In the Cards (Vorcian Imperial Chronicles Book 2) Read online

  Misha looked at her daughter and raised her eyebrow. Aret became slightly flushed, the red color so intense that it was readily apparent. Whispering almost soundlessly, the woman said, “Please. I know. But not in front of the children.”

  The Seer shook her head but held her silence. Aret suggested that Nanny get the children seated and that they pull out games to keep them amused. Grateful to have something to do, the nursemaid smoothly got the children occupied while the other three adults chatted about Bert’s new home and some of the tasks that would need to be done before he could move in.

  As expected, Jerry and Jen were quickly immersed in their game. The comfort of the familiar competition seemed to settle Jerry’s nerves, and the little boy lost his stiff posture and wary expression. His sister also relaxed, looking up every once in a while and smiling at her Nona. Her evident pleasure in her grandmother’s presence did a lot to reconcile Jerry to the strange old woman that he didn’t understand.

  Corda sat down in a nearby chair that was pulled to the side of the room and listened. She didn’t feel the need to be entertained, and she didn’t want to be distracted. Even though she knew that she was a little girl and not a suitable participant, she wanted to hear about Bert’s new home. I just hope that he’s not too far away. Maybe I can go and visit him sometime if it won’t be a bother.

  Aret called her two youngest children over, interrupting some sort of jigsaw puzzle game that they were playing with Nanny. The nursemaid jumped up and took the two little ones by the hand and brought them over to the grandmother. Misha patted the couch beside her in an invitation, and without hesitation, Anthos and Jamy crawled up next to her.

  “Aren’t you the handsome boys?” Misha crooned to them. “You are much bigger than when I saw you last.”

  The more thoughtful of the younger twins, Anthos, asked, “How big were we when you saw us? Because we are not very big right now anyway. Everyone’s bigger than we are!”

  “You were so little that I could hold you in one arm. Which is good, because there were two of you and I have two arms for babies.”

  “That was a long time ago. We are much bigger now because we are five years old!”

  “Yes, you are. I’m so pleased to be able to see you and learn how much you’ve grown.”

  The shyer of the twins, Jamy, wanted to know, “Why did you stay away so long? Did you not want to see us?”

  Their mother interrupted the conversation saying, “Sometimes adults have things that prevent them from visiting as often as they would like. It’s not polite to ask somebody that question.”

  Misha had a sad look on her face as she glanced over at her daughter, before turning back to her small grandsons and saying, “The important part is that I come to see you as often as I can. If I can’t be here in person, you have my permission to contact me via the Nexus Web.”

  “Mother, they’re not old enough to have their own access yet.”

  “I know, dear. However, I believe that it is important for the children to know that they have someone to talk to, even if I’m not physically here.”

  Still looking somewhat distressed, Aret nodded her head in reluctant agreement.

  Misha talked for a little while longer with the younger twins. Corda figured out that she was asking them what they liked to do and what they thought of things, almost as if she was assembling a picture of each boy in her mind. I guess I do that too. Maybe that’s why I like Nona so much.

  While her youngest brothers were talking to their grandmother, Bert had come over to stand by Corda. His presence made her feel like she was safe and protected. When he smiled at her, the little girl felt a comforting warmth and gave him back a grin.

  “Hello there, little one. What are you thinking about?”

  “Lots of little things but no big thing, big brother.”

  “I guess this isn’t like your usual day, but I’m pleased that we got to spend some time together.”

  “Me too. Usually, I spend some time out in the stables, grooming my pony and checking on the cats that I rescued.”

  “I had forgotten how many pets you seem to accumulate. That’s gonna be really hard on you when you go to the Academy. It has been four years since I’ve been able to have a cat or dog. I miss them, but it would not have been fair to drag one with me. There is very little time between practice and the study that you need to do to become a certified Healer.”

  “Bert, what would happen if I didn’t go?”

