Tarot

by Marissa Kennerson

  The Magician listened to the sound of barking hounds and the pounding of hoofbeats. She had dragged herself into a dense copse of bushes, where she had fallen asleep against a rock. But no amount of twisted branch and bramble could hide her from the Guard’s hounds. When she stood up, the forest spun around her. She took a deep breath and placed a hand on her stomach, waiting for the trees to steady themselves.

  The Magician weighed her options. She needed to get back to the castle. The King would surely be calling a meeting of his advisors at any second.

  Her magic was spent. In truth, she didn’t know how long it would take for it to return. She’d been dabbling, retaining her skills by enchanting irritating guards and levitating objects in her chambers. Knocking the Tower down without her wand was something else entirely.

  The dogs howled with more urgency, and their barks were growing louder.

  The Magician dropped to her knees and started frantically scrubbing fistfuls of soft wet dirt and moss all over her body to cover her scent. She covered her hair in moss and pine needles, rubbing fallen leaves against her cheeks, hands, and clothing.

  She stayed very still, holding her breath.

  The dogs whined and whimpered in frustration.

  “Did they lose the scent?” shouted a guard.

  “It was probably just a rabbit,” said another.

  The first guard squinted into the brush. The Magician backed away from her hiding spot, treading carefully. The guard drew his sword and walked toward her hiding place, cutting away at the overgrown foliage.

  “We’re moving on, Aidrick!” called a guard. Aidrick hesitated. The dogs were running deeper into the wood. He crouched down and stared into the brush.

  Suddenly the stillness and quiet was interrupted by a flock of birds erupting from a nearby tree, making a great commotion of chirping and rustling of leaves.

  “Good heavens.” Aidrick jumped up and grabbed at his rapidly beating heart. He looked up as the small cadre of birds swept through the sky.

  The guards on horseback tossed their heads back in laughter. Aidrick turned and glared at them, returning his sword to its sheath as he walked back to his horse.

  “Those little black birds looked very fierce indeed!” a guard teased.

  “Quiet, then!” Aidrick growled, mounting his horse. “Let’s go.”

  The Magician ran softly through the woods back to the kingdom, using the distraction to her advantage. Fear carried her forward as she clenched her teeth to stanch the pain in her throbbing head.

  Anna lay in a bed, looking up at a sky full of pale-gold sunshine. She wanted to enjoy the feeling of warmth on her cheeks, but disorientation set in too quickly. She bolted upright, and her muscles tensed as she grabbed at her neck, relieved to feel the cold metal of the necklace her aunt had given her. She touched the charm to her lips before dropping it back inside her gown. Her hair was tangled and matted, her arms and legs covered with scratches and bruises. When her feet, sore and blistered, touched the floor, she was hit with a rush of memories from the day before. Panicked, she looked around for her satchel.

  She found it on the floor at the foot of the bed, covered with her clothing, filthy but neatly folded. She took a breath, relief coursing through her. It was grounding having something from her old life to hold on to, even though everything else had changed. She decided to hide her necklace with her things to avoid questions about it. She carefully felt for the silk lining at the bottom of the satchel and placed the necklace there, beneath her tapestry fragments.

  The room was modestly sized, with high ceilings. Everything was white, from the bedding to the painted walls. The large bed faced a window that spanned nearly the entire west wall, overlooking the bright sea. Where the room itself was white, the view was blue on blue. The blue green of the sea met the soft powder blue of the sky in a neat seam of horizon. A breeze tickled Anna’s skin. She marveled at the beauty and the feeling of fresh air.

  “Hey,” Anna heard a soft voice call to her. A petite girl with closely cropped hair and an upturned nose stood in the doorway.

  “Hi.” Anna studied the girl. Had she met her last night?

  “It’s quite a view, isn’t it?” The girl smiled.

  “It really is,” Anna answered.

  “I’m Terra.” The girl bounced up and down on her toes.

  She gave Terra a small wave. “Anna.”

  “I’m supposed to take you down to breakfast.” Terra crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed.

