For The One(55)

And I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen, even if I have no idea right now what that will be.

“I would like for her to have it in time for the Beltane Ball at the Festival. Is that possible?”

Agnes smiles widely. “More than possible. I could even make you something to match.”

I think about that for a moment, unsure how Jenna would interpret such a gesture. Wearing matching clothing might make her think I’m claiming her. Then again, I want to claim her.

If she’s going to try to run away and never come back, then it’s up to me to make that decision impossible, or at least extremely difficult.

“Yes, that would be fine,” I tell Agnes.

“Sounds wonderful. I’ll take your measurements at the next meeting.” I pull out my wallet and hand her two hundred dollars as a down payment. “I’ll bill you the balance on delivery.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Before I leave, I remind myself to say, “Thank you.”

I look down toward the end of the row and see that Jenna is now sitting at a table with her friend, Caitlyn, who traces people’s silhouettes for a small fee. Jenna is flipping through her Tarot cards, but her eyes are on something else. I follow her gaze and see that she’s watching Doug, who is speaking with a new member of our group, a dark-haired woman named Glynnis.

I wonder what Jenna is thinking. Is she angry to see her former boyfriend talking to another woman? Does she still have feelings for him? How strong were her feelings for him?

I decide that I don’t want to find out—and that I will do everything in my power to make her forget him. Even if it means wiping him off the face of the Barony of Anaya. I won’t risk losing her again.

With purposeful strides, I make my way toward her booth, sink down on the hard, wooden stool in front of her table and plunk down a twenty-dollar bill. I don’t believe in fortunes at all, but I do believe in watching Jenna’s every move and listening to her every word as she tells me mine.





Chapter 13

Jenna

“What is it you wish from Mistress Jenna?” I asked, trying not to smile.

William’s face was expressionless, but it also held somewhat of a challenge, as if to say, “Do your worst.”

“I seek the answer to a question,” he answered without hesitation. My brows twitched a little with surprise. He’d mentioned the night before that he was skeptical about this, and I was certain my brief answer explaining that the cards functioned as a meditative device didn’t dispel his doubts.

I pulled out one of my older decks—the Rider-Waite. It was a classic, with bright colors and beautifully rendered pictures. It was one of the oldest and most well-known Tarot decks around. And something about William just screamed classic to me.

“Take this and handle the cards for a few minutes while thinking about your question. You can shuffle it, cut the cards, whatever. Just generally manipulate them and focus on what you want to know about.”

I almost laughed at the expression on his face—clear and obvious disbelief—but he humored me and did as I asked. “Do I tell you my question?”

“If you want. But you don’t have to.”

After he’d shuffled the cards for a while, I took them back from him and laid out a classic Celtic Cross spread. The results were…extremely surprising. Hardly any Minor Arcana cards.

William’s eyes glided over every card. “This is fine artwork.” He reached out and traced the edge of one of them—The Hanged Man. A trump card. “Beautiful detail,” he breathed.

“The deck is designed around a journey. It tells a very intricate story, but each part of the journey is marked by archetypes. It can be complex, but you can just look at them as…cues for things to think about in your own life. As you make your own journey through life.”

His finger tapped the corner of the Hanged Man, which depicted exactly that—a man hanging from a tree upside-down by one leg with the other hooked over the branch, his hands behind his back and his hair hanging loosely toward the ground. “And what does he represent?”

“The Hanged Man is stasis, a rut, a need for change or to learn something new. In Norse mythology, the god Odin hung on the world tree for nine days in order to gain knowledge.”

“So you’re saying I need to learn something new?”

I shrugged. “Well, actually these should all be read in order, which I can do. But first, I want to point out that the only Minor Arcana card you drew is the King of Cups.”

“There are suits? Like with playing cards?”

I nodded. “Yes, but instead of hearts, clubs, spades, et cetera, they are cups, wands, swords and pentacles.”