Sapphire Nights (Crystal Magic Book 1)(19)

“That one was designed by one of the original Lucent Ladies. There are only a few decks still in existence. I’m not sure if she was mocking Halloween or if her mind was just bent that way.” Amber set teacups and saucers on the table, then spread the deck expertly. “Her skeleton drawing is almost lifelike. I’ve always wondered if she had a model to work from.”

Sam shuddered, remembering the skull she’d seen uncovered yesterday. “Let’s not use that deck. How about this floral one? I’ve come to ask you if I can work in your planter and thin out a few marigolds for Tullah’s planter, so that seems apt.”

Amber picked up the deck, flipped through it, and studied Sam. “Yes, your vibrations are in synch with the earth cards, interesting. Do you work in agriculture?”

“Environmental science,” Sam said, almost proudly, because this was the only thing she knew about herself. Maybe.

“Interesting that you chose this deck. It’s another one handed down from the Lucent Ladies and is more interpretative than the usual Italian spread. Sit yourself right there.” Amber pointed at one of the straight chairs adorned with white slipcovers. She poured the tea without offering cream or lemon.

Why did Sam remember what went into coffee and tea and not what went into her own damned head?

“We’ll just start with a simple spread today. How would you like me to phrase your question? Where is Cassandra? Is Cass all right?” Amber settled into a similar chair on the other side of the table.

“When will she come home? Can I ask that?”

“We can’t get dates, just what happened in the past that’s influencing the moment and what will come of it, but we can focus on that question. Cut the deck into three stacks, please.”

She probably ought to be asking what would become of her, but that might depend on when Cass would return and throw her out. Sam cut the pretty deck as directed. Amber’s ring-covered fingers lifted each pile as if they were precious gems, and spread three cards from each stack in three rows, face down.

“The bottom row is your past.” She gestured at the line closest to her and flipped the first card on her right. “A tightly bound sheaf of wheat could have many meanings. There’s an almost magical effect to the tie binding them, and the wheat stalks are very young.” She held up her palms and closed her eyes. “For you, I think it means that you were tightly controlled by family, circumstances, energies over which you had no power.”

She flipped the next card, one with crushed leaves and a single untouched blossom. Sam wasn’t entirely certain what kind of flower it represented but it was pink and not completely unfurled.

“Tragedy, I think. Did you lose your parents early?” Amber asked in concern.

Sam couldn’t answer. She simply stared at the crushed plants. She prayed that didn’t represent her real past.

Amber didn’t wait for her to answer but flipped the next card and exclaimed softly. “Freedom, but the flowers are still just buds. You are reaching outside of your tight world but you’ve not fully blossomed, and the leaves are starting to wither, as if they’ve been without water or nourishment too long. That’s probably your college years. College can be pretty dry terrain if all you do is study. I don’t use this deck often, so you’re really influencing my reading with your presence.”

Since the only thing Sam knew about herself was that she’d recently been a student, perhaps Amber could read minds a little. Considering the bleak picture she painted of her past, Sam hoped she was just good at guessing. She stayed silent, not feeding her any information.

Amber started on the middle row, flipping the card on the right. “This line is your present.” She exclaimed softly again, running her fingers over the gnarled old woman standing over what appeared to be a garden bed. “The High Priestess, that has to be Cass, casting a spell. . . over seedlings? Over the earth. Bringing you here?”

Amber flipped the next card, not waiting for any response, although Sam felt the tug of truth. She was turning as mad as the people of the town. Maybe it was something in the water.

“Fire,” Amber whispered in horror, gazing at a card showing a charred landscape with only a small orange poppy unfurling its pretty bloom. “Scorched earth, change, wiping out the old to make room for the new. This could be disaster, or it could be a controlled burn, but it’s in your present, not the future. So perhaps it represents leaving the old behind and starting fresh?”

“That’s what it feels like,” Sam said with a little more confidence. She was definitely starting with a scorched brain.

Amber breathed a little easier and flipped the next card. Instead of flowers, two eccentrically garbed people faced each other. “Ah, the Earth Goddess! That’s you and the Magician. He must help you fight Judgment—that could be any obstacle in your path. This is a card of power and control. There are forces tugging at you right now. The magician could even be Cass, if she’s working on you in some manner.”

That part made utterly no sense, so Sam stayed silent.

“Now, the future.” Amber flipped one of the three remaining cards and frowned at a large oak surrounded by agricultural images. “This card should interpret similarly to the World card. If this is your future. . . I may be wrong in interpreting the High Priestess, unless we think of you as the future one. This doesn’t seem to answer your question about Cass. It seems to be a spread about you and Hillvale. I’m seeing this scarecrow as Deputy Walker. In this deck, the scarecrow is the same as a knight errant. It could reflect his obsessive need to know everything happening here. He already knows Cass, but he’s still searching for more.”