The Magical Tarot Deck

by Marieke Lexmond

  FAIRY

  Ceri is dressed in her mix of elf and human clothes; she radiates confidence and grace. This boost of power makes her almost giddy.

  ‘Be careful, my lady.’ Says Cephalop.

  For a moment, she touches his alien face, ‘Thank you. You’ve saved me.’

  ‘My pleasure.’ His warm deep voice touches her heart.

  Looking at him and Alvina, she opens a portal into Lucy’s home in Utah. ‘I’ll be back soon.’

  ‘My lady.’ is the last thing she hears from Alvina as she steps through, and the portal closes behind her.

  Her cheerful mood is quickly replaced by anger when she steps through and sees Bridget’s half state and the agony she’s in. The workroom is quiet. For a moment, Ceri assesses her surroundings. This is something. Even though most of the shelves are empty, it’s still an impressive collection of necessities for a witches’ storeroom. The room is carefully crafted, and the power simmering everywhere is extraordinary. A moan from Bridget brings her back to why she came. Slowly, she walks around and uses some of her fairy magic to actually touch Bridget.

  ‘How come you can touch her?’ Lucy’s voice bounces off the walls.

  Ceri pivots and stares her aunt in the face. The collar around her neck sings when it recognizes its master. ‘Let’s say a lot has happened since we saw each other last.’

  Lucy moves closer but still keeps her distance while she takes in Ceri’s altered state.

  ‘You look well.’ Lucy answers, her mind racing. The fairy in this witch has come to the surface. The woman who stands before her now is someone to be approached with care. Who knows how much witch and how much fairy power she possesses? Any which way, she’s dangerous.

  ‘What brings you here?’ Lucy decides to play it cool. After all, they got along, sort of, while they were in Fairy. Why did she send Mara for groceries? She could have used some magical backup.

  Ceri waves at Bridget, ‘I want you to let her go.’

  ‘Ha, I can’t do that. You have something I want. And unless they give up the Dagger, I’m not letting this one go.’

  ‘Maybe I can offer you something else?’ Ceri licks her finger and makes a fairy sign in the air. The ring around Lucy’s neck contracts leaving Lucy gasping for air. Ceri blows on her finger, and all is back to normal.

  Taking in deep breaths, it’s a full minute before Lucy can compose herself. ‘You would take it off?’ The eagerness in her eyes betrays how much Lucy wants that. ‘Why?’

  ‘I appreciate that you told me the truth in Fairy. Even though you’re torturing my niece, it still counts for something, and I don’t like owing someone.’

  This opens a new perspective for Lucy, and her brain kicks into gear.

  ‘Be careful of this one.’ Sparkle whispers in Ceri’s ear. He remembers Lucy and knows pretty well what’s she’s capable of. After all, she’s partly to blame for the fate that befell his master.

  ‘I will take your collar off if you swear on your own blood that you will not harm my family members in any way again.’

  ‘You know I can’t promise that. What if they attack me again? It might seem that this is all my fault, but your mother isn’t the angel she pretends to be.’

  A little twitch of Ceri’s eye betrays her feelings.

  Lucy laughs. ‘I see. You’ve experienced it, haven’t you.’

  ‘Don’t let her get to you.’ urges Sparkle.

  ‘If you let Bridget go, promise you will never torture my family in any way again and—’

  ‘Think like a fairy, not like a human.’ hisses Sparkle in her ear. Ceri’s mind is racing. It’s crucial to make the right deal. ‘If you let Bridget go, promise to never torture my family again, and if you ever touch the moon while performing dark magic, the collar will find its way back to your neck.’

  ‘Ohhh, clever.’ whispers Sparkle in her ear. ‘I bet she doesn’t know you touch the moon in Fairy, as the main power source, when you perform magic. If she ever uses magic in Fairy…’

  Lucy stares at her for a long time, weighing Ceri’s words. What on earth does she mean by touching the moon? So far, she has never done that and can’t see that as a problem. She’s no fool though, and this needs careful consideration. Finally, she says, ‘I promise on the blood of my blood.’

  The house shudders. If Lucy breaks this promise, there will be consequences, even though her black magic makes her less vulnerable than a regular witch to a backlash, she has made a promise to a witch and a fairy.

