chair from the dining room and turned it around before he sat, resting his elbows on the back of the chair.

"So Cassie tells me you found something, Ned," said Debby.

Ned nodded and lifted the notebook at his side. He opened it to a page and tossed it onto the coffee table, where it bumped against the spine of a gardening magazine and nearly pushed it off the edge. Debby leaned over and peered at the matrix of three-digit numbers, fifteen rows by three columns. At the bottom were the words "ingredient, preparation, amount."

Debby traced a finger down the page and stopped at the words. "This is the primer?"

"Sorta, yeah," Ned said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So I was right?" Diane said in an excited voice. She looked down at the page. "But what exactly do the numbers mean?"

"Now, see, that's our li'l problem. I have no clue."

"Okay, let's think about this, everyone," Cassie said. "The numbers have to be some sort of sequence, right? Or maybe they translate somehow into words."

"I tried a coupla things," Ned said. "Nuthin' worked. If the numbers were bigger, I'd be thinkin' some kinda code where the numbers become letters. I even tried that anyway, but that got nowhere fast."

Debby shook her head. "No, it has to be simpler than that. Elizabeth would not have made it that complicated. As brilliant a Witch as she was, she was a very straightforward thinker."

"Could've fooled me," Richie grumbled. "Just looks like a bunch of stupid numbers to me. Reminds me too much of that matrix shit we had to learn in math this semester."

"Wait, is that it?" Cassie called out. "Some sort of mathematical puzzle? No, that would be too complicated, wouldn't it?"

"I remember that matrix stuff," Ned said. "Ya need more than one ta do any kinda math with it."

"But maybe you have do some sort of operation from row to row?"

Ned shook his head. "Nah, that's not it. I think Mrs. R. is on the right track. This smells of something dirt simple."

Richie frowned. "Yeah, so fucking simple us geniuses can't figure it out."

"Okay, look," Heather said, leaning forward. "If it really is that simple, then each of these first numbers must be a single ingredient, and each of these second numbers is the way to prepare it. Like ... like something Jason described once in computer programming ... shit, what the hell did he call it?"

"A lookup table," Diane said.

"Yes, that's it!"

"But what about the third column?" Cassie asked. "Ned, did you find anything that told you what it meant?"

"I don't follow you, Cassie," said Debby.

"Well, the number could mean anything, right? Ounces, grams, or--"

Debby shook her head. "No, that's not how Witches' recipes work. All measurements are done in parts. You can't know ahead of time how much will be needed, so you simply describe the proportions in relation to one another. How much one 'part' is depends on how much you need to make."

"Well, that's one down," Ned said. "Ain't gonna do us much good if we can't figger out the rest, though."

"Ned, I think Heather and Diane are onto something," Cassie said in an excited voice.

"Yeah, I know but--" He paused when the gardening magazine slipped. He snatched it before it could fall and held it up. "But unless ol' Lizzie left Mrs. R. something like this, we're shit outta luck."

"Mrs. Radson, can you tell us again everything Elizabeth left you?" asked Cassie.

Debby nodded. "Yes, she left me her Book of Shadows, which describes all her rites and rituals, a Book of Simples, which describes simple potions and preparation techniques, and a locket."

"And that's all? Are you sure there's nothing else?"

"Positive." Debby said in a distracted voice as something flickered in the corner of her eye. She looked towards Ned, his potential band spiking as he stared intently at the magazine. "Ned, what is it?" Debby asked in a voice tinged with excitement despite her attempts to suppress it.

Ned said nothing at first despite all eyes upon him. He pulled the notebook into his lap and stared at the numbers for a few long seconds. "Mrs. R., how many pages does this Book of Simples have?" he asked, not lifting his eyes from the notebook.

"Pages? Um, around one hundred and twenty or so. Maybe a little more."

Cassie suddenly gasped.

Ned traced his finger down the page. "That Book of Shadows, do any of the rites use stuff like herbs or plants or whatnot?"

Debby understood at once, and her heart soared. "Yes! Yes, many of them do!"

"An' how many pages does--"

"Two hundred forty or so!"

Ned's eyes scanned down the page and stopped at the end. "Two hundred forty six?"

"I think so, yes."

"You found it?!" Heather suddenly cried.

"That has to be it!" Cassie cried. "Mrs. Radson, it fits with what Elizabeth told you. She said 'it's all in there.' This is what she meant!"

"Holy fuck," Richie murmured.

"Goddess, I can't believe it was right in front of me all along," Debby said, laying a hand to her cheek. "I feel such a fool for not seeing it."

"Mrs. R., you would had ta have found the numbers in the first place," Ned said. "I'm surprised I managed ta do it."

Cassie reached down and hugged him. "Ned, I'm so proud of you," she said softly into his ear.

