by T J Green
“Come on, then,” Avery said, leading the way to the back room. “Let’ see what your future holds!”
Avery sat Becky down at the small table with a cup of tea and headed up to collect her own tarot cards from the attic. She’d been tempted to use a fresh pack, but the results wouldn’t be as good, and she felt she owed it to the young girl to give her a proper reading since she was so excited.
By the time she returned, Becky was already looking at some of the tarot packs they kept as stock. Avery asked, “Is there a pack that speaks to you?”
Becky frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Well, usually as you look at or handle a set of cards, you might get a warm feeling, or a sense of familiarity with one. That’s the one you should work with.”
Becky was wide-eyed. “Really? I don’t know! I need to check them again.”
Avery smiled. “That’s okay. We’ll do the reading now and you can do that later.” Avery lit a small white candle on the table and unwrapped her cards from the square of silk she kept them in. She fanned them out, blew on them gently to cleanse them, and then gathered them back together and knocked on the top of the pack. She handed them to Becky. “Now shuffle them for me.”
Still wide-eyed, Becky did as instructed and when she’d finished, Avery split them into three piles and placed them on the table. “Choose a pile.” Becky tapped one and Avery placed it on top of the pack and started to lay them out in the Celtic cross.
“This is so exciting,” Becky said, watching her every movement.
“What do you want to know?”
“Anything. Will I travel, will I meet a handsome man? You know, stuff.”
“A specific question sometimes works best,” Avery advised her. “But that’s okay, I can do a general reading today.”
The first few cards seemed fairly straightforward, and Avery talked through them as she placed them. Avery saw a strong male influence, some chaos in her past, and Becky nodded. “My parents have split up. Uncle Stan has been really sweet. Will they get back together?”
“Your parents? I can’t really see what will happen for them, this is about you,” Avery said, smiling.
As Avery turned the cards, preferring to see all of them before she made predictions, a heavy feeling flooded into her, but she kept her face neutral. This was not a nice, light reading for a teen; it was edged with darkness. The Wheel of Fortune sat poised on her outcome at the top of the ladder, below it the reversed High Priestess, and beneath that the Queen of Swords, and below that the Moon. There was a powerful woman in this girl’s life, and she did not mean well. But there was also a protector, Avery’s own card, the Queen of Swords. As Avery concentrated on the cards she had a vision of blood, and she closed her eyes for a second, trying to see it more clearly, but it went as quickly as it arrived.
“What can you see?” Becky asked, watching her closely. “Is it bad?”
Avery looked up, schooling her face into calm neutrality. “No, of course it’s not bad, but there’s a strong woman in your life, see here, The High Priestess?”
“She’s upside down.”
“Yes, someone maybe who is a negative influence on your life. Is someone pressuring you at the moment?”
Becky looked alarmed. “No. No one. Maybe my teacher at school? She says I should concentrate more—stupid cow.”
Avery shook her head. “No, that’s not it. How’s your relationship with your mother?”
“It’s fine, I suppose,” Becky said, shrugging. “She’s left my dad, which is crap, but you know…”
Avery fell silent. It wasn’t her mother, she just knew. She had an intuitive feeling for the cards. Why would Avery need to be her protector? She didn’t even know Becky. A horrible thought kept returning.
“Have you met anyone recently? A new female friend?”
Becky shrugged. “There’s Uncle Stan’s new girlfriend. She’s pretty cool, I guess. A bit weird sometimes—intense, you know? But he likes her.”
“How long has he been seeing her, Becky?”
“Couple of months, I don’t know.” Her enthusiasm was wearing off. “What’s this got to do with my reading?”
“Absolutely nothing,” Avery said, lying through her teeth. “Let’s get back to your reading. The cards say that you have been through some unsettled months, and you have some difficult decisions to make. These decisions are blocking a long-term reading, sort of clouding your future. I think in another month your reading will be much clearer.”
“So it’s a short-term reading, no plans for the future, a hot man, travel?”
