Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Sift withdrew his hand and Ruwen studied the card. A massive tower filled the card, and he guessed it probably didn’t bode well from the drawing. Lightning had struck the tower and its crown shaped top tumbled downward. Flames emerged from the windows and smoke billowed from the tower’s door. Two figures fell to the ground, their faces full of fear.

Tarot turned his attention from the card to Sift. “The Tower represents danger, chaos, and violence in its darkest forms and sudden change and revelation in its most positive.”

Sift leaned forward his voice serious. “Is Lylan in danger?”

“A single card does not a reading make,” Tarot replied.

“What?”

“Turn your other cards,” Ruwen said. “He needs to see how they interact to know.”

Sift reached for the second card and Tarot spoke again. “Lylan’s action.”

Sift quickly turned the card and everyone leaned closer to see.

The card depicted a woman riding a massive black wyrm, her hair streaming behind her as if traveling at great speed. Her face looked resolute and fearless.

“Fortitude,” Tarot said. “Strength, courage, and calmness under pressure.”

“That one’s much better,” Sift said.

Tarot continued. “The Tower and Fortitude together suggest Lylan has encountered hardship but is facing it, not retreating. Fortitude also suggests she will succeed in her endeavor, although paired with the Tower the cost for that victory could be significant.”

“What?” Sift asked, his voice rising. “She’s going to get hurt?”

Tarot shrugged and pointed at the third card. “Lylan’s outcome.”

Sift immediately flipped the card.

A woman, her back bent under the burden of ten poles, strode forward. Her hair fell forward hiding her face, and her posture conveyed she might collapse at any moment.

Tarot spoke quietly. “The Ten of Wands. A heavy burden.”

Sift looked up from the card and locked gazes with Tarot. The good natured Sift had disappeared, and the all business Sisen Sift had emerged. “What does it mean?”

“The Ten of Wands is interesting in this reading. Paired with the Tower its meaning becomes exhaustion and stress, but paired with Fortitude, it could mean achievement, although still with a heavy cost.”

“And your opinion?” Sift asked softly.

Tarot closed his eyes and rubbed his chin in thought. Sift stood unnaturally still, as if preparing for an attack. Ruwen decided this had been a terrible idea.

Finally, Tarot spoke. “Cloudy is this divination.”

“Does that happen often?” Ruwen asked.

Tarot shook his head. “Very few things can cloud my sight.”

“Is this just an excuse?” Sift asked.

Tarot rose into the air, stopping at Sift’s eye level. “I will give you my reading but know Lylan has encountered something so powerful it warps my ability to see clearly.”

“Like what?” Sift asked. “A god?”

“A few of them,” Tarot said. “Possibly one of my brothers or sisters.”

“Tell me,” Sift said.

Tarot nodded. “You chose the Tower first, meaning the danger to Lylan is significant and meaningful. The Tower’s shadow falls on the next two cards. The most likely meaning is Lylan faces the danger head on and will not retreat, regardless of the consequences. The Ten of Wands so close to Fortitude hints at achievement, but the shadow of the Tower means it may come at a terrible cost.”

“Might she die?” Sift asked softly.

“Possibly, but because Fortitude stands between the Tower and Ten of Wands I believe it unlikely.”

“But she could. And you think for sure she’ll get hurt.”

Tarot looked sad. “With the Tower’s presence I think it likely.”

The grim news created an uncomfortable silence and all the Adepts shuffled away, moving back to their resting spots.

Sift turned to Ruwen. “Let’s go.”

“What? Where?”

“Home. I need to help Lylan.”

Ruwen’s anxiety had increased during Tarot’s reading. Danger to Lylan likely meant the same for Hamma. It probably involved the unstable situation in New Eiru. Ky had told him Bliz had faced multiple attacks. Had Hamma and Lylan found this same danger.

Ruwen held up his hands. “I want to talk first.”

Sift swiped his hand downward across his body. “No talking! Lylan needs me!”

“Let’s start there,” Ruwen said. “Does she need you?”

Sift frowned. “She’s in danger.”

“Probably,” Ruwen responded gently. “Which means Hamma likely is as well.”

That calmed Sift down a little. He pointed at Ruwen. “Then why are we still talking?”

Ruwen sighed. “Because Hamma and Lylan don’t need us. I mean, they might. But you know better than I how capable they are. You saw it in Shelly for over a year. If trouble found them, they have the skills, intelligence, and power to handle it. They don’t need us to save them. In fact, if you think about it, they’re usually the ones saving us. If anyone should worry, it is Lylan.” Ruwen paused and smiled. “And maybe Hamma a little as well. I do tend to make a mess of my life.”

