Page 13 of Magical Melee

Let the dance of her mind arrange

To release old wounds that linger still

And let her heart be filled with goodwill,

We ask the cards to reveal what they know,

To guide her and help her grow,

Let her resilience and grace,

Light the path she is meant to embrace,

Love and light,

We welcome what comes,

Trusting nothing other than the sun’s morning light,

And the moon’s shadows for the night.”

Nova’s eyes flicked open the exact moment the flame danced, stretching toward the ceiling with great height. Her eyes no longer appeared emerald in color. They looked silver in the shadows.

I swallowed the fear settling around my heart, clamping it tightly as the fiery flame reflected in Nova’s eyes. My heartbeat no longer felt like my own as the woman’s eyes drilled into me.

Without releasing her gaze from me, she shuffled the deck carefully and allowed the cards to mix with the energy passing between us.

She stopped and set the deck in front of me.

“Shuffle once and set it down.” I realized her mouth never uttered those words, and all the hairs on my body stood on end.

How could this be?

I drew a slow and steady breath as my heart ached a little more, thinking about what was happening.

I heard words that were not spoken and saw colors in tea that didn’t exist. I was losing what remaining marbles I’d clung to since my divorce. They were rolling right away, and I couldn’t do a dang thing about it.

I desperately wanted to be with Celeste, far from this place and away from pretending. I’d been through a lot, and this was finally messing with my sanity. Nova had to have spoken those words, whether I saw her lips part or not.

Obeying, I shuffled the cards once and set them back down.

Nova brought the deck back and cut the deck into threes with her left hand, still not removing her gaze from mine. A slow and steady breath released from Nova’s lips as she used her right hand to deal the cards face down in some sort of design that meant something to her.

My teeth ground into my bottom lip so hard that my skin throbbed as she pulled her hands back and blinked.

What had I gotten myself into?

She drew another steady breath and smiled wickedly with a slow nod. “The Tower. The Magician. The Star. The High Priestess. And the Fool.”

I chuckled and nodded. “I can wholeheartedly relate to that last one.”

Her eyes turned to mine, and a soft smile touched her lips. “You are no fool, Maeve.”

My heart stuttered as my gaze dropped down to the cards.

Her fingertips touched the first card, which had an imposing stone pillar in the middle, and a bolt of lightning jolted the tip. Clouds hovered at the top of the card while flames poured down from where the electricity had hit. Two robed figures fell from the cracked tower.

“Maeve, The Tower represents great upheaval and destruction.”