“Not that they reveal yet.” Avery could feel disappointment coming off her in waves. “The cards reveal what they want to. It’s my job to interpret them. Sometimes that’s tricky.” And dangerous. Becky might not even have a future. “But you also have a powerful woman on your side. That’s cool—someone mysterious. Call her a guardian angel. She’s telling you to choose wisely and listen to your intuition. If something feels bad, then it is bad.”
“A guardian angel is cool, I guess.”
“Better than cool,” Avery said, leaving the cards on the table for her to examine at her leisure later. She placed out the half dozen new packs of tarot cards on the table. “Now. Have another feel of these and see which one speaks to you. I will give you whichever you choose.”
Becky immediately brightened up. “Wow. Will you? That’s great.” She returned to the cards and examined them all in silence for the next few minutes, closing her eyes as she concentrated.
Avery waited, quietly examining the spread. Could the High Priestess be their mysterious witch? If she was, she was close to Becky. Too close. What did she want with her? Why did she see blood?
Becky chose her pack, sliding it in front of Avery. “This one, please.”
“The Aquarian Tarot Deck. Nice choice!” Avery took it from her, blessing it quickly, and then wrapped it in a bag. “Just spend some time getting to know them,” she suggested as she headed back into the shop. “I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun with them. By the way, Becky, I’m wondering if I’ve met Stan’s girlfriend. What does she look like?”
She shrugged. “Oldish, like him—well, older than you anyway, and long, reddish hair. Darker than yours. Pretty tall, really.”
“Does she live with him?”
“Nah. I don’t know where she lives.” She grinned at Avery suddenly, making her look even younger. “Thanks for the cards and stuff.” And then Becky headed out of the door, leaving it swinging behind her.
By three that afternoon the children’s area was full of excited kids and parents ready to hear another spooky Halloween tale. Sally had handed around fairy cakes with icing made to look like witches and grimacing pumpkins, and they had disappeared in minutes.
“What are you reading today?” Avery asked Dan, as he pulled a book from his bag.
“I thought I’d keep it local, by popular request. The kids want Cornish tales, so we’ve got a doozy. It’s very Halloween!”
“Go on,” Avery said, intrigued.
“I’m reading a story about the Devil’s Dandy Dogs.”
“The what? Doesn’t sound that scary. What are Dandy Dogs?”
Dan grinned. “Avery. You should know this. It’s what our Shifter friends do.” He looked at her expectantly.
Avery looked at him blankly. “Change to wolves?”
“Hunt! It’s the Cornish version of the Wild Hunt. You know, unearthly warriors summoned from the Underworld to come and claim more souls. It used to be seen as a way to cleanse a place—clear out the bad folk.” He looked up dramatically. “If you look up at the sky on Halloween, you can see the Wild Hunt racing across the night sky—mad horses and wild dogs!”
Avery frowned. “I’ve heard of the Wild Hunt, but never the Cornish version. Who leads it?”
“Odin, Herne the Hunter, sometimes Diana, sometimes Hecate. It varies depending on the tale. But essentially they cross from the Underworld,” he shrugged, “o
r Otherworld. The Fey come to hunt humans as sport—and hunt until dawn. Lots of bloodshed, death, vanishing people, and mayhem. Fun, eh?”
But Avery wasn’t grinning. She’d just had a horrible idea.
21
After work, Avery headed to The Wayward Son, and found Alex hard at work behind the bar.
It was almost six, and the pub was busy. Zee was also working, and he headed over as Avery sat at her usual corner of the bar. She hadn’t spoken to him often, and still couldn’t place which of the Nephilim he was from her first impression in the mine.
He spoke softly for his size. “Hey, Avery. What can I get you? It’s on the house.”
“Hey, Zee. A large glass of the house red, please.”
She settled herself comfortably and waved to Alex when he looked up and saw her. He winked and continued to pull pints. She’d left him in bed that morning, and was looking forward to having a lie in with him tomorrow.
Zee slid the glass in front of her and before he disappeared, she asked, “So, how’s life in the twentieth century?”
