Page 26 of Date Knight (Roll for Romance #2)
Yorick Proudhollow
“M ove aside!” someone called, and the observers standing around Yorick parted for a young man.
“Where are my friends?” Yorick asked. The man smiled warmly as he looked Yorick over as if checking him for injuries.
“The half-orc was with our cleric having their leg checked over, though they may be done now. The rest are with Laszlo. Are you hurt?”
Yorick paused for a moment to take a mental inventory, but no, he hadn’t been hurt in the fight. He shook his head.
“Good,” the man said. “Laszlo will want to see you now.”
“Laszlo?” Yorick asked. “Is he your leader?”
The man chuckled. “Something like that. He knew you were coming, at least.”
Yorick frowned. He still felt the warmth and the sense of safety that had hit him when he’d stumbled into the camp, but now he wondered if that were keeping him off his guard. Should he be worried?
The man helped Yorick to his feet then began to walk away, waving Yorick after him. “Right this way.”
Yorick followed him past dozens of barrel-topped wagons, some open in the back with wares and supplies on show, others with groups of people or family units sat together, others still closed up tight.
They were festooned with bunting and banners and colourful garlands, with bells and coloured glass lights hanging from the corners and the doorways.
The man walked Yorick towards the largest wagon, parked in the centre of the rest, in what looked like the exact middle of the clearing.
A grizzled old man stood in the open doorway.
Everyone was tall to Yorick, but he was pretty sure this man was exceptionally tall even by human standards.
“Come in,” he said, stepping aside so Yorick could enter the wagon. When he did, he saw his friends sat around a low table with mugs of steaming liquid in their hands. Even Gorlag was there with a freshly bandaged leg.
“Yorick!” Eden cried, rushing over to him. “Are you okay? You were out for a while.”
Yorick nodded. “Were you not?”
She shook her head. “No, we were all up almost straightaway. But don’t worry, we insisted on waiting for you to talk business.”
At this, Yorick took in the wagon properly.
It was dimly lit but extremely comfortable, the walls lined with tapestries and artwork.
Rich rugs covered the wooden floor beneath the eclectic furniture, which included the table the party was sat at, a plush armchair Laszlo now occupied, and a four-poster bed lavishly furnished with blankets and cushions of every colour Yorick could imagine.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” Yorick said, turning to Laszlo. “We don’t wish to intrude, but we were looking for you.”
“I know,” Laszlo said with a nod.
“You do?” Yorick asked as he hoisted himself up into the chair closest to Laszlo.
“The cards told me. You’re looking for information about The Twelve.”
Yorick’s mouth fell open as he looked around at his friends, whose expressions mirrored his. They’d agreed to open with questions about the astral diamonds, and only bring up The Twelve if they seemed agreeable.
“How do you know that?” Calamity snapped, but Laszlo didn’t bristle at her tone. He just laughed. “He didn’t tell us that,” she added, directly to Yorick.
“I told you, the cards told me.”
“The cards?”
“The cards,” he repeated, producing a deck from– well, Yorick wasn’t sure where from– and riffled it slightly. “And I’ll answer your questions as soon as you all complete a reading. Just one card each.”
Liam frowned. “Why?”
Laszlo shrugged. “It’s good to know who I’m dealing with. And the information the cards deem relevant will tell me a lot about who you are.”
The group looked around at one another, all of them seeming equally unsure what to do. All except Eden, who looked visibly excited.
“I’ll go first,” she said, and Laszlo beckoned her closer.
She went to kneel before him, almost as if in supplication.
She grasped the crystal she wore around her neck.
Yorick had seen her use it each morning, placing it before a light to project a map of the night sky so she could divine any omens the stars had for her.
But now she seemed to grip it more for comfort than for any magical purpose.
“Tell me when to stop,” Laszlo said as he began to shuffle the cards, so quickly they blurred before Yorick’s eyes, but the movement never looked frenzied.
After a few seconds, Eden nodded. Laszlo stopped shuffling, then revealed the top card, placing it on his knee before flipping it over.
Eden’s face visibly brightened when she saw a One of Stars, but then was less thrilled when Laszlo explained that it foretold unexpected consequences and chaos.
Morgana went next, getting a One of Swords, and Liam received an Eight of Glyphs.
Calamity seemed almost embarrassed when she received The Dark Lord, though Yorick wasn’t sure why.
Gorlag, on the other hand, seemed thrilled with the Master of Swords, though they asked if they could change it to Master of Axes, making Laszlo tip his head back in booming laughter.
When it was Yorick’s turn, he knelt hesitantly before Laszlo the way the others had, though it was probably unnecessary; he could have just stood. In fact, when he nodded and Laszlo drew his card, he couldn’t actually see it at first. He could only see Laszlo frown down at it.
“It doesn’t always mean you’re a puppet or a spy,” Laszlo explained as Yorick pressed up onto his feet. “Sometimes it just means you’re out of control.”
“I’m perfectly in control, thank you very much,” Yorick said through his teeth, but he could feel heat building on his face, and he didn’t actually feel very in control. He tried to focus on the card, but he had to blink several times to clear his vision.
On the card was a figure terrifying and uncanny enough on its own; a pale mask and long talons made it look otherworldly, reaching out as if trying to escape the card. But it was only after reading the name that Yorick noticed the strings connected to the shoulders and arms.
It was a marionette.