Dragon Wish (29 page)

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Come on, this way.”

He took her arm and steered her down the walkway. They

came upon the entrance to a narrow alleyway which

branched off to the right. Leo nodded to it, and they entered.

The alley’s narrowness forced him to walk behind her.

“Straight ahead, last door on the left. There’s an old

woman who reads fortunes from the cards.”

“The cards?”

He kept his voice so low she had to strain to hear him.

“There’s only one type of seer cards on Avaris. All fortune

tellers use this deck for their business.”

After several moments of walking around barrels and

stepping over buckets, they came to a bare plank door. Leo

reached around Seren to tap on the wood.

No one answered. Seren glanced over her shoulder at

Leo. He shrugged and knocked harder. A few seconds later,

they heard shuffling from inside just before the door cracked

open.

Wiry black hair escaped from a crimson turban. Course

strands stuck out around the edges of the woman’s pale,

wrinkled face. Her watery blue gaze flickered over Seren then

Leo. “What do you want?”

Confident, Seren answered, “My fortune told.”

“Cannot do.”

Seren lifted a brow. She looked at Leo. “Are you sure this

is the place?”

He shrugged. “That’s what the shop keeper told me. Said

her name was Luci.”

She faced the woman once more. “Do you tell fortunes?

Are you Luci?”

“I do and aye, I am.”

Surprised, Seren asked, “Then why won’t you tell mine.”

“Dragons.”

Before Seren could respond, the woman continued. “Now

if ye wanna tell mine, I would be honored.”

Understanding came over Seren. “You knew I would

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come here.”

“Sure, read it in the cards this morning.”

Seren shifted her weight to her rear foot. She studied the

woman, trying to decide what to do. She wanted so much to

believe this strange woman had the true ability to read

fortunes, but she knew how the game worked. Of course,

here on this planet nothing was the same as it had been on

Earth. Coming to a decision, she nodded. Luci swung the

door wider to allow them to enter.

A rush of cinnamon aroma flowed over Seren. She

stopped, closed her eyes and inhaled, enjoying the scent.

When she opened her eyes, she watched the woman wobble

to a lone wooden table in the center of the small room. Two

chairs, opposite each other, waited for them. On the table’s

roughened wood surface, a stack of cards was placed in the

center.

Doubts sprang in Seren’s mind and rushed through her

abdomen. What was she doing here? She had only wanted a

distraction from her worries. Leo’s words sprang to her

mind, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to follow through with

this.

“Sit, my Lady,” the woman motioned to one of the empty

chairs. “Come now, this is yer desire.”

Seren, who wanted nothing more than to turn and flee

the way they had come, moved to the chair. With a large

amount of trepidation, she sat down, wondering if she was

right to be here. Did she want to see Paladin hurt or dead?

Maybe he was standing on his ship, on his way to meet her

here. Leo leaned against the wall inside the doorway. What

had she gotten herself in to by insisting on coming here? She

glanced at him, not comforted by the worried frown pasted

on his face.

Once the woman sat in the other chair, Seren looked at

the deck of cards. A simple pink diamond pattern covered

the back of the top card. No different than the decks of

playing cards Seren had owned on Earth. She touched the

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cards, half expecting a surge of power to flow into her from

the soothsaying tool, but nothing happened.

“Ye know the way. Three cards, past, present, and future.

This is what I desire to know.” The woman rested her back

against the chair. She studied Seren from under half-lowered

lids. Eyes focused on the cards, Seren swallowed, battling the

growing uneasiness inside her. She lifted the cards and

shuffled. When she had finished, she laid three cards face

down on the table. She glanced at the woman. A slight smile

shifted the wrinkled lips up at the corners.

Refusing to consider why this woman wanted Seren to

tell her fortune, Seren flipped the first card over.

Past.

A bright kaleidoscope of colors swirled over the face of

the card. Instead of a six of wands or high priestess, no solid

figure graced the face. Caught by the hypnotic whirls, Seren

stared, concentrating. Pictures formed in her mind.

A much younger, carefree Luci sashayed down crowded,

unknown streets, laughing at the many men who followed

her. Mental thoughts touched Seren’s mind and she spoke.

“Past, you wanted to live free, unattached. You desired to

succeed in your powers of soothsaying, not caring who you

hurt along the way.”

“Aye, aye, that is correct.” The woman leaned closer to

the table, excitement brightened her eyes. “Verra good, my

Lady.”

Seren turned the middle card.

Present.

She waited for the message from the cards. When she

received the meaning, she hesitated to speak. She met the old

woman’s eyes and waited until she nodded for her to

continue. “Present. You have regrets. Many regrets.

Foremost is the one of leaving your family—your lover and

children. You feel they are lost to you forever.”

The woman’s lips formed a straight line. Her head

wobbled up then down. “There is more. One card to go.”

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Hoping this card revealed the woman would reunite with

her loved ones, Seren flipped the last one over.

Future.

Caught in the circling colors, she bent closer, trying to see

clearer.

Roars erupted in her mind. The sky, blackened by smoke

and ash, stretched out above her. Screams, along with

terrified pleas, echoed across the city. She hurried, half-

running, half-waddling, down the street, seeking refuge, even

escape. The beat of mighty wings drawing nearer brought her

gaze over her shoulder. Slit pupil eyes, flaring red in the light

of the flames eating at the buildings, stared at her. The

dragon opened it jaws and released its breath.

