by Cara Wylde
“Yes. I would recommend it.”
“And I’ll find out what to do about Ravenna and how to get my Higher Self back?”
“Hopefully. I can’t promise you anything.”
Val laughed. “Why can’t you promise me anything? Why can’t anyone promise me anything?”
“Because it all depends on you.”
“Is that so...?” It was a rhetorical question. Val didn’t expect an answer. “Well, do you know anyone who’s good at past life regression?” She was expecting an answer to that one.
Sonia shook her head. “You’ll have to ask Loki. He knows all the good workers around. Not around, in fact. All the good workers in the world.”
“He’s some kind of expert, isn’t he? Like a paranormal concierge.”
Sonia laughed out loud, and Valentina laughed with her this time. “He’s a Trickster, so he likes tricks.”
“He sees the work of witches, shamans, and the like as tricks?”
“Absolutely. To him, even his own abilities are just tricks.”
Valentina finally sat down and finished her tea. She had to use the bathroom badly, but she decided to wait.
“I’ll have to pay you extra,” she said to Sonia. “We’re an hour over the scheduled time.”
Sonia waved her off, and Valentina knew she meant it.
“It’s important to pay, and even more important to pay beforehand. When you walked into my house, you didn’t trust me. You didn’t trust me with your secrets, so I made you trust me with your money. It’s all energy, honey. The more money you pay, the more energy you invest. You can see it now... You invested that energy in you, not in me.”
Valentina nodded and smiled. “You still keep the money.”
“Of course. A girl’s got to live.”
Val thought for a moment, then asked: “And what happens when you don’t pay at all for a service like yours? No money involved. When you... agreed to barter something, but you don’t have anything to barter.”
Sonia shook her head. “If you don’t give, then you can’t receive.”
Valentina was already regretting asking that question. What did that mean? That she wouldn’t receive the painted cards from Sia?
“Or you do receive,” Sonia went on. “The service, the object... But you don’t know how to use it.”
Valentina lightened up. Her shoulders relaxed.
“I know how to use it. I do.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
They met at the dingy bar across from Sia’s loft. The girl had the nine paintings, and Valentina had nothing. Or rather, she had Magny, but the hobgoblin had nothing. Piper was sitting next to the redhead, her brown eyes trained on her as if she were afraid this might be the last time she saw her. It seemed strange even to Loki, who’d gotten so used to being Piper’s preferred object of worship. On the other hand, the blonde had spent more time with Sia in the past few days than with him and Valentina.
Sia slid the folder containing the paintings toward Valentina. As the Keeper had requested, she’d painted them in a smaller format of 5.8 by 8.3 inches. Easier to carry around.
“I’ll explain how to use them,” she said.
Valentina nodded. She opened the folder and looked through the paintings. They were incredible! Perfect brush strokes, vivid colors, a new and amazing interpretation of the old cards! The characters looked handsome and serene. The Magician among his many magical tools, the Hermit with his bright lamp and long, dark cloak, the Hierophant in all his glory... The Hanged Man. She showed that one to Loki, who crossed his arms over his chest and refused to look at it. Not because the painting wasn’t exquisite, which it was, but because he knew what Valentina was trying to imply. It was time for him to do his part.
“Right now, they’re inactive,” Sia began. “I used the ashes you gave me to paint some of the details, so you have the ‘something of the old gods’ part covered. All you have to do is take this brush,” she handed her a small-sized round brush, no more than a number 4. “Well, not this brush specifically. Any brush. I just thought I’d give you one of mine so you wouldn’t worry about it. Right. You take a brush and you dab it into what your book says should be ‘something of the new gods’. I believe it does refer to blood, or tears, or something. So, once you find your gods, you do that, then you place the brush on the painting and give it a stroke or two. Anywhere you like. I’m fairly certain that should do the trick.”
“Thank you,” Valentina whispered. She took the brush and started playing with it absentmindedly. “Your work is so beautiful, Sia. Thank you for doing this. You have no idea how much it means to me.”
