She dove in deeper as she stared into the glass, so deep that all that she saw was underwater, both the present and the past. Floating there, between worlds, she could spy her mother in the silk mourning dress she had worn ever since she’d lost Faith, a black veil shielding her face. She saw Maria walking through the muddy streets, crying even though it is said witches cannot cry. They can, but doing so changes them, and leaves them unprotected, for that’s what real love can do.

Faith was drowning in the black mirror, going deeper and deeper. She held her breath; she peered through the murk of the muddy currents. She had come to the river of hell, a dark, bottomless canal that was filled with bodies of those who could not swim. Faith might have never surfaced, she might have been trapped there inside her mind, drowning in that cold brackish place, if Maude Cardy hadn’t grasped her arm and firmly pulled her away from the table.

“That’s enough, girl,” Maude said. “Let’s get you back here.”

Faith gasped, and when she did she spat out river water.

Maude went off to retrieve her smelling salts so she might revive the child. She returned to find that Faith was dripping wet, a pool of black water around her feet. Whatever she was, whoever she was, Maude knew she was powerful. The girl’s face shone and her hair was damp. Faith’s heart was pounding because of the flash of vision she’d seen. “Where did you go off to?” Maude asked the child.

“It’s on the other side of the river that crosses hell,” Faith replied. She had no idea where that was, only that her mother was there waiting. She’d been waiting all along. Faith didn’t need any more answers. Her mouth was set and she felt fearless, as if she had consumed a pot of Courage Tea. She felt like a bird that was about to fly away from this cloudy blue countryside. “That’s where I must go,” she told Maude.

“I know the place,” Maude informed her, pleased she could figure out the puzzle of the girl’s vision. The East River was divided by Hell Gate, a natural rock sill where there were swift currents and jutting ledges that had caused many ships to sink and many men to drown. Still, it was the way to cross over to the docks that were teeming with sailors. “You’ll be wanting to go to Manhattan,” Maude Cardy told Faith. “And if anything’s a vision, it’s that city. Remember, once you’re there, keep your purse closed and your eyes open and every wonder will be there to see.”

II.