The Magical Tarot Deck

by Marieke Lexmond

  Ceri and Luna try to blend into the background.

  ‘I knew it. You can’t be trusted.’ replies Lucy, calm. Don’t bite, don’t take the bait. She recites in her head to stay calm.

  Mab jumps up and pulls the dagger from the table. She points the dagger toward the sky. The trees part and stand up straight. The wind picks up, and it starts to rip at Lucy’s and Mara’s clothes. Ceri doesn’t hesitate and opens a portal; Lucy spots them going through and before the portal snaps shut, she shouts at Luna, ‘You promised me the Dagger.’

  The portal closes, but not before Luna gets hit by the backlash of a broken promise.

  Now Lucy gives her full attention to Mab. Mara is hanging onto her grandmother; the wind is speeding up. ‘You promised free passage! I didn’t use magic.’ pleads Lucy.

  Mab’s normally beautiful features are becoming harsher, and her true elfish nature is showing.

  ‘I keep my promises.’ Mab’s voice seems to come from everywhere. The table turns to liquid again freeing Lucy’s bruised hand. The wind picks both Lucy and Mara up and moves them opposite Mab. A wicked smile crosses her face as she waves the dagger in front of Lucy to taunt her. If looks could kill, Lucy would have obliterated Mab.

  A portal into Lucy’s home opens behind her. All of a sudden, Mab’s face hovers inches away from Lucy’s. ‘We have unfinished business, you and me. However, I got what I wanted, and I will deal with you some other time.’ After that, she flings Lucy and Mara through the portal, and they land hard on the other side. The portal closes, and there is nothing but a deafening silence until an agonizing scream echoes through the room. Lucy is lying on her back screaming and screaming. Mara scrambles up and gets the hell out of there before Lucy can take any of her frustration out on her.

  NEW ORLEANS

  Ceri and Luna step through the portal into the Madigan’s garden where Luna gets hit by the backlash of her broken promise. The fact that she had no control over the situation doesn’t make a difference, and she doubles over like she’s been punched in the gut. Damn it. As a reflex, she reaches for her magic, relieved to find it still there. You never know how a backlash will manifest, and only time will tell. Deep down inside her, she feels a tinge of darkness is growing. Unable to acknowledge it, she squashes the feeling.

  ‘Oh no.’ Ceri rushes toward her. ‘I’m so sorry. We should have found another place.’

  ‘It’s not your fault.’ Luna is determined not to let this get to her and brushes off Ceri’s hand as she moves toward the house.

  Tara, Bridget, Maeve, Diane, and Gwen are waiting for them in the kitchen. They cheer when they see the Deck in Ceri’s hands.

  ‘You got it back,’ Tara’s relief is felt throughout the kitchen, like sunshine breaking through a cloud. Eagerly, she takes the Deck from Ceri.

  ‘Did everything go as planned?’ asks Bridget, who senses that something is not right.

  Her mother gives her a wan smile, ‘No. Mab intervened and grabbed the dagger. We barely managed to get away in time. We have no idea what happened to Lucy.’

  A shocked silence follows.

  ‘I’m so happy you made it out.’ Maeve hugs her mother.

  Diane laughs, ‘I would love to see Mab’s face when she finds out the dagger is not the real one.’

  SOMEWHERE BETWEEN SPACE AND TIME

  ‘Me too!’ echoes the Maiden.

  ‘Great.’ says the Crone sarcastically. ‘Now, you’ve pissed off not only Lucy but also the Queen of Fairy.’

  ‘Lighten up.’ She nudges the Crone. ‘The fun is only starting. I thought you were bored?’

  The Crone rolls her eyes at her.

  NEW ORLEANS

  In the kitchen, they had sat down to relax with a glass of wine and some delicious snacks prepared by Maeve. Tara has gone through the Deck several times, checking on her family, when she looks up and asks, ‘Where is Seamus’ card?’

  LIST OF CHARACTERS

  Alana Jansson: The guardian of the Dagger of Consciousness.

  Alexandra Birdwing: A fairy of the House of Aelfdene, Keeper of the Sky.

  Alice: Diane Madigan’s wife.

  Alvina: servant of the House of Finvarra.

  Bert: Ceri Madigan’s husband.

  Bouncer: Bridget’s black Labrador.

  Brian Madigan: Freya and Jason’s oldest son.

  Bridget Madigan: Maeve’s twin sister; daughter of Luna and Steve.

  Cal Lockwood: Lucy’s grandson; son of Set and Helen.

  Cephalop: an octopus like fairy.

  Ceri(dwen) Madigan: youngest/oldest daughter of Tara Madigan and Felaern Finvarra.

  Diane Madigan: Tara and Seamus’ third child.

  Dylan Madigan: Freya and Jason’s youngest son.

  Emily: Ceri and Bert’s daughter.

  Felaern Finvarra: A fairy, the Keeper of the Land of Fairy; Ceri’s father.

  Ferrymaster: a fairy that guards the realm of Fairy; he will let you pass in exchange for a memory.