Terrified, Seren jerked away, her chair falling back from

the table. She managed to twist and catch a solid footing so

she landed on one knee. She gasped, sucking in deep breaths,

trying to calm her frantic heart. Leo knelt beside her. She

looked up at him. He opened his mouth to say something,

but she shook her head.

She had witnessed the woman’s death.

Death by dragon fire.

The woman’s raspy words came to her. “So, ye know my

fate.”

Leo’s gentle hand wrapped around Seren’s arm. He

helped her stand. “Told you not to come here. This ain’t play

like it is on Earth.”

Pulling away, Seren faced the woman. “Is it definite or

just what may happen?”

Wiry hair shook as the woman tilted her head. “May

happen? The cards dunna lie. What they foresee will be.”

A resigned expression flickered across her face, revealing

the unseen hope things could change.

This was enough for Seren to continue. “Has anyone ever

defied the cards? Tried to change the outcome. On Earth, it is

only what may happen, not what will happen. Humans

decide what their fate will be.”

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The woman’s eyes widened. “Earth? You choose...so it is

true what I see in my crystal. You are from the cosmos.”

“That doesn’t matter. Tell me, is your family here, in this

city?”

Luci tilted her head. “No. They be far to the south.”

Relieved, Seren nodded. “Good. I want you to leave.

Today. Go and join them. The vision I saw happened here.

Maybe if you leave, your future will be different. Do you have

the funds to travel?”

With a shake of her head, the woman stood. “No. So you

see this will not be.”

“Oh, yes it will.” Seren looked at Leo. “We’ll give her the

money to go. Paladin won’t mind. I want to see her aboard

an outgoing ship before the day is over.”

Leo, his face shining with a thin coat of perspiration,

nodded. He glanced at the woman. “Gather what you want to

bring. We’ll take you to the docks.”

For the first time since Seren had stepped into this small

dwelling, a flare of true hope appeared in the woman’s eyes.

She glanced around her, and then went to a curtain-covered

doorway at the back of the room. Several minutes later, she

returned with a small bulging sack.

“This is all I’ll take,” she murmured, stopping at the table.

Her gaze fell on the stack of cards. “I bless ye with these. May

truth and wisdom reveal to ye the paths ye must take.”

Seren eyed the deck. She didn’t want the cards, but the

woman was sincere in her gift so she picked up the deck.

A fragile aged hand rested on hers for a brief second.

Small, perfect shaped teeth appeared in the woman’s smile.

“I thank ye, my Lady. Ye give me hope for the first time in

ages. One day, I will return to ye this mighty boon.”

Lifting a hand, Seren shook her head. “No, don’t worry

about it. I just want to help you.”

Together, the three left the room single file and made

their way to the dock. Seren waited with the old woman, each

silent while Leo purchased the fare for her journey. When he

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returned, he handed Luci the papers to board the ship and

extra cash to aid her during her trip.

Standing on the wall next to the dock, Seren watched the

ship depart. The baby rolled in her stomach. She ran a gentle

hand over the mound, hoping to calm him. On board the

ship, Luci leaned against the rail, her gaze locked with

Seren’s. The elderly woman lifted her hand and waved. A

smile bloomed on the winkled face and remained until Seren

could no longer make out her features.

Once the ship disappeared in the distance, Leo took

Seren’s arm. He escorted her through the city to the house

where they stayed. Exhausted, she went upstairs to her room

and eased down onto the cool covers of her bed. Closing her

eyes, a clear image of Paladin appeared. Tears sprang to life

in her eyes. Exhaustion pulled at her more each day. She

rolled over, buried her face in her pillow, and allowed her

fears to escape through her sobs.

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Velhaven castle’s black spires appeared on the gray

horizon. Paladin waited on the bow of his ship, watching for

any sign of attack while his vessel drew nearer to the open

docks at the base of the foreboding stronghold. Tension

touched every muscle in his body, tightening them. Forcing

his jaw to unclench, he glanced at his helmsman.

“Order the flags up so they may be aware of the reason for

our arrival,” he ordered.

The man motioned to the signaler. Flags fluttered in the

breeze as the sailor relayed the message to the dock keeper.

The return answer came within moments. Permission to

dock granted.

His heart rose to his throat. He tried to swallow past the

knot but failed. He hoped to carry out this duty without any

problems, but with a grieving king and father to deal with,

the possibility of him escaping unscathed narrowed.

Soldiers rushed out onto the dock. They lined up in

formation, their banners flapping in the breeze. Honored

guards, elite fighters, all would die for their king and clan.

Paladin squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, steeled his will

for the needed strength to leave his ship and greet his

deceased wife’s father.

The ship’s walkways clanked into place. Paladin jerked,

startled by the jarring motion along with the loud noise. He

curled his hands into fists, determined to remain strong no

matter what occurred.

Six sailors came from the ship’s hole; three on either side

of the casket holding the remains of his wife and child.

Paladin lifted a hand, halting them. He took his place in front

of the sailors and preceded them off the ship.

They came onto the dock without a surge of soldiers

attacking them.

A large, broad-chested man, stood across the wide berth

under the two story high archway marking the entrance into