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“I tried to switch to sugar free gum last week.” She sucked in a breath and shuddered. “Never again.”
“Would you like to see my petting zoo?”
She sniffed the air. “I expected to smell them before I could see them. Are you using an air freshener?”
“These animals don’t have a scent.” I walked into the dining room with Camryn right behind me. “Meet Lust, Gluttony, and Sloth.”
The animals looked at us with matching soulful expressions.
“Oh, look at those big brown eyes.” She edged closer to the pen.
“I’d describe them more beady than big.”
Camryn removed a tarot card from her Chanel handbag. “This one should do the trick.”
“Why doesn’t she use a wand?” Nana Pratt asked.
“Because she’s a La Fortuna mage,” I explained. “They channel their magic through tarot cards, not magic wands.”
Camryn examined her perfect French manicure. “Tell your Casper that a card is different from a wand. We can’tpick up any old card and channel it. We have to master it first and claim it as our own. Some of those cards can take years off your life if they don’t kill you first.”
Nana Pratt shrank back into the wall.
Cam stepped forward and contemplated the pig. “If he turns out to be a hottie, this could be a real meet cute moment.”
“I like your positive attitude.” I glanced at the animal, still dirty from the cage at the trailer park. “Do you need him to be cleansed first?” Camryn took clearing the air to another level. Her visit to the Castle involved two shamans and more herbs than a garden center.
“I’ll worry about that once I get a good look at him.” She held up the card in front of the pig and focused. “Can you talk?”
The pig grunted.
Cam sighed. “This is disappointing. I was sure he was going to have muscles that defied nature. Did you try removing the collar? Maybe it’s blocking my magic.”
“It won’t come off.”
“That’s odd.”
“Everything about this is odd.”
She shrugged. “Welcome to Fairhaven. A weird pig god just means it’s Tuesday.” She fished through her purse for a different card. “Let me give the Eight of Wands a whirl. It’s more potent.”
I watched as she channeled the card’s magic.
Exasperated, she resumed an upright position. “There’s a block all right. A very powerful one.”
“Then you think I’m right?”
“I don’t know about the Aztec god part, but this is definitely not a normal pig. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.”
“You’ve been plenty helpful, Cam. Thanks.” Unfortunately, there was no way to prove my theory if I couldn’tcommunicate with the animals. “Do you think another mage might be able to break through the block?”
Cam glared at me beneath heavily mascaraed eyelids. “Are you suggesting my work is subpar?”
“Of course not, but I know you don’t all have the same exact magic skills.”
She tucked her card in her purse and snapped it closed. “That’s right, we don’t. And you should know that my work is highly regarded.”
“I do know that, Cam, and I appreciate you coming over on such short notice.”