  “Would it be all right if I took a bath first?” Anna asked.

  “Of course! The tub is outside on the first floor. I’ll bring a clean dress.” Terra jumped up and led Anna outside to a small patio decorated with two wooden chairs and a table covered with colorful blue mosaic tiles that matched the sea. To the right was a set of narrow wooden stairs.

  Anna stopped and inhaled the salty air, feeling the gentle warmth of morning sunshine on the crown of her head. She looked out at the sea and was humbled by how vast it was and how it spread out beneath the sky. She listened to the gentle swoosh of the tide going in and out.

  She followed Terra down the stairs, which led to an outdoor bathing area. There was a deep tub enclosed by a round wall made of bamboo shoots, tied tightly together with twine. The ceiling was the cloudless sky.

  “No one will come in.” Terra lifted a large bucket of water sitting over a flame and tipped it into the tub with surprising ease. “I hope I didn’t let the water get too hot.”

  A small wooden shelf was built into the wall next to and level with the tub. It held glass jars of salts, creams, and a bowl of dried flowers.

  “Thank you, Terra.” Anna dipped her hand in the water. “It’s perfect.”

  Terra beamed. “We’re on the ground floor now—beach level. You can go back upstairs or just follow the rock path through the sand to the front deck. Everyone will gather for breakfast there soon.”

  Anna wondered what time it was. She looked up at the brightening sky.

  “Late sleepers. Nearly all of us are.” Terra smiled. “I’m hanging your dress here.” She pointed to two hooks on the bamboo wall, above the silver tub. One held a plush white towel. “There’s shea butter and a comb on the shelf next to the tub.” Terra hung the dress, wiggled her fingers in a wave, and dashed outside.

  Anna slid off the nightgown and stepped into the tub. The water made her scratches smart a bit, but it also soothed her aching muscles.

  She wondered if this beautiful land was under the Hierophant’s jurisdiction, and how she’d even reached this place. As she scrubbed under her arms, Anna considered whether these people might turn her in to the King.

  She slid under the water, letting the otherworldly hum beneath the surface drown out the noise in her head. She came up and took a deep breath. Anna couldn’t remember much from the night before, but Terra had been nothing but kind and helpful. Anna rubbed the shea butter into her hair and combed out the tangles.

  After she was bathed and dressed, she twisted her long wet hair into a bun. She took a deep breath and opened the door that led outside.

  The door seemed to open onto the side of the villa. To Anna’s right grew a lush green jungle. To her left was the beach and sea, a stone’s throw away from where she stood. She followed a stony path to the front of the villa and, when she reached it, her mouth dropped open.

  The villa was two stories tall and stretched at least two hundred feet. Small flowers painted carefully in yellows, pinks, and purples climbed up the walls. Surrounding the villa were tall palms and shorter palmetto trees with long green leaves and thick, knobby trunks. Tiny lanterns, now unlit, hung from their branches, and the trees were filled with the song of colorful parrots and kingbirds.

  The front deck was raised up on stakes made of a rich dark wood. There were four long tables with benches for chairs, and giant whi
te canvas umbrellas, opened up like lilies in full bloom, shaded the people who sat at the tables eating breakfast. The air hummed with chatter, and Anna had to stop herself from gawking at the large crowd.

  A girl stepped down from the deck and approached her. “Wow! You look like a new person.”

  Anna’s eyes widened at the girl’s beauty. Her hair was a bewitching combination of flaxen and strawberry that fell in thick, long waves. Her arms were covered with bracelets made from tiny seashells and sparkling green sea glass.

  “I’m Lara. You may not remember meeting me last night.”

  Anna shook her head. “Everything is really foggy,” she confessed.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Very, now that I think about it.”

  “Come.” Lara held out her hand, her bracelets tinkling musically. “You can sit next to me.” Lara took Anna by the hand. “Make some room, darlings. We have a guest today.” The talking stopped for a moment, and everyone at the table looked up at Anna. She felt heat rise to her face.

  “This is Anna. You’ll have a chance to meet her later.” She waved her arms. “You can go back to eating now.”

