“Is this you?” I ask, pointing at the other girl. Now that I take a closer look, it’s obvious that it’s Kelly. Same smile, same bright eyes. She and Mom have got their arms around each other, their cheeks smooshed together. They both look radiant and happy.
Kelly’s eyes shine with emotion. “Melissa—your mother—she was my best friend, Stevie.”
I let out a gasp, but the bartender is suddenly here with our drinks. She sets them both on cardboard coasters, but the moment she turns away and I lift my glass, my coaster transforms into a Tarot card.
Four, actually—the Queens.
Kelly’s eyes widen as she glances down at the cards. “Has this happened before?”
“Do you mean, have the four Queens crashed the party while I was hanging out in a desert dive bar with the professor whose Tarot class I'm possibly failing? No, this is definitely a first.” I laugh, taking a much-needed sip of my frosty margarita. “But cards have been randomly appearing like this ever since my mom died. Well, the year after—that's when it started. They come and go. I haven’t actually seen them in a while.”
Kelly smiles and shakes her head. “Very clever, Melissa. Very clever indeed.”
“Clever? I don’t understand.”
“I have a message for you from your mom.” She taps the cards between us, then meets my gaze again. “Close your eyes and listen closely. You won’t be able to write it down—that was one of her requirements.”
My stomach bubbles in anticipation, and as soon as I close my eyes, Kelly begins to whisper so softly I have to lean forward to hear the words:
Fear not the evasive Queen of Air
Though her manner is course, her outcome is fair
By thought or by deed, by word or by blade
Her sacrifice can’t be unmade
The Queen of Water extends a gift
Love and compassion to mend the rift
Keep watch by your mind but open your heart
For that is when her friendship starts
With caution consider Queen of Fire
Her tongue is sharp and so is her ire
The raven is false yet darker still
Is the vessel within that yearns to be filled
By Queen of Earth you may be vexed
But trust you must her diligence
Sisterhood too, you’ll find within
But only when it’s welcomed in
She repeats it three times in total, and at each verse, the corresponding elemental Queen appears in my mind—Queen of Swords first, the air element, a wise, no-nonsense woman with long gray hair, dressed in a purple gown and a tattered blue cape, clutching a sword to her chest. Next is Queen of Cups, the water element, standing on a rocky shoreline in a long green cape, holding a chalice beneath a full moon. The fire element, Queen of Wands, sits on a throne wearing a red tunic and cape, a wand held in her right hand while fires burn behind her. And finally, Queen of Pentacles—the earth element—dressed in a red gown and green cape, playing a bodhrán with a bone as she sits on a throne carved with pentacles.
Kelly falls silent, and I sense the message is complete. The queens fade from my mind.
“I don’t understand,” I say, opening my eyes. “Is this one of her prophecies?”
“No, not in the larger sense of the word. It’s a message just for you.”