  The young man looked down at his sister, his affection for her displayed in his expression. His eyes shadowing, he answered her lightly, “Of course, you will go. Our whole family has been Healers. The Academy itself is not just there to train people in our discipline. The other schools have colleges at the Academy also.”

  “You mean that there are people there that do more than just healing? I really have not met anyone that didn’t have a blue ranking.”

  “Yes, each of the major disciplines has a full college, and there are specialty studies for areas that either don’t have a formal discipline or are offshoots that require separate focus.”

  “Like what?” asked the little girl.

  Bert smiled at her with a challenging grin. Corda laughed, knowing that when he looked like that, he expected her to figure it out and would wait until she did. There was no pushing her big brother when he wanted her to think for herself.

  Just then, a squeal of pleasure to everyone’s attention in the room. When Corda looked over to where the younger twins were visiting with Nona, she saw to her amazement that both boys were plastered around their grandmother, arm slung around her neck and covering her face with enthusiastic kisses.

  “Boys, behave yourselves!”

  Misha answered, saying, “Daughter, don’t worry about it. I will just store up the extra kisses for later when I need them.”

  “Oh, Mama. I remember you telling me the same thing when I was little.”

  The two women exchanged a warm smile, love clearly visible in both of their faces. Corda felt the prickle of tears hot in her eyes and a wave of sadness slid into her.

  Jumping off the couch, the twins ran over to Nanny, burbling about their gifts. The nursemaid gravely inspected the small telescope and the microscope, telling them what fabulous things they would be able to see.

  Abruptly pushing his telescope into Nanny’s hands, Anthos ran back to give Nona one last hug. Wordlessly, he kissed the surprised woman, missing her mouth but landing to one side of her nose, before he sprinted back to where his brother waited.

  Then it was the older twins’ turn. Jerry had calmed down while he and Jen had been playing the game. Although he looked a little bit nervous as he and his sister approached Nona, he no longer had a death grip on Jen’s hand.

  Once again, Misha spent some time learning about the children’s likes and dislikes. Her easy manner and relaxed posture soon had the older twins comfortable enough to lean against her.

  Corda could not hear them as well as she had eavesdropped on the younger twins but had heard enough to know that both were enjoying their grandmother. Continuing her conversation with Bert, Corda told him all about the history book that she was reading. He was interested in some of the details, and the girl retrieved the manuscript from the floor and showed him some of the illustrations.

  The door opened into the room, and the Butler entered. Walking directly over to Bert, the dignified servant addressed the young man, “Master Bertor, your father has summoned you to his study. There are several people there that he believes it is important that you meet.”

  “Thank you, Grezal. I will be with my father shortly.”

  Bert looked at Corda and saw that she was looking sad. Even as he obediently stood up, the young man gently pressed his sister’s hair back from her face and said, “I am sorry, sweetheart, but you know how Father is when he wants something.”

  Corda just nodded in acceptance, realizing that neither one of them had a choice.

  “How about
if we go for a ride tomorrow? We should be able to do that before the party,” he whispered. Corda’s blinding smile was his answer.

  Chapter 8 – Birthday Gift

  Soon it was Corda’s turn to talk with her grandmother. The youngest boys had gotten fussy, and the older twins wanted to explore their gifts on a table with more surface area than the small one in the parlor. Nanny had taken both sets of twins upstairs, leaving Corda alone in the room with her mother and grandmother.

  The little girl was just so happy to have some time with her Nona that she chattered in unusual cheerfulness as her words tumbled over each other. Misha laughed, cautioning her, “Slow down! I promise not to disappear on you before you’ve managed to get all the words out.”

  At first, Corda was worried that she had misbehaved. The frightened look that she darted toward her mother to check made her grandmother gasp and round on her daughter in sudden ire.

  “What in purple blazes has been going on in this household?”

  “Mother, please. We can talk about it later.”

  Misha stared at her daughter for a moment, a hard look on her face, and her mouth held in a grim line. Aret continued to look distressed, a pleading look on her face.