  Anna bit her lip and tried to force a smile, but her nerves made it difficult. She achieved something between a smirk and a twitch and managed to hold up her hand in a wave.

  “Hi ho, Anna,” said a boy with a mop of sandy brown hair. She lifted her chin in answer.

  “That’s Simon,” Lara said.

  They took seats beside him as everyone returned to their breakfast.

  Anna, now shoulder to shoulder with Simon and Lara, took a deep breath. She’d never sat so close to anyone, not even her advisors. She swiveled her head, trying to not be too obvious, but she could not help but want to take in everything happening around her.

  Anna watched a girl at a neighboring table with a halo of blond curly hair toss her head back in hoarse laughter. The boy next to her bit into a bright orange fruit.

  She glanced down at her hands. The people around her were every shade of olive imaginable, and while Anna was ghostly pale in comparison, they otherwise seemed like people she might have encountered in the Hierophant’s Kingdom had she been given the chance to explore it.

  Each table seemed to hold about twenty-five people, and now that Anna was actually seated among them, she realized they all had one thing in common.

  They were young, all about her age.

  She turned to Lara. “Where do the older people eat?”

  Lara blinked.

  “Or the children?” Anna asked.

  “We’re the only people here, Anna.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. I just—” She thought of her aunt and the King—at least twice as old as anyone at the table.

  “It’s fine,” Lara whispered, glancing around the table.

  “What can I get you?” A boy with bright red hair and blue eyes stood up from the end of the table, wiping his face with a cloth napkin and dusting crumbs off his shirt. “Henry.” He held his hand out to her, and Anna reached for it immediately, wanting to seem friendly. “Do you like coffee?”

  “I’ve never had it,” Anna admitted.

  “It’s good,” Simon said, standing up from the table. “Here, you’ll have a bit more room now.”

  “Oh, I’m okay,” Anna said, looking from the seat beside her and up at him. She wondered if she had done something to make him leave.

  He smiled and pushed his mop of hair to the side, revealing a high forehead. “I’ve got to go feed the horses, but I hope to see you again soon, Anna.” He did a little bow, and Anna laughed. “Henry, can I raid the kitchen for carrots?”

  “You may indeed,” Henry answered.

  “See ya, Lara.” Simon winked at her and ran off.

  “Now, back to coffee.” Henry leaned down and reached across the table for a bright yellow ceramic pitcher and a cup made from what looked like a coconut shell. Anna watched as he poured hot brown liquid into the cup. “I suggest drinking it with some of the coconut milk.”

  “Some sugar too,” Lara added.

  Henry handed the cup to Anna. “Be careful—it’s still hot.”

  Anna took a sip. It was bitter but sweet and creamy, too. Delicious. She took another sip and nodded. “It’s excellent.”

  “Let me make you a plate, Anna. Is there anything you don’t like?” Lara asked.

  Anna shook her head. Lara handed her a plate made of wood and piled with eggs, plantains, black beans, and rice.

  She’d never had food like this. Anna sat and chewed, letting the spice of the beans and the sweetness of the plantains dance over her taste buds.

  Anna stole another glance around her as she ate. Everyone looked so vibrant and, Anna thought, so beautiful. They were freckled and sun-kissed and seemed to glow from within. Anna felt ashen and shy next to them.

  “Do you like it?” Henry scooted in next to her.

  Anna looked at him blankly, her thoughts interrupted.

  “The food. Do you like it?”

  “Oh.” Anna smiled. “Very much. Thank you.”

  “I’m the chef.” He winked at her. “Most jobs rotate each moon cycle, but if someone really takes to a particular task, Daniel and Lara will make an exception.”

  Anna nodded, shoveling another forkful into her mouth, when a boy with a shock of bright chestnut hair and light-green almond-shaped eyes sat down directly across from her.

  His skin was bronzed, his beatific smile flashing a row of straight white teeth.

  “Good morning.” He glanced at Anna. “You clean up nice.” He grabbed a coconut shell and filled it with coffee from the yellow pitcher. Anna swallowed her eggs.

