Page 14 of Magical Melee

I nodded in agreement. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

She smiled wider and nodded. “But the lightning represents divine intervention. It was necessary to tear down false foundations for your essential and long-awaited transformation.”

I sat quietly and thought back to my nineteen years of marriage.

“I’ll be,” I said quietly, looking at all the cards still in the stacks. “Of all the cards, this one was chosen.”

“Correct.” She nodded slightly. “For you to see through the falsehoods, the façade had to be torn down. Because of your energy, it had to be dramatic.” Her lip curled slightly. “Your energy only responds to drama.”

I snickered, not entirely wanting to believe it yet.

“I mean, I’m notthatbad.” My eyes met hers.

A smile swept over her mouth, and her hand moved slowly to the next card, which had a wizard wearing a beautiful red and white robe, standing confidently at a table, surrounded by four things I couldn’t make out.

“The Magician is wearing a robe that represents both passion and purity. Surrounding him are a sword for air, a cup to represent water, a pentacle for the earth, and a wand for fire. Above his head is an infinity symbol, which represents limitless potential. One hand points to the sky while the other points to the earth. That tells me you are meant to be a conduit between the spiritual and material realms. Very unusual.”

“And unlikely,” I whispered.

“You are the magic you create for yourself, Maeve.” Her eyes steadied on mine. “Believe in yourself, and beautiful things will come.”

Her hand caressed a card with a large star shining in a mix of smaller ones in a darkened sky. A woman kneeled at a beautiful pond with luscious green vines growing around the water.

“Ah, yes…” Nova nodded. “You will find inner peace. This card represents personal growth from a divine connection.”

I bit my lip, thinking back to the only divine connection I’d had recently.

A bag of potato chips.

“This Star card invites you to maintain hope, nurture your soul, and trust that the universe is aligning in your favor.”

Her words settled deep into my bones, and I felt bad for internally cracking my potato chip joke.

“The High Priestess card is telling me that you have the ability to solve mysteries beyond your conscious mind.”

I shook my head, looking at the card showing a woman in a beautiful blue robe embroidered with pomegranates reaching for the moon.

“I don’t know what to make of any of this,” I whispered as Nova’s gaze stayed on mine.

Her hand touched the final card, and her gaze dropped to the table as she nodded.

“The Fool.” Her voice lowered. “Is a cautionary card for you tonight.”

I studied the card in her hand of a young woman balancing on the edge of a cliff, looking carefree and up at the sky.

“Is it not always?”

She shook her head. “Not always.”

My eyes dipped back to the card. There have been many nights recently where I’d just wanted to run away from it all, but I had Celeste, and she grounded me.

“Do with this what you may, but don’t be fooled by your own inner monologue. It just might veer you in the wrong direction or worse. Lead with your heart and not your mind.” She cocked her head slightly as I nodded.

“Now, what this tells…”

A violent crack tore through the air. I barely had time to flinch before the flames snuffed out, plunging the room into a suffocating darkness.

I dove to the ground.