Lux looked roguishly handsome, but he was too self-effacing to make much of the compliment. The Gathering lost interest in him. They were more interested in what the big secret was. I looked around at them all.

At all of the male and female vampires; there were over fifty of them.

The Werewolves, of course. The Pack, if anything, seemed to be growing in number. So there was a healthy dose of females in the population. Being called occurred regardless of gender. Over half of them were women.

I caught sight of Locke, who looked away from me, when he saw me staring.

And the Wiccans. So many Wiccans. Their robes were like jewels: amethysts and emeralds, rubies, and sapphires...

The men favored blue and the women a variety of hues. But there were a few outcasts. I saw the serious one.

Gaven said, "Part of any get-together is knowing how to have fun!"

Maria looked like she could disagree but didn't say anything.

"That is why, this Sat.u.r.day, the Gathering will be transformed, from a dire attempt to decide the fates of our three worlds, to an evening to remember..."

I couldn't be sure but I thought I saw him blush. But he carried on gallantly anyway. Gaven speechmaking was something I was getting used to. But now that I knew this about him I was beginning to accept him as the Leader of Leadersor the Host of Hosts.

If this were Paris, it would be Maria making this speech.

"Three nights from now, we will be having a Ball," he said. "And that isn't hyperbole!"

His joke fell flat on the ears of his audience.

"You know! A dance!" Gaven said.

My brain began catching up with what he was saying.

"Yes, each of you are encouraged to find a date, if you do not already have one. There will be dancing, and I'm sure, plenty of opportunity to get to know the rest of the many interesting people we have here with us. This Gathering," went on Gaven, "will be attended by more than just those of you who are a.s.sembled here, so you are encouraged to look your bests. Now I know my own fiancee is probably thinking she has nothing to wear..." Nervous laughter. "Not to worry. Come tomorrow night, you officially have forty-eight hours to attend to whatever you need to attend to: including getting a date!"

Okay, now he was just being mean.

"That means the tongue-tied will need to loosen those tongues, and everyone elseall of you suave ladies and gentlemenwork that mojo!"

Definite laughter. "The Ball will begin at eight p.m., and continues until Midnight. It is an excellent opportunity to say h.e.l.lo to those you may not have spoken to before now, and to get those bonds of friendship solidified, which really, this whole endeavor is about anyway. Anyone else?" he said, looking around. Now that he was on a roll, Gaven seemed to be enjoying himself.

The other delegates, all of whom were female, said nothing. They just smiled at him. Gaven therefore wrapped up with this sentiment.

"If we can enjoy ourselves together for one night, just imagine what we could do if we had all the time in the world?" He sat back down.

The Meadpalace absolutely erupted.

Vittoria was off, enumerating all of the problems. "I don't even know anyone here. Much less any of the boys. There are not hot guys here. Oh excuse me. Unless you want to get fleas."

Lia ignored her. "You know what this means," she said to me. "We finally get to go shopping!"

It burst like a spell from her unformed Mark. She squee'd uncontrollably. I had to admit. Now that I thought about it, it sounded like fun.

"But who will take you?" she said to me.

Reality dropped back into my stomach, along with about a million b.u.t.terflies.

I didn't know anyone here; when I ran through the guys, all I said was no, no, no. This was ridiculous. Where was Lennox?

Gaven was getting himself sloshed down at the long table. The vampires were all carrying on among themselves. So at least this was an opportunity to get them out of their antisocial rut. But did I want to know any of them?

"Who were the visitors Ballard was talking about?" I said suddenly. "Who were the visitors Ballard was talking about?" They must've been these non-Gathering gatherersThe outsiders who were insidersThe rest of the Magical and Supernatural world! Politics! I told myself.

Lia was thinking about where we should go. But we still had one more day of Wiccan training to attend to, and thengulp I suddenly had no time. This was just wrong, throwing this off on me with just short notice. Honestly...

I didn't even have my makeup or anything. Who was going to do my hair?

I didn't want to go to a stupid ball. I wanted to study Magic.

"Halsey. Calm down. You look like you're hyperventilating," she said to me.

"Hyper is right," I told Lia. "I wish my Mark would just form, so I could conjure my way out of this. I better not be thick like Mistress Genevieve. She looks like she has a runway going down her arm. I want swirls."

"And you'll get swirls," said Lia, who looked like she thought I was cracking up.

"If I could do Magic I could just Alcatraz or alakazam... Ali Baba..."

"Abracadabra," said Lia.

"Yes that. Just do my hair," I said, indicating a strenuous motion that would result in my hair changing color.

"Would you really want to? You have such lovely hair. It's like mine. We could be sisters."

"Purple or magenta or some other derring-do."

"You punned."

"Pardon?"

"You punned. Daring do. Is that what you're worried about, that your hair won't be right?"

I blew a strand of hair out of my face. "We don't all have boyfriends, Lia. Well, boyfriends who are here all of the time," I said. "That reminds me. When did you decide to get married? Never mind. There's no time. No time... to hear your life story. I mean, did you pursue him or did he, Gaven, pursue you?"