Sia smiled. “No worries. I didn’t do it for you. But sure, you’re welcome.” She turned to the hobgoblin, who was perched on Loki’s shoulder. She’d never seen him sitting on the god’s shoulder before. And Loki actually allowed it? Very strange. “Your turn, Magnus Luchtar. How are you going to get rid of this curse of mine?”
Magny made himself as small as possible, half hiding behind Loki’s head. The Trickster’s hair was sticking into his nose, and he held in more than a couple of sneezes. If he hadn’t made a promise to Valentina, he would have poofed himself out of there a long time ago. He didn’t particularly like the God of Mischief, but he’d convinced him to allow him to stick close for protection. At least, as long as he was on Loki’s shoulder, Sia would think twice before slapping him off, or going for his throat to choke him.
“About that,” he started reluctantly. “You see, I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding.”
Sia cocked an eyebrow. She didn’t like where this was going. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I did tell you that I can banish curses. Which is true. Totally true. I sniff them out, and I can banish them easily. That is, if they’re not terribly old, or cast in ancient times. I do have my limits.”
“Get to the point.”
“Yours is not a curse. I’ve said it before, but you didn’t want to listen. Please, listen now. What you have is not a curse. It’s a gift. I know you think it’s a curse, it’s just not.”
Sia stood up so abruptly that her chair fell backwards. Piper jumped in shock and moved away from the redhead. She could practically feel her anger rising like hot steam around her body.
“So, what you’re saying is that you lied to me. You knew you couldn’t help me.”
“Yes. But I tried to...”
“Why?” Sia turned to Valentina. “Did you know?”
Val let out a deep sigh. She couldn’t look the girl in the eyes. Holding onto the paintings, she whispered: “Yes. I’m sorry. I... I needed you to paint them. I had no one else to turn to.”
“I don’t believe this...” Sia removed her hood and ran her fingers through her long, red hair. She hated having her head and her hair exposed, but it was getting too hot inside the bar. The air felt heavy. “You promised...”
Piper smiled at the sight of Sia’s beautiful locks. She’d spent the last four days up in her loft, by her side, watching her paint, and not once had she removed her hood or taken off her hoodie, no matter how warm the summer days got. Sia had told her something vague about a skin condition and how the tiniest ray of sunlight affected her pale, freckled body. But Piper’s smile faded when Sia turned to her, her eyes filled with disappointment.
“Did you know, Pipes?”
“N-no! I didn’t! Of course not!”
“You’re the Keeper’s best friend. You knew.”
“No, I swear to you. I didn’t know. I didn’t even think Magny could be lying. Not for a second.”
“This isn’t about the hobgoblin. This is about her.” Sia pointed at Valentina. “She made him lie to me. Didn’t you, Keeper?”
Val felt sick to her stomach. She deserved this. She deserved all of it, but still, she hadn’t expected this meeting to go so awfully wrong. Sia seemed genuinely hurt. The kind of hurt that you couldn’t just apologize for, say it would never happen again, an
d be on your way. What had she been thinking? She should have never asked Magny to lie.
“Piper didn’t know. Not even Loki knew. Not that he cared...”
The god shrugged, almost causing the hobgoblin to lose his balance. “I introduced you ladies to each other, but that was that. I didn’t want to meddle, and I still don’t want to. Leave me out of it.”
Piper shook her head. “You’re one odd fellow, Mr. God of Mischief.”
Loki’s face brightened with amusement. “Odd? I’d say I did nothing more than to live up to my name.”
Valentina pinched the bridge of her nose. “I get it now. You knew this would go wrong. Just like you knew I’d want to schedule a session with the shaman and did it three days before I even asked.”
“You went to a shaman?!” Piper blinked in surprise. What else had she missed while she’d been with Sia? “What even is a shaman?”
Val didn’t have time for Piper. She threw Loki a murderous look. “You tricky bastard...”