He smiled, revealing gleaming teeth. “Pretty good, if different.”
“I bet. Do you like it?”
“I’m getting used to it. Humanity has progressed in interesting ways. Not always good, I have to say, but to be quite honest, humans often indulge their baser instincts.”
She lowered her voice. “So you don’t think of yourself as human at all?”
“No. I have wings. Do you?”
She smirked. “What? Think of myself as human, or have wings?”
He laughed. “Have wings.”
“No. Your perspective is interesting.”
“So is yours, witch,” he said quietly.
“What do you think of Old Haven?”
“It is steeped in old magic and ancient rites. Blood rites. The ground is soaked with it.”
Avery put her glass down in alarm. “Is it? How do you know?”
“I feel it. We all do.” He glanced up and saw a waiting customer glowering at him and called over, “One second.” He lowered his voice even more. “Old magical places are often built on blood. It creates power, but you know that. Druids loved their blood sacrifices.”
“You knew Druids? I thought that they were too recent for you.”
He shook his head. “They have been around for a long time, only their name changes. They believed the Earth demanded sacrifice—she does sometimes, that is true—and so they gave it. The grove was once a dark place. The magic that’s up there now was started with blood and will end with blood—if that doorway is to open properly.”
“Have you seen the witch who has triggered it?”
“No. We feel her sometimes. She passes like the wind and feels like the Carrion Crow. We cannot stop her or follow her. But that’s not what we’re there for. We keep the locals back, and they are safe while we are there. For now.”
And with that ominous warning, he returned to his job.
Avery sipped her wine, thinking on what Zee had said. He must have discussed this with Alex, so she’d be curious to know what he thought of it. And she wanted to share her tarot reading.
As soon as Alex was free he came over, his dark eyes warm and admiring. “How’s my gorgeous girlfriend?”
“Feeling better by the moment. How’s my gorgeous man?”
“Missing you.” He leaned over the counter and kissed her. “Why aren’t you wearing your costume?”
“Funny! It’s back in the shop where it belongs.”
“Shame, I’d have liked to peel you out of it later.”
She blushed. “Alex! You’re very naughty. You can peel me out of this instead.” She gestured to her jeans, top, and boots.
“That will be my pleasure,” he said with a grin. “You want some food while you’re here?”
“It depends, could do, but what are the others doing back at Reuben’s?”
“No idea. Why don’t we go out for a meal and then head back?”
“Sounds great. I’ll let him know.”
But no sooner had she said that than Briar breezed in and sat next to Avery. Her cheeks were flushed and her dark hair tumbled around her shoulders, complimenting her dark red coat. “You beat me to it, Avery. I’ve been hanging out for this all afternoon.” She eased her coat off and waved at Zee, and within seconds a glass of wine appeared in front of her. There were definitely perks to knowing the owner.
“That bad?” Avery asked.
She sipped her wine. “Just busy. Stock is flying off the shelves, which is great, but it means I’ll have to spend all day tomorrow making new stock and filling the shelves. Eli said he would help. All this healing has drained me and sucked my time.” She looked guilty. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to help, but I need to spend time in my shop, and although Eli and Cassie are great, they can’t do what I can.”
“I get it. You’ve been great though this week. We’re lucky to have you. So is Hunter. How is he?”
Briar sighed. “Charmingly dangerous, and in need of a lot of healing.”
Avery leaned on her hand, watching Briar. “Charmingly dangerous? Sounds interesting.”
“He keeps asking me out. He’s covered in bruises with a broken arm, and that won’t keep his libido down.” She giggled. “Imagine what’s he like when he’s fit?”
Avery almost choked on her drink. “I’ll leave you to imagine that.”
“That’s not what I meant! Anyway, he wants to take me out to dinner later.”
“Why not go? You said yourself you’ll be hard at work all day tomorrow, and have been all week. Take a break tonight and have some fun. It’s just dinner. And it’s Saturday.”