"Do you really want to know?"

Ballard came over, but she shooed him away. He left hurriedly. He didn't even argue. Which meant my face must really look horrible.

"My parents didn't want us seeing each other," said Lia. "They didn't approve of Gaven."

"But he's Gaven," I said, looking at her through my hands. If I had mascara on, it would be running all over my face. "And you're so beautiful-looking. Italianate. Sleek and ridiculous. I'm a potato farmer."

"Knock it off," she said. She could see me judging myself. "You're not a nottie."

"No?"

"Uh-uh," she said; except it sounded like mm-mm. "If I were a guy, I'd be all over that. Naughty not nottie."

"You made a pun," I said.

"So where were we?"

"You were being all Romeo and Juliet. Gaven was from the House of Montague. And you were her, the girl from Verona."

"Rightso they didn't approve. They thought he was a troublemaker. I thought he looked most comely on the back of his motorcycle. But then one dayhe changed."

"You mean he became a werewolf," I said, "you saw him transform?"

"No. But he started chasing me like a dog. He wouldn't stop asking me out. He even gamboled a time or two."

"So that's what love is? Making a fool of yourself?" I said.

"I'm not saying make a fool of yourself. Just look for someone who would make you happy for one night. You have forever to fall back on with Whosie-whatsit. Although I don't recommend doing it that way."

"Thanks Lia," I said.

"Oh, and let my brother down gently. The git doesn't get it, got it? Good." She left me there. It was almost bedtime before I wandered back into my room. And late, late at night, before I drifted off to sleep. I had been looking at the ill.u.s.trations of Wiccan Marks as inked in the margins of my copy of the Whatchamacallit Codex-thingy and it was a while before I shut my eyes. When I did it was like blood running in rivulets up both my arms. Professor Lux was holding me, and saying, "I have seen many Wiccan Marks, but yours are the best. They were always there. You just had to reveal them, Halsey, like your feelings for me...."

Maria was laughing. I was playing roulette with a Wiccan wheel that had all of the House names inscribed upon it. And as I spun it I saw all of themthe faces of the members of each House.

And just when I thought it would land on Ravenseal...

Chapter 14 Problems.

I woke up. As I lay in bed I tried to direct my magic but it wouldn't do anything. That was the big secret. How do I open the conduit, so to speak? No one had ever told me. I had always had to wait. Abstain. Whatever the reasons, they sounded like mush in the mouth, when I heard them.

Ballard wasted no time.

"So," he said my forehead creased over my Rice Crispies.

"Ballard, I'm flattered, but"

"Guess who I just asked out?" he said.

My plastic spork fell on top of my cereal and drifted there. "Who?" I said.

He tossed his head nonchalantly at one of the werewolf girlsherself chatting with a bunch of them; probably about what they were all going to wear. She was very beautiful.

"Liesel. But isn't she"

"Yeah," he said, as if he couldn't imagine his good luck. "She's one of the Team Leaders. I only go with the best."

He wasn't aware of it, but because of what I had been thinking about, that really, really stung. Did I want to go with Ballard?

Lia scoffed into her breakfast. "She's way too old for you," she said.

"Yeah," said Ballard, bright and hopeful.

Lia frowned. "Last time you hopped on something you couldn't handle, you crashed into a wall."

"Well, I'll just have to ride her till I break her in, then, won't I? Ta-ta."

He was off, finally having won an exchange. It was an unspoken agreement between the two of us that Lia and I would show up late to the Star Room today. When we got there the other girls were all over Professor Lux, which I realized was a tactical error, on my part.

He called us to attention, and then sacrificed the floor to Veruschka RavensealShe of the blue hairand the other Wiccan delegates.

"Now that we are all here," said Veruschka, looking at me and Lia. I tried to catch Lux's eye, but he had his head bowed. "You young ladies need the Oath administered to you forthwith. Please bow your heads. That's right. I find shutting your eyes also helps. Repeat after me, please. I..."

"I," we all said.

"Do solemnly swear..."

"Do solemnly swear..."

"That I will not use my Powers..."

"That I will not use my Powers..."

"For any wrongdoing, unless I am prepared to have that wrongdoing visited upon me elevenfold. I..."

"I," we said.

"Pledge to protect the secrets of Wicca, and will not share them with outsiders, unless I am prepared to vouch for that person as a new Initiate."

We repeated after her.

"Congratulations," she said. "You are all officially Neophytes."

Professor Lux raised his head and smiled to himself.

"I trust you will fill them in on the gaudy details," said Veruschka to Professor Lux. She proceeded to exit the sandpit at a trot, her feet flying. The other delegates followed after her.

Lux made sure we were finally alone. "I think that ill.u.s.trates a point you should all learn. Even Magic can be turned mundane," he said. "Do not lose your awe. Right..."

He looked over his notessome three-by-five cards he was carrying.