She gestured toward an ornate floral sofa and exclaimed, “Please, Tessie and Mercy, make yourselves at home here. Nadia, why don’t you bring in some of the coffee cake you made yesterday and a pot of tea.”
As we were waiting, three beautiful Siamese cats came slinking into the room. One strolled right up to me and rubbed against my leg, loudly purring. I scratched her head and she stared at me with her bright blue, slightly crossed eyes. She appeared more intelligent than some people I know. She gracefully jumped up and settled herself in my lap. The other two cats prowled around the room and finally sat on Dika’s lap and a velvet pillow by the front window. I commented, “I also have a Siamese cat. I believe they are very intuitive animals.”
Dika nodded, “Cats are very special to us. The one in Tess’s lap is Princess Hannah, the one on your lap is Her Royal Highness and that one there on the pillow is Empress Stephania.” All three cats stared at us while we were discussing them. I have no doubt they knew exactly what we were saying.
Nadya brought in a tall ornate copper vessel and placed it on the coffee table. She returned with a silver tray of exquisite China tea cups, matching plates, a jar of honey and the cake.
“What IS that thing? It’s beautiful! Mercy asked, staring at the copper vessel.
“It is a samovar. That particular one belonged to my husband’s family for many years. It is the best way to prepare the Russian Caravan tea. I think you will enjoy it. It is best with honey.” Mrs. Petrov proceeded to show us how to pour tea from the samovar. We all helped ourselves to tea and cake and sat around the coffee table. I took a sip. It was wonderful. It smelled and tasted like honey and almond, very delicious.
When we all sat down, Mrs. Petrov turned to me, apprehension showing on her face. “My dear, how are you doing?”
“I’m doing all right, Mrs. Petrov.” I said, trying to sound convincing.
She touched me lightly on my hand, leaning toward me. “Tessie, we know about you. We know why you are here at this time.”
“What do you mean? I asked in a small panicky voice, even though I had a pretty good idea what she was talking about. I believe that Dika and Nadia were luminars, although I’m not sure about Mrs. Petrov.
Mrs. Petrov looked over at Mercy and her daughters before responding, “Tess, am I right to presume that you don’t know much about our background?”
“I believe you may be from Russia or Eastern Europe. It’s just a guess, though.”
“We are Roma. There is another term for the Roma people but we don’t like using it often because it is viewed negatively. It is ‘gypsy’. I presume you have heard of gypsies, Tess?”
“Yes, I have, but I don’t know much about them,” I acknowledged.
“The Roma people can be from many parts of the world, but our family came to America from Serbia in the mid-1990s. We came here because of the terrible war that was tearing our country apart. Many people were being tortured and exterminated, and of course, the Roma were among them. We were very lucky to get out when we did. My husband had an uncle from America who helped us get here. Eventually we were able to settle with a Roma community in upstate New York.”
I asked, “That is very interesting Mrs. Petrov, but what does that have to do with what is happening here in Connecticut today?
“Please be patient with me, Tess. I must explain to you the history of our people for you to understand. You see, the Roma are an ancient people. Over a thousand years ago we emigrated from Northern India to different regions of Europe. We found that we were not welcome in many places because of our distinctive culture and our darker skin. As a result, we became great wanderers, and developed rather unique talents in order to get by. Our men became excellent animal trainers and coppersmiths.”
“What is important for you to understand is that our women became very gifted in the art of telling fortunes through the reading of palms, the mystical orbs and the cards. In past times, some gypsies also read the tea leaves. Do you know why certain Roma women were able to develop these gifts?” Mrs. Petrov leaned close with her eyebrows raised and directed her question at me.
I shrugged and answered, “No, not really.”
Mrs. Petrov leaned toward me, her eyes gleaming, and her voice mysterious. “It was because of their witch blood. It is my personal belief that there are more talented witches within the Roma population than any other peoples on earth. You may be aware that since the beginning of human existence, the special abilities of witches have evolved over thousands of years, depending on their origin. Unfortunately, there are some regions of the earth where witches have virtually become extinct. Their special gifts have withered due to disuse or fear of discovery. In the case of the Roma witches, the opposite has happened. They have retained many of their original magical abilities and their psychic skill has evolved into one of their greatest gifts,” Mrs. Petrov asserted.
Mercy asked, “Why did Roma witches evolve that way?”
“I will explain it to you. Gypsies had been prevented from supporting themselves in traditional ways because they were always from the outside. For that reason, they became quite talented in other areas. They learned that no matter where they lived, people would come to them and pay a great deal of money to know what their future held. The Roma witches became well known for their ability to read the future and that skill helped them put food on the table. ” Mrs. Petrov paused for dramatic effect and added, “Of course, some gypsy women were phonies. They were reading futures and they weren’t witches. They just wanted the money. They gave the Roma a bad reputation.”
I finally asked her the question, “Mrs. Petrov, are you saying that you and your daughters are witches?”