  Ceri smiles. A weight is lifted from her shoulders, and soon, Bridget will be okay.

  ‘How do you want to do this?’ Lucy strides toward Bridget and feels a little sad, she’s sure she could have broken this child. But to get her magic back, it’s worth it. The sense of her magic returning makes her shiver with anticipation.

  Ceri’s emerald eyes follow Lucy’s every move.

  ‘How can I trust you to take this off?’

  Ceri doesn’t bother to answer. Say as little as possible and get this over with. Expertly, Lucy pulls the pins. Bridget’s eyes fly open and, for a second, lock with Ceri’s before she vanishes. Immediately, Ceri opens a portal and snaps her fingers, and the collar falls from Lucy’s throat, flying into Ceri’s hands, and she immediately steps through the portal. She is not going to take any chances of an attack from Lucy.

  The moment Lucy can touch her magic, she reaches out and pulls it around her like a comforting blanket. The room builds with energy, the lights start to flicker, and Cal comes running into the room, trailed by Seamus. When he sees his Grandmother alight with power, he backpedals. Seamus, for once, is stunned into silence. Lucy is aglow; whole again.

  NEW ORLEANS

  Bridget materializes fully and lies prostrate on the ground. Her dogs are licking her, and Moon sniffs her from head to toe, checking her for injuries. The pain is still there, less severe, but it will take a while before it has entirely left her body. It surprises her that they didn’t keep watch at her side. She could swear she remembered Maeve and Wes being there. For a moment, she takes stock of her body. Weak, she’s fragile. When she tries to get up, her limbs don’t cooperate. Better to lay there for a while longer. When she throws her witch sense out, she feels a big cluster of her family in the kitchen. There must be something going on. ‘Moon, can you help me?’ The bigger dogs immediately pull and push her upright. With the help of the dogs, the table and chairs she manages to get up. Her whole body is tingling and not in a good way. A moan escapes her. Reaching for that last bit of reserve, she manages to move one foot, and then the other. Moon projects worry in her head. ‘I know, buddy. Get me to the kitchen, and I will rest later.’ Grudgingly, he supports her as best he can. Very slowly and with several stops along the way, she reaches the kitchen door.

  Loud discussion is floating through. Her hand is on the door when she has second thoughts. Maybe she should listen in for a minute? Without thinking, she mumbles a small eavesdropping spell; this makes her smile. Her being a witch is taking hold—at last.

  ‘Quiet!’ Tara tries to settle everyone down again. ‘We don’t have much time. Let’s vote.’

  What would they be voting about? Unconsciously, she moves closer to the door.

  ‘Who thinks we should trade the Dagger for Bridget?’

  That’s sweet, but she would have never wanted that.

  ‘I do.’ Freya is the first to reply. She must feel guilty is Bridget’s first ungracious thought.

  ‘Me. Me. I do.’ Several voices mingle together. Tara is counting, ‘Twelve in favor.’

  ‘Bridget doesn’t want that.’ Maeve is trying to sway the vote.

  This warms Bridget’s heart; she can count on her sister. Thank you, Maeve, she sends out to her.

  In the kitchen, Maeve feels Bridget’s gratitude and looks at the door. Bridget instantly realizes her mistake. Still very weak, she doesn’t have her natural defenses up. With a sigh, she pushes the door open and stumbles into the kitchen. ‘Thanks for the though
t, guys.’

  A moment of quiet shock is followed by a rush of questions. Bridget swoons and passes out, and Wes barely manages to catch her.

  PART 7

  Ace of Wands ‘Action’

  ‘Action is the foundational key to all success.’

  —Pablo Picasso

  NEW ORLEANS

  Gwen rushes into the kitchen, not even ten minutes after Bridget had made her entrance. The crowd has thinned out already. Only Tara and Freya are around busy cleaning up the kitchen.

  ‘Where is it?!’ Gwen demands.

  Tara takes time to dry her hands and then motions for Gwen to sit down.

  ‘You need to give it to me. It’s our responsibility, and I want to take it home.’ Ignoring Tara’s invitation to sit down, Gwen paces back and forth. ‘You’re not the guardian, and so far, you’re not doing a very good job helping us.’

  ‘Please, Gwen,’ Tara’s tone is a little more forceful. ‘It’s safe for now. We need to talk.’