"I'd take the praise, babe, but I wanna see if this really pans out. An' we got one li'l other problem, but that can wait." He looked up. "Mrs. R., can we see those books Lizzie gave ya?"

Debby let out a slow sigh. From his voice and face, she could tell he understood the gravity of what he was asking. She stood. "I'll get them, but I would like to make a solemn request. Please only let me touch them. I already feel it was a violation to keep the books in the first place, let alone peruse them."

"That's fine, Mrs. Radson," Cassie said.

"Yeah, no prob," Ned said. "You're the best one to understand 'em anyway."

Debby nodded her appreciation and headed away, her heart pounding. She wished she had taken the time to cast a circle about the living room, and she considered going back and doing just that; it was not like the others had never seen her naked.

She decided it would be an empty gesture, an excuse to put off something she had not wanted to do. She headed into the pantry, turned towards a far corner, and dropped to one knee. She pulled out a small wooden chest with a decorative latch. She closed her eyes in prayer for a few moments, asking for both fortitude and forgiveness from her Goddess. She slowly opened the chest with a creak of old hinges and reached inside with trembling hands.

She withdrew a cardboard box, its sides warped and faded with age. Nestled inside were two black leather bound books, the covers shiny and pristine save for a few cracks near the spine. Debby sighed as she ran her fingers along the thicker of the two books. Once a week she removed the books from the chest, dusted and treated their covers, and returned them unopened.

Debby stood, and something in the box rattled. She stared down at the locket, its pentagram symbol reminding her too much of the pendant which had caused so much trouble for her daughter and nearly loosed a great evil upon Haven.

She balanced the box in one hand and picked up the locket. One side was dented, jamming the latch shut. She turned it over and peered at the ankh inscribed on the back as something settled inside the locket. She imagined it contained the ashes of someone Elizabeth had loved. Debby knew Elizabeth's lover had died first, and would account for how the ankh appeared to have been etched much later.

Debby considered leaving it in the chest, but placed it back in the box and carried the lot back to the Harbingers. They had started to chat among themselves, but fell silent when Debby approached.

Debby sat down. "All right, if these numbers really do describe a potion, then the first one or two rows would be the base."

"Huh?" said Richie.

"Potions and salves have a base, something you mix them with. Most use water or oil, sometimes mixed with alcohol." Debby picked up the thicker book. "Ned, what's the first number of the first row?"

"One-four-six," Ned called out.

Debby slowly opened the book, the binder crackling softly. To her relief, instead of an overwhelming sense of guilt, she felt a sudden renewed connection to her old friend through the yellowed pages and flowing black script. Perhaps it was a good omen that the ritual she found on the first page she saw was for fostering good will between friends.

"One-four-six," Debby murmured as she turned the pages with care. She smiled. "This is a ritual for purifying water. Water must be the base."

"That has to be it!" Cassie cried in a bright voice. She glanced at the notebook. "Look, it says fifteen parts. That's the largest amount of any of the ingredients. Ned, call out the next number, the preparation one."

"Hokay, the number fer the prep work is zero-three-eight," Ned said.

Debby put down the Book of Shadows and picked up the Book of Simples. She opened it with less hesitation but no less reverence. "Yes, I think you've got it!" Debby cried. "This is a recipe for a salve. It has to be brought to a roiling boil, then slow-boiled as the other ingredients are added, then simmered on very low flame for eight hours and allowed to cool for another four." She put down the book. "What's the next ingredient number?"

"Zero-three-one," said Ned.

Debby sensed the tension in the room. Richie was more focused than Debby had ever seen him, his hands gripping the back of his chair. Diane bit her lip and stared, her psychic aura suggesting either intense contemplation or a mind racing ahead of her thoughts. Cassie's was one of sheer hope.

Debby opened the Book of Shadows again and turned to the page. "Alcohol!"

Richie's eyebrows rose. "Booze? What kind, though?"

"Not booze, Richie. Ethyl alcohol. You can find it in the liquor store as Everclear."

"But how would you prepare something like that?" Heather asked. "Doesn't it just, well, sit there?"

"Let's find out," Ned said. "Mrs. R., next number is zero-six-seven."

Debby returned to the Book of Simples. She smiled and nodded. "Yes, this is it. This is a recipe for an infusion of common herbs in alcohol. It's a very common addition to most potions to make them easier to digest."

"Oh, this is wonderful!" Cassie cried. "We have the potion!"

"Now, wait, babe, don't count yer cauldrons before they're bubblin'," Ned said. "I wanna try a few more, and then we can talk 'bout the nigglin' li'l problem we got."

Ned called out the next set of numbers. "This is a rite of relaxation," said Debby as she consulted the Book of Shadows. "It uses chamomile flowers. And..." She perused the Book of Simples. " ... they need to be steamed, then dried and crumbled."

Ned recited the next. "Ginger root," Debby said. "Cut fresh, then grated."