  Finally, the Seer Adept spoke, “Aret Gerson Watern, I expect a full explanation before you retire for the evening. That explanation will be only between the two of us.”

  Relieved, Aret answered, “Yes, Mother. I promise we will talk tonight.”

  During the short exchange, Corda had kept her head down and her focus on her hands. The little girl had learned long ago not to look at any angry adults. In her mind, she repeated, No one sees me, no one pays attention. Pretend that I’m not here.

  So intent was her focus on her mantra that when her grandmother laid a gentle hand over her folded ones, Corda jumped with a squeak of surprise.

  Addressing her granddaughter, Misha said gently, “Now is the time where I get to learn a little bit more about you.”

  The pause that came after Nona spoke stretched out until it felt like the very air was gonna snap. Corda was frozen, not sure what she should or could say. The inside of her head felt like it was vibrating like she had been trapped and had no way to get out.

  The deep inhalation and exhalation of air that the Seer drew in and blew out caused the little girl to raise her frightened eyes and stare at her grandmother. Nona was looking back at her with gentle welcome, tinted with a shadow of some other emotion that Corda could not recognize.

  “You are going to be ten years old tomorrow. In our family, that’s a fairly significant milestone. If you like, I can treat you like your younger siblings. We can talk about what you’re doing with your tutor and the sort of things you like in your life, I will give you a gift and then you could go back to your classroom.”

  Curious, Corda asked, “Or?”

  “Or I can read the cards for you, which is an acknowledgment of you passing the first decade of your life.”

  “To play a game?”

  Misha laughed to the point that she started hiccuping. Even Aret laughed as she got up to get her mother a glass of water. When the older woman had recovered enough to be coherent, she answered, “No game, so to speak. Instead, a special deck of cards is used to invoke a Seer’s Sight.”

  The little girl thought about her choice carefully before answering her grandmother, “I would like to see the cards. Did you look at them when Bertor and Pharyl turned ten?”

  Aret interrupted, asking urgently, “Is this really necessary? You know Ealtert hates it when you read anybody around him.”

  Her grandmother’s answering look had a wave of buried grief carried within it that crashed against Aret’s emotions. Lasting for just a few seconds, Corda felt like the two women had a whole conversation that she couldn’t hear or understand. For all that she was sitting between them, the little girl felt like she was behind a thick pane of glass, unable to touch or hear.

  There was no specific comment or body language that the oversensitive little girl could detect, but Aret leaned back into her seat with a sigh and Misha brought out a carved wooden box that she carefully held in her hands.

  The Seer stood up and walked over to the small table, motioning Corda to join her. Sitting down at the chair across from her grandmother, the little girl watched as the old woman opened the box and removed its contents.

  Arranging a dark velvety fabric across the table, the Seer placed the cards in the middle of the expanse and put her own hands on either side of the stack. Misha was silent, gazing at her eldest granddaughter in a receptive manner.

  Corda didn’t know what to do. She didn’t have any instructions, and it didn’t look like her grandmother was going to tell her anything. The little girl threw a frantic look at her mother, but Aret’s eyes were closed, and her face was partially obscured by her hands.

  Finally, the little girl placed her badly shaking fingers on top of her grandmother’s larger and warmer ones. The cards are hot! I wonder how Nona got them heated.

  Touching the Seer’s hands and the deck of cards calmed Corda’s nerves and allowed her to take a deep breath. For a little while, Corda just listened to her grandmother breathe and let the heat from the old woman’s hands and the deck of cards chase the chill of her own fingers away. Feeling like she was wrapped in warm arms and floating on something, the little girl was not even startled when her grandmother began to speak.

  “I was going to draw cards for a young person’s Seeing, but although your years are few, you are not untried in spirit. Therefore, I will lay out a different Seeing, one that foretells the shape and challenges of your life ahead.”

