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“That was no woman.” Zander released me.
I couldn’t agree more. But the whole experience felt strange.
“Let’s go in here.” Snow grabbed me before I could protest.
I needed a moment to collect myself so I let her guide me into a hut built with straw. The scent of lavender permeated the space enough to fit the six of us besides the woman sitting behind a wood table. I waved at the candle perfumed with a heavy floral scent, but light and fresh at the same time.
“Move over.” Tank’s shoulders tightened, pressing his arms to his side.
“There’s no room, big guy.” Dawn bumped into Tank’s arm.
Zander tugged on my cloak. “What is this place and what are we doing here?”
“Can we leave?” Otis yanked his hood lower, a section of his locks sticking out. “I don’t like it in here.”
The calming effects of lavender clearly didn’t work on angels.
“Fine,” Snow’s usual melodic voice turned sharp. “The girls will stay and the boys go out.”
The three rushed out the door and I sat on the chair between Dawn and Snow, while the woman on the other side shuffled a deck of cards over the crystal ball and continued to ignore us. She must be a fortune teller.
I’d heard about her kind, gifted beings. But there were fake ones too, who took advantage of their customers and told lies. No surprise there. Humans had many flaws.
I glanced about the two shelves behind the woman while we waited for her to give instructions. One shelf contained different colored crystals about the size of a fist. The second shelf housed unlit candles and small wooden boxes. I imagined she stored herbs in them. Too many scents to discern individual herbs.
Snow sat up taller and adjusted the hood to ensure it covered her silver hair. “I’ve always wanted to talk with a fortune teller. What do we ask?”
The lady spread the cards in one swipe with the pictures facing down on the table.
“I didn’t say you can touch,” the lady said with a heavy accent. She smacked Dawn’s hand as Dawn’s fingers hovered over a card.
Dawn held her hand to her chest, feigning pain from the slap that felt like a light brush. Her performance as a human was convincing.
The lady cleared her throat. “Please place one hand on the crystal ball, close your eyes, and clear your minds. Then open your eyes and pick a card. Give them to me.”
After we did, she fanned the cards we picked and waved over the crystal ball. She scooped up the rest of the cards and put them to the side on the table. As the lady closed her eyes, she inhaled a deep breath and remained still.
Dawn shook her leg, anticipating.
Snow shivered with excitement. “I heard sometimes the fortune teller tells you who you will fall in love with. And they might even—”
“Quiet,” the lady said without opening her eyes. “Sometimes they tell customers to get out if they talk too much. I must concentrate harder now. It’s going to cost you more coin.”
More coins? I didn’t know we had to pay. And how much more? I had already spent enough. Surely Zander had more to spare, right? If not, we might have to flee.
Snow covered her mouth with her hand and giggled softly. I laughed with her. We acted like schoolgirls who’d gotten caught taking fresh bread from their mother’s kitchen. But Dawn focused on the lady who placed the cards down, the pictures facing up this time.
The lady blinked and blinked. Her eyes widened, her features contorted in fear. She gasped as her gaze darted to each of us, one at a time.
“It must be something good.” Snow squealed, clasping her hands.
“I don’t think so.” Dawn squinted, looking suspicious.
The lady backed away, her chair nearly tipping. All the lit candles that had once smelled like lavender turned sour and the light in the hut dimmed. Our shadows elongated and turned eerie.
“This is for all of you, including your friends who left the tent.” She pointed at each of us, still looking terrified. “One of you will die. One of you will betray your friends. And one of you will know torture beyond imagining. Evil will find you and darkness will fill your souls.”
“As Tank would say, ssi-bal.” Snow, who had her hands ready to clap, froze with her lips apart.