Ned read out two more, and Debby responded with two more recognizable herbs. When Ned was about to recite the next, Richie said, "Okay, I call bullshit on this!"

Heather rolled her eyes. "Really, Richie, even Jason could accept--"

"Nah, let him talk," Ned said. He turned to Richie. "Speak, kemosabe. I got a funny feeling I know what yer gonna say."

"Look, I know I'm not as smart as some of you, and I ain't no Witch," Richie said. "But even I recognize the names of those things, and I don't remember them giving anyone super mental powers."

"It's not meant to give power, Richie," Cassie said. "It's meant to give protection. I'm over-simplifying that, I know. There was stuff about splitting the mind, but--"

"That's just it. How the fuck is this gonna do that?"

"Okay, now we come ta my problem," Ned said.

Debby glanced at Diane. She had been far more perturbed by Richie's interruption than even her more vocal lover.

"See, when I read the journal, Lizzie went on and on 'bout some special ingredient in the potion. Despite this potion bein' her ace-in-the-hole against the big evil poobah, she acts like she just drowned a buncha kittens."

"Why would she think that?" Heather said.

"I remember, Ned," Debby said in a solemn voice. "She spoke about that ingredient at length, and for the longest time I had no idea what it was. She had destroyed a few years of her journal, soon after befriending someone named Mara."

Heather's eyes widened. "Wait, what?!"

"Yes, that makes sense," Cassie said softly. Ned craned his neck and gave her an inquisitive look. "Heather and Richie can speak better to this, Ned, but remember what they told us about the House at the end of the street? How they met the spirit of Mara, and she showed them what happened so many years ago?"

"Yeah, I do now, but I don't recall the details."

"I-I do," Heather said in a quavering voice, her eyes shimmering. "At least most of it. I remember Mara saying she had been a sex slave, that some sort of drug was used on her."

"Holy shit, yeah, I remember, too!" Richie cried. "It was some kind of leaf, right?"

"Yes. She kept it in a little wooden box. Shit, is that the special ingredient in the potion?! Elizabeth freaked out over it! She was supposed to be very good with herbs and never saw something like that in her life."

"I'm afraid there's more to it," Debby said, clutching the Book of Shadows to her bosom over her pounding heart. "Jason told me of the House and Mara. Mara had Elizabeth bind her spirit to the house. I believe she used one of the remaining leaves to do so."

"Wait, I don't understand," Diane said. "Heather told me that story, too. I thought the leaves just messed with your mind."

"I suspect the leaves contained powerful magic, Diane," said Debby, her voice quavering from dark thoughts about an old friend. "She harvested them for the raw magic. Or more likely, she altered the magic to change it from controlling to binding." She heaved an unsteady sigh. "Which is what she was doing with the potion. The common herbs are there just to alter the function of the leaves."

"Mrs. Radson, are you all right?" Cassie called out suddenly.

Debby closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it go as a slow sigh. She pulled the Book from her bosom and stared down at it. "I'm all right," she said in a subdued voice. "I'm having trouble accepting that Elizabeth would concoct a ritual with that awful thing just to have an entry in the Book of Shadows to complete the code."

"I don't think ya need ta get yer panties in a bunch over it, Mrs. R.," Ned said. "Unless ya got a little wooden box in there somewhere, I doubt we could ever find that stuff again."

"That's not the point, Ned," Debby snapped, then sighed and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, never mind. But I'm afraid you're right. What you see on the table is everything she left me."

"There has to be something else!" Diane suddenly cried out.

"Yeah, what the fuck?!" Richie snapped. "We do all this shit for nothing? Game fucking over, player one? That's bullshit!"

"Hey, I don't like it either," Ned said.

"Fuck that!" Richie said, bolting out of his chair. Debby just managed to catch it before it could tip over into the coffee table. He snatched the notebook from Ned's hands. "This is a freakin' ingredient list, right? It has to be in here."

Ned stood up and yanked the notebook back. "Even if it is, how the hell do we get any? Think Mrs. R. can just pop down ta the pharmacy and say 'I'll have one mind control drug leaf, please.'"

Cassie stood and nudged them apart. "Richie, Ned, please, don't fight over this."

"I'm not!" Richie cried. "I just don't wanna fucking give up on this!"

"No one is, it's just..." Cassie sighed and gave him a pained look before turning to Ned. "Maybe he has a point, Ned. Let's look at the rest and see if the Book of Shadows has anything to say about it."

Debby was dreading that decision, and thus she had remained silent while they debated. She hated herself for taking the coward's way out, but she was loathe to find anything which would tarnish her memory of Elizabeth. If they failed in this endeavor, she wanted to at least come away with her good will towards the woman still intact.

Ned looked at the list. "If it's gonna be anything, I'll bet it's the last one. Two-four-six. Sounds like the very end of the book ta me."