  “James?” she said tentatively.

  He raised an eyebrow. “At your service,” he responded playfully. “Morning, Lara.”

  “Good morning, James.”

  “Thank you so much for finding me last night,” Anna blurted out, her voice trembling.

  “You are quite welcome.” James smiled at her warmly. “I’m glad I found you.”

  At that moment, Ivy strode up.

  “Make room,” she said to James, squeezing in next to him and taking a sip of his coffee. She eyed Anna over the steaming cup. “Look who took a bath,” she said, reaching over James to grab a banana. Anna felt her cheeks redden.

  “Ivy!” Lara said.

  “Don’t mind her,” said James. “She has no manners.” He winked conspiratorially at Anna.

  Ivy broke off a chunk of banana and squished it into James’s cheek.

  “See what I mean?” James swiped a finger across his cheek and popped the banana into his mouth. “Mmm.”

  Anna studied her plate, avoiding Ivy’s gaze.

  “Really, Ivy?” Lara rolled her eyes.

  “Here, have some more beans.” Henry pushed a bowl of beans toward Anna, who had lost her appetite completely.

  “Thank you, but I’m feeling pretty full.” Anna smiled at Henry. “I will take some more of that coffee, though,” she said, holding out her cup.

  “How about a walk?” Lara offered. “You can take that with you.” She gestured to Anna’s cup. “I want you to meet Daniel.” Lara looked at Ivy and James and admonished them with a shake of her head.

  Anna stood abruptly, knocking her spoon off her plate and into the sand. She felt both James and Ivy look her over as she crouched down to retrieve it. James cleared his throat and asked Henry to pass the eggs.

  Anna threw the spoon onto her plate and turned to Lara. “I’m ready.”

  “See you later, Anna,” James called after them. “Say hi to my brother for me.” Lara tugged at Anna’s elbow, leading her down the beach. Anna chanced a glance back at the table. James smiled broadly. Ivy rolled her eyes.

  “Sorry about that,” Lara said as they walk
ed away.

  Anna shrugged.

  “How are you feeling today?” Lara asked, changing the subject.

  She and Anna walked along the water, the sand velvety soft beneath their feet. Anna could see straight through the clear blue water as it ran over their toes.

  “Honestly?” Anna answered.

  “Of course,” Lara said, grabbing her mane of strawberry hair and pushing it over one shoulder.

  “Exhausted. Confused. A little scared.” Anna stopped and looked out at the exquisite stretch of sea. “Exhilarated. I have no idea where I am, and I’ve already met so many new people. I’ve finally touched the sea and felt sand beneath my feet.” Anna stopped herself. She was giving too much away.

  “You’ve never seen the ocean,” Lara guessed, studying Anna’s face. “I wish I could see it again for the first time.” She squeezed Anna’s arm. “I don’t want to overwhelm you. That’s why we’re going to go talk to Daniel. He’s”—Lara paused—“good with these things.”

  “These things,” Anna repeated. “Like strange girls showing up out of nowhere?”

  Lara let out a warm, husky laugh. “You are a rarity for us. And he is very wise.”

  “He is James’s brother?”

  “Yes, and my partner.”

  “Oh!” Anna said. The only person she’d ever known with a partner was the Fool, but she’d never actually met Drake.

  “There he is.” Lara pointed down the beach. At the shoreline stood a young man. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with dark brown hair skimming his shoulders. He was casting a fishing net into the shallows. His shirt was thrown beside him in the sand, and his brow was furrowed in concentration. Lara let out a magnificent whistle.

  “Hi, my love!” she called.

  Daniel spun around and a big smile spread across his face. He looked from her to Anna and pulled his net out of the water. He came toward them and gathered Lara into a tight embrace. They locked eyes and he kissed her, running a hand through her rippling hair. Anna looked down at her toes, tracing circles in the sand.

  “Official introductions,” Lara said as she and Daniel broke apart. “Anna, this is Daniel, the king of our beautiful land. Daniel, this is Anna—mystery girl.”