  ‘No kidding.’ Angry, she pulls back a chair, pointedly leaving some space between them.

  ‘What not everybody knows…’ Tara pauses for a minute and glances at Freya.

  Freya doesn’t need Tara to say out loud what she’s thinking, and replies in an irritated tone, ‘I can keep a secret.’

  Tara chooses not to comment and continues. ‘Diane received the Dagger from the Maiden, and I think that she gave it back to us for a reason.’

  ‘THE Maiden?’ Gwen is shocked that one of the Fates might be involved…

  ‘Yes. It’s worrying. Why would the Fates involve themselves in such a direct way? It’s not their style.’

  ‘Did she say anything?’

  ‘Yes. That our family needed it.’

  Gwen senses truth in these words. That changes everything; you don’t mess with the Fates.

  Quickly, she reassesses her options. ‘I want to be involved with whatever you’re going to do with it.’

  ‘Agreed.’ Tara gets up and shakes Gwen’s hand. Not really necessary when witches make a promise, but it sometimes it is the right thing to do.

  Later in her room, Tara is ready for a nap, and her eyelids are just closing when a sharp knock on the door wakes her back up. Maeve sticks her head into the room, ‘Bridget is sleeping. We did what we could for her. We have to wait until she wakes up to see how much this has affected her.’

  ‘Poor Bridget, it will take time.’ Tara is heartbroken for her granddaughter, to have to go through something like this is horrifying.

  Maeve’s face says it all. Her twin is in a lot of pain, physically and mentally.

  ‘I’m sorry I woke you. Can I get you tea?’

  This makes Tara smile; it’s a good sign that Maeve’s caring feelings are back. The family depends on her healing cooking and compassionate nature.

  ‘No. Thank you, dear.’

  ‘Take a nap. I’ll make dinner.’

  However, this exchange has woken Tara back up, and her eye falls on the four of cups on her altar. Time to see how they should approach this whole situation with the Dagger. Do they keep it safe? Do they trade it for the Tarot Deck? How did Bridget get free? Only questions. With a big sigh, she puts the card back in the deck, shuffles, and lets her left-hand hover above the fan of cards. This one.

  With absolute certainty she pulls a card. The Ace of Wands. Three ants are busy raising a wand. On the top of the wand ignites a little spark; something is starting. This is a card of new possibilities, something that will require action. The cards can’t be more precise than that. No time to rest, time to do something, like the ants who are always busy. This positive card lifts her spirits. With a smile, she places it on her altar and follows Maeve downstairs.

  A ray of warm sunlight shining on her face wakes Bridget up, and for a couple of seconds, she thinks that she’s in Boston, waking up to a typical day. Wes’s body is pressed against hers, and his hand rests on her belly. The pile of dogs stirs when they feel her waking up. With a moan, she wiggles even closer to Wes but pain shoots through her body whenever Bridget moves and forces her back into reality. Her mind snaps back into crisis mode. Although the torture has stopped, it will take a while for her body to recover from the abuse. And much longer for her mind, this will never leave her. Kiki starts to lick her face, saving her from drowning in her thoughts. Very slowly, she tries to move again. Wes stirs, and Bridget quickly whispers a slumber spell as she’s not ready yet to face any questions or worse, pity. It takes her a long time to get out of bed and make her way into the shower. When she peeks in the mirror, there isn’t a scratch on her. Such a contrast with how mangled she feels. She has no idea how long she has been staring at herself in the mirror, but in the meantime, the bathroom has filled up with steam from the shower, fogging up the mirror. Time to cleanse herself, wash away some of this shit. The water is scalding hot; quickly, she adjusts it and steps under the flowing water. Calm sets in; water is a great way to wash away some foul magic.

  The warmth is gentle on her muscles, and hopefully, this will help her to function. As she lets her hands run through her hair and cleans her face, her eye falls on the tattoo on her finger, and the memory of Ceri saving her flows back to the forefront of her mind. Gently, she touches it, and the vine seems to gravitate to her finger. Spring flowers erupt from it. Bridget sends gratitude toward her aunt. She’s not sure if freeing Lucy’s magic was worth the price though. Making sacrifices is part of being a police officer. And there’s that little voice of self-doubt that keeps popping up asking whether she’s actually worth saving.

