”“Thank the Gods,” Kadal grumbled, struggling to her feet. She already looked stiff and awkward, the grace that he had so admired now absent. Sh... waited as he began to recite the incantation, gripping his staff in his hands, its figurehead still shining brightly. It was a rather complex spell, Caden referencing the book every so often, his voice echoing through the caverns. After a few minutes, it was complete, and something began to happen. From the glow at the tip of his staff emerged a. "Uh, it's a secret, uh, from the administration," I hedged. I hadn't meant for Abby to hear about it."Why?" Patrice asked. "They know we drink on the weekends."I blushed as I pulled the girls aside, away from the door in case someone else passed by."We're going to go skinny-dipping in the pool tonight," I whispered."Really?" Patrice said, surprised but with a sly smile on her face. She put her hand on my cheek. "Sounds like fun." Then, looking at Abby, the smile disappeared as she continued,. Most of Emerald Cove attended Sunday morning services but those who didn't were at the house shortly after noon. Jan had the grill fired up early and a plate of hot dogs and hamburgers already off when Chuck O'Bannon and Louise Weller arrived. Chuck wouldn't open the bar until 1 p.m., because he couldn't sell alcohol until two o'clock on Sundays.By three, almost everyone had made an appearance. The Kozlovs had arrived the day before and made a favorable impression on everyone. Maria had talked. They wanted to screen out malice, worlddomination fantasies, and the like. With David, they set the precedent forallowing motives that were socially unacceptable but generally harmless. They also wanted to screen out the really unstable types. Lena and David would set the stage when the candidate approached the hill.Lena would read the final form of the desire, then send the image to Davidand the details to Angel. If Angel could accomplish it, and everything elsechecked out all right, David.