Words boom out. Though I press my hands to my ears to block them, I hear them inside my head.

Mark this time and mark this hour when I wield my awful power. Mortal souls of daughters three forever will belong to me. Their bodies lie in eternal sleep, their souls imprisoned in this glass. The spell will hold sure and deep unless these things come to pass. Three keys to find, to fit, only by mortal hands to turn. Three thousand years in which to learn. An instant more and souls will burn.

This test, this quest, to prove a mortal’s worthiness. With these words I wind them, and with my art I bind them. These locks I seal and forge these keys, and here hurl them to the hand of destiny.

The wind dies, and the air goes still. There on those sun-washed tiles, the three girls lie, their eyes closed as if in sleep, their hands clasped. Three parts of one whole.

Beside them is a glass box, its clear panels leaded at the seams, its trio of locks glinting gold. Warm blue lights dance frantically inside it, seem to beat against the glass walls like trapped wings.

Three keys lie scattered around it.

And seeing them, I weep.

Malory was still shaky when she opened the door to Zoe.

“I got here as soon as I could. I had to get Simon off to school. You sounded so upset on the phone. What—”

“Dana’s not here yet. I’d rather just go through this once. I made coffee.”

“Great.” Zoe put a hand on Malory’s shoulder and simply lowered her into a chair. “I’ll get it. You look like you still need to catch your breath. Kitchen that way?”

“Yeah.” Grateful, Malory leaned back, rubbed her hands over her face.

“Why don’t you tell me how your date with Flynn went the other night?”

“What? Oh. Good. Fine.” She dropped her hands, then stared at them as if they belonged to someone else. “He seems almost normal without his dog. That must be Dana.”

“I’ll get it. Just sit.” Zoe hurried out from the kitchen, heading Malory off before she could rise.

“Okay, where’s the fire?” Dana demanded. Then stopped, sniffed. “Coffee. Don’t make me beg for it.”

“I’m getting it. Go sit with Malory,” Zoe added under her breath.

Dana plopped down in a chair, pursed her lips, and gave Malory a long, hard stare. “You look terrible.”

“Thanks so much.”

“Hey, don’t expect hugs and kisses when you get me out of bed and over here within twenty minutes and on one cup of coffee. Besides, it’s reassuring to know you don’t roll out of bed looking perfect. What’s up?”

Malory glanced over as Zoe came back with three thick white mugs of coffee on a tray. “I had a dream.”

“I was having a damn good one myself. I think it involved Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a really big vat of dark chocolate, and then you called and interrupted it.”