  The warm water washes over her, and she closes her eyes, trying to ground herself and find the center of her being. When she finally manages to connect to her roots, the jumble of thoughts and aches and pains distract her. Like a tree standing tall, weathering the storm, Bridget has a solid base. In her heart, she finds strength. It’s comforting and generous, it spreads back through her body, and when her eyes eventually open, she can at least feel and think like herself again. Purposefully, she turns off the shower and gets dressed, and then she releases Wes from the spell. Before long he finds her in the bathroom ready for battle. Trying to hide his concern, he is forcefully cheerful. ‘How are you feeling?’

  ‘I’m okay.’ You don’t have to be a witch to spot that lie. Wes isn’t sure how to approach her. With two steps, she closes the distance between them and kisses him deeply, hoping to convey the depth of love and gratitude she feels for him. His body relaxes, and he holds her close.

  ‘Where’s Maeve?’ She whispers, slowly pulling away. ‘We need to talk. The three of us.’

  UTAH

  Goat blood is dripping down Lucy’s naked body. The protective circle is a ring of fire around her. Her hands are up toward the sky, and she shouts ancient words into the void. When all the lights go out, an eerie stormy sound bounces off the walls in the room—Lucy’s screams of joy. The ritual has balanced her dark power, and she is reenergized. The candles in the room are lighting up, and Lucy looks both sated and tired. Her wards around the house are secure, finally in control again. For hours she’s been slinging spells and divining the future. It’s hard to resist the rush of power when you have been cut off for what seems like an eternity. Her grandchildren are nowhere to be seen; they’ve learned to be wary when she’s in a mood, even a good one.

  Now it’s time to replenish the energy of her physical body. A cup of coffee and a juicy steak will help her to get her mind in gear. Time to make a plan.

  Somewhere on a freeway in Southern Utah, Luna and Tom are still tracing the ley lines. Bridget’s release hasn’t altered their mission. Lucy still has the Deck, and it has become painfully clear how far she’s willing to go to get what she wants.

  Luna’s phone rings, and Tom smiles when he sees the expression of joy on her face.

  ‘It’s Bridget.’ A warm touch of gratitude fills the car. Tom is so excited that Bridget is warming up to her mother.

  ‘Hey, Mom,’ Luna is surprised that her
daughter sounds normal.

  ‘You’re on speaker. We’re in Southern Utah now. How are you?’

  ‘A little sore, other than that though, I’m…I’m okay.’ Luna’s alarm bells go off, and when she looks at Tom, he shakes his head. He doesn’t want her to pry; he understands Bridget is not ready to talk about it. You can almost sense the dread coming from Bridget, fearing her mother’s prying questions or a lecture.

  ‘I’m so sorry, dear, that you had to go through all that. Know we’re here for you if you need to talk.’

  Luna replies with a firm nod back to Tom, whose proud smile makes her restraint already worth it.

  ‘Thanks, Mom, Tom. Appreciate it.’ The relief evident in Bridget’s voice is a confirmation; Luna did the right thing.

  ‘I’m calling you to warn you that Lucy has her powers back. Ceri took her collar off in exchange for my freedom.’ Bridget lets that sit for a minute, but when Luna refrains again from lecturing her, she moves on. ‘Please don’t do anything when you find her. This woman stops at nothing, and we need to have a good plan if we want to succeed in getting the Tarot Deck back. So, I beg you to be careful.’

  Wow, that inevitably changes things. ‘So, what is the plan?’

  ‘We’re working on it. It’s important to find her, but be careful!’

  ‘Copy that.’ answers Tom. He hasn’t forgotten the time in Boston when the witches took each other on.

  ‘Stay safe.’ With that, Bridget hangs up.

  NEW ORLEANS

  Just as Bridget hangs up, the door opens, and Maeve runs in enveloping her in a bear hug. For several minutes, the twins stand this way, their feelings wide open to each other. Maeve steps back and grabs Bridget’s face between her hands, gives her a kiss, and quickly checks her up and down if she looks okay. ‘I’m okay.’

  Maeve’s skeptical look seems to doubt that.

  ‘I will be okay.’

  Maeve lets it go. ‘Was that Mom?’

  ‘Yes, I had to warn her that Lucy has her powers back.’

  ‘What?! How?’