Avery glanced up and saw Newton come through the door, and Briar followed her gaze. “I think he’s still interested, too,” Avery said.
Briar rolled her eyes. Just then, her phone rang, and she glanced at it. “It’s Hunter.”
Avery mouthed, “Go on!”
As Newton grabbed a stool, Briar said brightly, “Hi, Hunter. Okay, sounds good. Where?” She looked at her watch. “Sure, I’ll meet you there. “No. No lifts. Bye.”
“Plans?” Newton asked Briar.
“Yes. Dinner with Hunter.” She stood up, knocked back her wine, and grabbed her coat and bag. “See you later, Avery.”
“Have fun,” Avery said, grinning as she turned back to Newton.
He scowled. “I don’t know what she sees in him.”
“He’s single, hot, and fancies her. And she needs some fun in her life right now.”
“Is he staying In White Haven?”
“Don’t know. Does it matter? Didn’t think you were interested anymore.”
Newton shrugged and ordered a pint.
Avery took pity on him and changed the subject. “So, what else have you been up to, Newton?”
He let out a world-weary sigh. “This old guy, a tramp who used to sleep rough around Truro, has disappeared. It’s a bit weird. Everyone knew him—the shop owners, locals, police, local services, you name it. We all spoke to him, checked in on him, encouraged him to go to the night shelter, but he was a law unto himself. He sat outside shops, begged, slept in alleyways, drank.” Newton looked into his pint. “You know, he had a job once, a wife, children, a life. And then—poof! Gone. Just like him.”
“You can’t find him at all?”
Newton shook his head and looked at Avery, sadness filling his eyes. “No, and he’s been gone a couple of weeks. He couldn’t have moved to another town, because we’ve asked—he’s done that before. He has literally disappeared. We can’t even find his dead body.”
“I’m sorry. That sucks. Poor old guy. Maybe someone took him in?”
Newton shook his head. “He stank. No one would take him in. And he wouldn’t go, anyway. Hundreds of people have tried to help him, and everyone has failed, because he didn’t want help. So, I can only conclude that we’ll find his body somewhere—rotting, probably, in a few months’ time.”
T
ime to change the subject again. “Well, let me tell you about my day, because I bet you didn’t have to wear a costume for Halloween!”
***
Over dinner at a local Thai restaurant, Avery told Alex about Becky’s tarot reading. “I think we need to find out who Stan’s girlfriend is.”
“You think she’s our witch.”
“Don’t you? The timeframe fits—after all, she must have only arrived here recently. She’s the right age and description, and I just get bad vibes about her. And she’s intense.”
“Maybe,” Alex said thoughtfully. “She could also be a regular intense person who is dating Stan. I would imagine he’d make you intense.”
Avery laughed. “Really? You think about Stan often?”
“All the time,” he answered, deadpan.
“Well, I think we should try to see if she’s the same woman who appeared in your lounge. If she’s not, then back to square one.”
Alex frowned. “It’s just that I find it hard to believe our time-walking witch would shack up with Stan, of all people.”
“Why not Stan?” Avery was slightly affronted on his behalf. “He’s a nice older guy with a good job, and he’s open-minded and culturally sensitive. He’s grown on me recently. He was very sweet today with Becky.” She thought for a second. “What if it’s the fact that he’s our town’s pseudo-Druid that led her to him?”
“Maybe. And I guess at the moment we have no other leads. But why take up with anyone? Why not just keep her head down, know no one, and talk to no one? This way she has tangible links. She’s traceable.”
“Maybe she needs him for something.” Avery had a horrible thought. “Have you chatted to Zee about Old Haven?”
“Not really. He’s had a couple of days off, and today’s been busy.”
“He said that blood had opened the spell in the grove, and that blood will close it. Maybe she needs Stan as a sacrifice.” And then Avery gasped. “Maybe it will be Becky? She’s younger, easier to handle, more impressionable. That fits my reading!”
Alex looked at her, astonished. “A blood sacrifice! As in, she’s going to kill someone?”