  Big-eyed, Corda watched as her Nona carefully shuffled the cards and asked her to cut them. Her tongue between her teeth in concentration, the little girl carefully lifted up a portion of the stacked cards and laid her selection to the side.

  The Seer re-stacked the deck, leaving the card that Corda had exposed on the top. She then proceeded to place nine cards face down in a peculiar pattern that mystified the young girl. Looking vaguely like an arrow pointing toward her heart, the youngster decided not to try to figure it out but simply to observe what was happening.

  The sound of the cards touching the plush, black fabric stretched out, reverberating in Corda’s head. Each plaque set down added new harmonics until an immense chord hung in the air. The sound was so loud that Corda nearly missed hearing her mother’s footsteps as Aret join them at the table.

  Oblivious to her daughter, Misha was already immersed in the reading, murmuring, “Lifeforce, that which provides the motivation in your life.” Gently turning over the second card from the top, the Seer stared at the picture for a moment and announced, “Judgment, the card that says the core motivation in your life will be centered around awakening, reflection, and reckoning.”

  Corda heard her mother whisper, “A good card for a Healer, I was worried it would be far worse.” The little girl glanced over at her mother and saw a relieved expression on her face. I wonder what she was afraid of? thought the child.

  Misha responded, saying, “The card is not just good for Healers, Daughter. Having good judgment is core to many professions. Please don’t get so blindsided by the artificial grouping of disciplines that you ignore all the other people in our world to provide skills and benefits.”

  “Mother, we’ve had this discussion before. Whatever you may think, Waterns are Healers and Corda is a Watern.”

  Making a wry face, Corda’s grandmother turned her attention back to the cards. Corda could feel the room grows slightly colder and wisps of some sort of light teased the corner of her eyes. Power gathered in the room, and the little girl could dimly perceive its presence.

  Chapter 9 – Seer’s Power

  Misha was oblivious to both her daughter and granddaughter, immersed in her power and welling with energy that Corda could feel. The touch of her grandmother’s magic on the little girl’s skin was very different than she had felt when Nanny or any of the o
ther Healers had worked around her. While the healing energy felt like slightly bubbly water to her, the magic of an Oramancer felt like a sharp cold wind that cut right to the bone.

  Wrapping her arms around her sides, Corda watched her Nona as the loving, calm elderly woman that had seated herself at the table transformed into a remote, cold creature that burned with power. Nona can be very scary. I wonder if that’s part of how she does her magic.

  The card closest to the little girl was the next one turned over. Once again the Seer announced the part of Corda’s future to which it was tied. “Thoughts, the card that symbolizes how your mind works.”

  The pause to study the card was longer this time, and Corda managed to catch a fleeting expression on the Seer’s face. Such a brief time was it present that if the little girl had not been highly sensitive to the body language of the people around her, she would have missed it.

  “Justice. Your thoughts are based on cause-and-effect, ever seeking clarity, and searching for truth.”

  Corda heard a small gasp from her mother but didn’t turn her attention away from the woman on the other side of the table. Touching the card to the right of the first two cards, Misha announced, “Emotions. This card reveals how your emotions work.”

  The Seer turned over the card and Aret jump back from the table sobbing. Misha carefully laid the card precisely in its assigned place and focused on Corda. The little girl was startled but somehow not afraid when she saw that her grandmother’s grass green eyes were now swirling black pools of sparkling lights.

  “Death, your emotions are ruled by the Death card.”

  “Nona, does that mean I’m going to die soon?” Corda asked. Shocked by the question, Aret stopped crying, staring in surprise at her daughter. “How can you be so calm?” she asked, but neither her mother or daughter paid any attention to the Healer.

  Another micro expression floated across the Seer’s face, and Corda was almost positive that it was a look of approval. She was even surer when the older woman answered, “This card does typically not refer to actual death in this type of Seeing. Instead, this is a card that says your emotions will change over time, that you will accept beginnings and ends, and that you will expect metamorphosis in both yourself and those around you.”