"I'll look," Debby said in a reluctant voice. She trembled as she turned the pages towards the back, until she found herself on two hundred forty-five. She took a deep breath and turned the page ... and found herself staring at jotted notes, reminders of appointments, phone numbers, and scribbles indicative of coaxing a recalcitrant pen to work.

Debby blinked in surprise and turned the page back, then forward again. She rubbed the page between her fingers in case two were stuck together. She did not know whether to feel disappointed or elated.

"Well?" Richie called out.

"There's no page two hundred forty-six," Debby said. "The last page is two hundred forty-five."

"What?! Let me see that--"

"No!" Cassie cried, grabbing his arm. "We promised only she could touch it!"

"Richie, chill the fuck out," Ned grumbled.

"But there has to be something!" Diane cried.

Debby wondered why Diane was so upset. Heather had noticed, placing her hand on her lover's shoulder and whispering something. Diane shook her head, lowered her gaze, and leaned against Heather.

"Mrs. R., is there anything on that page at all?" Ned asked.

"Yes, but they look like only notes and scribbles," said Debby.

Ned extended his hand. "May I have permission ta look? I won't turn ta any other pages, I promise."

Debby hesitated. She trusted Ned implicitly, but felt she could not speak for Elizabeth. Then again, she wondered if she were placing too much power in the spirits of the dead. She slowly handed it to him.

"Thanks," Ned said, turning away as he dropped his gaze.

"Maybe there's another code on the page," Cassie said in a low voice, which Debby imagined was largely to appease Richie. Debby had tried to examine his psychic aura with little success. He appeared to harbor two at once, slightly out of phase with one another, and either one or the other would shimmer into view for too short a time for her to analyze it.

"Huh," Ned finally said.

"You found something?" Cassie asked in a hopeful voice.

Ned turned to them. "Nah, not really. Jus' this funny little symbol."

Debby stood as Cassie stepped up to him. "Where?"

Ned pointed. "Right here, see? It's kinda tiny."

Cassie squinted and leaned forward. "I don't ... oh, there it is. I remember seeing that in my ancient history class. It's called an ankh, isn't it?"

"A what?!" Debby cried. Cassie gasped in surprise as Debby snatched the book from Ned. "Where?!"

Ned extended a slender finger towards the bottom left page. There, inside the loop of a letter "g" stood a tiny cross with a loop at the top.

Debby swallowed hard. "Oh great Goddess..."

"An ankh?" Richie said in confusion. "Isn't that some sorta Egyptian shit? What's that got to do with this?"

"What is it, Mrs. Radson?" Cassie cried out in alarm.

Debby turned to the table and set down the Book of Shadows with a trembling hand. She picked up the Book of Simples. "Ned, p-please read the second number for that ingredient."

"Uh, sure ... one-zero-two."

Debby turned to that page. "Dry ... then grind into a very fine powder ... store away from light..." She sank onto the sofa. "G-Goddess ... I-I've had it all this time..."

Debby's heart pounded. She picked up the locket by its chain. It spun in the air, and Cassie uttered a gasp when she saw the ankh inscribed on its back.

"As much as we wanna pay our respect ta the dearly departed," Ned said in a heavy voice. "I think we need ta open that locket."

Melinda had never been more grateful for the normally loathsome half-yearly ritual of semester exams, or for the usually irksome habit her mother had of insisting her daughters spend at least two hours studying every day starting the first weekend in December. Despite playing the part of a sex toy to Aunt Jo in all things but name, her mother had not wavered on this point.

Not that she could completely forget her sex toy status. She lay stretched out on the bed on her stomach, naked save for her white stockings and garter belt. She propped herself up on her elbows, a textbook open before her. Her breasts rested against a small throw-pillow which she had stuffed under her when they began to ache from dangling under her.

Melinda frowned as she tilted to one side to free an arm to turn the page. Her breasts shifted, and she had to adjust the pillow again. How the hell does Heather deal with her boobs? Melinda thought. She must have extra muscles there or something.

She uttered a sad sigh and had trouble concentrating on the textbook. All she could think about was how her sister would be lost for another week. With Jason going under, soon she would have no one to which to turn for support.

Melinda tried to return her attention to the textbook. She drew her lower legs up and scissored them back and forth as she was wont to do when she lay on her stomach. The silken fabric of her stockings rubbed together, and she was reminded once more of how slutty she looked.

Melinda let out a slow, ragged sigh. She no longer remembered what it was like not to be sexually aroused. Her pussy remained on a constant, low burn, her folds moist enough to make any impromptu touch a delight and open the floodgates for more to follow.

For not the first time she wondered what it would be like if Jason enslaved her. Would it really be as bad as Heather thought? Whether she went to Aunt Jo or Jason, her future was the same. She could see no way out. Perhaps the cult had left more inside her than she had been told, and they had already primed her to be a sex slave for the rest of her life.