Lost Lighte

Chapter 2 (part 2)

“I see they’re keeping the tradition alive.” Althea sneered, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. “Do you know when this auction is taking place?” Tilya shook her head. “No,” she said. “They didn’t mention anything about that. One of them just said that they had an invitation” Althea tapped a nail against her chin.

“Although, they did say Lady Prida is hosting a ball and that the auction would be held at the same time.”

Tilya straightened at the sight of Althea’s arched eyebrow. “Is it possible that we can call the authorities to the mansion and have them investigate?” she said hopefully.

Althea’s gaze practically pierced through her. “We are not going to do anything, girl. Besides, the authorities wouldn’t take us seriously anyways.” Tilya’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “But we have to do something, don’t we?”

The apothecary reached for the deck of cards on the table and began shuffling them. “People of our station don’t have the power to change the world, Tilly. Even before you lost your fortune you wouldn’t be able to have any sway in society.” The look she gave Tilya was tender. “I know how disappointing it is, but it’s the reality of the world we live in. These auctions have been happening for nearly one hundred years, the word of two lowly women won’t go changing that.”

Tilya set her ponytail free, suddenly feeling a headache coming om. Her black tresses flowed over her shoulders and chest, the ends curling over her lap. Althea watched her thoughtfully before saying, “Why don’t you let me read you, dear.” She gestured toward the deck of tarot cards now strewn out in a large arch over the table, their backs facing upwards.

Tilya studied their artwork, each card having the same design on its back; a depiction of three women, two facing opposite directions and one standing in the middle, staring up at her.

The woman on the left had beautiful blonde hair with flowers braided into it. She wore a dark blue dress made of velvet. The woman in the center displayed her pregnant belly proudly, one hand on the top and the other cupping the bottom. She wore a sheer, white dress with a large slit in the front, going up the middle to show off the bump. Her golden braid was looped around her head like a halo. The final woman on the right wore a long black cloak, its hood covering her head, but her long grey hair could still be seen flowing down her front.

The border of the cards was decorated with gilded filigree and each corner displayed a different moon phase.

“Those are… beautiful.” Tilya sighed in awe.

Althea offered a gentle smile and lit a stick of lavender-scented incense. “Thank you, they were my grandmother’s, who passed it onto my mother, who passed it onto me.” She peeked at Tilya through her enviable eyelashes. “We believe generational power is the strongest.”

Tilya silently agreed.

“Choose three cards and we’ll go over them one at a time. Take as much time as you need. If it suits you more, you may run your hand over them until one of them calls to you.” Althea fanned her hands out across the cards and sat back in her chair, watching.

Tilya took a deep breath, set herself, and chose to do the latter. She lifted a slender hand and held it over the cards, slowly gliding it over the arch and back until she felt the tugging urge to stop. Using her forefinger, she slid the card out and turned it over in front of it.

The artwork depicted a blonde woman sitting on a bench in front of a rocky sea, a blindfold covering her eyes. She held two swords in each hand, pointing them both up at opposite directions.

“Two of swords, I see.” Althea mused.

Tilya shot her head up to look at her. “What does it mean?”

Althea leaned in, speaking with conviction. “It means you will have to make a choice. It might be a difficult one, and you won’t be sure of the consequences of either of them, but you’ll need to trust your intuition in order to make the choice that’s right for you.” Althea leaned back again.

Tilya cleared her throat, the neckline of her dress suddenly suffocating. She brought a hand up to scratch at her chest uncomfortably.

When she felt ready, she held a hand out over the cards once again and repeated the same ritual.

The next card she pulled depicted a wheel with unfamiliar symbols circling around it. A cat with a sword sat at its top, and a devil-like creature curled against its bottom. In each corner of the card were different animals, each holding open books.

“Ah.” Althea started happily. “The wheel of fortune, and it’s upright.” A smile spread across her pretty features and she crossed her arms.

“I take it that’s a good thing?” Tilya asked hesitantly.

Althea nodded. “Essentially, it means luck is on your side.”

Tilya couldn’t stop the small smile that quirked the edges of her lips. Although she didn’t exactly believe in fortune telling or any of that nonsense, the atmosphere in the room was admittedly tense and other-worldly. She ran a nervous hand through her hair before tucking some of it behind her ear. “That makes me a feel a little bit better.”

Althea smiled again and waited for her to choose the last card.

Compared to the first two cards, this one took the longest to call out to her. She still couldn’t get used to the feeling once it did. It felt as though her finger was a magnet and the card was made of metal, seemingly being pulled towards it.

Althea watched Tilya carefully as she took her time to find the fated card, her breath hitching when it presented itself to her. Tilya slowly slid the card closer and tapped her nails against it.

Her eyes drifted up at her friend and she watched the golden candlelight flicker across the woman’s face, meanwhile turning the card over to reveal its message. Tilya watched Althea’s expression change from that of intrigue to surprise when she beheld the artwork on the card. Tilya swallowed before looking down to see for herself.

“Death.” Althea whispered, the tone of her voice held something Tilya couldn’t identify. She gasped and shot up from the table.

The art depicted on this card was of a grim reaper riding on a pale horse and holding a scythe. Countless dead and dying people lay on the ground around him, and Tilya couldn’t tell if the sun behind him was rising or setting.

“I’m going home.” Tilya stammered, nearly tripping over herself as she moved away from the table. Away from the cards.

“Tilya, it isn’t what you think.” Althea called after the girl as she stormed out of the back room.

“I don’t want to hear it, Althea. It seems pretty clear to me!”

In her rush, Tilya nearly knocked over one of the small tables displaying Althea’s soaps. The bell above the door clanged loudly as she slammed it on the way out.