Divining Truth

The Beginning

A spread of six cards lay before me on a table made of solid ash. A beeswax candle flickered by the cards, casting gold reflections from the gilding on their corners. I study the spread in front of me, carefully contemplating their meaning to find as much of the truth as I possibly could.

"Well? What do they say?" The woman in front of me who I was reading the cards for asked. I took a deep breath in, allowing the faintly sweet scent of honey to calm my frustration at her impatience. I had brewed us black tea prior to the reading, and found myself needing some. I took a long sip and set it down next to the candle.

I looked up at her briefly to take in the secrets behind her amber eyes. They were wide in anticipation and a lot closer than I would have liked them to be as she leaned forward expectantly. Her mouth busied itself by biting her lip, I assumed to help quiet herself so she didn't anger me. Perhaps she could tell she was already wearing on my nerves.

I looked back down at the cards and hummed thoughtfully. The first two cards I had drawn were Major Arcana. The Fool, laid on top of The Lovers. "You're obviously in a relationship, one that has gone on for a while," I began, but the relationship of Elaine and Antoni Marbury was no secret. They had been married for almost five years, but there were some tensions that even the children of the neighboring villages could sense. "It seems that one of you has wronged the other in some way."

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, crossing her legs and fixing the hem of her dress. My gaze drifted from these two cards to the third one I had drawn: the King of Coins. "Your lover makes a decent amount of money. He works hard for it, but you used his money for your own personal gain and lost it, and now he's gravely upset with you."

The man was a merchant known for his trade in various medicinal herbs and culinary spices. He wasn't incredibly wealthy by any means, but well off enough to seem rich in our area of the country. The woman wasn't known for gambling, but a betting game wasn't hard to find in these parts, and anyone with coin and intellect enough to find a game could participate.

Her silence was rewarded with my continuation in the reading. The fourth and fifth cards I had drawn were two more Major Arcana cards. Death, laid on top of Temperance. "Don't be frightened by the appearance of the Death card. It hardly ever means actual death to a person," I explain, "rather in this case it might mean death to your relationship if you continue the recklessness of your spending habits."

I let these words soak in before I continue. The last card is the Ten of Cups reversed. "Continue on the path that you have started and you'll find yourself in a place you very much do not want to be in. Everything the both of you have worked so hard to achieve will be undone."

I looked up at her as I forced my face to convey no emotion. I felt for her, but I had to make it known that my emotions didn't cloud the readings. I saw the fear that rose up within her, materializing into tears that streaked down her face. She continued her silence, as I'm sure she didn't know what to say.

"Let it be known that not all is lost," I reassured her as I shuffled the deck of cards, "you can still reverse this course and right your wrongs." I put the deck down after shuffling several times and took one of her hands from their resting place on the table and grasped it in both of mine. She looked up at me in surprise, but didn't pull away.

I turned her hand over and studied the palm for a moment. I traced a finger from the tip of her middle finger to the center of her palm and hummed thoughtfully. I pulled away from the table and stood. "I may have something that could help," I told her, motioning for her to stay where she was.

I disappeared into the hut behind me that I called my home, and emerged moments later with a poultice filled with various herbs. "I actually bought a lot of what's in here from your man," I said with a chuckle. I unfastened the bag and took the candle from the table. There was a small pool of melted wax at the top that I poured into the bag to bind the herbs together. I tied the bag back up and handed it to the woman. "Keep this under your pillow at night and leave it on top of your pillow during the day. The sage and lavender will help clear your head of negative thoughts, the wheat will help provide abundance so you can pay back what you lost, and the beeswax will tie it all back to today."

She took it happily, a smile poking at the corners of her mouth. I could see the relief slowly begin to spread across her face as she inhaled the scent deeply and pressed the poultice against her chest. "Thank you, Asher," she gushed, and I could hear the gratitude in her voice as she fought back joyful tears. She had not touched her tea since the beginning of the reading, but downed the rest of it now.

"Remember that the poultice is not the cure," I warned, "rather a tool to help you stay the course in mending your relationship. The resolution will be up to you, and you alone."

She nodded eagerly and grinned. "I understand," she assured me. "I won't forget what you've told me." She slipped the poultice in her pocket and began fishing for something else inside.

She withdrew several silver coins and a few bronze ones. I raised a curious brow as she stretched out her hand to give them to me. "Are you sure?" I asked. "This is much more than I normally charge."

She giggled and placed the coins in my hand. They were cool to the touch, and sounded pretty when I shook them in my hand as they brushed against the metal of the rings on my fingers. "The rest of it is a thank you for giving me such good advice and this poultice." Her hand returned to her pocket to pull it out and smell it again, flashing a pleased smile as she did.

I didn't think it was best for her to be giving me so much after I just told her about the issue with her spending habits, but I wasn't about to argue payment as long as it was enough.

I bowed my head graciously and pocketed the coin. "I appreciate your generosity. Please come back any time you need a reading. I'll more than likely be here."

She curtsied in kind and began to turn away. "You'll see me again soon enough, I'm sure," she said, then she started off on her way back to her side of the village.

I could feel in my bones that she was correct. As she strode down the only road that led away from my home, I could feel a buzzing in the air. The wind kicked up a few notches, whipping her dress around her ankles. She looked around quizzically as if trying to find the source of the wind. When her eyes found mine they lit up and she smiled as she waved her final goodbye and picked up the pace.

A knot grew in my stomach. I had the sudden urge to look down at the table, and when I did, the wind drew a card from the top of the deck.

Death.