Mrs. Petrov smiled and shook her head. “Actually, Tess, I am more of what you would call a conjurer. I can carry out some simple charms; however, both of my daughters are very powerful witches. But, there is much more to it than you can see with your eye.” She pointed to her eye for emphasis. “You see, they have lived more than one life as a witch. They have lived many past lives as witches have suffered greatly for it. For some strange reason that we do not understand, Roma witches usually return to earth time and again as Roma witches. As far as past oppression, gypsy witches always suffer doubly, once for being a gypsy and once for being a witch.”
I had to ask them about this. I turned to Dika and Nadia and asked, “Do you know much about your past lives?”
Nadia answered, “Yes, we have fairly good memories of recent past lives. Our people have very strong beliefs about reincarnation and karmic absolution. Our mothers and grandmothers purposely spend time encouraging us as children to recall what we could about recent past lives. Once those recollections start, it is like pulling a thread. Gradually, those pieces of information fit together to form a picture of a past life.”
Mercy stared in amazement at Nadia. “You mean you don’t have to get hypnotized to learn about past lives?”
“No, however, I can only recall two past lives that way,” Nadia admitted.
I asked, “Can you go back any further than that?”
Dika chimed in enthusiastically, “Roma witches do have a way of learning about our lives further in the past. It is through the reading of the orb.”
Nadia quietly added, “And we were there, Tess. We were with you many years ago.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Dika and I spent time with you in the past, in the 14th century. Normally, the Roma witches wouldn’t mix with others, but we did during that time. We chose to align ourselves with the good ones, the luminars.”
“You were with me at that time?” I asked, incredulous.
Nadia smiled sadly and answered, “Yes, we chose to fight with you because of how we were treated. The bad ones, the diaboles, became dominant members of the church hierarchy. It was the perfect place for them to hide at that time because no one would believe who they really were. The church feared our powerful magic because it threatened their control, and o
f course the bad witches just stirred things up.”
Mercy questioned, “What do you mean? I’m not sure I understand why the church was afraid of you.”
“During the 1300s, life for everyone was very harsh. So many babies, at least a third, died before they were five years old. People were so fearful they often turned to our magic for help. Peasants and lords alike sought us out for our ability to see visions of their future. Unfortunately, the church viewed our magic as ‘consorting with the devil’, and that is exactly what they told everyone. Eventually, the local people would turn against us so we would have to flee our homes. We could never settle in one place for long. There were periods of time when persecutions of the Roma became really terrible. They stole our children to use as their slaves. The evil ones even got away with mass execution of our people.”
“How did you know to come here at this time?” I queried.
Dika replied, “We first talked about retribution during the 14th century Apocalypse. Since then, it has been contemplated by witches during other skirmishes, and during the time of The Between. Of course, there have been many conflicts over the centuries, but the time for a major reckoning has never been quite right. Human and otherworldly events have always gotten in the way. This has become the designated time. We were told by the other witches to get here quickly. They are coming here now. We sense that the time is almost upon us.
39. Readings
“Thank you for having us over today, Mrs. Petrov,” I said courteously as I finished my tea.
“You’re welcome, my dear.” Mrs. Petrov smiled broadly, glanced over at Nadia and suddenly blurted out, “I just had a great idea! Why don’t you young ladies have Nadia read the tarot cards for you? I think you would find it very enlightening. She’s the best. Dika is better at the reading of palms but I think the cards are more interesting!”
Mercy clapped excitedly. “I would LOVE to have someone do a card reading for me. That would be amazing!”
“Humm, I guess that’s OK,” I reluctantly agreed. Considering what’s been happening, do I really want to know what the future had in store for me?
Mrs. Petrov declared, “Then it is settled. Nadia, please get your cards and set up around the table here.”
Nadia obediently left, returned with a pack of large cards and sat down across from us. She could see that I was staring at the tarot cards so she very quickly fanned them open and gave us a peek. They were beautiful, but old and worn. Nadya explained, “The first time I saw these cards my majka, my grandma as you would say, was using them. They have been in our family for a long time. She knew I had the gift of insight and interpretation so she spent many years training me to ensure faithful readings.”
Nadia laid the cards face down on the table, placed her hands on them, closed her eyes and took several deep breaths She finally opened her eyes, picked up the cards and shuffled them a few times. She looked nervously between us and made a choice. “Mercy, you seem a little more enthusiastic. I’ll do your reading first.” She then gestured across the table and added, “Sit over here and place your hands on the cards. Close your eyes as I did, take several deep breaths and clear your mind. Concentrate on your own thoughts and your own feelings. If you have a question you would like to have answered, reflect on that.”
As I was watching Nadia go through this ritual, it struck me that she had ancient eyesl. I’m not saying that the skin around her eyes had wrinkles, like they were physically old. I’m referring to her inner eyes. It was as if her eyes weren’t reborn with each new life. Instead, her beautiful, mysterious eyes came back time and again, through each incarnation, witnessing and memorizing every past pleasure and horror that she had experienced throughout the centuries. Usually Nadia’s eyes were guarded, as if she was hiding her inner sight. It was unnerving to see those eyes revealed in someone so young.