Sift closed his eyes for a few seconds and then locked gazes with Ruwen. “If something happens—”

Sift stopped and swallowed hard a couple of times. “I can’t lose her again.”

Ruwen put a hand on Sift’s shoulder. “She has the world’s best Healer with her. And to hurt Lylan they’d need to find her first, and then avoid all her blades. And we both know only a Step Master could do that.”

“That’s true,” Sift said.

“Imagine the beating she’ll give you if you leave the Step Trial, giving up your only chance to progress forward, just to find her sipping some of Ky’s terrible peppermint tea.”

Some of the tension in Sift disappeared. “That would be bad.”

“We might need them, but they don’t need us,” Ruwen said. “Certainly not to protect them. That is a hard fact.”

The last of the tension left Sift. “I’m worried.”

“Me too, buddy. But let’s trust them while we’re here.”

Sift pointed at Ruwen. “No more goofing off. Going forward we finish this trial as fast as possible. Promise me.”

Ruwen nodded. “Okay.”

A hint of happiness crossed Sift’s face. He held up his right wrist and showed Ruwen the cards there. “I have three spells.”

Ruwen smiled. “What do they do?”

“Let’s see,” Sift replied. “The Tower summons fire and lightning in a fifty-foot radius for five seconds. Fortitude adds five hundred to my Strength for ten seconds, and the Ten of Wands is an area of effect Exhaustion debuff to all enemies within fifteen feet.”

“Those are great spells.”

Sift grinned and turned to face Tarot. “Thanks for the game, TM.” Then Sift launched himself straight up into the air.

Ruwen quickly used Sphere of Influence to speak with Sift, as he’d almost disappeared from sight. Come back in a few hours. We can continue Rung Four’s training until the Founders’ show up.

Sift didn’t respond and Ruwen heard a distant thunderclap as Sift ripped the air apart with his passing.

With the Adepts mostly sleeping Ruwen paced around the low hill that held their portal stone. Thoughts of Hamma filled his mind. Despite his speech to Sift, worry knotted his stomach. He really believed what he’d told Sift. Hamma and Lylan could take care of themselves. But Ruwen’s enemies were gods and if they’d gone after his friends, they would need help.

But even that wasn’t the true source of Ruwen’s worry. He had promised to stop facing things alone and stop disappearing. He remembered Hamma standing in the doorway of Ky’s safehouse in Deepwell. Ruwen had just finished multiple time compressed days in the Black Pyramid and, along with Sift, had been headed for the Worker’s Lodge to meet Big D and start the camping trip.

Ruwen closed his eyes and recalled that meeting.

Ruwen knocked softly on the door, not wanting to wake up anyone in the neighboring houses. He was about to knock again when the door opened a crack, and Hamma peeked through. The door flew open, and Hamma stepped forward.

“I’m so glad –” Ruwen started.

Hamma slapped him.

“You can’t just disappear!” Hamma shouted. “Do you know how worried I was? I came back, and everyone was gone. I thought you’d died!”

Ruwen stood speechless as his cheek burned. Hamma hugged him, but before he could hug her back, she stepped away.

Ruwen refocused on the present. From the beginning Hamma had hated when people suddenly disappeared, and she had no problems expressing her boundaries and what she considered acceptable. Another memory surfaced, this one shortly after they’d saved Sift from the ambush and had just gotten to the Worker’s Lodge.

Hamma had wanted to know where all the things Ruwen had used to help save Sift’s life had come from. It had taken loot dearly won in the Black Pyramid to stave off Sift’s death, and she’d noticed. She had been very clear about the consequences of lying to her. He recalled her words.

“Before you answer, I’ll tell you this. It’s been fun and terrifying hanging out with you. But I won’t tolerate a liar. If you lie to me, then this is goodbye.”

Ruwen smiled. One of the many things he loved about Hamma was her independence and that she wouldn’t tolerate bad behavior. His smile faltered as memories of the promises he’d made in Shelly surfaced. It had taken less than an hour once they’d returned for him to break his word to Hamma. Once again, he’d disappeared. Yes, it had been out of his control. But he recognized the pattern in himself, and he worried about the consequences.

Sift’s reading made it clear that something had happened back home and while Ruwen had hid his fear from Sift, it gnawed at him now. He would honor his promise to Sift and move through the rest of the trial as fast as he could.

Hamma deserved an explanation, and the longer it took, the worse the consequences might be.