Page 129 of The Bone Season

‘My father,’ I said.

‘Yes. You’re standing behind him, speaking to him. He doesn’t answer.’ Without opening her eyes, Liss flipped the next card. It was upside down. ‘This is the present – King of Wands, inverted.’ Her red lips pursed. ‘He controls you. Even now, you can’t escape his hold.’

‘Warden?’

‘I don’t think so, but he is an authority figure – a man shaped by cruelty. His expectations of you are too high. You’re afraid of him.’

Jaxon.

‘Right.’ I cleared my throat. ‘Can you see him?’

‘I see his wand – a staff of bone.’ She was falling into a trancelike state. ‘He wears a crown of many secrets, and the shadows are his throne.’

I needed to confess. It was too hard to hold it inside any longer.

After this reading was over, I would tell her the name of the King of Wands.

‘Next is the future.’ She turned the card, drawing a sharp breath. ‘The Devil. This card represents a force of hopelessness, restriction, fear – but you’ve given into it yourself. Whatever power this person will have over you, you will be able to escape it.’

‘IsthatWarden?’

‘I don’t know.’ She opened her eyes for a moment, offering a smile. ‘Don’t worry. The next card will tell you what to do when the time comes.’

I looked down at the fourth card. ‘The Lovers?’

‘Yes.’ As Liss closed her eyes again, her voice dropped to a monotone. ‘I can’t see anything, but there’s tension between spirit and flesh. The card has weight. This will be a pillar of your life.’

Her fingers crept towards the next card. I pushed my hair behind my ear, waiting.

I really hadn’t expected the Lovers. The Major Arcana wasn’t always to be taken literally, but that card did often represent an intimate relationship, from what little I knew about it.

‘External influences,’ Liss said. ‘Death, inverted.’ She showed me the skeletal rider. ‘Death crops up in most voyants’ readings, but not usually in this position.’ Her eyes flickered beneath their lids. ‘This far ahead, my sight gets hazy. I know the world will change around you; death itself will work in different ways. By delaying the change, you’ll prolong your own suffering.’

‘Can I avoid any of this?’

‘That is beyond our ken,’ she said. ‘The sixth card points to your hopes and fears.’ She picked it up, ran her thumb over it. ‘Eight of Swords.’

The card showed a blindfolded woman, bound in a circle of upturned swords.

‘I can see you.’ Her voice cracked, her skin glowing with sweat. ‘You can’t move in any direction with ease. You can stay in one place, trapped and stagnant, or feel the pain of the swords. All paths lead to anguish.’

This was a nightmarish spread. I wasn’t sure I could stand to see the last card.

‘And now the end.’ Liss reached for it. ‘The seventh.’

The æther trembled.

‘Wait.’ I caught her wrist, my nerve failing. ‘Liss, I need to tell you something.’

‘What is it?’

‘The King of Wands.’ I spoke in a whisper. ‘I think it represents my boss.’ Liss shook her head, frowning. ‘I’m in the syndicate.’

‘Okay.’ Liss was out of her trance now, her face softening. ‘It’s all right, Paige. I thought you might be, with your gift. We all do what we must to—’

‘No. You need to know who I am,’ I forced out. ‘I’m not just a member of the syndicate. I’m a mollisher. My mime-lord is the White Binder.’

She stared at me, her lips parting.

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