Loki laughed. “Now, now, love, don’t blame me for your lack of judgement and common decency. Also, that’s no way to talk to a god.”
“You’re not... You’re not my god!” she yelled, startling some of the groggy, filthy clients sitting at the bar.
“Too bad. If I were yours and you were mine, your life would be so much easier. I’d make all your problems vanish... Poof! Just like your hobgoblin.”
That was when Sia, Valentina, and Piper noticed that Magny was missing. He’d been missing for a few minutes. The moment Sia redirected her anger at Val and Pipes, he’d made his exit.
“Where is he?” the painter asked. She looked around the bar. “That little, good for nothing...”
“It’s not his fault,” Val stopped her. “You said it yourself. And you were right. I asked him to lie to you. It was the only way I could convince you to help me. But, Sia, I’m ready to give you anything you want right now. I can’t release you of your gift, though. I’m sorry. Please understand. It’s not how it works. It would be like me asking another witch to, I don’t know, un-witch me. Take away my powers. Impossible. I was born a witch. Just like you were born a painter of souls. It’s part of you. A part that you can’t simply cut off and throw away.”
Sia closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands. She was shaking. Still standing, she started rocking back and forth gently. When Piper tried to hug her, she pushed her away.
“Are you okay?” Piper asked. “You feel so hot. I think you’re running a fever.”
“I’m fine. Pipes, don’t make it worse. I used to like you.”
Sia’s words stabbed Piper in the gut. She hugged herself and took a step back. Blinking away tears, her voice cracking, she whispered: “Don’t say that. You used to... This doesn’t change anything. I didn’t know what Val and Magny were up to. I still like you, Sia.”
The redhead shook her head frantically. When she finally looked up again, she ignored Piper completely. Her gaze was fixed on Valentina.
“You’ll regret this, Keeper.”
Valentina rummaged through her backpack, took out her wallet, and showed Sia her dad’s card with trembling hands and a rapidly reddening face.
“I want to pay you for the paintings. A fair price. Name it. Whatever you ask for, that will be it. I won’t try to negotiate.”
All-encompassing silence fell over the bar. No one moved, not even the bartender, who was cleaning a tall glass with a towel that had once been white. He simply stopped and stared off into space, as if he’d just remembered something, and if he moved, the memory would fade forever. The calm before the storm. Valentina understood what a huge mistake she’d just made, but it was too late. She wanted to take it back. Take everything back. What she’d said, what she’d done, what she’d promised and never delivered. She didn’t recognize herself anymore. The Valentina De Rossi she knew, the young woman she believed herself to be, would have never lied. No matter what was at stake. Never. Not to save herself, and not even to save the world. And the funny thing was... this was all her. She couldn’t blame any of it on Ravenna. Every time Loki was near, the voice in her head remained silent. And Loki had been suffocating her for the past few days, which meant that, yes, she was annoyed at him beyond belief, but at the same time, she felt relieved. Not anymore. The burden she’d just put on herself was even heavier than Ravenna’s constant chatter in her head. It was the burden of having lied to and disappointed a friend. Not just her friend, but also Piper’s friend.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she muttered.
Sia squeezed her hands into fists, her eyes still trained on Valentina. Piper covered her mouth with her hand, her gaze jumping from Sia to Valentina, then back to Sia. Loki had leaned back in his seat and placed his feet on the table. From the smirk playing at the corners of his mouth, one could say the only thing that was missing from the picture was the popcorn. Magny was still nowhere in sight. Too bad. Loki would have sent him for popcorn.
“Do you know who I am?” Sia started through gritted teeth. “Have you even heard of the name Harlow? Do you know where I come from?”
“N-no,” Val admitted.
