The Cards That Spoke of Tomorrow
The Cards That Spoke of Tomorrow
Title: The Cards That Spoke of Tomorrow
Author: Opalina Jalcon
From the journals of Opalina Jalcon- 2-3-2002
I have always trusted my instincts more than fate.
Locks can be picked. Traps can be disarmed. Enemies can be outwitted if you watch them long enough. The world makes sense when everything has a weakness waiting to be discovered.
Cards...
Cards are another matter entirely.
Nofret's hands moved with practiced grace, the enruned deck dancing between her fingers as though the cards already knew where they wished to fall. Around me, Dahrik and Zuzam carried on with their usual banter, threatening one another with exaggerated bravado while I tried to ignore the knot tightening in my stomach.
I hadn't expected to be nervous.
The first card appeared.
One Wand.
Hope.
A new beginning.
Determination in the face of obstacles.
I found myself staring at the painted wand longer than I should have. Hope was a dangerous thing. Hope made you careless. Hope whispered that tomorrow would somehow be kinder than today.
Still...
I wanted to believe her.
The second card was the Seven of Gems.
Luck.
Money.
I couldn't help but laugh.
"Well... that's somewhat good. Need money."
That much, at least, felt undeniably true.
Dahrik, ever incapable of taking anything seriously, immediately found some excuse to flirt. I answered by poking him sharply in the ribs, earning amused grunts from Zuzam. If they noticed I was trying to keep my hands from fidgeting, they were kind enough not to mention it.
I joked that I had work to do.
That I needed lots of money.
Both were easier to admit than the truth.
The third card stole my smile.
The Seven of Wands.
Even before Nofret spoke, something about the image unsettled me.
External struggles.
Internal conflicts.
A battle for survival.
The words settled over the room like cold rain.
"I don't like that card," I admitted quietly.
No clever remark.
No joke.
Just honesty.
For once.
"It makes sense," I added after a moment.
Because it did.
Every step of this journey had felt like walking through shadows, never knowing what waited around the next corner. Every answer uncovered two more questions. Every victory seemed determined to come wrapped in sacrifice.
Yet Nofret smiled.
"The other cards are positive," she reminded me. "You will triumph."
Such simple words.
I wished they were easier to believe.
Then came the Orb.
Luck again.
The second blessing of fortune in a single reading.
Nofret explained how differently everything might have been had the card fallen elsewhere. Power. Evil.
Instead...
Luck.
Success.
Control over one's own life.
Control.
That was the word I clung to.
Not destiny.
Not prophecy.
Control.
Because perhaps fate could scatter the cards...
...but I still chose how to play the hand.
When the reading seemed finished, a question slipped from my lips before I had time to overthink it.
"Any clues as to where to search for the orbs? Er... vessels."
The others chuckled.
Nofret simply smiled.
Another card.
The Six of Wands.
Victory after battle.
"Look where victory, heroism, and battle are honored," she said thoughtfully. "The lichs might enjoy the irony of hiding the vessels there."
The words echoed inside my mind.
Victory.
Heroism.
Battle.
Not riddles.
Not impossible mysteries.
A direction.
A path.
Dahrik immediately shouted about the Warriors' Guild, excitement lighting up his face as though we'd already solved the puzzle. His enthusiasm was infectious despite myself.
For the first time that afternoon, I felt something stronger than uncertainty.
Purpose.
I stepped forward and wrapped Nofret in a grateful embrace.
The cards had promised hope.
Luck.
Trials.
Victory.
Perhaps fate truly had spoken.
Or perhaps the cards had only reminded me of something I had nearly forgotten.
No matter what the future held, I had never walked it alone.
And that...
That was worth believing in.