A tarot reader aids a mysterious man who believes she is the only one who can help him return to his true home in the eerie Manaan caverns where they must fight the natural and supernatural to stay alive.
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Maxine Shepard is a tarot reader who h...
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The blinding light enveloped me in a radiant blue hue as recognizable images of my friends in the peculiar cave flashed in my mind's eye.
I emerged from the blinding blue light, stepping into the familiar. Suddenly, I am back in the dimly lit tarot shop. Rows of shelves containing books on the metaphysical and supernatural surrounded me. And taking my attention was the glass display case of assorted crystals near the large window that read, Crystals and Things, in bold painted letters.
Confusion and the earthy essence of burning incense clouded my thoughts, leaving me in a mental haze. The thin tarot card between my fingers stole my attention and I gasped, feeling a strong sense of déjà vu.
"Lady Justice again?" Cecil didn't look up from the cash register and her sweet voice carried through the vacant room.
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. Didn't we have this exchange before? "How did you guess? Psychic?" I tested her reaction, comparing the similarities between her response and my memory.
"Nah. But with your help I could develop that gift." Her short frame grew about two inches as she rose up on her toes with enthusiasm.
"Oh, no." The card slipped from my trembling fingers as I clamped my hands over my mouth in horror.
Cecil finally looked to me. "What's wrong? What happened?"
"We had this conversation before." My eyes went wide as panic seized me. "And later we went to Manaan Caverns and we got trapped inside and people died. We encountered our doubles, people that looked and acted just like us, and we were nearly stuck there forever." The words rushed out so quickly, I had to pause to take a breath.
"Oh, my god." Cecil rushed to my side and rubbed my shoulder comfortingly. "Did you see all that in a vision?"
"No, no." I shook my head vehemently. "This was no vision, Cecil. We've experienced it. I've lived it. It was real. Don't you remember?"
She sighed, seemingly frustrated at her inability to say no. "You said people died?" The way she looked at me ... of course I looked crazy. She squeezed my arm to coerce the words from me. "Who died?"
"Jace and Brent. You really don't remember?" My eyes scanned the room to locate my cellphone. "I need to call them. I need to know they're okay."
"Whoa. Hold on, Max." Cecil tilted her head, giving me a look that only appeared when she questioned my sanity. "You're gonna call Jace? After what he's done to you?"
"I have to." I gripped her shoulders to show my urgency and sincerity. "I know you don't understand and I know you wouldn't agree, but this is something I have to do." I removed my phone from the piles of tarot decks on my altar. And since Jace's contact information had been deleted from my phone months ago, relief hit me as I quickly dialed his number from memory.
The line seemed to ring forever as the evening sky outside the shop window provided a bit of respite with its serene backdrop. But as the ringing continued, my throat sank to the pit of my stomach at the thought of not hearing his voice again. Apprehension and unease quickly built and bubbled in my gut.