  Fin Madigan: Luna and Steve’s son.

  Freya Madigan: Tara and Seamus’ oldest daughter.

  Giordano Family: one of four families that guard an elemental power object; they protect the Cup of Plenty.

  Gwen Jansson: Alana’s sister.

  Jansson Family: one of four families that guard an elemental power object;

  they protect the Dagger of Consciousness.

  Jason: Freya Madigan’s husband.

  Jax: Steve and Lilian’s son.

  Kiki: Bridget’s Chihuahua.

  Liam: Ceri and Bert’s son.

  Lilian Neumann: Steve’s new wife.

  Lisa: Ron and Selma’s daughter.

  Lucy Lockwood: Tara Madigan’s twin; banned from the family and forced to take another name.

  Luna Madigan: Tara and Seamus’ second child; mother of Bridget, Maeve,

  and Fin.

  Mab: the Queen of Fairy.

  Madigan Family: one of four families that guard an elemental power object; they protect the Wand of Wisdom.

  Maeron: a fairy, one of Felaern’s oldest friends.

  Maeve Madigan: Bridget’s twin; daughter of Luna and Steve.

  Mara Lockwood: Lucy’s granddaughter; daughter of Set and a Voodoo priestess from New Orleans and Cal’s half-sister.

  Mary Madigan: the first Madigan to guard the Wand of Wisdom.

  Mike: Ron and Selma’s son.

  Moon: Bridget’s Rottweiler.

  Neumann Family: one of four families that guard an elemental power object; they protect the Pentacle of Growth.

  Obelow: A fairy, the Keeper of Water.

  O’Seachnasaigh: the family name of the four sisters who originally took the elemental objects and pledged to never use them.

  Ron Madigan: Tara and Seamus’ only son and fourth child. His full name is Oberon. He runs the family business Under the Witches Hat.

  Sarah Madigan: Tara and Lucy’s mother.

  Seamus: Tara’s husband, a powerful witch and artist; the creator of the Magical Tarot Deck.

  Selma: Ron Madigan’s wife.

  Set Lockwood: Lucy’s son, her only child.

  Sparkle: Ceri’s fairy guide.

  Steve: Luna Madigan’s ex-husband.

  Sunbeam: A fairy, the Keeper of the Light.

  Tara Madigan: the matriarch of the Madigan family and Lucy’s twin.

  Tom Walsh: Bridget’s police partner.

  Wes: Bridget’s boyfriend and an artist.

  Wisteria: a fairy, the daughter of Aloé, Faelern’s sister.

  GLOSSARY

  Astral Plane: A parallel dimension that witches can visit. It has similarities with earth but is inhabited by dangerous creatures. Only your spirit travels there, but any injuries you receive while there are reflected on your body on earth.

  Book of Shadows: a witch’s book full of spells and occult wisdom, passed down in the family. Constantly updated with new knowledge, it also chronicles the family’s history.

  Cup of Plenty: one of the fou
r elemental power objects denoting the element of Water.

  Dagger of Consciousness: one of the four elemental power objects denoting the element of Air.

  Elements: Air, Fire, Water, and Earth.

  Fairy: a magical world where fairies and other creatures live. You can enter the Fairy world through portals.

  Fates: Maiden, Mother, and Crone—three mythological goddesses who decide the destinies of humans.

  Fountain in ~ na cinniúna: Fountain in the Lap of the Gods.

  Magical Tarot Deck: a tarot deck of 22 major arcana cards that depict the three generations of the Madigan Family: grandparents; children and spouses; and grandchildren. When used, the images on the cards come to life, and the person comes out of the card. That person will disappear from their current life until the querent’s question is answered.

  Pentacle of Growth: one of the four elemental power objects denoting the element of Earth.

  Portal: a doorway into another world.

  Querent: term for a person asking a question during a tarot reading.

  Ti’tsa-pa: native American name for the Great Salt Lake means ‘Bad Water’.

  Tsé Bit’a í: Navajo territory in New Mexico; the American name is ‘Winged Rock.’

  Under the Witches Hat: the Madigan family business. It’s a cocktail bar and witch store.

  Wand of Wisdom: one of the four elemental power objects denoting the element of Fire.

  ILLUSTRATOR

  Nicole Ruijgrok has been drawing ever since she could hold a pencil. Her inquisitive mind likes to explore any kind of creative outlet. After her communication and multimedia design study, she took over her father’s body shop, not one for the conventional routes.

  She loves art, music, reading, museums, and riding a motorcycle. There are just not enough hours in a day! Her current favorite pastime is designing jewelry. She’s finalizing her degree as a Goldsmith, at the only school in the Netherlands where you can get such a degree, in the historic ‘silver’ town of Schoonhoven.

  Nicole and Marieke are besties since they were six years old. Growing up, you would rarely see one without the other. Always making up fantasy worlds and building fairytale castles of hay on the Lexmond family farm.

  Even though they have pursued many different things in life, they’ve always remained close. The Madigan Chronicles was the perfect project to collaborate on!