Mercy finally looked up and lifted her hands from the cards. Nadia then laid three cards on the table and pointed to each one. “This card on the left represents your past, the middle card your present and the right card your future.”
Her hand hovered over the cards for a few seconds and then she flipped over the middle one. “It is always a good idea to read the present card first. Oh my!” She studied it before continuing. “It is The Fool and you can see that he is on a journey. It is telling me that you have recently made a change in the journey of your life and, as you proceed along, more changes will be coming. But you must be very careful for as you can see, the fool is walking over the bridge that has a hole in it. The hole represents dangers you may face, if you are not very careful.” Nadia made a point to look directly at Mercy before appealing to her, “You are one that tends to throw your fears to the wind when up against a foe. You are loyal to a fault. There are times when you must think of yourself. Please do not be too hasty when contemplating a risky action. Think it through before choosing the proper course. You could suffer permanent damage to your body or your mind.”
Nadia then flipped over the card that represented the past. It showed a woman in a long blue dress called ‘The High Priestess’. Nadya looked at Mercy, paused for a bit and then explained, “You have exhibited unusual gifts since you were a young child. They come from both of your parents. For most of your life, you have managed to control those gifts because you have not lived around magic. New powers are forthcoming for you. They will appear when needed. It is important that you are patient and use your talents correctly. It will help you to determine your ultimate destiny.”
Nadia asked Mercy, “Would you please turn over the card of the future?”
Mercy flipped it over and we all studied the card. It showed two people, one a creepy hooded figure, the other a normal person, standing around a spinning wheel. Nadia finally cleared her throat and gave her interpretation. “This card is The Wheel of Fortune. It is a mixed bag, especially since the card was presented to you upside down. Unfortunately, an upside down presentation has a negative connotation. This card represents how your fortunes inevitably rise or fall due to future triumphs or defeats. You must learn to accept either outcome as a part of life. If you cannot accept a defeat, you may not survive. After all, what rises will fall and then rise again. The wheel continues to turn.”
“Did the cards answer your question?” Nadia asked Mercy.
Mercy laughed, “Yes and no. I wish I knew more.”
“That is understandable. The cards cannot tell you everything. One purpose of the cards is to show you the direction you are headed. They cannot dictate your future. Only your actions, which you are capable of changing, can affect your future. The tarot cards open your mind to guide you and give you some perspective of the circumstances you are in.”
Dika piped up, “Nadia, you should tell her. She would want to know.”
“Tell me what?” Mercy asked, sounding uncertain.
“There is one more thing. I saw something about an elderly woman in your family that you are close to,” Nadia answered, looking concerned.
Mercy looked startled. “It must my Nonna. She is the only one. I lived with her for a number of years. Please tell me.”
Nadia leaned in and touched her hand. “I am so sorry to tell you. She is not doing well. She may have a serious illness. You should go to see her.”
Mercy was stunned. “Nonna always seems indestructible to me. I can’t believe it.”
“I’m so sorry, Mercy. I’ve heard you and your mom talk about your Nonna,” I said quietly.
Nadia then turned to me and inquired soberly, “Are you ready, Tess?”
“Yeah, as ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied, trying to sound relaxed, even though I wasn’t.
We went through the same routine until the three cards were laid out on the table before us. Nadia reminded me that the middle card represented the present as she flipped it over. She immediately put her hand up to her lips trying to hide a smile as the card was revealed. It was called The Lovers. Just what I wanted to hear about!
“Tess, I
am getting a very strong impression about you from this card. I believe it is related to a question you asked as you reflected on the cards. As you can see, this is a relationship card involving your present circumstances. I can see that there are two young men vying for your attention. Is that not so?” Nadia looked at me expectantly.
I said defensively, “I don’t think that’s the case at all.”
Mercy hooted, “Get off it Tess! You KNOW that Ian and Will are both after you. Don’t tell me you can’t see that.”
“Is that true, Tess?” Nadia asked, her eyebrows raised.
“Well, I know Ian likes me, but Will only views me as a friend,” I answered with a half shrug.
Nadia looked between Mercy and me. “Let’s just continue. One boy seems to be a sensitive and caring young man. He has you mesmerized by his quiet charm and his striking looks. That is not a bad thing,” she continued, looking puzzled, “although I cannot get much of a reading on his core, his inner being. He is surrounded by a haze. That has me quite concerned. Why would he be so unreadable? He is either conflicted in some way or he is hiding something. I do sense something different about him, a special power of some kind. He does not like to use it though. It frightens him,” Nadia remarked while shaking her head. She closed her eyes and paused for a moment before adding, “I believe that his fears are related to past life events. Hmmmm …. oh, dear.” She looked at me with troubled eyes. “Unfortunately, his soul has been compromised.”
“Compromised? What does that mean?” I inquired, staring at her.
“He does not know in which direction to go and as a result, he has taken some wrong turns. He has been unduly influenced,” Nadia asserted darkly.
“I’m not sure if I understand.” I said, feeling a sense of unease.
A Girl Beyond (War of the Witches Book 2) Page 20