“My family is one of the richest in Europe. My ancestors served at the court of Queen Victoria, and the queen herself knighted my great-great-grandfather and gave him lands that the Harlows still hold today. I don’t need your money. Your money offends me, Valentina De Rossi, because money, and wealth, and affluence are the things I’ve been running from all my life. What? Did you think that if I live where I live, and I dress how I dress, then I’m poor? I’m nobody? I’m not nobody. I wish I were. But I’m not. I’m the heiress of a fortune that you can’t even begin to imagine, and my only hope is that my parents will finally decide to disown me, since I haven’t stepped foot at home in four years.”
Valentina gulped. Well, she hadn’t expected that. “They... they don’t know where you are?”
Sia chuckled darkly. “Oh, they do. They visit my gallery every time I have something new up. They buy my paintings. I donate their money to charity. We’re cool. They think it’s just a phase. It’s not. But don’t worry about me. Worry about yourself and your ash gods.”
The redhead was breathing heavily. She pressed her hand to her heart and started counting the beats to calm herself down. Much to her satisfaction, Valentina was speechless. Good. If she couldn’t have her curse lifted, then she could at least have that. She’d shocked a witch into silence. Served her right. With one last glance at Piper, she turned around and headed to the door.
“Wait!” Valentina rounded the table and ran to squeeze herself between Sia and the exit. “I have to give you something in return. Anything. This has to be an exchange.”
Sia scowled at her, then relaxed after a moment. The cocked an eyebrow and crossed her hands over her chest.
“Is that so? Well, too bad. I don’t need anything from you. You have nothing to give. You can keep the paintings because I know that what you’re going to do with them is bigger than this, bigger than you and me. Let’s part ways here, though, okay? I don’t want to see you ever again. To me, you don’t exist. Now, move away from the door.”
“No, you don’t understand! There has to be an exchange!”
“Move!”
“Val, come on.” Piper took her friend’s hand and pulled her away from the door.
Sia was out in a split second, leaving Valentina almost in tears, and Piper actually crying. Piper sat Valentina down just as Loki started clapping appreciatively, as if he’d just watched the best play at the Globe Theater. He ordered another beer and water for both girls.
“Here. All that crying will dehydrate you.”
“I hate you,” Valentina almost hissed at him. She could have bitten him, scratched him, clawed out his eyes. But she still had some dignity left, and they were in a public place. “This happened because of you.”
“Love, don’t be silly. Really, stop it. It’s getting tedious. Yes,
I might have foreseen some of the present events, but... you know, I’m not a fortune teller. You’re a fortune teller, with your tarot cards and all. Maybe you should complain less and consult them more.”
Valentina drank her water and grabbed the paintings. She threw her backpack over her shoulder and started toward the door, expecting Loki and Piper to follow her. Magny too, since he’d poofed himself back on Piper’s shoulder.
“Let’s get out of here,” she said. “I hate this bar. We need to find the Magician. It’s time we recreate the Trionfi Chiari and save the Tarot.”
When no one followed her, she stopped and turned around. Loki was just finishing his beer, and Piper was playing with her phone. She hadn’t even paid attention to Valentina. She was texting.
“Pipes?”
“I’m sorry, I’m not coming. I’ll see you back at the hotel later.”
“What are you going to do?”
The blonde shrugged.
“Pipes!”
“Nothing. I don’t know.” She texted some more. “I’ll go to Sia’s.”
Valentina sighed in defeat.
Piper stood up, gathered her stuff, and walked past her friend and out into the street.
“She’s mad at you, but not at me,” she threw over her shoulder. “Don’t worry about me.” And she was gone, Magny bouncing happily on her shoulder.
“I can’t believe this is happening.”
Loki wrapped an arm around Valentina’s shoulder and squeezed her playfully to his chest.
“Looks like it’s just you and me, love. Finally!” He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Not even the hobgoblin wants you now.”
Val groaned and pushed him away.
“Let’s just find the Magician.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Valentina closed the door, threw her backpack on the couch, and jumped out of her skin when she looked up and saw Loki lounging on her single bed, reading the hotel menu.
