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husband truly has the sign of the Evil Eye stamped on his brow?”
    The cat looked up, unconcerned. “I only know she has the sign of the coward branded on hers,” the soft voice purred.

5. Penny
    The churchyard of Easterwick was near the town hall, facing it across the town common green. The March sky was the hue of mother-of-pearl, striped white and blue with bands of cloud and clear sky, and the smothered sun shone wan. The last of the frosts were failing. New shoots could be seen through the gray winter grass, and green buds shyly showed on the naked branches of the trees. It was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.
    Thomas walked out from the post office, past the town hall, and into the graveyard behind the little church. Under his arm was an oblong package, wrapped in brown paper and tied up with string.
    He stood looking down at a gravestone. The stone was cut with an image of a ship in full sail under a stormy sea, with a many-rayed star before its prow. The prow was shaped like a swan, with its graceful head raised toward the star.
    The inscription read.
     
    PENELOPE ANGANIM OAKWREN 1940-1987
    One brave soul to hold the key
    To find the charm and learn it
    One bright sword to smite the Dark
    One bright flame to burn it.
     
    One note of harp to free the fire
    No dark cold glass could hide Him
    One white ship to sail them far
    And one bright star to guide them.
     
    Tybalt was stalking through the tall grass among the gravestones. Occasionally a bumblebee or startled beetle would dart up, and Tybalt would hop up straight into the air, batting at the fluttering insect with his paws. Tommy opened the package. Inside was a leather-bound volume with brass hasp and lock and hinges, embossed with the image of a sword embedded in the roots of an oak tree.
    Also in the package was a letter from Penny's nephew explaining how she had left a provision in her will that this book be given to any of her three childhood friends, Thomas Robertson, or Sarah Truell, or Richard Sommerville, whomever should first ask for it.
    Slowly, Tommy walked over to a marble bench, which stood on little legs shaped like sphinxes. It sat at the edge of the churchyard, facing the green.
    Tommy sat, and held the book on his lap, waiting.
    The sun broke free, and the day brightened. At this, Tommy pointed the silver key at the sun, then at the padlock holding the book shut.
“Tome of light, thee now I task; no truth is hid from those who ask. Unlock, release, unbind, set free; knowledge is free to who holds the key.”
    The book's lock popped open with a click.
    Thomas undid the hasp and opened the massive book. The pages were all blank.
    Now he tilted the book so that the sunlight was falling directly on the first page. The ink faded into view, huge curlicued calligraphy in uncial script, intertwined with pictures and diagrams, all knotted around the margins and woven in and out of the capital letters.
    Most of the pages were sea-maps and star-charts, of coastlines and islands. Some of the coastlines were the lands of Earth; others were of worlds mystical and far, coasts unknown to mortal sailors, except, perhaps, in dreams.
    There were diagrams showing the secret routes between worlds, and the star configurations showing when the gateways would open. There were illustrated diagrams of interlocking star-spheres, pointing out the whirlpools and monsters lurking along the celestial rivers and the Milky Way streams between the stars, or the river of Eridanus, with notes on the tides, and enchantments showing how to escape the dangers.
    This was the book Myrrdin had given to Penny to guide them safely back home. The Well at Noss had been destroyed by the malice of the wolf-prince Monagarm, lieutenant of the Fell Winter King, and the children had no other way home. Myrrdin had given up all the secrets locked here inside by giving them the book.
    Thomas remembered how Penny cried, clinging to the graceful neck of the ship's swan-shaped prow. The ship